Music: Iconic ABBA forever

Posted on by 20poorandfabulous
Fucking pop music ICONS. Image via billboard.com

ABBA. What an iconic, amazing and legendary band. I listen to ABBA’s album GOLD: Greatest Hits at least once a week. I love pop and disco, and ABBA is the quintessential representation of those two genres.

Their music is so good that it has been on Broadway in the musical Mamma Mia, a fictional tale sculpted from ABBA’s music. IT began in 1999 in London’s West End at the Prince Edward Theatre and still runs to this day. It’s definitely a show I and all ABBA lovers MUST see. The Meryl Streep movie is awesome, but live theater is the fucking shit, especially if there is song and dance.

Image via passportmagazine.com

I actually discovered ABBA through the A-Teens, a Swedish pop group formed in the late 90s that paid tribute to ABBA. Their first album titled The ABBA Generation consisted purely of ABBA covers. Their version of “Mamma Mia” was pretty huge for being a cover, but it’s such a good song that you’d have to be a complete idiot to fuck its cover up.

I can’t pick a favorite ABBA song, because it has changed so many times over the years. At first it was “Take a Chance on Me”, then it went to “Lay All Your Love on Me”. Next was the fight between “Money, Money, Money” for it’s theatrical, dramatic production and “Gimme, Gimme, Gimme (A Man After Midnight)” for it’s relatable subject. Right now, I’m jammin’ on “Fernando” and “One of Us”.

Their songs encapsulate an often cryptic tale of struggling relationships. The four members of the group, Agnetha Fältskog, Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus and Anni-Frid Lyngstad comprised of two couples: Ulvaeus-Fältskog and Andersson-Lynstad. The couples eventually both divorced and now claim to never reunite again. You can tell in the lyrics of their songs that even at the height of their fame, the relationships were ripe with disconnect and pain.

Gimme gimme gimme those outfits! Image via broadwaysd.com

It’s also good to know that ABBA was not your modern day pop group. Benny and Björn played live instruments while the women sang live (what a shocker!). They worked on all of their songs obsessively until they sounded exactly right. The ladies, Anni-Frid and Agnetha would come in a make suggestions on the songs and ultimately had final say when it came to lyrics and lyrical melody.

I’ve come to realize that it’s pretty progressive to have a pop group with both men and women. They were all sexualized I’m sure, but it was the 70s so who wasn’t?! I like that the men and women are both showing skin, as opposed to just the women being made into sexual objects. Back then, everyone and everything was an equal sexual object. The only modern male-female pop group I can think of is the Black Eyed Peas, but I wouldn’t exactly call them progressive since I never see any of those men taking their clothes off with Fergie-ferg. Prudes!

Anyways, if you haven’t ever listened to much ABBA besides their karoake favorite “Dancing Queen”, you’re in for the treat of your life. Here are some videos of “Fernando” and a seriously awesome live clip of “Gimme Gimme Gimme (A Man After Midnight)” from Wembley in 1979. Welcome to the best collective 8 minutes of your life.

Celebrité: Brad and Angelina have their own Downton Abbey

Posted on by 20poorandfabulous

As I lay here, dying from Downton Abbey withdrawal (the clothes! the accents! the incest!), Brad and Angelina have obviously found a cure for their very own DA withdrawals. They’ve just purchased a 13 million dollar mansion in London called Whornes Place, presumably to live out their own sort of upstairs/downstairs drama while we all feverishly wait for season three of Downton Abbey (fuck you September!).

Can you imagine a Mr. Pamuk dying in the bedroom of an 18-year-old rebellious Zahara? Or Pax going off to valiantly fight the Germans? Will they have their very own Mr. Bates and Anna? Will Shiloh be the heart-on-her-sleeve modern version of Lady Sybil? Only time will tell folks, only time will tell.

All I know is Whornes Place would be the best show in the history of shows, ever. PLEEEEEEEASE BRANGELINA! They won’t do it because they’re all eloquent and shit. But maybe SNL could pick it up as a recurring skit. Or webisodes on Youtube. Someone’s gotta have enough free time. Yeah? YEAH?!

Spotted: John Mayer in Minneapolis

Posted on by 20poorandfabulous
Image thanks to Facebook, Bri Kolb and Paul Moore

Two of my HAWT friends ran into a little someone today in Dinkytown in Minneapolis. John Mayer. Outside of the Loring Pasta Bar.

JM, WHAT are you doing in that hat?! Rich people, man.

 Seeing as this isn’t LA, this star spotting is quite noteworthy. I wonder where he’s going tonight? Aqua? Jet Set? College frat cowboy-themed party?

Good work guys!!!

Forever Young: Jessie Spano’s caffeine pill addiction

Posted on by 20poorandfabulous
"GIVE ME MY FUCKING PILLS ZACH." Image via shepherdstv.wordpress.com

Jessie Spano and her caffeine pills (that could totally be a band name). One of the most classic, semi-harmless addictions of all time. And to stay awake to study for tests, no less! Most people take drugs because they hate their boring lives, not to prepare for a better future. Well done, Jessie Spano. You took drugs to a whole nother level. Proud of you, girl.

Television: Girls “All Adventurous Women Do”

Posted on by 20poorandfabulous
Lena Dunham, director/writer/creator should have more photo shoots like this. Image via autumndewilde.tumblr.com

The latest episode of “Girls” reads sort of like a 20-something sexual PSA. HPV, safe sex, virgins and temptation are all the rage!

“I’ve got HPV,” could have been uttered while looking into the camera. Only nervous puffs of a cigarette were missing from Hannah’s storyline this week where it is revealed that she has HPV. Of course accusations fly about where this pesky persona non-grata came from: Either her shitty current boyfriend or her shitty former flame. Neat!

Recap

Image via businessinsider.com

Hannah

Her shitty current boyfriend says he didn’t give it to her because he already got tested (Liar! Because there is no general test for all kinds of HPV), so Hannah contacts her college boyfriend to let him know/accuse him of giving it to her, but since there is no test, she doesn’t really know where it comes from. On top of the HPV mystery (new Nancy Drew-inspired series idea?) her ex-boyfriend reveals that he’s gay, which is probably one of the worst things anyone could ever hear about their ex, male or female. Awkward sexual memories flooding back, deception and feelings of inadequacy are never fun, especially when you have HPV.

Jessa

Jessa gets a babysitting job and smokes pot with the dad. Not quite how I remember babysitting, but that was 8th grade and I didn’t know what weed was.

Zosia Mamet is the shit. Image via businessinsider.com

 Shoshana

The virgin thing comes up again with Shoshana. Being a virgin in your 20s must be nerve-wracking and annoying due to the whispered and dead-serious tone she always takes. It’s like she’s admitting to murdering someone every time she says it. She also spills that Jessa, like Hannah, has HPV. Except that Jessa has a couple different strains, because”All adventurous women do.” Confusingly inspired.

I wish Shoshanna would  get some more air time, because the actress plays the part really well. She’s endearing and funny, and everyone has a friend like her. If you don’t, then ew. I could use more Shoshana storyline time than Marnie for sure.

Marnie

Which gets us to Marnie. She hates her boyfriend so much, it’s hard to watch. I get that people get comfortable in relationships, but good god. Her bf shaved his head and as a surprise revealed it to Marnie. She fucking hated it, but I’m pretty sure she hates his face anyways and would hate anything on him, even the biggest diamond and creme brulee in the world. He then told her that he shaved his head to support a coworker with cancer, which prompts Marnie to yell at him for “making her look like a bitch.” Yeah. That’s what made you a bitch.

Later on, at her hipper-than-hip job at an art gallery, she meets some pretentious and short artist who is the dick she always dreamed of and everything her sweet boyfriend is not. He tells her “to not give as much of a shit” about things which is so condescending and lame but she fucking loves it. They go on a quick walk during the show in which there is a lot of sexual tension that drives Marnie to masturbating, standing up (what a feat!) in the bathroom during the art show. Weird.

This episode pretty much only redeemed itself when Robyn’s “Dancing On My Own” came on. Hannah and Marnie start dancing despite their shitty and weird days which was the only realistic part in a show that’s supposed to be “crazy real.” Here’s hoping the show gets better and the story-lines thicken up a little bit, or I think this show is gonna go away faster than Jessa’s pregnancy/miscarriage from episode 2 that was never spoken of again!

Movies: “This is 40” makes 40 look like the new 34

Posted on by 20poorandfabulous
Image via screencrush.com

This movie looks really good. Judd Apatow anything is usually a safe bet. This is 40 is the kind of sequel to Knocked Up, but centers on Pete and Debbie’s relationship as they turn 40.

Paul Rudd is fucking fantastic always, and Leslie Mann is beautiful and awesome as a 40-year-old hot lady. Seriously, these people make 40 look like the new 30. Growing up is so easy for us. 30 is the new 24, and 40 is the new 30. 50 is 50 and 65 is the new 38, but with free time and no student loan payments.

Check out the trailer. I’m glad someone is making 40 look realistic but not so stupidly pathetic. Nothing ever HAS to be pathetic at 40, except like cosplay maybe, and still living with your parents.

Yay 40s!

The 30 Rock live shows are everything right with TV

Posted on by 20poorandfabulous
Yes that is Kim Kardashian. Blarg. Image via hollywood.com

Live TV is SO MUCH FUN. Especially when you have the best of the bests (and best pals of Tina Fey) stop by to help out. This episode is so amazing, with so many guest stars and awesome cameos that I don’t want to spoil for you. The best part is, the episode is in two versions. The east coast version and the west coast version. Both live, as the cast performed twice! Check out the east coast episode here and the west coast episode here.

Yes I watched both of them. Yes they are both awesome. 30 Rock forever. I LOVE YOU TINA FEY AND COMPANY!!!!!!!!!!!!

Interweb: Jenna Marbles’ Drunk Makeup Tutorial

Posted on by 20poorandfabulous
F'real. Image via youtube

I’ve never watched a Jenna Marbles episode before on Youtube, mainly because her name is ‘Jenna Marbles’ and that kind of sounds like a D-list comedienne from Gary, Indiana or something. Like she eats farts and then vlogs about it. But no. She’s the kind of gal you wanna get day drunk with at a kid’s t-ball game deep in the midwest.

Her drunk makeup tutorial is so fucking true. Having to get ready for a night of drinking after a day of drinking is a serious hurdle. Eyeliner has never been harder, blush has never been so bright and mascara gets everywhere. I thought she look good until the the fake eyelashes, which I’ve never used before because they seem like way too much work. Dudes will never notice fake eyelashes. And if they do, they’re probably serial killers.

Forever Young: Lisa Left Eye Lopes

Posted on by 20poorandfabulous
Image via thatgrapejuice.net

Remember when the rap part of 90s smash TLC hit “Waterfalls” used to get cut out of the radio edit?! Blasphemous! Also, remember when rap was edgy? Now it’s a shitty haircut away from being synthy euro trash. This decade is fun!

Yesterday marked the ten year anniversary of Left Eye’s untimely death. She died in a car crash in Honduras, where she was staying at the time on a spiritual and physical pilgrimage. The VH1 documentary shows the last days of her life, and even the crash itself as her friend in the passenger seat was filming at the time of the accident. It’s a really interesting doc, because during her stay in Honduras, she believed a spirit was following her and trying to kill her. It’s a good watch.

RIP Lisa. It does not feel like she died 10 years ago. On her casket, some lyrics from her part of “Waterfalls” were engraved: “Dreams are hopeless aspirations, in hopes of coming true, believe in yourself, the rest is up to me and you.” Damn right, girl.