The S Faktor
In a direct challenge to the libidinal authority of FHM magazine, I present my own run down of the Ten Women I’ve Been Grooving On Most This Year, in alphabetical order...
(contains some previously posted material)
America Ferrera
Behind the glasses, and under the wig, lurks one of the cutest actresses in the business. Granted, I found Real Women Have Curves rather lacking in the plot department, and those “Travelling Pants” flicks look far too girly for me to bother with... but Ugly Betty is a fantastic showcase for her innate adorability, as well as being a very funny show in its own right. Viva la fea!
Alison Goldfrapp
Yes, I am waiting for the new album to drop in price before I pick it up, but it will be mine eventually... and this is the year I finally got over my allergy to “electronica” and embraced the group’s early albums. Admirable not only for her unique, strangely timeless style, but also for the sheer absurdity of the poses she strikes in the promo videos and photo-shoots.
Nigella Lawson
I have the first series of Nigella Bites on DVD, and I’ve watched it a couple of times, but if you asked me to detail any of the recipes on it, I’d draw a total blank. I wish I had the energy and the patience to cook the way she does, as much as I wish I had the palate to appreciate her food... but I don’t. Her looks and charm, however, I am fully equipped to dig. I just wish they wouldn’t keep staging those fake dinner parties for the show, with all the awkward banter...
Kylie Minogue
She was my first pop-star crush, and I believe the 12-inch of Je Ne Sais Par Pourquoi was the first single I ever bought... way back in 1988! As far as I’m concerned, Kylie is the Queen of Pop, if only for her tenacity and all-conquering charm. I think it’s funny that the Wiki section on her critics can only come up with the lead singer of Lush (who?) and Ian Brown to condemn her, while her collaborators include Nick Cave, Towa Tei and Scissor Sisters. Case closed. She is the only woman here to make it on to FHM’s list, but their readers placed her at No. 93! Harsh.
Dominique Moore
Moore first came to my attention in The Crust, a vastly underrated and under-promoted children’s sitcom made for the BBC, about a tower-block-based pizza delivery business. Not only was she very funny, and effortlessly endearing, but also more than happy to throw herself into the ridiculous spirit of the piece. Yay her! Sadly Dis/Connected, the teen suicide drama she recently appeared in, has yet to play on terrestrial television, after being derailed by tragic events in the real world.
Kristen Schaal
“Discovered” whilst idly browsing The Onion’s AV Club homepage, this photo mesmerised me for reasons I can’t quite explain. To be reductive, let’s just say I found her super-cute. I’d probably have thought no more about it, except that a few weeks later Schaal was a guest on the music-based “quizcom” Never Mind the Buzzcocks... and I was smitten all over again! Granted most of the show was fairly Brit-centric, so she wasn’t given much of a chance to contribute, but she knew how to work the contrast between her deadpan delivery and her high-pitched voice to maximum effect.
Jonte Short
Despite my previous post on the subject, the record-buying public remain deaf (and blind) to the charms of Fried, and lead singer Jonte Short. Short, a former gospel singer, got a lot of tut-tutting from her former choir-mates for moving into the profane world of popular music... and sadly the band hasn’t exactly been blessed with good fortune so far. How anyone can resist them is beyond me.
Sarah Silverman
Yes, I know. I'm boring and I repeat myself. In the past I'd always prided myself on the fact that I was mutable and mercurial... there were TV shows and bands that I dug, but I was never totally obsessive about any of them. I was never a "fan" in that sense. Then sometime around June ‘07 I got hooked on Big S, and became a total yawn. The only upside to thinking about someone as much as this, is that you sometimes get to meet them in your dreams, like I did again last night. Thank you, Mr Sandman!
Regina Spektor
There I was, stood in a second-hand CD shop, just a few months ago, when the “now playing” CD switched, and the shop was filled with the sound of a mournful piano and someone chanting “Oedipus, Oedipus, Oedipus!!!” I was stunned. It was the sparse music, playful lyrics and gorgeous voice that hooked me... but there’s no denying that Miss Spektor is also a fine figure of a woman, with a wink that could sink a thousand ships. Hotcha!
Meg White
When the White Stripes showcased new material (from Icky Thump) on Later With Jools Holland last year, I must admit I was a tad distracted from the music. Apparently, I’d forgotten just how adorable White can be when she’s bashing away at her kit with that dreamy smile on her face. Sigh. Once the album was released, it quickly became a favourite of mine. There are those who deride her drumming, but you only need to compare the output of The White Stripes with the output of The Raconteurs to realise that Jack White is a lesser musician without her. Fact.
