Twostepcublog

Tonight's DSS is a charity record under the title "Ici Les Enfoirés". A changing group of singers and actors, the "Enfoires" (translated roughly into "the Dumbasses") raise money for Restaurants du Coeur , who give food packages and hot meals to the needy. No idea what they're singing, but it's cool nonetheless... To buy the benefit CD Les Enfoires Font Leur Cinema at Amazon France by clicking here .

Today Barack Obama arrived in London for the G-20 economic summit today. The G-20 is comprised of the 19 of the largest economic powers of the world, as well as a representative from the European Union (which already has members France, Great Britain, Germany, and Italy individually). From North America you've got the US, Canada, and Mexico; from South America Brazil and Argentina; from Africa there's South Africa;in Asia you have Turkey, Russia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Saudi Arabia, and South Korea; and lastly Australia. Now if this truly were the top-19 you'd include Spain at #12, Iran at #17, and Taiwan at #19, and lose Saudi Arabia (surprisingly to me), Argentina, and South Africa. But nevertheless, this is a true powerhouse of world leaders. With every economy in the world in a tizzy, there's some hard work ahead, making the protesters there look almost sort of foolish. However, at least we won't have to be embarrased by scenes like this :

Tonight's DSS is by Scottish band Franz Ferdinand , who's latest single, "No You Girls", you may have caught on the new IPod Touch commerical. It's in the UK top-40, as well at almost hitting the US Billboard Hot 100. It's been an earworm in my brain ever since, though it's worth it.. and here's the IPod clip... You can pick up FF's album Tonight: Franz Ferdinand at your local record store or by clicking here .

Lest we not forget, scumbag Bernie Madoff's in jail, but his Marie Antoinette wife Ruth runs free..click to embiggen... Thanks to the inimitable Danziger - go see his cartoon archive and if you likey buy his books by clicking here ...

I had to do it. It couldn't wait until tomorrow. This week's Cee U Next Tuesday award for female acheivement in the long-standing glass floor of douchebaggery goes to Miss Universe Dayana "my tiara is brighter than I am" Mendoza of Venezuela. After visiting Guantanamo Bay with the current Miss USA Crystle Stewart as part of a USO tour, Miss Mendoza proceeded to gush about it on her blog like she just came back from a cruise to the Bahamas. We visited the Detainees camps and we saw the jails, where they shower, how the recreate themselves with movies, classes of art, books. It was very interesting. ... I didn’t want to leave, it was such a relaxing place, so calm and beautiful. Jesus Christ. What brand of stupid are you? Better yet, why did we let her leave? Hell, I'm sure those happy detainee would be more than happy to her around to "recreate" with.

Well this week's political/economic news started off with a bang - it was announced that as part of its bailout, General Motors' chairman Rick Wagoner (pictured above) was forced to resign. GM will get 60 days and Chrysler 30 days in which to make a final push toward proving they can run viable businesses. If Chrysler succeeds, it will receive a $6 billion loan. In GM's case, the officials would not specify how much money the carmaker might receive. In addition to the resignation, it was broadcasted that the companies had to make drastic changes, including concessions by the auto union UAW. Now of course, this leads me to think this: at what point does the administration believe that a union contract is more malleable and passable than the supposed "contracts" that insured the fatcats at AIG, Citigroup and Bank Of America get their million-dollar bonuses and perks. What the fuck is that? Remember where you came from, dude. Of course, the right isn't too happy ...

Tonight's DSS is by Swedish singer September (real name: Petra Eos Marklund). A big dance star in Sweden, she's crossed over to the US before with her hit "Cry For You". The followup to that song, and the first single from her latest album, Dancing Shoes , is "Can't Get Over". The track has already hit the top-10 in Sweden, Spain, Finland, and Poland, and is just making waves in Britain, debuting in the top-20. You can pick up their US self-titled album, which includes both "Cry For You" and "Can't Get Over", at your local record shop, or by going to Amazon by clicking here .

It's not ordinary circumstances when you see an economist on the cover of a major news magazine. Not even a Nobel prize-winning one. But with the economy in the tank and the whirlwind on Wall Street the talk of the day, it was time that Paul Krugman would get his due. A columnist for the New York Times , a professor at Princeton University, a TV presence on ABC's This Week with George Stephanopoulos , and an author to boot, it's hard to believe the man has time for anything. And instead of living in spotlights like a lot of recent political types can be (including the totally not-ready-for-primetime Tim Geithner), Krugman's work seems to be more of the guy who walks around with the "end is near" signs if that man were sane and business-savvy. The Newsweek article does try to trump up the difference between him and the administration, while the real concern is that he thinks we are just going half-way from where we really should be going. Krugman is not likely ...

Tonight's DSS is by British electro-pop duo La Roux . Elly Jackson and Ben Langmaid channel the sparse beginnings of new wave to provide a new kind of retro. Their latest single, "In For The Kill", just missed the UK top-10. You can pick up a copy of La Roux's "In For The Kill" at Amazon here ...

Tonight between 8:30pm and 9:30 is Earth Hour , a worldwide push spotlight the movement to conserve energy. It will be pretty hard, but I'll try to do it. I'll just keep one light on and read a book and maybe a game w-SB.

Tonight's short but funny DSS comes from France. Helmut Fritz , seemingly produced by the fab dance act Discobitch , provides us with the funny and funky "Ca M'enerve", which translates to "It Annoys Me".....damn straight! The US Amazon site is out of stock of the single , but if you really like it you can head over to the French Amazon site ...just read everything when buying...

It all comes down to a Margaritaville machine. God Damned Jimmy Buffett!

Hey guys, it's time for my top tunes for the week. This week Beyonce hangs on to a fourth week at #1, while Kelly Clarkson's latest hit jumps into the top-3. Beyonce also makes one of the biggest moves in the list, along with LaBelle and Jimmy D. Robinson. Meanwhile, former big hits by Seether, Dierks Bentley, Kristine W., Coldplay, and Moby fall out. Link-O-Rama is still in full effect, so you can click on the highlighted name of any artist to go to their website. So when's grilling time? This Week Song/Artist (last week's position in parentheses) ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It) - Beyonce (1) 2. Gotta Be Somebody - Nickelback (2) 3. My Life Would Suck Without You - Kelly Clarkson (7) 4. Circus - Britney Spears (5) 5. Poker Face - Lady GaGa (10) 6. Love Hurts - Incubus (8) 7. Sweet Thing - Keith Urban (4) 8. Second Chance - Shinedown (6) 9. Just Dance - Lady GaGa f/ Colby O...

In a horrible spat of weather, the Red River in North Dakota is overflowing due to heavy snows over this winter, and is threatening the city of Fargo. People are doing their bes t to sandbag the area and build up on the dikes, and I certainly wish them the best. According to Mayor Dennis Waleker, Fargo Mayor Dennis Walaker cautiously expressed hope that the river would stay below 43 feet — the limit of the reinforced dikes. Walaker said there was not enough time left to build the levees any higher. Damn. It's one thing to have to wade through water to save yourself or anything you have. It's another to try to do it in frigid temperatures and icy waters. One thing though, how can anyone criticize the Obama Stimulus plan to both give jobs and supply needed resources when example after example like this happen? Or does the Republican party just stand for every man for themselves?

Singer, songwriter, and mustache afficianado Dan Seals of the 70's duo England Dan and John Ford Coley (pictured above, Dan on the right) passed away from lymphona, a form of cancer, yesterday. ED&JFC were the subject of my first "true" blogpost , and for that they own a lil' ole place in my heart. With songs like "I'd Really Like To See You Tonight", "Love Is The Answer", and my personal favorite "Nights Are Forever Without You", they were all-guns for the late 70s. Nights Are Forever Without You - England Dan & John Ford Coley Love Is The Answer (Single Version) - England Dan & John Ford Coley After that, Dan returned to country music, and had great success before the "hat acts" of 1989-1991...Some people don't even know this is the same guy... Rest in peace, and thanks for the tunes... Added fact, Dan's older brother Jim was also in a self-named duo responsible for hits like this... Now go and buy o...

Tonight's DSS is by Belgian singer Milow (real name Johnathan Vanderbroeck). After three charting singles in his home country (including the #3 "You Don't Know, which was popular enough to make the top-100 in all of Europe), Milow released an unplugged version of 50 Cent and Justin Timberlake's "Ayo Technology", which explores the normally non-folky subject of strippers and skin mags, and turns it into a really cool tune. It hit #1 in Belgium and the Netherlands, and just the month was released in Germany, making the top-10 there. and for comparison here's the original... Ayo Technology @ Yahoo! Video You can purchase Milow's "Ayo Technology" online by clicking here .

Well the lil' ole Republicans were gettin' their feelins hurt by being called out by President Obama (among others) for the stream of televised whinefests over his proposed budget, without offering any concrete plan of their own. And because we've inherited an economic mess and a fiscal mess -- (laughter) -- this budget makes the tough choices necessary to cut the deficit by the end of my first term in half -- even under the most pessimistic estimates. We've already proposed $2 trillion in deficit reduction over the next decade. We'll continue making these tough choices in the months and years ahead as our economy recovers. And to a bunch of the critics out there, I've already said, show me your budget. (Laughter.) Show me what you want to do. (Applause.) And I'm happy to have that debate -- because I believe in the vision of the Democratic Party. (Applause.) Well, the Villagers were called, that there will be a big! news! day! for the GOP. Of course, the V...

President Obama, in one of his most progressive moments, held his "online town hall" called Open For Questions . Anybody was encouraged to submit and vote for questions to the president, who answered a good chunk of those questions in front of a live audience . Imagine George W. Bush trying to stammer through that. Pity that the online swarm pushed questions about legalizing pot to the fore, though Obama did call "them" out. "I don't know what this says about the online audience," he said with a smile, adding that he opposed legalizing the illicit drug. That's how you do a dignified smackdown. You can read the truckload of questions by clicking here , proving that the collective ordinary America people can for the most part be lightyears better than a gaggle of reporters. and here's the video. Thanks, Barack, for making the internet(s) your friend. It makes me feel like you may know what you're doing..

It was only a matter of time before mass outcry against the taxpayer-funded bonus payments at AIG caused a pushback from the whiny ass titty babies who work there. It does take hubris though for the Vice President of the financial products unit, in other words the section majorly responsible for the collapse of the mega-company (as well as taking down the economy with it), to have a walk-away hissy fit on the editorial pages of the New York Times . What he accomplishes is a look into the entitlement culture in the financial world, especially in New York. Jake DeSantis is the guy who "resigned" from AIG via this open letter, which is so self-aggrandizing you'd think Sarah Palin wrote it. Vacillating between saying he stayed with the company as a sense of duty, while bemoaning that he stayed because he was assured his bonus payment. So let me get this straight, you say you humbly accepted a $1 salary for this year, but only if you get the million dollar bonus? How fucking ...

Tonight's DSS comes again from Melodifestivalen , Sweden's semifinals to the song competition Eurovision . Alcazar isn't really a new act, with this song being their thirteenth top-40 single in their homeland. They've also crossed over, albeit lightly, with two songs making the US dance chart, their remake of the Human League's "Don't You Want Me" as well as "Crying At The Discotech", which made the top-10 in 6 countries and the top-20 in six more, including Great Britain. The new song, already a #2 hit in Sweden, is "Stay The Night". It didn't win Melodifestivalen either, but it's still sugary sweet.

Last night was President Obama's first press conference since February 10th, when the economy was still is "burning flames" mode. Since then a whole ton of shit has happened - the AIG bonus debacle, the budget proposal, the Geithner spectacle, and the up and down of the stock market that has people pretending like it's supposed to make any sense. And true to form, after a very clear yet a little didactic "I got this" speech, a good portion of the reporting pool proceeded to play this week's edition of "Media games!". In "Media Games!", each Beltway hack tries his best to not really report news, but to become part of the news themselves. Chuck Todd from NBC tries to prove himself amongst the cool kids by being a total tool, asking the president whether Americans have suffered enough since times are tough. Fuck you, dickweed. Maybe if you're out of work, or your 401K has gone to shit, or you're forced to take a second job to ge...

Though, it's missing the token backwater like Palin and the stooge like Jindal..

Today's DSS is by Swedish boy-singer collab E.M.D. Comprised of 3 former (Swedish) Pop Idol contestants (Erik Segerstedt, Mattias Andréasson, and Danny Saucedo), the group had already scored 3 #1 songs in their homeland. Their latest single, "Baby Goodbye", was their entry into Melodifestivalen , Sweden's semifinals into the Eurovision song contest. Here's their "live" version from the finals. Unfortunately, they didn't make it to Eurovision, but having a fourth #1 isn't too bad...and it doesn't hurt that they're adorable as well...

If you don't know who Greg Gutfeld is, first off, you're pretty much better off. Besides looking constipated 100% of the time, Gutfeld is a perennially dumped editor (from Men's Health, Prevention, Stuff (where he was let go supposedly for a stunt involving midgets), and Maxim UK ) and wannabe comedian whose shtick is apparently to out-Dennis Miller Dennis Miller. That's like trying to be the most annoyingly verbose psycho-beggar on the subway. After conning Arianna Huffington to be a blogger at her site , he proceeded just like his previous employers to piss everyone off and go running to the sagging bosom of Fox News (which is really just Roger Ailes' moobs). Having a faux-comedy-news show on Fox has been tried before, so they let Gutfeld try to ape Bill Maher in a "no-hold-barred" shitfest called Red Eye . Ordinarily, all this information is totally useless, except this dickweed managed to create a little stir where he, with the help of Doug Benson, w...

Michelle Bachmann, US Representative and Minnesota wackjob that isn't Norm Coleman, unfortunately was able to squeak by in her re-election last November despite her calling for new McCarthy-esque Anti-American investigations into Congress (why don't we do that to her now ). This allows this clueless trollop to infest the halls of Washington to ask the inane questions a fifth grader won't. As much as I'm disliking Geithner right now, in this below clip I'd really like him to just flat out say "shut the fuck up, you ignorant fucktard!". So let me get this straight - you think everything the government does is in the Constitution? Are you that intellectually stunted that you are invoking the fucking Constitution? Between that and the porn-librarian glasses, Bachmann is trying to out-Palin Sarah Palin. And not even knowing the freaking rules of her freakin' job, like how much time she gets, does this ignorant Cee U Next Tuesday even belong here at all? Alo...

Although America is pretty much over their love affair with British neo-mop-tops Oasis, their popularity in the UK remains pretty steady. Deservedly so, since the quality of their music is just as good as back in their heydey. The third UK top-20 single from their latest album, Dig Out Your Soul , is the dramatic "Falling Down"... You can buy Dig Out Your Soul at your local record store or sites like here .

As the Washington media scrambles around the stupid non-story of the 60 minutes "laugh" meme-fest, just like the stupid fucktardery around the AIG bonuses shielding the public from the real issue at hand; that the economic team behind Obama is seemingly steering us into the same financial bubble shit that got us into this recession/depression/whatever we're in right now. Yes, I'm stupefied that someone I thought as populist savvy as the president would be so dismissive of the huge and warranted outcry over the fact that, whether it was money doled before his term or not, public money was used to give out bonuses to dickwads who wouldn't have even a regular paycheck if we just allowed AIG to go under. When your work produces a pile of dick, dick is what you deserve back. Welcome to the real world, where the ordinary guy doesn't get a perk just because . I don't want to hear any more sob fucking stories about how these tools are scared for their wives or th...

Classic Portia DeRossi clip from the Jimmy Kimmel show.

Hey everyone, it's time for my tunes for the week. This week Beyonce spends a third week on top, while as Britney Spears (pictured) swings along with her Circus tour, the title track hangs in the top-5. Former big hits by Donna Summer, Madonna, Gavin Rossdale, Blake Shelton, and Lifehouse fall out of the list, while songs by Brandy, Kings Of Leon, and Maroon5 make the biggest moves. Link-o-rama is still in effect, so you can click on the name of any artist to go to their website. Snow? Seriously? This Week Song/Artist (last week's position in parentheses) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1. Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It) - Beyonce (1) 2. Gotta Be Somebody - Nickelback (2) 3. Heartless - Kanye West (3) 4. Sweet Thing - Keith Urban (4) 5. Circus - Britney Spears (5) 6. Second Chance - Shinedown (6) 7. My Life Would Suck Without You - Kelly Clarkson (11) 8. Love Hurts - Incubus (9) 9. Just Dance - Lady GaGa f/ Colby O...