I have to hand it to Katy Perry & Sara Bareilles for having the most catchy tunes I can’t get out of my head – after one listen! I’m now obsessed with this remix and have it on replay over and over and over again. Kudos to on this mash-up to:
Someone stop me, no, please don’t because we should all BRAVELY ROAR! Again, again.
Yesterday I attended a special Kylie Minogue event at SAKS (*yes the fabulous flagship on 5th Avenue, who doesn’t love saying flagship? Ah, 5th Avenue your many flagships always bring a smile to my face because of the glamour it immediately instills in my bones). Sometimes good things do come through and my wonderful friend Dorothy remembered that I’m a huge Kylie fan.
I’ve been a fan since Kylie was on ‘Neighbor’s which is practially a requirement in order to claim your Australian heritage (as I do). I even watched her sister Dani on ‘Far & Away.’ (If you are not familiar think Dani is to Kylie as Ashlee is to Jessica Simpson- are you with me?!)
A few years ago I was covering a Kylie in-store event at Virgin Megastore in Times Square for Rollingstone.com. I was in the press area for a few hours and then Kylie was going to do a signing. These two guys I had been chatting to rushed over to get a STACK of vinyl signed. They handed me their camera to take a photo with Kylie (we’re talking a huge professional grade camera). After I took their photo a notorious person from her then-label came over (the two guys were her very, very good friends) and told me and the rest of the press who were waiting in line that we could go to the back of the queue with all the other fans.
My mouth was aghast, if that had been told to us upfront I probably would have left my photographer and gone to the back of the line hours beforehand- and I don’t mind doing that for Kylie, it was just that we’d all been there for almost as long as the fans already. Anyway, crushed I left and it was upsetting. Since then I have gone to see Kylie from her first performance in the US for Bravo at the defunct Limelight to twice at Hammerstein Ballroom. Her show is incredible and a definite must-see so I was beyond thrilled when I landed the VIP invite for the SAKS launch.
After Kylie arrived, the SAKS staff had ushered us against a wall and then towards the elevators to the VIP room. Kylie was up there after posing with the FASHION book downstairs for the photographers (hello a lot cuter than back in the day!). There was a makeshift line where different brands like Gilt Group folks were vying for Kylie’s attention. Then, I was asked to take a photo of her with a guy who I had been shoved up against downstairs. Shades of deja vu were coming through hard and fast as he finished telling her he’d thrown up three times that day in excitement of seeing her. (Fortunately he did not do that infront of us and also had copious amounts of mouthwash before attending the book signing.)
Kylie seemed to be moving in the opposite direction of the makeshift line and my compatriots from well-known outlets were more interested in getting more Prosecco from the very handsome male model acting as a waiter than getting a photo with Kylie (because they have them from other events!) The three times my size bodyguard seemed to be growing larger with every moment as Kylie was then introduced to VIPS from Louboutin. Finally,I saw my now-or-never moment and stepped in as this other woman, I knew from downstairs was not a lifelong fan, tried to cut in as I was getting my photo moment. Sure enough Kylie’s lovely assistant made sure I got it. I can’t thank her enough!
There I was, with my Kylie under one arm, Prosecco in the other (because really it is Kylie and that requieres bubbles of some sort!) and Kylie threw up the “supercute” fingers (see below):
Here are a few more reasons I love Kylie:
1) She stands for GLAMOUR. Look at her working that Pucci dress. It had a lot of cut outs and wo-wo-wo-wow can she pull it off!
2) Kylie is a true pro at working a room. She was sweet, funny and had a great sense of humor while we were all trying to get her attention (aka mini-stalk!)
3) Do I even need to say how much I love her music? I did refrain from asking her what she was doing there when clearly “your disco needs you.” Oh, ha ha damn should’ve said that instead I made her an “honorary Asian” because she threw up the supercute sign. It’s because “I’m so tiny” – yes and we love our little pop stars!
4) Did I mention when Kylie is around male models are also?
5) For a lady in her mid-40’s she looks better than those half her age because she knows how to smile, wow and exude joie de vivre!
This event reminded me of why I wanted to work in entertainment- Glamour, L’amour, Fashion and beyond all FUN! Thank you Kylie I was so very lucky, lucky, lucky to meet you.
Your disco needs you and so does Kylie Minogue. The cancer surviving pop diva drew big dance parties in her first, nine date sold-out North American tour finishing last night at Hammerstein Ballroom. Whomever sold Kylie a bill of goods in the 80’s telling her she would never break the American market shame on you. Kylie, Honey, you went dance disco diva on us in a consistent, unchallenged way, so keeping yourself to OZ and Europe was our loss. We love you in the USA!
My favorite Kylie album Light Years helped her recapture the attention of American Gays who said “la la la, gimme, gimme, gimme that la la la song.” I polled my gay friends, that’s a direct quote, I swear. There were rumors Fever would be a combination of Light Years and Fever but fortunately we got two amazing Kylie works instead.
I was first exposed to Kylie when she was still a good Neighbour on a trip to Australia in the early 80’s to see family. It was a summer introducing me to music I would love for the rest of my life including INXS (thank you Michael Hutchence for sexucating Ms. Minogue I think you had a lasting effect on her sauciness!)
Neighbours, everybody needs good neighbours need to get know each other…. It was the call to embrace the pop culture of my Aussie heritage. I felt so lucky, lucky, lucky, lucky.
Most Americans stopped at Lucky, as I once said to her one of former boyfriends, Mark Gerber, when we worked on an ad in Sydney together, “The US has Madonna (who checked out Kylie’s show on Sunday.) He was shocked I was so cheeky but seriously, in the early 90’s she wasn’t tackling the US. The first sign I saw last night at the head of the queue to get in, was written in bright pink ‘LUCKY LUCKY LUCKY.’
I did get to see Kylie perform in America at the now defunct, Limelight, for the release party of the soundtrack to Queer Eye For The Straight Guy which was a very short six songs. The orange glow sticks were pretty interesting and …..they made it out again last night during ‘Slow.’
You can imagine the thrill when I got hired as an indie digital marketing maverick to work Kylie’s Body Language. I was beyond happy when they gave me a pair of the Agent Provocateur undies as a thank you for a job well done.
I just love my pint sized pop stars who fit in my back pocket!
Just after 8:20, the crowd was beyond ready.
We went down the checklist:
Glitter or Shine… check!
Champagne…check!
Gays…everywhere…check!
DJ…check!
Then we heard it…..10, 9, 8, hello Light Years! Look to the skys, it’s a popstar!
Kylie entered the show on the head of a skull a la Alexander McQueen singing Light Years promising to be our guide for the night. She was adorable, charming, and shaking it. She even performed a sultry version of ‘Locomotion’ and a stripped down piano version of ‘Lucky, Lucky, Lucky’ all showing she never lost sight of where she came from – a lesson to young popstars, I mean you Mandy Moore! (Aside to Mandy: The songs from the past made you who are today and you should learn how to make them your own like Kylie and Christina Aguilera do, instead of saying they are crap.)
I spoke to fans from Tokyo, Sydney, London and New York all wondering before the show wasn’t in a bigger venue like Radio City or even the small theater at Madison Square Garden across the street. We know you put on a show, we have the DVDS! The screens, the costumes, the sets were all brilliantly proportional transporting us to another dimension of Kylie’s magic S&M disco.
I was already a fan of ‘X’ especially Speakerphone :
but last night really brought to life Wow, I’m The One (Tonedeaf Tony’s favorite song, he went nuts behind me), In My Arms and Like A Drug. She was a magnificent host with nods to Madonna reciting the intro to “Vogue” as well as performing her duet with Robbie Williams “Kids” with one of her backup singers.
Here’s a bit of WOW for you then:
Thank you Kylie for letting us come into your world.
For those who didn’t get a chance to see her, her sister Dannii told the London Daily Mirror Kylie has been offered an artist residency in Las Vegas! Kylie also makes her Bollywood film debut this week in “Blue” catch a glimpse now:
The last couple of years have seen the workplace get more sterile. I had a meeting with a management company where the interviewer gave me a disclaimer because they make jokes after knowing each other over ten years plus that some people might, well sue for harassment. They mean it in a rock n roll way. I told him I was fine with that but still, the boys’ club prevailed.
What has happened to fun? In my last office gig I implemented the five o’clock whistle on Friday. It basically consisted of me and one other guy, sometimes 2 dancing to the latest hits within the label family. Unfortunately the rest of the department would just stare at us and giggle when a lamp became involved, but never participate. Oh no! Someone MOVES to MUSIC! Call the po’ po’!
It makes me entirely joyful that the larger-than-life Robbie Williams is back making music! While his last album ‘Rudebox‘ wasn’t a commercial success in his native UK, I absolutely loved that album especially “Summertime” which I used to blast in my Chili Red MINI Convertible on the way to work. Bye summer! Sadly, I couldn’t pray to you this year with a chandy! The hidden track part in particular on that track applies to the insanely aggressive and wretched driving I’ve seen this summer on the freeways. I believe it’s official name is ‘Dickhead.’
With the exception of ‘Escapology’, Robbie has never failed to deliver crafty fun albums full of ‘oh no he didn’t’ lyrics. And the answer is always ….oh yes, he did. One of my favorite Robbie moments was playing the video for “Rock DJ” for my younger sister. I had a VHS of it. I slowly backed away. She totally freaked out at the end. In case you’ve forgotten that brilliance, take a gander now:
When Robbie teamed up with Kylie Minogue it was like a match made in pop heaven! Not only was ‘Kids’ a big hit, but he wrote ‘Loveboat’ on my favorite Kylie album “Light Years,” which lead to a Kylie rediscovery by the powerful Gay US audience. Next thing you know, people are singing ‘Can’t Get You Out Of My Head’ and this fall Kylie will finally have her first US tour. Ever. I can’t wait, but I digress.
For me, Robbie Williams embodies everything that is FUN about pop music. The lyrics are sassy and who else would send up Madonna so deliciously? “I Love you baby but face it she’s Madonna?” I loved this song, but then when I saw the video, it became pure unadulterated genius. Another Robbie video that wasn’t released in the US, but I got to watch through a shared back end content management system- before the advent of YouTube. He’s just not afraid to address his sexuality, his drug use, Robbie always goes there in the most divine musical ways.
The only time I saw Robbie onstage was at Mark Ronson’s show in LA. Robbie walked in and it was astounding. Sorry Mark but seriously, once Robbie took the stage it was his night. Meooow!
Now Robbie Williams is back with his new single “Bodies” with catchy lyrics ‘All we’ve ever wanted is to look good naked, or someone who could take it.” The video is average, but the song is great and he does look amazing once more. Take a look for yourself.
I cannot wait for Robbie’s album ‘Reality Killed The Video Star.’
I leave you with this reminder of how Robbie is the first one to take the piss out of himself, when he was performing live on this day three years ago and fell over. Thanks for making me always laugh and want to dance. It’s good to laugh. Long live Robbie!
Ramblings of the BK GrrlGenius 
