Blondie tour to mark anniversary

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!

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.?

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

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?

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

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

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