Murder On The Dancefloor (Live @ Java Soul Nation)

 What a brilliant performance this was.

Official Catch Up + Baby News + Jakarta set + Fuck With You Official Video

Hi all. I've been away for quite sometime; been very busy with my studies and my career. Also, nothing much was happening in Sophie-world all these days, so things were quiet around here. But now we're back online. Sophie has given birth to her third child, she is working on her fifth solo record - lets hope this year goes well for her.

So before we get to the official catch-up, here are some of the significant things I have missed out on all these days.

1. The FUCK WITH YOU video - It is branded NSFW.

2. Videos from Java Soul Nation (Jakarta) - SophieHQ have been uploading one video a week, and they promise to upload the entire set over a period of time. Its a good way to keep fans occupied, really. Although, I hope she considers releasing an EP of songs that didn't make it onto Make A Scene, just so we can kill time waiting for the next album.
Here are the videos:

Dial My Number

Bittersweet

Take Me Home

Me And My Imagination

Today The Sun's On Us

What Have We Started

Catch You

Starlight

3. Have you heard the latest leak? It's called "Work It Out". The entire song isn't out yet, but a snippet of the song was recently uploaded to Soundcloud. It sounds like the old Sophie, from the Read My Lips days..

4. Sophie gave birth to her third baby boy, called Ray Holiday Jones on April 25, 2012. A couple of tweets that followed the birth of the child -

5. A couple of other interesting tweets caught my attention. There was one with Billy Reeves (yes, The Billy Reeves of theaudience. Its nice to see they're still in touch). And another with Jake Shears...possible collaboration maybe? I hope so. Jake knows his way around good hooks. And an interesting response by the dirty rapper to what Sophie said on her interview.

6. And finally, here is the official catch-up from her official website. She revealed two song-titles - Love Is A Camera and The Wrong Side Of The Sun. The latter sounds phenomenal - hopefully it will be another Today The Sun's On Us / What Have We Started / Cut Straight To The Heart.

Hi Sophie, how are you?
Not too bad thank you.

Blooming and full of child!
Haha! Yeah I am. I'm at 38 weeks now.

So it's third time lucky with going the full term.
I know. It's been phenomenal. The people at the hospital have been absolutely brilliant. I do really appreciate it.

Have they had to pay you a lot of attention because you've had the two premature babies?
Yeah, exactly. They've had to keep an eye on me in case I started to get ill again, but I didn't. It's all good.

So you've never brought a newborn baby home before?
No, this will be the first time. Kit and Sonny both came home after about four or five weeks.

How are you feeling at the moment?
Excited, really. I have moments where I feel like I don't really know what to expect, but I just want to get on with it now, really. We're as ready for this baby as we're ever going to be!

Do you have an inkling of the sex.
We don't know for sure, but I'm pretty sure it's going to be another boy. We had quite a big visual clue at one of the scans!

Do you have names sorted?
Of course, yeah. I always do that. I'm a bit tragic. By the time you start telling people I already know what the names are. I like to be organised.

Has your girl's name been the same all three times?
No, I've changed it actually. I think you get to different points in your life and things have different resonance. Actually, people say to me, "I bet you want a girl" but I don't really feel like families work like that. When your child is born you just think, "Well, I was always going to have that baby". I didn't really realise that there was a bit of a thing about that. I've got three sisters, two brothers, we're all very higgledy piggledy. It didn't really occur to me that I would have any preference. But the amount of people that, if I say I think it's a boy, say "Aww" as if they feel sorry for me! And I'm like, "Well, I quite like the way they turn out!" And you do go into it knowing it's 50-50!

You really do get that?
Oh totally. I had it a little bit with the second one, but I've had it tonnes this time around.

The idea that you would be disappointed with a boy because it's not a girl.
Yeah, exactly. Like, "This is a disaster! Why did nobody warn me this might happen?!"

So, once you've had the baby presumably you'll be taking a bit of time off work?
Yeah, well, I don't really know how I'll feel. I've got a couple of things in June and we'll see how it goes, really. There are a few things in the diary.

And it's nice to have that other side to your life still going.
Definitely. It's been quite a peaceful start to the year for me - which has been lovely - and I quite like seeing that I've got stuff going on. But we'll see. I'm going to try and sort the baby out with a passport quite quickly so that I can take it with me as well.

The other big news in Sophie world is that the Bob Sinclar video is out.
It is! How's that for synchronicity!

It's certainly quite a viewing experience.
Hahaha! Yes. There's a lot of really peachy bottoms. But hey he's French, what did you expect?

What do you think of it?
You know what, I really like it. I think it's really kitsch and cool. Bob asked me if I'd be able to do the video and I was like, "Um kind of, but only from certain angles!" So he decided to do it that way. And, actually, I think it's great. I'm happy.

And are you pleased with the song?
Yeah. I don't even think it's that rude any more - I just find it quite funny. But some people are still adjusting to it, I think!

It's incredibly catchy. You have to be careful or you find yourself singing that chorus in public places!
Well, there is an "I wanna rock with you" version. You'll be safer with that. Actually, I had to play the sweary version to my 7-year-old because I wanted him to hear it from me and noone else. I told him that in France it doesn't meant anything rude, it's only rude here. So he thought that was OK. He's obviously quite anti-swearing and he's never heard me swear either. I'm not really a very sweary person.

The song certainly makes up for that.
Haha! Exactly.

Remind us how you came to do the song?
I was sent an email from Bob and I was obviously aware of what he does, but then I saw in the subject heading of the email attachment, "Fuck With You" and I thought that was ridiculous. But then I heard it and thought, "Well this is really catchy and quite fun". And I always thought it was quite tongue in cheek. It's not just a sexy thing, it's more of a woman getting her revenge on someone. Like, I wanna mess with you. The rapper, Gilbere, is the really rude one. I wonder if he's told his parents yet!

And the timing of the song, with you about to go and have a baby is pretty good.
I just think it's hilarious. It tickles me.

So, what else have you been up to?
I've been doing a little bit of songwriting. I've been working a little bit more with Ed Harcourt. And I did a song with Cathy Dennis the other day. So, yeah, I've been keeping busy but just on a low-key, at home sort of way. And Richard and I have been doing a bit of writing as well. It's been fun.

What kind of stage are you at with an album?
I'd say I still need to knuckle down and do a few more months, really. But it's definitely taking shape. I've done some great stuff with Ed and we've found a bit of a musical direction. But I'm going to take a pause while I have the baby.

Is there a song title you can tease us with?
We did a lovely one called Love Is A Camera and we did another one called The Wrong Side Of The Sun.

Obviously we've been posting the Jakarta videos and they've gone down really well.
Yeah, that's been really good. They filmed it for TV, I think. It's quite good quality, I thought.

The crowd looks amazing.
Yeah, it was fun. We really had no idea what to expect going to a country I hadn't been to for a long time, so it was a nice surprise.

Do you have any notion of when you might start to put some new music out?
Not yet. It's a bit early to say on that front. We shall see.

And have you been filling the house with new paraphernalia for the baby?
Not really. The only thing we got was a new buggy, because the old one was looking really tired. We've gone for another Bugaboo.

What colour?
Navy. I always go for that. I know they come in really loud colours but I like it a bit more restrained. Black always seems a bit too severe, so navy is quite good. And then I got a new Moses basket because the handles on the old one were held together with string! But that's all we've done.

It's going to be so strange to have a tiny baby in the house for the first time.
I know! It's quite odd for Richard and I because we've actually been quite busy in the last few weeks, and then suddenly we're going to have this little baby in the basket and he'll actually be here. I can't imagine it at all.

Are the kids excited?
I think so. Kit wants to call the baby Rose, whether it's a boy or a girl. Before that he wanted to call it Power Ranger. He's a bit obsessed with Power Rangers. If any of my fans have got any Power Rangers that they're getting rid of, they can always donate them to Kit's Power Rangers collection. We have to know the name of all of them - and they have different names in each series. There's probably about 12 different versions of them and he likes to know each of their names. But, yes, Sonny is really looking forward to the baby, because he loves babies.

That's great.
Yeah. And I think Kit's just got his head around it in the last month or two. He's three now so he's starting to find his feet a little bit more. I think he's really warming to the idea of being a big brother. Sonny's going to be 8 on Monday, so I'm hoping he'll actually be able to give me a bit of help. I was 8 when my brother was born and I adored him and used to give him his bottle and look after him. And now he's my drummer!

And it's so nice that you've not had the stresses of the last two births.
Oh totally. I sort of want to tell people that. I know that a lot of women, if they've had two bouts of pre-eclampsia severe enough to have premature babies, they'll probably be really apprehensive at the idea of a third. I know I was. So it's really nice to know that it doesn't always happen. It's just been so lovely to be able to enjoy it this time.

News about the Not Giving Up video

Sophie's tweet:
today a try on of the wardrobe for Not Giving Up video. think helmut newton in Ibiza. throw in a motorboat and a nightclub. alright!

Hopefully they'll have a story line in the video.

Someone from the press said that Sophie Muller might be directing the video for Not Giving Up.

I'm really excited for the single. Amazing lyrics + amazing melody + Mulller video + Sophie + Armin Van Buuren. YAY!

Sophie on a stamp

Music and fashion stars Sophie Ellis-Bextor and Pearl Lowe have joined forces to donate photographs celebrating motherhood to raise money for charity around Mother's Day.

Singer Ellis-Bextor has provided an image of her as a baby, being held by her mother, ex-Blue Peter presenter Janet Ellis, while the image chosen by singer-turned-designer Lowe features a picture of her two daughters, Daisy and Betty.

The Smilers stamps for Royal Mail are being put on eBay for an auction which closes on Wednesday March 17, with the money raised going to Women's Aid, a charity working to end domestic violence against women and children.

This is the fourth year of the charity initiative from Royal Mail, which has raised considerable funds for Women's Aid with the help of stars such as Helena Christensen, Rankin, Penny Stewart, Elizabeth Hurley and Jasmine Guinness.

In the past, people have paid as much as £2,000 for a sheet of stamps.

Lowe said: "This is a terrific initiative to be involved in, and a very special cause. I've chosen an image that is really special to me, and one I love looking at as it reminds me of the beauty of motherhood."

Julietta Edgar, Royal Mail head of special stamps, said: "This auction has proved to be so popular in recent years, and we are delighted that Sophie and Pearl have come on board for 2010. We are keen to raise as much money as possible for this worthwhile cause, so get bidding!"

Anyone wishing to bid on the stamps was urged to go to www.ebay.co.uk

SOURCE: http://www.louthleader.co.uk/latest-entertainment-news/Stars-donate-photos-for-auction.6130657.jp

In other news Sophie tweeted saying, "Just been hula hooping in high heels to Bittersweet. All in the name of work."

Does that mean we're going to get another hip-thrusting dance routine? I'm on board, i know i'm going to love this video already *jumps around*

FABULOUS: Sophie Ellis-Bextor

DIRECT LINK - http://www.newsoftheworld.co.uk/fabulous/celebs/355053/Sophie-Ellis-Bextor-Fabulous-magazine-interview-Shes-survived-traumatic-pregnancies-but-itrsquos-made-Sophie-stronger.html

Sophie talks about her fourth album, Heartbreak Make Me A Dancer, Kit, her brother etc., She's working with a few different people on the 4th album, she mentioned Calvin Harris, Metronomy and the Sneaker Pimps, and she said that there were some collaborations in the offing, but it was too early to talk about them.

SOPHIE ELLIS-BEXTOR
STRONGER. BOLDER. BRAVER. HOTTER

She's survived traumatic pregnancies and her baby's illness, but it's just made Sophie Ellis-Bextor stronger

Many things can change in 18 months, just ask Sophie Ellis-Bextor. The last time Fabulous caught up with pop's queen of cool, she was on a high, bursting to tell us how motherhood had chilled her out, how happy her marriage was and how life was very peachy, thank you very much.

Fast-forward a year and a half and the Sophie we meet this time is very different indeed. The trademark jet-black hair is still the same, as are the killer pins (yes, even after giving birth just four months ago) - but now there is a quietness about her, a more contemplative air. Today she's not trying to push the "my life's just perfect" line, and in fact shakes her head at the mere suggestion.

"I honestly can't imagine anyone wanting to swap places with me. Not unless they have a very strong stomach" she says.

This is not just pop star hyperbole. The past few months have been nerve-shredding and, ultimately, the toughest she and her husband, The Feeling's bass guitarist Richard Jones, have ever had to face.

After suffering complications with the premature birth of her first son Sonny five years ago, Sophie had to relive the emotional ordeal when her second baby, Kit Valentine, was born nine weeks early, weighing just under 3lb. In short, Sophie's been to hell and back.

But if the traumas of the last few months have taken their toll, Sophie's not showing it. She arrives at the north London studio looking anything but careworn, with immaculate hair and perfect porcelain skin. Only the dark circles under her eyes and the fact she's come armed with a breast pump give away the fact she's mum to a newborn.

Free of post-baby body issues, she's even happy to slip out of her Topshop floral dress and wriggle into a pair of hot pants that would make Lady GaGa blush. So what's her secret? Macrobiotic food or liquid diets? In truth, Sophie has more important things to worry about than her waistline.

"I'm exercising about three times a week at the gym," she says. "But I'm not in a mad panic. I'm usually a size 8 so I'm a good size off that, but I don't care. To be honest, the focus of putting weight on is more of a big deal to me."

Her subtle reference to Kit, who's now almost 7lb, drop-kicks all our figure envy out of the window. Who cares about your dress size when you've got a little miracle at home? But Sophie's keen to point out how many other mothers have gone through what she has - that and "so much more".

Pre-eclampsia, a common but serious complication of pregnancy, causes dangerously high blood pressure in the mother, and is one of the leading causes of premature birth. And it blighted both Sophie's pregnancies.

"With Sonny it was my first experience of pregnancy and I think nature gave me some sort of protective bubble that didn't allow things to really hit me," she says. "A lot of it was touch-and-go and nothing happened as it should. I had post-traumatic stress afterwards. You put a lot of your feelings and panics on hold and then later it all rewinds in your head over and over and you can't believe what you've gone through. It's like being hit by a train."

"Then in the middle of it all, when Sonny was four months old, he got meningitis, which was terrifying. I thought that was it, and I went to pieces. He was so hot and getting hotter and hotter. It was incredibly frightening."

Despite this traumatic experience, Sophie wasn't worried when she fell pregnant again after doctors assured her that it was highly unlikely her pre-eclampsia would return.

"Statistically, it wasn't an issue. I was really excited and felt completely fine," she says. "Then, at 28 weeks, I was due to do a show in Russia and needed a doctor's note to fly. There was part of me that knew something was up. I'd tested my blood pressure and it was quite high. Then the doctor said she had a bad feeling. "

"Within days of being diagnosed with pre-eclampsia again, the consultant decided they needed to get my baby out."

"I didn't at any point allow myself to imagine anything bad. You have a moment where you think: 'Oh God, no!' but you just have to push through that. Richard was with me and at least both of us had been through it before so we knew what to expect."

Sophie describes Kit's birth - an emergency C-section at London's Chelsea And Westminster Hospital on February 7 - as lovely but scary at the same time.

"When he came out he was so tiny," she says. "He was like a little doll. We didn't have a whole lot of baby, but what we had was amazing. The next day I got to hold him once. Then we had a week where Richard and I were able to put our fingers through his little incubator and stroke him."

"Sonny came to see his little brother too. He'd already been back to visit the neonatal unit so he could see where he was born, so he wasn't shocked by the tubes or Kit's incubator. He just took it in his stride."

In between sitting with Kit, quiet meals with Richard or her mum, TV presenter Janet Ellis, Sophie worked on her new album in her home recording studio off London's Portobello Road.

"Music has always been the best therapy for me," she admits. "I had one bad moment where my blood pressure shot back up and I was admitted to the high-dependency unit. It was full of mums who'd just had Caesareans. I could hear all the crying babies through the closed curtains. At one point a nurse opened my curtains, looked for a baby, saw there wasn't one and closed them again. I did cry then. I kept thinking: 'I have a baby too. He just isn't with me.'"

For a brief moment Sophie breaks, before regaining her composure. She simply won't have it that she's been unlucky.

"You just deal with the reality you have," she insists. "Neonatal units are surreal places. They're not cutesy. Lots of the parents don't even speak to each other - everyone is just focused on their baby getting better. Premature babies look like little aliens because they have big heads compared with their bodies. To me, Kit was a beautiful little alien. He was our baby, Sonny's brother, our family."

"It's weird. Richard and I had only been together a few months when I got pregnant with Sonny. We went through all of that and now this. It brought us closer together. There were lots of times we needed to lean on each other and we did. Richard has so much strength. He is such an honourable man and I love him very much. We got through it our way and I'm proud of us for that."

"Everything's fine now." she says, turning round to find some wood to touch. "Kit has passed his sight and hearing tests. Babies are tough. My babies are tough."

Despite Sophie's 30th birthday passing last month in a blur of hospital visits and breastfeeding, she has no plans for a belated celeb-packed party. With a nod to her tattoo - a red heart crossed with the word Family - she reveals: "That's what my life is about. My family and my music."

Her parents divorced when she was four, but she's still close to her dad, Robin, and her five half-brothers and sisters.

"I have no problems - my parents got divorced because for them, it was the right thing to do," she says, while hinting that she and Richard, who got married in Italy four years ago, are in this for keeps.

"My mum gave me the best piece of advice before I got married. She told me that your children are the most important things in your life, but you have to remember your husband too. We definitely make sure we do date nights: meals, trips to the cinema, the very occasional night in a hotel. And you always have to remember to be kind to each other. If you aren't happy, how can your children be?"

"Whatever has happened to me, I love how my life has turned out. I'm happier, more confident and stronger now than I've ever been. I've lost a lot of insecurities and I have my boys and a man who really loves me."

And what about the possibility of another baby? "Yes. Definitely. Absolutely," she grins. "Whatever we've been through it's been so worth it. I just need a bit of a break first!"

HAVE YOU EVER...
Googled yourself? When I'm feeling masochistic I Google 'I Hate Sophie Ellis-Bextor' to see the horrible things people say about me.
Been arrested? Never. But I always feel guilty if I see a policeman.
Pretended to be someone else? Yes. If someone in the street asks me if I'm Sophie Ellis-Bextor, I often put on a French accent and say: 'Non'.
Stolen something? I was a total kleptomaniac as a kid. I had a thing about taking mementoes from parties. I stole the white ball from a pool party once.
Gone commando? I like pants.
Used your fame in a bad way? I got to jump the queue at Legoland.
Been mistaken for another celebrity? Martine McCutcheon, lots of times.
Read something about yourself and thought I wish! That I'd got a part in Friends as Ross' girlfriend.
Looked up your exes on Facebook? No.
Kissed a girl? Yes, but it didn't go anywhere

Sophie's new single Heartbreak Make Me A Dancer is released June 22. It's also included on the Freemasons' album Shakedown 2, available on CD and download from June 29.