There is so much wrong with the Sugababes v. Girls Aloud throwdown that I can only sit here stupefied.

Wow.

My brother (meier) and I have just watched every single Girls Aloud video on YouTube.
I can tell you there are far worse ways to spend an hour.

In case you missed it, Pitchfork tackled the (import-only) greatest hits comps of Girls Aloud and Sugababes in a single bound today. kfan calls it "probably the most important review of the year," and I'm not inclined to disagree. Read it here.

All this on a day when the New Statesman publishes an interview with the Girls, who come out as pro-tax and pro-NHS and anti-WAG (despite the marriage to Ashley Cole and all). My favorite quote is from Cheryl: "Politicians know that we get listened to by more young fans than they do. That's why David Cameron said he fancied me. He was just trying to be cool. I bet he couldn't name a single song of ours. Do I fancy him? No! Politicians should stop trying to be cool and get on with running the country."

Delightful.

Girls Aloud's version of "I Think We're Alone Now" is surely the worst single they've ever released (or, rather, will -- it officially comes out 18 December, just in time to not make the Christmas no. 1 -- hurrah!!). Nevertheless, I've finally realized it's good for something: identifying the voices of those who aren't Cheryl or Nadine. Watching it just now reveals that, super powers aside, Kimberley has the worst singing skills of the bunch BY FAR.

Unsurprisingly, the song has its own Wikipedia page, which offers a mildly interesting walk down Memory Lane: Tiffany's version topped the UK charts in January 1988, preceded by "Heaven is a Place on Earth" and succeeded by "I Should Be So Lucky." The video for that song -- well, it can't have helped the chart climb. Poor Kylie.

The Showgirl Tour rendition's all right, though, and the weird Fever tour medley is even better.