Love of The Week.

I actually have two this week.
I have one short little section, and one OFFICIAL love of the week. I know, it's exciting stuff.

First up, and I apologise now if I come off as a total creep at any point, I'll address Kristen Anne Bell.
You may know Kristen as Veronica Mars, Elle Bishop, Sarah Marshall or the Voice of Gossip Girl. Maybe you know her as something else, maybe you don't know her. All you truly need to know is that she is incredible.
Kristen is adorable. She's blonde, she's petite, her voice makes me smile and she has the ability to make me laugh at all times. I actually squeal when I see her. (Not all the time, just if it's unexpected or on first appearance).
I fail to find fault with this woman, and if you think you can, I'm interested to know if you're taking your meds.


Follow Kristen on Twitter Here.



And now, for my REAL love of the week. I know, I know, who can top Kristen?
The answer to that question, my friends, is Melanie Jayne Lynskey!

This might sound bad, but chances are, you've seen Melanie Lynskey in something and not realised it. I'll admit that by the time I really paid attention to her, I'd already seen her in four films and a season of Two & Half Men.
You'll probably know her as Charlie's adorable but insane... admirer, Rose. I maintain that she's not a stalker, because she's incredibly open about it.
The more awesome amongst you will know her from the movies "Heavenly Creatures" or "But I'm a Cheerleader". You may even recognize her from her roles in "Sweet Home Alabama" and "Coyote Ugly" (which is a favourite of mine, just FYI).
You might even know her as Clea Mason, Alice's almost-affair in The L Word.
Starting to click in yet?
See, like I said. You've probably seen her, and not realised. I hope you will next time you watch one of the above.

Well, I should explain why I love her I guess. What you have to understand about Melanie Lynskey is that, she's just too good for words. I know that that's not useful for a blog, but she really is. She's pretty adorable, and I often find out random facts about her that make me smile. I'm totally referring to the fact that she's friends with EMILY ERIN DESCHANEL. (Although my feelings on the Deschanels are for a whole other blog!) She takes the time to reply to her fans on twitter, she seems intelligent (I say seems, because I can only assume) and generally seems like a really incredible person.

This blog was prompted by her knowledge, and opinion of the recent Daily Mail outrage, regarding Jan Moir's article on the death of Stephen Gately. Honestly, it just makes me happy that people care about these things, and it boosted the respect I have for her.

I really don't know what more to write, as I said, there are no words for this woman. I just need to inform you all of her greatness, because... well, because you need to know who she is, you're missing out.


Follow Melanie on Twitter Here.

Til next time, stay awesome, send me suggestions and drink lots of water. Seriously guys, it's winter, and cold/ flu is everywhere. Drink water and get enough Vitamin C.

Another Song Recommendation Thingy :)

I realised I hadn't shared my favourite songs in a while, so here I am!
I'm going to put a little "*" next to the ones you really NEED to listen to :)

#10 : Where Were You? - Every Avenue

Awesomeee! & I'm seeing them on Monday night! Yay me :)

#9 : Too Fake - Hockey

Brilliant! & Free Single on iTunes this week, so go and download it instantly.

#8 : The Only Exception - Paramore*

So insanely cute. Hayley Williams is incredible, and I'd like to seriously suggest that you all (legally) download the "Brand New Eyes" album!

#7 : Homecoming - Hey Monday

This song is just brilliant, and as with #10, I'm seeing this band on Monday night!

#6 : Next Contestant - Nickelback*

I'm not a huge Nickelback fan but there's something about this song that is just so good! Maybe it's because it reminds me of Bones, I don't know

#5 : Sweet Ballad - Munchausen By Proxy

Okay, okay, maybe they're a fake band. Doesn't stop me loving them! (from the movie "Yes Man")

#4 : Her Eyes - Pat Monahan*

Beautiful song, and includes my new favourite lyric "she's not afraid, she just lies to use her nightlight".

#3 : Thirteen - Garbage

One of the best covers I've ever heard, and Shirley's voice just sounds lovely!

#2 : Sentimental Heart - She & Him*

I love, love, LOVE this band & this song pretty much sums up why. (Also try - Sweet Darlin')

#1 : Short Skirt/ Long Jacket - Cake*

One word: perfection.


LATE ADDITION: NOT NUMBERED, BUT AWESOME
Falling in Love at a Coffee Shop - Landon Pigg

Just, beautiful, and awesome!

I couldn't really be bothered with descriptions, but I think if you listen, you should realise why I love them!

As usual, if you've got any recommendations for me, let me know.
I'll review Monday night's gig on Tuesday!

Howdy Kid!

Kayso, I was going to come on here and go on and on and on and ON about how much I love all things Deschanel! (I really do, Zooey Claire & Emily Erin are slightly incredible.) I decided that that wouldn't be too much fun, and that I enjoy doing LISTS! Lists are fun.

This weeks list will be about fictional couples.
I know, how lame is that?
Give me a chance though.

So... here's my Top 10 TV Couples!

#10 : Sandy & Kirsten Cohen
(The O.C)
Almost too dysfunctional, but I can't help but love them.

#9 : Sara Sidle & Gilbert Grissom
(C.S.I: Crime Scene Investigation)
I waited too long for this, but now they're married. Even if it's off screen, it's okay by me!

#8 : Kelly Taylor & Dylan McKay
(Beverly Hills, 90210)
The ULTIMATE couple! Shame that when the CW re-made, they broke them up. Dicks.



#7 : Alex Kelly & Seth Cohen
(The O.C)
I know a lot of people will be mad at me for this choice, but I hate Marissa and these two were SO cute together!


#6 : Tina Kennard & Bette Porter
(The L Word)
I can't even explain this. Just, so perfect!


#5 : Lisa Cuddy & Gregory House
(House M.D)
An AWESOME not-together couple, only together in a dream world. Bad times.


#4 : Jac Naylor & Joseph Byrne
(Holby City)
Not together anymore, but should be. I'm counting on this!


#3 : Robin Scherbatsky & Barney Stinson
(How I Met Your Mother)
Guess who just broke up? Heartbroken!


#2 : Jenny Reilly & Tommy Donnelly
(The Black Donnellys)
I hate that this show got cancelled. Worst. Ending. Ever.



#1 : Temperance Brennan & Seeley Booth
(Bones)
My GOD I love them! Not-together, unless you count sex in a dream world!

Also love:

• Kate Todd & Tony DiNozzo (NCIS)
• Allison Parker & Billy Campbell (Melrose Place)
• Rachel Greene & Ross Gellar (Friends)
• Addison Montgomery & Alex Karev (Grey's Anatomy)
• Alex Drake & Gene Hunt (Ashes to Ashes)
  

I know that a lot of you wont know a lot of those couples, so I'm going to do a movie one too, just for you lovely people.

my Top 5 Movie Couples!

#5 : Amélie Poulain & Nino Quincampoix
(Amélie)
One of the most beautiful films of all time. Just adorable.


#4 : Jocelyn & Grigg Harris
(The Jane Austen Book Club)
They're just lovely to be honest.


#3 : Alex Owens & Nick Hurley
(Flashdance)
Even though there's something creepy about a 30 something male and an 18 year old Beals.



#2 : Jovie & Buddy
(Elf)
HOW ADORABLE are they? And I love this movie, too much!


#1 : Luce & Rachel
(Imagine Me & You)
Just, perfect.

There's probably more, but my mind is blanking a little. So until next time, be safe! Stay awesome and take care of each other. Unless someone does you wrong, then don't bother. I'm not saying actively hurt them, just don't look out for them or take any responsibility when it comes to their well being.
Anyway, over and out.

Update. Update. Update. UPDATE!

So, I haven't blogged for a while.
This would be because, I am slowly gaining... wait for it! A social life! Wutttt?
Not only that, I just started college, and I'm so tired when I come in in the afternoons, that I only just find the time to obsess. I do, however, make time for that. Obsession is my life line.

Rather than a love of the week, I'm just going to share with you. I know there's probably about one person reading this, but I'm sharing anyway.

Things are going pretty well at the moment. That may well be my current love. The fact that things are going okay.

So, I love my friends, a hell of a lot, and I'm liking college so far. I'll start blogging again soon, and I know exactly who my first love of the week will be! I hope you're on the edge of your seats.

Also, does anyone know how to change your e-mail address on this beast? If you do, comment this... or contact me in another way if you know how! (Basically, if you have me on Facebook/ MSN!)

Listen! To Me. To These, and To Each Other

Don't question the blog title please, I've had four cans of red bull in the last ten minutes. This is not an exaggeration.

I've decided to do another one of these "ten songs I like". Because, well, quite frankly, because I want to.

#10: Starstrukk (ft. Katy Perry) - 3OH!3
from the album: yet to be released

I love this song. It's fun and jumpy and a bit flirty, and exactly what you'd expect from 3OH!3 Plus, Katy Perry's vocals are incredible, and made me smile! After seeing these guys live in February, I'm seriously loving them!

#9: Lose You: Pete Yorn
from the album: musicforthemorningafter

I heard this song played in an episode of 'House' and thought it was just beautiful. It's powerful and emotional, and I guess it will always have that with me, because of the association of the incredibly sad scene it went hand in hand with. This song has a simple quality to it, that I love!

#8: Check Yes Juliet: We The Kings
from the album: We The Kings

A friend of mine sent me this song a few days ago, and I absolutely love it! I can't really explain why, it just has a really good sound, and everything flows, and fits perfectly! I'd also suggest you listen to the Hey Monday cover, which is also brilliant.

#7: We Are Broken - Paramore
from the album: Riot!

I'm going to say right here, that I've said in the past that I don't like Paramore, and have recently realised just how wrong I was. Hayley Williams has an incredible voice, and this song is just beautiful, and Hayley really shines on it.

#6: Edge Of Seventeen - Stevie Nicks
from the album: Bella Donna

I love everything about this song. I love the opening riff, I love Stevie Nicks' voice, and I love what it represents! I also love the story behind the title (it's all accent related, google it!) I also love that it reminds me of one of my favourite scenes in School of Rock!

#5: First Train Home - Imogen Heap
from the album: Ellipse

I actually want to recommend this entire album, because it's completely incredible! I've been waiting for Ellipse for a while, and was not disappointed! I'd have to say this is my favourite song from the album, at the moment! I like all the different sections, and I just love Imogen's voice!

#4: Candles - Hey Monday
from the album: Hold On Tight

Hey Monday have very quickly become one of my favourite bands, to the extent of buying tickets to see them only a week after first hearing them. Cassadee has such an incredible voice, and that's so clear on this song! I'd also suggest you find her acoustic version on Youtube!

#3: Cup of Coffee - Katy Perry
from the album: unreleased

This is one of the Katy Perry songs I have that is not on her 'One Of The Boys' album, or on any album, but is incredible. I absolutely love song, and the way the lyrics and music are completely opposite, yet they gel. I love the story the song tells, and just... everything about it!

#2: Dance With Me - Uh Huh Her
from the album: Common Reaction

Uh Huh Her's album is finally out in the UK, people! Of course, I've had it for a year, but it's finally out! So I'm putting this song on my list to celebrate! This is my favourite song from the album. I love the lyrics, and that they make much more sense on your second listen. I love Camila's voice, and I love how much they love what they do!

#1: Run Baby Run - Garbage
from the album: Bleed Like Me

I genuinely sat here for ten minutes trying to think of which Garbage song to suggest this week! If I could be bothered, I would tell you why I love each and every one of the 98 Garbage songs I have on my iTunes. (Not to mention solo Shirley!) I eventually went with this one, because I absolutely love everything about it. The vocals are perfect, the music is perfect, the lyrics are perfect, and the video is one of their best (Google Sophie Muller, she's a genius.) So listen to it, watch the video, and love it!


Until the next time, be safe, be cool, listen to good music, and if you have any recommendations for me, let me know!

An actual Love of the Week, after all this time!

More like 'Love of my Life' actually, but I guess that limiting it to a week will have to do.

It wont have all the usual categories, because I can't be bothered to write them, but I'm just going to tell you all why I absolutely adore the wonderful and talented and perfect, Ms Shirley Ann Manson. More importantly, I'm going to make you realise why you should as well. At least, that's the goal.

If you don't know, then Shirley Manson is a singer, probably best known as the lead vocalist for the rock group Garbage. Before Garbage, Shirley was in the band Goodbye Mr. Mackenzie, and their side project Angelfish (I truly adore Angelfish). She also made her acting debut as a T100-1 in the show Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles which, unfortunately (and stupidly) was cancelled in April of this year.

Shirley is quite frankly, one of my favourite people in the universe, and I honestly think that if I ever met her, I would literally be speechless.

I'm listening to Garbage as I write this, and every time I hear anything by this band, it's like a new reminder as to why their music means so much to me. It's so clear how much these four care about the quality of music they produce. They want to enjoy it and be proud of it, and they want their fans to enjoy it.
My favourite thing about the band, and about Shirley herself, is that nothing is done for the media. Nothing is done to please other people. If you don't like Garbage's music, they're not going to lose any sleep about it. If you don't like Shirley, she knows that there are plenty of people who do.

One thing that really drew me to Garbage is the heart. The lyrics quite clearly come from somewhere deep. These are feelings, emotions and memories that can finally be shared through the medium of music. These are the kind of truths that people just don't share. These are things that people wish they could say, and Garbage have basically just thought "well, we want to say it, so fuck it, let's say it".
After a while, you start to realise that when you hear this emotion and this "wow" factor, the heart is not metaphorial. These lyrics come from the actual, beating, pumping heart of Shirley Manson. These emotions are hers, the painful memories and the emotional (and physical) scars are all hers. This, is why I truly admire her.

I realise that it sounds like Shirley Manson is the most depressing person on the planet, but she's not. This is the balance that makes her so brilliant. She's an incredibly free person, who likes to write songs about sex and has been known to wear clothing showing cartoon pictures of men masturbating.


To top it all off, she loves the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, is friends with Gwen Stefani, Debbie Harry and Chrissie Hynde, has appeared on Chelsea Lately, where she made fun of the Jonas Brothers, her voice has the ability to make me cry, she is completely honest about herself, and refuses to hold back her feelings, which she often shares in blogs on her Facebook page, and she is absolutely drop dead gorgeous. Oh, and her dog's name is a Harry Potter reference! Like there wasn't enough reasons to love her!

Rumour has it that Garbage are working on new material, and if they are, it will honestly be the highlight of my life so far. Fans will know that Shirley's record label decided not to release her solo album on account of it being 'too noir'. The demo that she posted on Facebook, quite simply makes me want more! She's done a few small collaborations over the past few years, including providing the 'sultry vocals' on Queens of the Stone Age song, "You Got A Killer Scene There, Man". She also appeared with No Doubt on their recent tour, coming on stage to sing their cover of Adam & The Ant's "Stand and Deliver".

I hope you actually watched that, because I promise you that when I found it, it made a brilliant day even better.

Right, I'm rambling now, so I'll stop, but basically, Shirley is an incredible vocalist, and is just generally an incredible person. I really hope to see more of her, musically, soon! The 98 Garbage, and 2 solo songs that I have, just don't seem to be enough for me anymore.



Recommended Garbage songs: Can't Cry These Tears (has a really incredible 50s/60s feel to it), Vow, Betcha, Sex Is Not The Enemy, All The Good In This Life, Get Busy With The Fizzy and Thirteen (a cover, but beautiful).

Until next week, I'll leave you with that. Oh, and her demo In The Snow can be found on YouTube, or on her official Facebook page. I love it, it's worth a listen just for that.

A BRAND NEW BLOG!

It's been forever!

This week, I'm going to share with you, my 10 favourite songs of the week!

That makes it seem like they're all newly released songs, which I can promise you that they're not... necessarily.

#10 Stolen - Dashboard Confessional
I am completely in love with this song. I want to point out right now, that I am talking about the original version, not the version where they dueted with that girl (I can't remember her name). Love songs have much more meaning from one perspective, in my opinion. Adding in a 'I sing, you sing' routine adds nothing but cheesiness.
This song is full of so much feeling, and the music and lyrics are equally perfect. I absolutely love it!

#9 So Far We Are - The French Kicks
This one just has a really original sound, and the lead singer's voice is my new found love. I don't know if it possible to be in love with a voice, but I think I am. Somehow, when I listen to this song, I can just hear that these guys care about their music, and care about their lyrics, and that adds a whole new level to this song.

#8 Mr Brightside - Tommy Reilly
I absolutely love the original version of this song, but his version brought a new meaning, a new level and a new understanding for me. He actually brought Alex James to tears when he performed this, and I just think he's an genius.

#7 I Am Not A Robot - Marina And The Diamonds
The unplugged version if you can get it.
There are a lot of female artists around at the moment, and they all have a similar feel. I'm not going to tell you that Marina's really different, because honestly, she's not. I love this song though, and the unplugged is even better, because somehow it makes me actually listen to the lyrics, and appreciate them.

#6 Tiffany Blews - Fall Out Boy
I really tried to convince myself that I didn't like Fall Out Boy's new album. It worked too, until I heard this song, and I instantly thought it was awesome. When I really think about it, I can't pinpoint why I love it. Maybe it's the slightly odd lyrics, maybe it's the typically Fall Out Boy music, or maybe it's because I have a unhealthy love for Patrick Stump. All I know is that I love it, and it has some brilliant lines!

#5 Nowhere With You - Joel Plaskett
Where do I even start with this song? I've loved it for so long now that I can't even remember how I discovered it. Oh wait... I just did. Ah well. Basically, I think this song and I think it's really cute! There's not a lot more to say to that!

#4 I'm Still Breathing - Katy Perry
I had so much difficulty picking a Katy Perry song! I love them all, literally. This one I like because it's very different to everything else on her album, it's slow, and kind of sad, and packs so much emotion! I think this song may have literally saved my life last year, no matter how pathetic or "emo" that makes me sound.

#3 Hot Mess - Cobra Starship
It's no secret that I would happily marry any member of Cobra Starship in a second, if they were to ask me. I doubt it would happen, but keep your fingers crossed for me! I couldn't decide which song to pick because they're all so fucking brilliant, but I picked this one because it makes me smile a whole lot. It's the title track off the new album (which is coming very soon!) and I absolutely love everything about it.

#2 In The Snow - Shirley Manson
I've been listening to this non-stop since she posted it on her facebook page a few months ago. It's just a writing demo, but it's exactly what I was hoping I would get from her solo stuff. If you don't know, Shirley's the lead singer of Garbage, who just happen to be my favourite band ever, and when they went on hiatus, Shirley worked on this demo with her friend. The lyrics and music don't seem like they should fit, and a lot of people have complained about that, but honestly, I love every little thing about this song.

#1 I Gotta Feeling - Black Eyed Peas
This wont surprise anyone who's spent time with me in the past week or two. I am absolutely obsessed with this song. It was on twice at a party I went to on Friday, and the first time I gasped, and the second, I very loudly shouted every word. It's repetitive and ridiculous, yes, but absolutely awesome. Plus, I can't even talk about how I feel about Will.i.am, I have actual emotional problems when it comes to how much I love that man!

So there you go, the songs I'm listening to a lot this week. No doubt they'll be the same next week, only with a few more thrown in.
Next week's blog will be better than this one, I promise. At least, I half promise.

Extra recommendations: Holly Miranda, Jenny Owen Youngs & Ida Maria