chrisconfessed

[chrisconfessed]

The Lighthouse

As Dolly drove up the narrow dirt track towards the ominous Maine coastline, she observed the dark clouds and hissing wind circling the towering white structure ahead of her on the cliff edge, the fierce wind appearing to chase the clouds around the circular exterior in an aggressive game of chase.

Outside of the hired classic Cadillac, she passed long-forgotten properties with dilapidated exteriors, neglected lawns and battered white picket fencing. Although Dolly could sense the eerie emptiness of the buildings she passed, she could feel a continuous gaze from the broken windows, the town’s soul was still in residence.

Glancing down to her right past the gearshift, lying on a meticulously restored cream leather seat, the metal box sat proudly. She had promised to urgently deliver this menacing box, with all its secrets hidden within, before it was too late. Looking back up towards the road through the windscreen, Dolly brushed a rogue strand of mahogany hair away from her youthful face, clearing her vision.

As Dolly increased her speed, heavy rain started to pelt the beautifully appointed car with a steely determination, the force of the rain pushed back on the fragile aluminium exterior with a might that suggested it knew her mission was a fool’s errand. The sudden and thunderous roar of lightning did little to break her focus; she was just mere minutes away from arriving at her final stop, the old lighthouse.

Passing through the property’s main gates, the track narrowed further upwards with potholes littering the way and making the car bounce along in an erratic manner. Dolly’s stiletto pressed down with force on the brake, bringing the Cadillac to a grinding halt on the pebbled drive, ending its treacherous journey directly outside a porch attached to the small building nestled under the towering structure.

Thankful that she was wearing her heavy fur coat, Dolly stepped out of her cocooned protection into the great forces of Mother Nature, the metal box tucked tightly under her arm. The rain, encouraged by the unforgiving wind, had slanted to an angle, attacking everything with the power of a thousand knives.

With rain falling on to her beautifully painted face, Dolly looked upwards to the top of the shining beacon just in time to see a bolt of lightning attack its tallest point. Her face brightened under the flash of light, showing an expression of steely determination and naïve youth. The teenage girl inhaled a huge breath of air and took her first steps towards the lighthouse.  

Written by Chris Coote-Stubbins

[chrisconfessed]

Stephen King - The Tommyknockers 

Steadily working my way through Stephen King’s work with the heavy apprehension that every novel I read could be the one that finally destroys my fascination with his work. 

There have been many, many highs (Carrie, Cujo, Salems Lot, The Shining, Pet Cemetery amongst many others) and some lows (Desperation and The Dead Zone are the only two that come to mind), but gladly, The Tommyknockers has shot right up there to the top alongside the many highs. 

King said of The Tommyknockers, “I mean, The Tommyknockers is an awful book. That was the last one I wrote before I cleaned up my act. And I’ve thought about it a lot lately and said to myself, “There’s really a good book in here, underneath all the sort of spurious energy that cocaine provides, and I ought to go back.”

I couldn’t disagree more, I loved every single word of this book. I loved that it was more science fiction than horror, I loved the character development of the main protagonist, James Eric Gardener and the little-town characters that each had their individual stories. 

For me, this is a classic Stephen King novel. 

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Take That - Odyssey Tour Review

I saw the show last night and while I did have a great time, I left feeling a bit deflated. The show was crammed with bops but ending the show with a slow rendition of Pray, Babe and Rule The World was a choice. I know not every tour can finish with Never Forget or Relight My Fire but Pray and Babe sucked the energy out of the arena, Rule The World was outstanding as always and slightly redeemed it all. 

The production value and visuals were a feast, probably the best they've had and that's saying something after The Circus and Progress. Lastly, and this might just be unique to my night, Mark looked so tired and a bit over it, which was a shame to see. Howard and Gary gave it their everything, Gary's arms kept me occupied most of the night.

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Best Albums of 2018

1.       Caution – Mariah Carey – Don’t call it a comeback, she never left.

Mariah Carey fans are the luckiest fans alive, not only has she just released her 15th studio album, she’s also released a career-defining album. Caution is a luxurious oasis of mid-tempo slow jams with hooks and melodies galore; providing those ballad moments (critically underrated With You), those hook-central moments (A No No, GTFO) and those indulgent moments (Giving Me Life, 8TH Grade). An icon. 10/10.

2.       Bloom – Troye Sivan – A POP ALBUM.

Troye Sivan is the gay pop star I need in 2018; he’s beautiful, talented and wants to be a fully-fledge pop star, not the indie You Tube star he once was. Bloom is a joy, a complete tour-de-force pop album with euphoria littered throughout. The title track, Bloom, is one of my favourite pop bops of recent years, it is relentless in its determination to make you dance and feel love, and I find it exhilarating. His quieter moments are beautifully intricate, my favourites are The Good Side, Postcard and What a Heavenly Way to Die. The Ariana Grande duet, Dance to This, although not an Into You successor, pulses and builds to a fantastic crescendo. 10/10.

3.       Palo Santo – Years & Years – It’s themed.

Years & Years are fantastic and Olly Alexander, the lead singer, is the inspirational LGBTQ+ advocate I wish I’d had in my younger years. The album, Palo Santo, is a triumphant collection of songs that vary from the up-tempo bops in the same style that catapulted them to fame such as All for You, Rendezvous, Hellelujah and those chilled, reflective songs like Palo Santo and Howl. The only thing I think they got wrong this time? Releasing a non-bop, Sanctify, as lead single and strongly relying on a dystopian theme that was a little bit misplaced. 9/10

4.       Melodrama – Lorde – The Lana album I wanted.

Ok, I know! This album was released in 2017, but I only started listening to it in 2018. She’s serious, she’s spooky and she’s bloody brilliant, what an album. This is the second Lana Del Rey album I always wanted; reflective, dark and punchy. Best songs are Green Light, Supercut and Sober.

5.       No Shame – Lilly Allen – A worthy follow up to It’s Not Me, It’s You.

I didn’t enjoy Sheezus and never go back to it, but No Shame is a worthy follow up to the brilliant It’s Not Me, It’s You. The album is reflective, chilled and at times, brutally sad and honest. Come on Then and Trigger Bang are contemporary but not trend chasing, whilst Family Man and Three cut to the core. Brilliant. 8/10

6.       Sweetener – Ariana Grande – Three amazing songs does not a good album make.

Let me be clear, No Tears Left to Cry, Breathin’ and God Is a Woman are all career-defining, 10/10 pop songs, they are faultless. The rest of the album is all a bit wishy washy with Pharrell Williams on autopilot. The Light Is Coming and Borderline are okay, but outside of the singles, that’s it. 7/10.

7.       Liberation – Christina Aguilera – Charts do not matter!

Oh Christina, you actually gave us a passionate body of work and nobody but the gays took notice. There are so many competent songs on this album that will never been acknowledged by the public, the incredible Accelerate, the decent duet with Demi Lovato and the beautiful Twice. But, the star of the show, without a doubt, is the terrific Deserve, a song that conveys gravity, time and space all in 4 minutes and 23 seconds. 6/10.

8.       Golden – Kylie Minogue – Isn’t she lovely?

The beautiful, kind and talented Kylie Minogue releases a very good country album. I played this relentlessly on release but rarely go back to it now, make of that what you will. Please return to the dancefloor Kylie, your disco needs you. Download: Dancing, Stop Me From Falling and Shelby 68.

9.       Dancing Queen – Cher – It’s Cher! Doing ABBA!

Does what is says on the tin, Cher covers ABBA and does a brilliant, if uninspired job of it. 6/10.

10.   Chris – Christine and the Queens – SHE’S FRENCH!

A French artist who has released the best RNB song of 2018? It’s true! Girlfriend is a complete and utter groove, download it! 6/10.

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After spending three years at university intensely studying the world’s greatest literature, I have since read nothing but trash and pulp fiction. Stephen King, check. Zombie horror, tick. Trashy romance novels, you bet.

After finishing the massive slog that was IT, I decided a break from blood and gore was for the best, I needed some romance. Nicholas Sparks is celebrated by the general public but derided for his predictability and writing style by critics, he seemed the most obvious place to start.

A few years’ ago I read Dear John, I remember enjoying it but found it difficult to relate to the characters as they were so young. For this reason I searched for a Nicholas Sparks novel that featured post-teenage adults, I settled on Safe Haven.

Boy, I’m glad that I did click the download button, Safe Haven was a great read! I’m slightly obsessed with American culture including its flaws, so with the setting for this novel being a sleepy seaside town in the USA, I was set.

I found the characters likeable (if slightly naïve), was pleasantly surprised that it contained a thriller element and also a massive plot twist right at the end, I genuinely didn’t see it coming. The thing I enjoyed the most though, was how easy Safe Haven was to read. Nicholas Sparks writes in a straight-forward, uncomplicated way that keeps you hooked and doesn’t confuse, he doesn’t try to impress with his writing skills which is refreshing.

If you want to read something high-brow, this isn’t for you. If you want escapism with a hint of romance and action, this is for you.

[chrisconfessed]

Stream or Download #Kylie's new single Dancing. Available now #KylieDancing #KylieGolden #NMF thndr.me/mZ3fJy http://thndr.me/mZ3fJy

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I thought, in typical Popjustice style, the posters’ were all overreacting and that this video would actually be passable, how wrong I was. The idea of using French court has so much potential but it's just not realised enough, it's not glamorous and her message of female empowerment is lost to cheap gags. Do we really need to see a morphing pig head and a Joan of Arc computer simulation in 2017? I've defended this album and campaign enough, but not this time, it's gone to shit. RIP Witness, you had so much potential.

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Top 10 Albums Of 2017 - What a great year for pop lovers. 

1. Taylor Swift - Reputation - A proper pop album. Listen to: End Game & Delicate

2. Little Big Town - The Breaker - A touching country album about love and loss. Listen to: Lost in California & Better Man. 

3. Steps - Triumphant comeback ‘chockabloc’ with camp, Eurotastic, BOPS. Listen to: Scared of the Dark & Story of a Heart.

4. Sam Smith - The Thrill of it All - Not as instant as his debut but beautiful nonetheless. Listen to: Say It First & Too Good At Goodbyes 

5. Lana Del Rey - Lust for Life - Back to the beats that made her name. Listen to: Groupie Love & 13 Beaches. 

6. Katy Perry - Witness - Universally disappointing but overlooked. Listen to: Witness & Chained to the Rhythm 

7. Texas - Jump on Board - Unexpected disco with vulnerability, Listen to: Let’s Work It Out & For Everything. 

8. Kelly Clarkson - Meaning of Life - Kelly gets her groove on. Listen to: Love So Soft & Move You. 

9. TLC - TLC - The TLC album we never thought we’d get and much better than anticipated. Listen to: Way Back & Haters. 

10. Miley Cyrus - Not great but full of Miley’s charm. Listen to: Malibu & Younger Now. 

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As well as Stephen King novels, I also like to read horror/crime/thriller novels by other authors. I’ve previously read the first two Jack Reacher novels by Lee Child and found them both very fast paced, entertaining and addictive. 

The third instalment of the Jack Reacher series, Tripwire, has unfortunately ruined my eagerness to read any further. 

Jack Reacher is sexy, strong and clever as always, his female counterparts are equally beautiful and intelligent but the narrative is a slog. Lee Child over-describes guns, irrelevant interiors and back stories of characters that have no real influence on the plot. The bad guy, Victor Hobie, is genuinely terrifying and generally provides the most interesting parts of the book.

Somewhere in this novel, buried deep, is an exhilarating insight into the US’ treatment of it’s Vietnam war heroes but it falls short mainly because of it’s slow pace and pointless narrative scents. 

I will pick up another Jack Reacher novel again, just not as quick as I expected to. 

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Regular readers of this blog will know that my love for Stephen King’s writing knows no bounds, he is a genius with a unique talent for storytelling. The list of King novels I have read is ever increasing, in fact I am now reading lesser-known King novels. 

One hugely popular book remains unread though, IT. I have never read IT, I started it many years ago but for various reasons put it down and never picked it up again. I’m flying to Vegas on Friday, so what better novel to delve into on a ten hour flight other than IT? 

The recently announced film remake of IT looks great, I wanted to make sure that I had the novel finished before it’s release, my review will appear soon on this blog.  

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I will never forget my first night out on the gay scene back in 2004. I was a mere baby at seventeen, having only experienced the gay scene via Queer As Folk, so I was expecting something glossy, vibrant and young.

My friends took me to a little gay East-End pub in London; it was dark, dirty (sticky floors, blocked, overflowing toilets... you get the picture) and played music from the eighties, it was a throw back in time. The regulars were large older men, perched at the bar by the door, pint in hand, to assess any newcomer that crossed the threshold, their appearance was threatening to my naive eyes, but I remember the warmth in their smiles. 

Within thirty minutes I was drunk, joyously dancing amongst the throng of men, my arms in the air and generally having the best night of my life as the disco lights darted across the small, sticky dance floor. 

Things took a turn for the unexpected when I witnessed my first ever drag act scoop chocolate spread from an inflatable sheep's arse and throw it at the audience, it definitely wasn't in Queer As Folk but I loved the spontaneity! I looked around at the audience expecting them to be outraged that they were being splattered in 'shit' but all I could see was smiling faces and roaring laughter, everybody was relaxed and happy. 

That first night out on the gay scene, all those years ago, taught me to never judge, assume or expect anything other than to have the best night of your life, something the gay scene has provided me ever since.

It's not a wild, hair-raising tale but I've enjoyed reminiscing!

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I have been listening to Live: Her Greatest Performances a lot this past week and it really does encompass all that was wonderful about her. I love her performance of Home, her innocence and youth really shine through the delivery, it's great to hear the presenter say something along the lines of how her name wouldn't be forgotten. In comparison, the My Love Is Your Love performance is a perfect example of how she grew as an artist, almost becoming a genre chameleon in some respects; it goes without saying that she could pull of huge, flawless ballads but pop bops and smooth, R&B grooves also came naturally to her. For me though, her best vocal performance is without a doubt, 'All The Man That I Need' from the Welcome Home Heroes concert. The way she hits those high notes, expresses such raw emotion and merges her voice with the sax are unparalleled for me, the final note makes the hairs on my arms stand up each and every time. There are artists that I stan for way more than Whitney, but without a doubt, she is the greatest female vocalist of all time.

[chrisconfessed]

Queen of walking in mansions. 

[chrisconfessed]

Glory Album Review - Britney Spears - Top 5 Songs

Glory is upon us and what a feast for the ears it is! After what is regarded as the worst album of her career, Glory has snatched our weaves and made us scream with excitement. My Top 5 Glory tracks are below:

1.       Make Me – A triumph, a proper return to form that is trendy and yet so Britney. The vocals are sublime, G-Eazy’s rap is sexy and it just makes you want to dance. Those hand claps. THOSE HAND CLAPS.  

2.       Just Luv Me – Slinky, sexy and single worthy – obviously inspired by Selena’s ‘Good For You’ and that isn’t a bad thing. I want a controversial, naked video that will get the streams high. I particularly like the bridge in this song, the bit where she sings “Oh no, I won’t, I promise, I promise”.

3.       Slumber Party – This song goes OFF! So sexy, so Britney and so single worthy (yet again) – it reminds me of Britney’s reggae-tinged songs from In The Zone, such as ‘The Hook Up’

4.       Man On The Moon – Remember one of the few good tracks from the Britney Jean album called Alien?  Yeah, this picks up where that one left off; it’s atmospheric, melancholy and a little bit sad when Britney sings “I can’t compete with the stars in the sky, I’m invisible, invisible”.

5.       Invitation – What could be better than hearing Britney cooing “You evoke the feeling, This feeling I've been dreaming of, I'm ready to reveal it, Let inhibitions come undone”

If Blackout is Britney’s pinnacle masterpiece, Glory isn’t far behind and in my opinion deserves a worthy 9/10. You did me proud Britney.

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Regular readers of this sporadic blog will know my love of Stephen King’s writing knows no bounds; I love his respected classics and I can easily find something to love it his less acclaimed novels, I’m looking at you Desperation. In my attempt to read all of his novels I finally reached Cujo, written during King’s addicted-haze of 1981.

Cujo, the tale of a rabid dog terrorising the innocent and not-so-innocent is a true Stephen King classic standing tall with the likes of Carrie, The Shining, Pet Sematary and Salem’s Lot.

I’m just over fifty percent of the way through Cujo and I’ve reached the stage where I can’t put it down, turn the light off and go to sleep. Cujo is a true, edge-of-your-seat romp; it is thrilling, terrifying and absolutely relatable as characters are written in such depth, they are totally believable and life-like.

The terror of Cujo has started to pick up pace, I’m not quite sure how it will end but I’m positive it will be hair-raising.

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This is still so overwhelming, I first watched this when I was 16 (I’m 29 now) and coming to terms with being gay, it struck a chord then and it still does to this day. 

I put myself forward over the head, backward

See myself singing the gospel hymn we wrote together 

We rode to the end of the world, we rode on searching, climbing skyscrapers

Which then crack up the peace 

There I played steady 

Falling down, I let myself flow forward, but somehow I always end up in the same place

Absolute silence

No words 

The best thing that God has created is a new day 

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What the new Britney Spears song/video NEEDS to include.

1.       SONG: A pulsating, throbbing, sexual pop #BANGER 

2.       SONG: NO swearing, we want radio to play this unlike Work Bitch

3.       SONG: Lyrics that can be #moments for the Snapchat generation

4.       VIDEO: A blonde Britney with a strong sense of direction/style, think the David LaChapelle shoot for the Onyx Hotel Tour.

5.       VIDEO: At least FIVE hair-flips

6.       VIDEO: A synchronised dance breakdown with male backing dancers

7.       VIDEO: A naked scene, show off that body Fitney2016

8.       VIDEO: Lots of lingering eye shots

9.       VIDEO: A smile at the end of the video, remind the world why everybody loves you Brit Brit

10.    SONG: LIVE performances on numerous media outlets across the world

There you go my love, a #1 SMASH – YOU’RE WELCOME.