Lopez Blogs

I may have had a change of heart re: Joe and Ambitions. I still would have liked to see Joe kick off with an original tune, but the video has won me over. I still totally adore the Donkeyboy song, but this is a perky, jolly version that almost makes it Ambitions:The Glee remix. PLUS! Dance routine! Immensicles. Adding to a boypop video breakdown update are The Wanted who quickly established themselves where millions have failed before as the boyband du jour. Their second single, Heart Vacancy is out soon. Let's see what pop's most eligible young men (collectively) have come up with!

Joe McElderry - Ambitions

• So many youtube videos start with an advertisement now. Still Charlie St Cloud looks quite good and Zac Efron still has quite good movie star hair.
• (PS, I nicked the shot above from D'Luv. You can read his Joe thoughts here...)
• Oh, it's on. Joe gets out of a yellow cab clutching something in his hot little hand. His quiff works for him as he wonders through the downtown streets of Anytown USA
• Only don't be fooled pop pickers! Your eyes have been deceived! deceived I tells ya! The town is moving! It's actually a soundstage with lots of people working on Joe's video shoot. how postmodern! How breaking the fourth wall!
• To be fair, young Joseph looks like he is having a whale of a time, and I do quite enjoy the strutting through the streets moments at around 25seconds...
• There's bunting! Simon Cowell loves bunting! It was all over the Same Difference We R One video. Joe grabs a lady friend and then this happens...
• DANCE ROUTINE! It's fist fist fist fist, shoulder shimmy, arm wave. you can't really go wrong with that can you? It's very Steps/Same Difference/SClubHoweverMany and that's a-ok with me.
• The dancing is clearly a watercooler moment as americans might say. This is evidenced at 58seconds when Joe walks past some strumpet leaning against a watercooler! Amazing. I love a bit of in your face not at all subtle literal interpretation. And I'm not even being sarcastic.
• Oh Gay J, I am loving the vid. I'm being won over! There is an orchestra setting up and some silly billy drops his papers all over the streets. I was a bit disappointed Joe didn't go and help him. he always seemed like such a gentleman.
• Oh phew. he has gone to help :) Gentleman status fully restored. And what does silly billy do? Throw them in the air and launches into the dance routine! Amazing. I always said Joe was very musical theatre and this kind of cements that for me. It's an ebullient fun loving moment, and adds a certain joie de vivre to what ultimately is quite a melancholy (lyrically) tune...
• People are dancing all over the place. it reminds me a bit of Hi-Fidelity from Kids From Fame. There are some good looking fellas behind Joe giving it a shimmy and a shake, and the dedicated chappy doesn't even get distracted for even a second. My cosmic horn makes me pause the video to get a better look though :P
• Pause at around 2m14s and you'll get a pretty good idea of what the inevitable X Factor live performance will look like.
• Let's marvel a little more at the dance routine - the bit at around 2m30s with arms in the air, then arms to the floor is taken directly from Mamma Mia's Dancing Queen routine on the docks.
• I'm actually quite disappointed that the end of the video is nigh, but little J is growing up because that is some serious sultry seduction he's giving to the camera with his eyes!!
• I can confirm that I think I have been pretty much won over by the video. I'm so easy :P

• Loving the footwear boys. Boots are so this season (and a bit last season as well, but some fashions transcend more than one season so it is ok). Also loving the neutral colours going on. Boyband walking down a deserted street is a classic nod to those that have paved the way before you!
• There are some nice close ups of the boys too. Some chiselled cheekbones and cheeky grins happening. Pause at exactly 9 seconds and marvel at the facial contours of Max. You could slice cheese on that structure!
• It's all very serious, though there is a little bit of laddish tomfoolery going on at about 25s and they all find something quite amusing about 10 seconds later. Perhaps someone has let one rip?
• The glorious chorus starts and the boys all sing together. Meanwhile, night time has fallen and all the locals are gathering in some beautiful church courtyard to watch an old movie. I hope it's Barefoot In The Park. That's a Jane Fonda classic!
• During the second verse, I shift allegiences between which member is currently "the fittest" almost as often as the camera flits between them. Back at the movies, a young lady is backlit by the projector giving her an angelic glow...
• The boys are now at the movies (that young lady finds gently amusing), and having a right good singsong at the back. This proves that this is just a casual movie event. If it was the Vue they would have been kicked out by now :P
• Just prior to the 2m30s mark, the guy in the movie with classic 40s slicked back hair gives the camera a smouldering look. Young Lady finds this most enticing and clutches her hankerchief to her bosom. I would mock her for this, but I am convinced that Patrick Dempsey gave me such a look once in a Grey's Anatomy...
• It's now the middle 8 of the song, and Curly Haired Wanted is belting it out. Most pleasingly too. Meanwhile, the locals are getting a bit annoyed at the distraction. Honestly, some people have no appreciation for pop music. Even the stars of the film are getting jittery, while Young Lady gets well excited!
• Oh my goodness. 40s Movie Star has legged it out of the screen and gone for the hand of Young Lady. One of the locals quite rightly finds this a bit disturbing, gets the vapours and has to have a bit of a lie down. I would have just had a mint baileys myself to take the edge off...
• Young Lady has gone to live in the movies. Don't we all wish we could do that. I would live in Mean Girls. Or Love, Actually. Probably flit between the two. Anyway, the locals are over the shock and loving this happy ending. There's quite an amusing shot of the rest of the movie stars trying, but failing, to get through the screen. Sigh. They don't get the message - Young Lady filled 40s Movie Star's heart vacancy.
• And that's it. Tres bon. PS, kudos on being embeddable. Unlike Joe. Grrr.