¡viva la graham!

you’ve probably already seen the cover of gwen’s upcoming album, the sweet escape. i hate to say it, but this album cover is even worse than janet jackson’s. what was she thinking??

on top of that, lead single “wind it up” has gotten horrible reviews (popjustice even compared it to a fergie demo, which is basically the worst insult i can imagine). i’m beginning to get a very horrible feeling that this record is going to suck big time. and it tears me up, because i love this bitch!

i suppose even the best of us make mistakes, and if it’s a big flop, it won’t be the end of the world. and really, it’s too early to tell. she still could have an ace up her sleeve. whew! for her sake i bloody hope so.

oh my goodness, i wasn’t expecting this today! the brand new gwen stefani single, “wind it up,” has turned up on the internet the same day it made its radio debut (get it while it’s hot - and still available, which surely won’t be long).

with its high school sass and marching band beat, the track is very similar to “hollaback girl”… and to be completely honest my first impression isn’t very positive. maybe i was expecting something different, i don’t know. i think it will grow on me, but i can’t see it becoming a favorite. boo hiss! this doesn’t bode well for the rest of her new album, but i’m going to hope for the best regardless.

special thanks to popbytes for the heads up (and for the birthday shout out!).

you may or may not know that my birthday is december 4. it turns out that this year my dear gwen stefani will be giving me the best gift possible, as she confirmed that her sophomore solo effort will be released that day.

thank god she’s returning to claim her throne! that dumb bitch fergie needs to be put in her place. my only worry is that the album will include several reject tracks from the sessions for love. angel. music baby. this is only slightly unnerving, however, as i’m assuming these songs are of high quality - or else they would have been chucked altogether. but still, don’t count your chickens, etc.

also, the rumored title of the disc is sweet escape. not sure if i like that, because it is the name of a candy bar, as towleroad points out… but it’s only rumor as of now so i’m not worried. the more pressing matter is that of the first single. aaah, I CAN’T WAIT!!

i was going to post about this earlier, but i never got around to it… check out this new photo of gwen, gavin and little kingston from the u.k.’s hello! magazine. this baby is so much more important in my world than shiloh what’s-her-face. is it just me, or is calling that little girl the messiah just ridiculous?

anyway, congrats once more to the proud parents! it’s going to be so interesting to watch this little boy grow up.

in other super-exciting news, kylie minogue made an appearance alongside sister dannii at london’s g-a-y over the weekend. damn, i would have given anything to have been there! well, that’s not totally true. i would much rather be there when she returns to finish the last leg of her postponed showgirl tour in sydney, australia… or when she headlines at glastonbury next year!!

but i digress. kylie looked absolutely stunning! it’s so exciting to see her back in top form. i couldn’t be happier for you, kylie!

… and it’s a boy!! they kept saying it was going to be a girl, but this still doesn’t really surprise me. gwen has always been ‘one of the guys’ so it seems only fitting that she would add another to her posse (albeit unknowingly).

also, she managed to choose a unique name without being completely ridiculous! nothing like moses or (yikes!) pilot inspector. he’s called kingston james mcgregor rossdale. it’s a very english sort of name, don’t you think? i love it.

congrats, gwen! now rest up… and then get back to work (pretty please). we’re still waiting for that next solo album!!

even pregnancy can’t keep gwen stefani out of the spotlight. while the immiment arrival of her firstborn may restrict her public life, the orange county girl makes up for it by releasing an unprecedented sixth single from her multi-platinum solo debut, love. angel. music. baby.

that song, “crash,” is about as mindless as “hollaback girl,” which means it is just as catchy and almost guaranteed to be a huge success. of course, pregger gwen planned ahead by having a performance video filmed last november during her harajuku lovers tour. we’re still waiting to hear about the clip’s premiere…

UPDATE: aol music’s got the video! i’m a bit disappointed they didn’t use the live audio, but i can understand. gwen’s vocals aren’t always great live - she moves around too much! (thanks popbytes!)

it’s grammy night, and it looks set to be an evening of drama. the catfights started days ago, when madonna allegedly demanded she open the broadcast - or she wouldn’t be showing up. this didn’t sit well with this year’s big comeback story, mariah carey, who hoped she would be first to take the stage.

as far as the actual awards go, i’m pulling for my favorites, naturally. in the bigger categories, it would be nice if gwen stefani won, however unlikely that might be. i really think mariah is going to score a least a few. also, i’d like to hear what billy joe armstrong has to say if green day wins.

i hate to say it, but i’m hoping kanye west loses big. at first he really impressed me, but now, not so much. ok, we get it, you have plenty of self-confidence and you like controversy! it’s gotten annoying fast, i think. also, i hate to say it, but i dislike john legend by association - even if he’s talented.

in the lesser categories, i am really hoping my beloved kylie’s “i believe in you” wins for best dance recording. that also means scissor sisters’ jake shears and baby daddy would win as well, since they produced the song. in the rock genre, can’t the academy give an award to weezer and franz ferdinand? pretty please!

alright, that’s all for now… enjoy the show.

UPDATE: the pre-telecast winners were announced, and some of my faves have already been shut out. that’s right- no sympathy award for kylie, plus u2, the band that has already won at least 100 grammys, beat both weezer and franz ferdinand. grrr!

the pre-show has been interesting thus far on the green carpet (yes, this year it is green). gwen stefani, who is now 6 months pregnant, looks radiant. joss stone mingled with kelly clarkson on e! - and later joss gushed about how sweet the former american idol champ is, exclaiming (and i paraphrase), ‘if you’re a singer you don’t have to be a bitch!’ and yes, she did say ‘bitch.’

today it was confirmed - my girl gwen stefani has got a bun in the oven. i doubt anyone is surprised by this news, as the rumors have been swirling for weeks.

one important question remains. is it a boy… or just a girl?

i saw her harajuku lovers show the other night, and let me just give gwen her props. that pregnant platinum blonde was still working it out! her tummy might have been covered up, and she might have ditched her infamous one-armed push-ups, but she was still all over the place.

congratulations, gwen!