Remember the 80s

Boy George jailed for 15 months

2009-01-16T19:10:00.001-08:00

Boy George has been jailed for 15 months for falsely imprisoning a male escort in his flat in east London.

The singer, whose real name is George O'Dowd, denied the charge and claimed the victim, Norwegian Audun Carlsen, 29, had stolen photos from his laptop.

O'Dowd, 47, admitted handcuffing him to a wall in April 2007 but said he did so in order to trace the missing property.

Judge David Radford told the former Culture Club singer he was guilty of "gratuitous violence".

O'Dowd's family and supporters reacted emotionally as the singer was handed the jail sentence at Snaresbrook Crown Court.

Gay website

Judge Radford said: "Whilst I accept that Mr Carlsen's physical injuries were not serious or permanent, in my view there can be no doubt that your premeditated callous and humiliating handcuffing and detention of Mr Carlsen shocked, degraded and traumatised him.

"He was deprived of his liberty and human dignity without warning or proper explanation to him of its purpose, length or purported justification."

The singer, best known for 1980s hit Karma Chameleon, was also told to pay £5,000 costs.

The two men first came into contact through a gay social-networking site and met up for a pornographic photo shoot at O'Dowd's Shoreditch flat, Snaresbrook Crown Court heard.

O'Dowd believed Mr Carlsen stole data, including personal photographs from his laptop, during the photo shoot.

The court was told that weeks later O'Dowd invited the Norwegian back to his flat and it was then that he, with the help of a second man, chained Mr Carlsen to his bed and beat him.

'Self-destructive behaviour'

Mr Carlsen testified that he was manacled to the bed, but managed to escape and ran from the flat wearing only his boxer shorts, trainers and a pair of handcuffs.

During the trial the court heard that the escort sold the story of his ordeal to a Norwegian magazine for £5,500, which he said he needed to flee the UK as he was "too scared".

The singer has previous convictions for theft as a juvenile in 1977 and a drugs offence 10 years later.

He was also given community service in New York in 2006 after admitting to falsely reporting a burglary at his flat there.

Boy George, who is now a DJ, was one of the most well-known stars and recognisable faces in the 1980s.

With Culture Club he notched up seven British and nine American Top 10 hits and sold more than 50 million records.

He has also struggled with drug addictions and he told the world about his personal battle in his autobiography Take It Like A Man.

Earlier his barrister Adrian Waterman told the court that O'Dowd was the "antithesis of the haughty bullying star".

He said: "At the heart of the matter was a descent into self-destructive behaviour at the hands of the drugs."

Following the sentencing, O'Dowd's solicitor, Steven Barker, said: "George is on the road to recovery, I sincerely hope this sentence does not knock him back."

Frank Miller To Director ‘Buck Rogers’

2008-12-27T20:55:00.001-08:00

The producers behind “The Spirit” obviously have a lot of faith in Frank Miller, because they have just handed him another directing gig. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Miller is in the final negotiations to direct “Buck Rogers” for Oddlot Entertainment and Millennium Films.

“Buck Rogers,” for those of you feeling lost, was one of the first major sci-fi stories. In fact, it was the very first sci-fi comic series, kicking off with its first strip in 1929, and it ran until 1967. The series followed an ordinary American and former Air Force pilot who was exposed to a gas that put him in a state of suspended animation for 500 years. He wakes up in the future, where he’s eventually recruited to help battle intergalatic menaces to Earth.

It had a brief revival in the ’80’s (E.T. gets the idea for his communicator from a Buck Rogers strip), and the character has been adapted numerous times for radio, television, and movies.

Miller has been rumored to have the directing job for months. He will be writing and sketching his own version of Buck Rogers and not surprisingly, it’s expected to be dark, with his usual focus on corruption, sex, and violence. As the original Buck Rogers was good, clean, all-American fun, you can expect a fair amount of controversy when his take is revealed.

It’s really quite surprising that Miller would get another directing job before “The Spirit” even hits theaters. Buzz on the comic legend’s debut has been mixed, and negative reviews are beginning to hit the press as we speak. Will Oddlot and Millennium regret they didn’t wait until the critical reviews and box office numbers were tallied?

Are you interested in seeing Miller’s take on Buck Rogers? Or should he just stick to comic books?

Guitarist says no Smiths reunion

2008-12-18T22:08:00.001-08:00

Johnny Marr, former guitarist with The Smiths, has quashed rumours that his old band are to reunite.
The legendary 80s group, fronted by Morrissey, were rumoured to be reforming for American festival Coachella. “The stories circulating about a Smiths reunion are as usual untrue,” explained Marr in a statement. The guitarist is a member of Wakefield band The Cribs and is set to record an album with them in 2009. “I’m very excited about writing and recording with The Cribs for a new album, to be released next summer,” added Marr, “and we’re playing shows in February, so going back in time isn’t in my plans.” The Smiths split in 1987, just before the release of their fourth album Strangeways, Here We Come, and have so far resisted any offers to reform.

Original Village People Vocalist Undergoes Surgery

2008-07-09T19:20:00.001-07:00

Victor Willis, original lead singer of the Village People, underwent surgery July 8 in San Diego to remove benign nodules from his vocal cords, according to a press release. Willis, who was scheduled to hit the road Aug. 9 as part of the 2008 Disco Dance Tour, is expected to fully recover and return to the stage by October.

According to the press release, Willis' voice originally became hoarse in 2007 after he played several concert dates. His doctors advised vocal rest, forcing the cancellation of European and Canadian tour dates scheduled for March and April of this year.

Willis began rehearsing again in June in preparation for his upcoming US tour but when his voice began to get horse again, surgery was recommended.

Boy George's US tour is cancelled

2008-07-02T20:09:00.001-07:00

Boy George has just announced tour dates in South America

Boy George has cancelled his North American solo summer tour days before it was due to start because he has been denied a work visa by US officials.

The former Culture Club frontman had been scheduled to kick off his 24-date tour on 11 July in Las Vegas.

The singer said he has been banned because of a forthcoming false imprisonment trial in London.

Speaking to US news programme The Today Show, the 47-year-old said: "It's a disaster because of the fans."

'Kind people'

He was arrested last year after a 28-year-old male escort from Norway accused the singer/DJ of false imprisonment by chaining him to a wall and assaulting him, claims which the star denies.

The singer - whose real name is George O'Dowd - has promised fans he will return to the US early next year for the tour.

"If I have to wait it'll be even better," he said.

I love America and I am really sad that it appears that I am not allowed to visit a place I have called home at various times in my life

Boy George

In a message posted on his website, George said: "I am getting my life together and was really looking forward to performing in concert for all my loyal fans.

"I love America and I am really sad that it appears that I am not allowed to visit a place I have called home at various times in my life.

"But what has happened to me has nothing to do with the American people - they are kind people with big heart."

Tom Casey, a spokesman for the US State Department, told reporters immigration files are confidential.

He added: "There often are difficulties for individuals who either are currently subject to criminal charges or otherwise may have criminal records."

Meanwhile, George has announced six autumn tour dates in South America, starting in September in Brazil.

Bucks Fizz Back Together Again?

2008-05-11T20:42:00.001-07:00

Since their heydey in the early ‘80s, Bucks Fizz has performed in a variety of mystifying incarnations. Jay Aston was the first of the classic line-up to leave (in 1985), to be replaced by Shelley Preston. Various other members came and went in the succeeding years and, for a while, David Van Day (formerly of Dollar) joined. later David left, teamed up with ex-Bucks Fizz singer, Mike Nolan - and suddenly there were two Bucks Fizzes!
The current line up of ‘The Original Bucks Fizz’ http://www.myspace.com/originalbucksfizz is Cheryl Baker, Mike Nolan and Shelly Preston. According to another Bucks Fizz site on MySpace ‘Buck5Fizz recently starred in the Comic Relief video with Peter Kay & Matt Lucas..."It's the first time Cheryl & Jay had been in the same room for 20 years. We are all hoping to put all our differences aside and tour later this year as a five piece. We are all very excited at the prospect" ‘....
Interesting to see if that really happens. In the meantime, your next chance to see the ‘Original BF’ is on the Gay Pride Main stage on 24th May in Birmingham. The group will share a bill with Sonia, Brotherhood of Man and Scooch. Sounds good to me. And here, to get you in the mood, is the ever-popular Making Your Mind Up...

SirGeorge.us

Square Pegs on DVD May 20th 2008

2008-05-11T20:07:00.001-07:00

In 1982, long before Sex and the City, and before roles in films like Honeymoon in Vegas, Flight of the Navigator and Footloose, Sarah Jessica Parker first came to national attention in the short-lived CBS series Square Pegs. The show co-starred Amy Linker (D.A.R.Y.L.), and the cast also included Jami Gertz (Twister, ER, Still Standing), Tracy Nelson (Father Dowling Mysteries) and Merritt Butrick (Star Trek III: The Search For Spock). The show's theme song was by The Waitresses, who appeared in the first episode.
Other guest stars in the program's 20-episode run included Don Novello (as "Father Guido Sarducci"), disc jockey Richard Blade, John Densmore (the drummer from The Doors), popular '80s music group DEVO, Tony Dow (Leave It To Beaver), Martin Mull (Mr. Mom, Roseanne, Sabrina the Teenage Witch), Bill Murray (Saturday Night Live, Caddyshack, Ghostbusters), Steve Sax...and the rest of the Los Angeles Dodgers!
With Sarah Jessica Parker back to theaters soon in Sex and the City: The Movie, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has finally decided that it's time to bring Square Pegs - The Complete Series to DVD! All 20 episodes are coming to a 3-disc set which includes an exclusive new interview with Parker, along with a couple of "minisodes" (3-6 minute super-short versions of regular Sony-owned television episodes from classic primetime shows).
Cost will be $29.95 SRP, and the street date is May 20th (about a week and a half before Sex and the City: The Movie hits the box office). Video is full-frame, audio is English - Stereo, and Subtitles will be in French. Running time is approximately 460 minutes. It's still a few weeks before the folks at Sony formally announce this, so all info is taken from an early heads-up sent to retailers, and is subject to change.

SirGeorge.us

White Lion - Return of the Pride

2008-05-11T20:05:00.001-07:00

If you feel that what music needs the most is sappy ballads, screeching guitars and more rock and roll, then Return of the Pride will fill that hole in your heart. In the everything old is new again category is the return of 80’s hair band White Lion. Yeah, that’s right. I said White Lion has a new album. It took seventeen years to get a new album released but the band is back…we’ll Mike Tramp, the lead singer, is back with a new group that carries the same name. The good news is they haven’t gone the pop country way of their contemporary Bon Jovi. White Lion is here to rock out with their…well you know…on Return of the Pride. Rock music has become neutered over the past decade thanks to bands like Nickelback and Fallout Boy. To hear an honest to God rock band these days seems like a cool drink of water in the desert. White Lion isn’t going to quench your thirst but they will wet your lips and make you remember what rock music sounds like. There has been some debate over the fact that Mike Tramp is dusting off the White Lion name and parading back out into the market place. After all, is a band really the same if only one of the original members is still performing…Alex Rose says yes. White Lion isn’t the first name that jumps to your mind when you think of hard rocking 80’s hair bands. The two songs (“Wait”, “When The Children Cry”) they’re most known for are more of the ‘anthem’ softer sound that was so popular in the late 80’s. Surprisingly, White Lion developed a harder sound and bring their A game to their return album. Does that mean you’re going to find the new White Lion trying to redo “Wait” or “When the Children Cry”? Not really, lead guitarist Jamie Low fills the boots of Vito Bratta with scorching guitar solos (and would hair metal be without guitar solos?). Return of the Pride opens with the intense “Sangre de Christo”. It’s an epic song that lasts and full 8-minutes. It kicks off the album and sets you up for the rest. “Live Your Life” is a kick in the ass wakeup call that hair metal fans will air guitar to. Then there is the obligatory ballad with “Never Let You Go”. Tramp waxes poetic about love, of course. Your enjoyment of Return of the Pride will largely depend up on your love of 80’s hair metal. If you think it’s crap, odds are you’re really not going to enjoy this CD at all. If you feel that what music needs the most is sappy ballads, screeching guitars and more rock and roll, then Return of the Pride will fill that hole in your heart.

Whatever Happened To: Dennis Haskins

2008-05-09T18:15:00.001-07:00

Dennis Haskins played "Mr. Belding" on the TV shows "Good Morning Miss Bliss," "Saved By The Bell," and "Saved By The Bell: The New Class" between 1987 and 2000. Here's a picture of Dennis Haskins from his early days on Saved By The Bell:

When Saved By The Bell went off the air in 2000 Haskins struggled to find acting work and he undoubtedly felt pigeon-holed in his role as Mr. Belding. In an attempt to change his image Haskins grew a mustache. Haskins eventually shaved his mustache and became a party animal trying to pick up college-age women at bars. He currently enjoys life and eats every piece of greasy and fatty food in sight as shown in the pictures below.

TMZ.com recently posted some pictures of Dennis Haskins partying in Las Vegas with women who appear to be strippers. Apparently Haskins is still a huge (literally) party animal!

Ronson teams up with Duran Duran

2008-05-04T07:51:00.001-07:00

Ronson, who recently revealed he was working on a potential Bond theme with Amy Winehouse, is currently in the studio crafting the remixes.

He said Duran Duran "were the only band I ever idolised" and admitted he "used to take a picture of [bassist] John Taylor with me to the barber shop".

The gig will take place at La Cigale in Paris on 2 July.

Ronson will also play a set with his own band, the Version Players, with Simon Le Bon taking a guest vocal slot.

In a statement, Le Bon called Ronson "one of the biggest talents to have emerged in recent years".

"He's taking popular music in a new, exciting and fresh direction," he said. "He also looks great in a well cut suit, and has the blood and voice of an Englishman."

Although the musicians did not reveal which tracks they would be collaborating on, Duran Duran's hits include Save A Prayer, Wild Boys and Rio.

The group, renowned for their trend-setting widescreen promo videos, picked up a lifetime achievement award at the 2004 Brit awards.

Ronson has also been the recipient of a Brit prize - taking home Best British Male at this year's ceremony.

Their collaborative concert is invite-only, but will be filmed and shown around the world, according to sponsor Smirnoff.

Rubiks Cube alarm clock is retro cool

2008-04-29T20:11:00.001-07:00

This clock looks awesome and it reminds you of the 80’s immediately and the fact that you couldn’t solve this thing to save your life. Have no fear, this one will be easy to solve since only the top row twists to switch between time, temperature, alarm and date modes.

It’s also very affordable at $24.98. Just think, now when you wake up, if you are out of it enough you might think it’s the 80’s again, just for a second or two. Just thank your lucky stars that it doesn’t require you to fully solve it in order to shut it off. If that were the case, it would have to hit the wall very hard one morning.
What On Earth

Woman faces Cusack stalking trial

2008-04-15T20:06:00.001-07:00

A 33-year-old US woman must stand trial on charges of stalking actor John Cusack, a Los Angeles judge has ruled.

Emily Leatherman, who had previously been ordered to stay away from the Better Off Dead star, was recently arrested outside his Malibu house.

Ms Leatherman faces up to three years in prison if convicted of stalking. She is also charged with petty theft.

Cusack was granted a restraining order in 2006 that stated she must stay at least 500ft (152m) away from him.

In court papers, Cusack said Ms Leatherman was "showing unusual interest by stalking, throwing long letters of interest over my fence in bags with rocks and screwdrivers inside".

She was arrested at the beginning of April after a taxi driver alerted police that she did not have enough money to pay her fare.

According to police, Cusack approached officers and said Ms Leatherman had been following him.

Queen plan second stage musical

2008-04-15T19:57:00.001-07:00

Queen guitarist Brian May has revealed a sequel to the stage musical We Will Rock You will be bought to the stage.

"We are planning the sequel," he said. "It is a real challenge."

The 60-year-old said about two million people had seen We Will Rock You, written and directed by Ben Elton, since it opened in London in 2002.

May also said the band were preparing for their autumn tour and new album. "The long arm of Queen has pulled me back in at the moment. It is a beast."

He added: "We've pressed the button to go on tour this autumn so already the preparations are very consuming.

"We've chosen our set, we've chosen our environment on tour. It is very exciting, very exciting indeed. Very time consuming but Queen always was consuming."

Productions of We Will Rock You, based on the songs of Queen, have since opened in Australia, Spain, Russia, the US, Japan and Germany.

Vanilla Ice released after arrest

2008-04-12T11:42:00.001-07:00

Rapper Vanilla Ice has been released from jail after being arrested for allegedly pushing his wife.

The 39-year-old - real name Robert Van Winkle - was held on Thursday night at the couple's home in Florida.

Police said his wife called emergency services, saying she had been kicked and hit during an argument. Later she told officers the star only pushed her.

The rapper denied pushing her, according to police, and he was charged with simple domestic battery.

He was freed on Friday after appearing in court. His agent, Tommy Quon, said he had not heard about the arrest and could not comment.

Mr Van Winkle, who sold 15 million copies of the single Ice Ice Baby in 1990, spent a night in jail in 2001 after being arrested following a domestic dispute. Hooked is the debut album by American rapper Vanilla Ice, released in 1989.

New York Mets fall victim to Rick Astley online prank

2008-04-12T09:25:00.001-07:00

For many years the Mets were New York's underdog team, the scrappy poorer cousins of the wealthy Yankees. Now, it seems, they have unwittingly chosen an underdog of their own, a long-neglected 1980s English pop star, to represent them.

When the baseball team asked fans to vote online for a new eighth-inning sing-along tune, five million voters bypassed classic American hits like Jon Bon Jovi’s Livin’ on a Prayer and Neil Diamond’s Sweet Caroline, instead writing in ballots for a chart-topper from a 1980s Lancastrian pop star.

New Yorkers, it seemed, thought Rick Astley’s 1987 hit Never gonna give you up would best rally their team.
It was only when chatrooms and blogs began buzzing with reports of the 42-year-old Lancastrian’s surprise success that organisers realised they had been “rickrolled”.
The baseball team has become the latest victim of the online prank that aims to play the song, which topped UK charts for five weeks in 1987, as often as possible.
Shortly after the Mets posted the poll on their website last week, online communities including fark.com and digg.com rallied their readers to vote for Astley’s song, swamping the team's website with votes for the 1980s hit.

Rather than commit to the results, however, the New York team will stage a run-off of the top six songs, including Livin’ on a Prayer, Sweet Caroline, The Monkees' I’m a Believer, Billy Joel's Movin’ Out, and Build Me Up Buttercup by The Foundations.

Rickrolling started as an online in-joke: community members posted links with enticing titles, luring readers in with offers of celebrities or sex, or both, but the link was, in fact, directed to YouTube clips of the camp pop star’s dated music video.

As the phenomenon has grown, the song has been revived as a widespread in-joke in the real world, too, and has been played at sporting events and protests alike in “live rickrolling” events. Last month four women's basketball games at Eastern Washington University were rickrolled, and anti-Scientology protesters blasted the song from boomboxes in London, Edinburgh, New York and Washington.

Rickrolling is only the latest, and perhaps most popular, example of the Internet “meme”, the repetitive transmission of ideas across the web, and follows the more rudimentary duckroll, in which readers were re-directed to an image of a duck on wheels.

The 42-year-old Englishman seems slightly bemused by the rickrolling phenomenon.

“If this had happened around some kind of rock song, with a lyric that really meant something -- a Bruce Springsteen, 'God bless America' ... or an anti-something kind of song, I could kind of understand that,” Astley told the LA Times Web Scout blog.

“But for something as, and I don’t mean to belittle it, because I still think it’s a great pop song, but it’s a pop song; do you know what I mean? It doesn’t have any kind of weight behind it, as such. But maybe that’s the irony of it.”

Astley fans' rush hour 'flashmob'

2008-04-12T09:08:00.001-07:00

Fans of pop star Rick Astley descended on London's Liverpool Street train station for a "flashmob" event.

The "flashmob" - where a group of people assemble in a public place for a brief period of time - happened just before 1800 BST.

Some of the fans donned Astley masks in honour of the 1980s hitmaker, before the crowd sang his trademark hit Never Gonna Give You Up.

Police said the incident passed peacefully - if not quietly.

'Really funny'

Witness Paras Barot, 22, from Golders Green in north London, said he heard about the event on social networking site Facebook and decided to head to the station.

"I got there with some friends just before 6pm, and there were lots of people there - the whole station was at a standstill."

He said he thought there were some 300 or 400 people taking part in the event.

"There was a countdown from 5.59 to 6pm. Some guys put their masks on, and a lot of them started singing the song.

"For those of us who knew what was going on it was really funny."

Mr Barot said he did not join in the singing. "I don't know the words."

A British Transport Police spokeswoman said: "We monitored the incident. There were no problems, no arrests. They did what they had to do and then left."

An estimated 13 million internet users have been tricked into watching the video for Rick Astley's Never Gonna Give You Up in recent weeks.

Blondie tour to mark anniversary

2008-04-10T10:44:00.001-07:00

US pop band Blondie are to embark on a tour to mark the 30th anniversary of their album Parallel Lines.

The group will play a string of US dates in June before moving on to the UK in July, performing in Glasgow, Liverpool and the Guilfest festival.

The album propelled Blondie, fronted by Deborah Harry, to stardom, spawning hit singles including Heart of Glass and Hangin' On The Telephone.

Parallel Lines topped the charts in the UK and reached number six in the US.

The tour will kick off in Baltimore on 5 June and the US leg will wind up at Milwaukee's Summerfest on 28 June.

The band enjoyed global success in the late 1970s and early '80s

The band will co-headline their concert in Liverpool on 22 July with The Stranglers and are also due to perform two gigs in Norway at the start of August. More shows are expected to be added.

After five UK number one singles and six studio albums, Blondie split in 1982.

They reformed in the late 1990s and returned to the charts after an absence of 17 years with a sixth UK chart-topper, Maria, in 1999.

The band were inducted into the US Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame in 2006.

Nicolas Cage is No Chihuahua Thief!

2008-04-05T21:03:00.001-07:00

Cage took action against Turner after she alleged he was arrested twice for drunk-driving while they were making the 1986 film Peggy Sue Got Married.

Turner also alleged he was arrested for stealing a Chihuahua.

Cage accused Turner of "defamation, libel and slander" by including the allegations in her recent book, Send Yourself Roses: My Life, Love and Leading Roles.

The action was brought in the UK because an extract of Turner's book was reprinted in the Daily Mail and on its website.

'Gratified'

Cage's UK solicitor Simon Smith said the Oscar-winning actor was "extremely pleased" with the outcome of the case "since he has never been arrested for drink driving, dog theft or anything else".

"As an actor who stars in many family-friendly films and who has a young child and teenager of his own, Mr Cage was understandably upset at having been wrongly depicted as condoning that sort of reckless, dangerous and criminal behaviour."

The actor, he continued, was "gratified that the defendants have done the right thing by acknowledging their errors and making amends".

The donation will be made to the National Adult Protective Services Foundation, a US charity which benefits vulnerable adults.

The Daily Mail has agreed to publish an apology and remove the article from its website.

Headline has also agreed to insert a correction and apology into copies of Turner's book.

McConaughey to play Magnum P.I.?

2008-04-04T16:00:00.001-07:00

I'm a fan of Magnum P.I..

As one of the most iconic television shows of the 1980's, I'm glad that I was there to see it first time around. Tom Selleck was the definitive Thomas Magnum, He was Magnum! To show how much of a fan I am... I have a Tom Selleck section in my DVD collection!

For the past decade or so Universal Pictures have been trying to bring Magnum P.I. to the big screen, as usual names such as George Clooney and Ben Affleck had been mooted for the part, but now Entertainment Weekly state that the script for the Magnum film has been passed to the world's most famous bongo player Matthew McConaughey.

My thoughts on this as a Magnum fan?

Frickin' awesome!!!

Why?

Read on.

There was once a time when I hated Matthew McConaughey. The guy was seen as the next big thing, and there is nothing that I hate more than being told that you should like somebody because the press tells you to. It makes me want to turn and run in the opposite direction.

A few years and a couple of bombs later, McConaughey was almost Hollywood's next has-been. Then he was arrested for playing the bongos too loud in his own home. Not only was he arrested for playing bongos too loud, but when they arrived at his house he was prancing around his living room. Check the photograph with this article for his mugshot.

I play like to play the bongos, I will be honest... I've never conducted any naked dancing that was bongo related, but one can get carried away with the rhythm!

Anyway, before I get side tracked, that was the moment that I thought that McConaughey might be cool. He followed this arrest up with Ed TV, U571, Frailty and Reign of Fire (the best ever post-apocalyptic dragon film). I also really like Sahara, and I'm furious that it never made enough money to warrant a sequel. Shame on you movie goers!!

As much as I like Clooney and Affleck I feel that McConaughey is the best fit for the role.

In fact a couple of years ago I once said that he was my dream casting for Magnum. So I'm over the moon with this news. It's pure McConaughey material. He's a man of action, laid back, he hangs on the beach and the chicks love him. If it wasn't based on a television show I'd swear that it was McConaughey's autobiography.

There is no word yet on whether or not "Bongos" McConaughey will accept the role, or even if he will grow Tom Selleck's trademark mustache. I just hope that he does both.

The script has been written by Dodgeball writer/director Rawson Thurber.

I will keep you posted on any future developments. However, in the meantime I think I'll just watch some of my Magnum series box sets.

Commando on Blu-ray

2008-04-04T15:36:00.001-07:00

I not-so-fondly remember watching the John Cena film "The Marine" a while ago and detested the picture for its mindless screenplay and unimaginative action sequences. I wondered to myself, "Who watches this garbage?" Then, I found myself watching "Commando," starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. A realization swept across my conscious that the answer to my question was "I do." "Commando" is a nearly quarter-century old film where the governor of California goes on a seemingly impossible raid to save the life of his daughter. When I compare the script and the action of "Commando" to that from "The Marine," this film really doesn´t improve much over that horrid Cena picture. However, there is something that makes "Commando" infinitely more likable.
The answer to that puzzle is simple. "Commando" features Arnold Schwarzenegger, a far more likable and entertaining action hero. Arnold (bad style, but we´ll use first name instead of retying Schwarzenegger a large number of times) and his heavy Austrian accent made cheesy one-liners cool. He made poorly-scripted dialogue fun. And! We didn´t care about how many rounds of ammunition were left in his clip and how many bullets amazingly didn´t hit the very large man when a dozen enemy soldiers were firing at him in full auto. We didn´t care because watching Arnold kick some serious ass was something that made the Eighties cinema truly remarkable. He is an action hero. Cena is a wrestler. There is a world of difference.
"The Marine" had the Camaro of Doom. That car was nearly indestructible. It´s resilience bordered on absurdity. I know. I have always owned Camaros and I know they have not-so-bullet-friendly bodies. The car was hurt, but it kept going. I felt the entire chase that revolved around that car and its amazing re-inflating (they were not Goodyear Runflats) tires was simply ludicrous. However, I find myself loving and rooting for the Austrian of Doom in this film. He has amazingly re-inflating biceps, but I never once found myself stopping to question how he could handle a very physical encounter after being shot in the arm. Arnold isn´t a car, but his resilience in this film is just as absurd as the Camaro. Again, I didn´t care because Arnold is a prototypical action hero.
In this film he portrayed retired Special Forces commander Colonel John Matrix. Matrix lives an overly happy and peaceful life with his daughter Jenny (Alyssa Milano in her second role). One day that peace is compromised when his former boss General Franklin Kirby (James Olsen) shows up and tells Matrix that his entire former unit has been killed. Of course, the bad guys have impeccable timing and show up as soon as Kirby is safely away. Jenny is kidnapped and Matrix is told that he must help Arius (Dan Hedaya) attain a presidency by assassinating the current president. Matrix learns that his former war buddy Bennett (Vernon Wells) is not only wearing the worst shirt in Hollywood history, but also helping Arius attain his goals. Arius and Bennett are aided by Sully (David Patrick Kelly) and Cooke (Bill Duke).
With Arnold now running the state of California and nobody stepping up to replace Schwarzenegger, Stallone or Willis, box office heroes have been in short supply in recent years. I enjoy Brendan Frasier and think the "Mummy" films are homage to the action films of the Eighties. Somebody along the line seems to have misplaced Vin Diesel. There simply is nobody with the same action charisma and physical presence as the Governator and this is a big chunk of why a film like "Commando" can succeed and the far more recent "The Marine" fails to entertain. There was a time when Hollywood had a good grasp on how to make silly action films entertain and they are trying hard to recapture that magic, but it is Sylvester Stallone, Harrison Ford and Bruce Willis that are forgoing the retirement home and still doing their own stunts.
Bullets fly. Bad guys die. Arnold survives. And I never care to ask any questions regarding the feasibility of anything contained in this film. I could care less that the character portrayed by Rae Dawn Chong is about as convenient a plot device as you could ever find. Matrix needed a pilot and he found one in a sexy flight attendant. Sure, it seemed like he was just as capable of flying the seaplane as Cindy was, but that would have limited the testosterone producing abilities of the film and not provided the pre-requisite love interest for our favorite action hero. Nobody could possibly remain as unscathed as Matrix during the assault on Arius´ compound. It is just impossible. But, it just doesn´t matter. "Commando" is escapist fun. It is a film about Arnold kicking ass and flexing his big muscles. It is about over-the-top thrills and bad dialogue sounding good.
"Commando" could be called a dumb film with a paper-thin plot and silly action. Those deriding the film with such harsh words are not sitting back and enjoying the film as it was meant to be. It isn´t intended to tell a provocative and award-winning story. It is not meant to deliver realistic warfare. That would hardly fill nine minutes, let alone ninety minutes if one man took on an entire terrorist camp. "Commando" was a film solely created to showcase the humor and muscles of its star, which was slowly rising through the box office stratosphere when "Commando" hit theaters. Arnold Schwarzenegger embodies the muscle-bound action hero of the Eighties and Nineties and this film was created to showcase his physique and talents. It is meant to be enjoyed as something to laugh at and enjoy the heroics of a superhero-type protagonist. It was never meant to be taken seriously.

George Michael ready for retirement?

2008-04-02T14:34:00.001-07:00

At the height of his comeback, George Michael now says he's ready for retirement.

According to the always reliable Indo-Asian News Service, Michael says his upcoming U.S. tour will be his last, so he's urging fans to make the most of it.

"I want to divorce myself from pretty much everything public after the tour," Michael said. "In the future, I don't want to be making and releasing physical CDs, and I don't want to be charging people for my new music."

It's odd timing -- George is hot right now. He just announced he'll tour the U.S. for the first time in 17 years, starting this June. And his frequent acting and singing appearances on TV's "Eli Stone" has expanded his fan base further.

In addition, his latest album -- "Twenty-five" -- hits stores today. And he only recently announced a multi-million deal to write and publish his autobiography.

Rickrolling - Rick Astley

2008-04-01T21:06:00.001-07:00

Rick Astley - Never Gonna Give You Up

To the list of inexplicable web phenomena that spring up—only to disappear just as quickly—that includes severely grammar-impaired felines and some truly awful doings involving two girls and one cup, you can now add Rick Astley.

Astley, 80's one hit wonder of British soul, has lately been used as a punchline for a particular web joke called Rickrolling, wherein a disguised link sends unsuspecting web surfers down the blandly soul-inflected rabbit hole of his 1987 Lite-FM staple "Never Gonna Give You Up."

An article in Monday's New York Times addressed the trend via a YouTube video of a public Rickroll that Mediabistro's FishbowlNY insists is a fake. (A prank in an article about a prank! Is it April Fools' Day yet?) After musing about Rickrolling--"Rickrolling is a descendant of an older Internet joke called duckrolling. A Web site or blog post would offer a link to something popular — say celebrity photos or video gaming news — that led unsuspecting viewers to a bizarre image of a duck on wheels"—the Times' Evelyn Nussenbaum, writes, "It is not clear what Mr. Astley himself thinks about rickrolling."

After a long day's wait, readers of The Los Angeles Times' Web Scout blog now know just what Mr. Astley thinks about his namesake prank: "I just think it’s bizarre and funny," the surprisingly good humored singer told the Web Scout. "I think it’s just one of those odd things where something gets picked up and people run with it... But that’s what brilliant about the Internet." Yes, brilliant. Until the next thing.

The Edge of the Eighties A Nice Box set

2008-04-01T20:56:00.001-07:00

There are so many 80s music collections being released these days that I must admit to being more than slightly bored by most of them. The trouble is, so many of them are either padded out with singles that are so obscure that I can’t even remember them or they have the same repetitive handful of hits from the likes of Culture Club, Duran and Dead Or Alive. If I get one more CD with ‘You Spin Me Round’, I swear I’ll tear up my leotard!
I’m glad to say that the newly released Edge Of the Eighties (3 CD) set is a good deal better than the average. It begins magisterially with two of the truly great songs of the early ‘80s, Ultravox’s Vienna and Visage’s Fade To Grey… But then it branches out into some less obvious highways and byways of 80s music. There’s Soft Cell singing the wonderful ‘Torch’ rather than the more frequently anthologized ‘Tainted Love’. There’s David Bowie singing the far from obvious ‘Up The Hill Backwards’ - and there is, inevitably, Dead Or Alive but (for a nice change) singing one of their other hits - ‘That’s The Way (I Like It)’.
There is a pretty good mix of 80s music here, as a matter of fact - ranging from the super well-known performers such as Adam and the Ants and Siouxsie and the Banshees to the unjustifiably forgotten (by all but their fans, that is!) bands such as Telex and Swansway.
Here is a full track listing.
Disc: 1

1. Ultravox - Vienna

2. Visage - Fade To Grey

3. Soft Cell - Torch

4. Passions - I'm In Love With A German Filmstar

5. Japan - Quiet Life

6. Landscape - Einstein A Go-Go

7. Simple Minds - Glittering Prize

8. Adam & The Ants - Dog Eat Dog

9. Bow Wow Wow - Go Wild In The Country

10. Altered Images - Don't Talk To Me About Love

11. Fiction Factory - Feels Like Heaven

12. Furniture - Brilliant Mind

13. Lotus Eaters - The First Picture Of You

14. David Sylvian - Red Guitar

15. Associates - Party Fears Two

16. ABC - That Was Then

17. Haysi Fantayzee - John Wayne Is Big Leggy

18. Haircut 100 - Favourite Shirts

Disc: 2

1. New Order - Temptation

2. Propaganda - Duel

3. Swansway - Soul Train

4. Joy Division - Atmosphere

5. Cocteau Twins - Pearly Dewrdrops\x{2019} Drops

6. Mobiles - Drowning In Berlin

7. Pretenders - Talk Of The Town

8. Susan Fassbender - Twilight Café

9. Art Of Noise - Beatbox

10. SPK - Metal Dance

11. A Flock Of Seagulls - I Ran

12. Tears For Fears - Pale Shelter

13. Blue Zoo - Cry Boy Cry

14. B-Movie - Remembrance Day

15. Thompson Twins - In The Name Of Love

16. Blancmange - Living On The Ceiling

17. Men Without Hats - Safety Dance

18. H20 - I Dream To Sleep

Disc: 3

1. Siouxsie & The Banshees - Dear Prudence

2. The Cure - The Walk

3. Scritti Politti - Absolute

4. Talk Talk - It's My Life

5. Japan - Life In Tokyo

6. David Bowie - Up The Hill Backwards

7. Devo - Whip It

8. Our Daughters Wedding - Lawnchairs

9. Bauhaus - Kick In The Eye

10. Spear Of Destiny - Liberator

11. Echo & The Bunnymen - The Back Of Love

12. Bow Wow Wow - Chihuahua

13. Dead Or Alive - That's The Way (I Like It)

14. Psychedelic Furs - Love My Way

15. Stranglers - European Female

16. Telex - Moskow Diskow

17. Laurie Anderson - O Superman

Duran Duran World Tour Off To Wobbly Start

2008-03-30T11:54:00.001-07:00

Duran Duran's world tour got off to an awkward start in New Zealand on Wednesday as singer Simon Le Bon forgot the lyrics and bassist John Taylor stormed off stage, according to a published report.

"Duran Duran, f---ing up in style," Le Bon, 49, told the crowd at the Vector Arena in the northern city of Auckland, according to the New Zealand Herald's review the next day.

Taylor, 47, abandoned his instrument and walked off stage, apparently in reaction to a segment in which the group's members donned matching satin suits and headsets to play a medley on keyboards and an electric drum set.

"I could not dance to that. These people came here to dance," Taylor said, after he returned to the stage, according to the Herald.

Le Bon forgot the words to "Hungry Like the Wolf," one of the band's biggest hits, the Herald reported.

Still, the paper said the crowd -- dominated by screaming women in their 30s -- did not seem to mind the snafus.

Duran Duran, rounded out by keyboardist Nick Rhodes, 45, and drummer Roger Taylor, 47, next heads to Australia for seven shows, beginning on Friday in Sydney.

After the Asia-Pacific leg ends, Duran Duran will begin a North American tour in Vancouver on April 29.

The band, which was formed 30 years ago, is promoting its latest album, "Red Carpet Massacre," which bombed in the United States and Britain last year.

More 80's on American Idol

2008-03-28T12:43:00.001-07:00

The Top 10 American Idol contestants took to the stage last night to sing songs from 'The Year they Were Born' ... which obviously means more songs from the 80's!
A few weeks back the contestants sang 80's songs and there were great performances as there were lousy ones!
But ... how did the Top 10 do last night?

The first to go was Ramiele Malubay and she sang "Alone" by Heart from 1987.
The judges thought she did kinda' fine and may survive this week.
The second to go was Jason Castro and he sang "Fragile" by Sting from 1987.
He did good, but hasn't offered anything new for a couple of weeks now ... he might be in danger!
The third to go was Syesha Mercado and she sang "If I Were Your Woman" by Gladys Knight from 1987.
She did great! Even the judges thought that was her best ever performance yet!

The fourth to go was Chikezie and he sang "If Only for One Night" by Luther Vandross from 1985.
He sang well but his performance wasn't anything special or anything so impressive!
If he wants to stay in the game, he should start performing better!
The fifth to go was Brooke White and she sang "Every Breath You Take" by The Police from 1983.
She sings and plays the piano ... but her performance became wobbly when the band joined in towards the end. But she did good and will make it through to next week.
The sixth to go was Michael Johns and he sang a bit of "We Will Rock You"and a bit of "We Are the Champions" by Queen from the year 1978.
Michael did Grreat! His best performance and maybe the best of the night too!
Simon said: "Michael, this is the first time with you that I've seen star potential. You just got it right. For me, it's the only memorable performance of the night so far".

The seventh to go was Carly Smithson and she sang "Total Eclipse of the Heart" by Jim Steinman from 1983.
She tried her best but there was something off about her performance! As for the final note ... I think it was a wrong choice and that ruined the song!
The eighth to go was David Archuleta and he sang "You're the Voice" by John Farnham from 1990! Gosh! 1990 is like yesterday!
A strange choice that sounded like something out of a cartoon musical!
But David did his best and it wasn't a disastrous performance!
The ninth to go was Kristy Lee Cook and she sang "God Bless the USA" by Lee Greenwood from 1984.
She chose THE right-est song to sing! Who's going to vote her off American Idol when she sings God Bless the USA?
The last to sing was David Cook and she chose to sing Michael Jackson's Billie Jean from 1982.
He reflected his own character on the song, so it wasn't giving off a Jacko spirit anymore!
Which was very smart and brave of him.
Simon told him: "David, that was brave. It could have either been insane or amazing, and I have to tell you, it was amazing".

So, who will be leaving tonight? Will Chikezie go home? Or will it be a girl this time? Maybe Carly Smithson?

Richie Sambora DUI, but will Bon Jovi go on?

2008-03-28T09:30:00.001-07:00

Bon Jovi is still scheduled to perform at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on April 12 at 8 p.m.

But that might not be enough time if guitarist Richie Sambora re-enters rehab.

Sambora (mugshot above) was arrested Tuesday night for driving while intoxicated in Laguna Beach, Calif. He was with a young woman along with a 10-year-old daughter whom he shares with ex-wife Heather Locklear.

He's expected to appear in court May 7 under DUI and charges with endangering the lives of children.

George Michael's "25 Live" tour

2008-03-24T14:28:00.001-07:00

I told you it was just a matter of getting his ducks in a row: George Michael's "25 Live" tour has finally and officially announced its dates for North America.

The tour begins June 17 in San Diego and wraps up Aug. 3 in South Florida.

Click here to see the full schedule. Ticket sales begin April 6 on Ticketmaster. Also, Michael will release a 2-disc CD set called "Twenty-Five" on April 1. The set features 29 songs; a DVD will have 40 videos.
Trying to decide if this tour is worth the money? Here's the set list for his recent tour stops in Europe:

Waiting Intro

Flawless

Fast Love

Father Figure

Star People

First Time Ever I Saw Your Face

Praying for Time

Too Funky

You Have Been Loved

Everything She Wants

My Mother Had a Brother

Shoot the Dog

20 Minute Intermission

Faith

Spinning the Wheel

Jesus to a Child

An Easier Affair

A Different Corner

Amazing

Too Funky (reprise)

I'm Your Man

Outside

Careless Whisper

Freedom 90

Top 10 Songs of 1980

2008-03-22T20:09:00.001-07:00

The year that chaotically bridged the '70s and its latter trends of disco and punk with the new decade, 1980 was a dynamic and intriguing year for pop music. Accordingly, the best tunes from this year tended to contain elements of the decade just passed even as they forged new paths, such as the blending of disco beats with heavy use of synthesizer, an instrument that would play a huge role in the '80s.

1. Blondie-"Call Me"
Smack dab in the middle of Blondie and frontwoman Debbie Harry's most pervasive period, it's difficult to pinpoint one song from 1980 as the band's best of that year. Even so, this tune ultimately stands out because it so deftly blends prevailing styles like disco, punk and pop into a punchy, nearly perfect two-minute single. "The Tide Is High" and "Rapture" were likewise huge hits in 1980, but each suffers from a stylistic imbalance not found here.
2. Olivia Newton-John-"Magic"
In terms of pure loveliness, few melodies in the '80s could match this chart-topping offering from one of pop's finest, most enduring female pop singers. Another entry from a film soundtrack, this tune again blends disco rhythms with primo keyboard work, to excellent effect. Meanwhile, on full display are Newton-John's impressive vocal chops, which never sounded quite so transcendent as they do here. Before she got memorably "Physical" a year later, Newton-John was unforgettably ethereal.

3. Air Supply-"All Out Of Love"
Though much-maligned in the quarter-century since their peak era, this Australian duo crafted some rather inescapable melodies. This tune, perhaps more than any other, takes the art of the sappy love ballad to some kind of heretofore undiscovered stratosphere. The vocals of Graham Russell during the verses gently and liltingly imbue the song with emotion, while Russell Hitchcock's somewhat cloying presentation of the chorus gives new meaning to the term "over the top." Still, a great love song.

4. Queen-"Another One Bites the Dust"
You have to hand it to Queen, a band known pretty much as a hard rock band before, for the boldness of this unabashedly disco tune. Containing one of the most memorable bass lines in rock history, the song was utterly omnipresent in 1980, and somehow it still stands up after all these years as a startling blend of Freddie Mercury's trademark showmanship and Brian May's constantly inventive guitar work. Perhaps never has guitar been so important in a dance-pop tune.

5. Kool & the Gang-"Celebration"
Though it's not necessarily a positive critical endorsement of a song when it becomes standard fare at sporting events, such a phenomenon certainly cements a piece of music as a permanent part of the zeitgeist. Such is the case also with this tune, a party song that doesn't mess around with subtlety or complexity. Maybe it was also the last hurrah for this former funk band, before the group resorted to somewhat lamer pop stylings for its chart survival.

6. Pat Benatar-"Hit Me With Your Best Shot"
Sporting one of the all-time great rock guitar riffs (no, I'm not kidding), this song orchestrates a brilliant maximization of both Benatar's sex appeal and her ability to strike a relatively believable feminist pose. The combination is irresistible, and although the tune merely scraped the bottom level of the Top 10, it remains a significant document of its time as well as a timeless rock song. It does what great rock and roll should: combine sexuality with bold theatricality.

7. Christopher Cross-"Ride Like the Wind"
Owner of one of 1980's biggest albums, Cross made an evocative sort of melodic soft rock that could have resided within any number of decades. With a singer-songwriter sensibility that simply isn't capable of rocking too hard, Cross ensured himself of chart success with high, soaring vocals and memorable melodies. This tune also features a galloping rhythm, precise instrumentation and a well-placed Michael McDonald on backing vocals.

8. The Manhattans-"Shining Star"
Boasting a significant amount of rather soulless dance pop as the '80s did, it was rather refreshing when old-school soul found its way onto the charts. This song is a gem on many levels, obviously in its clear, soaring vocals and indelible melody but also in surprising ways. In fact, one of the most elemental pieces of the song's fabric is the gentle acoustic guitar flourish that repeats itself through the verses and chorus. As lovely today as when first released.

9. Irene Cara-"Fame"
Perfectly encapsulating the youthful exuberance on display on the TV show of the same name, this memorable single charts the hopes and dreams of anyone striving for the top. Well, something like that. A great karaoke selection for the ages, Cara's first major foray into soundtrack music simply works from start to finish. It's a great melody well executed, and any year in any decade could use a few more of those.

10. John Lennon-"(Just Like) Starting Over"
Any list that attempts to summarize the year 1980 musically must include a celebratory though sober nod to John Lennon, so cruelly taken away from us late that year. This song is a painful reminder of just how much more Lennon had to offer musically and as a human being. It is simply one of the most touching and beautiful love songs of all time, and it's matched with characteristically innovative songwriting from one of the greatest craftsmen of all time.

Soleil Moon Frye AKA Penelope 'Punky' Brewster

2008-03-21T19:45:00.001-07:00

Soleil Moon Frye has just had a baby girl along with her husband, Jason Goldberg.

Top 6 Spinal Tap Songs

2008-03-21T14:17:00.001-07:00

Though some of the music featured on the soundtrack to the 1984 mockumentary classic This Is Spinal Tap is purported to be from the '60s and '70s, the majority of tunes on the disc highly reflect the hard rock styles rampant during the early '80s. Such detail proves that the band's alter egos (Michael McKean, Christopher Guest, Harry Shearer and Rob Reiner) certainly possess a healthy grasp of rock music history and, especially, the hard rock subculture.

1. "Hell Hole"
As both a perfect parody of early-'80s hard rock bombast and a quality example of such music, the lead-off tune from the soundtrack for This Is Spinal Tap comes close to being a genuine classic of the genre. Built on raw, energetic riffing from guitarist David St. Hubbins and a rare, even soulful lead vocal performance from lead guitarist Nigel Tufnel, the song makes an intriguing use of its central concept. Lyrically, the track brilliantly alternates between typical rock and roll poetry and outrageous hilarity, teaching us the surprising but important truth that "in a hell hole, folks lend a hand."
2. "Tonight I'm Gonna Rock You Tonight"
Another solid riff introduces this uproariously redundant rock anthem, a song that particularly showcases Tufnel's utterly unique if not always on-key soloing style. Also, usual lead singer St. Hubbins shows why he does most of the group's heavy lifting behind the microphone, as he delivers diatribes about his anatomical gifts without a trace of irony. Of course, a certain amount of self-awareness always informs the music of Tap, allowing Tufnel's amateurish but spirited guitar licks to say as much about the sense of fun often missing from the technical wizardry of "actual" heavy metal as anything else.
3. "Rock and Roll Creation"
An always grin-inducing send-up of hard rock's long-standing fascination with mythology and mysticism, this track deftly combines crunching power chords with an effective neo-progressive display of keyboards and synthesizers. Of course, merely hearing the song fails to do it much justice, thanks to its indelible association with one of This Is Spinal Tap the film's best sight gags. In keeping with the tune's hilariously confusing mish-mash of religious and secular ideas about the origins of life, the band's onstage struggles to emerge from prop pods help make this one of the group's most cherished fan favorites.
4. "Big Bottom"
Though clearly indebted conceptually to champions of bombast Queen and the anthem "Fat Bottomed Girls," this song actually spends most of its energy poking tremendous fun at the tendency of hard rock to employ moronically souped-up instruments or techniques onstage. Multiple-neck guitars and all, Tap makes this track truly special by enlisting three bass guitars, perhaps to emphasize the good vibrations of the lyrical subject matter. St. Hubbins takes every opportunity to raise the tent of derriere worship, especially with observations like, "The looser the waistband, the deeper the quicksand."
5. "Sex Farm"
Just to be certain Spinal Tap would earn its hard rock merit badge, the group had to take a headlong dive into ridiculous sexual innuendo, which this pastoral masterpiece was more than happy to do. The inventive nature of the double entendres and euphemisms cultivated from this tune seems to have no limit, as "Gettin' out my pitchfork, pokin' your hay" certainly confirms. Of course, having no limit also quickly propels a rock and roll band into offensive territory, but Spinal Tap relishes that role as any rockers should. Consider, if you dare, when St. Hubbins sings of "sniffin' your feed bag." Sorry I brought it up.
6. "Stonehenge"
This epic number is one of Spinal Tap's several thinly veiled jabs at Led Zeppelin, the hard rock kingpins who always displayed an absurdly earnest fascination with ancient mystery and magic. Tufnel's spoken-word sequences throughout the track lampoon this kind of puffed-up self-importance, though Nigel himself certainly doesn't realize it ("No one knows who they were, or... what they were doing"). Musically, the song features some of Spinal Tap's most prominent keyboard arrangements, but who can forget the mandolin solo and, of course, Smalls' primal scream capable of invoking the Druids' wrath?

A very merry 80s Christmas poem

2007-12-24T19:31:00.001-08:00

Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the web
Not a 80s star was stirring -- their careers nearly dead.
The police reports were searched and looked at with care,
In hopes that Boy George or George Michael would be there.
The punk-rockers were nestled all snug in their beds,
While bruises from slam-dancing showed on their heads.
And mamma with her Stoli, and I with Bacardi,
Had just punished our livers with a long winter's party.
When on one of the blogs there arose such a clatter,
I awoke from my stupor to see what was the matter.
Away to the computer I flew like a flash,
Nearly stepping on last night's cigar and a bowl full of ash.
Past the photos of breasts, of celebrities with blow.
Taken by the paparazzi who stoop so very low.
When, what to my bloodshot eyes should appear,
But rumors of a reunion, after so many years.
A bespectacled director, so full of the muse,
I knew in a moment it must be John Hughes.
More rapid than eagles his co-stars they came,
And he whistled, and berated, and called them by name!
"Now Molly! now, Rob Lowe! now, Judd and Ally!
On, Demi! On, Emilio! On Andrew McCarthy!
Quit your TV shows! Stop the Broadway!
It's back to Hollywood right away!"
And then, like an echo, I heard from afar
The infamous movie lines from those 80s stars.
As I drew in my head, and was turning around,
Down the chimney Mr. Hughes came with a bound.
He was dressed in a trenchcoat, from his head to his foot,
His Chicago Cubs t-shirt tarnished with ashes and soot.
A bundle of scripts he had flung on his back,
And he looked like an agent or celebrity hack.
His eyes -- how they glared! Face pale as a bone.
He must have read my old blog item on "Home Alone!"
His droll little mouth -- lips straight as a ruler,
Oh god, he knows of that sequel to "Ferris Bueller!"
A typewriter and blank pages he held tight in his hands,
An iPod blared only music from old New Wave bands.
He had a long face and no trace of a gut,
He's no Santa afterall, he's just in a rut!
He was surly and short, a right cranky old elf,
But I asked for an autograph, in spite of myself!
A rolling of his eyes and a dip of his head,
Soon gave me to know I had plenty to dread.
He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
Finishing a script, then calling me a jerk.
And laying his middle finger aside of his nose,
And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose!
He sprang to his limo, told his driver 'Find a pub!'
And away they all drove like the end of Breakfast Club.
But I heard him exclaim, as he drove out of sight,
"Happy Christmas 80s fans, and to all a good-night!"

RETRO-REVIEW: 1984's The Last Starfighter

2007-12-06T16:18:00.001-08:00

TODAY'S RETRO-REVIEW: 1984's "The Last Starfighter," starring Lance Guest, Catherine Mary Stewart and Robert Preston. Directed by Nick Castle (The Boy Who Could Fly, Tap). It was one of the first films to take advantage of computer graphics for entire segments of the movie. In 2004, it was converted to stage in an off-Broadway production.

THE PLOT: A teenager stuck living in a trailer park (Guest) finds that his videogaming skills are highly prized elsewhere in the universe when he's recruited to defend an alien race against invaders. But will he leave his girlfriend (Stewart) and family to pursue his destiny?

MAYBE YOU REMEMBER: Lance Guest played the part of "Jack" in the Kristy McNichol film, "Just the Way You Are." Guest falls for McNichol before meeting her in person and realizing she's handicapped. (Come on, Jack!)

SURELY YOU CAN'T FORGET: This was the final film appearance for Robert Preston, who died in 1987 of lung cancer. Best known to 80s fans for his role in "Victor/Victoria," Preston based his "Starfighter" role of "Centauri " on his 1962 performance of "Professor Harold Hill" in "The Music Man."

WHAT THE CRITICS SAID: "The Last Starfighter is not a terrifically original movie. The video game concept seems inspired by Walt Disney's TRON, and the battles in space are such close copies of the Star Wars movies that George Lucas might have a lawsuit." -- Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

WHY WE LIKE IT ANYWAY: The aliens are more human than those living on Earth, especially movie critics it seems. And without sounding like too much of a wuss, there's great romantic juice between Guest and Stewart (who would go on star in "Night of the Comet," "Weekend at Bernie's" and "Mischief.") Hell, if Guest had left her behind on earth, I'd be living with "Maggie" now at the "Star Lite Trailer Park!"

TOP 5 LINES FROM THE LAST STARFIGHTER:

5. "Back to sleep, Louis, or I'm telling Mom about your Playboys!"

4. "Woo! All right! We're being invaded!"

3. "Greetings, Starfighter. You have been recruited by the Star League to defend the frontier against Xur and the Ko-Dan armada."

2. "Sorry, I didn't mean to step on your, uh, whatever that is."

1. "You're on Rylos, my boy! Stop thinking human."

The Best 80s Thanksgiving Movie

2007-11-21T10:09:00.001-08:00

Thanksgiving is nearly upon us, and so our minds turn to ... John Candy and Steve Martin?

That's right, the only 80s Thanksgiving movie worth thinking about is "Planes, Trains and Automobiles. And give thanks for another top 5 list. (This one is a little unusual.)

TOP FIVE "BUTT-CENTRIC" QUOTES FROM PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES:

5. "I'm afraid to look at my ass. There'll be griddle marks."

4. "We'd have more luck playing pickup sticks with our butt-cheeks than we will getting a flight out of here before daybreak."

3. "If you catch me running off with my mouth, just give me a poke on the chubbs."

2. "St. Louis to Chi-town is booked tighter than Tom Thumb's ass."

1. "Those aren't pillows!"

Tom Cruise as Hugh Hefner?

2007-11-19T19:58:00.001-08:00

The word out of Hollywood is that Tom Cruise is at the top of the list to portray Playboy Magazine founder Hugh Hefner in an upcoming bio-pic.

The Celebrity News Service quotes as insider as saying, "Tom knows of Hugh's colorful past and thinks he would be the perfect person to bring it to the big screen. He also thinks the role would be a challenge for him, and would remind people of his versatility as an actor. At the moment people are concentrating on his personal life, and his marriage to Katie - but he wants to remind them that he can act too."

This is shocking news. No, not that Tom wants to play Hefner. But that a "Celebrity News Service" actually exists.

Seriously though, is anyone really going to green-light Tom playing that role? If he does, I'll have to re-arrange the following list.

TOP FIVE MOST UNREALISTIC PERFORMANCES BY TOM CRUISE

5. Losin' It (1983): Jackie Earle Haley makes this a great movie. Cruise and Shelley Long transform it into an average one.

4. Legend (1985): If the Lord of Darkness wants to kill unicorns, Tom Cruise isn't the guy I'm sending in there to make things right.

3. The Firm (1993): You can dress him down and muss up his hair, but you still can't buy into Cruise as John Grisham's hero.

2. Far and Away (1992) and Days of Thunder (1990): Cruise and Nicole Kidman on screen together is pretty painful -- even without the fake Irish accents or NASCAR driving.

1. Mr. Katie Holmes: Happy first anniversary, Tom and Katie. Now will someone please step forward and tell us it's all a big practical joke.

Sixteen Candles is the superior teen flick

2007-11-15T14:49:00.001-08:00

Rarely do you find a weekly magazine that panders to the 80s nation, but this week a small door in the space-time continuum opened. Entertainment Weekly has a dead-on fun piece comparing 80s classics "Pretty in Pink" with "Sixteen Candles." (Click here to read it.)

Writer Dalton Ross makes the argument -- and a damn fine one -- that "Sixteen Candles" is the superior teen flick. And he doesn't just fling around a couple cute movie quotes and shut the door. Ross breaks down every angle in true Stuck in the 80s fashion. For example:

Farmer Ted (Anthony Michael Hall) vs. Duckie (Jon Cryer): Duckie is a sympathetic character, he writes, but "[Hall] is responsible for no less than a hundred classic moments," from charging to see panties, hijacking the prom queen to his mastery of making a martini.

Jake Ryan vs. Blane: Andrew McCarthy's Blane "has no backbone, dresses lame, and has an even lamer haircut." Meanwhile Jake Ryan (played by the sadly retired Michael Schoeffling) is everything a girl should want. "Even I have a bit of a man crush on the dude," Ross gushes.

Thompson Twins vs. OMD: Here, I think Ross goes too far, proclaiming "If You Were Here" by the Twins as the superior movie-ending music. Bah! "If You Leave" is one of the true classic tunes of the 80s movie soundtracks (easily tied for first with "Don't You Forget About Me" from Breakfast Club.)

But Ross's heart is in the right place. Now, if he'll just go on the record proclaiming "Weird Science" as the ultimate John Hughes movie, we're all set.

Come on, you scuzzy data, be in there!

2007-11-14T21:51:00.001-08:00

The quest to build the ultimate list of Most Quotable Lines from 80s Movies continues -- with much rejoicing. This has got to be the most enjoyable list to put together. Lots of the old standards coming back to life.

But where are all the sci-fi movie lines? Surely you haven't forgotten the magnetism of Blade Runner or the charisma of James T. Kirk.

Here are some 80s sci-fi lines to consider for our list:

"Judge me by my size, do you?" (The Empire Strikes Back)"Quite an experience to live in fear, isn't it?" (Blade Runner)

"Scotty, I need warp speed in three minutes or we're all dead." (Star Trek 2)

"Game over, man, game over!" (Aliens)

"Terrific. I'm about to get killed a million miles from nowhere with a gung-ho iguana who tells me to relax." (The Last Starfighter)

"Come on, you scuzzy data, be in there." (Tron)

"Bloodshed is my life." (Explorers)

"Khhaaaaan!" (Star Trek 2)

"Why, you stuck up, half-witted, scruffy-looking nerf-herder." (The Empire Strikes Back)

"Time to die!" (Blade Runner)

"Now witness the firepower of this fully ARMED and OPERATIONAL battle station!" (Return of the Jedi)

"Greetings, Program!" (Tron)

"Call me Snake." (Escape from New York)

"Flash, Flash, I love you, but we only have fourteen hours to save the Earth!" (Flash Gordon)

"The sleeper has awakened!" (Dune)

Mickey Rourke: 'Innate respect for the insane'

2007-11-12T13:10:00.001-08:00

Mickey Rourke, renaissance man. Our man Mickey -- who's gone from actor to boxer to ummm ... well, we loved your movies! -- was arrested Thursday morning in Miami Beach on suspicion of driving under the influence, according to the Associated Press.

Pulled over while making some erratic moves on his green scooter, Rourke "had a flushed face and bloodshot, watery eyes, his speech was slurred, and he had a strong odor of alcohol on his breath," the police report said. He failed field sobriety and blood alcohol tests, according to the report.

I'm not going to sully the man any further, because Rourke was a god in the 80s. If he wants to pull a "Nick Nolte" once in a while, he's entitled. Just next time, spring for a designated scooter driver.

TOP 5 MICKEY ROURKE FLICKS OF THE 80s:

5. Rumble Fish (1983): "Even the most primitive of societies have an innate respect for the insane."

4. The Pope of Greenwich Village (1984): "This might be your church, right now I'm the Pope of Greenwich Village 'cause I got the tape alright?"

3. Diner (1982): "If you don't have good dreams, Bagel, you got nightmares."

2. Nine 1/2 Weeks (1986): "I saw myself in you."

1. Barfly (1987): "Some people never go crazy. What truly horrible lives they must lead."

Is your Bryan Adams hanging out?

2007-11-05T15:38:00.001-08:00

I have a theory about Bryan Adams: His music is on the radio just regularly enough that you don't really notice it unless someone points it out. (And when they do, it can be embarrassing -- sorta like having your zipper down.)

So my friends and I once came up with the code "Your Bryan Adams is hanging out" -- we'd say that anytime we left his music play unknowingly on the radio. (Of course, that was their way of saying change the channel. But I sorta dig Adams, so I let it "hang out.")

I first caught Adams at the Rock n' Roll Superbowl in Orlando's Citrus Bowl back on March 20, 1982 (you'll see in a minute why I remember the date). In those days, the antiquated stadium hosted annual rock festivals. That day, Adams was the opening act. The only song anyone recognized was "Lonely Nights." He played his half hour set then made way for a bunch of better-known bands, including Foreigner, still fresh off their success from 1981's "4" album.

Ozzy Osbourne was supposed to be the real attraction that day, but his guitarist Randy Rhoads died the day before the show when a small plane he was flying in crashed. Ozzy canceled his appearance and Pat Travers ("Boom, boom! Out go the lights!) stepped in to take his place.

Adams turns 48 years old today. These days, Adams has been playing Europe and Asia. I hope he gets back to Florida sometime soon. But this time, let's hope everyone in the lineup just sticks to driving.

TOP 5 BRYAN ADAMS SONGS OF THE 80s:

5. Heaven: "Love is all that I need, and I found it there in your heart."

4. Somebody: "The winners are losers. You see it every night."

3. One Night Love Affair: "I never thought that I'd be touchin' you."

2. Lonely Nights: "With every breath you're takin', you're thinkin' of ways to say good night."

1. Summer of '69: "Those were the best days of my life."

Duran Duran new album Red Carpet Massacre

2007-11-04T15:14:00.001-08:00

Reviews of the Duran Duran's run of intimate concerts on Broadway are starting to trickle out, and the reaction from critics is a bit subdued.

The lads from Birmingham, England, are playing their new album -- Red Carpet Massacre -- start to finish to open each show. Then they launch into a short set of electronica before finishing with a set of the old favorites.

The Hartford Courant, which reviewed a few warm-up shows, said "while it's refreshing to see a veteran band so excited about its new material, hitting the audience with a straight hour of unfamiliar music seems an unnecessary gamble."

Some of the new songs "feature the same throbbing keyboards and robo-funk beats that have spelled smash for Justin Timberlake, Nelly Furtado, and even Britney Spears," the Courant writes.

OK, that's probably good news for fans below the age of 23. But I'm guessing the rest of us are shaking our heads. Let's hope they shake up the set list before taking this act on the road.

Fast Times on TV? Fat chance

2007-11-02T19:21:00.001-07:00

The cable channel American Movie Classics is playing "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" this afternoon. Normally, any showing of the movie is cause for celebration (and for the fake stomach flu, so that I can go home and watch).

But few things in life cause flu-like symptoms like watching a largely censored version of this 1982 classic on television. What would you miss? Plenty!

FOUR-LETTER WORDS THAT START WITH D: You miss Sean Penn's ultimate expletive to Mr. Hand. On regular TV, expect Spicoli to say something like "You doofus!" (I've also heard "dillweed") Not the same knock-down power.

NO PHOEBE: The infamous Phoebe Cates topless scene at the pool comes to mind next. (Rumor has it that video store owners say their old tapes of that scene have tracking errors on that scene -- where kids used to pause the scene for anywhere from 5 to 10 minutes.)

YOUNG LOVE: Speaking of sadly abbreviated time frames, there's also Mike Damone's 5- to 10-second scene with Stacy in the pool changing room. You'll be missing that today too.

My advice? Stay at work a little extra today. Use the overtime to go buy the special-edition DVD. Because if you're here, and I'm here, isn't this really our time?

The kids are still hot tonight

2007-11-01T21:09:00.001-07:00

Just when you needed another fresh injection of 80s rock, Loverboy is here with a new album.

"Just Getting Started" is the name of the new album -- the band's first is more than 10 years. It will be released Nov. 6 initially in an exclusive deal with Wal-Mart.

I've been listening to the new disc for a couple weeks now, and it's a much-overdue blast of pure Canadian 80s rock. Vocalist Mike Reno's voice sounds fully recharged and he really seems energized by the new material.

The first song the band recorded -- "Stranded" -- is actually the last song on the disc. The song is written as an ode to Scott Smith, the band's former bassist who was lost at sea while sailing in 2000.

The 10 songs still feature the guitar-and-keyboards barrage and working class lyrics that made the band so accessible to fans during their hey-day. Highlights on the disc include the hard-rocking title track and the 9-to-5 anthem "One Of Them Days."

"I love the way it sounds. I love the album cover. I love the fact that we're almost giving it away," vocalist Mike Reno told a Canadian newspaper. "I love the fact that we're giving half-price downloads on most of the download systems. And I'm perfectly aware that more than half of the people in the world will steal it. I'm happy with all of that."

Top 20 Horror Films of the 80s

2007-10-30T14:42:00.001-07:00

20. Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 (1986): Dennis Hooper, Caroline Williams. "After a decade of silence... The buzzz is back!"

19. C.H.U.D. (1984): Daniel Stern, John Heard. "You Won't Want To Know What It Means."

18. The Changeling (1980): George C. Scott, Jean Marsh. "Whatever you do...DON'T GO INTO THE ATTIC."

17. Hellraiser (1987): Andrew Robinson, Clare Higgins. "Demon to some. Angel to others."

16. The Evil Dead (1981): Bruce Campbell, Ellen Sandweiss. "The Ultimate Experience In Grueling Terror."

15. Fright Night (1985): Chris Sarandon, William Ragsdale. "If you love being scared, it'll be the night of your life."

14. House on Sorority Row (1983): Kate McNeil, Eileen Davidson. "Sisters in life. Sisters in death."

13. Re-Animator (1985): Jeffrey Combs, Bruce Abbott. "Herbert West Has A Very Good Head On His Shoulders... And Another One In A Dish On His Desk."

12. The Lost Boys (1987): Jason Patric, Corey Haim. "Sleep all day. Party all night. Never grow old. Never die. It's fun to be a vampire."

11. Dressed to Kill (1980): Michael Caine, Angie Dickinson. "Every Nightmare Has A Beginning ... This One Never Ends."

10. A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984): Johnny Depp, Robert Englund. "A scream that wakes you up, might be your own."

9. The Believers (1987): Martin Sheen, Helen Shaver. "They exist. Fear them."

8. Return of the Living Dead (1985): Clu Gulager, James Karen. "They're back ... They're Hungry ... And they're NOT vegetarian."

7. Prince of Darkness (1987): Donald Pleasance, Jameson Parker. "It is evil. It is real. It is awakening."

6. Christine (1983): Keith Gordon, John Stockwell. "Hell hath no Fury...like Christine."

The top 5...

5. The Shining (1980): Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall. One critic said: "It is not just a great horror film; it is a psychological profile of how people wrestle with their unsavory pasts."

4. Night of the Creeps (1986): Jason Lively, Steve Marshall. One critic said: "Rarely is a horror comedy as much fun to watch as this movie is."

3. American Werewolf in London (1981): David Naughton, Jenny Agutter. One critic said: "It may be one of the best endings to any movie, ever."

2. The Thing (1982): Kurt Russell, Wilford Brimley. One critic said: "If you don't repeatedly drop your jaw and gape at the screen in disbelief, you might need to lay off the PCP."

1. Poltergeist (1982): Craig T. Nelson, JoBeth Williams. One critic said: "This is the movie The Amityville Horror dreamed of being."

So there's the list. Feel free to share your darts and laurels.

Most depressing songs of the 80s: Top 20

2007-10-29T11:56:00.001-07:00

What better person to introduce the final 20 songs from the Most Depressing Songs of the 80s list than "Gary" from "Last American Virgin."

I'm going out on a limb here and proclaiming that Gary (played expertly by the much-underrated Lawrence Monoson) is the saddest movie character of the 80s. If you don't know why, then it's time to rent the movie again. (Even sadder that his signature tune ''Just Once" didn't make the top 20, but another song from the movie did.)

This list is for all the Gary's out there. (Click here to see Nos. 21-30, 31-40, 41-50)

MOST DEPRESSING SONGS OF THE 80s: The Top 20

20. With Or Without You (U2): "Sleight of hand and twist of fate, on a bed of nails she makes me wait." [Video]

19. Love on the Rocks (Neil Diamond): "First they say they want you, how they really need you. Suddenly you find you're out there, walking in a storm." [Video]

18. Throwing It All Away (Genesis): "Late at night when you call my name, the only sound you'll hear is the sound of your voice calling, calling after me." [Video]

17. Separate Lives (Phil Collins): "Some day I might find myself looking in your eyes. But for now, we’ll go on living separate lives." [Video]

16. The Bitterest Pill (The Jam): "I wish this grave would open up and swallow me alive." [Video]

15. Since You're Gone (The Cars): "You're so treacherous when it comes to tenderness." [Video]

14. Goodnight Saigon (Billy Joel): "And who was wrong? And who was right? It didn't matter in the thick of the fight." [Video]

13. Against All Odds (Phil Collins): "I wish I could just make you turn around, turn around and see me cry." [Video]

12. Fairytale of New York (The Pogues & Kirsty MacColl): "Happy Christmas, your arse, I pray God it's our last." [Video]

11. Is This The World We Created? (Queen): "If there's a God up in the sky looking down, what can he think of what we've done?" [Live video]

10. Dear God (XTC): "If there's one thing I don't believe in... it's you." [Video]

9. Voices Carry (Til Tuesday): "He tells me tears are something to hide, and something to fear." [Video]

8. Time After Time (Cyndi Lauper): "You said go slow. I fall behind. The second hand unwinds." [Video]

7. The River (Bruce Springsteen): "No wedding day smiles, no walk down the aisle. No flowers, no wedding dress." [Live video]

6. Mercy Street (Peter Gabriel): "Tugging at the darkness, word upon word." [Video]

5. No One Is To Blame (Howard Jones): "You can feel the punishment but you can't commit the sin." [Live video]

4. Blasphemous Rumors (Depeche Mode): "When I die I expect to find him laughing." [Live video]

3. Here Comes A Regular (The Replacements): "I used to live at home, now I stay at the house" [Listen]

2. Same Old Lang Syne (Dan Fogelberg): "We drank a toast to innocence. We drank a toast to now. And tried to reach beyond the emptiness. But neither one knew how." [Watch video]

1. Fast Car (Tracy Chapman): "We leave tonight or live and die this way." [Watch video]

Most depressing songs of the 80s (#21-30)

2007-10-28T20:51:00.001-07:00

Poor Duckie. He saw yesterday's list of Most Depressing Songs of the 80s, and was driven to a crying fit out in the rain because nothing from "Pretty in Pink" had made the list. Cheer up, Duck man. Today's your big day. (Click here to see Nos. 31-40 and 41-50)

TOP 50 DEPRESSING SONGS OF THE 80s: Nos. 21-30

30. How Soon Is Now? (The Smiths): "I am the son and heir of nothing in particular."
29. Who Wants To Live Forever? (Queen): "This world has only one sweet moment set aside for us."
28. Everytime You Go Away (Paul Young): "I can feel your body move. It doesn't mean that much to me."
27. Hold On to the Nights (Richard Marx): "I wish that I could give you something more."
26. Luka (Suzanne Vega): "They only hit until you cry and after that you don't ask why."
25. Think Of Laura (Christopher Cross): "I think you're here, taking our tears away."
24. Purple Rain (Prince): "It's such a shame our friendship had to end."
23. The Way It Is (Bruce Hornsby): "As he catches the poor old lady's eyes, just for fun he says 'Get a job.' "
22. Please Please Let Me Get What I Want (The Smiths): "Lord knows, it would be the first time."
21. New York Minute (Don Henley): "Men get lost sometimes as years unfurl."

Sneak peak at the next 10: Just pour me a drink, and I'll tell you some lies.

Most depressing songs of the 80s (#31-40)

2007-10-27T18:02:00.001-07:00

Yeah, I skipped a day in the list. How depressing.

The list of the 50 most depressing songs of the 80s continues today. (Repeat after me: Open mouth, insert Prozac, swallow.)

My personal favorite from today's list? No surprise to long-time fans here -- it's "The Smile Has Left Your Eyes" by Asia. Though in all fairness, I'm a sobbing heap of melting flesh if you play any tune on today's list.

Click here to view Nos. 41-50. And as always, fire away with the feedback.

50 MOST DEPRESSING SONGS OF THE 80s: Nos. 31-40

40. Hard to Say I'm Sorry (Chicago): "Even lovers need a holiday, far away from each other."

39. Last Time Forever (Squeeze):" It all went wrong when I grew jealous."

38. Missing You (John Waite): "There's a heart that's breaking down this long distance line tonight."

37. Save a Prayer (Duran Duran): "You don't have to dream it all, just live a day."

36. The Smile Has Left Your Eyes (Asia): "It's over now. It's not my fault. See how this feels for you."

35. Cigarette (Smithereens): "Just like this cigarette, our time is running down."

34. Mandolin Rain (Bruce Hornsby): "You don't know what you got till you lose it all again."

33. Just Once (James Ingram): "Seems we're always blowing whatever we got going."

32. Give Me It (The Cure): "Get away from me. Leave me alone. Like the pig on the stairs, hanging
in a groovy purple shirt."

31. Drive (The Cars): "You can't go on, thinkin' nothings wrong."

Sneak peak at tomorrow's list: If you think Mandolin Rain is sad, try the other kinds of rain.

Most depressing songs of the 80s (#41-50)

2007-10-25T13:20:00.001-07:00

Turn the lights low. Pour yourself a drink of scotch. Maybe keep a pack of cigarettes and a tissue box close by. The list of the Top 50 Most Depressing Songs of the 80s is here.

Thanks go to the all the Remember The 80s readers who offered a ton of suggestions via the blog and e-mail. I can proudly admit I've spent days weeping over the final rankings, looking up lyrics, listening to the tunes, sobbing openly and swearing in public at inappropriate times. (Again, I apologize to all those kids last night at Chuck E. Cheese.) You name it. But I did it all for you.

I'll roll out the list 10 songs at a time -- trust me, that's more depression than anyone can handle in a single day. As always, fire away with the comments, feedback, phone numbers for suicide hot lines.

TOP 50 MOST DEPRESSING SONGS OF THE 80s: Nos. 41-50

50. Friends of Mine (Duran Duran): "I thinks it's time you were told I think you're growing old."

49. Ghost Town (Cheap Trick): "Life goes on around me every day but it might as well be half a million miles away."

48. Always Something There to Remind Me (Naked Eyes): "If you should find you miss the sweet and tender love we used to share, just come back to the places where we used to go and I'll be there."

47. Hell Is For Children (Pat Benatar): "Be a good little boy, and you'll get a new toy. Tell grandma you fell off the swing."

46. Rockville (R.E.M.): "At night I drink myself to sleep and pretend I don't care that you're not here with me."

45. Who's Cryin' Now (Journey): "So many stormy nights, so many wrongs or rights."

44. Love Will Tear Us Apart (Joy Division): "Do you cry out in your sleep?"

43. Haven't We Been Here Before (Styx): "Footsteps lead down to the note on the door that says I can't stay here anymore."

42. Better Be Home Soon (Crowded House): So don't say no, don't say nothings wrong 'cause when you get back home maybe I'll be gone."

41. Last Night I Dreamt that Somebody Loved Me (The Smiths): No hope, no harm. Just another false alarm."

Sneak peak at tomorrow's list: More Duran Duran, the Cure and the Cars.

Win a home theater system? Inconceivable!

2007-10-24T21:50:00.001-07:00

Our favorite fairytale 80s movie -- well, maybe the only movie fitting that genre -- turns 20 years old this year. And "The Princess Bride" is coming out in a special editing DVD to mark the occasion. Look for it in stories in mid-November.

In conjunction with the anniversary and DVD release, MGM Home Entertainment has launched an "Ode to Princess Bride" online contest. Contestants in the online sweepstakes are provided and "editor's took kit" with video, audio and music from the film. Using those, the challenge is to create your own video trailer.

Winners will be selected by movie producers Norman Lear and Rob Reiner. What does the grand prize winner score? A state-of-the-art home theater package and autographed movie script.

The contest ends this Sunday, so get cracking. Go to www.theprincessbride.com for more information.

Best music-movie moments: 11-20

2007-10-02T15:43:00.001-07:00

Call me nuts (a little "Van Wilder" reference for fans out there), but I'm going to say having great music soundtracks is what really separates a lot of the true 80s classic films from its peers in the 70s and 90s.

And with this theorem in hand, the Remember the 80s and you - the readers - set out to compile a list of the greatest music moments from our favorite films. You'll see a lot of obvious choices here -- and a couple you probably forgot all about.

What's it take to make the list? The song has to be almost inseparable from the movie scene it appears in.

Today, we'll cover nos. 11 through 20. And tomorrow, the top 10. As always, fire back with your comments and criticism.

TOP MUSIC MOVIE MOMENTS OF THE 80s: Nos. 11-20

20. Mind Over Matter (E.G. Daily) from Summer School: Once known as "Loryn" from "Valley Girl," Daily recorded several soundtrack songs during the 80s, including this one which plays during the big exam.

19. "Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want" (Dream Academy) from Ferris Bueller's Day Off: The instrumental version plays during their visit to the art museum. (Although you can argue The Smith's version in Pretty in Pink is just as good.)

18. "She Loves Me" (Stephen Duffy) from Some Kind of Wonderful: Plays during the epic kissing scene between Keith and Watts -- the best makeout scene of the 80s.

17. "Everybody Wants Some" (Van Halen) from Better Off Dead: Claymation hamburgers and fries come alive and dance for John Cusack during this tune.

16. "Danka Schoen" (Wayne Newton) from Ferris Bueller's Day Off: "I'd like to dedicate it to a young man who doesn't think he's seen anything good today."

15. "What a Wonderful World" (Louis Armstrong) in Good Morning Vietnam: A serious moment in a very funny movie ... and the only reason many 80s fans bought the soundtrack.

14. "Fight the Power" (Public Enemy) in Do The Right Thing: Hard to remember this Spike Lee film was an 80s flick. Rosie Perez dances to the tune during the opening and Radio Raheem plays it nonstop on his boombox during the movie.

13. "Love is Strange" (Mickey & Sylvia) in Dirty Dancing: Baby and Johnny lip-sync to it during their dance/lapdance/foreplay scene.

12. "Lunatic Fringe" (Red Rider) in Vision Quest: Matthew Modine jumps rope to this song while preparing to take on Shute in the movie's big wrestling match.

11. "Don't You Forget About Me" (Simple Minds) from Breakfast Club: Brian reads the group essay over this signature 80s tune at the movie's end.

Sneak peek at tomorrow's list: "When I was kid your age, I lugged ice up two, three stories of stairs..."

"Ferris Bueller 2: Another Day Off"

2007-09-29T20:32:00.001-07:00

Ferris Bueller fans, here's some amazing news: There is a finished script being shopped in Hollywood for a sequel to the 1986 teen classic.

Titled "Ferris Bueller 2: Another Day Off," the movie places Ferris on the eve of his 40th birthday. The script was written by Rick Rapier, a screenwriter based in Arizona. Is it good? The movie fast-forwards Ferris' life about 20 years. In the years since high school, Ferris has turned his carefree "Life Moves Pretty Fast" motto into a motivational self-help career -- think Tony Robbins, only with a beret and sweater vest. His best friend Cameron is still at his side, managing his massive business.

But despite his phenomenal success, Ferris is a bit distracted on his 40th birthday (which, considering his massive fame, is being watched on pay-per-view TV by millions of devoted fans). He decides to take the day off, sending Cameron, his business associates and family into a frenzy.

Rapier says he hopes John Hughes would direct the movie and all the actors would return to reprise their original roles, including Matthew Broderick ("Ferris), Alan Ruck ("Cameron") and Jeffrey Jones ("Ed Rooney"). And what are the characters all up to now?

Ferris' sister Jeannie (Jennifer Grey) is married to the boy she met in the police station (Charlie Sheen).

No longer a school administrator, Rooney is still stalking Ferris for revenge.

The economics teacher played by Ben Stein now is an airline gate representative.

Ferris' girlfriend Sloane Peterson (Mia Sara) is a Hollywood star going through a rough marriage.

Can the movie be made? Right now, that's completely up to Hollywood. Rapier says several players in the movie business have read the script, with various reactions. One executive who passed on the script said he didn't like the idea that Ferris was profiting from his persona, Rapier said.

The big questions are whether Hughes can be talked into returning the director's chair and whether a studio will take a chance on a script from a relatively unknown writer. Personally, I think the Ferris legacy is too tempting to resist.

Come on, Hollywood. Take the chance. After all, as our hero says, "Life goes by pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it."

Olivia Newton-John's echoes of long ago

2007-09-26T23:05:00.001-07:00

I have a theory about Olivia Newton-John, and here it is: If she hadn't insisted on sticking to movies in the early 80s and concentrated on her music career instead, we'd have erected statues in her honor by now and she'd be filling huge arenas for concerts (instead of that hag Madonna.)

Sadly, in the year 1980, there was a cosmic shift in the space-time continuum: She made the movie Xanadu and our world was never the same. Don't get me wrong -- Xanadu has possibly one of the best soundtracks of any movie in the late 70s or 80s. Seriously. "Suddenly," "I'm Alive," "Magic," and the title song.

The rest of the actual movie? Too painful to contemplate. It was so unintentionally campy, it makes the Village People's "Can't Stop the Music" (also from 1980) look like "The Deer Hunter."

Olivia Newton-John turns 59 years old today, and here's a suitable present: A pair of tickets to the new Broadway production of "Xanadu," playing at the Helen Hayes Theatre in New York. Just visiting the production's official website is a trip through time. And ELO's Jeff Lynne returns to handles the music and lyrics. What more can an 80s fan ask for?

Reading the reviews, it seems like the stage show has found the niche it should have aimed for back in the less humorous year of 1980. The New York Times called it an "outlandishly enjoyable stage spoof of the outrageously bad movie."

After other odd choices for 80s movies-turned-to-Broadway (Color Purple, Footloose), it seems like we're finally on to something worth celebrating.

The 80s Game With Martha Quinn Now Available

2007-09-20T21:03:00.001-07:00

Funkitron Releases The 80’s Game With Martha Quinn for the PC
MTV’s all time favorite VJ makes her PC game debut in new online trivia title
BOXFORD, MASSACHUSETTS – August 14, 2007 – Funkitron, a widely respected developer and publisher of casual games, today announced the release of a new PC trivia title called The 80’s Game With Martha Quinn. Featuring 1980’s pop culture content, as well as in-game images and voice-overs by original MTV VJ Martha Quinn, the game offers fans of the 1980’s a new way to relive that “totally awesome” decade. The 80’s Game With Martha Quinn is available as a 60-minute free trial or may be downloaded for $19.95 from the following site: http://www.the80sgamewithmarthaquinn.com/.
The 80’s Game With Martha Quinn spans several different genres including movies, television, sports, politics, music, and celebrities. The game features four game modes: Free Play, Challenges, Episodes - which includes 80 special “Episode” games with themed questions – and Versus, which allows for head-to-head play for two players. Martha guides you through the game as you test your wits to become the ultimate 80’s trivia expert. More than 3,000 questions from the 80’s are packed into this new title, which also offers high-score postings, bonus rounds, and an accompanying 80’s music track.
“The 80’s Game With Martha Quinn has been an absolute pleasure to work on the entire way through,” said Dave Walls, President of Funkitron, Inc. “If fans of trivia games have as much fun playing the game as we did developing and designing it, they are in for a real treat.”
“I absolutely love my Funkitron 80’s game,” said Martha Quinn. “I’m an 80’s trivia fanatic and even I get stumped! Quick - what soap was Rick Springfield on? General Hospital, right? But do you remember the name of his #1 single (Jessie’s Girl)?”
The 80’s Game is licensed from Intellinitiative Game Company, which produces the best-selling trivia board game, The 80’s Game®.
About Funkitron, Inc.
Funkitron, Inc. was one of the first game publishers to focus on the downloadable casual game market and was founded by game industry veteran Dave Walls in 2001. For the past 5 years, Funkitron has been known for creating high-quality, super fun games that appeal to a broad audience and can be distributed digitally via online networks. The company has had much success with hits such as "SCRABBLE(R) Deluxe", "SCRABBLE(R) Blast", "Slingo(R) Deluxe", "Boggle(R) Supreme" and "Poker Superstars II (TM)". Funkitron’s recently released Slingo Quest, the sequel to Slingo Deluxe, won the Zeebie award as the Best Card, Board and Mahjong game of 2006. For more information about Funkitron, please visit www.funkitron.com
About Intellinitiative Game Co. Intellinitiative Game Co., based in Boston, Massachusetts, creates, manufactures and markets entertaining products that inspire fun, interactive group play. What began as a start-up game business, founded by three sibling entrepreneurs in 2001, has grown into one of the industry’s leading independent game companies. Today, Intellinitiative’s product line features both original and licensed titles such as The 80’s Game®, The 90’s Game® and Merriam-Webster’s Word Sweep!™ that are sold online and internationally in more than 3,000 retail stores. Intellinitiative’s games invite everyone to interact and have fun while creating lasting memories with friends and family. For more information, visit www.the80sgame.com

Bad boys: 'No other Val dude can touch me'

2007-09-17T20:25:00.001-07:00

When it comes to villainous boyfriends, it's hard to top 80s movies for rich material. In fact, just take about any John Hughes movie and find the boy with the strangest names (Steff? Blaine? Hardy?). Or any character played by Rob Lowe (although he really hit his stride in the '90s). Voila! Instant boyfriend/villain.

Sometimes the true evil of a boyfriend is hidden behind the big, toothy grins ("Maverick," "Danny Noonan") or a beach-friendly mop of boyishly blond hair ("Tommy" and "Rick" -- talkin' about you here.)

So stick with me as I lay out...

THE TERRIBLE TEN: Worst movie boyfriends from the 80s Heathers' "Jason Dean" (Christian Slater): Usually when your boyfriend starts offing your friends and plots to blow up the school, it's time to take a step back. "Our love is God, let's go get a Slushie."

About Last Night's "Danny Martin" (Rob Lowe): Who breaks up with Demi Moore on New Year's Eve to go back to dating married women with children? Apparently just Rob Lobe. "He is a better human being than that bitch on wheels you've got for a friend!"

Caddyshack's "Danny Noonan" (Michael O'Keefe): Looks helpless enough, but then ditches Maggie for Lacey Underall. OK, so maybe he's not that bad.

St. Elmo's Fire's "Alec Newbary" (Judd Nelson): Has sex with "nameless, faceless many" -- and says so to his girlfriend Leslie in front of an entire party. (And yet, somehow, former podcast co-host Cathy Wos thinks Rob Lowe is the most evil person in the movie.)

Some Kind of Wonderful's "Hardy Jenns" (Craig Sheffer): You can say that "Steff" from "Pretty in Pink" is the ultimate John Hughes villain, but I thought he was a semi-respectful boyfriend. Not so with Hardy. At least we're left to ponder if Duncan really does scramble his face. "Look, I'm perfectly willing to forget this. Okay? I see no reason in carrying this on any longer."

Top Gun's "Maverick" (Tom Cruise): Tries to seduce Kelly McGillis in a bathroom, shows up late for dinner -- unshowered -- after "boys day at the beach" and then leaves suddenly without clearing the dishes. I guess we know why Nicole Kidman isn't losing any sleep. "That's right! Ice... man. I am dangerous."

Arthur's "Arthur Bach" (Dudley Moore): Still one of the classic performances of any 80s comedies. Just set aside the fact that he's stewed when proposing to Susan and sleeps with hookers every night. "You're a hooker? Jesus, I forgot! I just thought I was doing GREAT with you!"

Footloose's "Chuck Cranston" (Jim Youngs): He can't decide who he like beating up more -- Kevin Bacon or Lori Singer. Then again, Kevin was dressing up like David Bowie. "I thought only pansies wore neckties."

Last American Virgin's "Rick" (Steve Antin): Gets Karen pregnant, dumps her long enough for Gary to pay for an abortion and then gets back together with her. If there's a poster-boy for this list, it's either Rick or it's...

Valley Girl's "Tommy" (Michael Bowen): Sorta the Al Pacino of movie badboys in the 80s. Why? Because after Julie dumps him, he has the infamous line: "Who else is there? No other Val dude can touch me. She must really be freaking out."

Ann Wilson shows her Heart

2007-09-16T22:34:00.001-07:00

Ann Wilson's voice is so unique and powerful, I'd spend money to listen to her sing the "Dollar Value Menu" at McDonalds.

Lucky for me and the rest of her fans that she released her first-ever solo CD this week -- "Hope & Glory." The album is full of new renditions of rock classics and guest appearances from legendary artists, including Elton John, Alison Krauss and Rufus Wainwright. Even Ann's sister, Nancy Wilson from Heart, joins in on a few tunes.

"Hope & Glory" is definitely a trip through the music that inspired Ann and Heart. "Where To Now St. Peter" (by Elton John) and "Immigrant Song" (Led Zeppelin) prosper from her reinvention. Bob Dylan's "A Hard Rain's a-Gonna Fall" benefits from as a duet dipped in patches of blue grass.

"Each of these songs holds a special place in my soul," Ann writes on her Myspace page. "At one time or another every one of them has kept me up at night to the point of exasperation and will not be banished, as I lay sleepless on my pillow. Such songs as these carry me through my life, and they are a standard to which all new music I hear and write must compare."

The only original Ann Wilson tune is "Little Problems, Little Lies," which retells a chapter from her childhood, being brought up as the daughter of a Marine who disagreed with the Vietnam War. Ann's voice reaches Heart-like peaks here, bringing fans hope that they'll hear it again live on the next tour.

Overall, "Hope & Glory" is a must-have CD for Heart fans and for those who just want to explore the music the inspired Ann Wilson

Annie Lennox touring ... would I lie to you?

2007-09-15T00:57:00.001-07:00

Annie Lennox is heading out on tour in support of her new CD, "Songs of Mass Destruction."

It's only a small, 15-city tour for now, according to Pollstar.com, but more dates could be added. Tickets go on sale today. Check her official website for dates and cities.

The new CD is set for release Oct. 1. It's her first CD since "Bare" in 2003. The tour, only her third since going solo in 1992, will play to smaller venues. She last hit the the road in 2004 for the "Sacred Love Tour" with Sting.

Of course 80s fans know Lennox best for her years with Dave Stewart and The Eurythmics. Though the band never formally broke up, they haven't recorded a new studio album since 1999. Stewart and Lennox still occasionally appear together and perform as The Eurythmics, most recently in 2005 to promote a greatest hits collection, "Ultimate Collection," which had two new songs.

Top 5 Eurythmics tunes from the 80s:

5. Sexcrime (Nineteen Eighty-Four): "How I wish I'd been unborn."

4. Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This): "Everybody's looking for something."

3. Missionary Man: "I was borne from original sin."

2. Would I Lie to You?: "You're the biggest fake. That much is true."

1. Here Comes the Rain Again: "I want to talk like lovers do"

The Two Coreys

2007-09-12T23:22:00.001-07:00

Well, for all of you out there that long for the days when not one, not two, but three Coreys were huge in pop culture, a new show on A&E has been announced to scratch that itch. "The Two Coreys" brings Corey Haim and Corey Feldman back together. For those more interested in the third Corey, Corey Hart, you'll have to try elsewhere.
Anyway, back to the two Coreys of interest here. I saw a "where are they now" show on them several years ago, and I gotta tell you - it was bleak. I guess when you peak at 15 and combine that with a pretty serious drug habit, there isn't much of anywhere to go but down, down, down. And down they went. But, they are back and together again, living under the same roof in a reality TV show on A&E.

I just did a podcast on "The Two Corey's" you can find it on Remember The 80s or look it up on iTunes. 09 - Remember The 80's - The Two Coreys

Best music-in-movie moments

2007-09-12T23:07:00.001-07:00

Take one look at poor Lloyd Dobler from Say Anything. What's running through your head? "In Your Eyes" by Peter Gabriel, right?

That's because it's easily one of the greatest music-movie moments of the 80s. Hell, any decade really.

(Trivia note: Director Cameron Crowe hadn't picked a song for that scene by the time it was filmed. So it's actually a Fishbone song playing on the boom box. Not quite as romantic, is it?)

So where would "In Your Eyes" rank on one of our infamous lists?

Tell us: What are your favorite music-in-movie moments of the 1980s? Leave us a comment with your picks and I'll compile them into a Top 20 list.

Here are some of my favorites:

"Melt With You" (Modern English) in "Valley Girl": The perfect tune for the dating montage scene between Randy and Julie.

"Just Once" (James Ingram) in "Last American Virgin": Poor Gary can't catch a break with Karen. And he'll burst into tears every time he hears this song.

"Are You Ready For The Sex Girls" (Gleaming Spires) in "Revenge of the Nerds": Perfectly inappropriate for the Tri-Lamba/Omega Mu mixer.

"Moving in Stereo" (The Cars) in "Fast Times at Ridgemont High": Oddly enough, even though it's the most famous scene in the movie, the song was not included in the original soundtrack.

"Oh Yeah" (Yello) in "Secret of My Success": Not a great movie, and certainly not the movie you normally associate with this song. (Sorry, Ferris fans.) But thanks to some powerful mechanized innuendo on Michael J. Fox's limo (windshield washer fluid, a retractable antennae), I remember this scene more.

"What a Wonderful World" (Louis Armstrong) in "Good Morning Vietnam": The only song that stuck with me after seeing this movie (and the only reason I bought the soundtrack).

Also:

"Fight the Power" (Public Enemy) in "Do The Right Thing."

"Old Time Rock N' Roll" (Bob Seger) in "Risky Business."

"Maniac" (Michael Sembello) in "Flashdance."

"You Can't Always Get What You Want" (Rolling Stones) in "The Big Chill."

"Don't Get Me Wrong" (The Pretenders) in "Gung Ho."

Add your favorites!