I went to see Miss Potter last night. Cos we like films about authors who are a bit kooky and in love. It was vair vair marvy. I can only hope that one day someone will make a film about my life as an author and that someone bleedin' gorgeous plays me – maybe Adam Levine. Or David Beckham. And Milo Ventimiglia could play Darren. Only because we want to see some hot man o man action on the big screen. First of all though I need to finish writing my book. And get it published. And then worry about casting the big screen version and sorting out the soundtrack. And then worry about the follow up. After that, I will worry about who plays me in a story of my life. But first I think it is most important to note how delicious ham and light Philadelphia sandwiches are from boots. I may have become addicted to them. And if you get them as part of the meal deal (just £2.99 price fans!) you can get some nice crunchy apple slices (which my friend Anne says is well lazy – just buy an apple and chop it up yourself she says, which is all well and good, but Dazpants is allergic and I have pink pound disposable income to get rid of ;) ) and low cal cloudy lemonade. What a delish and healthy little snack. Not sure the king size mars bar I polished off after did anything for my calorie count, but hey! I was still a little peckish… Darren has had a sexy new haircut from paulhair today that has put mine to shame. I will have to stop being lazy in the morning and start using the straighteners and putting product in it again. I need to be equally as gorgeous as my man, not constantly upstaged by him! After all he will be (insert whatever age Darren agrees to here!!) years old on the 23rd…Right! On with the post…
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THE BOYBAND RETROSPECTICUS EPISODE ONE – D-SIDE (PART TWO):
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Sigh. Poor D-Side. It was all change in the British pop scene and alas and alack it seemed that there wasn't a place for pure pop boybands anymore. It was all about Busted and then McFly (which obviously is ok by me!), but it would have been nice if D-Side were allowed to continue past one album. They did have 3 top ten hits after all. Sadly that wasn't enough for the record label and they were unceremoniously tossed out on their ear. Wisely though, the boys chose not to admit defeat and jetted off to the land where pop always reigns eternal – Japan. The new slimmed down trio got a slicker new look, a more mature and sophistimacated sound and promptly signed to one of Japan's biggest record labels. Using all their industry contacts and friends, they put together a stellar second album called Gravity. Looking much more shaggable on the cover (a vital popstar requirement), the album had contributions and collaborations from the likes of Mark Owen, Kian Egan and a duet with Antony Costa from Blue on perky lead off single Sacrifice. The title track Gravity (co-written by Mark Owen) is a beautiful pop gem and more melodic and fresh sounding than anything they had previously done. Standout tracks certainly were the ones recorded with those who had knowledge on what makes a boyband tick – the aforementioned Gravity, One More Day (popeatspopped by Friday's Hill – thanks Stu!) and Kian Westlife's song Timeless which took swoony balladry to new heights. It's not all slow songs though and some tracks had the sparkle and fizz of classic boyband pop tunes. So much more deserving of a wider release, it's a wonder the album got made at all and a canny marketing move on behalf of the boys and their management. So check back tomorrow as we look at their most accomplished album to date and suggest a greatest hits package…
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LINK: Purchase D-Side's Gravity
LINK: D-Side's official myspace site
MP3: D-side – Sacrifice (featuring Antony Costa)
MP3: D-side – Gravity
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THE ONE MOMENT IN TIME FEATURE:
. Today boys and girls we are looking back to a time when Sheena Easton put out not one, but two decent albums in a row. Now, don't get me wrong. I like the Sheen. I've strutted around the bedroom singing Morning Train and pulsated to her Sugar Walls. And it was her dreamy duet with Prince (Arms of Orion) on the Batman soundtrack that led to me checking her out further. Which of course took me to her LA Reid and Babyface (they were so the Timbaland of their day) produced album Lover In Me. To be honest, much like S/A/W songs, it was pretty interchangeable as to which artist could sing their tunes, but Sheena seemed to take the r'n'b slanted tunes and give them a healthy pop polish. The title track was quite rightly a massive smash and was the sort of tune that refused to go away, such was it's immediacy and power. Days Like This and 101 were other funky numbers while Follow My Rainbow showed a more tender dramatic ballad side. But it was her next album that really hooked me. There was something about it that just kept me coming back for more. Title track What Comes Naturally was a slick slice of urban pop complete with requisite faux rap ("crazy crazy it's getting kinda wild/is that a yes I'm seeing in your smile?" and multi layered chorus (and the sort of song I would love to see Leona Lewis cover). Further upbeat gems were available in You Can Swing It, Manic Panic and If You Wanna Keep Me. And over the top, gloriously bombastic ballads abounded in Forever Friends and To Anyone. A triumph in over-egging the pudding, these were two albums that got me grinding down and dirty with the girls at the mormon disco (though clearly my eyes were on the hot missionaries)…
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LINK: Purchase Sheena Easton's Lover In Me/ What Comes Naturally
MP3: The Lover In Me
MP3: What Comes Naturally
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THE SIX SONGS FOR THURSDAY:
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Sometimes you just come across a whole bunch of songs that actually you kind of like and it gives you something new and exciting to listen to on the way to work when you hair is being blown all over the place by the wind. Here are some exciting tunes I came across this week, that I can't be bothered to save for the singles review section on Monday…
. McFly – My Heart Will Go On
I'm not sure what era McFly this is or where the song originated from. What I do know is that it is a cover of the Celine Dion "classic" from Titanic that topped the charts for about 100 years in 1998. 'Rawked' up to the nth degree, this is a frolicking rollicking romp through a well known classic, done in McFly's cheeky scamp boy style. And I love it ;) Now when is their effing issue of Attitude coming out??
Belinda Carlisle – I Still Love Him
Our Bell certainly has provided some classics over the years – Heaven Is A Place On Earth, Summer Rain, We Want The Same Thing, Big Scary Animal, etc. For some reason, her latest project is a French language album full of power pop potential. This track is an English version of one of the French tracks and is just the sort of song you'd expect from Belinda. Much like Roxette, she's never going to be groundbreaking, but it's always nice when she pops along with something familiar.
Shakira – Intuition
Another foreign language track from the first Oral Fixation, that Shakalakababy has recorded in English to promote her European tour. And it's not half bad. Oral Fixation 2 was full of top notch pop tunes (though it took me a while to "get" it) that were all overshadowed by the frankly dreadful Hips Don't Lie. Illegal took a criminal 8 months to be released by which time any momentum built up by her number one had disappeared, so hopefully this track will remind people that Shakira is a lot more than dodgy cover versions…
. Chris Trousdale – Let Me Let Go
Well hasn't he grown up?! Chris is of course from Dream Street, the boyband that spawned Jesse McCartney and duetted with Play. He's now working on going solo and despite having McFly as his top myspace friend, isn't going down the well travelled pop-rock route. Instead, Chris is concentrating on a more funky pop vibe that songs like Let Me Let Go and Turn It Up. There is allegedly a debut album coming, so we'll reserve judgement until then… I can only cope with so many Disney teens at once ya know!
Client – Let The Lights Go Out
Well, the folks at popjustice have got their Versace knickers in a knot about this song and it's not hard to see why. It's almost the best song that the Sugababes never recorded with it's sultry electro beats, hypnotic vocals and pulsating chorus. The remixes are pretty great too and it's hard to begrudge the song success, even though you do feel a little like you've heard it all before…
Timbaland featuring Nelly Furtado and Justin Timberlake – Give It To Me
The man who has been busy reinventing what pop sounds like in 2006 comes out with his debut single, and teams up with some of his biggest successes so far. I usually judge Timbaland on a song by song basis, and this is up there with Maneater and Sexy/Back. An amazing concoction of tribal beats, funky grooves and a hook that may well be his most insidious yet. Bit of a surprise then, to be honest!
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QUICK BITZ/BLOG WATCH:
. ~ I don't know whether to be mortified or aroused that the rather yummy Freddie Ljungberg is out there modelling Puma. It all seems a bit seedy and beneath him somehow. Which is how we sometimes want to be ;)
. ~ Buffy's back. After featuring the debut issue cover back here, the second issue is now planned for early April. I'm practically love weeing with excitement. I'll take my Buffy any which way I can. PS – Xander? Rar!
~ Jag has a rather brilliant interview up at this website... I am still loving their Lover in Handcuffs song in all it's kinky magnificence...
~ expect much more on the excellent new Kaiser Chiefs single tomorrow...
~ it's the cutest dog pic ever over at XO
~ Dan and I may be the only British people hugely excited by the return of Veronica Mars...

Coming tomorrow: the last of the D-Side retrospecticus; something on Kaiser Chiefs; something on Joss Whedon and the new Lily Allens... Don't miss it!