Music and Lyrics

I saw a preview for the new movie Music and Lyrics, appropriately coming out on Valentine's Day, though it was supposed to come out at the end of 2006. Now, I wouldn't normally be interested in a Hugh Grant romantic comedy, but there's an 80's music theme, with Grant playing a washed-up 80's music star. The preview shows a fictitious video from the band, and boy, does it ever capture that 80's MTV feel.

Kudos to the creators of the trailer for using Haircut One Hundred's Love Plus One, the extended version of Men Without Hats' Safety Dance, and Depeche Mode's Just Can't Get Enough in the trailer.

It's also interesting to learn that Martin Fry, lead singer of ABC, was summoned to be Hugh Grant's vocal coach, according to Billboard.

"I was like his stunt double, vocally," jokes Fry. "Warner Bros. figured, 'If Hugh Grant was a pop star, who would he sound like?' And I guess my name came up."

The soundtrack features songs written by Adam Schlesinger, best known for the band Fountains of Wayne, but whose name I first saw as the writer of That Thing You Do! for the movie of the same name. Schlesinger proves himself to be a musical chameleon, to pen songs for both a 60's-themed movie and an 80's-themed movie, as well as play 2000's pop.