Now, this is a nineties revival I can get behind. Cee Lo Green tapped Family Matters star Jaleel White to play him in the video for his excellent new single “Cry Baby,” which is itself inspired by musicals from the fifties like Grease and West Side Story. The action is set, of course, to Cee Lo’s 2011 update of seventies-era soul. The fifties, the seventies, an older version of Urkel’s suave alter ego, Stefon Urquelle…suddenly I have a strange sense of vertigo, as if I’ve become un-moored in space and time. Hold me.

Although White might seem like a gimmicky choice at first, he actually does a great job creating that edgy hint of strangeness that makes so much of Cee Lo’s work stand out. In a manic parody of saccharine Americana, he smiles a bit too hard, dances a bit too jauntily. The multi-racial cast starkly juxtaposes the subtle (and not-so-subtle) racism of mainstream 1950′s culture. The song’s nasty lyrics juxtapose its catchy bounce. And then there’s the added weight of White’s history: the bummer of being a former child star who couldn’t quite navigate the transition to a successful adult career that follows him everywhere like an endearingly nerdy raincloud. (He was once quoted as saying he’d rather put a bullet in his head than ever play Urkel again. Poor dude.) For all these reasons, the video makes for a successful bit of satire without sacrificing any of its campy fun. For his sake, I hope White can parlay it into some better roles than the voice of Sonic the Hedgehog. Are you out there, Jaleel White? Team Crushable is rooting for you.

(Via Idolator)

Related posts:

• Urkel Makes Web Comeback With Some Dirty Comedy
• Cee-Lo’s ‘Bodies’ Video Is Like The Weirdest Game Of ‘Clue’ Ever
• Video: Prince And Cee-Lo Duet On ‘Crazy’
• Video: The Best Cover Of Cee Lo’s ‘F*ck You’ Involves No Actual Singing

Post from: Crushable

Random House has announced American Idol fifth-season winner Taylor Hicks’ memoir “Heart Full of Soul” will be released on Tuesday, July 10.

The 30-year-old Birmingham, AL-native signed the deal with Random House’s Crown imprint early last August.

At the time, the New York Post reported Hicks was paid an estimated $750,000 advance for the memoir, adding it was ghostwritten by David Wild, whose previous work has appeared in Rolling Stone.

The 272-page book is described as an “inspirational memoir about finding your voice and finding your way.”

source

Taylor will be appearing at Six Flags Over Georgia on June 28th!!!! It is part of a concert series which will also feature Teddy Geiger and Cheyenne (June 21), Cartel (July 5), Jordan Pruitt and The Jonas Brothers (July 12), Bobby Valentino and Paula DeAnda (July 26) and Ryan Cabrera and Click Five (August 9).

Click here for more info!

Post from: Crushable