Lopez Blogs

One of the things that kept the "other (time consuming, html-ly difficult and somewhat expensive) blog" going was my obsessions with things. Be it books (harry potter, the faerie wars, Wicked, Georgia Nicholson diaries), movies (Love, Actually, Stardust, Hairspray, Enchanted), clothes (Gap, ASOS, Jack Jones), friends (too many to mention), decent blogs (again far too many to mention) or music (Deborah Gibson, Simon Curtis, Maroon 5, The Feeling et al) it's the stuff that drives my world each day. Putting down thoughts on those things here serves as almost a diary of my obsessions (some last forever, some are fleeting) for you poor folk to read/ignore... So I thought today I would catch up on a few of my ongoing obsessions....

~Most people know by now that the lovely to look at and listen to Jason Mraz is back. 2 years ago his lovely demo song (on the cd single for Wordplay) "I'm Yours" soundtracked the preparations and big day for Darren and my civil partnership. The lyrics are perfect for a romantic occassion but i have to say I was a bit dubious about him rerecording it for a comeback single. Still, the studio version totally works (it's in my top 5 played tracks of the week 2 years after it first was!) and the video (above) is this lovely laid back collection of live life to the full feel good mini pieces of art. Just lovely. Also quite smashing is his contribution to Randy Jackson's compilation with Jon McLaughlin called Something To Believe In...
~ Adem will be pleased to know that the new singles by SugaAloud have reignited my passion for their respective albums. I quite adore the Sugababes "Denial" video (love the Mutya's fleeting cameo at 1m36s :P) and the french language version of Can't Speak French by the Girls has me all in a bilingual tizzy of delight. One minor gripe though - the video for that track reuses choreography from Biology and looks like a sluttier version of this...

~ While David Archeluta fulfils my adorable future popstar quota on the current series of American Idol, those gorgeous little munchkins Same Difference FINALLY release their debut single on April 21st. As I've said before I really couldn't care what they release at this point so enamoured am I. I'm just hoping a fabbo pop album follows. The above clip just totally encapsulates how edible these crazy kids are :P
~ I still totally get BWO, even though they get slated for putting out similar sounding releases time after time. However, when the music is as enjoyable as this abba-pastiche-meets-Madonna's-Sorry/HungUp, then frankly I don't really care. Lay Your Love On Me is a great pop tune, though I'm not quite ready to give up on the Fabricator album yet. I think that Last Flight To San Francisco would make a GREAT single and video...

~ While I was have a gay old time in The Vegas, Ruthiepoos (who is really ill at the moment with bronchitis. Poor ruthie) and her soon to be civil partner Lou went to see The Feeling perform in Birmingham. They said the concert was utterly fabbo and that the cover of Electric Dreams (above) was just knock your socks off spit in your face fantastic. I am warming to the idea of Without You as 2nd single from the fine Join With Us album. Plus Dan GS looks great and talks a good game in his attitude cover shoot article this month...
~ Not so sure about Maroon 5 releasing Goodnight Goodnight as the 4th (and probably final) single from their IWBSBL album... Personally, I would have either gone for the tender Better That We Break or rollicking ballbuster If I Never See Your Face Again. Oh well, as long as Adam looks good in the video, what does it really matter?

~ Rob Thomas is a whore! So sayeth Piz and me a little bit. I wasn't totally won over by the season four promo available on the season 3 dvd boxset of Veronica Mars (I have my own thoughts on how season four should've gone and have a whole post prepared if anyone is interested?) and i'm even less enamoured to read that Mr Thomas is involved in a spinoff of Beverley Hills 90210. Really? Picture me with look of puzzlement on my face and VERY raised eyebrows. Much more satisfying is the news that his critically beloved (by me) low rated Cupid show from the 90s is getting a second shot at fame. Hurrah, etc.
~ The ever excellent and trashy Gossip Girl debuts in England on ITV2 on March 27th. I love how the male stars are totally at ease with their growing gay fanbase (who have dubbed them the Gossip Gays). None of this Blake Lewis "worst rumour? That I'm gay" nonsense for them. Indeed look how lovely they are on the cover of Out magazine. Yummers.

See? A whole post about obsession and I didn't even mention Simon Curtis and his magnificent collection of Alter Boy music. Maybe next time..... :P

~ Oooo look, those lovely History Boys (the amazing touring cast) have their own blog now. It’s enough to make you want to kiss the screen ;)

After the letdown that was Keane's "Under The Iron Sea", I was understandably nervous about sophomore sets from some of my other fave 2004 acts – The Killers and Scissor Sisters (Maroon 5, I'm still waiting…) When both sets debuted in September of this year, I was relieved to find that they were both (in my eyes) pretty consistently good. However, The Killers in particular seemed to suffer from critical and blogosphere backlash (due to their cockiness/facial hair, etc?) and "only" a number two debut for said album in the states. Yet, despite a number 15 chart placement (and subsequent plummet) for the amazing Bones, it feels to me that the first two singles were a prelude to the world domination that Sam's Town is going to experience in 2007. Not only do they have the original Christmas song this year, they have already earmarked greatness in 2007 by cleverly releasing a third single (Read My Mind) that is even better than the stunning Bones (which, itself was even better than the outstanding When You Were Young). Then they remind us that they fuse dance with indie pop brilliantly, by commissioning those Boys of the Pet Shop to remix the track. Rumours abound months ahead of time that they will write the next and perform the next James Bond theme. And the UK arena tour will prove that Sam's Town gets better with repeated listening. All this before festival season announced too! 2007 (which so would be a good year for a second Craig Daniels James Bond film) is going to be a Killers year…
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LINK: Purchase Sam's Town
MP3: The Killers – Read My Mind
LINK: Purchase The Killers - Great Big Sled via iTunes (UK) (US)

Sob. In yesterday's post, Take That split up. Sniffle. I hope you are all managing to cope with the hurt, heartache and betrayal. Rather than focus on the solo careers of Robbie, Gary and Mark, I thought I would take a look at what a fourth Take That album in 1996 might have sounded like. I have cobbled this theory together from Gary's autobiography and various interviews and articles I have read over the year. So in an alternate reality (ooo how Sliders before it went rubbish), rather than releasing a greatest hits in 1996, the That would have got on with the task of their first Robbie-free album. I like to think it would have kicked off anyway with the quite nice BeeGee's cover How Deep Is Your Love in March 1996, that no doubt would have whipped up excitement for the new album with it's smooth line in harmonies and doing-bondage-way-before-Phixx-did video. Gary stated in his biography that many of the self penned tracks on his debut were originally written with Take That in mind; there was an unreleased gem on the Never Forget collection released after the documentary last year; in an interview Donny Osmond mentioned that a festive track written by Gary on his 2004 album was meant to be a Take That Christmas b-side; and finally, although Gary hated it, I like to think that the boys would have recorded Madonna penned Love Won't Wait anyway… how all this would've affected Rob's career intrigues me, but for now here is my "partially complete, wholly imagined" Take That album circa 1996 (probably called Open Road)…
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How Deep Is Your Love (mp3)
Forever Love
Open Road
Love Won't Wait
Superhero
Hang On In There Baby
Everything I Ever Wanted
Today I've Lost You (mp3)
Christmas (Donny Osmond mp3)
Always

Yes, the Take That adoration committee that is TheZapping continues... not only are my foxy elder statesmen of pop heading for a number one this sunday with Patience, but they are proving their musical "chops" with a visit to Jo Whiley's Live Lounge just yesterday...Check out their acoustic romp through the Kaiser Chiefs' Every Day I Love You Less and Less. Great choice of song and it's nice to hear Mark get some vocal time as this song is most suited to the type of music he was producing solo. I really think that their album will be huge, and while not every single will be a number one, i think they do have a solid base of old and new fans that could sustain them for a while yet. And thanks to poppostergirl and zapping reader Guy, here are the Shirley Bassey and Keane songs i referenced to yesterday... Thank you so much guys for sending me those! Plus some of those cool Charlotte Church show cover versions Zeon is raving about right now...
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MP3: Take That - Every Day I Love You Less and Less
MP3: Keane - Enjoy The Silence
MP3: Shirley Bassey - Get The Party Started
MP3: Charlotte Church & Alesha - Somebody Told Me
MP3: Charlotte Church & Nerina Pallot - Message In A Bottle

Pop to your local cineplex (if you are in England) to watch Brit-com, Starter For Ten and not only will you see cool Scots actor James McAvoy (Narnia; Shameless) but self confessed bad boy Dominic Cooper who recently played sexually ambiguous Dakin in the Broadway and movie version of the addictive The History Boys. Now 27 years old, he's ready to ditch the school uniform and offering of oral pleasure (shame) to concentrate on other film work and modelling gigs. And he's deluged with offers as well. Damn him! I hate it when younger, better looking people than me end up all gorgeous and successful ;)
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LINK: Finally! Check out Jessica's positive review of the movie
LINK: Buy the new version of The History Boys book
MP3: The History Boys - Bye Bye Blackbird (w/ Dominic Cooper)