Aren't Wednesday's fun? I finally feel like I am on the mend from my recent woes and am starting to enjoy myself again. I mean, what's not to enjoy - christmas is coming and their is a certain magical aura over life once again. I've said it before and i'll say it again. I absolutely love this time of year :) Plus today my mom and dad came into town, i got to do a bit of shopping with them and take them to lunch, before we went to see the new James Bond movie which is a fabbo as all my friends said it was :) (check out Chris Cornell's theme mp3 here!) I'll post a pic of the folks and me out in tomorrow's post :) Thanks for a lovely day ma and pa - you rock :)
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THE NEED TO DRESS ETON ROAD FASHION SPECIAL:
. As Monday's post showed, future superstars Eton Road are having a bit of a fashion crisis. Some elements tend to work (see the pic above where they are all turned out quite nicely), but generally it's all over the place and a big old mess so clearly my guidance is needed. And yes, Antony Callea, you should take notice too. There is no excuse for sloppy dressing this fall with killer collections at The Gap, Tom Wolfe, Red Herring and a pretty nice selection at River Island too...
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~ Now duffel coats may bring back bad memories of being a very untrendy pre-teen, shivering in the school playground while everyone else ran around in their shiny puffa jackets. Looking back, i'm glad i avoided that fashion faux pas, shed the puppy fat and blossomed into the hot stud I am nowadays ;) So bringing duffel back will suit my wardrobe nicely - the duffel's classic cut allows you to wear it just as well with a suit as it does with jeans. And with a variety of styles available, I'm sure Eton Road - and you - will find a coat that's perfect for you :)
~ Cute shaved head Danny was heading down the right path on Sat with his military jacket. Kenneth Cole and Jon Bon Jovi have teamed up to design a military style cashmere blend jacket with leather piping that recalls the shaggy haired rockers stage outfits. He won't be able to afford it yet, but a couple of number ones and the $1000 price tag will seem like an absolute snip ;)
~ The boys should pick a colour schemed look that will appeal to the everyman and stick with it. Slightly more daring for these lads would be to go for winter whites. This season colourless clothes on the top half of your body should be standard in your wardrobe. Or they could be uber-stylish (take note my good ubersexual buddy Richard) and try contrast trim blazers - having the trim round the lapels and pockets adds a nice distinction without being too flamboyant or theatrical.
~ Finally, black ties and white shirts are very popstar and very now. Antony Callea could do much worse that individualising this look with a gray suit jacket. Worn with the shirt and tie set over inky jeans, it's dressy enough for the ballads but not too uptight for those finger clicking numbers. And if he dons a silver tie pin and pocket square, it will set him apart from every day popstar schmoes :)
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LINK: Shop at The Gap
LINK: Buy contrast trim blazers at Adam+Eve
LINK: Buy chunky winter whites at Polo
MP3: Antony Callea - Meant For Love
MP3: Eton Road - My Girl
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THE DRAGON FACTOR:
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Eragon (so almost Dragon if you have hit the wrong key!) caused a bit of a stir when it came out in 2003. Partly because it was a weighty tome for kids that was touted as challenging Harry Potter (nothing ever does but the first two books of the Inheritance trilogy did sell very well) and partly because when it was written, the author was 15. Git. Though when I was 15, I was busy practising the dance moves to Electric Youth so you know it's all good :) Chris Paolini mapped out the entire trilogy before he penned a word, then self published and promoted his book across America with the assistance of his parents. In a dreams really do come true scenario, it was soon picked up for a major publishing deal and film. It's easy to see why - the books are great reads (Eragon and Eldest are the first two parts of the trilogy) though owe more to Lord Of The Rings than Harry Potter. Great mythical battles, good versus evil, moral dilemmas, etc. so I have high hopes for the movie - which is filling the festive fantasy slot left this Christmas by Harry and Narnia. And despite what Popjustice said in their newsletter on Monday, the Avril song on the soundtrack is rather lovely and a natural mature progression from her underrated second album...
LINK: Eragon the movie website
LINK: Purchase Eragon by Christopher Paolini
MP3: Avril Lavigne - Keep Holding On
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THE AJ ATTACK:
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Aaron James looks like a bailiff from that BBC1 docusoap a few years back. A hot bailiff, but a bailiff none the less :) So it's a little bit of a surprise when you first hear his voice. Let's put it like this - there are lots of reasons Aaron should succeed. Britain currently have a dearth of quality r'n'b singers who know how to pour their heart and soul into their songs. He knows how to craft a song that takes his more soulful elements and swirl them into a stomping club classic. He rocks a pair of expensive headphones like no other. He has quite witty answers to the "getting to know you" questions on his myspace page. He makes great use of beats mixed with different instrumentation. But ultimately, it's Aaron's voice that should help him succeed. Smooth like honey, with just enough of an edge to make you sit up and pay attention. You and Me & Menage a Trois are storming club tracks crying out for a wider audience, while his track with D-Flow successfully mixes laid back hip hop with a soaring emotive vocal in the chorus. So do yourself a favour. Pop over to Aaron's myspace page and see what all the fuss is about, before everyone is inevitably on his bandwagon...
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LINK: Aaron James myspace page
MP3: D-Flow featuring Aaron James
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THE HAZARD:
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Hmmm, i think as pop is such a fickle industry, it's difficult to know what to do once you start getting older. Do you go the route of doing nostalgia tours and rereleasing your greatest hits with a new song every couple of years? Do you follow the trend of putting together covers albums that will keep you in gold tissue paper into your retirement? Or do you struggle to do music your way in an attempt to keep your sanity (and fan base) in tact... 80s superstar Richard Marx has chosen the latter. Famous for hits like Satisfied, Right Here Waiting and the eerie Hazard, Richard also and possibly sensibly has another career in writing songs for others, must notably the boozed up dried out Mr Kidman who scored a huge country number one with Better Life. And of course he wrote that lovely Dance With My Father, which will continue to grace weddings for millenia to come. Richard's last album My Own Best Enemy in 2004 sold decent amounts and is now branching out by experimenting with his sound to come up with music relevant for today's market. I'm not a huge fan, but every now and then he does produce songs that stick in my head and i'll be singing for days. check out this unreleased gem from the MOBE era. It will be interesting to see where he goes next...
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LINK: Richard Marx's Myspace site
LINK: Purchase My Own Best Enemy
MP3: Richard Marx - From The Inside
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QUICK BITZ/BLOG WATCH:
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~ recent birthday boy Richard has finally got his myspace sorted but has a dearth of friends. Head on over there and press add to make him look more popular would ya?!
~ Check out Rob(o)pop's first post on his 60 fave girlbands. I nearly expostulated with glee when I saw Toto I Eat Cannibals on there :)
~ Talking of Robs, the other Robbie's latest career moves are discussed over at PopMuse. All I can say is it is a good job Robbie is a Pet Shop Boy. It saves the album ;)
~ XO shows blondes really do have more fun with a post about Bertine, Kate Ryan and some other floozy. Plus a new easier to use file server. Bonza!
~ She is Poppostergirl - hear her roar! Head on over to her always excellent site to read her spot on rant about the American Music Awards. And because we will take any picture of Nick Lachey we can get ;)
~ If, like me, you can't get enough of The Feeling, then go and purchase their exclusive new iTunes acoustic session featuring all the hits and more :)
~ I was planning to write about Tilly and the Wall at some point, but seeing as Zeon did such an excellent job of it, there is no need. Go and check out his words and their music at the usual place ;)
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Don't forget you can still vote for your favourite new myspace artist of 2006 in TheZapping X-Factor contest. You have til noon GMT on Friday :)

(bloody hell even a journalist from a local paper contacted me about it so get your votes in soon!)
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Coming soon: something on pop photographers; another book club; Joe Brooks; naked popstars; beatles inspired pop; a walk down the Avenues; dad rock; some album reviews; more greatest hits done right; dyyce and young divas; Canadian Idol; fashion stuff; something on christmas tours; the 24 days of christmas; some more Jadion stable stuff - and lots more too.