Blog Archives
Impromptu singalong on the London Tube
Don’t you love when an impromptu singalong strikes people on the London Underground?! It’s Erasure. It’s Kentish Town. It’s amazing.
Just as I predicted …
I know – Taylor Swift and Tom Hiddleston’s break up is no longer new news, but it happened in September during my self-imposed blog break and now I need to shout it from the rooftops … ahem …
I WAS RIGHT! I WAS RIGHT! LOOK AT ME! I WAS RIGHT!
Ah, I feel better now. I just wanted to say that I did predict that she and Tom would only last three months and BOOM! Like clockwork! They break up after three months!
I feel kind of vindicated. The whole world is falling apart and I wouldn’t have predicted the events of this past week … but I was right about Tay Tay’s latest romance. Sigh. That is all.
Giving Public Enemy a lift
Photographer Kevin Wells drove the members of Public Enemy to their show.
Photo credit: Kevin Wells/Twitter
When rap group Public Enemy had a no-show taxi in Sheffield, England, British photographer Kevin Wells offered to drive the group in his Ford Focus. Hilarity ensues.
(And yes, that is Flava Flav back there with the glasses and hat. Where’s his clock necklace?!)
A song can save your life
This weekend, we watched “Begin Again” with Keira Knightley and Mark Ruffalo. I hadn’t heard much of anything about the movie, apart from the fact that it was written and directed by John Carney behind “Once,” but fancied getting lost in a movie in the big screen for a couple of hours and am so glad we went.
It was lovely, with a great cast of British (Keira Knightley, James Corden) and American actors (Catherine Keener, Adam Levine), set in New York City. I dare say I enjoyed it more than “Once” and again, John Carney makes a convincing argument that a song can save your life. The soundtrack is playing on repeat at home.
Here’s the extended trailer …
The phenomenon that is Eurovision
So, on Saturday, the whole of Europe was glued to their TV sets watching the phenomenon that is the Eurovision Song Contest, which is kind of a singing Olympics with a smorgasbord of countries from Belarus and Russia to Finland and Germany vying for the title.
I’ll spare you the suspense. The U.K. didn’t win, but the highlights are mesmerizing. Check out Buzzfeed.com’s 24 Most Important Moments from Eurovision and then check out the winning song from Austria’s “bearded lady” Conchita Wurst.
Dan Croll and “Home”
On “All Things Considered” yesterday, NPR featured British singer-songwriter Dan Croll, a native Stoke-on-Trent resident who has since made himself home in Liverpool. After returning home to see his family in Stoke-on-Trent, he wrote this lovely song “Home,” which just oozes comfy, warm loveliness.
Listen to the full story and watch the full video for “Home.”
Best-selling music artists by London borough
Love this London map, which lists the best-selling music artist from each borough! Thanks to Tory for the tip!
Classical music piece enhances Roald Dahl’s ‘Dirty Beasts’
Interesting story on NPR yesterday — although children’s author Roald Dahl died nearly 25 years ago, he continues to inspire musical adaptations of his work.
What it’s like to be a dad at a One Direction concert
If you ever wondered what it’s like to be a dad at a One Direction concert, take a gander at some of these photos shot and posted by Vice West Coast editor Jamie Taete on his Instagram. They made me smile!
All photos by Jamie Taete
Oscar Night
Welsh singer Shirley Bassey at last night’s Oscars
Did you watch the Oscars last night?
*SPOILERS*
Some of my favorite bits: Adele, the cast of “Les Miserables” performing “One More Day,” Ang Lee and Quentin Tarantino’s wins, Barbra Streisand’s “Memories” and Argo clenching best picture. But best moment of the night goes to Dame Shirley Bassey. Utterly breathtaking at the age of 76. She looked and sounded beautiful! What an inspiring performance!
And happy 50th birthday to the James Bond franchise!
BRITRISH.COM 