Probably best known for her role as Alex Russo on the Disney Channel series Wizards of Waverly Place, SELENA GOMEZ has been acting since was seven, along with Demi Lovato, on Barney and Friends.
Since then, Gomez has been under the care of Disney who is turning her into a big star. Not only does she have her own series, but she voiced all 96 of the Mayor's daughters in Horton Hear's a Who and has a few movies in the works. She is only 16 but that isn't stopping her from forming her own production company that will produce movies staring her.
Although she hasn't released an album, Gomez's music can be heard accompanying anything that she is a part of. This version of Cruella De Vil was recorded for the Platinum Edition of 101 Dalmatians and was later released as part of DISNEYMANIA 6. Thanks to the anonymous reader who requested this song!
If I Didn't Have You - Emily Osment & Mitchel Musso
To follow along the Pixar theme that has been happening the past few days and to tie in to Obscure Disney Song Friday, I am posting If I Didn't Have You from Monsters, Inc, by Hanna Montana co-stars EMILY OSMENT and MITCHEL MUSSO. The song can be found on DISNEYMANIA 6.
Emily, the younger sister to Haley Joel Osment, hasn't quite reached the same sort of fame that her brother did by her age, but she is working hard acting and singing and making a name for herself. She won many awards for her role as Gerti Giggles in Spy Kids 2 & 3 as well as her role as Lilly Truscott on Hanna Montana.
She plans to release her own album soon, departing from the usual Disney poop pop and turning to a more indie rock sound. That should be interesting.
Mitchel's first acting gig was in Secondhand Lions where he first met Haley Joel Osment. Who knew that years later he would be working on Hanna Montana with Osment's younger sister? Aside from live action, Mitchel has had a few voice acting gigs. He voiced DJ in Monster House, which was more than just voice acting since the movie was motion capture, worked on Phineas and Ferb and Shorty McShort's Shorts and was the voice of Aang for an unaired Avatar: the Last Airbender pilot.
His music of choice is hip-hop and rap and plans to release an album in that genre in the future.
Their cover of If I Didn't Have You is your typical Disney pop cover but it is nice to hear a cover of a song that isn't at the top of people's list of best Disney songs.
If I Didn't Have You Emily Osment & Mitchel Musso 2008
The popular Disney group, THE CHEETAH GIRLS, have made a very successful career for themselves. Well, Disney has made a successful career for them.
The group started out as a Disney Channel Original Movie based on a youth book series, but the movie was so popular that it spawned two sequels with a third on the way, as well as three studio albums and a yearly tour across the country. The Cheetah Girls were transformed from a fictitious pop band to actual recording artists.
But the fact remains that this is just another Disney Pop (D-Pop as I like to call them) formula band. My apologies to all of you Cheetah Girls lovers.
For DISNEYMANIA 6, the Girls recorded a version of Someday My Prince Will Come which I consider perfect fodder for Terrible Track Friday. One listen and I am sure you will agree that this version is just plain awful.
It was two years ago today that Disney/Pixar released their seventh feature film, Cars. Even though this film was the third highest grossing film of 2006, it wasn't as popular as many thought it would be. Many thought that it was lacking the same charm as previous Pixar films. But enough people liked it because there will be a sequel in 2012.
Even more successful than the film was the film's soundtrack which actually reached Gold, the first ever Pixar soundtrack to do so. This is probably due to the many big name stars that contribute songs. Sheryl Crow, Chuck Berry, Rascal Flatts, John Mayer, and James Taylor who won a Grammy Award for Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media and was nominated for a Best Original Song Oscar for Our Town.
Cars' opening number is Real Gone by Sheryl Crow, a high energy rock song that sets the mood for the movie. This Crow cover is by BILLY RAY CYRUS and appears on DISNEYMANIA 6.
Years from now, Billy Ray Cyrus will probably be known for only two things: Achy Breaky Heart and being the father of Miley Cyrus. Yes, it's sad, but even though he has recorded ten albums, two of which are multi-Platinum and another Gold, and starred in his own tv series, Doc, as well as the regular role of Hannah Montana's father, he will forever be in the shadow of that number one hit that launched his career in 1992.
Cyrus is set to release a new album sometime by the end of this year and Real Gone is on the track list.
Sorry to everyone who thought you were going to hear a song yesterday. I thought I hit the publish button but I must not have because I came to write today's post and found the draft sitting there waiting for me.
I have listened to DISNEYMANIA 6 and it is just what you would expect from a DISNEYMANIA album. Lots of pre-teen pop fluff. There are a few good tracks but there are more than the usual amount of bad dance tracks in this volume.
I was deciding which track to post today and when I heard this one I knew I had to share it with you. Not because it's good, mind you, but because I couldn't believe how well this song translated into a standard Disney pop/punk song. If I didn't know that it was a cover of the Academy Award winning song from Enchanted I would have thought it was originally written in this style.
That's How You Know is sung by DEMI LOVATO, a 15-year old ex-Barney cast member who has just started her career with Disney. Disney is promoting her early as her first gig with the House of Mouse, Camp Rock debuts next month and her first album from Disney Records will be out in August. I'm sure she will be a success. She certainly fits the cookie-cutter.
Over the years, many musical artists have paid tribute to the music of Disney. This blog pays tribute to those artists.
You won't find any original Disney songs here, these are all covers, interpretations and variations on the tunes we all love.
About Kurtis Findlay
Kurtis has been singing Disney songs for as long as he can remember. He has created this blog as a means to connect with other Disney fans over the world.
Covering the Mouse is not associated with Disney or any major record label. If you wish to have a song removed from my site, please email me and I will be happy to comply.
kurtis[at]coveringthemouse[dot]com
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