Katy Perry

Katy Perry's capable of remaking herself for any promising target demographic. In her teens, she delivered achingly sincere contemporary Christian fare that didn't turn out to be achingly sincere after all, and her One of the Boys persona — flirty, snarky tart — feels equally phony. The production, by a gaggle of gimlet-eyed industry sharpies, is airless and vacuum-sealed, transforming tunes such as "Mannequin" and "Ur So Gay" into assembly-line fodder. As for "I Kissed a Girl," it's proof that a gal-crooned tune with that title will become a hit once a decade whether it's strictly advisable or not. Of course, Denver native Jill Sobule was cast as a novelty after her like-named ditty scored — but if Perry suffers the same fate, she can just change styles again. Opera, anyone?