Ahead

   There are some things in life that I look forward to. Here are some of them:

   This may need subtitles, post haste:

Loaded With Soul

   As well as being the perfect Sunday afternoon motion picture delight if one's in the mood for song, dance and gentility, genre classic Easter Parade is pure escapism, firing-on-all-cylinders showbiz creativity and catnip for satorial details fiends

   In my favourite sequence (with all due respect to 'Steppin' Out With My Baby' and 'We're Just a Couple of Swells'), Fred Astaire goes 'Drum Crazy' and exhibits the charm, aplomb, fleetfooted steps and stylistic nous that had the makers entice him out of retirement when his colleague, fellow icon and friend, Gene Kelly, was forced to bow out. Nearing 50 at the time, he does not approach his routine with the blink-and-miss rapidfire tapping of his younger days, but all of his hallmarks are present and correct - the warmth mixed with goofy, curious humour, his almost peerless agility and his command of body, audience and stage. Just look at his exit - total and intuitive awareness of his environment in full display, he performs a variety of cane tricks, finishing with his trademark spinning catch and exits with a wave and a smile in bounding, mercurial twirls

   Cheating a child out of an Easter Bunny never looked so admirable

   I also greatly appreciate the ease in which he performs in tailoring. The film is set in 1912 and was made in 1948; educated guesses aside, I have no idea who made Astaire's suit nor whether its Edwardianisms were more appropriate for the earlier or the later date but I'll be damned if the majority of the ensemble doesn't hold up today (I still can't forecast a spats return)

   Nor do I feel uniquely qualified to expound on the peerlessness of his looks - when there are not one but two excellent extollings at Dandyism and an essential tome (and a Sartorialist guest post pitting the dandy dancer against Cary Grant) by G. Bruce Boyer, there's no place for me in the running. But this walking, singing Leyendecker illustration-ensemble is one of the defining images of Astaire in my mind - simple, harmonious colours, the derby/bowler sitting nonchalantly on his head - a continent and ease of use away from the stereotype it became in the City of London - and a precisely tailored two piece that matches his range of movement so well, the notion of a suit as a second skin is wholly fulfilled. Everything that people miss when trying to bring a suit to life is here

   Working primarily with light accents, as dictated by the springtime setting, the hue of the two-piece's grey finds a natural companion in the white waistcoat, which, in turn, is complemented by the spats and even the pearl tie pin. The pink shirt adds a jaunty air; the black necktie works with the shoes and bowler to maintain balance through contrast. The blues that shade the other accessories are perfect. Befitting his successful Broadway star character - hardly a world away from Astaire himself - this is a somewhat patrician, but nevertheless relaxed and creative man, not a businessman. Everything is natural; everything simply works

   'Drum Crazy', the song? It was written by legendary composer Irving Berlin, which alone speaks for itself, but it boasts qualities not mixed together often enough - danceability, hummability, quotability. Oh, and a relentlessly playful sensibility, so refined that it works in all sorts of drum licks and drum kits with the randomness of a jam session yet never shortchanges the other instruments in play. Even the xylophone. And when it almost arbitrarily becomes a marching band stomp, it nevertheless feels right, because if there's anything that should be freewheeling, it's Fred Astaire in full flight

Pop Culture Thumbs-Up - 13/05/09

   Heavy dataflow - the gynoid (that's a robot in female form, kids) that's begun educating the youth of Japan is capable of six basic emotions, including anger and disgust. And will probably give birth to Skynet somewhere down the line

   As Star Trek returns to our screens this month, I think it's only right that we hear from its most iconic alien and how he felt about returning to the series. You will believe a Vulcan can cry

   Cheers and Frasier's delectable snark goddess Bebe Neuwirth as Morticia in a Broadway production of The Addams Family? I should emigrate

   Not entirely cultural, but Greece have stepped up to ban Google Street View. I applaud the progressiveness of the service, but hate that it now takes the fun out of my imagining myself as a little dot on a large map

   And I've finally written an article for MensFlair. Now all I have to do is try and keep it up

Pop Culture Thumbs-Up - 27/04/09

   So, Esquire's Best Dressed Real Man in America competition (seriously). This little sartorial bloodbath has $10,000 dollars worth of Kenneth Cole up for grabs. Fills you with desire, no? Last time round, it was  almost won by a tiny dancer with an all-consuming penchant for early 20th century outfits despite being in his early 20s. Predictably, this profile is my favourite

   In great Japanese news, Kusanagi Tsuyoshi of clean-cut idol boyband and multimedia phenomenon, SMAP, caused a minor international stir last week by getting on down with his naked self in public, getting arrested and then disowned by every brand he's ever promoted in the process. There was a major stir in the fun parts of his fanbase at the idea of him being on display, though for such a camera-fanatical society, there's a curious paucity of pictorial evidence, which probably caused a major stir of fury in the minds of said fanbase. I remain impressed that at 34, he's still hugely popular with girls, whereas the fanbases of boybands over here steadfastly grow up with their singing eyecandy. But then, my favourite Japanese pop star, Cornelius, is 40 this year and still looks about 19

   Speaking of milestones, the Ninja Turtles are 25 this year, and you'd better believe that I'm going to expand on this presently

   Bling Bikini. I know, right?

   And for him, The World's Most Expensive Suit

   And finally, what carnage will ensue when Robert Rodriguez relaunches the Predator film franchise?