oo7

Among all characters in film, I most associate James Bond with my childhood. Nearly every other weekend, the other kids and I would sit around the teevee with Dad, and watch at least one Bond flick.

(And usually a Mel Brooks production, but we're not discussing my love for 'Blazing Saddles' here at this very moment, so stay on topic, eh?)

I remember giggling with my cousins about 'Octopussy' and various other (bad) double entendres in the films. Oh, and 'Jaws' the henchman. He kicked all sorts of ass.

In more recent years, my mom*, sister and I have grown closer because of 'Casino Royale' and our shared Thing for Daniel Craig.

We do love a bit of Northern rough. See Bean, Sean.

So this discussion of the best Bond theme songs was quite interesting to me. I personally am a Bassey purist** (as are the Arctic Monkeys), but one of my favs is 'You Know My Name' by Chris Cornell for the aforementioned 'Casino Royale.' It's stirring, sexy and vaguely dangerous-sounding.

Perfect for James.

*my mother*** may have a picture of Daniel in his blue swim trunks hanging in her office. My dad pretends not to notice.

**mostly due to my high school choir director's influence. We sang A LOT of Bassey tunes. Yes, the thought of corn-fed Iowa girls belting out 'Big Spender' is fucking hilarious, why do you ask?

***When Jeffery Wright appeared onscreen in 'Casino Royale,' my mom breathed, "HELLO, FELIX." Her older brother, my uncle Don, had all the Ian Fleming novels...

Stanage Edge (August 2008 #2)

Stanage Edge (August 2008 #2), originally uploaded by Lazlo Woodbine.

The girls

Girls Aloud, that is.



Nadine is lovely, Nicola adorable, Sar and Kimba fierce and Chezza cute as hell.



Gorgeous.

WANT.

I MUST OWN THIS T-SHIRT.

That is all.

Dare I say

Our Kid's sunnies are positively Coxon-esque.

*backs rapidly away from the Gallagher*

I feel the sudden need

to mess up my hair and apply (more) eyeliner-

The Cure are set to be crowned Godlike Geniuses at the Shockwave NME Awards in February.Robert Smith and co will receive the award and play live at the awards ceremony, which is set to take place at London Brixton Academy on February 25.

Stairway to heaven

Stairway to heaven, originally uploaded by gms.

"You're gonna make me, make me love you"

Girls Aloud have claimed the number one spot in the UK charts with The Promise, the group's first in four years.

And this is just too cool-

All of the group's 18 singles to date have made the UK top 10.

Brilliant

via everywhere

*sighs*

Love Young Master Turner and Young Miles.

Turner and Kane played four covers in the set, the first of which was The Beatles' 'I Want You (She's So Heavy)' from the 1969 'Abbey Road' album, to the delight of the Liverpool crowd.

What Mr. Gunn says

Holy hell

That's a whole lot of tickets to move in one day. FOR ONE ACT.

Oasis have since added third nights in Manchester (June 4) and London (July 9) at the same venues.With tickets going on sale at 10am(BST) this morning (October 24), the band had sold half a million tickets by 3pm. Oasis co-promoter Chris York of SJM Concerts speculated that "this has to be the most tickets ever sold by an artist in the UK in one day".

Please, Jesus

let this happen...

Noel Fielding and Julian Barratt, aka Vince Noir and Howard Moon, are sat backstage at Brixton Academy surrounded by gifts from fans, Pot Noodles and sweets.

They've just begun a massive three-month tour round England, Scotland and Wales but they're already thinking about the next step.

The duo say breaking the States is definitely high on their list.

Random ten

1. Sister Rosetta (Capture the Spirit)- Noisettes
2. Who'll Stop the Rain?- Stereophonics
3. Supersonic- Oasis
4. Country Girl- Primal Scream
5. Shotgun- Junior Walker & the All-Stars
6. 16 Days- Whiskeytown
7. I'm Scared- Duffy
8. DARE- Gorillaz
9. Round Round- Sugababes
10. Police On My Back- Lethal Bizzle

Bonus-
11. Thick As Thieves- The Jam
12. Happy Jack- The Who

*smiles*

Regarding

my new obsession with Protea, my mom commented-

I'm a little worried about your attraction to protea...although if it were antherium...florist joke..

This is an Antherium, generally referred to in Iowa's Coolest Flower Shop as "little boy flowers."











Yes, I crack peen jokes with my mom. Isn't life grand?



(it really is)

Okay,

so the other day, I was driving through town when I noticed an unusual amount of blue hairs at the town hall. Flu shots were being offered there.

Some codger in a Lincoln nearly nailed me backing out of a parking stall. He had bumper stickers on the battered fender. One was McCain/Palin. The other read "I'll Fight For Freedom."

I thought, "Shit, hoss, you ain't fighting for nothing but position at the buffet line."

By all means, let's elect another one, because the last 8 years have been so fucking wonderful.

Hee hee. Go Chuck!

If the election were held today, veteran lawmaker and Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley said Democratic candidate Barack Obama would win.

"Maybe two weeks from now, I may be saying the same thing, Obama's going to win, and could win with 100 electoral votes to spare," Grassley said in a noon visit with the Lion's Club.

If a flower could be a Panda,

it would be a "Pink Mink" Protea. Cuddly, soft, fuzzy and adorable.

I'm in love.

Oooo

I want these earrings from Topshop, and could actually afford them. However, I have a severe nickel allergy, and would feel like moles were burrowing under my skin if I wore them.

Damn my tendency to be a delicate flower.

Today at work,

we were discussing my many fears. Heights, spiders, driving when it's raining, and most the most odd one- nubby-textured things.

I freaking cannot handle textured things, such as the grapevine wreaths that have the ends trimmed so that there's a cluster of sharply cut ends... *shivers*

I'm also not crazy about crocodile skin-patterned things. Icky.

And this costume of Lovefoxx CSS's... eek.

Had to share. Sorry.

Lovely

The 'Phonics on Live Lounge. God, Kelly is fine.

Hilarious

Actual quote in Q from Noel Thomas David Gallagher-

"It was genius," he says of Jay-Z's response. "It had turned into a moral issue, like I was some kind of musical racist. But I actually like Jay-Z. Look, his profile went through the roof, Wonderwall went back in the charts, everyone's a fucking winner."

Oooo

Matt Taibbi has a blog? With post titles like-

Wall Street: Less Responsible Than a Coked-Out NFL Running Back

SCORE!

'From Despair To Where'- Manic Street Preachers

1. Sean's gloves. Cool.
2. Nicky's sunnies. Cool as hell.
3. Richey is beautiful. Full stop.
4. James. My Lord. Is un-BELIVEABLE.

Even cooler

Um, this one made me tear up. The sheer joy on these kiddos faces...

So cool

Speaking of Burt,

Baby girl Adele will be performing with him at the Electric Proms on Wednesday.

Legendary American songwriter and performer Burt Bacharach opens this year's BBC Electric Proms at the Roundhouse in London. He performs with the BBC Concert Orchestra accompanied by guest vocalists, Adele, Beth Rowley and Jamie Cullum. Burt's unparalleled six-decade career has defined romantic song with cherished hits such as Walk On By, The Look of Love, and I Say A Little Prayer.

Rock on,

Burt Bacharach...

"I was never political, not until George W got in office and the way the election was stolen from Al Gore. I've got these two young kids and I'm worried about the world they're growing up in. I'm scared to death now. I wish that England and France and Germany and Italy could vote. I want Obama to win so badly. I don't understand what's going on with Palin who is against abortion; against abortion on incest, against abortion on rape. I just can't understand how you could feel that way."

And he's so right- Aretha Franklin's take on 'Say A Little Prayer' is far superior to Dionne Warwick's (which is brilliant).

Holy crap!

Not having endorsed a Dem since LBJ, the Houston Chronicle endorses Obama/Biden.

The incoming administration must immediately focus and engage on so many fronts. The tasks at hand will require stamina, creativity and leadership abilities to replace partisan gridlock with a national consensus on what is best for the American people. The new leadership team must have the intellect and temperament to tackle complex issues with equally sophisticated solutions. The current go-it-alone mentality in the White House on foreign policy must give way to an effort to work in concert with our allies while engaging our enemies at the negotiating table as well as on the battlefield.

After carefully observing the Democratic and Republican nominees in drawn-out primary struggles as well as in the general campaign, including three debates, the Chronicle strongly believes that the ticket of Sens. Barack Obama and Joe Biden offers the best choice to lead the United States on a new course into the second decade of the 21st century.

I saw this at Target tonight

and said, "WANT."

Then I saw that Sigerson "freaking" Morrison is also doing a capsule collection at Target.

Oh. My. Baby. Jesus.

High Faaaaaashioon I can afford.

Made. Of. Awesome.

montmarte

montmarte, originally uploaded by holmespun.

Oh holy Jesus

I would kill, KILL, to be at the Heaton Park gigs.

No, actually, I wouldn't.

No, I totally would.

Oasis have announced details of the summer UK dates for 2009 this afternoon (October 16) at Wembley Stadium.After a quick photocall on the pitch, the band's leader Noel Gallagher hosted a question and answer session at the English football stadium confirming the band will play that venue twice, along with two special hometown gigs at Manchester's Heaton Park next year.Support at the shows, which also include the already announced show at Slane Castle, will come from Kasabian and The Enemy.

Random ten

1. Molly's Chambers- Kings Of Leon
2. Gang Of Gin- Babyshambles
3. Where Angels Play- The Stone Roses
4. So Far Away- Carole King
5. Carpetbaggers- Jenny Lewis
6. The Masterplan- Oasis
7. Gimme A Sign- Ryan Adams
8. 2 Hearts- Kylie Minogue
9. I've Just Seen A Face- The View
10. Umbrella- Manic Street Preachers

Bonus-
11. Last Nite- Adele
12. Me Plus One- Kasabian

His name is Earl

The parentals new kitteh, Earl.

(Dad wanted to name him Deuce, but Mom and I said "Nay nay Pompeii.")

He's a sweetheart, but Holden, the world's most pampered Persian, DOES NOT WANT.

More fleurs

from my girl Wen's wedding a few weeks ago. This is an example of the bridemaid bouquets. 'Orange Unique' roses, red mini Gerberas, orange mini Callas, chocolate Cosmos and Crespidia accented with Beargrass loops. I wrapped the stems in fabric from the dresses, and secured it with diamante pins.

Yeah, I brought the bling.

*groans*

My GOD

My mom just forwarded me an email containing an alarming, ALARMING image of Barack Obama carrying a book by Fareed Zakaria entitled 'The Post-American World.' Containing the phrases-

"...now that Ramadan is over"

"I really hope the american* people see this."

"...is reading 'The Post-American World'--it's a Muslim's view."

First of all, anyone who would get worked up over something by Zakaria is obviously crazy. You couldn't get more middle-of-the-road. The book is a discussion not so much of the decline of the American empire, but the rise of China, Brazil, Russia et al.

Secondly, who did she get this from? Most of our family and friends are dirty hippies like ourselves, except for...

Ah HELL, Uncle Steve... you've an education. How could you possibly buy into this? Other than you started pissing yourself when Clinton got elected, and haven't stopped since? (the shitting himself commenced on 9-11-01)

*not my mistake. Was not capitalized. The writer obviously HATES AMERICA.

I've never harbored

strong feelings about Hayden Panettiere (other than I think her boyfriend is too old for her, and kind of a cobag), but I have to say, I LOVE THIS GIRL.

See more Hayden Panettiere videos at Funny or Die

And this... OH LORD, SO FUNNY!



via

An open letter

to anyone who would be inclined to have the card read (on a floral arrangement you are ordering)-

"I had a great time last night."

You just announced to total strangers that you got laid. Last night, in fact.

You're welcome.

This is utterly delightful

Obama stencils for your Halloween needs. I LOVE it!

What is this site about?The presidential election is November 4. Halloween is October 31. We like carving pumpkins. Hence, YesWeCarve.com.

Oh, GRANDAD

Darling, one trainwreck per band. ONE.

Babyshambles guitarist Mick Whitnall was arrested yesterday (October 12) for suspected drug offences in Blackheath, London.

A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police told NME.COM that a 39 year-old man was arrested at 4:20pm (BST) in a café/bar on suspicion of possession of Class A drugs thought to be crack cocaine.

I'm sure

this was the scenester scene from hell (ooo, must listen to The Cribs), but sounds like some cool stuff went on...

Mark Ronson, Supergrass, The View, Babyshambles' Drew McConnell and Patrick Wolf were among those who performed collaborations last night (October 11) at the London Matter venue as part of the Diesel xXx series of gigs.

and oh HELL YES.

McConnell's final collaboration came next, when he played guitar to accompany Lethal Bizzle, backed by The Noisettes' drummer Jamie Morrison.

One of my favorite

Mariella&Hirok-20, originally uploaded by Giusva Cennamo.

bits about weddings- the casual, non-posed shots. This pic from a wedding in Italy is so cool- you can tell that everyone is just so very happy with the moment. Or at least with the wine.

Gooooorgeous

pic of my girl, Adele.

Such a pretty kid.

GA

at the launch of their book, 'Dreams That Glitter,' something I NEED for Christmas.

L-R-

Love Kimba's dress, but am concerned about the size of her ginormous earrings.

Miz Harding=FIERCE AS HELL.

Nicola looks like a ginger Barbie. Love the fishnets, Miss Roberts.

Chezza=FIERCE AS HELL.

Nadine's skirt makes her look really short-waisted. Great gams, though.

Random

Fatboy blogging.

Yes, Holden, the world's most spoiled Persian, drinks from the sink. Thanks for teaching him how to do that, Dad!

*grumbles*

Amazing Graffiti by Banksy close to the Roundhouse - Camden Town, London

Amazing Graffiti by Banksy close to the Roundhouse - Camden Town, London, originally uploaded by canonsnapper.

Randon ten

1. From Despair To Where- Manic Street Preachers
2. For The Girl- The Fratellis
3. Does He Love You?- Rilo Kiley
4. You Got Yr. Cherry Bomb- Spoon
5. Tangled- Maroon 5
6. Cold Shoulder- Adele
7. While My Guitar Gently Weeps- The Beatles
8. The Promise- Girls Aloud
9. Come On Come On- Jet
10. We Can Work It Out- Stevie Wonder

Bonus-
11. Man In the Corner Shop- The Jam
12. Too Many Sandwiches- Stereophonics

They just don't get it, do they?

You're not cool. You don't get the pop culture or the rock and rollers. Quit your whining and deal with it. Call Lee Greenwood. He doesn't have anything else going on, I'm sure.

Why does Dave Grohl "hate America?"

I love him more every day.

Another rock act has objected to the use of its music by Senator John McCain’s presidential campaign. This time it’s the band Foo Fighters, protesting the campaign’s use of its song “My Hero” at rallies. “ ‘My Hero’ was written as a celebration of the common man and his extraordinary potential,” the band said in a statement released on Wednesday. “To have it appropriated without our knowledge and used in a manner that perverts the original sentiment of the lyric just tarnishes the song.” Last month the band Heart demanded that the McCain campaign stop playing its song “Barracuda” at public appearances by Gov. Sarah Palin. And in August Jackson Browne filed suit against the Ohio Republican Party for using his song “Running on Empty” in a television commercial without his permission.

Hmmm

When being totally honest, everyone has something about themselves they'd like to change. Bad hair, foot odor, crap sense of humor, flatulence, et al...

Me? One would think I'd like to have a concave stomach or an actual arse (rather than have total flatness from the waist down), but you'd be wrong there.

I want to be a pretty crier. Someone who evokes sympathy, empathy, rather than "Dear GOD, how has her face swollen to that level? She's all blotchy and sneezy! And how can she keep her eyes open when they're so puffy?"

Seriously, I turn into Orry in 'North and South' when I cry.

I can't handle this

Today, I said goodbye to my dog, Daisy.

Dais AKA The Poodle is 13+ years old, and she's been sliding rapidly downhill for the past few months. She's so thin and ill, it breaks my heart to see her. We would have taken her to the vet today, to put her out of her misery, but it's rained a whole bunch this week, and we couldn't bury her. We've her casket ready. My cousin made it on Monday.

I just sat with her in the garage, weeping over her shivering body, placing an old flannel shirt beneath her head to comfort her. I told her that Duke, our late, lamented marmie, was waiting for her at the Rainbow Bridge, and that we'd be along many years from now when they were both rested and strong. That we'd be looking for them.

I told her I wanted her to go to sleep, and not wake up. That I loved her. That I wanted her to be healthy again. To be whole again. To be able to run and play and swim and shake her wet self onto a human again.

I think she understood me, because she breathed deeply and fell asleep, not aware that her transition into another world was eased from the tears of a human that loved her. That loves her enough to tell her to let go.

You are a Good Dog, Daisy.

Seriously,

Tina Fey is so awesome, it defies description. And now she's writing a book. Which benefits school libraries.

Be still my heart.

But last month, everything changed. Tina Fey's newfound mega-celebrity may be the only good thing to have come out of Sarah Palin's V.P. nomination. When Fey returned to her old stomping grounds, "Saturday Night Live," to skewer Palin, the show's ratings shot up by 49 percent. And on Sept. 21, when she won no fewer than three Emmys, Fey gave the most inspiring acceptance speech I've ever heard.

You'd think, with so much going on, Fey would be tempted to rest on her laurels, at least for a month or two. Not so. This week comes word that she's writing her first book, which the New York Post reports will be a Nora Ephron-style essay collection.

Sweet Jesus,

I adore Shawn Johnson. The wee hippie wore her peace sign earrings to meet the chimp.

I'm guessing that

on the morning of the Q awards, Cerys Matthews woke up on the crazy side of the bed.

Too cool

On Saturday, Bruce Springsteen kicked off three days of Vote For Change concerts on behalf of Barack Obama with a powerful acoustic set that drew estimated 50,000 to the Ben Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia. Cutting a distinctly Woody Guthriesque profile in rolled up flannel, denim and tousled hair, Springsteen stood atop a 30 foot high stage emblazoned with the word “CHANGE” and belted out a seven-song, 45 minute acoustic set as a gift for Obama volunteers and a catalyst for the disengaged to register to vote. Plenty of people heard the call — according to the Obama campaign, some 21,000 new voters were registered as a result of the event.

Bouquet from this weekend

Gorg

'8 Dead Boys'- Babyshambles

Don't get me wrong, I love me some Grandad, but God, Paddy's a brilliant guitar player.

My work over the weekend

Fleurs for my girl's wedding in sweet home Chicago.

Very cool

Now this, THIS, is interesting...

Just imagine: the year is 1983, Blue Monday is storming the charts, and the band that recorded it are called ... the Radical Jesuits?

A forthcoming book of previously unpublished notes by the late Rob Gretton, former manager of Joy Division and New Order, reveals that New Order almost didn't become New Order. After the suicide of Ian Curtis, Joy Division compiled a list of potential new names. Alongside New Order, Gretton and the band considered monikers including Arab Legion, Voices Crying, Dharma Bums, the Radical Jesuits and Man Ray. They liked Man Ray so much they even highlighted it on the list.

The list of What Might Have Been appears as part of 1 Top Class Manager, to be released on October 7. The full-colour, 220-page paperback compiles diary entries, letters, to-do lists, posters and excerpts from 20 notebooks kept by Rob Gretton between 1978 and 1980.

Gretton died of a heart attack in 1999, but the collection was compiled by his widow Lesley Gilbert.

Random ten

1. Autumn Song- Manic Street Preachers
2. Distant Dreamer- Duffy
3. L.E.S. Artistes- Santogold
4. Antmusic- Adam & The Ants
5. If I Needed Someone- The Beatles
6. Just a Little Lovin'- Shelby Lynne
7. Come On Come On- Jet
8. Melt My Heart To Stone- Adele
9. Back To Black- Amy Winehouse
10. Fidelity- Regina Spektor

Bonus-
11. From Despair To Where- Manic Street Preachers
12. Respect- Aretha Franklin

Dear God

As I've mentioned, I'm doing the flowers for one of my best friends from college's wedding this weekend.

What I haven't mentioned is that I'm slowly losing my mind. I'm so distracted and stressed out, I've-

1. Set my iPod down somewhere in the house, and don't have a bloody clue where it is

2. Haven't been able to sleep (BOO!) or eat (YAY!) for the past week

3. Keep second (and third and fourth) guessing myself on the amount of fresh and supplies I'm going to need to schlep to Chicago for the blessed event

And today did not help. I-

1. Looked at the tab for the umpteen million mini calla lilies for said blessed event, and nearly died/crapped myself/passed out/combination of these things.

Two bucks more a stem than I quoted initially. Cost of fuel is impacting shipping costs. THANKS, CHIMPY! Lovely war we're having.

2. Upon running the new numbers in my head, I had a panic attack and broke out in hives. Seriously. I'm a nervous wreck on a good day, and this... this was not a good day.

3. Then my jeans fell down. See #2 on the first list. No, not the not-sleeping bit. The other one. Thankfully, I was alone in the shop/had cute knickers on.

The bleeding ulcer I've been working on for years is quickly becoming a reality.

I'm praying to St. Anthony (for the iPod) and St. Preston Bailey (for the flowers). Oh, and Jesus. Because that's how I roll.

I am so sorry for that last bit.

Hmmm

My reaction to the news of Dirty Pretty Things splitting up?

(in case you care)

"Damn it, Carlito just got fine again, and NOW they break up? CRAP!"

'Tis a sad day.

In an exclusive statement to NME.COM the four piece – Carl Barat, Didz Hammond, Gary Powell and Anthony Rossomando – announced the break-up of the band that formed in 2005 following the split of The Libertines.

Frontman Carl Barat explained that the members of the band would be pursuing new musical projects, but that these would not involve The Libertines.

Gah

This weekend, I am providing the wedding flowers for one of my best friends from college. Wen is very attached to Winnie the Pooh. No, I'm not sure why. She just IS, much like I'm very attached to various substance-addled British rock and rollers.

I thought it would be sweet if I found a wee Winnie charm to sew onto the fabric I'm wrapping her bouquet in- just so she could see it. However, my searching of SE Iowa for such a thing did not bear (groan) fruit.

I realized that I should give up when I caught myself muttering, "Jeez, how hard can it be to find something with Winnie the fucking Pooh on it?"

Mmmm....

*does the cha-cha*

Oasis have announced details of a new US tour to support their forthcoming new album, 'Dig Out Your Soul'.

The 11-date tour includes a rescheduled gig at the John LaBatt Centre in London, Ontario.

The gig was originally cancelled after Noel Gallagher suffered rib injuries after being attacked onstage in Canada earlier this month.

The tour will see the band return to New York's Madison Square Garden, a venue they sold out in 2005.

Oasis will play:

Oakland, CA Oracle Arena (December 3)

Los Angeles, CA Staples Center (4)

Las Vegas, NV The Pearl (6)

Denver, CO Broomfield Events Ctr. (8)

Minneapolis, MN Target Center (10)

Chicago, IL Allstate Arena (12)

Detroit, MI Palace of Auburn Hills (13)

London, ON John LaBatt Centre (rescheduled 9/9 date)

New York, NY Madison Sq. Garden (17)

Camden, NJ Susquehanna Bank Ctr. (19)

Washington, DC GMU Patriot Center(20)

Ryan Adams and his band The Cardinals will support the band on all dates.

The Brothers Gallagher AND Ryan "not Bryan" Adams. Sweet Christ, my fangirl heart is all a-twitter. Tickets go on pre-sale tomorrow. OLE!

Girls Aloud- 'The Promise'

Cool vid. Sarah looks fierce, Nicola like a Barbie and Chezza is impossibly pretty. Kimba and Nadine look cute as well.



via

"Bono, the king of Ireland"

I'm not sure which is funnier- Fey's impersonation or Pohler's blinking...

Cool

profile of Jean-Paul Gaultier in the NY Times travel section.

Talking to Mr. Gaultier is like being with your favorite eccentric uncle, the one who bought you liquor in high school — his crystal blue eyes glisten with warmth and pop with curiosity; when he’s very excited, his left pinky twitches. He added, “I love postcard clichés. You have to be a genius to take a good picture of Paris. So many have already been taken.”

Côte d'Azur

Côte d'Azur, originally uploaded by robokow.

Random ten

1. Tempted- Squeeze
2. High Fidelity- Elvis Costello
3. Stop Me- Mark Ronson
4. Pass the Buck- Stereophonics
5. The Cedar Room- Doves
6. Walk On Gilded Splinters- Cher
7. Acid Tongue- Jenny Lewis
8. Dumb Dumb Dumb- Teenage Fanclub
9. Caught In A Moment- Sugababes
10. Since You've Been Gone- Kelly Clarkson

Bonus-
11. Satin Chic- Goldfrapp
12. Tommy Gun- The Clash

Can't argue with this

Mark Ronson's fantasy band. Mmmm, Jamerson. And hell yes to Levon.

Vocals - Stevie Wonder and Steve Winwood
Can I have two? Stevie Wonder is just the most amazing singer of all time so he has to be there. Steve Winwood was for me the first important white soul singer I ever heard and he blew me away. I think they'd work well together but Steve would probably modestly let Stevie take centre stage.

Guitar - Curtis Mayfield
Slash is probably my favourite guitarist but he wouldn't fit in this band very well so I'm going to go with Curtis Mayfield. He's known for his singing but he played soulful blues better than anyone.

Bass - James Jamerson
Jamerson was the original and great Motown session bassist. He created the bass on The Jackson 5's "I Want You Back". I basically rip off all his basslines.

Drums - Levon Helm
He's probably my favourite drummer just for the fact that The Band were so funky for a rock group. So many soul bands sampled the laid back patterns that he produced. On songs such as "Up on Cripple Creek", he played some of the funkiest grooves.

Word of advice

to the local business owner whose business bears their name-

when someone from the Obama/Biden campaign calls you-even if you don't intend to vote for that particular ticket- do not snarl "I won't be voting for THEM," then slam the phone down violently.

NOT a good business move.

Jackass.

'5 Rebeccas'

New single from The View, featuring brief nudity from an unnamed Wee The View lad and Owen Morris shooting off fireworks in his garden.

I initially thought it was cute indie pop, nothing memorable, then caught myself humming the chorus, oh, 15 TIMES this weekend...

Ahhhh

This sounds like such a wonderful evening-

Shelby's strategy on her Dusty covers is akin to the renovation of antique furniture, with the melodramatic orchestrations stripped away to reveal the bare emotional core of each song, whose clean surfaces are then given the thinnest waxing of subtle instrumental tints. "Just a Little Lovin'" is taken slow and soulfully, with several pin drop pauses, silent lacunae requiring Lynne's pitch-perfect re-entry on difficult notes, each of which she nails with assurance. For her final Springfield cover, Lynne asks the audience to sing along with her on "I Only Want To Be With You" but most of us are holding our breath so as not to break the spell cast by her own voice.

Shelby joins the list of "people I would happily listen to sing the phone book," which includes Adele, Corinne Bailey Rae, James Dean Bradfield, Natalie Maines, Jenny Lewis, Alicia Keys and Kelly Jones. In case you wanted to know...

Wonderful

I cannot recommend Jenny Lewis's new album, 'Acid Tongue,' more- it is wonderful. I especially love 'Carpetbagger,' which features Mr. Elvis Costello. I was going to say Mr. Declan MacManus, but I'm not actually a rock snob, I just occasionally play one on the Internet.

Go get it. It's lovely.

Lewis is indie rock's most sharp-elbowed songwriter, a crafter of taut meditations on love, sex and politics that are full of violent emotions and, occasionally, plain old violence.

Grrr

I hate spiders. I HATE them. And since I live in the country, there are huge amounts of them creeping around this season.

*shudders*

I know, I know- necessary to the food chain, blah blah blah. Don't care. I want them to GO AWAY.

So, last night I set off a "bug bomb" that claimed to kill creepy crawlies for up to a month after use. Operative word here- "claimed."

And again, I know, I know- chemicals bad. But so is my having heart failure when a junior-sized tarantula runs across my foot. (I may be exaggerating a tad here)

What did I just finish doing? Killing a fucking spider. Those lying bastards at Raid have some explaining to do.

Grrr.

Edit- it's two hours later, and what did I just see? My freaking cat chasing a damn spider across the floor. *shakes fist at Raid quality control engineers*

Too cool

The Kooks, Duffy and Beck have recorded tracks for the forthcoming War Child covers album, Heroes.

...

Sir Paul McCartney said: "The breadth of talent on this project is amazing and it's great that so many people gave their time, energy and support to this initiative.

"I think Duffy's version of Live And Let Die is great too - I was really impressed."

And le sigh...

Former Stone Roses guitarist John Squire has been signed up to design the cover for the new record after creating original artwork for the charity's debut album in 1995.

If I lived to be 300,

and spent every minute of that time attempting to be cool, I still could not be even a fraction as cool as Ronnie Spector.

Where do you go to (my lovely)?

I'm going to the UK. It's the greatest thing in the world. When I was there for the first time, in 1964, that's when I knew I was a star. The Rolling Stones and the Yardbirds were our opening acts. One time, our bus got stuck in fog, so me and Keith Richards went across the street, to a stranger's house. When we knocked on the door I said, "Hi, I'm Ronnie of the Ronettes," and Keith said, "Hi, I'm Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones. We're hungry. We don't have any food and our bus can't move because of the fog." The lady said, "Come on in," and gave us a basket of scones and a jug of tea. Today that wouldn't happen.

Holy bodacious actress, Batman!

'Mad Men' actress Christina Hendricks at the Emmys. I say this as a straight woman, but that is a Figure. Yes, I meant to capitalize that. A Figure.

Random

This is my 2000th post, each one more erudite, intelligent and thought-provoking than the last.

Ha ha ha.

Amazing

Bit in the Telegraph about the costume designer for 'The Duchess' and the new version of 'Brideshead Revisited.'


I cannot even begin to imagine the amount of work that goes into each costume.

Hmmmm

While Vogue says that La Moss "previously looked impeccably chic," I say that she looks rock and roll as f*ck in this picture.

Seascape of the harvest moon

Seascape of the harvest moon, originally uploaded by LucaPicciau.

*rolls eyes*

Today at the shop, the UPS driver arrived with a package from one of the tuxedo companies we use, containing the trousers from a tux rental from last weekend.

The trousers were completely shredded- entire inseam ripped out so badly that the winter-weight wool was stressed and frayed.

This was accompanied by a note from the manager of the tux company. It was pleasant. After the nasty note he sent last week (about the same wedding), I want to call him and suggest he look into meds for cranky fuckers.

I digress.

So, Mom called the groomsman's folks house, and left a message about the trousers. His mother called back and claimed that he had no idea what happened; that the trousers were intact as far as he knew.

Y'all, the pants looked like someone thought they were tear-aways. I've been drunk many times, but I have to say, I've never been so out of it that I didn't notice my entire crotchtual region was exposed to the elements.

We'll see what happens here.

To be continued...

Fashion week do

Chezza looks cute

As does Estelle

Random ten

1. Steady As She Goes- Corinne Bailey Rae
2. Valerie- Mark Ronson feat. Amy Winehouse
3. Never Gonna Dance Again- Sugababes
4. Hairy Trees- Goldfrapp
5. Shiver- Maroon 5
6. Fast As You- Dwight Yoakam
7. Knowing Me, Knowing You-ABBA
8. I Shall Be Released- Paul Weller
9. Unbilotitled- Babyshambles
10. (Songs For My) Sugar Spun Sister- The Stone Roses

Bonus-
11. Some People- Goldfrapp
12. As Dust Dances- Biffy Clyro

So much awesome

Stephen Colbert will spend the holidays with Elvis Costello, Feist, John Legend, Willie Nelson and Toby Keith on the host’s Comedy Central special A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift of All!. The one-hour special, scheduled to air on November 18th, has a plot about Colbert being snowed in in an upstate New York cabin, so he and his musical friends play tunes to pass the time. All the original songs were written by Fountains of Wayne’s Adam Schlesinger and David Javerbaum, who also collaborated on the Broadway version of John Waters’ Cry Baby. Jon Stewart will also be on hand, duetting with Colbert on “Hanukkah,” while the entire ensemble will come together on “(What’s So Funny About) Peace, Love and Understanding.” A DVD of the special will hit shelves a week later, with proceeds benefiting the charity Feeding America.

Great shot

Officer Jeff Galyean of the Seabrook Police Department hugged his fourth-grade teacher, Sue Harral, in front of her home, which ended up in the middle of the street and several hundred feet from its foundation in Galveston.

Exactly

I like to think that the Jonas Brothers are what would happen if you took the Kings of Leon - preacher's sons from Nashville, corrupted by wild women and whiskey - and completely inverted them. The Jonas Brothers, too, are the sons of a former preacher, but they have abstained not only from pre-marital sex, but also from drugs, alcohol and cussing. It is almost as if some savvy marketing honcho with a flipchart set about devising a kiddy version of the Kings of Leon.

Hilarious

So true, so true-

When correctly ordered “with everything,” the Chicago hot dog is topped with mustard, fluorescent green relish the color of a kid’s lollipop, chopped onions, one or two tomato slices, one or two pickle spears, two to four hot peppers, and celery salt. Even more important than what goes on is what does not go on—ketchup.

At The Wieners Circle, a famous nearly all-night spot, I overheard this terse conversation:

Boy: “Where’s the ketchup?”

Girl: “Don’t do it, Jerome.”

Boy: “What? Is that wrong?”

Looking around, nervous that her boyfriend had made an insensitive remark, she sternly assured him it was.

Oh, Lils...

I do love you.

I always thought an album was a body of work in itself. you take it or leave it . You wouldn't say to a painter "yeah i love the naked ladies ,but would you mind painting their hair blonde instead of brown, and making their tits a bit bigger?" or " the trees are really pretty, a few more leaves perhaps?" Maybe you would actually , ha ha . Anyway whatevs.

Holy amazing gig, Batman!

Manic Street Preachers and Doves at the Heavenly Records birthday celebration.

As the Manic Street Preachers throttle to the end of Starlover for only the second time in 19 years, bassist Nicky Wire issues a grinning disclaimer. "You can tell that me and Richey were 19 when we wrote those lyrics. You have to make a fool of yourself when you're young." Starlover was one of six tracks the band recorded for Heavenly in 1990. Two others, Motown Junk and You Love Us, were immeasurably better: musical paintbombs consisting of Clash riffs, Guns N' Roses solos, Public Enemy samples and absurdly pugnacious rhetoric, as electrifying now as they were then.

...

Even when the lyrics are streaked with melancholy, the Motown-flavoured Black and White Town and rave-minded new song Jetstream have the exultant velocity of piano-house anthems, and There Goes the Fear sweeps the hall to its feet, all the way up to the balcony, in a spirit of celebration and camaraderie that seems distinctly Heavenly.

Isn't it interesting how

the smallest things can yield unthinkable results?

Paul Simonon on the origins of The Clash-

After a year's foundation course my attention started to wander. A month before I left, I went with a friend from art college to an audition for a drummer just to back him up. We got to Praed Street in Paddington and entered what looked like a dungeon. These three blokes with really long hair and guitars asked if I was a singer. “No, I'm a painter.” They ignored my answer, or maybe they couldn't hear cause of the long hair. Anyway, I was encouraged to have a go at singing songs I'd never heard of. It was a disaster.

A week or two later I ran into the guitarist from the audition. His name he told me was Mick Jones, and he was attending Hammersmith School of Art. We became chatty and met a few times in the local pubs. One night he asked if I played an instrument. “No, but I'd like to.”

'The Promise'- Girls Aloud

I wasn't initially that blown away by the single, but I have a feeling it's going to grow on me. The "You're gonna make me, make me love you" chorus is BRILLIANT.

And damn, they actually gave my girl, Sarah, a bigger part than usual. Fierce bitch knocks it out of the park.

I love gallows humor

Hilarious hurricane preparations...

"Ike prep -- Happy to have Anderson Cooper "hunkering down" in Houston. We'll leave a light on!"

Campo di papaveri

Campo di papaveri, originally uploaded by brenno64.

Never thought I'd say this, but

my GOD, Nikki Sixx is correct! Spot on, person who has OD'd more times than I'd like to think about...

“There’s things that I see where I go, ‘Rock Star energy drink? Give me a fucking break,’” Sixx says. “There’s no rock stars involved in this. There’s a lot of shit out there where people are calling it ‘rock.’ I went into Barnes & Noble the other day, and there’s a huge display that says ‘rock & roll,’ and it had a big thing of Miley Cyrus and the Jonas Brothers. I went, ‘What the fuck is this?’ People are believing that shit that is not rock & roll, is not the rock lifestyle, is rock.”

Side note- am completely appalled that he's three years younger than my MOM.