Boybands Suck! (part 2)

Sorry. I just love that title so much I had to use it again.

This sudden nostalgia for boybands of years gone by is no thanks to my pal Lee Ann. It has been our tradition to greet each other during birthdays of our favorite boyband members. Two weekends ago happened to be Steo's (formerly of Irish group Boyzone) birthday and I was so bushed that I'd forgotten all about it. And Lee had to remind me about the occasion through a text message--which got a smile from me. It's been a decade since boyband madness and we're still at it, even if our taste in music has evolved (thankfully) over the years.

It took me quite sometime to come up with a list of boybands I've known in the past, just to see if I could come up with one and prolly think back of the songs that made them in one small way or another--or not. LOL! I actually came up with several of them.

CDB--I know they were Aussies and they did covers of "Let Us Groove" and "Get Down On It." I can't remember their names but I know that CDB stood for Create, Dream, and Believe.

World's Apart--I can't remember their faces and never knew their names. But I do remember their single "Baby, Come Back" and its music video set on a beach with four (or was it five?) young men in it.

Take 5--I didn't know their names, can't remember their faces--and it's no wonder since I prolly just saw the video of their remake of "The Tide Is High" less than five times.

Bed and Breakfast--I drew a blank on this group. But I remember their single "If you Were Mine" 'cause Lee had their record and we used to listen to listen to it a million and a half years ago in high school.

OTT--It meant Over the Top--just like how I don't remember them at all. I had to trust Lee when she said they did a cover of "All Out Of Love." Aight.

CITA--Or Caught In The Act. Just like the others, there are no names or faces that come to mind--but I do remember hearing one of the members became a boyfriend of another boygroup member. And I liked their single "Let This Love Begin."

No Mercy--There were three Latino guys in this group and I still like their songs "When I Die" and My Promise To You" up until now.

3T--MJ's nephews. I loved "Anything" (thank God for YouTube) and I happen to remember their faces, just not all their names.

911--Three British guys and the lead vocalist was named Lee. I remember the butterflies in their "The Day We Found Love" vid.

Plus One--An American fivesome that started out as a gospel group. I can recall their faces but never bothered to know their names (I was just about done with boybands when they came out, that's why) although I do know most of the lyrics to "Last Flight Out."

Point Break--I really liked their last single "You" but I also remember having the most irritating time checking the Web about this group--the search results keep on giving me Point Break the movie. (Hmm, come to think of it. It might have been pre-Google era.)

Damage--They were five British guys but I only remember Jade 'cause he's hot (and the on-again, off-again beau of Baby Spice--and now the father of her child, too). They did one of my all-time faves, "Forever."

A1--A British foursome that released a lot of singles. I loved their single "One more Try"

Human Nature--The Aussie foursome who sang in the Sydney Olympics. I think. I liked the Hugh Dancy-lookalike in the group and I loved "Wishes," "Don't Say Goodbye" and "Eternal Flame."

And then there were those who lasted more than their first single.

5ive--A British group that burst into the scene with the upbeat "Slam Dunk The Funk" but my favorite work by them are two ballads: "Until The Time Is Through" and "Closer To Me."

98 Degrees--I prolly wouldn't have liked this group if I didn't hear "Invisible Man"--totally love that song. But totally hated the video for it--too much of a rip-off of Take That's "Back For Good." You can't convince me that it wasn't.

East Seventeen (E17)--An old British group foursome that I came to know when they released their greatest hits album. Their music was disco pop--which was prolly wouldn't sell in mainstream music today. But I still love listening to that record because it was so reminiscent of the '90s. "Stay Another Day" is still a personal hit.

Code Red--For singing "This Is Our Song," I'll always like this group. They did release some other singles but they all paled in comparison to their debut effort.

Westlife--The first reason why I really liked this group was that Ronan Keating co-managed them when they were still starting out. Then they became this huge pop phenomena (except in the US, as usual) and I got tired of them. Although I did enjoy the war of words between their fans and A1's. Funny that.

Blue--This group was a victim of my boyband withdrawal. It took quite some time before I really started listening to their music. I loved their uptempo ballads and they were hot, hot, hot! So, why not?

N'Sync--I was already in love with a number of groups when I heard of them. Had that not been the case, it would have been so easy to become a true blue N'Sync fan. But that doesn't mean I didn't go gaga about them or their songs or their dance routines, not to mention those wonderful live production numbers.

Backstreet Boys--One memory that stands out in my mind was not being able to sleep the night before I bought their first album. That just proved how crazy I was about this group. I used to tune in to MTV just to wait for their vids to come on. AJ, Howie, Kevin, Brian, Nick. That about summed it all.

Boyzone--I still don't get it why I was so freakingly gaga about these five Irish lads. But there it was (is?). From their debut album to their greatest hits album to their post-group ballad collection--I could sing all of their songs, word for word, at one time in the past. I'd probably stumble through some parts in some songs these days but I'd still be okay. BZ for me was the best boygroup after the bestest group there was, Take That.

So, you see, boybands suck big time. They made us fall in love with them (in my case, at least) and the next moment, they just go poof! And some members turn out to be gay. Bad. But I don't give a damn. They're something to keep in my mental archive that's for sure and I'm not ashamed to say that I was once a boyband groupie.

How about ya? Have you ever been terminally crazy about a specific group? Can you recall some groups that came and went in the boyband caravan?

Dreamboat Express: Andy Roddick

I don't think this guy needs an introduction. I could just start posting his pics and you'd understand why he's worthy of being in the Dreamboat Express.

I first heard of Andy Roddick right after he started playing pro tennis. He was dubbed as one of the future stars of American tennis. And he didn't disappoint his public. Although his résumé could be a lot better, he is still a force to be reckoned with in the sport. You don't want to get in the way of his aces, believe me.

Having had dated Mandy Moore is something to be added in his non-tennis résumé. That hug that they shared right after he won his first US Open in '03 was a sight to remember. And now rumors abuzz that he's dating Maria Sharapova. I've no problems with that--they make a handsome couple.

The French Open is just a month or so away and I hope he gets farther than he has ever been in past tournaments. I don't ask for a lot but a picture of him winning the Wimbledon or another US Open will be something for my mental archive. I think it's high time for him to win another Grand Slam. Don't you think?

Dreamboat Express: Alan Smith

:Hmm. This was no hardship to decide on who to feature on this week's Dreamboat Express.

Alan Smith (October 20, 1980) caught my eye when he was still playing for Leeds United. And I don't mean that because he looks so damn cute. He also happens to be an excellent footballer, too! But I truly became a fan of his when he came to play for Manchester United and then played with Becks in the England national squad. Honestly? I'm not a big fan of bleached hair but I have not seen him in another hair color so I really can't compare.

Unfortunately for him, he broke his leg early last year. That injury led for him to miss the World Cup in Germany last summer and that just broke my heart for him. It was going to be his first WC and I really thought that he was a force in the team. He spent the better part of the year recuperating from that fracture and has since been playing regular footy with ManUtd's reserve team for their reserve matches. He did play the full 90 minutes in the ManUtd Jubilee match last week so I'm sure sir Alex will be putting him back in the regular starting line-up soon. Alan is fighting for that spot and I hope that he will also be playing in the national squad again as soon as he can. He's a young a talent that England--and whatever club he'll be playing for--can use in the years to come.

The Hottest Songs When I Turned 18

I got this from the usual suspect, Dee, but my brain has been in deep-fry mode lately that I'd forgotten that I had started a post on this, let alone publish it.

The core idea is to post the top songs of 2000, the year I turned 18 (as posted on popculturemadness.com). But since this post is kinda late, I'm doing it a bit differently. I'm putting the songs I liked then and even up to now in bold, the songs I liked then but not anymore in italics, and the ones I never liked or never even heard of (because that's practically the same) in regular text. And Dee did only the top 10 songs but here, I'm gonna do 25. Proof that I've got nothing else to blog about right now--except for editing some stuff in my older posts, e.g. the Living Goldenballs posts.

1. Who Let The Dogs Out - Baha Men
2. Oops! I Did It Again - Britney Spears
3. Larger Than Life - Backstreet Boys
4. The Real Slim Shady - Eminem
5. Say My Name - Destiny's Child
6. Party Up - DMX
7. It's Gonna Be Me - N*Sync
8. With Arms Wide Open - Creed
9. Thong Song - SisqO
10. Graduation - Vitamin C
11. Bye Bye Bye - N*Sync
12. Jumpin' Jumpin' - Destiny's Child
13. I Turn To You - Christina Aguilera
14. Try Again - Aaliyah
15. Only God Knows Why - Kid Rock
16. She Bangs - Ricky Martin
17. Lucky - Britney Spears
18. The Bad Touch - Bloodhound Gang
19. Faded - Soul Decision
20. Come On Over - Christina Aguilera
21. Pinch Me - Barenaked Ladies
22. I Wanna Know - Joe
23. Back Here - BBMak
24. Country Grammar - Nelly
25. It Wasn't Me - Shaggy with Ricardo Ducent

Looking at the list, it seems like I had some really tacky picks. And I think no less tackier than now. LOL! And I'm gonna pick out my most favorite in the lot. And that would be: Graduation by Vitamin C. I know. It's a cheesy song. But that's the truth. Reality does bite, huh?

Red Devils 4, Europe XI 3

So the Red Devils of northern England did triumph over some of Europe's finest footballers in their Jubilee match. Yey! These guys are good and just as David Beckham said in his interview with MUTV last week, it feels like the United squad of 2006-2007 are following in the steps of the squad of 1998-1999 and is gonna win another Treble.

Here are the squad members for the Jubilee match:

MANCHESTER UNITED
Kuszczak, Neville (captain), Brown, Heinze, Richardson, Ronaldo, Scholes, Giggs, Park, Rooney, Smith
Subs: Heaton, Carrick, Dong, O'Shea, Eagles, Andrew Cole (guest)

EUROPE XI
Canizares, Zambrotta, Ayala, Materazzi, Abidal, Mancini, Pirlo, Gattuso, Malouda, Ibrahimovic, Larsson (captain)
Subs: Coupet, Campo, Stefanovic, Christanval, Kallstrom, Gerrard, Fowler, Carragher, Stelios, Diouf, Zenden

I found this clip on YouTube and I guess I'll have to settle for this 'cause I doubt if that exhibition match will ever be aired here. So...

It broke my heart when I found out that Becks got injured last week and that he wouldn't be able to play in ManUtd's Jubilee match after all. Not only was he missing this all-important game, he also missed last week's UEFA Champions League match--where coach Steve McClaren was supposed to watch his game and current form, and reconsider him for the national squad in this month's Euro qualifiers. But it seemed as if bad luck will sideline him until around the middle of April. And I hope that's it. Or maybe this is just a sign that he really can't bid farewell to Old Trafford yet because he'll be going back to play. Hmm, let me dream a little, will ya?

But I'm just glad that he was able to go there and speak to the people at halftime. And for him to be received by the Manchester United fans so warmly after leaving in '03 gives me a warm feeling. That means he had left his mark on this legend-field club.

300

Damn the critics. I almost didn't see this movie. But since I've been waiting for this film since November, there was no way I'm gonna miss it.

And I'm glad that I did see it. I didn't enjoy Sin City but this Frank Miller creation really got me going. LOL!

The sight of half-naked men during the entire freakin' movie was really something to remember. So I'm sure to get a copy of the film as soon as I can so that I won't have to do with just remembering. Hell, no.

But the whole thing was a great movie experience. The visual effects were amazing and the comic-book feel to it only added to the appeal of the film. Gerard Butler, as King "Tonight we dine in hell" Leonidas, may not win an Oscar for his performance here but I really think he did his role exceeding well.

As for those metal-clashing, blood-splattering, head-rolling scenes--sheesh, I didn't know I'm such a warfreak of sorts--I really enjoyed those. I never thought they were morbid. Rather, I thought they were brilliantly done. And that hard metal soundtrack during those battle scenes? That did me in when I was watching the trailers but hearing it and putting it together with the rest of the film was out of this world.

One thing that put me off, at times, was the narrator. It was unnecessary in some parts, I think. But since it was part of the graphic novel thingie (LOL! forgive me), it has to be in it. But it never detracted charm from the movie. And most of the film did leave some great impressions. One of my most favorite scenes was the Persian arrow shower (so what if I wanna call it that?), when the Spartans stayed underneath their shields for protection and warfreaks that they were, they started laughing because they were really enjoying the thrill of being in battle. Another one would be the scene right before that--when they terminated the Persians when they first faced each other. Amazing choreography. Seeing the phalanx formation (albeit altered for movie purposes according to the director to "look cool") was actually quite nice--I've often wondered what it really looked like in action since world history high school. Now I have a vague idea.

Awesome in three characters: 3-0-0. I highly recommend it.


ON A SIDENOTE
One of the main reasons why I was so excited to see 300 was knowing Rodrigo Santoro was gonna be in it. Although now I regretted not researching on that further. Because I still have not reconciled this:

...from this:

Maybe not ever.

But I guess that's what movie magic is all about.

Dreamboat Express: Kimi Raikkonen

One of my bestest friends, Olive, likes this guy enough to mention him much too much during our lengthy phone conversations. Those talks led to my recent interest on Formula 1 racing. And just last week, I found out that an officemate of mine is also a huge fan of the Iceman (October 17, 1979). Shayne is the demure-type that I last expected to be an F1 fan. That taught me a lesson on stereotyping.

So I'm dedicating this Dreamboat Express ride to those two lovely ladies--Olive and Shayne. I don't care what they say about Kimi's height either. I'm short so I've no problems with that issue. But he definitely more than makes up for that in the looks department.

The new F1 season is starting this weekend at the Melbourne GP and I'm definitely looking forward to that. Not to mention that Kimster will be now in the Ferrari red suit. (Yey! I can finally cheer for the same team and driver.) I'll miss him in his silver suit with McClaren-Mercedes but he'll do in the red as well. Come March 18, it'll be hubba hubba time.

March 13: It's A Date

I've been psyched about this thing for weeks now and now that it's only a a little more than a week away, I can barely think about something else.

March 13 is, of course, Manchester United's Jubilee match against Europe's XI--to commemorate the 50th anniversary of a united Europe and United's 50 years in European footballing competition. And guess who got invited to play with the Europe squad and come back to Old Trafford? Sure, David Beckham had been back a number of times to play at Old Trafford since leaving United. But those times were when he was still captain of England and playing for national pride. This time around though will be club football. Sort of. This will be the first time he'll be playing his old club. And I'm sure it was not a difficulty to decide whether he got to be invited for this match or not. He was, after all, undeniable one of the most beloved adopted sons of Manchester, even a one-time Mancunian of the Year honoree.


Yay! My Becks is coming home.

To say I'm so excited is a major undestatement. ManUnited may be playing club football on exhibition day but check out this international squad they'll be playing: Steven Gerrard, Jamie Carragher, Ronaldinho, Carles Puyol, Lilian Thuram and Gianluca Zambrotta just to name a few. And the squad will be coached by no less than 2006 World Cup-winning coach Marcello Lippi. It'll be fun to watch them play against Sir Alex Ferguson's Red Devils!

Hard for a football, a ManUnited, and a Becks fan not to be all excited about it!

Dreamboat Express: Now Boarding

I was just rearranging some of my stuff when I found a list I made a couple of years or so ago and which I thought I'd accidentally lost--a list of my favorite cutie patooties. I felt like shouting: Eureka!

LOL!

So I decided to make it into a regular post thingie, a sort of rip-off of Dee's Eye Candy of the Week feature. And since she does one heck of a job featuring those drool-worthy thespians (and then some), I'm gonna stick to what majority of the list contains--athletes--although there'll be an occasional non-athlete by profession for variety.

And why Dreamboat Express? If you know Mitchell Wyatt you'd know the answer to that.

I wanted to feature Becks now--it actually said on the top of the list: "Becks is exempt!" It's just like me to have avoided lumping him with all the other mere but nevertheless blistering hot hunks in the list. He does have his own label in this blog, evidence of my rabid obsession. I can probably wait until his birthday to feature him.

I've decided to officially kick this off next Sunday--am having a hard time to pick who to feature first. Just something to end--or start--or your week right. But just for fun, I'm gonna post some pics of Brooklyn Beckham--not in the list but my youngest cutie patootie nonetheless and mini-Becks in more ways than one. He's turning eight today and that means that I've been a fan of dad's for a little more than nine years now. Whew! Amazing how time flies.

Happy birthday, big guy!


Till next week. Cheerio!