¡viva la graham!

i’ve got a soft spot for emma bunton, i really do, but this time i think she’s finally lost the plot.

i should have seen this coming, really. covering “downtown,” though it was fun and slightly cheeky, wasn’t exactly a brilliant idea. making matters worse, emma’s new single, “all i need to know,” is a total snoozer. seriously, i couldn’t even make it past the second verse! what happened, dear?

perhaps now that emma’s got a baby on the way, she’ll give up on this popstar business for a while — at least until she can come up with something a little more lively.

after reading an article in entertainment weekly about the oscar race 50 years ago, i asked my grandmother if she could recall the excitement surrounding the major films from that year — namely giant, starring elizabeth taylor, james dean and rock hudson, the scandalous baby doll, featuring carroll baker, and that year’s best picture, around the world in 80 days.

“i remember it like it was yesterday,” she said wistfully.

“liz taylor looked beautiful in the pictures i saw,” i said.

“oh, she was,” my grandmother replied with a tone of reverence most would reserve for god or royalty.

later that afternoon, i took a closer look at a set of old photographs my sister had displayed in her guest bathroom — pictures of my grandmother as a young woman that i had never examined closely. in one, she was leaning against the wall, gazing into the distance, her long, dark hair flowing past her shoulders. she looked absolutely gorgeous… just like liz taylor.

eek! daniel radcliffe (a.k.a. harry potter) decided to shock the world with his role in london’s west end production of equus, the only part he has played besides the one that made him famous. it’s strange to see our favorite little wizard all grown up — and looking alright, i must say — but it was going to happen eventually. i just hope daniel learns sooner rather than later that he needs to keep up with his manscaping. he’s only 17 now, imagine how out of control this business could get in the next year or two!

hmmm… i wonder what hermoine makes of all this. she’s likely been going through some changes as well.

if you’re so inclined, you can find more gratuitous skin shots at towleroad.

finally!! the acid-tongued tart sets her sights on the u.s. starting today with the north american release of her debut, alright, still.

perhaps the most surprising news concerns her stateside tv debut. on the strength of her overseas success, she landed the plum job of musical guest on this week’s saturday night live (drew barrymore hosts). impressive. now when are we going to hear “smile” on the radio?

on top of this coup, lily has partnered with mtv for their much-publicized discover and download tour. unsurprisingly, the tour will avoid the south completely (though she will stop by austin’s sxsw festival in march), but the rest of you can catch her in these very cosmopolitan cities: los angeles, feb 5; san francisco, feb 6; chicago feb 8; new york, feb 10; philadelphia, feb 12; d.c., feb 16; and boston, feb 18.

back in the u.k., lily leads the pack with four brit award nominations. so far, she looks set to repeat some form of that success across the pond.

january has turned out to be a great month for music. in the past four weeks i’ve discovered hellogoodbye, locksley and just jack, plus there have been hot new singles by the likes of sophie ellis bextor and bloc party.

with still a few days left to go before february, i’ve got one more fantastic find for you. if you’ve got a pulse, you will fall hard for young love’s new single, “discotech,” an electro-rock power pop stomper that is guaranteed to get the party started. the new york-based band unleash their irresistable debut , too young to fight it, this tuesday, jan 30, and i’m pretty much wetting myself with anticipation.

so what are you waiting for? you can stream songs and videos on young love’s official site, or download a free remix over at their myspace. you can thank me later.

here’s gwen stefani looking flawless at an awards show in france. this is the most done up she’s been in a while — perhaps ever! and i’m really diggin it’. she should do this more often.

in other gwen news, new single “the sweet escape” just entered the u.s. top 20 with a bullet. good for you, girl! i’m hoping the same happens with this album as the last. if you don’t recall, “what you waiting for” and love. angel. music. baby. didn’t immediately catch on when they were first released back in 2004. slowly but surely, the album became more popular with each single. if her record label plays it right, the sweet escape could easily do the same.

check out another shot of glamour gwen on the red carpet after the jump.

[photos via dlisted]

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i was really rooting for drew barrymore and drummer fabrizio moretti, but after years of bliss they — no, i refuse to use “dunzo,” that shit is so annoying — they’ve reportedly parted ways. this of course means the hottest member of the strokes is suddenly available.

yes, my days of lusting after nick valensi have passed. these days he’s a living, breathing skeleton, and that’s just not hot.

but i digress. as for those lucky ladies in the big apple, now is your chance to bag this curly-haired cutie!  if you’re feeling slutty, he’s definitely vulnerable. and probably horny. happy hunting!

also, what better time than now to add fab to the ¡viva la graham! hot rockstar club? welcome, dear. if you need a shoulder to cry on, you’re in good company.

ex-sugababe siobhan donaghy glams it up in the stunningly beautiful video for her new single “don’t give it up.” as you can see from this photo, she’s wearing a bit more make-up these days — it’s outrageous without being garish — and she’s ditched her h&m duds for something a little more, shall we say, opulent. ooh, and her hair looks fantastic, too.

it’s a welcome change, though unfortunately the actual song isn’t quite as enchanting as the couture-clad siren. it’s nice enough, but you know keisha sugababe is not impressed. also, despite her own success, siobhan still has that brooding thing about her. it just makes you want to shake her and say, “chin up, woman! it can’t be that bad.”

i’m not sure how i feel about the khaki jackets, but otherwise the guys from locksley are absolutely adorable! their sound is total 60’s mod with a dash of current indie. in a perfect world these guys would tour with the pipettes, those dishy english dames who channel the supremes via the go-go’s.

for a limited time, you can download a lovely locksley track (right click, “save as”), “why not me,” or you can check out the flashy video below (click here if you can’t see it!), which just so happens to be the ¡viva la graham! clip of the week. i haven’t yet heard the rest of their debut album, don’t make me wait, but i’ve heard very good things…

[thanks to arjanwrites for the heads up!]

for two seconds i totally believed this. the funny thing is, i’ve actually seen some of these acts live… haha! no, i’m not telling which.

in case you’re curious about the actual performers - and there are several of note (mika, lily allen, the kooks, to name a few) -you can find them here.

[via pitchforkmedia]