Blame it on the Boogie...

I recently re listened to my music on iTunes and rediscovered some songs I used to love; Stereophonics' 'Have a Nice Day', The Wreckers' 'Lay Me Down', Adele 'Crazy For You', Elvis 'Burning Love' my taste in music has always been very varied, it largely stems from my dad and his taste in music. He loves Luther Vandross, Elvis, The Police as well as old school disco anthems from the 70's to the 90's and the odd R&B song in the charts now.

It got me thinking about other people tastes in music and how often people are defined by the music they listen to.

Often there are the cheesy pop hits that everyone my age loved when they were kids, I distinctly remember having loud out of tune singalongs with my sister to *NSYNC, Britney Spears, S Club 7, Pink you know the rest. We weren't ashamed of it all, but we were constantly told off for messing about so much (it only made us laugh though). But now pop seems to be a guilty pleasure, people often sing along quietly to Bieber songs then claim indifference in the company of friends.

There is the rock genre, divided into so many sub-genres that I doubt even the most music savvy could list all of them; soft rock, hard rock, metal, heavy metal, punk, alternative on and on..... the point I am trying to make is that when I was in secondary school I had a period when I got into a bit of soft rock. Nothing that including screaming and too much swearing, it was fairly tame most of the bands being fairly mainstream. But I followed the lead of my new friends and did the whole black nail polish, too much black eye liner and poker straight hair.

I never actually looked like someone who could fit in at a rock concert, I just looked like a girl with black nail polish and too much eye makeup (maybe the others thought I had two black eyes). However, a girl once approached me and asked if I was an 'emo' then proceeded to ask if I cut my wrists! At the time I laughed it off, because it was ridiculous she come have come to such a conclusion but people make assumptions all the time; based on looks, taste in music, interests.

So to quote a song 'What's wrong with peace, love and understanding?' (no, I am not a hippie :P) 

Frankly, my dear...I don't give a damn

The other day I watched Gilda and The Ten Commandments and it got me thinking about such classic films: Casablanca, Gone With The Wind, It's A Wonderful Life the list is long.

   

Films like that simply aren't made anymore, the sets, costumes, dance numbers and the actors: 
Glenn Ford, Clark Gable, Marilyn Monroe, Humphrey Bogart, Cary Grant, Vivien Liegh....

Now, a lot of actors are models or singers trying to prove themselves multi-talented are thrust onto the screen. Sometimes it works, Justin Timberlake doesn't do too badly in comedy but personally falls flat in action film 'In Time' and sometimes it's goes horribly wrong, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley in the forth Transformers movie need I say anymore?

But, if you ask me you can't beat some of the oldies.

One of my favorite films will always be the 1963 version of Cleopatra with the stunning Elizabeth Taylor. The opulence of the set and costumes was amazing and it simply cannot be recreated in the same way, which is why I am hoping no director tries to do a remake and butcher this film, even though it is technically a remake itself.

I am by no means a film buff/snob (though I have been told a few times I can be quite snobby) however I think it's true that nowadays most films are either remakes or book adaptations. I am not against either but it seems the film industry is lacking in originality [see: the endless rom-coms flooding cinemas near you.] 

So part of my new years resolution despite the fact it is nearly February, is to not waste my time with rubbish remakes, rom-coms out now but to watch proper films classics and more alternative films that make me think or read the subtitles.

Gosh, I sound so pretentious.

Anyway, that is the end of my rant, here is what I'm going to try watching (and re-watching) in no particular order:

• The Petrified Forest (1936) - A waitress, a hobo and a bank robber get mixed up at a lonely diner in the desert

• Vertigo (1958) - retired San Francisco detective suffering from acrophobia investigates the strange activities of an old friend's much-younger wife, all the while becoming dangerously obsessed with her

• Ben-Hur (1959) - When a Jewish prince is betrayed and sent into slavery by a Roman friend, he regains his freedom and comes back for revenge

• North by Northwest (1959) - A hapless New York advertising executive is mistaken for a government agent by a group of foreign spies, and is pursued across the country

• Casablanca (1942) - Set in unoccupied Africa during the early days of World War II: An American expatriate meets a former lover, with unforeseen complications

• Gone with the Wind (1939) - American classic in which a manipulative woman and a roguish man carry on a turbulent love affair in the American south during the Civil War and Reconstruction

• The Italian Job (1969) - Comic caper movie about a plan to steal a gold shipment from the streets of Turin by creating a traffic jam

source: http://www.imdb.com/

Guys and Dolls

Musicals....to quote Neil Patrick Harris they are "not just for gays anymore!"

Recently, I planned a surprise birthday for my friend with Musicals as the theme and it went a lot better than I thought it would.

We had Dorothy, the Tin Man, the Scarecrow, Satine, Sandy, Harry Potter, Motormouth Maybelle, Mrs Lovette, Tic Tock the Croc, Sally Bowles, Cat from Catz, two Burlesque dancers, Magda and it couldn't have been better, who else can say they spent the evening watching Dorothy and Satine belting out 'Defying Gravity'?

Along with the Scarecrow and Tin Man doing sambucca shots, that's one scene they definitely cut out of the original film!

Despite the few odd looks on the high street as we all sang 'Out Tonight' as we stumbled onto the next stop on our pub crawl, I wouldn't have done it differently at all.

Though dressing up tends to be reserved for kids parties, there is nothing more amusing than seeing a bunch of people claiming to be adults dressed up, that right there is commitment. From the flour and fake blood on our Mrs Lovett, Dorothy's red sparkly shoes, the corset Satine was strapped into (and needed help getting out of) and the ridiculous blonde wig and red lipstick I donned for Motormouth everyone was instantly recognizable as their musical counterparts.

And it wasn't in the least bit childlish, we dogged that bullet despite the pink balloons with a champagne party cannon and plenty of alcoholic drinks and adult games. Although I have a feeling some of our guests didn't like the feeling of being adult in the morning (for one our birthday girl :P)

But I could do without the clean up the next day!

Ice, Ice Baby

So....question, why is it the moment England gets a centimeter of snow everyone goes apeshit?

News goes mad, sprouting headlines on how we'll all be snowed under by January and the amounts of accidents because of the icy conditions are thrown at us in shrill screams of panic.
I personally hate snow, but I am going to show the fun side, like humorous snowmen:







there are more:





So...enjoy the snow while it lasts!

That's the end of my random rambling :D