Pussycat Doll Hawks Soap, Sullies Brazil's Sonic Rep

The mind-meld on this slice of corporate music news is enough to short-circuit any brain. Nicole Scherzinger, frontbabe for softcorn burlesquers Pussycat Dolls, is releasing a cover version of Duran Duran's '80s hit "Rio" in conjunction with Unilever's Caress brand of soap, in hopes of giving women good skin and bad music on the way to, as the release explains, "unleashing their Brazilian spirit."

"Brazil is all about smooth moves, vivacious sounds and beautiful skin," Scherzinger says. "That’s why I’m thrilled to be recording such a fun, Brazilian remake of my favorite Duran Duran song for Caress. Just like the new Caress Brazilian body wash, it’s sexy, spirited and will inspire women to unleash the enchantment of Brazil."

To be clear, Scherzinger isn't Brazilian or really Latina: She's part Filipino, Russian and Hawaiian. And although I have yet to fact-check the whole thing, it seems that no animals may have been harmed in the making of her painful "Rio (Caress Brazilian Mix)."

But the same probably cannot be said for the heretofore bulletproof reputation of Brazilian musical legends like Os Mutantes. Here's one of that group's best tunes, "Desculpe, Babe," (translation: "I'm sorry, baby!") to clean your cobwebs. No soap needed.

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