Katy Perry

On the Road is Tamed at Last

The Best Films of 2012

The end of cinema? Hardly. Taking a look at the top movies.

Kendall Schmidt of Big Time Rush: "Having Four Guys in the Band is Going to Bring Out the Teenage Girls"

Being in a successful boy band and having a hit TV show is hard work. Just ask Kendall Schmidt of Big Time Rush. Born and raised in Wichita, Kansas, Schmidt was singing by the age of three and acting by the time he was ten. In 2009, Schmidt was cast as the leader of the band Big Time Rush. Over the ... More >>

Katy Perry's Part of Me? More Like Part of Meh.

This week, America got two helpings of fantasy in the theaters: The Amazing Spider-Man and Katy Perry: Part of Me. As of July 4, both were rated 71% on Rotten Tomatoes. So why did a dude like me choose to see Katy Perry: Part of Me? Well, when I saw Perry last summer at Verizon Theatre, the cool-ja ... More >>

From Selena Gomez and Justin Bieber to the SMU Rowing Team, Carly Rae Jepsen's "Call Me Maybe" Has Been Around

See also: The problem with Carly Rae Jepsen's "Call Me Maybe" Carly Rae Jepsen's "Call Me Maybe" is one of those songs that tricks you. You only have to hear it once to know all the words. Not just the chorus, ALL OF THE WORDS. Who knows where you even heard it the first time? The problem is you ... More >>

In Defense Of... Rita Ora's "How We Do (Party)"

At first glance, British pop star Rita Ora is a dead ringer for her Roc Nation label mate Rihanna. They may even have the same stylist as Beyoncé. I guess Hova and I have similar tastes, because I like these women all the same. Rita Ora's recent single "How We Do (Party)" sounds like this year's a ... More >>

The Problem With... Carly Rae Jepsen's "Call Me Maybe"

Every wave of music coming out of Canada is quite the "melange." In the most recent one, Drake's fame is pulling up Toronto R&B artists The Weeknd and Melanie Fiona. We also have elves like Grimes and Purity Ring tinkering around with their precursors, from Skinny Puppy to Nelly Furtado. Conversely ... More >>

Sleigh Bells - Granada Theater - 4/17/12

Sleigh Bells, Javelin, Elite Gymnastics Granada Theater Tuesday, April 17 Brooklyn's Sleigh Bells made a Tuesday night feel like a Friday, like you've seen Run-DMC, Katy Perry and Atari Teenage Riot all at once. At 15 minutes to 10 p.m., vocalist Alexis Krauss and guitarist Derek Miller came out wi ... More >>

The Problem With... Katy Perry's "Part of Me"

​When I saw Katy Perry last summer, one scene that stuck with me occurred during "Hot N Cold," where Katy donned a number of costumes under a hula-hoop curtain. I think that represents Katy's career: A series of cut-away costumes replaced behind a magical curtain. Katy Perry's latest, "Part o ... More >>

We Gave Trailercakes a Big Box of Crap and They Made Us Two Glorious Cupcakes

Can Dr Pepper Ten and Red Vines equal crazy-delicious?​​Once a month or so, we invite a new lucky soul to attempt to conquer The Box. Their challenge: To create something awesome out of whatever ingredients are in the box. It's like Chopped plus Punk'd, only less terrible. This month, Traile ... More >>

Can Trailercakes Save Katy Perry and Russell Brand's Marriage? Probably.

Somehow, Trailercakes will turn this box of crap (and Jack Daniels) into two awesome cupcakes.​Welcome to the return of The Box. Last time, The Grape's Brian C. Luscher turned our box of crap into a badass quail egg terrine. This time the cupcakers at Trailercakes will get a chance to turn a b ... More >>

Best Musical Trends of 2011

OK, Sexy Sax Man. Just 15 more minutes. ​Tell the world, rock is coming home This year saw a wave of rock bands catching up to a new generation. We got Soundgarden touring again, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Blink-182 and even less renowned bands like Urge Overkill and Bush releasing new albums. Aft ... More >>

Guilty Pleasures of 2011: Every Single From Katy Perry's Teenage Dream

My wife really likes Katy Perry, and now, so do I.Let me first qualify that statement. My wife has really good taste in music, but there's the occasional Katy Perry/Miley Cyrus hiccup in there. She listens to these songs that aren't supposed to be cool or any good, but in a matter of time they seep ... More >>

Bringing Saxy Back: 10 Pieces of Audio Evidence Confirming 2011's Full-On Saxophone Revival

In an episode of 30 Rock from last year's fifth season, Tina Fey's alter-ego Liz Lemon walks the street, moping about the end of writing as career path. (I feel you, sister.) (Fistbump.)Eventually, she runs into a group of other bygone careerists living in a subway, ready to adopt h ... More >>

The Problem With... Dev's "In The Dark"

As a musician, one surefire way to get yourself on the charts is to plug a cliché sex idiom into your lyrics. It's a common ploy, one that happens so often you sometimes just wanna gag. (That's what she said.)Seems newcomer Dev is going that way with her single, "In The Dark."

Don't Forget the Suffragettes

Last Night: Katy Perry and Robyn at the Verizon Theater

Katy Perry, Robyn Verizon Theater in Grand Praire July 28, 2011 Better than: the petroleum aftertaste of cherry chapstick.Rachel ParkerWhat the hell is going on in this picture? For more crazy shots from last night's show, check out the slideshow.​ A lingering cotton candy scent filled the ... More >>

Katy Perry and Robyn's War of Words

Hard Rock Celebrates 40th Anniversary With Michael Jackson's Old Stuff

​FYI: The Hard Rock Cafe totally still exists. Believe it or not, we actually have one here in Dallas. And, on Saturday, the chain dedicated to rock 'n' roll history, iconic t-shirts and overpriced bar food is celebrating 40 years in the biz. According to the note we just got from the Hard Rock fo ... More >>

Attack Attack!'s Andrew Wetzel: "Being Labeled Emo is Just Gay."

​Walking through the mall in his hometown of Columbus, Ohio, Andrew Wetzel of the metal band Attack Attack! sounds a bit winded over the phone as he makes his way to a semi-quiet place to talk. After composing himself, though, the drummer was more than happy to discuss with us a variety of issues. ... More >>

The Problem With... Katy Perry's "Last Friday Night"

I'm starting to think the whole '80s retro thing has run its course. We've seen plenty of it in recent memory, and now Katy Perry's latest single "Last Friday Night" is the latest attempt to pull at your nostalgic side -- while referencing, of course, to the ABC sitcom block T.G.I.F.  Ugh. So. ... More >>

Last Night: Deftones, The Dillinger Escape Plan and Le Butcherettes at Verizon Theatre

Deftones, The Dillinger Escape Plan, Le ButcherettesVerizon TheatreJune 6, 2011Better than: watching a Triunfo del Amor marathon. Rachel ParkerDeftones: more in the slide show​As strong a set as the Deftones performed to a packed Verizon Theatre last night, it was difficult to overlook an un ... More >>

The More Doughnuts, The Batter: Five Music Videos for National Doughnut Day.

​The first Friday of June marks National Doughnut Day, folks. True story. Our co-workers over at City of Ate even got Homer Simpson to comment on it.Anyway, since we love foodie holidays here at the Observer -- especially ones celebrating sweet, deep-fried, ring-shaped balls of dough -- we thought ... More >>

The Problem With.. Lady Gaga's "The Edge of Glory"

So. Lady Gaga's anticipated Born This Way came out earlier this week. After giving it a listen, I'd say its like a roller coaster -- one that has Gaga's roaring head from the cover on the bumper. It's thrilling in some turns, nauseating in others and it gives listeners a real sense of danger.Thing i ... More >>

Last Night: Marina & The Diamonds, Ishi at the Granada Theater

Marina and The Diamonds, IshiGranada TheaterApril 14, 2011Better than: seeing Marina and the Diamonds a year from now, after touring with Katy Perry, when she's playing to sold-out venues. Marina Diamandis​"I've never been here before" Marina Diamandis, the mastermind behind Marina & The Diamo ... More >>

The Problem With... Katy Perry's "E.T. (Futuristic Lover) feat. Kanye West"

​ Here's the thing about Katy Perry: She tries write songs that are thematically diverse, which is nice. Unfortunately, very few of these themes pay off into complete ideas. Take, for instance, her latest single, "E.T. (Futuristic Lover)," which features one Kanye West and tries for a dark, myster ... More >>

Mixin' It Up at The Mix? Station's New Morning Man Will Broadcast From Los Angeles.

​KDMX-FM (102.9, The Mix) hasn't been on my radar since ... well ... um, ever? Till about 24 minutes ago I didn't even know its format. Oh, I see: "Variety From The 90's 'Til Now," meaning Lady Gaga, Kelly Clarkson, Snow Patrol, Bruno Mars, Katy Perry, Colbie Caillat ... and The Verve and Shawn Co ... More >>

Arbitrarily Grading The Year That Was: A Look Back At The Major Music Happenings of 2010.

Not quite an A . But 2010 was still a pretty good year for music.​If the '00s were dominated by hip-hop, this decade looks as if it's being dominated by electronic music. While electro-pop has had some resurrections over the years, it's now a mainstay of popular music. Look no farther tha ... More >>

The Daily Fail: Katy Perry's Boobs

When you have bodily assets that everyone likes to see, you should flaunt them. I mean, every guy and girl on McKinney Avenue does, so that means it's cool, right?

The Problem With... Katy Perry's "Firework"

It seems, much as we try, no one can avoid Katy Perry. Hell, she's pretty much everywhere these days, between awards shows, popping up (or not at all, turn out) on Sesame Street. She even lashed out at Microsoft over their closed-source softw... no, actually, her fans just wanted free booze in tha ... More >>

The Problem With... P!nk's "Raise Your Glass"

Piiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiink's coming out with a new album, so we better get this party started.

Today In Music News: Katy Perry's Boobs Get Her Booted, Lyfe Jennings Gets Time And Gene Simmons Didn't Hump

Your daily dose of national music news for Friday, September 24, 2010...Katy Perry's cameo appearance on Sesame Street has been axed because of "boob complaints." It's really never too early to learn about anatomy though, right?Lyfe Jennings credits a prison stint for turning his life around. Howe ... More >>

Meat Loaf Dicks Around On His Latest

Dicking Around

.357 Lover Covers Katy Perry's "California Gurls," Throws Some Van Halen In For Kicks

Well, this is pretty much priceless. The above clip features noted former Dentonite Corn Mo and his band .357 Lover covering Katy Perry's "California Gurls" and tossing a little Van Halen "Panama" into the mix for good measure. It's kind of like a mash-up, but mostly, it's just a good time. Or so it ... More >>

The Problem With... Katy Perry's "Teenage Dream."

Oh, joy! Everyone's favorite California girl's got another track on the charts.

Today In Music News: Katy Perry Wants To Quit Her Job, Filipino Prisoners At It Again And School Of Seven Bells Are Coming

Your daily dose of national music news for Thursday, January 28, 2010...Katy Perry says she'd ditch her day job to be a full-time judge on American Idol.  It'd be a lot cooler if she'd ditch the job and boyfriend and come over to my house.The Filipino dancing prisoners now have a new dance rout ... More >>

Mickey Avalon's Journey From Drugs To Clubs

Today In Music News: Weezy To Release Two Albums This Year, Jack White Talks Philosophy, and Ticketmaster Has A Sense Of Humor

Your daily dose of national music news for Tuesday, October 20, 2009...Lil Wayne is set to release both Tha Carter IV and Rebirth before the end of the year.Jack White says his former band The Upholsterers hid 100 vinyl EPs in couches they upholstered when that was his day job. Oh, and he told this ... More >>

Ida Maria Carries A Heavy Scandinavian Pop Burden

Today In Music News: Kyp Malone Goes All Beyonce, Katy Perry Had Weird Parents and D'Arcy Comes Out Of Woodwork

Your daily dose of national music news for Wednesday, April 29, 2009... Kip Malone of TV on The Radio has described his solo record as Beyonce pop fused with biblical analysis. Or something like that. Katy Perry had to refer to deviled eggs as "angelic eggs" as a kid? And I thought my mom was ... More >>

Picture Show: Katy Perry at the House of Blues

Mattie StaffordKaty Perry, hands in the air, no concern for the repercussions.Music fans of all stripes got a real treat last night at the House of Blues, where Katy Perry played to a packed house. Really, though, you've read enough already. Here are our photos from the show, from photographer Matt ... More >>

Kelly Clarkson Does Not Hook Up, You Say? Hmmm.

Here's the thing, Kell: We started out friends..."I Do Not Hook Up," the second single from Burleson's own Kelly Clarkson's latest album, All I Ever Wanted album, is indeed a catchy little gem (written by Katy Perry, who stopped through town last night, dontchaknow). But unlike the first single, "My ... More >>

Mayor Tom Leppert Says, Sorry, But This Hotel Election Wasn't About Him

Sam MertenCaught up with the mayor after he gave the obligatory interview to a television reporter, and he looked (and sounded) a little more optimistic. Asked why this election wound up being about him, he said that he disagreed. "They played that game, but it wasn't about me," he said forcefully. ... More >>

Today In Music News: Lily Allen Threatens Katy Perry; The Stooges' Ron Asheton Dies; Jay-Z Meets Radiohead

Your daily dose of national music news for Wednesday, January 7, 2009... Finally, a music feud we can all get behind: Lily Allen is still mad at Katy Perry for referring to herself as "the skinny Lily Allen." So Lily said that if Perry says one more thing about her she's going to post her phone nu ... More >>

Today In Music News: Kanye's Upset, Katy Perry's Undressed and DMX Is Sentenced.

 Your daily dose of national music news for the last day of 2008... It seems that all it takes to ruin Kanye West's vacation is to write something untrue about him. There was talk of him chanting to "improve his singing voice" and he read it...and it ruined his va-cay. Usually ... More >>

Worst Lyrics of 2008

And now it's time for the "I love you like a fat kid loves cake" memorial Worst Lyrics of 2008, March Madness-style tournament, this year a terrifying mélange of appalling oral-sex requests, bargain-bin philosophies, grammatical atrocities, and cringe-inducing pillow talk. To elevate the drama, I p ... More >>

Hitsville: The Year in Music, by the Numbers

You don't need a half-wit music critic to tell you it's been a remarkable year for America, one historians will be discussing and researching for centuries to come. War, financial collapse, politics, technology: All have been dinner-table topics for many Americans. Racial barriers in 2008 were de ... More >>

Top Ten Pop Songs of 2008

Pop music often gets a bad rap for being disposable or vapid, and in many cases that's true. (Katy Perry, Danity Kane and the Pussycat Dolls, step right up!) But every year, a few irresistible bits of innovative ear candy rocket up the charts and seep into our subconscious. The following ten singles ... More >>

Katy Perry, All Time Low, Tyga

Sunday, August 31, at Six Flags Over Texas, Arlington

Vans Warped Tour Sets Dallas Line-up. First Impression? Lackluster!