Note – You may not be able to handle this post.  That’s OK.  It’s not for everyone.

I throw around the word “awesome” quite often.

However, I feel I have let you down by not defining it, in a pop culture context.

“Awesome” things in pop culture are things you see and your only thought is “DUDE, THAT WAS AWESOME!”

Whew.  Glad I got that off my chest.

So now, to further clarify, here are some videos that are AWESOME.

And let’s end this list right about where we started it:

I’ve always been fascinated with cover songs – when one artist does their version of a song another made famous.

For me, seeking out covers has  exposed me to new songs and artists,  and even new genres of music.  A new slant on an old song shows creativity and artistry, and says as much about the coverer as it does about the coveree.

So I present to you, my Top 16 Cover Songs!

[Notes: Some people say that artists can cover their own songs.  An example being Eric Clapton's unplugged version of "Layla."  While these alternative versions are awesome, they are not covers in my book.  You'll notice some bands you may not be familiar with.  Feel free to look up their versions!  Also, American Idol performances get their own "Honorable Mention" catgory. Glee performances aren't eligible, as are tribute movies, like "I Am Sam" or "Across the Universe." Also, this is my list of my favorites. It's biased. Put your favorites in the comments! And you can look up the original artists...it doesn't matter because these versions are so good!]

American Idol Honorable Mentions

“Straight Up” by Andrew Garcia

“Eleanor Rigby” by David Cook

“Hemorrhage” by Chris Daughtry – In my opinion, THE rockstar making performance of his career.

“Heartless” by Kris Allen – Making a Kanye song sound like your own is no easy feat.

And here we go with the Top 16!

16 – “Smooth Criminal” by Alien Ant Farm – Are you OK, Annie????

15 – “Boyz In Tha Hood” by Dynamite Hack – Apologies for the language, but this is pure brilliance.

14 – “Careless Whisper” by Seether

13 – “I Will Always Love You” by Whitney Houston

12 – “The Man Who Sold The World” by Nirvana

11 – “Feelin’ Good” by Muse

10 – “Hallelujah” by Jeff Buckley

9 – “Billie Jean” by Chris Cornell – Raw emotion…incredible.

8 – “All Night Long” by Jason Mraz – One of the most fun songs made even more fun!

7 – “Cry Me A River” by Glen Hansard – Sounds like it was written for his voice.

6 – “All Along The Watchtower” by Jimi Hendrix

5 – “Landslide” by Smashing Pumpkins – I LOVE this song and Corgan’s sad voice makes it even better.

4 – “Hurt” by Johnny Cash – A lifetime of pain comes through in this version.

3 – “Umbrella” by Boyce Avenue – Never heard of them? Jump on the bandwagon! I can’t stress the awesomeness of this group any more. Take a listen!

2 – “Me and Bobby McGee” by Janis Joplin

1 – “Over the Rainbow/What A Wonderful World” by Israel Kamakawiwo’ole – The. Best.

The 2010 FIFA World Cup and Global Public Relations

Guest post by Andi Narvaez, public relations and social media professional and graduate student at University of Maryland. Co-founder of The BMPR, founder of Social Media Breakfast DC chapter, and Social Media Club-DC officer. Read her blog and follow her onTwitter.

Two years ago, my best friend came to visit my home country of Ecuador for the summer. One night, we went to a bar because an Ecuadorian soccer team was playing the semifinals of the 2008 Copa Libertadores. The final score was 0-0, which helped Liga de Quito, the Ecuadorian team, advance to the finals where they destroyed their Brazilian opponents and won the cup. Needless to say, this was the most anticlimactic day of my best friend’s life. And to this day she can’t understand how it can be possible for people to get as rowdy as we did that day when, for 90 minutes, not a single point was scored. Basketball has spoiled her.

In 63 days and less than 20 hours from the time this post goes live — give or take — the moment I’ve been anxiously waiting for four years will finally be here. And my friend couldn’t care less.

The 2010 FIFA World Cup is the greatest sport tournament in the world to me. And after a semester in my “Global Public Relations” course in graduate school I finally have an argument to support this statement that is not, “because soccer is the best sport in the world… and shut up.”

For those of us in public relations and social media, the world matters. Others matter. The beautiful thing about culture and diversity is that they make the world we live in a lot less boring and predictable; however, that is also the greatest challenge we face.

The FIFA World Cup gives us the rare opportunity to learn more about other cultures by either observing or, in my case, participating in UBER fandom. I’m talking body-painting, screaming, perspiring, crying, drinking, cursing… fandom. You might be thinking, “umm, it’s called the Olympics! Hellooo!” But to that I say, nay. The thing about soccer is that people live it and breathe it. Back home, in Ecuador, businesses shut down for it. Additionally, the researcher in me thinks that the World Cup is our chance to see all attributes of all the different cultures under the influence of a single variable — soccer.

Public relations and social media professionals should pay special attention to what will go down in about two months. In fact, start paying attention now to how FIFA is communicating about this event and turning it into not just a soccer tournament, but a global public relations phenomenon and case study:

Por ejemplo:

(A blog post AND a Spanish lesson?? You’re welcome)

• FIFA has a hospitality program set in place, ready to welcome everyone who comes to South Africa for the World Cup. This the the first time an African nation is hosting the World Cup and FIFA is making the most of this opportunity by showcasing a culture and embracing everyone who will come into contact with it for the very first time.
• Over the past few years, the most amazing stadiums have been built for the soccer matches. South Africa’s infrastructure has benefited from this event. Jobs were created. Tourism will bloom. And that, folks, is how a soccer tournament becomes a public diplomacy mission.
• Although the World Cup is a competition, if everyone has fun it doesn’t matter who wins in the end. Ok… I’m not even buying that one. Still, it’s interesting to see how FIFA and the fans deal with rivalries while still promoting togetherness.
• Coke and Hyundai, two major sponsors, have already launched worldwide initiatives with crowdsourcing and digital/social media components. The values of cultural diversity and togetherness are both present in these campaigns. Global public relations FTW.

I leave you with the official song for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Now, if this doesn’t inspire you to take your public relations practices to the next level and think outside of your own culture’s box, I don’t know what will.

PS: The guy singing in Spanish is David Bisbal, a winner of Spain’s “Operación Triunfo” (a.k.a. American Idol). Boom. Right when you thought I would end without a global pop culture lesson.

So there is some Buzz around American Idol as they gear up for the upcoming season.  Got me thinking about the best performances on the show’s history.  Now, I didn’t watch the first few seasons, but have been hooked for the majority of the show’s run at this point.  I am 100% sure that I will leave out your favorite song (Fantasia and Clay never really did it for me and I turned in my Soul Patrol membership card long ago)…so leave it in the comments!

Honorable Mentions:

Carly Smithson – everything from her…I loved her!

Chris Sligh – “Typical”

Constantine Maroulis – “Bohemian Rhapsody”

Jason Castro – “Hallelujah”

Blake Lewis – “Somewhere Only We Know”

10) Jordin Sparks – “A Broken Wing” – Completely unexpected excellence

9) Kelly Clarkson – “Stuff Like That There” – Nobody has embraced a theme week quite like her!

David Archuleta – “Imagine” – I was never a big Archuleta fan, but this was powerful.

7) Jennifer Hudson – “Circle of Life” – She’s incredible!

6) David Cook – “Hello” – I’m a huge fan of this underdog winner!

5) Adam Lambert – “Mad World” – This upped the game for every performance on the show moving forward.

4) Lakisha Jones – “And I’m Telling You” – She OWNED that stage and that song!

3) Carrie Underwood – “Alone” – The ultimate “chick rock” song done with tiny country twang and it WORKS!

2) Kris Allen – “Heartless” – Kris won over America when he performed this song, delivering a better version than Kanye West or The Fray could ever imagine.

1) Chris Daughtry – “Hemmorhage (In My Hands)” – Simply put, this was the single-biggest star-cementing performance I’ve seen on the show.  At this moment, it was clear to me that we were looking at the genesis of a rock god.  For me, no performance on the show has delivered the goods like this one.

I’ve got a bunch of songs stuck in my head this morning, and the best release is to share them with you.  Pass this along and enjoy!

1) The Fratellis – “Chelsea Dagger” (which you’ve heard in countless commercials and in the hidden gem of a film, “Run, Fat Boy, Run.”)

2) Glen Hansard – “Cry Me A River” (Justin Timberlake cover) I’ve heard his studio version of the song, and I think I like it better than JT’s!

3) Scissor Sisters – “I Don’t Feel Like Dancin’”

4) Kris Allen – “Heartless” (Kanye West cover) – Better than Kanye’s and one of the best performances ever on American Idol.  Couldn’t find a REAL video, but here is Kris singing it live in Disney World:

5) Chris Daughtry – “Hemorrhage” (Fuel Cover) – That Kris Allen song got me thinking about hands-down the best rock performance EVER on American Idol…

I saw this article from the UK Guardian about Susan Boyle checking into a clinic for “exhaustion” after the “Britain’s Got Talent” finale, which the rags-to-almost-riches ne’er-been-kissed YouTube sensation (over 65 million views!) lost to a dance troupe.

A doctor treating her suggested that production companies need to prepare the contestants better for the instant fame they’ll receive.

Isn’t instant fame the REASON people sign up for these shows?  Isn’t the goal to become a star on national/international TV and make googobs worth of money?  

Simon Cowell told Adam Lambert on the final performance show on American Idol this past season that the

Bikini Girl (pre-implants)

goal of the show was to find an international superstar…and they did with him.  Lambert auditioned for theshow to be that person…and presumably everyone else did the same.  Hell, Bikini Girl couldn’t sing a lick  and we all know her!

I think that the REAL protection reality stars need is from themselves.  Anyone remember Ruthie from The Real World – Hawaii?  Anyone remember her passed out drunk in…oh…EVERY EPISODE?

And what about the newest trash show on the block, Daisy of Love?  

You’ve got a TRAINED Mixed Martial Arts fighter…a TRASHED trained MMA fighter, no less, going crazy on another contestant…in the name of loving Oscar de la Hoya’s baby cousin!

No, we don’t need psychological testing for contestants on handling the fame.  Maybe some drug tests, but really…if people sign up to live the life of a reality TV star and then don’t like it, isn’t it their fault?  Don’t blame the production company for Susan Boyle having a breakdown…she walked on the stage and sang her heart out.  The world fell in love with her, which was the point of the contest.  

And that’s The Buzz.