davidgreenwald

If you've been helping him write a sawng, you know Rivers Cuomo loves YouTube. But as guitarist Scott Shriner recently revealed to Buzznet, Weezer's video for first single "Pork and Beans" takes the band's viral obsession to a new level.



As if "Pork and Beans" weren't already awesome enough, the video (which dropped on YouTube this morning) features cameos from "Rain"-man Tay Zonday, emotional Britney Spears defender Chris Crocker, "Shoes" singer Kelly (OMG!) and even Kevin Federline — bopping his head along to the band's latest jam. And that's not all ... It kicks off iSight style, with the band rocking out for their laptop cameras before three minutes of hitting the YouTube LOL-jackpot — managing to make fun of All Your Base Are Belong To Us, overdubbed "G.I. Joe" clips, the Soulja Boy dance and the Star Wars Kid — and that's barely scratching the surface.

Starting way back with "Buddy Holly," the Weezer music video tradition is unquestionable, but this might be the greatest of all. Fitting for a band whose new album has a track called "The Greatest Man That Ever Lived (Variations on a Shaker Hymn)" (which Shriner called Weezer's "Bohemian Rhapsody" [The famous Queen track]). As previously reported, the The Red Album is due June 3 (check out the track list), pushed up from its original June 24 date, perhaps in response to the bulk of the album leaking online.

While you're at it, don't miss these related videos:

Weezer introduce "Pork and Beans":

On the set of the video:

A new dance revolution?

-David Greenwald

WEST HOLLYWOOD, California – It's good to be Dan Bejar. The Destroyer frontman was in great spirits last night, but not "those" spirits. Read more.

The mysterious death of the Notorious B.I.G. has left a long shadow over the hip-hop community since he was gunned down in 1997 at only 24 years old.  But 11 years later, the search for the larger-than-life rapper's killers continues: reversing an earlier ruling that would've dismissed the case, a Los Angeles judge has reinstated his family's wrongful-death lawsuit.

The suit targets two former police officers allegedly involved in a plot to kill B.I.G., born Christopher Wallace, and is one of two filed on behalf of his mother, wife and two children. The ruling comes in the wake of a March 21 decision to throw out the case due to a missed deadline, which the family appealed. The first suit, filed in 2002, ended in a 2005 mistrial though the case remains open on the strength of new evidence.



Meanwhile, the rapper remains as successful posthumously as ever, with last year's Greatest Hits bowing at the #1 spot on the Billboard 200 despite missing signature hits "Mo Money, Mo Problems" and "Sky's the Limit." He's also the latest musical figure to get the biopic treatment, with a film due on Fox Searchlight next year. The Diddy-produced movie will star rapper Jamal "Gravy" Woolard, who was chosen after an unsuccessful open casting call failed to find an actor who could fill Biggie's considerable shoes.

-David Greenwald

Time was, bands like Vampire Weekend and Spoon only canceled shows to play on "Saturday Night Live." But when "The View" comes calling, you don't say no. Take a closer look.

Remember when Kid Rock used to rap? It seems that Pamela Anderson's second-most-famous ex has left his "Bawitdaba" days far behind him, embracing a Southern-rock sound on last year's chart-topping Rock N Roll Jesus. Now he'll get a chance to spread the guitar gospel with the guys who invented it: Rock and Roll Hall of Famers Lynyrd Skynyrd. Keep goin'