Like every year, the announcement of the ACL line-up is polarizing. People love it! People hate it! I’m going! I’m not going! Why the hell is Muse always a headliner?

Seriously though, why the hell is Muse always a headliner? I can’t be the only one bummed out by this. And Kings of Leon? Pffft. Over it.

Call me sentimental, but I long for the days when a music festival provided some variety. Throw in some hip-hop and Latin bands with the traditional rock bands. I mean, most people are like me in that they don’t stick to just one genre. I’m not saying this year’s line-up is one note, per se, but I do think it could be a little more diverse. And I really don’t think we should be recycling bands so quickly. Muse is not allowed back in the city until 2018, okay?

I’m going to give you and idea of my ideal line-up. Some food for thought for next year’s festival, mmmkay? Thanks, Muse fans ACL organizers.

First up, and this is just so obvious: Daft Punk.

I have a couple picks for local bands. Black and White Years and Grupo Fantasma.

We should invite a couple bands that have had some hardships. I can think of two bands I loved that had the lead singers OD. So I’m including Alice in Chains and Sublime in my festival.

Okay, now I’m going to blow your mind. Janet Jackson is playing at my ACL. That’s right, the elusive Miss Jackson If You’re Nasty is going to bring back the whole Rhythm Nation dance troupe and give a kick-ass performance. I know. I can hardly believe it myself.

But the real mind-blower, the act no one saw coming, is the Temple of the Dog reunion. It’s not a part of a tour. Eddie Vedder, Chris Cornell and Co., get together in a once in a lifetime 90s nostalgia moment purely for ACL. Critics call it the greatest ACL moment of all time.

When Mr. Bungle shows up, people just start passing out from the shock. I mean, they’re not even listed on the ticket, they just SHOWED UP to melt our faces off.

Justin Timberlake and Brian Setzer collaborate on a rocking swing session. Rumor has it that they’ll be doing a bonus show at the Continental Club later that night, so people start lining up in the morning.

Appearing on the hip-hop stage are De La Soul, A Tribe Called Quest, K-os, Brown Bag Allstars, and Macklemore. They play individually and in various formations, eventually all getting on the stage together and doing a Beastie Boys tribute.

John Legend is backed by The Roots and they play nothing but Elton John covers. The crowd goes insane during Rocket Man when an actual rocket shoots off the stage and into the starry sky.

And the Live Music Capital of the World rocked and rocked and rocked.

Cory Monteith is headed back to Gleehab:

Also rehab-bound is Lindsay Lohan. Eventually. When she stops hanging out with Charlie Sheen, cavorting around Brazil, and stealing everything she can get her hands on. Sigh. This is a totally different version of the girl who starred in Mean Girls. Lindsay, sober up. Also, I WANT MY PINK SHIRT BACK!

Game of Thrones started again. Who’s watching? I am so in love with this show.

Have you seen the new Robin Thicke video? I was going to blog about it weeks ago, because I found it so weird, yet fashionable. Then I forgot. But now that it’s been banned from YouTube (for being too sexy) I figured I’d better mention it. You can still watch it here, so take a gander and let me know what you think.

I thought it was a April Fool’s prank, but this very good news turned out to be real. Disney Pixar is putting out a sequel to Finding Nemo starring Ellen Degeneres’s upbeat fish character, Dory. We’ll have to wait until 2015, so till then we’ll just keep swimming, just keep swimming, just keep swimming.

Reality fans can stay tuned to Bravo, as they have almost 20 new reality shows in the works. That’s in addition to the reality shows you already know and love. Or hate. You’ll see some familiar faces like Candy Burruss and Phaedra Parks in spin-offs, as well as plenty of new “talent.” I’m looking forward to seeing how that donkey booty helps rich people sort out their rich people problems. Yup, that’s real.

And that’s the dirt!

Sorry to have ignored you, blog. South by Southwest is an all-consuming time and energy suck. I will do my best to recap. Apologies for the crap cell photos. I only took my camera out one night and it was too annoying to consider doing again.

How did the Betty’s fare? Pretty well, I’d say. We drank lots of free vodka and beer, ate free tacos, sushi, and all kinds of other great stuff. We visited the Paul Qui curated South Bites on several occasions.

An early highlight was heading home late one night and hearing the telltale wah wah guitar of Grupo Fantasma coming out of the Trophy Club on Sixth Street. Have you ever been to that bar? Me neither. But there’s a mechanical bull and a guy was riding on it standing up. And there’s a disco saddle hanging from the ceiling, so…I will definitely be back.

We spent the wee hours of the night dancing like fools and talking to the band, where we got the hot tip that Johnny Depp would be the special guest for Wednesday night’s Austin Music Awards. So, naturally, we spent Wednesday night at Austin Music Hall waiting for Edward Scissorhands to show up. He never did, but Gary Clark, Jr., ended up being the surprise guest and gave a great performance. It was a long night of great music punctuated by a really boring awards ceremony.

We spent another night at The Belmont, where there was a great lineup. We were there for hot acts Macklemore and Ryan Lewis and Action Bronson. It was a good crowd and the music was great. In case you’ve been living under a rock, Macklemore is exploding right now. He and his crew were clearly having the time of their lives and it’s nice to see hip hop come back around to a light-hearted, whimsical side. It’s been a while since rap has been fun.

We chose to do another night of hip hop at Empire Control Room, which might have the grossest bathrooms in Austin. But the rhymes were right and I’m a sucker for some good scratching. With the exception of one, all the acts were from NYC. I guess I’m looking to fill the hole in my heart left by the Beastie Boys. Most notable was Soul Khan from Brown Bag Allstars, who had the smooth flow that you just don’t hear outside the east coast. I also enjoyed the antics of Doppelgangaz, who had a huge doll on stage with them at one point.

SXSW is not for the weak. The parking, the crowds, the secret parties, the RSVP-juggling, the constant checking of Twitter for can’t-miss events. The walking. The traffic. The smell of beer everywhere. The people! Note: the Interactive attendees are nerdy cool, the Music attendees are dressed cooler and better for people-watching.

Some Mad Betty SXSW fun facts

Total paid for parking (over ten days): $21. My parking spots may not all have been 100% legal. But I parked free most days and not too far from the action. No, I cannot share my secrets with you.

Places I charged my cell phone: Trophy Club, ACL Theater, Empire Control Room, The Belmont, The Sheraton, Tap Room. The takeaway here is that it’s time to get a new phone. Farewell Droid, welcome iPhone. I give in.

Freebies included: Shampoo and Conditioner, Obama tattoo, tee-shirts, giant Post-its, Kind Bars, a Whole Foods gift bag full of goodies, a color-reactive cup, snap bracelets and other chotchky crap. I tried to minimize the free stuff I took, as I usually don’t want it. But I could have filled my apartment.

Some of the bands I saw: 

• Action Bronson
• Alejandro Escovedo
• Ben Kweller
• Bill Carter and The Blame
• Blondfire
• Brownout
• Budos Band
• Charles Bradley
• Charli XCX
• Como Mamas
• Doppelgangaz
• Gary Clark, Jr.
• Grupo Fantasma
• Icona Pop
• JC Brooks and the Uptown Sound
• The Lone Bellow
• Macklemore and Ryan Lewis
• Menahan Street Band
• Mister Loveless
• Open Mike Eagle
• Rockie Fresh
• Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings
• Soul Khan
• Sugarman 3
• Talib Kweli
• The 4onthefloor
• The Tontons
• The Trishas

Did you go to SXSW? What were your favorite parts?

It’s South by Southwest and I pity the poor souls who aren’t in Austin right now. The next week and a half or so will be devoted to consuming as much pop culture and tech as we can squeeze in. And the parties, MY GOD, the parties! My event schedule is too big to properly manage, so I will be whisked away in the herds from one place to the next, hoping that I don’t forget too many. Taking a note from the scenesters, I’ve RSVP’d to everything and am on every list.

While SXSW officially starts today, most of us have been living it up for a week already. You know the pre-parties are necessary training for the actual week. And like conditioned athletes, we train hard. I’m already having too much fun. New career goal: socialite who attends parties for a living. Will someone pay me to do that? Pretty please?

Every company worth their salt hosts fabulous parties so you just have to show up, find parking, and enjoy the free drinks and eats. The parking is actually kind of a nightmare and while I’m usually lucky in that area, I might try to figure out how to (takes deep breath) take the bus. Unless someone is volunteering to chauffer me around for about ten days. Pretty please?

How to you prepare for a week of this?

Photo via The Statesman

Photo via Extreme Air Shots

• A fridge full of bottled water
• 15 pounds of grapefruit
• Starbucks double espresso shots
• Ear plugs
• Tons of eye makeup remover
• Comfortable sneakers. Or heels, if you are stupid.
• Phone, iPad, and laptop chargers
• Book bag
• Extra business cards
• Mints and lip balm

Everyone might have a different Southby prep list, but that’s what mine looks like. In addition to all the parties I’ll be hitting the music circuit and some of the interactive stuff.

I’ll try to recap what I can after the haze clears. But I anticipate relaxing my blogging schedule for a week or so. See you on the other side, everyone!

Did you watch the Super Bowl last night? I did, sorta. I watched the halftime show and commercials and messed around on Twitter the rest of the time. The thing I was most interested in was Justin Timberlake’s performance at the DIRECTV party Saturday night. Not much video available yet, but here’s a peek at what went on.

Oh, to have attended that show. But at least I got to attend Beyonce’s halftime show from my living room.

All the high energy dancing and fierceness that we want to see from Beyonce. Loved the Destiny’s Child reunion on stage and appreciated that Beyonce gave them both a turn in the middle. Beyonce always looks flawless and gives a great performance. And after the presidential inauguration lip-synching scandal, it was guaranteed that she would sing live for the show and bring her A-game. It was Alicia Keys that really won me over though, with her understated, note-perfect anthem, her piano on the field with her.

Overall, the commercials were much better this year than in previous years. I watched as many as I could in advance because I love commercials that much, but there were still tons I hadn’t seen yet. Here are the ones I found to be the most notable.

Star-studded

Mercedes-Benz. Selling one’s soul to the devil for a luxury car? Great concept.

Samsung Mobile. The next big thing. Love the casting. Really love the tagline.

Got Milk? This national campaign has been going on for years and has utilized so many celebrities. This extended version was done on such a grand scale, how can you not love it?

Best Buy. I was really looking forward to this one. What a disappointment. Amy Poehler deserved better material than this.

Touching 

Budweiser. Not gonna lie. This one made me cry.

Dodge Ram Trucks. God Made a Farmer. Voiced by Paul Harvey, this was simply beautiful.

Funniest

Volkswagen. I’m always watching the VW commercials closely, because they were historically so good at advertising. Before they got bad, that is. When I was an advertising student in college we talked about VW a lot, and their campaigns were truly groundbreaking. Companies like Apple and Target have employed similar methods, but VW was first. Anyway, this one cracks me up.

Toyota RAV4. This “wish granted” commercial features the car quite a bit for such a kooky, nontraditional car ad. Brilliant.

Doritos. This fan-made commercial is my favorite of the night. I’ve already watched it more times than I want to admit.

Um, what? 

Calvin Klein. This was an absurd ad to air at this time and I loved it. I’m not sure if it was targeted more towards women or gay men, but it created plenty of buzz on social media.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Emi60xJvtWA

Taco Bell. Viva Young might be a funny concept, but this wasn’t done well. I’m not sure what age group the young target is here, but only the truly immature would find this comical. It’s mostly just an overused cliche.

GoDaddy. I’m glad I changed my hosting a long time ago. I don’t mind their normal sexist Super Bowl ads, because it creates buzz and works for them. They are HUGE compared to other hosting companies. But this is so poorly done and so gross that it offends me. Not as a woman, but creatively. It’s just garbage.

Pistachios. This ad starring Psy is another part of this wacky campaign featuring bizarre celebrities. It’s silly and well, nutty. Perfect.

Most fun

Coca Cola has such a polished advertising legacy. They always get it right, whether they are doing sexy commercials, funny, family-oriented, edgy, you name it. This two-part ad is just pure fun and let viewers determine the outcome of the race.

Oh, yeah. And the Ravens won. So happy for Baltimore!

Ugh. Have I talked about how good the new Bruno Mars album is? I can’t even take it. Like his first album, Doo-Wops & Hooligans, the newly released Unorthodox Jukebox contains ten songs, with one reggae number, a couple upbeat tunes, and a slew of romantic ballads. His lyric writing has improved a bit since the first album. His style has evolved in that he and his band are dressing more casually, trading in the retro suits for regular clothes and his pompadour has given way to a small afro.

And that voice. Damnnnnn. Just keeps getting better.

Listen to this live version of “When I Was Your Man,” one of the best songs on the new album.

Bruno! Come to Austin!

Ho ho ho, all you Juggalos. There’s still over a week till Christmas, and if I know you guys, you haven’t started shopping yet. And for those of you who celebrate Hanukkah, well, you are almost done. Get busy!

Today’s gift guide is by Lauren Modery of Hipstercrite. Lauren is kind of an Austin Blogebrity. (Yeah, I totally made up that word. Don’t use it or I will sue you.) Her blog is wildly popular and as the name suggests, it often speaks to and about hipsters. But it’s also quite poignant and melancholy, as Lauren ponders her existence and a deeper meaning in her day to day life. She’s not afraid to anger her readers (election time) or break our hearts. She’s so much more than the word hipster implies, but at the very core of the word meaning is cool. And cool sums up Lauren to a tee.

Check out Lauren’s Hipstercrite Gift Guide

For the Hipster

Creative Scratchings hipster series- I first spotted these adorable scratch drawings while feeding my face-hole with benedicts from Another Broken Egg Cafe. Of course I fell in love with them because they’re a.) anthropomorphic animals and b.) they’re dressed like hipsters. The very talented Austin-based artist behind these prints, Janis, has several hipsterrific portraits to chose from, but my favorite is the stoic cat with his Texas tattoo and cycling cap. You don’t have to be a hipster or hate hipsters to appreciate the beautiful meta-irony of these. The Scoutmob Shoppe is currently offering select prints for $17.

For the Austin Lover

Austin skyline necklace by Vinca- I love everything this local kick-ass jewelry maker does, but my favorite piece (beside the mustache rings!) is her wooden Austin skyline necklace. Every piece of jewelry, whether it’s acrylic, wood or precious metal, is designed and cut inside her shop with the help of an awesome team of ladies (Amber Demure!). Stay stylish while supporting local business! $38

For the Music Lover

I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead: The Dirty Life and Times of Warren Zevon- You don’t have to be a fan of or necessarily known who Warren Zevon is to enjoy this nail-biting, wall-punching book. For those who know him, Zevon was a popular musician in the 70s with hits like “Werewolves of London” and “Lawyers, Guns and Money” before losing it all due to his hard partying, drinking, womanzing, wife-beating and child-abandoning ways. After decades of being a reclusive asshole, just as Zevon tried to make amends, he was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer. This harrowing book, written by Zevon’s ex-wife by the request of Warren, is a must-read for any rock n’ roll fan or aspiring musician. $15.99

For the Girly-Girl

Benefit “Sexy Little Stowaways” makeup kit- I’m a sucker for beautiful branding, and eye candy packaging is what Benefit cosmetics is known for. Luckily they have quality products to back up the style. I’ve been a big fan of the San Francisco-based makeup producer ever since I tried their now sadly discontinued She-Laq eye makeup sealant. It’s difficult to buy just one item, and with prices averaging in the low twenty dollar range, their products can quickly add up. That’s why their “Sexy Little Stowaway” set is the perfect gift for converting your girlfriend to a Benefit groupie. At $34, this collection of travel-size samples includes popular products such as Bad Girl Lash mascara, Cha Cha Tint mango-tinted lip and cheek stain and That Gal face brightening primer.

A couple weeks ago I went with a friend to see Pitch Perfect. This was a case where I kept seeing over and over on Twitter that this movie was amazing, one the best movies of the year, blah, blah, blah. It was NOT. It wasn’t bad by any stretch, but let’s not get carried away.

The premise can be simply explained as Glee at college. Girl group The Bellas are desperately trying to win nationals. Due to an unfortunate and hilarious projectile vomiting moment on stage the previous year, they (and the vomiter, Aubrey, played by Anna Camp) are the laughing stock in the a cappella world. They recruit wannabe DJ Beca (Anna Kendrick) and a few other freshman vocalists for the new season.

It’s the quirkiness of the characters that make the movie enjoyable. Rebel Wilson’s Fat Amy stole every scene she was in, and it was a pity she wasn’t a starring role. As we watched the girls struggle to walk the line between tradition and modern creativity within their own group, they also are fighting against their all-male rival group The Treblemakers. Naturally, Beca’s love interest is a Treblemaker, although we don’t see the romance story go anywhere.

Really, we don’t see much devoted to the story other than a simple team-coming-together-for-success story. The obvious devotion is to the music, and the song choices were awesome. Yes, this is completely dorktastic. Once you get over that, you can just enjoy it. Check out this riff-off between groups:

I think where the movie failed was in campiness. They should have just really went for it and embraced the silliness. It was a little too wholesome. This is supposed to be college, and most of the cast is approaching on 30 anyway, so it could have been much edgier, sexier. Elizabeth Banks played a snarky judge and was perfection as always. One more clip for you, featuring The Treblemakers and Banks.

Did you see Pitch Perfect? What did you think? Do you love Rebel Wilson as much as I do?

Have you watched this video from Psy? It is the greatest thing that has happened to me in 2012. The South Korean rapper’s song has taken the world by storm, earning over 58 million hits in just six weeks on YouTube. And he has stolen my heart.

The song is as infectious as the colorful video. I hope you enjoy his funny horsey choreography as much as I do. This is how I dance now. Forever.

Leave me a comment and tell me your favorite part.

Wonder why your fangs have been tingling lately? It’s because the Twilight scandal that’s been brewing. Kristen Stewart cheated on Rob Pattinson with Snow White and the Huntsman director Rupert Sanders. And he’s married! For shame, Bella. Actually, I’m more annoyed that no one is pointing the finger at the married director. Why is she taking all the heat?

Sherman Hemsley died. I know he’s looking down on us from his deluxe apartment in the sky and laughing at us. Farewell, George Jefferson.

Snoop Dogg is putting out a reggae album under the name Snoop Lion. Ha ha, I can’t stop laughing at that. The album’s first release is a song called La La La and features Snoop singing in a Jamaican accent. Oh, this is too funny.

Dracula will be coming to NBC in the fall. The good news? It’s from the same producers of Downton Abbey. The weird news? Jonathan Rhys Meyers will be playing Dracula. Actually, I think he can pull it off.

And that’s whasup.