I often delete these 'song of the day' emails with a fleeting moment of guilt. But Jake Shimabukuro's 'Bohemian Rhapsody' caught my attention and I'm glad I spent 5 zen like minutes recalling Queen's larger than life ballad reduced to 4 modest strings. (It's the first full song I've listen to in a while without a heavy bass pulse, making it blog post-worthy.)  Listen Here.

The L.A. band swept up summer buzz with their fuzzy laid back rock hit "Pumped Up Kicks." Then they promptly fell off the face of the earth, while the blogs (including this one) waited for the hype to pay off. Finally, Foster the People returns with 'Helena Beat.' More dancey, less fuzzy, but still ever so catchy. Download here.

Before Oprah takes on the entire world, she decided to start OWN, the Oprah Winfrey Network. In her show Master Class she profiles people who are almost as accomplished and powerful as her and the premiere focuses on Jay-Z.

It's probably one of the most intimate portraits of the hip-hop mogul- discussing his childhood in the projects, realization of his talent, and staying grounded through trendsetting and success. You can watch the full episode here cut into three segments.

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DJ Earworm released his year-end mash-up containing 2010's Top 25 Billboard songs. With the exception of Train and Lady Antebellum,  synth-heavy body-rocking dance pop ruled the charts which one would assume would make for an effortless mash-up. I mean, all the songs sound the same, right? WRONG.

Yes, thick pulsing hooks were the shared foundation and the lyrics made the same demands-- drink your drink, move your feet, and put your hands up-- but Earworm's "Don't Stop the Pop" created more competition than unity. Taio Cruz, Katy Perry, Rihanna, Ke$ha and more are all introduced within 3 seconds of each other. You get a quick hit of 2010 nostalgia that degrades into a sloppy dance floor cat fight with jabs from B.O.B, Bruno Mars, Mike Posner and who ever else staked a claim on Top 40 radio.

I love these songs in their original composition so this isn't a criticism of today's pop music; it's a testament to the difficulties of mash-ups, especially if you have to use certain songs. Even though these songs are similar in structure, musicality, and appeal, DJ Earworm's mash isn't going to break the top ten spot because it's not a pop song. There's no build, no climax, no easily recognizable sing-a-long chorus, which are still prevalent in the best mash-ups too .  Mash-up artists know you have use different flavors in the mix, let them simmer together, then bring the jam up to a boil and let it rip up the dance floor. DJ Earworm's mash-up is a yearly novelty, but not a defining piece.

and one more thing... Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance" was released in 2009.

Tedd Riley, one of Michael Jackson's lead producers for his posthumous album 'Michael,' spoke to Reuters about  allegations that the recorded vocals are not MJ's.

"I had to do more processing to the voice, which is why people were asking about the authenticity of his voice... We had to do what we had to do to make ... his voice work with the actual music," Riley said in an interview.

When MJ died the vocals were unfinished and would not have been released in the state they were left. Riley, who worked on "Hollywood Tonight," "Monster" and "Breaking News," used a process called Melodyn to move the voice up a key to fit the instrumentals better, but the natural vocal tones suffered.

Riley thinks members of the Jackson family first stirred controversey about the vocals because they were unhappy with the final deal negotiated with Sony,  who plan to release nine more  Jackson albums and pay the estate $250 Million through 2017.

According to author J. Randy Taraborrelli, who wrote Jackson's biography in 1991, there are about 60 songs MJ left unfinished, and only 20 that the family is comfortable with releasing.  But if Sony plans to  rake in a profit against the $250 million dollar deal, the Jackson's may have to unlock the vault. When there's this much money and fame surrounding a legacy, resting in peace involves a lot of negotiation and litigation.