Thursday, December 31, 2009

New Tweets

so looking forward to filming video in january for new single... woo!

filming the video in moscow a good idea. n'night pop tarts. x

All these tweets suggest that the new album is finished and the new single is ready. Any further delays can be blamed on the record company, lol. Crossing my fingers and hoping for a monster of a song! Sophie is performing in Moscow tonight. Not sure if it is going to be televised, but if you're reading this and you're going to attend the show, then please carry a camera with you. And give us a review.
*fingers crossed she performs the new single tonight*

Monday, December 28, 2009

Sophierazzi wishes all its readers

I started a website called Soph-ology a long time ago, and that became one of the most popular Sophie fan-sites. But for several reasons, i decided to abort the website and start a blog. My blog has had several loyal readers and some casual ones. I'm grateful to one and all for visiting, you kept my inspiration going. Do keep visiting. Sophierazzi promises to offer you the juiciest information, update you with all (or most) of any happenings related to Sophie and offer you some treats whenever possible.

Here's wishing you all a very Happy New Year. Hope 2010 brings a lot of smiles in all of your lives.

Cheers
Kaushik

P.S. - The new layout is made to match with the official website. Just a bit of fun. When the new artwork is out, maybe i'll change the layout again. Don't forget to leave your comments.

Sunday, December 27, 2009

the new single is supposed to be MASSIVE

Fascination's recent tweet:
"Playing friends highlights from the forthcoming Sophie Ellis-Bextor album! The new single is MASSIVE! Wooo-hooo!!"

An inside source's comment:
"Her new songs are better than anything she has done till date. This album deserves to be a hit"

A PopJustice poster's comment:
"
I've only heard the supposed first Sophie single ONCE a month ago and I can say it's not only massive, but I can still sing the chorus in my head after that. I consider that such a rare thing. It deserves to be everywhere."


Let the hype begin. Roll on 2010

oh. and Wiki calls the album "Another Love". Highly doubt the title. I wish we get some gigantic idiom/phrase type title

Monday, December 21, 2009

the new site is up

So i was checking last night, and i saw that the new site was online. It looks neat, definitely an improvement. But its still under construction. Love that they have made the news section like a blog (ahem!), they will finally know what fans feel.

The new forum is looking quite good too.

Can't wait for the news about the album...

Kudos to Sophie, her management and her online team for the new website. Sophierazzi gives a thumbs up. Check it out for yourself - www.sophieellisbextor.net

C'mon January

Friday, December 18, 2009

Bits from here and there

Crafty Move

With a new album on the horizon and a baby clamped to her side, the last thing singer Sophie Ellis-Bextor needed this year was a major property renovation project.

But that's exactly what she has faced - and conquered - in an action-packed 2009.

'It sounds like a stressful combination of things to be doing at the same time, but that is how I have always lived my life,' says the star.

After selling their three bedroom Victorian townhouse off Ladbroke Grove in London's trendy Notting Hill in September for a reported £1.3 million, Sophie and her Feeling guitarist husband Richard Jones, bought a dilapidated five-bedroom Victorian Arts and Crafts style property in Turnham Green near Chiswick in West London.

'Parts of the house were pretty much a shell,' says Sophie. 'When we first visited there were no floorboards - it was hard-hat territory.'

'The previous owner had been there for 60 years and just lived downstairs so there was no central heating and only sporadic electrics.'

'So that has all been gutted and updated and a rear exterior outhouse has been replaced with a modern extension, but I can't take credit for the building work as a contractor was already involved when we exchanged.'

Inside, however, Sophie - who is appearing in a celebrity online video advent calendar in support of Great Ormond Street Hospital this year (www.merrychristmas.co.uk) - has been more hands on.

'I love Fifties fashion and bright colours - the TV show Mad Men was a big influence. There is a dark navy room, powder blues and greens and lots of rich Fifties shades,' says Sophie, right, whose big hit was Murder On The Dancefloor.

'There is a fine line between creating something that's stimulating and something that looks like a children's TV set, but hopefully we've pulled that off.'

'We are just relieved that it is finished before Christmas.'

SOURCE: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/property/article-1235722/Property-gossip-Crafty-singer-Sophie-Ellis-Bextor.html



Designer Clothes Are Wasted On Me

The singer Sophie Ellis-Bextor, 30, is now a bigger star than her mother, the former 'Blue Peter' presenter Janet Ellis. She lives in Chiswick with her husband, Richard Jones, and their two young children.

How did your childhood experience influence your attitude to money?
I'd never really thought about it before, but now you ask I can see that how my parents handled money definitely affected my relationship with it. It's a bit like the degree to which they are respectful to one another affects the expectations you have of marriage. My parents divorced when I was young and I now have two very different influences from two very different characters. I can definitely tell when mum has got money because then she likes to go shopping to spend it, whereas dad is steadier and avoids splurges. I like to think I've inherited both sides.

In what way do you show both tendencies then?
Like my mum, I sometimes buy things I shouldn't and fill my house with rubbish. But, like dad, I try to take a more measured approach because I'm frightened by the idea of debt. Mum is happier than I am to run up a balance on her credit card. When I was 18 she told me I only needed to pay the minimum amount and I did that for a while until I got a store card and realised the interest on it was absurd. I paid it all off and I've never had another one since.

What credit cards do you have?
I only have one, a Visa, and I pay that off every month. I bank with Coutts and they also gave me a debit card, but I'm not very organised and I don't have a proper purse or wallet so I put both cards in my handbag and one day I couldn't find the debit card. I cancelled it and started using the Visa instead and now I use it for everything. I pay it off automatically each month so I think of it as more like a debit card anyway.

Are you good with money or cautious with it?
I think I'm fairly good with money, but I've developed some strange tics – in shops I don't like to go to the counter unless I've got at least two things to buy. If I'm walking around with just one thing in my hand I'll put it back and wait a few weeks because that doesn't seem like a proper purchase. I don't know whether that's a good thing because it stops me spending money so frequently or a bad thing because when I do spend it I go home with more than I came out to buy.

Do you have a financial adviser?
Yes, but I probably throw the net too wide when I want advice. I talk to my parents quite a lot about money and also my manager. My parents are good role models because they've worked hard and gave me a happy childhood. I also have an accountant and it can be difficult balancing the different advice.

How do you separate responsibility for finance with Richard? Do you have the same financial outlook?
We're pretty similar and we make a lot of decisions together. We haven't had any arguments about money. We run a joint household account and we have separate bank accounts as well so that we can enjoy a bit of independence. I think that's important, especially at a time like Christmas when you want to receive gifts without feeling you've basically bought it yourself.

Have you learnt any difficult lessons about money through mistakes?
I started my music career at 18 and for a long while I let other people handle my affairs. It's only since I've been with Richard that I've woken up to the need to take more responsibility and start planning for the future. Not that I've got very far – I'm still working out what my goals are.

Haven't you set up a pension?
Sadly no. My financial adviser brings the subject up every once in a while, but it just sounds so unsexy.

So what do you do to invest?
Apart from my home – we have a five-bedroom detached house in Chiswick – and two other properties I let, I put money into individual savings accounts (Isas) each year – my accountant makes sure of that. And I have some money saved on deposit. I'm with Coutts and they have set up my current account so that when it reaches a certain defined amount, anything over is automatically transferred into my deposit account to get a marginally better rate of interest.

Have you ever been in serious debt?
Thankfully no, but I've had a few near misses. After I had my first baby I took three years to make my next album. I wasn't touring or working and I had my head in the clouds. I was very lucky to have enough money to do it, but when I took a proper look at my accounts towards the end of that time I realised the end was in sight – if I didn't get my skates on the money would run out. I haven't let that kind of thing happen again but it's difficult to plan to be creative, it either comes or it doesn't. Still, I'm young enough that if everything went pear-shaped in my career I'm sure I could find something else. And I have a plan B.

What's your plan B?
I've got those two flats I mentioned earlier that I could sell. I bought one near Swiss Cottage as a home seven years ago and kept hold of it to let when I moved. The other one is a flat we bought earlier this year near Westbourne Grove for our nanny. She was looking for somewhere and we thought it made sense to buy it as an investment and let her rent it as part of her salary package.

What has been your best buy?
Richard and I both had our 30th birthdays this year and we decided to keep it low key. We just had a series of meals with family and friends and it was really lovely taking people out and getting together. So the pop music world is not all about materialism – my favourite way to spend money is to have warm experiences with people I love. But if you want me to cite a physical purchase, at the beginning of this year we bought a brilliant new super king size leather Chesterfield bed. It is so big all four of us can squeeze into it without touching each other and I love it.

And your worst buy?
Generally speaking, I'm quite a frugal shopper, but when I first became successful I wanted to know what it felt like to buy a really expensive dress. Designer clothes are usually wasted on me because I can get the same pleasure out of something that costs as little as £20, so I might as well go for the cheaper option. However, I bought this one for £1,000 and I have never even worn it – it's still got the label on. I don't really know why I did that except I just wanted to know what it felt like. Now I want to know what it feels like to have the money back.

Do you bank online?
The great thing about being with Coutts is they are on the end of the phone 24 hours a day. That's really helpful to me because I sometimes tour abroad and am unable to get to a British bank for long periods. I've got a code for online banking, but I've never used it because I can just as easily pick up the phone.

How do you tip? Are you an easy tipper or do they have to work hard with you?
I'm too frightened of confrontation, so I will always tip – even if the service has been really shoddy. I'm a British girl so I stick to the standard British 10pc, but I go to 15pc in restaurants and hair salons.

What has been your favourite holiday?
Last year we went to Italy and it was our first proper family holiday – the first time the three of us went away together for longer than two nights. We had 10 days on the Amalfi coast in Italy and it didn't cost as much as I thought because it's not a tourist destination – it's where the Italians go for their holidays. I think it only cost us £4,000.

Sophie is in Waitrose's online advent calendar. Waitrose donates 25p to Great Ormond Street Hospital for every UK resident who changes their home page to www.merrychristmas.co.uk for 24 hours, any day before Christmas

SOURCE: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/personalfinance/fameandfortune/6832399/Sophie-Ellis-Bextor-Designer-clothes-are-wasted-on-me.html

Sunday, December 13, 2009

Sophie Ellis-Bextor: ‘I dress like a tarty nanny’ - Mirror Article

The singer, 30, on her individual style, why being booby is not her thing, and pushing out the fashion boat

I love getting dressed up. Being a pop star is the most brilliant job for that. A lot of girls love shopping, but they might see the most amazing outfit and think, ‘When am I going to wear that?’, so it’s my duty to exploit the fact I do have events I can wear these things to.

My most outlandish stage outfit was for G.A.Y. – sparkly pants and Minnie Mouse ears, a little sailor romper suit, just stupid stuff, but fun. For something like that you feel obliged to go for it, it’s a bit of a wasted opportunity if you dress too safely.

When I’m performing I never wear trousers or jeans, it feels a bit casual, but I’m not averse to a little hotpant or a playsuit. Playsuits are great – you can run about and you don’t have to worry about anything riding up. Otherwise I’ll give anything a go.

I try not to wear anything I have to fidget with – there’s nothing worse than wearing something and pulling down the hem and re-adjusting the top. My pet hate is when girls wear those strapless dresses and spend the whole night yanking them up.

I’ve got quite a curvy shape so I try to wear stuff that’s tailored. I don’t mind getting my pins out so I’ll wear something short usually. Nothing very booby, that’s not really my area of expertise.

I’ve had hundreds of wardrobe malfunctions, horrible things that I’ve worn, stuff I cringe about, shoes I’ve not been able to walk in. I’ve never had anything truly awful like falling out of a top or realising you can see my pants.

I’m more of a high street and vintage girl but I’ve had a couple of occasions when I’ve thought, ‘I just want to know what it feels like to spend a lot of money on something’. I once bought some beautiful Christian Louboutin boots, but they’re so expensive I feel a bit like I can’t wear them out because I don’t want to ruin them, which is stupid because they’re shoes. So I’ve learnt my lesson from that really.

For bargain buys I love Portobello Market. And I still love eBay every once in a while, you can get good bargains if you’re patient. When I go away I love vintage shops. America’s really good. In this country, because of the war, we had a lot of the old dresses chopped up and re-used, but in the US they’re lucky they’ve still got a good back catalogue of outfits that are in good condition.

In terms of influence, my style icons have been a mixture of Julie Andrews and Olivia Newton-John. When I was little I used to watch Grease, Mary Poppins and The Sound of Music a lot. If you put all those things together you do kind of get my outfits. A slightly tarty nanny in a second-hand outfit. That is pretty much what I wear.

I’ve got loads of stuff that’s been worn to death and some of it’s really unexpected. I bought a really good black shift dress from New Look when I was about 17 and I still wear it, it’s still holding up. We’re lucky in this country, we’ve got some of the best high street shops. I love H&M and Urban Outfitters.

By Dina Behrman, 13/12/2009

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

News, finally!

ONE - Mirror article
From dance to trance.. Pop babe Sophie Ellis-Bextor has hooked up with Euro Trance DJ Armin Van Burren. Sophie tells us: "I've just finished recording a track with Armin called Not Giving Up On Love. I don't know that much about him really, but it's a good track." She then let us in on her style secrets, saying: "I think it's mixture of the films I used to watch as a child. The tailoring of Mary Poppins, the dresses made from curtains in Sound of Music and the tartiness of the Pink Ladies in Grease." Sophie is also looking forward to March when she joins her hubby Richard in Meribel, France where his band The Feeling are putting on the Little World Festival. She tells us: "It's going to be fantastic. All that music with the backdrop of the Alps and lots of toffeeschnapps. Yum!"

Sophie’s new website coming soon!
We have some great news for all of you Sophie Ellis Bextor fans out there . . .
Next week will see the launch of Sophie’s new website, which will be your one stop for all the hottest Sophie news!
Sophie’s new site will feature all the info you will ever need on her back-catalogue, never-before-seen photos, all the latest news and amazing new community areas!
Make sure you come back next week to check it out!

I'm really exited about the revamping. About time really. I was getting sick of looking at that pink and black theme. Some of the frequent posters there was talking about a mobile phone friendly website. I hope the site designers read that.

C'mon January :)

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

3 new song titles, finally the Ed Harcourt songs!

Finally, the Ed Harcourt and Dimitri songs. I was wondering where they were. Dimitri a DJ, Sophie a popstar and Ed a rocker. I wonder what the song is going to sound like. I hope its an experimental mix of all three genres, sonically.. :)

Cut Through The Heart (Dumoulard Dit Tikovoi Dimitri/Ellis-Bextor Sophie Michelle/Harcourt Smith Edward Henry)
Don't Let Me Go (Dumoulard Dit Tikovoi Dimitri/Ellis-Bextor Sophie Michelle/Harcourt Smith Edward Henry)
Sleepwalking (Dumoulard Dit Tikovoi Dimitri/Ellis-Bextor Sophie Michelle/Harcourt Smith Edward Henry)

Sounds fantastic doesn't it.... So that makes two songs i'm dying to hear from this album -
Sleepwalking and Whispers On The Street.

I hate to do this everytime but..
Love Deluxe (Ellis-Bextor/Harry James/Wilcox Simon)
For Love (Douglas John Henry/Ellis-Bextor/Poole Karen Ann)
Not Giving Up On Love (Buuren Armin/Ellis-Bextor/Nervo Miriam/Nervo Olivia Margaret)
Calling It Love (Cathy Dennis/Sophie Ellis-Bextor/Richard Wiles)
Dial My Number (Hang Up) (Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Liam Howe, Hannah Robinson)
Give Into Love (Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Liam Howe, Hannah Robinson)
Magic (Richard X/Sophie Ellis-Bextor)
Lose Myself (Christopher Rojas/Sophie Ellis-Bextor)
My Priority (Lamont Dazier/Sophie Ellis-Bextor/John Stack Graham/Daniel Woodcock)
Off And On (Cathy Dennis/Roisin Murphy/Calvin Harris)
Only For This Moment (Alexander Perls/Cohen Wayne/Sophie Ellis-Bextor)
Sophia Loren (Christopher Rojas/Cathy Dennis/Sophie Ellis-Bextor)
Sorry Now (Christopher Mohr/Cohen Wayne/Sophie Ellis-Bextor)
Starlight (Richard X/Sophie Ellis-Bextor)
Supersexy (Jim Elliott/ Sophie Ellis-Bextor/Gabriel/Hannah Robinson)
Synchronized (Ina Wroldsen/Sophie Ellis-Bextor/Fred Ball)
Make A Scene (Metronomy/Sophie Ellis-Bextor)
Under Your Touch (Sophie Ellis-Bextor/Liam Howe/Hannah Robinson)
Whispers On The Street (Jim Elliott/Sophie Ellis-Bextor/Gabriel/Hannah Robinson)
Wicked Game (David Lipsey/Jeremy Shaw/Sophie Ellis-Bextor)
Immune To Love (Sophie Ellis-Bextor/Hannah Robinson/Richard X)
We Got A Chance (Ellis-Bextor/Nervo Miriam/Nervo Olivia/Rowbottom Matthew Paul)
Heartbreak Make Me A Dancer (Ellis-Bextor/Freemasons)

Sunday, December 6, 2009

my thought about the album

I was just reading through a Sophie topic on PopJustice forums, when one particular post was like a wake-up call for me. Yes, i have nagged enough about the album and i should be supportive. But the reason why i.. no, first - quoting the post:
"I just hate her delays and her canceling stuff, that oh I will release a cd, oh no I won't, I will tour, I won't, I will tour with Take That, I will release a best of, oh the bonus tracks are good so I am doing a proper cd, oh no I am not, I am releasing a baby instead etc etc BORED me to death and she is now a joke to me, like Jelly and Leona.

Nowhere without you and If you go also make me mad, staying as son singles while she released CRAP like I Won't Flop You and Me & My Flop."
I know there are many more than just one or two fans who feel this way. I'm a little worried about Sophie at the moment. There's a lot of good popstars out there, and she really has to stay in the top 10 if she wants to prove that she is any good. Not that chart success matters that much to her fans. But it is a big requirement if you're a musician, don't you think? The album also needs to sell well. Trip The Light Fantastic sold lesser than her 2nd album, even though it was commercially superior. Why? - i have blamed Sophie and her management enough for the wrong decisions and cancellations.

Reality check.
Sophie's 4th album has to accomplish a lot:
1. Re-gain the loyalty of fans who are either too upset to bother about Sophie anymore, or who hate her so much for cancelling the tour twice and delaying her albums.
2. Live up to the expectations of all her fans.
3. Do complete justice to all those big producers on the album.
4. Sell more than Shoot From The Hip at the very least.
5. Re-gain her image as a confident popstar.

Do you feel the same....?

The only silver line i can see now is Jordan Jay's (Universal A&R manager) tweet about the album:
"listening to the new Sophie Ellis Bextor songs for album 4- @Sophieeb - going to be the best album yet methinks!"

DISCLAIMER: The poster on PopJustice is a big fan, his other post says it all - "It's all in humour, don't worry... I am a fan remember! I have so much SEB stuff ****looks at Watch My Lips dvd and Music Gets The Best In Me CD Maxi***"

Friday, December 4, 2009

Belfast Television Interview (Sophie & Richard)

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/tv/festive-stylefix--sophie-ellis-bextor-and-richard-jones-14587202.html

Sophie talks about her album which is "FINISHED"! Yes, it is finished. And its out in February. Which probably means a single in Jan and the album follows in Feb. I'm all excited :) Can't wait for new Sophie material.

Chart-topping singer Sophie Ellis Bextor and her husband Richard Jones, bass player with rock band The Feeling, were the special guests at the Appletiser Festive Stylefix held at the Northern Whig in Belfast. The pair played a DJ set at the glamour event in aid of local breast cancer charity Pretty in Pink. Sophie told Belfast Telegraph TV she had just finished her fourth solo album which is set for release in February - while Richard said The Feeling's third album is due out in the spring. Sophie and Richarfd are proud parents of two sons aged five years and 10 months. "Parenthood is lovely.Like every parent we are a bit obsessed with them," she said.

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Welcome! SOPHIERAZZI is a website dedicated Sophie Ellis-Bextor. Here, you will find first hand information, access to several rarities and exclusive inside details unavailable elsewhere. This is your heaven... Feel free EMAIL ME, if you have some exciting news to share, if you want to update me about something, or if you need some clarification regarding any post. I promise to respond to your email at the earliest...
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