Have you ever found yourself in a real life situation, thinking that all of your emotions could be perfectly summed up in song? Maybe a soulful rendition of The Winner Takes it All, or an upbeat dance number to You Can't Stop the Beat, even proudly belting out Sweet Transvestite (I don't know, you might be into that kind of thing). Too many times I've wished I could just stand up and sing out a flawlessly on-pitch tune while everyone around my starts to dance in unison to a routine they've never rehearsed, but it just never works out the same as it does in the movies.
So, we've put together a top ten list of our favourite musical movies that satisfy those toe-tapping urges. There's a mix of the old and the new, and the happy and the sad, so there's a song for every occasion. Best watched alone, so you can sing along as loudly (and badly) as you like and maybe bust out a dance move or two without fear of total humiliation.
Friday, the first of March 2013 will go down in history for me as the day I had my first ever religious experience, probably. Because, last night, I saw a true God take the stage at the Sydney Entertainment Centre.
Ed Sheeran, I worship at your feet. This was one of the most incredible concerts I've ever been to, and to be honest, I don't think I expected anything less.
While our seats weren't extremely close up, we had the most fantastic view of the stage, and the rest of the arena, and the two screens on the side made it easy to see every detail of the stage we couldn't from our seats.
The support acts, Gabrielle Aplin and Passenger, were both great and really adorable, but it was painful to watch them have to ask the crowd to move back, because people were getting hurt. It's always disappointing when people can't act like well-behaved and well-brought up human beings, especially when someone performing has to stop in the middle of her song to tell people, humbly and apologetically like it's her fault people are being idiots, to please, step back, if that's okay. Thankfully, the issue was sorted before Ed came on stage, because I definitely wouldn't have wanted him to see such awfulness from Sydney.
Anyway, once Ed stepped on stage, the magic began. From the start, he seemed so excited and happy to be there, and so thankful that 12,000 people in a country on the opposite side of the world to his own came to see little 22 year old him live. Unlike other concerts I've been to, he had only a simple screen behind him (looked like it was inspired by his love for Lego), no sets, no gimmicks, no nothing - he didn't need them. Being in Australia, he couldn't help himself from throwing in a little bit of an Aussie accent, even keeping a little stuffed koala on stage with him and on his guitar at one point, named Nathan after the character from Angry Boys.
He opened with Give Me Love, which had everyone singing and swaying along immediately, and wow. One of my favourite things of all time is when crowds sing along at concerts, because you know everybody is there because of their dedication to this music, and it's always a beautiful moment.
There were some songs that Ed requested the audience be silent for, and of course, there's always some idiot who can't follow instructions and screams, but, otherwise, these moments were extremely moving and incredibly beautiful.
There were other songs where he set up the loop track before singing, which is just amazing to watch because of how talented he really is. He said, during the show, "I thought when I started playing to this many people I might get a band, but I guess it's just me," and I hope he never gets a band, because he really doesn't need one.
There were other songs where he combined the two, the audience silence and the creation of the backing track, which was literally one of the greatest and most magical things I have ever seen.
Sometimes he asked us to sing along, dividing the arena into two sides performing harmonies and back and forth calls, and sometimes you just had to sit back and take in how brilliant he is.
Such as during You Need Me, I Don't Need You where he broke up the original lyrical rap of the song with a mash up of other raps, including a little bit of Thrift Shop, which set the crowd wild, of course, letting the entire thing rack up to an impressive fifteen minutes. You just had to sit there in awe of the absolute genius in front of you.
Of course, he closed with The A Team, which once again had everyone singing along, their phone lights held in the air by request of the man himself. Simply breathtaking.
I will finish with this: if you ever get the opportunity to see actual Jesus Ed Sheeran live, GO. FUCKING GO. It will be absolutely phenomenal. If you don't know who I've been talking about this whole time, I appreciate you sticking with me - but have a look here:
All I can say is wow. In the words of one Louis Tomlinson, “What a fucking night !!” Compared to this, the Grammys are frankly quite boring and very tedious. Hosted by James Corden at the O2 Arena in London, the Brits were jam packed with the A list of British music, and featured some great performances by local and international acts, including Mumford and Sons, Taylor Swift, Justin Timberlake and One Direction, as well as some entertaining interviews and a cheeky kiss between the host with the most and the other host with the most, Nick Grimshaw. One of the best parts of this show every year is the alcohol provided, resulting in slightly amusing acceptance speeches, audience shots and backstage interviews. Rizzle Kicks were well gone.
On that note, let’s take a look at some of my best moments of the night:
Little Mix Arrival
These girls always looked stunning but tonight they looked fine, fresh, fierce. You've got Perrie, looking pretty as a petal, Jade cute as her little bows, Jesy fierce in her bold dress, and Leigh Anne, sultry and sexy in that long white gown. Definitely my favourite red carpet look.
One Direction's Performance
I'm having to resist the urge to gush out all my feelings here, but I'll save that for another time. Debuting their new charity single One Way Or Another (Teenage Kicks), their performance was energetic, fun, vocally on point and just fantastic. I think it was definitely their best performance ever, and I can't help but get emotional at how good they've become in only a few years. Okay now, that's enough - just watch it for yourself.
The boys also picked up their second Brit award, the inaugural Global Success award, which I'm like 99% sure they only made up so that 1D could win it, but boy do they deserve it. This year, One Direction have been the definition of global success.
Taylor Swift's Costume Change
Taylor's performance of I Knew You Were Trouble. started off in your typical Taylor manner: a big white gown, castle background and a few pretty dancers, but then shit got real. Changing behind her dancers, she went from pretty angel princess to dark and sexy in the space of like 5 seconds. It was great.
James Corden and Nick Grimshaw
Towards the end of the night, people get drunker, boundaries get a bit blurred and then gold happens. To be honest, I don't think anyone even really knew what was happening. God bless ITV for keeping it in.
This years Grammys, hosted by LL Cool J, were quite a spectacle. Only about 6 awards are actually presented during the televised ceremony, with the rest being awarded in a ceremony beforehand. Taylor Swift took her count to 7, while Jay Z collected his 18th golden gramophone, and Adele, as last years winner of everything ever, kept her speech short and sweet and hilarious. The many performances included acts by Ed Sheeran & Elton John, Maroon 5 & Alicia Keys, a stunning visual effects display by Carrie Underwood and a smashing (and controversial amongst some) opening by Taylor Swift, which featured an Alice in Wonderland theme quite unrelated to the song We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together. Although at times the ceremony seemed to become one giant infomercial for LL Cool J, it was quite an enjoyable show, but I wish they presented more awards on stage!
our picks for best dressed
Rihanna
Rhianna looked stunning in this gorgeous red gown that was just the perfect mix between elegant and sexxxaay, and with her new hair and bold lips she looked as if she was born on the red carpet. And that's not all! She did two other performances in two equally perfect dresses. She was by far the best dressed of the night, all night. 10/10 Rihanna!
Taylor Swift
T Swiz has proved once again that she has a flare for picking dresses that are both youthful and mature all at once. The stunning white draping gave her gown a sophisticated beauty, while the geometric, silver elements and cut-outs kept it fresh and fun. Coupled with that oh-so-pretty hair style, Taylor looked like a Greek goddess - as usual.
Carrie Underwood
Carrie's fashion success came on two fronts; first on the red carpet, where she wore a beautiful, black dress, delicately embellished and tightly fitted to show off her wonderful figure. Then came her on-stage performance, in which her big, white ball gown fit for a princess acted as a projection screen. She got to wear butterfly wings, blooming roses and the galaxy, all on her dress front -- who doesn't want that?!
Some other red carpet highly commendables include Beyonce in her figure-hugging pant-suit, Amber Rose, whose pregnant glow was practically blinding she was gleaming so, and Natasha Bedingfield with a red cut-out gown that toyed with the strict dress code just the right amount!
