aruan | This is pretty much to wrap up the last three days.

Real life-wise, I went to a lot of class, tossed around unnecessarily complex phrases like "intrapersonal risk factor" and "psychosexual arrested development," meaning genetics and fixation, respectively. There's no call for that. Miranda and I bumped into

afropuff at Starbucks after dinner last night and did math, lots of which I could do, too, and there was little keeping me from dancing right in the middle of the cafe. A big part of why we're journalists is because we can't do math, don't you know.

Finished today: Ephemeral Mix Vol. VIII - January 17, 2004

Pink - Trouble (Live at the 2003 BMAs)
Tony Lucca - Hollywood Chain Gang
JC Chasez - Let's Go Crazy
Prince - When Doves Cry
Britney Spears - You Drive Me Crazy (Album Version) or Autumn Goodbye
Savage Garden - Carry On Dancing
Marvelous 3 - Dream
Daniel Bedingfield - He Don't Love You Like I Love You
Sade - Smooth Operator
Aerosmith - Dude Looks Like a Lady
Neon Genesis Evangelion - Cruel Angel's Thesis
Sailor Moon - Sailor Stars Theme
Justin Timberlake - Never Again
*NSYNC - The Two of Us
Anita Bridges - Ring My Bell
Sting - If I Ever Lose My Faith In You
Third Eye Blind - Narcolepsy
No Mercy - Please Don't Go
Save Ferris - The World Is New
Christina Aguilera - Another Sad Love Song (Live on MMC)

More recs, with many thanks to

minniem for doing the legwork:

I'm not partial to domestic with children fic (uh, with the big, big exceptions of When I Sleep You Are Near To Me and The Way We Grow Old), but I guess that says it all - in the hands of the right author, anything can work.

synecdochic wrote a snippet of sleepy Lambs and a crying baby of all things and I couldn't love it more any other way.

She also wrote a Bassez evolution that took my breath away. Just perfect.

powrhug wrote intimate, shippy Bassez that totally should've been saccharine sweet but only made me go aaw.

allen_sama wrote JoeC in Germany. I do so love early JoeC, even before then, like while they were still in school, sneaking afternoons on the MMC set or spending weekends on the beach. Mmm, yes. More please.

tnl wrote TimberTone that's fun and totally plausible and yes. Another one of those things that doesn't usually work for me after Germany, but she did it there, keeping them playful instead of serious, happy instead of schmoopy.

lilysaid wove something delicate and beautiful between Joey and JC, a pairing that's so often strife-ridden sometimes by the very thing Joey overcomes in these few brief words. *loves*

More to come.

The new article on JC and the album from MTV.com, which has made the rounds but I want it here, too. It's interesting that it's entirely positive, the facts are right, there's no guide to pronunciation of his name - could it be a fan? *g* Hey, either way, this is good press, and that's as it should be.

Take a moment and think about everything you associate with JC Chasez - another Mickey Mouse Club superstar spawn, charismatic singer/songwriter, dancer in the multi-platinum *NSYNC, and boy-band heartthrob to girls the world over.

Now purge your mind of all of it. Erase what you know of JC Chasez to date.

Introducing the aptly-titled Schizophrenic, an age-appropriate and surprisingly different sonic venture for the 27-year-old grown-up JC Chasez. Anyone who paid attention to Chasez's recent collaboration with electronic wonder-kinds Basement Jaxx ("Plug It In" from Jaxx's latest, Kish Kash) or Chasez's solo debut on the soundtrack to Drumline ("Blowin' Me Up (With Her Love”) has an idea of the diverse musical tapestries that Chasez's debut solo effort covers. Make no mistake about it: Chasez's signature harmonies and lyrical style are here, but Schizophrenic dabbles in a wealth of genres (New Wave, techno, Latin rhythms, soul, R&B, and even reggae) that showcase this superstar's wide-eyed musical vision.

On the heels of bandmate Justin Timberlake's multi-platinum solo debut, Chasez received only one suggestion. "The lesson Justin learned was simple and brief," says Chasez. 'Make sure you do what you want to do.' I took that approach from the very beginning. I didn’t create a formula or anything like that. Instead I wanted my album to feel organic. So I just did a variety of the music I love."

In order to produce Schizophrenic, Chasez, who co-wrote all 15 tracks, went into self-imposed exile, away from the hoopla of being a member of one of the biggest groups in the world, away from the distractions of money and fame, and, most importantly, away from outside influences pulling at his musical heartstrings. "I did this record on my own terms," says Chasez. "I wouldn’t even take calls. I wanted this album to be purely about fun and music, not business. And that's what happened."

The result is a stunning collection that will surprise even the staunchest of critics. To sculpt the varied Schizophrenic, Chasez hooked up with a wealth of production wizards, including Rockwilder, Riprock 'n' Alex G, and Basement Jaxx (who returned the favor on Schizophrenic's sensual "Shake It"). While elements of Chasez's obvious musical influences are present (a little Michael Jackson here, a little Prince there, a little Stevie Wonder over there), the end results have been shaken and stirred into a seductive and sexy soundtrack fit for both the clubs and radio.

Nowhere is that more evident than on Schizophrenic's first single, "Some Girls (Dance with Women)." A bangin' club track ripe with taboo, sexual innuendos set to a hypnotic, bass-heavy beat. Not surprisingly, the song came to Chasez on the dance floor. "Everybody talks about everything in the club except for this," says Chasez of “Some Girls (Dance With Women).” "Everybody sees it and everybody acknowledges it and everybody does it when they are out, but nobody has actually done a song about it."

"There is a certain vibe that I bring to the table that will transcend any music style," he says. "For this record, I just did stuff that I felt like that day. I would roll out of bed and think, 'What kind of mood am I in today? I'm in a rock and roll mood.' And that was it. To a certain extent, whenever you are writing for a band, each guy is going to want something in the song. You compromise because you want everybody to be happy. The song is not just about you. But when you are working on your own, it is all your own. So you won’t find any compromising on this record."

With his debut solo album, Chasez shows that his musical limitations know no bounds. Schizophrenic will no doubt surprise fans and critics alike, but the end results are all JC -- a kicked-back, no holds barred discography of the life of a 27-year-old pop star who doesn't care about what's hip or what’s selling now, but rather what is true to himself now as a grown-up artist. It's sonic recklessness in the most ear-pleasing of ways.

"A lot of these songs just have to do with good times," says Chasez. "Nobody takes a rock and roll attitude to pop music anymore. Nobody talks about love in an elevator anymore. Everybody is too busy being cool. I didn't worry about being cool on this album."

And I love him for that philosophy.

The whole

fandom_scruples mess didn't amuse me - the fact that this came of it, now that I will be forever grateful for. V. v. funny stuff.

Quotes of the Day:

"The space between his nose and his lip. I think it’s called the filtrum. That’s f-i-l-t-r-u-m. Billy [Boyd]’s got a fantastic filtrum. You know how babies have that very cute, sweet little filtrum? Billy’s got the exact same thing! So that would be my number one favorite thing about Billy."
-Dominic Monaghan

Elijah Wood: I'm a hobbit, I'm fine with not being sexy. Really. It's okay.
Billy Boyd: That's actually untrue. I don't know where you get that. That's a statistic you've made up... we're handsome for God's sake. [points to Dominic] Look how pretty this man is!

Check out the entire post, with beautiful pictures, here.

Also, I love my OTP. And Miranda. And garlic, and going to the movies. It's nice to be four-for-four for a night.