Musique...

The other week, I did the boys (fnaar fnaar). Today it seems it is (mainly) the turn of girrrlz to provide some of the music that caught my ear lately...

Another French DJ, another fab collaboration! Spanish Cheryl Cole-wannabee Soraya provides the vocals for Antoine Clamaran again on this rather smutty little number:

Antoine Clamaran feat. Soraya - Stick Shift

The mistress of all she surveys, the fantabulosa Miss Sophie Ellis-Bextor returns with another song that is being hyped as this year's "summer anthem":

Sophie Ellis-Bextor - Starlight

Oh, and Shitney's back too...

Britney Spears - Till The World Ends

From the faintly ridiculous to the sublime - Miss Alice Gold:

Alice Gold - Runaway Love

Another Gallic DJ David Guetta's fave singer Miss Wynter Gordon talks dirty...

Wynter Gordon - Dirty Talk

And finally (not a girl singing, but the DJ is apparently a lady by the name of Mia Moretti...) I couldn't resist posting this fabulous little number by some band calling themselves Autobahn Voyage...

(You Say) Tomato from Autobahn Voyage on Myspace.

Pick of the Pops this week

After the sad couple of blogs recently (RIP Gerry Rafferty and Mick Karn), I think we are overdue a little jollying-up in this New Year.

So how about a brand new Dolores Delargo Towers "Pick of the Pops" for this first week of 2011..?

First up, a rather summery collaboration between the French DJ Antoine Clamaran and Spanish trashy club queen Soraya. Perfect for dreaming about our holiday in Spain in a month's time...

Antoine Clamaran feat. Soraya - Live Your Dreams

Next, one that I heard last month but is rather growing on me - the new one from Duran Duran:

Duran Duran - All You Need Is Now

Now here is a real treat - one of the BBC's lauded new talents of 2011 to look out for. Laydeez and Gentlemen, I give you the powerful tonsils of Mr James Blake!

James Blake - Limit To Your Love

Then of course there is this very bizarre effort from Mr Sam Sparro, who I think may have been inhaling a bit too much of that day-glo makeup...

Sam Sparro - Pink Cloud

And finally, one from the archives, yet most welcome to brighten up our day. Ex-Alcazar singer and all-round camp icon Miss (unpronounceable) Annikafiore!

Avatar versus Eve (feat. Annikafiore) - I've still got the highest heels in the room

Come on and shake me

Continuing our countdown to Spain, a country that has never been afraid of naffness, it cannot go unnoticed that we are also in the final throes of semi-finals before Saturday's Eurovision Song Contest (which we hope to be able to watch in a bar on the Costa).

So, to combine both things, here's the Spanish entry this year - a typical Eurovision-by-numbers ditty performed by what looks like a cross between a young Margie Clarke and a tranny club hostess...

Soraya, Spain's candidate in the Eurovision Song Contest 2009

Soraya

The Sweet Life

Fifty years ago this month, a certain Swedish sexpot by the name of Anita Ekberg splashed around in the Trevi Fountain in Fellini's La Dolce Vita, and one of the iconic female screen images of the 20th century was born.

Read Duncan Kennedy's retrospective on the film.

And of course, "The Sweet Life" has inspired numerous musical tributes over the years. Here is my selection (in the genre we call "tacky", of course). Enjoy...

The utterly camp-as-tits After Dark (from the 2004 Melodifestivalen in Sweden):

After Dark - La Dolce Vita

Spanish singer Soraya Arnelas's take on the Ryan Paris song:

Soraya - La Dolce Vita

Finnish entry for Eurovision 1989, Anneli Saaristo:

Anneli Saaristo - La Dolce Vita

And finally, Sparks!

Sparks - La Dolce Vita

Dolce, indeed.