Emma's favourite songs, 2026.

Hi readers! I know, it’s been an embarrassingly long time since I last blogged. I was hoping that I’d have more time to spare, following qualification, to work on my blog. But in reality, being a qualified actuary just meant an increase in responsibility at work, so the time that I'd previously spent studying for FIA exams, was instead swallowed up with longer working hours, meaning that my poor blog got neglected.

I'm currently on maternity leave, and for the first time in forever, I've found a tiny sliver of time to myself. In between feeding and changing my newborn bubba (who is all kinds of adorable!), I now have a bit of spare time to turn back to my favourite creative outlet: writing.

To kick off my foray back into blogging, I bring you, my 100 favourite songs list! Whether it contains some genius wordplay or sensational vocal performance, was employed to iconic effect in a film or TV scene, it being one that I love singing at karaoke, or it hitting some emotional beats that really speak to me, each of these songs carries a special place in my heart.

Review of five perfume samples from eBay pot luck – part 2

This blog is part 2 of my testing out the assortment of perfume samples I got for £23.50 from eBay. My thoughts on the first few are here!

Emma's favourite songs, 2020

1. Homecoming (Kanye West ft. Chris Martin)
2. Son of a Preacher Man (Dusty Springfield)
3. Alison (Elvis Costello)
4. Truth Hurts (Lizzo)
5. Off to the Races (Lana del Rey)
6. That’s Life (Frank Sinatra)
7. Sinnerman (Nina Simone)
8. Rocky Raccoon (The Beatles)
9. Hallelujah (Rufus Wainwright)
10. Sexy! No No No… (Girls Aloud)
11. Talk Show Host (Radiohead)
12. Clam, Crab, Cockle, Cowrie (Joanna Newsom)
13. What Makes You Beautiful (One Direction)
14. Fancy (Iggy Azalea ft. Charli XCX)
15. November Has Come (Gorillaz)
16. Samson (Regina Spektor)
17. Romeo and Juliet (Dire Straits)
18. Stuck in the Middle with You (Stealers Wheel)
19. Run this Town (Rihanna, Jay-Z and Kanye West)
20. Power (Kanye West)
21. Untouchable (Girls Aloud)
22. Paper Planes (M.I.A.)
23. Make Me Feel (Janelle Monáe)
24. All These Things that I've Done (The Killers)
25. Control (Janet Jackson)

26. Wild Boys (Duran Duran)
27. Love the Way You Lie Part II (Rihanna ft. Eminem)
28. I Knew You Were Trouble (Taylor Swift)
29. Head over Heels (Tears for Fears)
30. Boys Don't Cry (The Cure)
31. Na Na Na Na Hey Hey Goodbye (Steam)
32. Problem (Ariana Grande ft. Iggy Azalea)
33. Good Old Fashioned Lover Boy (Queen)
34. New Rules (Dua Lipa)
35. Million Dollar Man (Lana del Rey)
36. We Are Never Getting Back Together (Taylor Swift)
37. Glory Box (Portishead)
38. Empire State of Mind: Broken Down (Alicia Keys)
39. How Do You Like Me Now? (The Heavy)
40. Tiny Dancer (Elton John)
41. Baba O'Riley (The Who)
42. The Loving Kind (Girls Aloud)
43. Thank U, Next (Ariana Grande)
44. California Dreamin' (The Mamas and the Papas)
45. Cat People (Putting Out Fire) (David Bowie)
46. Chelsea Dagger (The Fratellis)
47. My Father's Gun (Elton John)
48. You’re Such A (Hailee Steinfeld)
49. Magnets (Disclosure ft Lorde)
50. What I Go to School for (Busted)

51. Bang Bang (Jessie J ft. Ariana Grande & Nicki Minaj)
52. When She Loved Me (Sarah McLachlan)
53. Royals (Lorde)
54. Cell Block Tango (Chicago OST)
55. 2am (The Saturdays)
56. Rewrite the Stars (The Greatest Showman OST)
57. Hey Jude (The Beatles)
58. Can’t Hold Us Down (Christina Aguilera ft Lil’ Kim)
59. Brandy Alexander (Feist)
60. Let it Go (Idina Menzel)
61. Girls Like You (Maroon 5 ft. Cardi B)
62. Defying Gravity (Idina Menzel)
63. Sueños (Diego Torres)
64. Love Affair (Regina Spektor)
65. Video Games (Lana del Rey)
66. I Don't Want to Go to Chelsea (Elvis Costello)
67. Juice (Lizzo)
68. Under Pressure (Queen ft. David Bowie)
69. Adia (Sarah McLachlan)
70. Brown Eyes (Lady Gaga)
71. See You Again (Wiz Khalifa ft. Charlie Puth)
72. It Wouldn’t Have Made Any Difference (Todd Rundgren)
73. Everybody Wants to Rule the World (Tears for Fears)
74. Good As Hell (Lizzo)
75. Underneath Your Clothes (Shakira)

76. Blank Space (Taylor Swift)
77. Lovely Head (Goldfrapp)
78. Bad Girls (M.I.A.)
79. Shape of You (Ed Sheeran)
80. I Wish I Knew How it Feels to Be Free (Nina Simone)
81. Shout (Tears for Fears)
82. Gaston (Beauty and the Beast OST)
83. She (Elvis Costello)
84. Fighter (Christina Aguilera)
85. Vincent (Don McLean)
86. Lullaby (The Cure)
87. Born to Die (Lana del Rey)
88. The Other Side (The Greatest Showman OST)
89. Ay Vamos (J. Balvin)
90. Kill 'em with Kindness (Selena Gomez)
91. Pennies in my Pocket (Emilio Estefan)
92. Airplanes part 2 (B.o.B, Hayley Williams & Eminem)
93. All That Jazz (Chicago OST)
94. Skyfall (Adele)
95. Hey Mama (Kanye West)
96. O Saya (A.R. Rahman ft. M.I.A)
97. Work (Kelly Rowland)
98. Notorious (Duran Duran)
99. This is What Makes Us Girls (Lana del Rey)
100. We Are the Champions (Queen)

OOTD: You promised me Kate Spade, but that was last year

Ever since I heard 'No More (Baby I'ma Do Right)' from 3LW when I was ten, I've wanted my own Kate Spade handbag, because it gets name-dropped in the song (I'm very easily influenced when it comes to rap songs mentioning brands, ha). Now, some 18 years on, I've finally been able to treat myself to that very thing. Baby I'ma do right!

Dress: Ted Baker

Handbag: Kate Spade

Earrings: Christmas market stall (Leicester Square)

Cardigan (under handbag): H&M

Glasses: Red or Dead
Nail polish: Essie

Golden Globe 2019 Predictions

Best Motion Picture, Drama: A Star Is Born
The fact that A Star is Born and Bohemian Rhapsody requested that they compete in the more competitive category (Drama has historically been harder to win than Musical or Comedy) shows the scope of their ambition. 

In the pantheon of category fraud, it’s usually been the other way round, for example last year, Get Out’s producers fraudulently campaigned for it as a ‘Comedy’ because they thought it would maximise their chances of a prize.

So the fact that ASIB and BR volunteered for the harder category demonstrates the belief the producers of the films have in their end products. In A Star is Born’s case, I reckon it will pay off.

Potential spoiler: BlacKkKlansman, very much a film for the moment.

Ranked: BLACK MIRROR episodes [9 to 1]

As mentioned in part 1 of this blog, Playtest, the median episode, scored a solid 8 out of ten. Thus, the nine episodes I am running through today are all 8.5s or more, a testament to the general strength of Charlie Brooker’s dark, twisted, but constantly thought-provoking series.

09. USS Callister

Black Mirror does Star Trek in this epic take on fanboys, nostalgia, and when you weaponise your interests for less than salubrious purposes.

TV review: 13 REASONS WHY season 2 (Netflix)

This blog contains spoilers for season 2 of 13 Reasons Why.

Since its release last March, 13 Reasons Why, the Netflix adaptation of Jay Asher’s novel, chronicling why High School student Hannah Baker took her own life, was met with controversy. Many people felt the show glamorised suicide, not least in the way Hannah made 13 cassette recordings with a reason and person named on each tape, to be listened to by the people who contributed to her decision to commit suicide. In season 1, the characters named on the tape, unsurprisingly, were wracked with guilt and recriminations over who was ‘most’ culpable, flew between the accused.

Oscar predictions, 2018

Sick Oscar graphic credit: Vulture. Guess the films represented!

Bar review: PIANO WORKS BAR (Farringdon)

I love singing. Whether it be Disney songs, RnB, Broadway showtunes, power ballads, I’m happiest when I’m warbling along to music (and often getting the lyrics wrong in the process). Piano Works allows you to do this to live piano music, along with a percussive and jazz band, and a lead singer, whilst dancing in a night-club-style venue. That was my Friday night sorted, then.

The band played their instruments really well, with flamboyance from the electric guitars when the occasion called for it, and more nuanced accompanying for other songs. The band shrewdly rotated singers depending on the flavour of the song. Sometimes, as was the case with Kanye West’s Goldigger, more than one person sang at a time. They had a fantastic female singer who belted out How Far I’ll Go from Moana. Given I have recently just watched Moana and the song is fresh in my mind, that in itself made that Friday one of the best nights out I’ve had in a long time.

The song choices at Piano Works were on point. They played Uptown Funk, Piano Man, American Boy, Grace Kelly… basically, crowd pleasers. And the crowd was very pleased. Here’s a clip of their performance of What Makes You Beautiful. The One Direction song is only my fourth favourite of all-time, so I had a whale of a time dancing to it!

My Seven Favourite Songs from Disney Musicals

I’ve restricted the options to just songs from Disney musicals, as opposed to songs that appeared in Disney non-musicals, such as ‘When She Loved Me’ from Toy Story 2, otherwise it would have made a hard task even harder (I love ‘Le Festin’ from Ratatouille)!

07. Hellfire – The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996)

A left-field shout, given the crux of this song is about the sexual frustration a pious priest feels towards the beguiling gypsy Esmeralda. But I had to nominate Hellfire because it’s memorable, taboo, and tonally, so recherché (what other Disney film features the line ‘he made the Devil so much stronger than the man’?)

Essentially, the message of Hellfire is ‘if I can’t have her, no-one can’. It’s every possessive ex-boyfriend, immortalised in a Disney song, and fits in neatly with the plot, as dastard Claude Frollo’s unsatisfied urges are his motivation for a Domino effect that leads to Paris burning. The religious imagery employed in Hellfire only go to compound Frollo’s sense of sinful lust for a woman he both despises, yet will do anything to possess.

I like songs which shine a torch onto the hypocrisy of religion, and Hellfire offers an insight to this holier-than-thou priest’s mindset. Turns out, his thoughts aren’t so holy, and the choir-like vocals accompanying Frollo’s disturbing soliloquy underscores this irony nicely.

(On a slight film ratings tangent, the likes of fluffy Frozen and Tangled getting rated PG when The Hunchback of Notre Dame, by far one of their darkest films, was only a U, is mighty misleading. It ought to be at least a 12 for the creepy overtones in this song alone).

06. Prince Ali – Aladdin (1992)

She played the fiddle in an Irish band, but she fell in love with an Englishman.

Given that romance is my favourite genre, it goes without saying that I've seen my fair share of love scenes in movies. There’s an unofficial hierarchy when it comes to how strict the BBFC, IFCO and MPAA are when it comes to lovemaking at 12A/PG-13, and it goes (from least strict to strictest): BBFC < IFCO < MPAA.

For example, the sex scenes in The Light between Oceans, Brooklyn and My Cousin Rachel received the 12A equivalent in all three films boards. About 80% of PG-13-rated sex scenes do fall in that Venn diagram intersection of BBFC, IFCO and MPAA rating sameness.

Saoirse Ronan shines in Brooklyn. She's also in the music video of Ed Sheeran's 'Galway Girl' a song I currently have stuck in my head!

My five favourite songs from FROZEN (2013).

A good musical has to have more than just one big marquee song. Frozen has several great ones, so I thought I’d do a top 5 of the ones that I liked the most. After all, it's a musical who's soundtrack I'm fairly well acquainted with, shall we say!

For there's no club in town quite as manly...

Four months on from seeing Beauty and the Beast at the cinema, I'm still absolutely obsessed with the 'Gaston' song. Even the most tenuous thing, such as the club photographed above, gets me breaking out in song. It might just be my second-ever favourite Disney song (second only to 'Let it Go', obviously).

Oh, and say hello to what will almost certainly be one of the worst films of 2017:

Restaurant review: BRASSERIE MAX (Covent Garden)

About two or three times a year, I deviate from my questionable practice of dining at mediocre restaurants using Groupon deals (and then absolutely destroying the dumps on my blog, and give patronage to restaurants which don't need deals in order to get custom. Although such an act (of paying full price for a meal) doesn't strike most as out of the ordinary, when I do, I always feel like Charli XCX, in that 'I'm so fancy', and it means I've gotten to eat at some pretty awesome places.

I had the Thanksgiving dish, which, given the time of year, I felt was apropos:

Womancrush Wednesday: Kate McKinnon.

Kate's moving, passionate performance of Hallelujah moved me to tears; the lyrics and choice of song carried extra poignancy given the tragic passing of Leonard Cohen last week.

I was super-impressed at not just how well Kate sung, but how naturally she played the piano. A quick perusal of her Wikipedia page tells me that she also plays the cello and the guitar; what a talented woman! Plus, she read Drama at Columbia university. So not only is she a supremely talented comedienne (her Hillary impression is on point, as is this sensational Carol parody), but lady is musical, and boasts and Ivy League education! Goddess!

Loving on Kate (her show-stealing turn as kooky Dr. Holtzmann in Ghostbusters is currently top of my list of Best Supporting Actress 2016) and the fact that me watching Arrival means I've now seen 50 releases, segues me nicely into listing my current top 10s of 2016.

Film

01. A United Kingdom
02. I, Daniel Blake
03. Zootropolis
04. Café Society
05. Arrival
06. Kubo and the 2 Strings
07. Someone to Talk to
08. Hell or High Water
09. Nerve
10. Captain America: Civil War

Actor, Leading Role
01. David Oyelowo, A United Kingdom 
02. Chris Pine, Hell or High Water 
03. Jesse Eisenberg, Café Society
04. Jonah Hill, War Dogs 
05. Hai Mao, Someone to Talk To 
06. Miles Teller, War Dogs 
07. Jake Gyllenhaal, Nocturnal Animals 
08. Dave Johns, I, Daniel Blake 
09. Michael Fassbender, The Light Between Oceans 
10. Yoo Hae-jin, Luck-Key

Actress, Leading Role
01. Emily Blunt, The Girl on the Train
02. Amy Adams, Arrival
03. Adriana Ugarte, Julieta
04. Mary Elizabeth Winstead, 10 Cloverfield Lane
05. Rosamund Pike, A United Kingdom
06. Emma Suárez, Julieta
07. Kate Beckinsale, Love and Friendship
08. Amy Adams, Nocturnal Animals
09. Blake Lively, The Shallows
10. Alicia Vikander, The Light Between Oceans 

Supporting actor 
01. Alden Ehrenreich, Hail, Caesar! 
02. Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Nocturnal Animals (massive improvement from his wooden performance in Anna Karenina!)
03. Ben Foster, Hell or High Water 
04. John Goodman, 10 Cloverfield Lane 
05. Jeff Bridges, Hell or High Water 
06. Tom Bennett, David Brent: Life on the Road 
07. Michael Shannon, Nocturnal Animals 
08. Tom Bennett, Love and Friendship 
09. Tom Holland, Captain America: Civil War 
10. Tom Felton, A United Kingdom

Supporting actress 
01. Kate McKinnon, Ghostbusters
02. Jena Malone, The Neon Demon
03. Hayley Squires, I, Daniel Blake 
04. Viola Davis, Suicide Squad 
05. Haley Bennett, Magnificent Seven 
06. Rooney Mara, Kubo and the Two Strings 
07. Rachel Weisz, The Light Between Oceans 
08. Terry Pheto, A United Kingdom 
09. Kristen Stewart, Café Society 
10. Kristen Bell, Bad Moms

Actors with multiple entries (for now): Amy Adams, Tom Bennett

Emsy's Favourite Songs, 2k15 edition

It starts with Kanye West, ends with Kanye West, and has everything from Taylor Swift, One Direction and Nina Simone in the middle.

1. Homecoming (Kanye West ft. Chris Martin)
2. Son of a Preacher Man (Dusty Springfield)
3. Alison (Elvis Costello)
4. What Makes You Beautiful (One Direction)
5. Rocky Raccoon (The Beatles)
6. Hallelujah (Rufus Wainwright)
7. Sinnerman (Nina Simone)
8. I Knew You Were Trouble (Taylor Swift)
9. Sexy! No No No… (Girls Aloud)
10. Clam, Crab, Cockle, Cowrie (Joanna Newsom)
11. Off to the Races (Lana del Rey)
12. Fancy (Iggy Azalea ft. Charli XCX)
13. November Has Come (Gorillaz)
14. Samson (Regina Spektor)
15. Romeo and Juliet (Dire Straits)
16. Run this Town (Rihanna, Jay-Z and Kanye West)
17. Power (Kanye West)
18. Untouchable (Girls Aloud)
19. This is What Makes Us Girls (Lana del Rey)
20. Paper Planes (M.I.A.)
21. Talk Show Host (Radiohead)
22. Lullaby (Dixie Chicks)
23. All These Things that I've Done (The Killers)
24. Angie Baby (Helen Reddy)
25. 22 (Taylor Swift)
26. Wild Boys (Duran Duran)
27. Love the Way You Lie Part II (Rihanna ft. Eminem)
28. Head over Heels (Tears for Fears)
29. Boys Don't Cry (The Cure)
30. One Thing (One Direction)
31. Good Old Fashioned Lover Boy (Queen)
32. Let it Go (Idina Menzel)
33. Problem (Ariana Grande ft. Iggy Azalea)
34. Glory Box (Portishead)
35. Hey Stephen (Taylor Swift)
36. Empire State of Mind: Broken Down (Alicia Keys)
37. 2am (The Saturdays)
38. Adia (Sarah McLachlan)
39. Tiny Dancer (Elton John)
40. Baba O'Riley (The Who)
41. Wildwood Flower (June Carter Cash)
42. The Loving Kind (Girls Aloud)
43. California Dreamin' (The Mamas and the Papas)
44. Chelsea Dagger (The Fratellis)
45. My Father's Gun (Elton John)
46. Riding in Cars with Boys (Lana del Rey)
47. Seasons of Love (Idina Menzel)
48. When She Loved Me (Sarah McLachlan)
49. Royals (Lorde)
50. Hey Jude (The Beatles)
51. Brandy Alexander (Feist)
52. Don't Stop Believin' (Journey)
53. Defying Gravity (Idina Menzel)
54. Love Affair (Regina Spektor)
55. Video Games (Lana del Rey)
56. I Don't Want to Go to Chelsea (Elvis Costello)
57. Dragon Queen (Yeah Yeah Yeahs)
58. Under Pressure (Queen ft. David Bowie)
59. Brown Eyes (Lady Gaga)
60. It Wouldn’t Have Made Any Difference (Todd Rundgren)
61. Everybody Wants to Rule the World (Tears for Fears)
62. Underneath Your Clothes (Shakira)
63. Beneath Your Beautiful (Labrinth ft. Emile Sande)
64. Breathe (Taylor Swift)
65. Travelin' Soldier (Dixie Chicks)
66. Numb Encore (Jay Z ft. Linkin Park)
67. Lovely Head (Goldfrapp)
68. I Wish I Knew How it Feels to Be Free (Nina Simone)
69. Shout (Tears for Fears)
70. She (Elvis Costello)
71. Vincent (Don McLean)
72. Golden Slumbers (K.D. Lang)
73. Lullaby (The Cure)
74. Love will Tear us Apart (Joy Division)
75. All Along the Watchtower (Devlin ft. Ed Sheeran)
76. While My Guitar Gently Weeps (The Beatles)
77. Pennies in my Pocket (Emilio Estefan)
78. Jackson (Johnny and June Carter Cash)
79. Wonderwall (Oasis)
80. Airplanes part 2 (B.o.B, Hayley Williams & Eminem)
81. The Killing Moon (Echo and the Bunnymen)
82. The River (Joni Mitchell)
83. Chasing Cars (Snow Patrol)
84. Hey Mama (Kanye West)
85. Braille (Regina Spektor)
86. Back to Black (Amy Winehouse)
87. O Saya (A.R. Rahman ft. M.I.A)
88. Baby (Justin Bieber ft. Ludacris)
89. Chillin' (WALE ft. Lady Gaga)
90. Take a Bow (Rihanna)
91. About the Boy (Little Mix)
92. Work (Kelly Rowland)
93. Ignition (Remix) (R. Kelly)
94. Breathe Me (Sia)
95. Strict Machine (Goldfrapp)
96. Notorious (Duran Duran)
97. Too Young (Phoenix)
98. Call the Shots (Girls Aloud)
99. Shake it Off (Taylor Swift)
100. Gold Digger (Kanye West ft. Jamie Foxx)

Favourite One Direction Lines

Yes, I am a little bit obsessed. Some of these are for the poetic value of the lyrics, or the way the boys sing them (such as the way Zayn belts out #8).

01. “Shot me outta the Sky, you’re my Kryptonite” – One Thing (Harry)

02. “The way that you flip your hair gets me overwhelmed” – What Makes You Beautiful (all)

03. “It hurts me to think that you never cried” – Stand Up (Niall)

04. “I lie awake just to convince myself this wasn’t just a dream” – I Should’ve Kissed You (Liam)

05. "I'm blinded 'cause you are everything I see" – More than This (Liam)

06. “I hear the beat of my heart getting louder whenever I’m near you” – I Wish (Harry)

07. “And if we get together, yeah get together, don’t let the pictures leave your phone” – Live While We’re Young (Zayn)

08. “And giiiiiiiiiiiiiiiirl, you and I, we’re ’bout to make some memories tonight” - Live While We’re Young (Zayn)

09. “So come one, you got it wrong, to prove I’m right I put it in a sooooooooong” – What Makes You Beautiful (Zayn)

10. “I would walk through the desert, I would walk down the aisle, I would swim all the oceans, just to see you smile” – Stand Up (Liam)

11. "I used to think that I was better alone / why did I ever wanna let you go?" - Rock Me (Louis)

12. “Get out, get out, get outta my head, and fall into my arms instead” – One Thing (all)

13. “It feels like I’m constantly playing a game that I’m destined to lose” – I Would (Louis)

14. “I’ve tried playing it cool, but when I’m looking at you, I can’t ever be brave, cos you make my heart race” – One Thing (Liam)

15. “Now I’m climbing the walls, but you don’t even notice at all, that I’m going outta my mind, all day and all night” – One Thing (Niall)

16. “When he lays you down I might just die inside” – More than This (Harry)

17. “I see you every time I close my eyes, what am I gonna do” – I Should’ve Kissed You (Liam)

18. “Then I see you on the street, in his arms I get weak” – More than This (Louis)

19. “It took a minute, girl, to steal my heart tonight” – Stole My Heart (Harry)

20. “There is no place I’d rather be than right here with you tonight” - Stole My Heart (Zayn)

Review of the Songs on the “Heart” (S3E13) episode of Glee

In order they were performed in the show...

01. L-O-V-E performed by Mike and Tina It’s always a novelty to hear Harry Shum, Jr sing, and he sings surprisingly well. Jenna Ushkowitz, who is often sidelined by other louder members of the Glee cast, has a terrific quality to her voice and their two voices complement each other perfectly, buoyed by some snappy Fred-and-Gingeresque dance moves as well as hilarious cut-aways to Rory and Artie competing for Sugar’s affections by trying to best each other at giving her tacky Valentines’ presents. 

I particularly liked it when Tina whipped up a paper heart magically and incorporated it into the dance. A-

02. Let Me Love You performed by Artie

Rory tells Artie, “this is a four leaf clover. You’re going to need all the luck you can get”, and this was Artie’s pretty underwhelming respite. I was never a big fan of the Mario original, and Artie’s attempt to “boy band” it up to serenade Sugar just felt a bit flat. 

Harry Shum Jr was comfortably the best of all the back-up dancers, and truth be told, I was more interested in his moves and sharp turquoise cardigan than I was in Artie’s singing. D

03. Stereo Hearts performed by the God Squad

The God Squad this week were joined by a new face, a Joe Hart (not the footballer, lamentably, but lol at the coincidence), who Quinn describes as “a modern day Jesus”. He has a nice voice, and it is complemented well with Mercedes singing falsetto. I liked the incorporation of 'Trouty' in the rapping!

Halfway through the performance the song is lifted with a gospel vibe, which many felt a bit much for Gym Class Heroes, but I thought it was adorable, and an appropriately ~magnificent~ performance as it was a singing telegram for Rachel Berry, who herself is no stranger to the spectacle.  The background warbling during the refrain complemented the sweet lyrics well, too. A

04. Home performed by Rory

Damian McGinty sang and acted well in his performance, and his soulful rendition of Buble’s moving song certainly didn’t lack the swoon factor, but he was rooted to the spot and that bored me somewhat. I practically have ADD, OK, I need a bit more in the way of visual pyrotechnics! C+

05. I Will Always Love You performed by Mercedes

The showcase number of the show, as well an oddly prophetic song choice (R.I.P. Whitney Houston). Amber Riley’s acting during the performance is amazing – making us genuinely feel her dilemma, rather than before, when it’d seemed like somewhat of a first world problem that she had two potential suitors. 

The lilting guitar in the background works perfectly to accompany Riley’s powerful vocals (when she hits the IIIIIIII, I got shivers) without detracting from her performance, which would have been quite some achievement even without the sad news of Whitney’s passing. 

With it, though, it marks one of the most genuinely emotional performances amidst the peppy, superficial ones that we’re so used to in Glee. A/A+

06. Cherish performed by the God Squad

My girl Dianna Agron gets to take centre stage, and she has a voice to match her face; laced with honey. Her dulcet tones suit this cute number perfectly, and the many shots of Santana (looking beautiful) with her girl Brittany capture the schmaltzy, sweet side of Valentines Day. A-.

07. Love Shack performed by Blaine, Mercedes, Rachel, Brittany, Santana and Kurt

Blaine bungs up, “back from the dead”, as Sugar sensitively phrases it, to end this week’s Glee on a high, and a good chunk of Glee club also feature in his fun rendition of Love Shack. It’s very camp and karaoke, but Blaine’s vocals are always welcomed, and Kurt’s facial expressions when he does his lines are hilarious. B+

Favourite lines from Lana del Rey's 'Born to Die'.

01. “He got a soul as sweet as blood red jam and he shows me, he knows me, every inch of my tar black soul” – Off to the Races

02. “I heard you like the bad girls honey, is that true?” – Video Games

03. “We all look for heaven and we put our love first / Somethin' that we'd die for, it's our curse” – This is What Makes Us Girls

04. “Baby put on heart-shaped sunglasses, cos we gonna go for a ride” – Diet Mtn Dew

05. “All my friends tell me I should move on, I’m lying in the ocean, singing your song” – Dark Paradise

06. “You said I was the most exotic flower / Holding me close in our final hour” – Million Dollar Man

07. “Come take a walk on the wild side, let me kiss you hard in the pouring rain, you like your girls insane” – Born to Die

08. “Because I’m crazy baby, I need you to come here and save me” – Off to Races

09. “I want my cake and I want to eat it too” – Lolita

10. “Now my life is sweet like cinnamon / Like a fucking dream I'm living in” - Radio

A Look Ahead to Best Original Song, 2010.

Hiya, I thought it’s high time I got my finger out and actually did some proper film blogging, haha. And what better way than to analyse each of the Oscar nominated categories? So, whilst I brush up on watching the remaining 2010 Oscar nominated movies that I need to watch, I thought I’d analyse the one category wherein I don’t need to watch the movies to analyse the category: best song. Of course, the whole aim of a song is that it’s supposed to epitomize the film, and in that case, having seen the film might improve my appreciation of the song, so in that case, 127 Hours and Toy Story 3 might be at a (dis)advantage. But I’mma try to analyse these songs from a purely aural point of view, ignoring context.

Oh yeah, and if you're wondering what the frick this is, it's basically me pretentiously rambling on about the things I love, the things I hate and everything in between in all the Oscar nominated categories (or just the ones I can be arsed with). Past examples: costume 2007 / score 2006 / supporting actress 2007 etc etc

The nominees are:
127 Hours: A.R. Rahman, Rollo Armstrong, Dido- "If I Rise"
Country Strong: Tom Douglas, Hillary Lindsey, Troy Verges - "Coming Home"
Tangled: Alan Menken, Glenn Slater- "I See the Light"
Toy Story 3: Randy Newman - "We Belong Together"

My rankings and grades:
01. Coming Home/Country Strong

A country music ballad as good as they used to make ‘em, Gwyneth Paltrow’s surprisingly mellifluous voice (check her out in her performance in Glee, covering “Forget You”, he sass and swagger gave me a newfound appreciation of the song and cemented its place as my favourite song of 2010) sings about finding love and one’s place in the world. Standard topics, then, but her belting out “H-oooome” in the chorus is so powerful that it almost evokes the nostalgia-type emotions that I get in listening to my personal favourite song about homecomings, Kanye West’s Homecoming. A.

02. We Belong Together / Toy Story 3
“When we're together/Gray skies are clearer./And I'll share them, till where I'm less depressed./And it's sincerely, from the bottom of my heart/I just can't take it when we're apart” go the sweet but very Disneyfied lyrics of Randy Newman’s Oscar nominated Toy Story 3 entry. Whilst not quite touching the heart quite as much as “You’ve Got a Friend in Me” did, it’s still an adorable song which can bung a smile or two on my face with its unapologetically uplifting lyrics. B+

03. I See the Light/Tangled

A very pretty song, but emotionally, it doesn’t really do anything for me. It starts with the female lead singing a verse, then the male lead singing a verse, then, surprise surprise, the two of them fusing into a harmony. Musically, it’s hardly revolutionary, and, as with Randy Newman’s Toy Story 3 song, the lyrics are so massively Disney that it borders on tedious. The guitars, strings and piano chords are all very nice though. C.

04. If I Rise/127 Hours
Urgh. I’ll be analyzing Best Original Score tomorrow, wherein I’m not gonna bother hiding my disdain for 127 Hours bagging a nomination for its joke of a score. But yet another travesty is that it stained the Best Song category, when there really were many other more deserving songs that should have been nominated. Dido, on seeing how successful M.I.A. got with her super-swaggerous “O Saya” in Slumdog Millionaire, teams up with A.R. Rahman to wail away on this crappy song. I quite like Rollo’s vocals in the chorus, but Dido’s caterwauling and the bland lyrics are just disgraceful. E.

Who should win: Coming Home
Who will win: I legit have no idea! Um, If I Rise from 127 Hours?

Who should have been nominated: “Sticks and Stones” from How to Train Your Dragon, and that ain’t even a fucking question!!!!! Such a good song that it’s already been employed in a bunch of “2010: a retrospect” type montages, it sums up the film perfectly; highs, lows, and loving life. Terrifically fast-paced and with more life than an energiser bunny, this really is an adorably sweet song. I was also a fan of “Never Say Never” from The Karate Kid, though that is hugely due to Jaden Smith’s “no pun intended, raised by the power of Will” line. Lawlzswagger.

But yeah, “Sticks and Stones” from How to Train your Dragon is literally sublime. And that's an Emmabung kind of literally, not a Redknapp kind of literally. ;) Me and my bro spent all Christmas dancing around our house to it like the nerds we are. You’ll hear it on lots more awards shows and montages, mark my words, so you best download it here now so when your mates say “I wonder what song that is, it’s nice”, you can wow them with your trivia. ;)