The Top 10 songs of 2010!

2010 has been a great year for fun pop songs and here's the Top 10 of the year:

Teenage Dream - Katy Perry: No other song this year embodied the vibrant thrill of being young and in love than the title track from Katy's latest album. Not only that, but it reached the broader audience of older listeners making them feel young again. Then, this amazing song was used in an episode of Glee and it was elevated to an even higher place of significance in all of our hearts.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=98WtmW-lfeE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E46BhMIRujI

Whataya Want From Me - Adam Lambert: The Season 8 Miss American Idol 1st Runner Up released a fantastic collection of songs on his debut release For Your Entertainment and was asked to be a mentor to the Season 9 finalists. They were a very dreary group, but even Adam's dynamic range and performance style couldn't get them out of their doldrums. When he performed this second single from his album on the show it leaped into the Billboard HOT 100 Top 10 singles chart. This song is the perfect response to how the media loves to scrutinize his free spirited personality.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1Fqn9du7xo

Break Your Heart - Taio Cruz: 2010 was getting off to a very boring start in the first three months of the year and that all changed when Taio Cruz released his debut single. This song can take credit for the sudden turn around making the radio fun to listen to again. It lead the charge of the club friendly dance beats that came to dominate the rest of the year.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_SI2EDM6Lo

Only Girl In The World - Rihanna: Her dismal release Rated R is responsible in large part to what was making radio so boring in the first part of the year. Rihanna clearly wanted everyone to be in just as bad a mood as she was, but thankfully the first single from the album Loud turned all of that around. This song is a joyous anthem that demands your attention and you feel fantastic with no regrets afterward.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pa14VNsdSYM

OMG - Usher: As one of the biggest artists of the decade, Usher was never one to be a follower, but this year he could have been accused of jumping on the club dance beat bandwagon. The fact is that while this song is very danceable, it is nothing like the generic throb found in other songs. He is continuing to be an innovator releasing the most entertaining and enjoyable single of his career. Usher was also a mentor on American Idol this season and his appearance helped catapult this song to the #1 position on the Billboard HOT 100.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1RnPB76mjxI

Nothin' On You - B.o.B. / Bruno Mars: When you pair two completely new artists together the odds of having a hit are slim to none, but when the song is this catchy it becomes impossible to ignore.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8PTDv_szmL0

I Like It - Enrique Iglesias: Everything about this song from it's strange Lionel Richie tribute to the fact that it's by Enrique Iglesias, who has never put out anything all that great, made me think this was just a throwaway track. Even the inclusion of the horrible Jersey Shore cast in the video couldn't stop me from admitting that yes, Baby - I LIKE IT! It's a completely feel good and fun jam every time you hear it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9X0QzUdjhIg

Cooler Than Me - Mike Posner: Here's another unknown artist who managed to find the perfect song to introduce him to the public. It's completely infectious and who can't relate to the lyrics?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mqWq_48LxWQ

Just The Way You Are - Bruno Mars: After the success of his smooth vocals on Nothin On You, Bruno was primed and ready to have a huge solo hit and it came in the form of this toe tapper. Once again, just like with Teenage Dream, while it was still at the top of the charts, the cast of Glee injected some more life into an already amazing smash.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LjhCEhWiKXk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ttwW7y1x1rk

Baby - Justin Bieber: Every generation needs to have their teen idols and in 2010 they were all catching Bieber Fever. This was his biggest hit and it is well crafted to have all the ingredients of young love and innocence to appeal to exactly who it's supposed to, teenage girls and me. :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kffacxfA7G4

Lee DeWyze makes his debut

Season 9 Miss American Idol winner, Lee DeWyze, released his debut album, Live It Up last week and the totals are in. He ended up selling just under 40,000 copies which was good enough to chart at #19 on the Billboard Albums chart.

Last year at this time the Season 8 Miss American Idol winner, Kris Allen, broke the record for having the lowest number of copies sold in his first week and now Lee has completely shattered that record and taken it for himself!

Elsewhere on this week's Billboard album chart the Supreme Miss American Idol, Season 4 winner, Carrie Underwood, can be found at #71 with her latest release Play On. This fantastic collection of songs has now been on the chart for over a year at 55 weeks. It has sold 1.8 million copies so far and at the American Music Awards last week it was just honored with the award for Favorite Country Album of the Year.

Also on the Billboard Album chart, in it's 13th week the latest release by the Season 3 Miss American Idol Winner Fantasia is at #80 with Back To Me. Things are continuing to be very dramatic on her VH1 Reality show, Fantasia For Real, as we are watching her embark on her album promotion efforts while trying to hold her personal life together.

2010 CMA Viewing Party!

As the 2010 Country Music Association Awards was approaching I was filled with anticipation. Of course, I was looking forward to seeing the Supreme Miss American Idol, Season 4 winner, Carrie Underwood perform live on stage, but there was even more to be excited about.

A wonderful friend decided to host a 2010 CMA's Viewing Party in the Movie Theater at his condo. How awesome is that!!!! Watching on a big screen TV, eating pizza, cookies and cupcakes with your favorite friends!!!

The night turned out to be a super fun blast even though I am sad to report that Carrie ended up not winning either of the awards she was nominated for. But even though she didn't take home an award, she was still quite the star of the evening as she hosted the show once again with Brad Paisley. Carrie looked stunning as usual pleasing the crowd with 7 different costume changes.

She opened the show with a performance of her high energy jam Songs Like This.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=az4_6wHhuzE

Later in the show she came back to sing her latest single whose video just hit the #1 position on the CMT Top 20 Countdown, Mama's Song. For this lovely song she stood center stage in a beautiful long lilac gown.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mbbxfS2AR1I

In addition to hosting the show and having two performances, Carrie was spotted in not just one, but two commercials that were airing during the show. Carrie is the radiantly beautiful and flawless face of the new Olay ad campaign and the new commercial for the Chronicles of Narnia film features a new song written and sung by Carrie. It's called There's a Place For Us and the film opens in theaters on December 10th.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LE3KeVmLl1g

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQ2Vzw33v6w

Season Five Miss American Idol finalist Kellie Pickler made an appearance on the show as a presenter exuding her usual bubbly personality in a fabulous gold sparkly number. The Season One Miss American Idol winner Kelly Clarkson is also getting back in touch with the Country audience after her successful duet with Reba a few years back. This time Kelly performed a duet on stage with Jason Aldean. She truly provided one of the best vocal performances of the night.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SyUZQodw_wY

All award shows should be viewed this way because even though none of the awards went to any of our favorite Miss American Idols, a great time was had by all and we all felt like winners! Thanks Andrew!

It doesn't get more REAL

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n0YrpnpaWSY&ob=av2n

Season 3 Miss American Idol winner, Fantasia, has been doing very well lately with her latest album, Back To Me, getting some of her best sales ever. She's also back on the radio with Bittersweet recently peaking at #7 on the Billboard R&B chart and her next single, I'm Doing Me, steadily climbing that chart as we speak.

But during all of this Fantasia has had to deal with some very unhappy times with a relationship falling apart, lawsuits, and a serious suicide attempt.

She is now in the second season of her VH1 reality show, Fantasia For Real, and she has not been shy about letting her fans see every detail of what's going on in her life, the good and the bad. In a recent episode she simply sat with the camera pointing at her and described her thoughts leading up to the overdose. It was very emotional, and honest and reality TV just doesn't get more REAL than this.

In other news, the season 9 Miss American Idol winner, Lee DeWyze, has released his first single called Sweet Serendipity and the complete album titled, Live it Up! will be released on Nov. 16th. So far it has not made a ripple on the airplay or the sales charts. We'll just have to wait and see what happens.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6SaSxJkH5do