dcdeb

Me too. And I haven't been able to find *where* he's allegedly said this... you know, the original source or interview. This random quote about Scissor Sisters just seems to have "appeared" -- it hasn't been in ANY of the articles that I've read in the last few weeks, and certainly not in the last few days. And believe me, I've been reading A LOT! It really seems to me that someone is trying to manufacture a public feud between Mika and SS. Unless I can find a reputable source for the quote, I'm not buying it. As a writer I especially hate to see people with questionable journalism standards. dcdeb

I couldn't have said it better. Thanks, Sivan, and we ARE here, whenever you need us! dcdeb

OK... my last post for the afternoon, I have to get some work done! But I just now saw this and since it's very positive, and SPIN is a pretty big magazine here in the US, thought it was worth sharing: http://www.spin.com/features/band_of_the_day/2007/03/070327_mika/ March 27, 2007 Mika Who? Oscillating between the personas of witty rogue and bubblegum pop diva in the blink of an eye, Mika (born Michael Holbrook Penniman) has exploded onto the British music scene with a number one album, Life in Cartoon Motion. Born in Beirut, frequent relocation (as a young child, his family fled war torn Lebanon), bullying at school and family stress (his father was once taken hostage at Kuwait's American Embassy) caused the singer to seek solace in music. He received formal training at the Royal College of Music in London and was also coached by a Russian opera instructor. Before he turned 21, Mika was performing and recording music with the Royal Opera House. On the commercial side, he's written in-flight music for British Airways and even a jingle for Orbit chewing gum. Now 23, his song "Love Today" currently is finally hitting American shores via a Verizon Wireless commercial. What's the Deal? Mika's devastatingly powerful voice simultaneously evokes early Elton John, a sober George Michael and the androgynous quality of the Scissor Sisters' Jake Shears. "Love Today" suggests the latter's sexually charged falsetto vocals, while the U.K. hit "Grace Kelly" recalls John's growling, sexually suggestive vocal style coupled with heavy harmonization and a killer chorus melody. The unabashed and almost gratuitous pop nature of tracks like "Lollypop" and "Relax (Take It Easy)" bring to mind something that Norwegian electronic songstress Annie would offer. Any way you slice it, each and every track on Life in Cartoon Motion will have your ass shaking in one direction or another. Fun Fact: Mika is terrified of sharks and water. When asked in a recent interview about what freaks him out Mika said, "Well, just anything that's in the water. I hate water. I'll go to the beach and pretend but I won't go in. What's underneath you is really deep. It freaks me out. I probably would eat dog poo or eat dinner with Prince Harry for £1million but I wouldn't swim with fish. TIFFANY WAN

I didn't realize your plans were cancelled! That's such a shame... no wonder you had a few terrible days. dcdeb

Great, thanks, Sivan! Hey, BTW, did you see Shontih last night? Has she been around yet today? dcdeb

Earlier today I said: Yes! Over My Shoulder *IS* a hidden track on this CD too! Whew. For a minute there, I thought the pause after Happy Ending was going on a little too long. The acoustic versions of Billy Brown and My Interpretation are just awesome BTW, the physical US CD is slightly different than the UK CD -- where the UK CD has MIKA in white letters, on the US CD it's silver and the background of the CD is more silvery/shiny. And the US booklet has a different photo of Mika in the middle page opposite the art for Billy Brown. Not that that matters except to the most obsessive fan Not that I'm saying any of us are obsessive... dcdeb

Yes, I'm pretty tired of it -- since I'm not so sure that's an adjective I'd use for Mika. And it's not one you really hear used much in the states anyway. But you know how it is -- one person hears it, and everyone else just jumps on the bandwagon... <shrug> dcdeb

This is mostly just a photo from last night's performance on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno -- silly caption, but the photo is good -- didn't want to post the photo here, as I'm unclear as to whether that's what the mods prefer, or would rather have them in the Pics section of the site...? In any case: http://www.metro.co.uk/fame/article.html?in_article_id=42991&in_page_id=7 dcdeb

Well, I just hit Best Buy and Target -- Best Buy didn't even have the CDs out yet, I had to ask for it! And interestingly, Target only had *2* copies of the CD left! That was at 11:30 am -- So I bought two copies (I'll give one as a gift. ) The Target CD has two different exclusive bonus tracks. Billy Brown acoustic My Interpretation acoustic And they're selling it for $7.98 now, as well. Since Happy Ending is the last "official" track on the CD, I'm hoping that Over My Shoulder is "hidden" as it was on the UK CD. I haven't even opened up the cases yet to look! I have to admit -- I have never owned 3 copies of the same CD before. (I bought the UK version online weeks ago!). I'm a little embarrassed to tell anyone that I've done this... I might have to squirrel them away somewhere My guilty secret. dcdeb

I just posted the New York Daily News article: http://www.mikafanclub.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2200 But as I say, I don't trust the NY Daily News to be 100 percent accurate and unbiased -- they're pretty much tabloidy like the Sun or the Daily Mirror in the UK. dcdeb

I guess this is the article that some of these random quotes have been taken from... but I don't trust the NY Daily News -- it's rather like the Sun or The Daily Mirror in the UK... Article with photo of Mika here: http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/music/2007/03/27/2007-03-27_mika_shall_inherit_the_pop.html Mika shall inherit the pop By JIM FARBER DAILY NEWS MUSIC CRITIC Tuesday, March 27th 2007, 4:00 AM 'It's meant to take you out of reality,' Mika says of his technicolor flavor of pop. Received wisdom dictates that American fans flinch from flamboyant pop while British fans can't get enough of it. Witness the U.K.'s passionate embrace of flashy acts like Robbie Williams and Scissor Sisters, and America's instant recoil from them. The new, one-named British pop sensation Mika begs to differ with that. "People say flamboyant pop is so British," he says. "But look at the emo bands that Americans love now, like Panic! at the Disco or Fall Out Boy. They say I'm theatrical [but] they're like Wagner." In a sense that's true. But both of those bands still find grounding in the four-man rock band tradition. By his own admission, Mika's music revels entirely in the campy world of technicolor pop. In case you miss the point, he titled his enjoyably unhinged debut, out today, "Life in Cartoon Motion." (Mika headlines the Gramercy Theater Thursday.) "It's meant to take you out of reality," Mika says of his sound. More specifically, it's meant to take Robbie Williams' style to the 10th power, or to top Queen at their flounciest. The last comparison comes up relentlessly in England, where Mika's debut has already gone No. 1 and spawned an engagingly ornate top hit with "Grace Kelly." Many songs on Mika's CD have the multi-tracked vocal chorales, classical chords and pop cheek of Queen, but without the counter balance of heavy metal. "I get tired of talking about it," Mika says of the Queen comparisons. "I would be willing to more if that's where I was coming from. Just so long as they don't compare our dress sense." Like Queen's Freddie Mercury, Mika was born outside the U.K.: Mercury in Tanzania, Mika in Lebanon. His family lived there for generations, but the 23-year-old singer left with his parents when he was just 1, due to the civil war. While he lived in Paris and came with his family to London at age 8, Mika still felt like an outsider. That encouraged his immersion in music. As a child he studied classical styles, but pop stardom remained his goal. As a teen he got a development deal but found it didn't allow for his individual style. "They couldn't figure out how to market me. I sympathize with them." Those experiences inspired Mika's song "Grace Kelly," in which he bites back at those who tried to mold him. "Shall I bend over/shall I look older," he sings. The songwriter says he chose the image of Grace Kelly because "it sends off a whole movie in your head. If I said 'Lindsay Lohan,' it would be a bit dull, don't you think?" Few would accuse Mika's lyrics of dullness. In "Big Girls" he encourages large women to gorge away. In "Billy Brown" he tells the story of a gay man who gets married, then falls in love with another man. It's done nothing to quiet speculation about Mika's own sexual orientation. He won't disclose it, a move that seems so 10 years ago. "It's not a matter of sexuality," he says, "it's a matter of privacy." Besides, he reasons, "20 years from now, who will give a damn about a tabloid story on me? The only thing that speaks for itself is music. The only thing that stands on its own is a good pop song." Luckily, his qualify. Daily News Specials © Copyright 2007 NYDailyNews.com. All rights reserved.

I was so excited to this in the paper this morning! And it ran with one of the photos of Mika in the light blue cardigan/white pants outfit (even though it was in black and white) -- so it was fairly decent-size display, not a tiny little item hidden away. Thanks for posting! dcdeb

Hi Marianne! I'm your neighbor to the north, up here in Northern VA! Wish I could go to NYC later this week, too, but I have to do the responsible parent thing as well... Anyhow, have fun here -- it's a great place! dcdeb

I'm sorry you didn't record And I thought the sound was a little off, too. It was noticeable when I played the video back just now. But I absolutely LOVED seeing Mika and the band perform -- and I'm so glad we got a bigger flat panel TV with high definition a few months ago! It's the closest I've come to seeing them perform "live"... Disappointed that Jay didn't talk with Mika, but not surprised. I'm just happy he didn't get bumped! I was starting to get worried with Pete Rose jabbering on and on! BTW, I didn't hear Jay Leno mention the June US tour, but I've heard it talked about elsewhere. Just saw it on some site somewhere today, in fact... it said something like, check back soon -- June tour dates will be announced soon. Well, I'm ready for tomorrow night now -- just 24 hours to go dcdeb

Me too. I don't have a digital video recorder, so I'm no help in that department. dcdeb

Typically, the late shows like tonight's and tomorrow's put the music act on in the last 5 minutes, and there's no time to chat -- so I'll be (pleasantly) surprised if they actually interview Mika. Now, on Good Morning America on Thursday, I'm pretty sure they'll interview him -- because they even had a form on the website on which you could submit a question for them to ask Mika. And yes, I think tonight is Mika's American TV debut, right? I'm so excited! Only about 40 minutes to go now! dcdeb

Those are fabulous, Sivan! Thanks so much for sharing, you lucky, lucky girl! dcdeb

Replying to myself Mika will be on Jimmy Kimmel tomorrow, Tuesday -- it's finally on the official ABC/Jimmy Kimmel site: http://abc.go.com/latenight/jimmykimmel/index?pn=guests dcdeb

Actually, I thought I read somewhere that they'd changed the Jimmy Kimmel date to TOMORROW night, 3/27. I'll see if I can find it online somewhere... dcdeb

If you need me to, I can get you a copy -- I plan to hit both Best Buy and Target first thing tomorrow morning to see which version has which tracks, and I'll be happy to help out a fellow fan! dcdeb

I couldn't have said it better myself! THANK YOU, SIVAN! I so appreciate the photos and the video clip, too! You did really, really, really good! dcdeb <who wishes she could have been there, too!>

LOL! We've got a while to wait, I bet. It's 10:15 a.m. here, and she's 3 hours behind me -- only 7:15 for her. Plus, she didn't get to bed until what? 2 or 3 in the morning? Unless she's too excited to sleep, I don't think we'll see her for another few hours yet! dcdeb

YES, Sivan! I am so so so happy for you! I thought about you all last night, and as soon as I got up this a.m. I came straight here to see what you had to say! This is so great -- you worked so hard! I am ECSTATIC that it worked out the way it did! Thank you for the scrapbook, thank you for the wonderful report, and THANK YOU, Mika for being so nice to Sivan! dcdeb

Now that the LA gig should be underway... who's here online... and who isn't??? dcdeb

OK, once you start talking Disney stuff, you have my attention...! But since you say off-topic... I'll just go away quietly -- for now dcdeb