I mayyyy have mentioned that I would be changing up my blog a bit to reflect the lifestyle I'm starting to adopt, and I am so excited to get to share all of my favorite new things with you! Over the past six months, I've been learning about many great Swedish artists that I basically listen to non-stop. Abba is a group that I've been obsessed with since I was in my teens, and when I was in high school, I was a big fan of many Swedish bands including the Division of Laura Lee, The Hives and The Sounds. But these other five artists are new to me, and I'm loving all of their music (especially Zara Larsson, who we almost saw in Stockholm while I was there). Check out the playlist below and feel free to leave a comment with a Swedish or other international artist you're loving at the moment!
It's almost summer, guys! Not going to lie, but it's probably my least favorite time of the year. It gets really hot here in LA, which I do not like. But, one thing that I'm sure of is that I always manage to make some pretty killer playlists for the drives to the beach, Palm Springs, and even just to the grocery store. I really mostly only listen to 1950s and 60s music (my XM radio station is either always on the 50s station or Elvis), and I love everything I've been hearing lately, so I thought I'd share my current favorite songs! What songs do you love from this era? <3
It's no surprise that Elvis Presley is one of my all time favorite musicians, but he's also one of my favorite actors, too. I recently went on an Elvis movie-watching binge, and was able to see 29 out of the 33 total movies he made (31 were scripted, two were concert performance documentaries). Though most of his films are considered to be pretty awful (formulaic with bad scripts, cheap sets and throw away music), I really enjoy most of them. They're quirky, fun, and the music is still great (because it's Elvis, and he can do no wrong in my eyes). I would say the ones that are definitely not worth running out to see are Clambake (except for the bizarre scene in which he sings to children in a schoolyard), Paradise Hawaiian Style, and Harum Scarum. He was obligated to act in at least three movies a year, giving him almost no time to tour which was something he was really loved to do, and hadn't done since before going into the army. Here's a list of my top Elvis picks to see.
1. Live A Little, Love A Little (1968), Directed by Norman Taurog
Elvis played a photographer, who was lured into living with a crazy, bohemian woman and her dog. Elvis was in top form when he filmed this, partly because he was preparing for the 1968 Comeback Special (basically the best live show he ever was a part of. Also... leather suit. Enough said.) He had energy, looked excited to be part of it, and his acting/comedy were genius. I also love the psychedelic scene where he sang "Edge of Reality" (which involved him falling down a rabbit hole and a talking dog), as well as the party scene where he sang "A Little Less Conversation" (be sure to keep your eyes peeled for the goofiest red headed guy, dancing in the background). I can't get enough of this movie. I'll admit I've probably seen it 20 times, and it never gets old. To me, it's unlike any of his other movies because in this one, the story actually had a plot, the characters were dynamic, the music was great, and Elvis was at his best. It was one of the more "adult" films that he worked on, and I totally love that about it. As fun as it is to watch all the silly, vacant Elvis films, it's nice to see him in something he could really sink his teeth into. You can tell from watching that he took this role very seriously, and I can safely say it's my favorite Elvis movie.
2. Viva Las Vegas(1964), Directed by George Sidney
This is basically the quintessential musical comedy that Elvis starred in. It's a film that most people have heard of, and was the most successful at the box office. But there's definitely a reason for it. At this time, Elvis was 29, and was in the midst of those silly, poorly written films, and though this storyline wasn't the strongest of the bunch, it packed the most punch because of his co-star, Ann Margret, who was considered to be the female Elvis of that time. She had the ultimate sex appeal, was wild and crazy, and had incredible charisma. Together, they had sizzling chemistry that you could see and feel when watching them together. Elvis played a race car driver (which was a profession he was to play in many of his films) who fell in love with a swim instructor at the local hotel he was working at part time. I particularly love the song Ann Margret sang, "My Rival" in which she prepared sandwiches while singing and dancing around the kitchen. It's an incredible piece of cinema that sadly did not get the credit it deserved. My favorite dance number would have to be the one below for "C'mon Everybody". You can't help but snap your fingers and wiggle around like Ann did here. I mean, the lady was crazy for Elvis, and who could blame her? (On a side note, my best friend's father who is a dance choreographer was a dancer in this film, which makes it even more exciting for me especially since we've been best friends since we were six and the lightbulb on this only JUST went off recently). The one thing I don't understand, though, is the bizarre ending, which if you don't know what I'm talking about, you'll have to see for yourself.
3. Blue Hawaii (1961), Directed by Norman Taurog
Elvis, beautiful shots of Hawaii AND Angela Lansbury playing his mom? Genius. It's the perfect setting for an Elvis film. He played a tour guide in this one, and there were many great songs/dance numbers. It's kind of the perfect Elvis film, and I don't know what to say about it other than that. Also, he wore short shorts. My favorite musical number was when Elvis landed in jail. It really reminds me of what Johnny Depp's character did in "Cry Baby" when he was in jail singing his parts for "Please Mr Jailer". In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if John Waters borrowed from Blue Hawaii. It's a great scene, where Elvis is acting pretty simply, and with a great song to go along with it.
4. Tickle Me (1965), Directed by Norman Taurog
Good god. This movie. Well, in a nutshell, it's one of Elvis' campiest movies to date. In it, Elvis played a rodeo rider, who ended up in a small town, and took a job at a spa for women (actresses, models and the like), who were paying to stay there to lose weight. It's a really bizarre concept, and totally ridiculous, but SO fun. Elvis sang to a bunch of women in cool 1960's bikinis, and even ended up in a haunted house in an old western town. I really love it for its stupidity. It's sort of a mockery of the type of movies he did where girls were falling all over him. In this, the "falling all over" thing is to the extreme. He definitely looked like he was having fun, and didn't care that the script was so dumb (well, he probably did, but you can't tell). It did actually have somewhat of a plot, the wardrobe was pretty great (and the songs weren't half bad, either). My favorite scenes were when Elvis was inside the haunted house (or more like, haunted, abandoned motel) because the set is so fun, and Elvis was just being so cool and relaxed throughout the whole thing. Love this one to pieces.
5. Double Trouble (1967), Directed by Norman Taurog
I'll admit it. This is easily one of the stupidest Elvis movies ever made. It is TRULY a bad film. But I think that's why it's so great. The girl who played his co-star had never been in a film before, and I think she was actually pretty charming for having zero experience. But they had little chemistry, and the songs were really trivial. This film did actually have a plot, and it is a rather fun one, at that, because you get to see some action (multuple people following him across Europe to either capture the girl or to steal money from his suitcase). I just think it's a fun ride and there's no reason not to like it if you're prepared to watch something that is pretty horrendous (if you are a big film snob who can't stand campy musical comedies - this is not for you). In this film, Elvis played a touring musician who was dating an underage girl (who had been lying about her age). She traveled with him around Europe as he swore he was going to bring her to her aunt in Sweden because he couldn't be with a girl so young (which is funny, because in real life, Elvis had a thing for young girls). But you know.. he obviously fell for her in the end. Oh and the scene in Antwerp when they were at the carnival.. pretty surreal (and the masks were cool). Oh! And my best friend's dad (who I mentioned earlier into this blog post), made an appearance dancing near Elvis once again (wearing a Pinocchio-like costume). I really shouldn't be showing this scene as an example of why this movie is so bad it's good, but in a way, I can't NOT show this. With an oink oink here, oink oink there...
Honorable Mentions:
Spinout (Shelley Fabares co-starred in this one as well, and it almost made the list):
Girl Happy (Another fun-loving, easy-breezy Elvis musical co-starring Shelley Fabares):
Change of Habit (co-starring Mary Tyler Moore! His last feature film and most serious role to date as he played a doctor in the ghetto):
I have a habit of listening to the same bands (and the same songs) over and over when I first get into them. This year so far has been all about Foxygen, The Growlers, Coeur de Pirate (adorable - totally makes me want to watch Amelié) and (always),The Walker Brothers. What are you currently obsessed with? I'd love some recommendations!
For anyone who doesn't know who Nick Thorburn is, get on your iTunes and look him up. He's known for his bands The Unicorns, Islands, and Mister Heavenly, a cute little side project that I cannot get enough of these days. I just came across this cover he did of a Daniel Johnston song which is lovely, and I hope you find it to be lovely, too.
I had a meeting today over on the west side of LA, and after the meeting I thought it would be fitting to stop at my favorite bakery called Susiecakes. For anyone who's not familiar, Susiecakes is the cutest little bakeshop in town. They have a small handful of locations scattered around Los Angeles (ie Brentwood, Calabasas, Newport Beach and Manhattan Beach), as well as a few locations up north (Marin, San Francisco and Menlo Park). Their specialty is (according to their website) "creating simple, American classics using all natural ingredients, and everything is made from scratch." My favorite item of theirs is their classic vanilla cupcake, but you can't really go wrong with anything they have. When I get married someday, I hope that SusieCakes will cater my desserts.
Today was also a really magical day in LA, weather-wise. The sun was shining and there was a slight breeze in the air, but for January, wow. We are lucky out here. To celebrate, I decided to take a drive down Pacific Coast Highway, and put my ipod on shuffle. What came out was the most brilliant playlist ever, and I knew I had to share. I encourage you to listen to each song in order as that will give you the perfect mix. Enjoy!
I've been going back and forth on who/what band to share next, and I've come to the conclusion that the only right thing to do is to share my love of the Spice Girls. I mean, they pretty much made me who I am today. Girl power is no joke, my friends. When they first hit the scene, I was still what they call a "tween". I was in middle school, had really short, awful bangs, giant frizzy hair, braces, and of course, zits. I knew that I was different from a lot of other girls my age (I liked to shop at vintage clothing stores and was obsessed with 1960's icons), and when I first saw the "Wannabe" video on VH1, I fell in love. The music, the outfits, the 5 different identities to choose from (I always loved Baby & Posh).. not to mention the amazing merchandise that came out of it - dolls (I still have all ten dolls. They need to be worth something someday!!), the lollipops, shirts, THE MOVIE!!, etc. I'm so happy that I re-discovered them and that I can now share my love with all of you! Here are my top three favorite videos (don't tell me you aren't amazed and/or smiling):
What memories do you have of the Spice Girls? Were you ever a fan?
My boyfriend and his band played a show last night that was their first show in about a year (or more). I thought it would be fun to kick off the "advance cd release show" with some cupcakes. I've been known to take shortcuts with baking, like using a box cake mix (think Duncan Hines or Betty Crocker) to help me on my way. But I will say that I am against boxed frosting and choose to make my own. This time I used Magnolia Bakery's signature vanilla frosting(recipe found here - I got the idea from my favorite blog Cupcakes & Cashmere) and it came out perfect! It was honestly the easiest recipe ever and I'm definitely going to use it again. The cute little things on top are chocolate graham crackers that I cut into coffin shapes to mimic his band's album theme of nails, coffins, and well.. Creepy Crawlies (that's his band's facebook page link, by the way. I urge you to check it out.)
