Lopez Blogs

Kaden is a singer based in Los Angeles who has been fortunate enough to work with Eddie Galen (whose magic touch took High School Musical to number one across the world) and fuse his world views with sparse percussive electro beats and club vibes, that create a singularly unique sound. UndeRage is a terrific tune that tackles the issue of the drinking age in the USA (which i have always thought was crazy!) while Live Fearless would make a great first single in England - and is exactly the sort of track that the X-Factor producers should be trying to get for the winner of the show: memorable, catchy, thoughtful lyrics, and quite different to anything else in the charts at the moment. It's hard to judge on just the two songs on his myspace site, but from what i've heard, i'm excited to add Kaden to the list of singers I want to see become huge. Be sure to check out his myspace blogs too - he has a great positive perspective on life...Plus the boy is quite the looker with great popstar hair and that only adds to the allround package...
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LINK: Kaden's personal myspace site
LINK: Kaden's music myspace site

Wellity, wellity, wellity! Ruthiepoos and I were quite exhausted from our various ailments/nights out/random things but decided to put on a brave face and go to the Sandi Thom concert tonight at the Birmingham Academy. I'm glad we did. Here is what we learned:
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~ i look quite good in horizontal stripes. Some people do not and should avoid them at all costs.
~ we ignored the support band and went to get some bottled water, which now comes in compostable bottles. Whatever that means. Ruthiepoos decided that in ten years time it will come out that the combination of compostable bottles and water gives people fatal illnesses. Still can't worry about that after you've paid £2.29 a bottle!!
~ the support band then got really good by doing a cover of The Scientist by Coldplay which i had a whole conversation with Ruthiepoos about before she gently let me down by telling me the support band had finished and I was actually listening to the Coldplay cd being "piped" through the speakers. Qu'elle horreur!
~ there was quite an adorable gay couple in front of us who were clearly on a date and wanted to do so much more that watch Sandi Thom. The electricity between them was rampant. I nearly blushed...
~ Sandi came on stage and actually no-one noticed. I was still drinking my possibly contaminated water before i realised the first song was halfway through. Oops.
~ I absolutely stand by my assertion that Little Remedy should've been the third single from the album. It was certainly rocking and joyful live...
~ I get the impression that if there hadn't been all the hoohah over Sandi Thom being a myspace chick, then she probably wouldn't have got such a hard time from the sometimes vicious popjustice forumers... she certainly has an ear for a catchy melody and a grooving vibe :) A more pop KT Tunstall if you will...
~ Her sparse percussive cover version of Gnarls Barkley's Crazy is one of my faves i've heard so far in the increasingly large canon of covers. And yet i still have only ever listened to the original twice. Can't bear it.
~ She don't half witter on inbetween songs and sadly doesn't have the most dynamic stage presence or sparkling banter. The tumbleweeds blowing past nearly knocked me out when she was telling "hilarious" tour stories - how terrible it was when the drummer got shot with a bbgun and how she lost a shoe. Yes, because that's exactly the same...
~ Then she went on about how she was desperate for a necklace for her new video Lonely Girl which said the song title on it. Not only should this song not be a single (although it's perfectly lovely), she eventually found a necklace at Elizabeth Duke, which she was then most disparaging about (causing lots of girls to nervously finger their cheap necklaces/dates). It cost her £4.50, which judging by the video just about doubled the budget...
~ She really should save some of those stories for a scintillating dinner party...
~ Luckily, her songs just really sparkle and have a great energy live. Her new songs including one called Devils Beat were seamlessly integrated and quite nice in a b-side sort of way.
~ Superman sounded just gorgeous live as did Sunset Boulevard. She should sell What If I'm Right to some country singer in America cos she'd make a boat load of cash and it's a great tune for that market.
~ Of course she finished with I Wish I Was A Punk Rocker which finally got a fairly lethargic audience of white, middle class people going. And it is a great tune. So annoying that so many people were saying "but punk rockers didn't wear flowers in their hair!" Sigh. Listen to the lyrics you goons...
~ I've sounded a bit harsh in this review, but Ruthiepoos and I loved her and are glad we went. Just cut down on the banter next time luv. Next time, leave it to D'Luv...
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LINK: Sandi Thom's myspace site
MP3: Sandi Thom - What If I'm Right acoustic
MP3: Sandi Thom - Superman

A quick diversion into hair in this post, before i concentrate on the main post of the day - girls... last night was the official opening of my good friend Paul's hair salon "Precision" and a grand little affair it was too... A champagne reception was catered for by Butlers In The Buff, which meant lots of naked and slightly hairy bottoms roving around, which surely can't be meeting food hygiene laws but oh well :) Anyway, it was a lovely evening so here are some of the pics so you can all share in the wonder of the night :)
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Me and my pals (from l to r) the lovely Kirsty who I have known since I was 5, DazPrecision, the newly engaged Sarah (congrats), Rosemary Conleys Slimmer of the week Bernice, our older friends Tony & Carol (with me in the middle) and salon manageress, the hilarious Simone on the end....
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Salon manager/owner Paul eyeing up Simone's (or Sim. One as I call her) ample bosom...
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The grand opening (notice the two butlers in the buff - both were incredibly charming and polite and took the various ogling and camera shots from the girls and gay guys with grace and good humour. I thought they were most professional and really helped the evening go with a swing. Fancy a closer look?)
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Well alrighty, then! Newly engaged Sarah was salivating to get this pic. The minx...
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Paul's mom cuts the cord! (after tripping over it, bless)
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Aawww, the lovely Paul and DazPretty - notice gorgeous chunky knit gap scarf keeping me warm :)

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Lockdown caught my eye (literally, with their umbrellas) a while ago when i was doing my little piece on boybands. As eager as I am for a new boyband, I am equally eager for someone to fill the void left when Steps disbanded that fateful boxing day in 2001... Lockdown formed from the remnants of a failed boyband and main vocalists Rob and Chris recruited their dancer girls from college to form a new super pop group. The boys tend to take the musical lead, although the lasses seem equally vocally capable and the result is a perfectly poppy scintillating selection of chart bound tunes that will put a smile on your face and bounce in your step. And that's what pop should do - sound effortless, be enjoyable and make you want to listen to it more and more. Try their cover of Alice Cooper's Poison - rock goes electro and the perfect companion to Jamelia's Beware Of The Dog in the charts... or You've Got It, a bouncealong singalong tune with multi layered harmonies in the chorus (you can almost imagine the dance routine). How Do I Say Goodbye is a gorgeous ballad with soaring vocals and totally deserves to be the third single (behind Poison and You've Got It)... Can't Live Without You and Maniac (another genius choice of cover) also look set to bring a fun vibe back to the world of pop, and you know that's all i ask for. Ultimately Lockdown are what they are - an unpretentious fun pop act (that kinda remind me of aces 90s band The Party) that deserve to do well...

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LINK: Lockdown's myspace site
LINK: Purchase Lockdown tracks for 59p each here!
MP3: Lockdown - Poison
MP3: Lockdown - You've Got It

Last night, i kicked off my festive movie a little too early with my favourite film of all time - Love, Actually. There are many many reasons why i love this film. People may argue it's not realistic. It's a romanticised version of England. Too many coincidences. A little cloying. I don't care. I love it in spite of and indeed, because of all those reasons. It just warms my heart everytime I watch and reels me in emotionally. So i won't hear a bad word said against it ;) It's the only film that makes me want to watch it all over again as soon as its finished. If i am not emotional by 44 minutes when Keira Knightly realises from watching the wedding video that her husbands best friend is in love with her then I am a cold cold fish. Here are some of my sob moments that get me every time:

There are many reasons I like Lucas Mire. One obviously being that he sometimes stops by this blog and looks like he could easily beat me up if he wanted ;) (just kidding - i've said before i only tend to write about things i like on here, and am enthusiastic about those things ;) ); he has some almost as foxy as DazPetShopBoy on his top myspace friends (yes Brandon, Freddie and Eric Himan that means you!); and he puts free downloads for fans on his myspace player. And you can't really ask for more than that. Only, then there is the music. I first discovered Lucas here and was taken by his intimate writing style and the way his gorgeous deep voice wraps itself round the lilting acoustic melodies. His most recent album Forever's Not What It Used To Be describes itself as pop/indie/acoustic on his myspace site - yet it's so much more than that. Lucas takes these genres and expertly blends them together to create a folk driven sound with hints of sparse electronica that compliments that gorgeous baritone perfectly. My favourite track remains Swallowed Whole - a gently strumming guitar and yearning lyrics about taking control of a situation again before it consumes you. And that is the beauty of this album - it's an invitation into Lucas' most innermost thoughts, feelings and desires. The raw honestly gives songs a quality that no studio magic can fake. I've put this album on when i'm feeling introspective and it's almost like listening to a mini novel - little vignettes of a person's life, Fill In The Blanks carries with it an innate sadness of a man who has been burnt, yet still manages to get across the lessons that sometimes are cruel in life.."You said 'i'd rather see you bare your soul'/But didn't even say it, it was on a t-shirt that you wore..." and Push/Pull was successfully using obliques before JT... and is a simply lovely song again with an underlying theme of struggle and heartache at the things life brings. A thought provoking album that touches the heart and opens the soul. Just be glad that Lucas felt like sharing...
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LINK: Lucas Mire's myspace page
BUY: Lucas Mire - Forever's Not As Long...
MP3: Lucas Mire - Push/Pull

You know, the late 90s and early 00s were great for some cheesy pop. In fact, rather mortifyingly, Darren and I used to practice Steps dance moves while we were getting ready to go out on a saturday night (don't forget this was pre Doctor Who/Robin Hood on tv!). I'd like to say we were drunk, but tragically we weren't. Though we were very proficient at Deeper Shade.. and Summer of Love. At a push we can still remember the routines down "pat" now. Those were the days my friend. We thought they'd never end. But they did end and for some reason that is why the magnificent Pop were not bigger than they were. There were two cute boys. Two girls who handled most the vocals. Catchy pop tunes. The odd ballad. A brilliant hi-nrg cover of a disco classic. It was a cake baked to pop perfection. But times had moved on. The "kids" were all about boys with guitars or girls doing electro clash. The world had turned its hard cruel shoulder away from Pop and they soon disbanded. Boo! I still mourn them to this day. So here is a brief reminder of their all too short time in the limelight and some mp3s in the order that they should have been released as singles...
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SINGLE1: Heaven and Earth
SINGLE2: Can't Say Goodbye
SINGLE3: Serious WIP Radio Remix
SINGLE4A:Without The Boy
SINGLE4AA: Xanadu WIP Radio Edit

Ah, feel quite excited to be putting Conor at the top of this illustrious list. I mentioned him a week or so ago as a sneak preview to this topic, and since then have been able to listen to more of his music and been delighted with what I hear. And clearly I'm not the only one as Conor has the honour of being the first person to record at the I Should Be So Lucky studios. The excellent Club 55 has already topped the Myspace Download charts and with such a great look, funky accessible tunes and the ability to pull of a swooning ballad (Who's Gonna Say It?), it's certainly hard not to root for Conor... Make sure you check out the anthemic Lose Control available now as a download (see link below). And if you like what you hear, be sure to rate Conor over at the I Should Be So Lucky homepage...Honestly, Conor reminds me of the heyday of Wham mixed with some funky Blue backbeats, seasoned with the sheer joy and exhilaration you get when hearing that great pop song on the radio a la the glory years of Steps, S Club and Girls Aloud. I'm gushing, i know, but in my quest to bring pure classic pop back to the charts, people like Conor give me hope...

Link: Conor's Myspace site
Link: Buy Conor's music
Link: I Should Be So Lucky

Anyone who can teach themselves piano always has my admiration. I struggle enough after years of lessons, although now I do a mean Lonely Goatherd which always gets the party started. Or something. So big kudos to Gabe Lopez who not only taught himself piano at an early age, but then went on to learn guitar and bass as well. His keen knowledge of musical composition shines through on a solid collection of songs on his debut album This Is About You, released by an independent label. The effortless strummings of Sunday Summertime deserves to be heard driving with the top down and singing that insanely catchy chorus out loud, while Red Queen brings to mind the best works of Shery Crow and adds a deep bass beat to dance it up a little. How this guy hasn't been snatched up by the majors yet is beyond me - though clearly other people recognise his talent: He wrote the epic Turn It On for Jim Verraros and worked on debut album of Japanese popstar Triniti. Plus - check his myspace site for better photos of that all important pop star aspect - great hair! Don't you think its all just a little bit queer - best dance refrain ever (possibly!)
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LINK: Gabe Lopez myspace site
BUY: Gabe Lopez - This Is About You
MP3: Gabe Lopez - Red Queen

I really do have another fashion related article that I so want to get to some time this week. And i love to write about fashion. And some of you recently may have noticed that I also love to write about Simon Curtis... In fact, even Simon has noticed and posted a little notice about it on his website, which was quite nice of him i thought... Anyway, Simon, it turns out that you are way ahead of your time cos fashion icon David Beckham has stolen your look!!! :O

THE TIME OF YOUR LIFE:

Now, Dirty Dancing was a big part of my life in the late 80s/early 90s. I was darn near obsessed with that film, the music and the message at the heart of it. It represented to me a world where people were able to discover themselves and express themselves how they desired. Watching it at a much older age, I realised it wasn't as idealistic a world as I first thought and that with every action comes a consequence. But still, the film is one of my favourites so I just knew that I had to go and see the stage version that is on previews in London this very week...


And I'm glad I did as it was one of the most thrilling, spine tingling, emotional visits to the theatre I've had in a long time. I think along with Wicked and The History Boys, I've had a trio of amazing theatre visits that will stay with me for a long time. The joy of the musical version of this film is that it is pretty much transferred word for word, step for step to the stage - with some scenes expanded and some more character development for some of the bit parts. You might think that lacks creativity or spark, but what it achieves is bringing the audience into the experience in a way the film couldn't achieve. The theatre practically crackled with anticipation as fans waited for some of their favourite lines:

• i carried a watermelon
• and most of all i'm scared of walking out of this room and never feeling again the way I feel when i'm with you
• nobody puts Baby in the corner...

So today is the day that my fave new obsession The History Boys goes from being a rather excellent stage play to being committed to celluloid for time and all eternity. What is rather alarming is that only one of the big "movie-plexes" in Birmingham – a fairly major and cosmopolitan city – has this little Brit-flik showing. I remained outraged that I have to go to Star City a) because it is full of chavs and b) it's not christened Stab City for nothing. I was lucky to come back with my kidneys intact.

But the movie, mercifully, was everything I had hoped. I was somewhat concerned that after taking the play around the world, the original actors would be somewhat weary of playing the same characters, but the film sizzles and pops along nicely, with the boys exuding the right amount of energy, wit, humour and pathos in every scene. And Dakin is almost (but not quite) as sexy as the touring Dakin who will be parking in West End next year…;) There are lots of things I want to talk about with this movie, but seeing as I already reviewed the play here, I want to focus on the music.

Music was a major part of the stage show, used as a backdrop to stage changes and to move forward the story. In the film, it successfully becomes part of the story. The boys sing a couple of times in class, but they sing the songs that their beloved Hector remembers from his youth (e.g. Bye Bye Blackbird at his funeral). The songs that backdrop the story are those which the boys would have been listening to in their own time (new Order, The Smiths, The Clash). The highlights from the soundtrack are those actually sung by the history boys, the dance remixes of old classics (Echo and The Bunnymen take a bow) and a rather gorgeous new take on Bewitched that has finally made me sit up and take notice of Rufus Wainwright. Just lovely…

MP3: The History Boys – Bye Bye Blackbird
MP3: Echo And The Bunnymen – Never Stop (Discotheque version)
MP3: Rufus Wainwright – Bewitched

I admit it – I'm jealous. I mean you do a public service by introducing the world to super new band The Feeling and then you get shafted good and hard up the back passage when people that aren't you get to go and meet them – and take a bloody brilliant picture with them too ;) Of course I can't stay mad at Mr D'Luv for long – he did coin the Daz variation DazPanic after all. Here is Join With Us reposted just for him, and a secret song here that I think describes what he will be doing now he has met the suave Daniel Gillespie Sells…

MP3: The Feeling – Join With Us (live)

Heroes are in at the moment. Whether it's the desperate wannabes on the third season of The X-Factor or the far-better-than-it-had-any-right-to-be tv show Heroes (which indeed has me in its spell), they are popping up all over the place. But here at The Zapping, we've always had a soft spot for those original super-heroes of pop, the rather marvellous and lovely Switch-22. Not only did they write a little greeting for us (previously The Zapping's most visited day before yesterday!) but they have the sort of faces (and bodies) that a boy could spend a good forty minutes snogging at the (late lamented) Smash Hits Poll Winners Party if a) S22 were into boys and b) if that boy were single. Which I'm not. I'm quite happy snogging one man for the rest of my days…

By his own admission, Gavin Mikhail isn't your average blue eyed popstar. He isn't in it for the fame (although I assume the money will come in handy. Who is going to say "no more money! I couldn't take another dime!"). As a happily married dad, he's certainly not in it for the chicks. He is definitely not in it for the sports cars (he drives a gold minivan). He is, however, in it to make the best darn songs he possibly can that will touch people and be relateable all over the planet. And judging by his sophomore album Like Normal People Do, he is darn well succeeding…

It's easy to pass Gavin off as a Daniel Powter clone, but that would be utterly unfair. For one, Gavin has been going longer (his debut album came out in 2003). He may write piano based pop songs and ballads, but the similarity ends there. There is no woolly hat in sight. Gavin is far better looking. Much like Simon Curtis, he knows how to wear a loosened tie and make it look cool rather than like he has had a rough day at the office. And unlike Daniel Powter (who I do actually kinda like, but find a little bit "corporate"), Gavin pours his heart and soul into the 10 tracks that make up this very likeable collection.

Whereas Mr Curtis is the real person bringing sexyback to the charts, Mr Mikhail does very much what my beloved Deborah Gibson does… that is, he writes music from the heart that utterly transcends the current boundaries of pop and has this gorgeous, timeless feel to it. I really feel Brave – an ode to how that special person in your life can make you into a better person – is one of the most beautiful love songs of the year. If I had heard it in June, it definitely would have featured in Darren and my civil partnership. Lilting piano, multi layered harmonies and a chorus Simon Cowell would kill for make this track a stunning opening to the album and one that will have the listener coming back for more, time and time again…

Thankfully, it's not the only winner on the album – it's ultimately an uplifting and motivational listening experience. It's about the love that makes you a better person, the chances you take to follow your dream and the things you do to get through the difficult moments in life (Back For Me is a great song to soothe those break up blues and has the most lovely melody; God In This Moment seems to be answering those uncertainties whether it be a personal dilemma or national catastrophe). The album finishes with One Of These Days – a song with hope and belief baked into the very core of it and essentially bookends the album. It may sound like this album is emotional or cloying – it's really not. It is the feelgood experience of the year…

Link: Official Gavin Mikhail website

Ooo excitement he wrote. Not only does the big screen version of The History Boys arrive in cineplexes across the country from this very Friday, but the stage version with the rather brilliant cast - and the xecier than the film Dakin - that I just got to see in Birmingham will be settling in for a three month run in the west end in early 2007. I seriously may be addicted to this now (though not as much as Wicked...)

Hurrah! The nice editor at midland zone magazine very kindly sent me two copies of our little gay wedding. What a guy – it was nice to be featured too :) June suddenly seems so long ago :(

I bought Confessions On A Dancefloor like hundreds of other people did last November when I was in las vegas… other than Hung Up and Sorry, I thought the main stand out track was Jump and was most disappointed when Mrs Ritchie chose to release Get Together as the third single. Clearly her worst choice of single since What It Feels Like For A Girl was released instead of Amazing. Luckily the ex Mrs Penn has come to her senses and Jump is scheduled for release later this month. Or November. Or something. Clearly I am too lazy to do the research… and as a nice little bonus, Lady Madonna has graced us with a "new" b side which is probably a song left over from COAD. History (which i got thanks to OxygenChunks) won't go down in history (see what I did there XO) as the best Madonna b-side ever (that honour still remains with Supernatural), but it’s a pleasant – if a little preachy – enough slice of disco that will while away a few minutes or so while you wait to listen to something great like Beware Of The Dog…

MP3: Madonna - Jump (single edit)
MP3: Madonna - History

- ABC does it again… there has certainly been somewhat of a renaissance of quality drama on ABC in recent years and that shows no sign of abating this year. The first two episodes of Grey's Anatomy were just amazing – the writers did a great job of showing where the characters are at this year. I love the fact that Meredith is taking more control of her messy romantic situation and the final shot in episode two was a complete doozy…. Similarly the season premiere of Desperate Housewives was the best episode they have aired for a while. I adore klutzy Susan and was laughing so hard when she threw milkshake on poor comatose Jane. Bree once again had all the best scenes with new creepy murdering dentist boyfriend – her reaction to oral sex and an orgasm was classic ;) New show Brothers and Sisters also has potential as a quality nighttime soap – lots of things going on in the first episode that just draws you in for more. Now I am just eagerly anticipating the season premieres of Lost and The Nine on Weds… I'm not so enamoured of Six Degrees however. I had high hopes for this show, but it seemed a bit aimless. I'm going to stick with it a couple more weeks to see if it can live up to its full potential…



- One show that certainly came out the box at full speed and showed Six Degrees how to properly link people together was the impressive and atmospheric Heroes. At first I dismissed this as a clone of The 4400, Kyle XY (a great slow burning show that hooked me over the summer) and Xmen. However, there was enough spark and personality in this show to have me hooked from the start. Love the nerdy Japanese guy who absolutely embraces the fun side of having heroic powers, which the always gorgeous Milo Ventimiglia looks for meaning in his destiny, only to have his theory shot to hell in a surprising and breathtaking cliffhanger. Hopefully this show will do well as I really want to see how things pan out…


- I swear Prison Break is bad for your health! Its just so ludicrously addictive and fun that even though I know its kinda trash, I can't stop watching. Like 24 (which I gave up on ages ago), it's all about the cliffhanger, so each episode leaves you wanting more even though the resolution is often highly implausible. Still it's great tv…

- Other bits: Need to watch Ugly Betty to see if that is any good; I am loving the Gayening of Christian Troy on Nip/Tuck; Robin Hood(ie) starts on Sat! VIVA!!

- bought lots of sunday papers to read the reviews of Wicked The Musical. Am mortified and horrified to read two bad reviews ("It wasn't wicked; just bad). Now i may be biased but i still maintain that this is the greatest show on earth right now and I can't wait to go and see it again. Has anyone else out there caught the London show? I am currently obsessed with this little duet between Elphie and Fiyero which takes place in the second act. Would love for Debs G to cover this - any suggestions on who could sing the male vocal on a "pop" version??

MP3: As Long As You're Mine (From Wicked)