Tag Archives: guilty pleasure

A not so guilty pleasure… #herestonevergrowingup

13 Monday May 2013

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here's to not being ashamed of enjoying amazing songs

I have never been a fan of Avril Lavigne. Frankly, ever since Complicated first made a dent on popular culture I have despised the woman. I remember distinctly having a rather heated discussion with my brother regarding her being a popstar. For the record there’s nothing I despise more than a popstar who tries to dress themselves up as something else.

BEING A POPSTAR IS ENOUGH.

That being said as a fan of pop music I force myself to be open to pop even from sources that I might despise for non-aural reasons. It is for this reason that Avril Lavigne’s latest Here’s to Never Growing Up reminds me rather a lot of Miley Cyrus’ pop triumph Party In the USA. Both are supremely enjoyable summer pop anthems from otherwise personally irritating media personalities.

If we’re getting serious about it, which Popjustice does excellently as per usual – Here’s To Never Growing Up could be seen a subtle acknowledgement of Avril Lavigne’s relationship with her record buying public. She continues to push out punk-pop anthems for 16 year old, eternally living in a pubescent world herself, never allowed to mature for fear of losing her audience. The video (below) even sees her back in a loose-fitting tie that became so much the look early on in her career.

Also, maybe she has no idea that the lyrics are a little bit sad and autobiographical for all the wrong reasons – that might even make it more amazing – and more to the point it doesn’t matter. Avril has delivered a perfect summer anthem and you can’t take that away from her. Strip away your dislike of the pop poseur and let yourself revel in a brilliant pop song.

Here’s to never growing up, indeed.

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I’M JUST BEING ME!

29 Saturday Oct 2011

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1. Dappy, of N-Dubz fame, has released a solo single.

2. It is a bit amazing.

3. The video’s a bit shit.

4. But it does have some good bits notably [2:50] “I’m just being me!” and [3:11] key change + rooftop gospel choir = AMAZING.

5. Let’s be honest here Dappy could teach Guilty Pleasures 101 with this.

6. I have started yelling “I’m just being me” whenever someone calls me a bitch or similar. Or just when I feel so inclined.

7. I’m just being me.

gay as you are

10 Wednesday Nov 2010

Posted by in shopping

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Just the other day a new “concept” opened to much fanfare at Davie and Howe. As described on their website:

Caya [Come as you are] is a new store with a new perspective. One focused on you. The first of its kind in Canada, and possibly the world, Caya celebrates the individuality in all of us, and supports local LGBTQA initiatives that help others be themselves, fully and openly.

It’s a Telus store for gays.

I’m not sure about this. If it’s goal is to support the LGBTQA – I just checked and the A stands for “allied” – “fully and openly” then why the need for a sub-brand. Why can’t Telus just support the Alphabet Soup community? Do gays really need our own specifically branded Telus store? Is this an attempt at catering to our needs or keeping us at arms length from the corporate brand?

To be fair, it’s a nice ideal. A slightly more upmarket communications store for slightly more upmarket customers that can also act as a community hub for events. Most of the opinions online seem to be taking a “wait and see” approach with this and I thought that was pretty fair.

Until I went to there with my friend Emanuel – another gay – the other day.

I think the branding is relatively good but the product mix is frankly awful and it’s not even immediately clear what products and services they offer. caya’s cell phone offerings are basic Telus offerings just slightly more nicely displayed, which is fair enough, but the accessories just seem like an odd assortment: 8 digital cameras, a few cell phone cases and some random desktop stuff. They do offer digital photo printing but we only discovered this in conversation with a “matchmaker of merchandise” – read: sales associate. I just don’t see this store being particularly successful.

Also, Fag would’ve been a much better name:

“Come as you are” just makes me think of the slightly awful – read: guilty pleasure – Beverley Knight song of the same name.

the end of the hills?

28 Monday Apr 2008

Posted by in media whoring, rant, television

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so the new episode of the hills was on tonight and this season continued to unravel the long-workable format. the hills has long been a very guilty pleasure for me. obviously enoying it unironically would be completely not cool but up to this season it has been fantastic television.

this season (since the paris trip) has been garbage. they seem intent on either changing the format that had been working or making it so formulaic so as to take any enjoyment out of it.

case in point #1: the paris trip
how annoying was that? they were gone for a week and lauren felt the need to say goodbye to brody because she was ‘going away.’ you don’t need to break up with a man because you’re going on vacation unless you’re going to mandatory-sluttines-land (aka the real world). this point highlights the heightened sense of drama around EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENS. obviously the point of the show is to create drama, but it seems like they’re trying to make everything dramatic rather than highlighting genuinely dramatic moments as they have in the past.

case in point #2: the music
so we all know mtv in general and the hills specifically is basically designed to sell products and music but the on-screen notication is just annoying and furthermore the music this season does not even fit the situations. tonight’s episode featured both ‘bleeding love’ and ‘mercy’ which i love, but they didn’t suit the episode at all. it just rubs your face in the fact they’re selling you something. have some finesse people: i want diamond shreddies not head-on, know what i mean?

case in point #3: heidi vs. lauren
we’ve had enough already. get over it. it’s boring. find something new to focus on. show more whitney. do anything, but it’s getting repetetive and that’s another big problem.

case in point #4: the new house
the house is too nice. obviously the lives of the girls on the hills is completely unattainable but they’ve somehow passed a threshhold for me with this house. it makes their lives completely, ridiculously over the top and out of reach, whereas before it was unattainable but in a somehow attainable way. i know that sounds ridiculous but if you watch it i think you know what i’m talking about.

case in point #5: lo
i was never a big lo fan before but she has won me over. and it’s because i love her that i know she shouldn’t be on the show. she is the voice of reason, she says what you’re thinking and doesn’t let the girls get as wrapped up in their own drama. but that’s the whole point of the hills. these girls are dumb and shallow and self-involved and that was the charm. as much as lo was good to provide some grouding advice every now and then, having her as a permanent fixture does not bode well. also having her and lauren gang up on audrina doesn’t feel right – it’s all the cool kids ganging up on the hot girl who is dumber than they are.

conclusion
the hills is reaching the end of its cultural relevance. that being said, dan levy is still the hotness.