infoMania Blog 43 items | updated Jun 20 2011

Some 730 million votes were cast on American Idol this season, or more than five times the number of votes cast in the 2008 presidential election. That means one of three things: a) Americans like music more than politics; b) 12-year-old girls are prodigious texters; c) both (a) and (b).

But for now, let's focus on (a). That's why infoMania and HTC would like your help in creating Sergio Cilli's next White Hot Top 5, which will count down five (white-hot) emerging artists.

So please tell us your favorite emerging musical artist. You can tweet your selections to @sergiocilli with the hashtag #HTCSensationmusic, e-mail your pick to infomania@current.com, or go to infoMania's Facebook page. You'll have until midnight ET on June 22 to submit your picks.

Sergio will then create his White Hot Top 5 based on your suggestions. The segment will air on the July 1 episode of infoMania. And democracy will never sound so good again.

Here's a sneak peek at tonight's "White Hot Top 5," including Sergio's call for nominations.

Bryan and Erin are hitting the mean streets of America this fall with their live stage show. Contact them at bryanyerin@gmail.com if you want them to come to your school!

On the last show, Ben called out viewers to draw him holding the Wienermobile he purchased in the latest Craigslist Interview. 

Below are Ben's picks for the Top 5. The entry that gets the most votes will appear on this week's show. Comment with the entry number that you think deserves the most votes!

1.

More after the jump...

New York Congressman Anthony Weiner needs our help. His attempted cover-up of the covered-up-schlong shot that he Tweeted to a young woman was, obviously, a miserable failure. Then today's come-clean press conference was even more disastrous, if that's possible.

This man badly needs a better damage-control team. To that end we're offering Weiner these 10 potential excuses, any of which are better (or at least no worse) than what he's offered up so far. No charge!

10. Not his fault he wasn't born with innocuous name like Hand, Foote or Chin

9. He was angling for co-host slot on Eliot Spitzer's show

8. Made bar bet that he could top other 2.3 million Google hits for "bulging underpants" (and won!)

Brett Erlich strives to be a good host. Sometimes, that means being a good guest.

That was the case this week. When twin comedians Jason and Randy Sklar dropped by infoMania to talk about the Kentucky Derby, they invited Brett to appear on their podcast, Sklarbro Country. Brett would have said yes even if the Sklars didn't butter him up by calling him "the most interesting host in the world." (Full disclosure: That was a callback to a joke from earlier in the segment. Oh, just watch the video already.)

So Brett sat down on the Sklars' home turf to open up about his dad's exploits as a UCLA football player, his near-career as a Hollywood talent agent and his first meeting with Current TV's co-founder, Al Gore. The newest Sklarbro Country also includes live music from from Rhett Miller of The Old 97's and comedian Chris Cox portraying President Obama, who apparently has been in the news a lot lately.

You can download the podcast at earwolf.com or on iTunes.

Last Tuesday I had the pleasure of joining uber talent Ed Crasnick on his show, "This Week in Comedy," along with the funny, gorgeous and smart Alie and Georgia, of "Drinks with Alie and Georgia" and inventors of the McNuggetini.

Check it out, and decide for yourself if I'm more entertaining when I'm wearing my glasses.

Brett Erlich likes to think of himself as the kind of guy who's just happy to be nominated for awards. But when he looks at himself in his Webcam, he knows the truth.

That's right -- Brett wants to win. And he's willing to do whatever it takes. Or, at least, film a few short videos shamelessly begging for votes.

Brett and Ellen Fox have been nominated for a prestigious Webby award in the "Variety" category for their stirring musical rendition of all the deaths in the "Saw" movie franchise. Never has such gruesomeness sounded so sweet to the ears.

But voting ends tonight (Thursday) at midnight. (Here's the link again.) And the infoMania duo is up against some very stiff competition, including Zach Galifianakis, comic book legend Stan Lee and the illuminating TED Talks. So Brett badly needs your help, which might explain the video's raw air of desperation.

And if the above video doesn't inspire you to scroll your mouse over to webby.aol.com, then maybe this last postscript will. Would it change your mind if, say, Ellen was suffering from some exotic disease? Or if you received some tangible reward for voting? Yes, Brett leaves no heartstring untugged in this last-ditch effort for support.

I just got done interviewing Aisha Tyler for next week's infoMania (Thursday, April 21, at 11 p.m. on Current), and discovered that she and I are basically the same person. We've both hosted clip shows; both studied Political Science in college; both enjoyed onscreen kisses with David Schwimmer...

She's fantastic in person! But don't take my word for it. If you're in her hometown of San Francisco, check her out this Saturday and Sunday at Cobb's Comedy Club. Go to aishatyler.com for more details and follow her at twitter.com/aishatyler. 

Also, watch "Archer" on Thursdays at 10 p.m. on FX. It's the funniest adult cartoon on TV. (You heard me, "Family Guy."*) Don't miss next Thursday's "Archer" season finale. Then flip over to watch our heated Halo disagreement at 11 on Current.

*Let's face it, "Family Guy" probably didn't hear me.

--Brett Erlich

Our "Modern Lady" Erin Gibson paid a visit to the National Conference on Media Reform in Boston last weekend and stopped to chat with Dave Saldana of Free Press.

Erin talks about her "Modern Lady" segment, jokes a little about her "new boss" Keith Olbermann, and takes a more serious tone when talking about the challenges women face in the comedy and entertainment world.

Check it out here:

Sorry, but this news calls for an exclamation mark: A segment by Brett Erlich and Ellen Fox from "Rotten Tomatoes on infoMania" is nominated for a Webby!

You can vote for them here.

We got this email from The Webby Awards (really, the "From:" line says, "The Webby Awards"):

It is our pleasure to inform you that "Saw: The Musical" The Hot New Single from Rotten Tomatoes on infoMania has been nominated for The 15th Annual Webby Awards in the Variety category.

We probably should have made that title a little bit longer.

You can vote for them here.

Brett took a break from his "infoMania" hosting duties to pause and reflect on the news.

"Ellen and I are very excited to be nominated. We couldn't have done it without the rest of the infoMania staff or you, the fans," he said. "But mostly we'd like to thank the hard-working actors of the "Saw" franchise for dying so gruesomely to advance our careers."

You can vote for them here.

The team is one of just five nominees in the Variety category and is eligible to win The Webby Award and The Webby People's Voice Award.

You can vote for them here.

Check out the nominated bit below. We dare you not to sing along:

Oh, one more thing: You can vote for them here.

Last night I was a panelist on E!'s Chelsea Lately. It was super fun and everyone was really nice! The only bummer was I didn't get to tell all the jokes I'd prepared. Just so they don't go to waste, here they are!!

• Ke$ha wants to skinny dip with Britney Spears. Britney Spears should make a good decision in her life for once and say no.

• Kate Gosselin is worried she might have to get a real job after ratings for her show plummet. She shouldn’t worry about finding a job. She has tons of skills – she can look into a camera, start drama, and call US Weekly and tell them she’s going to the grocery store.

• Dean McDermott's ex-wife is writing a cookbook for cougars. If I was dating a younger man, it’s certainly not to show off my culinary skills. It’s to show him I have a vagina and you can still put things in it.

• Sbarro files for bankruptcy, but don’t worry….you can get the Sbarro experience at home by pouring sauce and cheese on old English muffins, put that all in a garbage can and plop that on a paper plate.

Don't miss which jokes did make it onto the show -- watch Erin Gibson on Chelsea Lately Wednesday night at 11/10c. Then tune in to Current TV for an all-new Modern Lady on infoMania Thursday at 11/10c.

If it isn't games of catch and revealing his fiancé's pet name for his junk with Gary Busey, it's ... apparently being threatened with violence from Meat Loaf. After poor project management followed by constantly intruding on his conversations with others, Meat Loaf reached a boiling point with Busey during Sunday's challenge for each team to create and sell their own artwork.

The highlight of the episode came when Meat Loaf couldn't find some paints and brushes he'd purchased from Michael's. While both the men's and womens' teams were gathering their materials in the store, Meat Loaf got annoyed when Busey assumed Meat Loaf would pay for both of their loads. Later, when it seemed Busey had claimed some of the items Meat Loaf had bought for himself, he immediately snapped. Other members of Team Backbone had to separate the two before Meat Loaf's verbal threats turned physical. Project manager John Rich was appalled at the behavior, while Busey was confused by Meat Loaf's tirade. (So, it was the standard reaction from Busey but with about 10 percent more shock.)

Now that we've all had a couple of weeks to spew completely unprovoked venom at a 13-year-old girl who dared to record a silly song about Friday and post it on YouTube, it seems the joke is on us.

Rebecca Black is coming out of her whole "Friday" ordeal having more fun fun fun fun than ever as she stuffs cash into her savings account.

InfoMania's Sergio Cilli has already pointed out that Black's lyrics are pretty much on par with most pop songs. See it here:

But music history gives us hundreds of tunes -- including many from music legends -- that just couldn't help but get their inspiration from their page-a-day calendars.

Rebecca Black's catchy tune hasn't quite made our list yet, but here are some of our favorite jams to get you through any week:

Monday:
The Carpenters' "Rainy Days and Mondays": Karen sure did have a case of the Mondays at the start of this song, but the beauty of this would-be sad song is the sense of ownership she takes over this wretched day and the triumphant and epic finish that wraps up the song with a newfound sense of optimism.

Honorable mentions: New Order's "Blue Monday"; Duran Duran's "New Moon on Monday" and The Mamas & the Papas' "Monday Monday."

Tuesday:
The Rolling Stones' "Ruby Tuesday": Who could hang this prize on any other song, really? We're still not entirely sure what or who this song is about, and we're still kind of pissed that a restaurant chain felt the need to co-opt the title, but we dare you not to sing along.

Honorable mention: The Moody Blues' "Tuesday Afternoon."

Wednesday:
Lisa Loeb's "Waiting for Wednesday": With a relatively weak set to choose from, this deep cut from Lisa Loeb's smash album, "Tails," is a fun romp through hump day.

Honorable mentions: Elvis Costello's "Wednesday Week"; Tori Amos' "Wednesday."

Thursday:
Brian Eno's "Thursday Afternoon": You pretty much have to set aside an entire Thursday afternoon to absorb this 61-minute epic. And, yes, I mostly picked this song just so I could make that joke.

Honorable mention: Jim Croce's "Thursday."

Friday:
The Cure's "Friday, I'm in Love": Who can resist a song that not only extols the virtues of Friday, but rips apart every other day of the week in the process?

Honorable mentions: The Easybeats' "Friday on My Mind" (also covered by David Bowie and many others).

Saturday:
Chicago's "Saturday in the Park": People must like Saturdays, because this was by far the toughest choice of the week. Truly embodying the lazy feeling of a Saturday afternoon, though, it wins out over Elton John's famous call to violence.

Honorable mentions: Elton John's "Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting"; Tom Waits' "The Heart of a Saturday Night"; and the Bay City Rollers' "Saturday Night" (just because).

Sunday:
The Monkees' "Pleasant Valley Sunday": For pure fun, you can't end the week with a better choice. Yes, there is a clearly superior song about Sunday out there -- and it's an honorable mention -- but it's kind of a downer.

Honorable mentions: U2's "Sunday Bloody Sunday"; Morrissey's "Everyday Is Like Sunday"; Beck's "Sunday Sun"; No Doubt's "Sunday Morning; and Neil Diamond's "Sunday Sun."

And, if seven days just don't do it for you, The Beatles gave us "Eight Days a Week." (Thanks to my pal Jennifer Vineyard for that one!)

On last week's Celebrity Apprentice, Gary Busey proved that it doesn't necessarily take great leadership to score a victory. As long as there are enough other Type-A personalities on the team to pick up the slack, the person who should be guiding a big ticket marketing event can literally stop to bask in the sun for two hours in the middle of organizing. Executives really do get to have all the fun.

Rapper and Apprentice teammate Lil Jon called Busey a fine actor, but "a terrible project manager," and when he was picked as the project manager for Sunday's ACN videophone challenge, he made sure to have Busey stick to his day job.

Pop Matters recently suggested Joss Whedon's television series (which include Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Firefly, and Dollhouse) represent a conservative view of sexuality.

Those of you who thought these shows were built on subverting convention might be thinking, "Huh?"

Hi infoManiacs,
 
I’m a Producer/ Editor on infoMania and happen to have grown up in Japan despite my Caucasianality. I still have a lot of family and friends there, including my parents. Luckily they’re ok, but like so many others, I wanted to help the less fortunate people in Northern Japan (Tohoku) yet felt helpless to aid in the situation. As amazingly convenient as donating via text is, it leaves something to be desired for me.

I thought that a T-shirt whose proceeds went to charity would not only provide a means of donating, but showing support as well. I found other sites selling such shirts, but they all looked like something out of an airport gift shop. It was then that I came across the flag for Sendai on Wikipedia and thought it'd look great on a shirt... a shirt I'd actually wear.

For his first few tasks on The Celebrity Apprentice, actor Gary Busey provided an expected amount of inexplicable gibberish metaphor. He's the comic relief with a lot of heart on Team Backbone, but in the words of Mark McGrath, the men's team decided to "stop handling him with kid gloves" and put Busey to the project-manager test during the newest challenge to advertise RVs during last Sunday's episode, "Unhappy Campers."

How To Project-Manage And Win Like Gary Busey

1. Give everybody money, even if you don't have it.
2. Play an impromptu game of night baseball.
3. ???
4. Profit for charity!!

He bumped heads with Lil' Jon early on in the episode. Mark McGrath then nearly had a panic attack when Busey decided to take a load off with Jose Canseco, and then briefly entertained using video evidence to get him fired later, which would have at least been a better ploy than Marlee Matlin’s unsuccessful attempt to get Dionne Warwick thrown out last week:

Are you sick of Charlie Sheen? Too bad!

Sunday night heralds a high-water mark (or low-water, depending on one's perspective) in Charlie Sheen reportage as TLC and Biography will air dueling one-hour specials on the Winning One.

Biography's "Charlie Sheen: Bad Boy on the Edge" will appear first, at 9 p.m. ET. Then you'll want to stay on the couch for "Charlie Sheen: On The Brink" at 10 p.m. ET on TLC.