Actress-turned-singer-turned-actress JANE BADLER will no doubt go down in television history for providing the medium with one of its most bizarre moments - the swallowing of a whole guinea pig. As DIANA - the leader of an alien regime that has taken over the world with the aim of harvesting its human inhabitants for food - BADLER created one of Sci-Fi's most memorable villians in the mini-series V. Years after the cancellation of V: THE SERIES, JANE stayed afloat with numerous television roles (FALCON CREST, THE NEW MISSION IMPOSSIBLE) before setting her sights on marriage and life down under (she's even got an accent now!). When I first became acquainted with JANE BADLER, it was 2008 and she had just released her debut CD THE DEVIL HAS MY DOUBLE with the help of the Australian cult band SIR (fronted by JESSE JACKSON SHEPHERD). Two years later, JANE and SIR are back with TEARS AGAIN - a spunky, delectable romp through that disaster area that we call romantic relationships. BADLER's forked tongue is permanently planted in cheek with such playful gems as WRONG PEOPLE and FOUR CORNERS. Just when you think that life couldnt get any more exciting for BADLER it's been announced that the Lizard Queen will be making a most welcome return to American network television and to the very franchise that made her famous as MORENA BACCARIN's mother DIANA in the second season of ABC's re-imagining of V.

The state of California has lost some of its luster thanks to hard economic times and predictions of the place slipping and falling into the Pacific. In the latter part fo the nineties in the early aughts, the California rock sound was punctuated by four-to-the-floor rhythms and slick  punk pop guitar chords and it all got dubbed So Cal. Now that we're well into the second decade of the millenium, the pop soundscape has gone heavy into electronics but that hasn't stopped the fellas from ACIDC from sticking to the urgent So-Cal sound that their older brothers used to listen to. The band's new CD 'GETTING LUCKY' is resounding success of a rock n roll recording that has more to do with persistence and hard work than mere luck. That is not to say that the production value brought to the project by the Australian production team THE WIZARDZ OF OZ (LIZ PHAIR, JASON MRAZ, AVRIL LAVIGNE) doesn't give the band's tales of woe and awe a good radio friendly polishing, but ACIDIC is one rock foursome that is smart enough  to turn out  flawless pop rock tunes that aren't afraid to go a little deeper than the norm.

In reading about BIRD CALL - the latest musical project from CHIARA ANGELICOLA - I've gathered that the Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter is reluctant to compare  her vocal sound and style to  the likes of other artists.  After listening to to THE ANIMALS KNOW, the debut EP from BIRD CALL,  I can see all to clearly the reason for ANGELICOLA's reluctance.  At turns raspy and playful and at others sweet and wistful, ANGELICOLA's vocals bounce effortlessly on top of the atmospheric  alt-pop breeze provided by producer JOEL HAMILTON. Art and pop music have been coming together for decades but they have never been better (or even stranger) bedfellows than on this one-of-a-kind listen.
No band from the aughts personified pre-9/11 innocence like the power pop progenitors AMERICAN HI-FI. When they released their self-titled debut CD and it's lead-off single FLAVOR OF THE WEAK in the early, better-half  of  2001, their brash, power chord-charged pop moment was a welcome change to the teen pop and rap-metal that one had come to expect from pop radio at that time. Little did these lads know that they had come up with the template for other power pop acts to follow in the turbulent decade to come. The world is a much different place now then it was when AMERICAN HI-FI made their debut onto the music scene and after having been bounced from label to label for subsequent releases, the band has chosen to forego major label acceptance and come out fighting on their latest release FIGHT THE FREQUENCY.

5. DELANEY GiBSON - 'HURRiCANES AND FORGET-ME-NOTS'
When I first became acquainted with DELANEY GIBSON two years ago, she had just released her haunting debut CD ‘THE WORST KIND OF WAY’ to critical acclaim and industry accolades. Now, with the release of ‘HURRICANES AND FORGET-ME-NOTS’, GIBSON is eager to let the world know that the rush between albums has everything to do with inspiration and nothing to do with repeating herself. The honey voiced singer songwriter has not lost her knack for crafting songs that mix misery with whimsy and wit – an unexpected approach that made her debut so memorable and her latest offering so irresistible as evidenced by the tracks ‘PAPER BOATS’, ‘KILL ME NOW’ and the effervescent ‘LA DI DA’. From falling in love to losing in love, GIBSON sings it all and does it better than anyone else that comes to mind. “With this album I think I was a lot more specific in what I wanted.” says GIBSON of toiling in the studio. “I think with the last album, I let my emotions completely dictate. The songs on this album are so emotional that I wanted to step back and go over every lyric. With every line I was like ‘can I make this lyric any better?’ On this album, I really wanted to be a great writer. I took more time with this one. But other than that, not much has changed.”

6. LUKAS ROSSi - 'HOLLYWOOD'
Since the advent of reality television and the establishment of programs like AMERICAN IDOL, pop music is full of Cinderella stories. Lead singers are no longer auditioning for bands in a garage, but on a Hollywood soundstage. Such was the case for Canadian rocker LUKAS ROSSI, who was a contestant in the controversial ROCK STAR: SUPERNOVA, showing off his chops before a panel of his future bandmates: TOMMY LEE (MOTLEY CRUE), JASON NEWSTED (METALLICA), and GILBY CLARKE (GUN AND ROSES). By all outward appearances, it seemed as if ROSSI had reached that rock n roll zenith, but in fact, the ROCKSTAR:SUPERNOVA was a magic carpet ride mired by lack of commitment and lawsuits (stemming from the fact that a band based in San Diego already  had the name SUPERNOVA). Compounded by album sales that were less than stellar, the band called it quits but ROSSI persevered with the knowledge that music was the only thing that could save him. Four years later, ROSSI returns to the limelight with his debut solo release HOLLYWOOD and the protagonist in the albums lead single is no longer a wide eyed boy dreaming of fame but a hardened survivor who’s not about to be broken.

7. RiA - 'RiA'
With so much out there it's hard to tell what defines a good pop moment. It's a question that has come into my mind with a great deal of frequency since the passing of the KING OF POP. His landmark album THRILLER was truly all about the music and all of the insanity that went along with it had more to do with what the listener brought with him or her (Of course carrying a chimp around and the changes to his face helped). In the age of GAGA, there is not a great deal of earnestness in pop which is why the self-titled debut of singer RIA is such a welcome release. The Berklee-schooled chanteause is truly in fine voice but the hook-filled production and RIA's own pop smarts earn this flawless debut a space between MADONNA's 'TRUE BLUE' and MARIAH CAREY's own self-titled debut.