Poptimists 2006 Poll: Act of the Year!

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

Today's category is the slightly nebulous Act of the Year - six acts got more than one vote and we present them below: interesting to note the Poptimists heavyweights who didn't get multiple nominations.

Girls Aloud put out a Greatest Hits record.
Lily Allen MySpaced her way to stardom.
Justin Timberlake brought sexy back.
Paris Hilton was much talked about.
Aly and AJ were the salvation of teenpop.
Cassie stripped R&B down.

[Poll #899559]

Lifetime achievement and Track of the Year to follow!

Comments

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

This was SO HARD! Lily was smashing live, and her album was top, but Justin's album was topper. And this year I finally learnt how to tell each member of Girls Aloud apart!

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

Actually the act of the year should be Timbaland.

[infov0re.livejournal.com]

Word.

My thorts on the contenders:

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

- GA are grebt and all but they didn't actually DO much in 06.
- Lily Allen is a Breath Of Fresh Air For A Stale Pop Scene TM but I only really liked "LDN" and "Knock Em Out". Still if she was to win (which I doubt) no complaints.
- Justin Timberlake made a good album with some amazing moments but as a star I feel he lacks something essential and tries a bit too hard/seriously.
- Paris Hilton almost got my tick but I think a victory in the argument poll would be more apt.
- Aly and AJ are intriguing but I really only know two of their songs.
- Cassie is a bit anonymous so far as a personality but I like her style, and I think she will need the tick support: so Cassie it is.

Re: My thorts on the contenders:

[zenith.livejournal.com]

if she was to win... no complaints

I suspect this would be the most complained about victory! Or maybe Paris...

Re: My thorts on the contenders:

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

Basically agree, essentially. I still don't like Lily Allen but she isn't impinging on me as much these days, there are bigger battles to fight and she is rather amusing as a celebrity.

Aly and AJ are too Xtian for me.

It was between Cassie and Paris for me too!

If you tick Girls Aloud you may as well be saying "pop is dead and this is all we have left". They shouldn't get Act of the Year in the least inspiring year of their career!

Why GA could legitimately be "act of the year"

[jeff-worrell.livejournal.com]

- Ghostbusters (except for scaredy cat Nicola)!
- Sarah crashing the expensive Porsche inside 5 seconds in their E4 documentary!
- No.1 album (if that matters to you)
- Never out of the tabloids in '06 - their recognition factor went up considerably thanks to celeb BFs/spouses etc - as Kat points out, this was the first year you could identify all the girls individually

[piratemoggy.livejournal.com]

Voted Girls Aloud because wasn't convinced they deserved it but was very convinced some of the others didn't, in my sphere of the universe so they had to, really.

Will not grump too massively if Lily Allen wins, although I can't stand her.

[jel-bugle.livejournal.com]

No Fergie?

I voted for Girls Aloud.

Who is Cassie?

[koganbot]

http://www.myspace.com/cassiemyspacemusic

[jauntyalan.livejournal.com]

two mehs, two don't know well enough, one great act who put out ONE ace song, and lily. Lily then.

AARGH

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

I so don't want GA to win :(

Re: AARGH

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

Me neither :(

A GA win = a failure of poptimism

Re: AARGH

[blue-russian.livejournal.com]

I'm with you guys.

Re: AARGH

[lockedintheatti.livejournal.com]

No, a GA win = a lack of better alternatives to vote for. I don't think they've had a brilliant year but still deserve it more than the others on the shortlist.

Re: AARGH

[martinskidmore.livejournal.com]

It would remind me of the old NME polls where Kate Bush would get Best Female Artist every year whether she did anything or not. I feel a GA win would be ignoring what the year has actually been like.

Anyway, the only correct answer is Marit Larsen, dammit.

Meng are endangered species in pop

[jeff-worrell.livejournal.com]

Discuss.

I wouldn't mind if it were true btw.

(How on earth did Cassie make the shortlist though? Even Robbie deserves it more.)

Re: Meng are endangered species in pop

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

Pop's always been coded female, though, hasn't it - only the BOYBAND TRADITION really gave men ("men") any sort of presence as performers and that really has died out (unlamented, too: the best of girl groups is ridiculously better than the best of boybands).

(How does Robbie deserve it more than Cassie?! I have no truck with the "they have more media presence" argument when the SONGS are so much better. Cassie made two of the three best songs of the entire year!)

Re: Meng are endangered species in pop

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

There be plenty of blokes about in hip-pop (Justin, P Diddy, Chamillionaire, Emineminem, Fiddy Pee, Sean Paul) but Robbie is the only British white male who has made an impact this year (apart from Lil'Chris!). Poor old Mattie Busted just wasn't up to snuff.

Hahaha - Virgin Radio's Top 500 Songs of all time (http://www.virginradio.co.uk/music/charts/top_500/index.html), and as noted by Popjustice, top 25 is all white males.

[friend-of-tofu.livejournal.com]

BBBut how can I vote for "anything that is NOT Lily Effing Allen"?

[blue-russian.livejournal.com]

Your very comment is proof that Lily should win. You don't have to love her to acknowledge that she's act of the year. (This would be the True Poptimist Philosophy.)

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

Aw, she's great. Look at her face. Isn't she lovely? ;-)

Girls rock the girls

[koganbot]

Also, teenpop teenybop fan girls buying girls more than boys changes the relationship between fan and star (what they're being used for), though I won't say I know much about it. The success of the Spice Girls and Britney (and Madonna, way back when), even though they themselves didn't play "rock," helped make it allowable for Avril and Ashlee to rock.

The useless 50% of the POPulation

[jeff-worrell.livejournal.com]

haha the Justin pic above is blocked on BOTH my werk computer and this one I'm using now (which normally lets anything through). More evidence for my "men are unnecessary in pop anymore" thesis!

Re: The useless 50% of the POPulation

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

I thought when linking that the site sounded a bit porny. You are missing JT looking sultry with legs "akimbo".