Have you always wanted to pen a presidential speech? Do you think the White House transition team lost your résumé?

If you’re still angling for the job, we found a way for you to catch the eye of the president’s team: Atom.com has a fun little feature called the “Inauguration Speech Generator.”

“A grassroots Internet campaign helped Barack Obama get elected,” the site says. “Now he’s calling for the Internet’s assistance one more time — to help him craft the best inauguration speech ever.”

So, I decided to put the generator to the test, filled in the Mad Libs-like boxes with important-sounding words like “hope” and “patriots,” and voilà! Here’s what it would sound like if I got the chance to write Obama’s history-making address:

“My fellow Americans, today is a prestigious day. You have shown the world that ‘hope’ is not just another word for ‘country,’ and that ‘change’ is not only something we can believe in again, but something we can actually honor. Read more…

Sure, President-elect Barack Obama may know what he’s going to wear on inauguration night, but the big question on everyone’s mind is what will his fashionista wife Michelle Obama be wearing?

Of course, many have compared our next first lady to the most famous of fashionista first ladies, Jackie O, so designers are clamoring to get their designs on her. Here, we’ve rounded up some possible choices for the big night, thanks to Women’s Wear Daily:

1. Michael Kors, who is known for his classic American style, has imagined a belted, one-shoulder, royal-blue gown for the future first lady. It is both glamorous and simple, a winning combination for a night like the inauguration.

2. Diane Von Furstenberg confirmed that she submitted some sketches to Michelle. In one sketch, we see the dress as a reimagining of her famous wrap dress: long, straight and white with a big bow at the waist.
Read more…

The announcements for 2009’s music-festival season are fast approaching, and rumors are flying all over about who’s playing where.

Through some smart Net sleuthing (on artists’ MySpaces, etc.), many artists’ festival appearances have already been identified. LAist.com, for example, has determined that the Killers, No Age, Girl Talk, Hold Steady and Fleet Foxes will be at Coachella.

But what about the more outlandish rumors? The juiciest one for Coachella is clearly Britney Spears. Many speculated earlier this week that it’s well within the realm of possibility for the pop star to drop by the fest (as Madonna did in 2006). She just happens to be performing in Los Angeles that same weekend, and the Coachella grounds in Indio are just a few short hours’ drive away.
Read more…

A few weeks back, we wrote a post about Seattle’s Fleet Foxes and how they ended up on many, many, many best-of lists at the end of the year, and wouldn’t you know it — they’ve been tapped to perform on this weekend’s “Saturday Night Live.”

So to give you a preview of what’s to come on “SNL” (and see if you should stay up late), check out the stripped-down performance of “White Winter Hymnal” the band did especially for us.
Read more…

If you thought Rickey Henderson’s Hall of Fame induction a few days ago was a no-brainer, Run-DMC’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame nod was even more of foregone conclusion.

Rickey — an MLB human highlight reel who patrolled left field with the flare of a cocky boxing champ — was a first-ballot inductee. If Run-DMC were equated to MLB heroes, the trio from Hollis, Queens, would be the Yankees — all 26 championships. They are undeniably the Greatest Hip-Hop Group of All Time, and their accolades — all 25 years’ worth — are well-deserved.
Read more…

Aubrey O’Day has shared a lot of valuable information about her life with us. She told us about her plans for a solo record. She discussed her future, or lack thereof, with “Making the Band.” She talked about her sexuality and her obsession with Miley Cyrus (though the two are not necessarily related). She complained about Perez Hilton being mean to her on his blog. And, let’s not forget, the Pop Week MVP also confirmed that she posed for Playboy.

But there was a moment during our interview when Aubrey got really real with us, sharing something we actually weren’t prepared for. We’re going to disclose it to you now, but we’re not sure you’re going to believe it for yourself.

Aubrey brought her faithful dog, Ginger, to the interview. That seemed innocent enough, until … well … until Aubrey told us about “love fests” (her term, not ours) she likes to have with her dog. And then Aubrey and Ginger sort of made out with each other before our eyes. It’s really sort of hard to describe, but if you can handle it, see for yourself.

The Pussycat Dolls are heading on the road with Britney Spears this March. And when they do, they have a bit of an agenda:

1. Take over the world, PCD style.
2. Make Britney Spears a new member of the group, since, according to Kimberly Wyatt, “We’ve done a couple shows with her, and she’s always down to be a Pussycat Doll.”
3. Teach you, the American public, how to do the “Bottle Pop” dance.

(Watch PCD show you the dance after the jump!) Read more…

We didn’t forget about Britney Spears this Pop Week, but there may have been a few people we didn’t get the chance to catch up with for 2009. Here are the pop week honorable mentions.

1. Demi Lovato: This Disney star isn’t expected to slow down in 2009. She’s getting her own TV show, “Sonny with a Chance,” and she’ll also be seen with Selena Gomez in the movie “Princess Protection Program.” She’ll also once again hook up with the Jonas Brothers, if the rumored sequel to “Camp Rock” happens.

2. Daniel Radcliffe: After hitting Broadway for “Equus,” Daniel isn’t going to let his role onscreen as a wizard go — he’s also got two more “Harry Potter” flicks lined up after the release of “The Half-Blood Prince.” Also up for Daniel is “Journey,” in which he plays photojournalist Dan Eldon.
Read more…

We’ve been looking at rock artists to watch in 2009 all week long, and we wanted to focus a little bit more on today’s artist, Crooked X. You would never know it by listening to them — considering their shockingly mature sound — but the members of this breaking hard rock outfit are only 14-years-old. FOURTEEN!

It’s surreal. Lead singer Jesse Cooper has what seems to be a voice that couldn’t possibly belong to a 14-year-old (and he even looks older, too, unlike his bandmates, who clearly look like they are 14).

Take a listen for yourself.

So, did we say that they were 14? Oh yeah. Can you believe it?

They started playing together in “fourth or fifth grade” and have been growing together since. They’ve opened for such acts as KISS and Ted Nugent and even already have crazy stories from life on the road.

So how were they able to get their acts together before they even got their driver’s licenses? You’ll have to watch the premiere of ”Crooked X: Rock N’ Roll Dream” on MTV at midnight on January 27 to find out. The documentary follows the band’s progress from Oklahoma backyards to rock stars playing Swedish stadiums. Rock on, kids.

By Steven Roberts

I must admit that when I first heard the eerie background music and saw the words “What Would You Do … ” slowly creep up on the screen, I was thinking, “I hate reality shows.” I was conflicted, too, because I really like T.I., but after the first 30 seconds of the trailer for his new series, “T.I.’s Road to Redemption,” I wasn’t sure if our relationship would be the same.

But suddenly, the background music had changed. It became more uptempo, more driven. Different b-roll shots were flashing before my eyes. T.I. was driving his car. He was running down a hallway. I don’t know why, but he was. So I decided to sit back and watch the rest of the trailer.

I have to admit that the show does actually look compelling. I thought that it was going to be a show about T.I. explaining his legal situation and how he was going to deal with life before prison. It wasn’t, however.
Read more…