Summer is HERE! Pool parties, BBQ's, and sunscreen are in full effect. With this in mind, we've put together your official summer soundtrack to get you in the mood to bare a little skin: The Top 44 Songs of Summer features the biggest summertime hits, tunes about the beach, and music that just FEELS like the best season ever. From Katy’s “California Gurls” to “Summertime” from DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince, we’ve got you covered like SPF 50. Every genre, every era.

"All I can really say is…thanks for 'The Nothing,'” KoRn. 

“Deep, within our Earth lives an extraordinary force. Very few are aware of the magnitude and significance of this place where good/evil, dark/light, bliss/torment, loss/gain and hope/despair all exist as one, pulling at us every moment of our lives. It’s not something we can choose to navigate, but rather an awareness of this ‘presence’ that surrounds us with every breath, as if we are being watched at every moment.  It’s the place where black and white energies attach themselves to our souls, and shape our emotion, choices, perspective and ultimately our very existence.  There is a miraculous and small realm within this vortex and it’s the only place where balance between these dynamic and polarizing forces exists -where the soul finds its refuge. Welcome to…..THE NOTHING.” 

Those were the very words that KoRn front man, Jonathan Davis, used to describe their new album, titled THE NOTHING. With so much hype around the highly anticipated album, we here at LixeXLive had to create a special station for such an event. That’s right, we forged the KoRn DNA! Expect everything from deep cuts, the band’s influences, side projects, and you know as LiveXLife’s residential metal guy… I’m going to bring in some good KoRn stories as well! With a history like their's, expect some strange ones.

If you sometimes feel like you just can’t get enough Kelly Clarkson, you’re in luck, because starting today she’s got her very own talk show on NBC! The Kelly Clarkson Show premiered with Dwayne Johnson as her first guest after scheduled guest Kevin Hart was injured in a car crash (the good news – he’s doing ok!)

She’s been all over the place promoting her new gig – chatting with The Today Show, competing in a “beat battle” with Jimmy Fallon, even crashing the sets of her “neighbors”, America’s Got Talent and This Is Us.

She’s also winding up for another season of The Voice! Kelly announced this week that Normani will join Team Kelly as a Battle Advisor. Season 17 premieres later this month, September 23rd. 

And if all this still isn’t enough Kelly, you can always check out our up-close-and-personal station co-hosted by one of our favorite acs of all time – listen to Kelly Clarkson: Goes To 11 now!

I know, I’m not ready either, but it’s time to wrap up the Summer of 2019. It was a pretty epic #HotGirlSummer, with celebs and fans alike participating in viral challenges, the end of TV shows we loved, big name hook ups… and breakups, plus - of course - some of our favorite music. 

So many big moments that you might have already forgotten some of them, so we’re looking back at the  25 songs you listened to, hearted & shared the most all summer long, AND reviewing moments like the women’s World Cup win, that time Justin Bieber challenged Tom Cruise to a fight, then immediately un-challenged him, and Lizzo… you know just being Lizzo. 

Vote for your favorite song of the summer on my twitter feed – follow @ParkerKnowsPop – and check out Summer 2019: The Hot 25 over Labor Day Weekend!

We pretty much wrapped up the summer with one of the biggest parties of the year – the 2019 VMAs! This was the 35th anniversary of the MTV Video Music Awards, and with the history of partial nudity, artist beefs being aired during the show, and iconic artist performances – not to mention hosts completely blowing it – there was a lot on the line.

This year’s awards came to us live from New Jersey, with host comedian Sebastian Maniscalco. Taylor Swift and Ariana Grande were tied for the most nominations with 10 each, but Lil Nas X and Billie Eilish weren’t far behind with 9 and 8 nods, respectively.  Taylor took home the big prize for video of the year but, really, everyone went home happy, as the "big four" all snagged multiple moon men.

The performer line up was HUGE this year - Shawn Mendes & Camila Cabello showed off their chemistry onstage with a performance of “Señorita”, The Jonas Brothers returned to the VMAs stage after 11 years, and Taylor celebrated her new album Lover with her first performance since 2015. 

The most exciting part of Monday night’s show was arguable Missy Elliott’s performance. She also accepted the Video Vanguard award and showed off some new music from her surprise album Iconography!

Hey guys! In honor of #NationalDogDay, so we celebrated with a station full of dog songs – The Twenty: Dog Days – and with a blog post full of some of our favorite viral dog moments!

This has got to be one of my favorite dog videos of all time.

On our Dog Days station, I talk about the dog whose owner teases him about getting a cat. If you haven’t watched, it’s a must see.

There’s also one where a dog gets teased about bacon.

This poor baby.

How about something that jerks on your heartstrings a bit?

I can really relate to this kid.

And to this dog.

This one makes me laugh every time.

We hope you had a Happy National Dog Day! Who are your favorite online dogs? (I mean, besides the dogs of LXL, which you can see in this other dog-themed blog post.) Share in the comments below, and don’t forget to listen to The Twenty: Dog Days on Slacker!

Oh, and give your dog a hug for me.

In the summer of 1969, an estimated crowd of 500,000 descended upon Max Yasgur's farm for "three days of peace and music." The Woodstock festival has been analyzed and mythologized ever since, so LiveXLive tasked Redbeard (of InTheStudio.net) to tell us the inside story. 

"Woodstock Diaries” is a radio experience that features the voices and recollections (and music, of course) of those that were there, including Crosby, Stills , Nash & Young, The Who, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Joe Cocker, the Jefferson Airplane and more. Here’s a sneak peek at some of the behind-the-scenes stories you will find:

--At the last minute, Jimi Hendrix asked his studio engineer, Eddie Kramer to fly in from Manhattan to record the event…leading to the seminal live album.

--The Band’s Robbie Roberston explains that the promoters choose the Woodstock location because they thought it would lure nearby resident Bob Dylan to perform. It didn’t work.

--Santana was not well-known out of San Francisco yet, so legendary promoter Bill Graham had to force them onto the bill. They were paid $500.

--Graham Nash’s chief memory was flying into Woodstock in a helicopter, where the crowd below looked liked “the encampment of the Macedonean army"

Jump in the LiveXLive time machine and join us!

Is this the end for Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth? The two have had their ups and downs in the decade they’ve been together, but after marrying in December of last year, they announced their separation August 10th, with a rep for Miley releasing a statement saying: "Liam and Miley have agreed to separate at this time. Ever-evolving, changing as partners and individuals, they have decided this is what’s best while they both focus on themselves and careers. They still remain dedicated parents to all of the animals they share while lovingly taking this time apart. Please respect their process and privacy."

Miley seems to be referencing the split in a new instagram post:

https://www.instagram.com/p/B1B68GEJzjW/

Their announcement comes just one month after she opened up about her "modern" marriage in a cover story for Elle magazine's August issue, where she said: "I think it's very confusing to people that I'm married. But my relationship is unique. And I don't know that I would ever publicly allow people in there because it's so complex, and modern, and new that I don't think we're in a place where people would get it.”

Over the weekend Miley was also spotted getting up close and personal with Kaitlynn Carter, and while fans might be tempted to blame bisexuality for the break-up, other celebs are sticking up for her. Like Halsey, who came to her defense on Twitter.

Let me know what you think of all the drama – talk to @ParkerKnowsPop on Twitter, and if you’re suddenly in the mood to listen to "The Climb" (because I know I am) listen to Miley Cyrus’ biggest hits on her Count-Up on LiveXLive!

If you’re familiar with Lewis Capaldi, you know he mostly writes sad songs about love.  But the Scottish singer balances out all that melancholy in his real life with wacky, self-deprecating behavior. The video he just posted is a perfect example. In the vertical clip for his song “Hold Me While You Wait”, he walks around the Glastonbury Festival grounds wearing a cardboard sign saying “Hold Me”. 

The video itself is touching, with Lewis hugging family, friends, and fans. One little boy sheds tears of happiness over meeting him. But thanks to captions at the bottom of the screen, we get some insight into Lewis’ thoughts on what’s happening – what his song is about, who some of the huggers are, and even a request for one fan to not sue him after he accidentally hits her in the face.

Fans of the Weekly Pop 40 know that Lewis’ song “Someone You Love” is flying up the chart – find out where it landed this week by listening to the countdown now and check back every Thursday for a brand new chart of the 40 pop songs you listen, heart and share the most every week!