Sunday, August 31, 2008

Retro Commercial: Carlton Jams With the Jacksons


Since I was fairly busy during the end of last week, Michael Jackson's 50th birthday crept up on me like that panther in his "Black or White" video. This, combined with the fact that it's been awhile since I've done a Retro Commercial post led me to dig up this Pepsi spot from 1984. Making its debut on the Grammy telecast that year, this commercial featured The Jacksons and also introduced most of us to a young Alfonso Ribiero. Even after almost 25 years, this spot still kicks major ass!

Note: the link to the clip says 1988, but the commercial was actually made four years earlier.

Friday, August 29, 2008

Please Take A Moment To Vote In the Current DWTS Poll... Thank You!

If you don't know who the hell some of these people are and would like to, click here.

Note: due to a slight error, I had to remove the poll and repost it. As a result, anyone who voted before 8:30 PM EST on Monday will need to recast their vote. My apologies for any inconvenience this may cause you.

Old School Friday: Neo Soul

For this week's theme, I selected my favorite song by a group that didn't get the attention I felt they deserved... The Brand New Heavies. Featuring N'Dea Davenport on lead vocals, this is Never Stop (from their 1991 self-titled album)

This meme was developed by Marvalus View and Ms. Grapevine. The rules are simple:

1. Anyone can participate; any music genre
2. Old School is defined as music created before 1999
3. No offensive words allowed, please use edited radio version
4. Post a video of your favorite Old School song to take us back down memory lane
5. Add your name to the meme list so that others can check you out
6. Have fun & don't forget to leave comments for other participantsIf you want to join in on the fun, click here.



Top 5 On Friday - Week 189


Top 5 On Friday - Week 189

Top 5 "Goodbye" songs


1. Kiss and Say Goodbye- The Manhattans












2. Goodbye Baby- Jack Scott
















3. Never Can Say Goodbye- The Jackson Five
















4. Goodbye Earl- The Dixie Chicks
















5. Say Goodbye To Hollywood- Billy Joel















Never Can Say Goodbye (from their 1976-1977 variety series The Jacksons)




Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Thursday Thirteen #55: Real Names of TV Characters


Real Names of 13 TV Characters

Last summer for one of my first T13s, I listed the real names of TV characters who normally used their nicknames (you can click here to see it). Since there were so many from which to choose, I decided to revisit the topic this week. When you get a load of some these character's real names (Bosco?), it's easy to see why they ditched them in favor of an alternate moniker.

1. Bosco Albert Baracus- B.A. (The A-Team)














2. Daisy May Moses- Granny (The Beverly Hillbillies)
















3. Francesca Monroe King- Fancy (The Jamie Foxx Show)
















4. Freddie Stubbs- Rerun (What's Happening!)













5. Gerald Lloyd Kookson III- Kookie (77 Sunset Strip)
















6. George Stevens- The Kingfish (Amos & Andy)














7. Irwin Handelman- Skippy (Family Ties)














8. Millicent Gordon Woods- Penny (Good Times)
















9. Sgt. Suzanne Anderson- Pepper (Police Woman)













10. Theodore Calvin- T.C. (Magnum P.I.)














11. Tracy Joseph Van Adams- Bird (Soul Food)
















12. Walter Eugene O'Reilly- Radar (M*A*S*H)
















13. Warren Weber- Potsie (Happy Days)















Leave your link in comments so that others can visit you.


Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

Monday, August 25, 2008

Final Results of Steven Bochco Poll

In a victory that I find stunning, the ABC dramedy that introduced many of us to Neil Patrick Harris (Doogie Howser, M.D.) was voted as your favorite Steven Bochco production. It's not that I didn't like Doogie Howser, M.D.... quite the contrary. Just as many of you did, Doogie Howser, M.D. was one of the shows that I watched regularly when it aired Wednesday nights on ABC. What surprised me is that it soundly defeated Hill Street Blues, L.A. Law, and N.Y.P.D. Blue; shows that not only were popular with the Emmy voters, but viewers as well.

Since Steven Bochco was the brains behind several series, I chose to include the "Other" option instead of listing them all. As suspected, there were people (two to be exact) who inquired about Bochco's legendary misfire Cop Rock. One person was kidding, the other person apparently wasn't because there was 1 vote for "Other".

Given the love that people still have for Doogie Howser, M.D., it's disappointing that it doesn't show up in reruns more. Thankfully, Hulu.com has the entire series available to watch on their website so we don't have to wait around for some cable channel to do the right thing. I've watched a couple of episodes earlier this year and found that it's aged fairly well.

Here are the final results:

Doogie Howser, M.D.- 44%
Hill Street Blues- 23%
L.A. Law- 17%
N.Y.P.D. Blue- 11%
Other- 2%

Since there was a lack of Doogie Howser clips on You Tube, I had to settle for including the opening credits sequence.

Totally 80s Music Quiz

As a heads up, BeckEye has an 80s music trivia quiz posted at her blog (see the link below). It's broken up into 3 parts (song lyrics, music videos, and general music). The answers won't be posted until Friday so you still have time to play.

Sunday, August 24, 2008

The Retro Mix Playlist For 8/22/08

7 pm hour

Would I Lie To You?- Eurythmics
Too Hot To Handle- Heatwave
Superfly- Curtis Mayfield
This Is the Right Time- Lisa Stansfield
Disarm- Smashing Pumpkins
This House Is Not A Home- The Rembrandts
You Dropped the Bomb On Me- The Gap Band
One Monkey Don't Stop No Show- The Honey Cone

Common Thread segment: Rick Springfield songs to mark his 59th b-day (which was Saturday)
I've Done Everything For You
Love Is Alright Tonite
Don't Talk To Strangers

Love Is- Vanessa Williams & Brian McKnight
As Hard As It Is- Fine Young Cannibals
Chocolate City- Parliament

8 pm hour

A Fifth of Beethoven- Walter Murphy & the Big Apple Band
Joystick- The Dazz Band
Pretty Fly (For A White Guy)- The Offspring
I Didn't Mean To Turn You On- Cherrelle
Two Divided By Love- The Grass Roots
The Logical Song- Supertramp
Krush Groovin'- The Krush Groove All-Stars
Right Here/Human Nature- SWV
The Last Polka- Ben Folds Five
I Don't Wanna Go On With You Like That- Elton John
Pain- The Ohio Players
Back & Forth- Aaliyah
Cum On Feel the Noize- Quiet Riot

The Retro Mix clip of the week: The Last Polka by Ben Folds Five (taken from the series Sessions At West 57th)

Friday, August 22, 2008

Please Take A Moment To Vote In the Current Steven Bochco Poll... Thank You.

Old School Fridays: Favorite Male Singer

When it comes to male vocalists, it's hard to top the man from Meridian, MS... David Ruffin. One aspect of his voice that I have come to appreciate over the years is its versatility. Not only could he tackle soul numbers (both uptempo and slow), but David could handle show tunes & standards (as he did with the rest of the fellas on their 1967 album The Temptations In A Mellow Mood). The song I chose to feature by David is his first solo hit after being fired from the Temptations in 1968 (I wasn't fired, I quit), the 1969 release My Whole World Ended (the Moment You Left Me).

This meme was developed by Marvalus View and Ms. Grapevine. The rules are simple:

1. Anyone can participate; any music genre
2. Old School is defined as music created before 1999
3. No offensive words allowed, please use edited radio version
4. Post a video of your favorite Old School song to take us back down memory lane
5. Add your name to the meme list so that others can check you out
6. Have fun & don't forget to leave comments for other participantsIf you want to join in on the fun, click here.


Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Thursday Thirteen #54: Short-lived TV Series



Thirteen of my favorite short-lived TV series

If you are like me, you have probably developed attachments to new series only to see the networks yank them off the air prematurely. It really gets frustrating when a promising show gets bounced early on while less deserving series are allowed to litter the airwaves for season after season. Below (in alphabetical order) are 13 of my favorite series that were dropped after only a short time on the air.

Please note that this is the Thursday Thirteen, so a line had to be drawn somewhere. Having said that, what are some of your favorite short-lived TV series?

1. Best of the West- This western spoof ran on ABC from 1981-1982 and starred Joel Higgins (right) as town marshall Sam Best and Leonard Frey (left) as villainous town boss Parker Tillman. A line from the show that still cracks me up is when Sam's wife Elvira is sweeping the floor with a broom and sighs, "I just can't seem to get the dirt off this floor" to which Sam replies, "It's a dirt floor".















2. City of Angels- This Steven Bochco hospital drama aired on CBS from January 2000 to December 2000 and featured an ensemble cast headed by Blair Underwood and Vivica A. Fox. CBS effectively killed this show when they ran it opposite Who Wants To Be A Millionaire (then the hottest show on TV) in the fall of 2000.











3. Eerie, Indiana- Sort of a cross between The Wonder Years and The Twilight Zone, this comedy-drama ran on NBC from 1991-1992. It focused on 13-yr old Marshall Teller (Omri Katz) and his younger pal Simon as they learned that things weren't always as they seemed. A Donna Reed-like woman who sealed her twins in vacuum-wear every night to keep them young and having Elvis Presley for a neighbor were just a couple of the strange things that Marshall and Simon encountered in their town.
















4. Ellery Queen- This lighthearted 40s set mystery series ran on NBC from 1975-1976 and starred Jim Hutton as the title character (a mystery writer/amateur sleuth) and David Wayne as his inspector dad. Very much a precursor to Murder She Wrote, one of my favorite elements of Ellery Queen was that it allowed the viewer the opportunity to figure out whodunit.
















5. Eyes- Starring Tim Daly as the slick head of a risk management firm and Garcelle Beauvais as one of his assistants, this high tech drama ran for only 5 episodes on ABC in the spring of 2005. Leading up to its premiere, ABC promoted the hell out of this series. When it debuted to less than stellar ratings, the network quickly washed their hands of it.















6. The Five Mrs. Buchanans- Airing on CBS from 1994-1995, this hilarious comedy focused on 4 disparate sisters-in-law who shared one commonality: their hatred for their malicious mother-in-law (played by the great Eileen Heckart).












7. Freaks and Geeks- Set in suburban Detroit in 1980, this comedy-drama was one of the best series about high school life. Although it only ran on NBC from 1999-2000, many members of its cast have gone on to great success in both the movies and TV. These include Linda Cardellini (ER), Seth Rogen and James Franco (Pineapple Express), and Jason Segel (How I Met Your Mother).












8. It's All Relative- Airing on ABC from 2003-2004, this sitcom focused on a young man from a blue collar family who dates the adoptive daughter of a gay couple.














9. My So-Called Life- ABC really blew it when they let this series starring Claire Danes and Jared Leto slip through the cracks after only one season (1994-1995). Even though only 19 episodes were produced, the fact that MSCL still occasionally airs in reruns is a testament to its status as one of the best portraits of teen life to ever air on TV.












10. Police Squad- Running for only 6 episodes on ABC in the spring of 1982, this cop spoof introduced the world to Lt. Frank Drebin (played to perfection by Leslie Nielsen). One of the silliest things I've ever heard is ABC's reason for giving this show the ax. They felt that it was demanding on the viewers because it required them to pay attention! To me, that's one thing that made this show so much fun. Props to the creators of this show for persevering. Although the series was a failure, Lt. Drebin jumped to the big screen for the highly successful Naked Gun trilogy.














11. The Richard Pryor Show- The legendary comic brought his brand of edgy humor to TV for this comedy/variety series that ran on NBC for just over a month in the fall of 1977. Airing against the hottest shows on TV at the time (Happy Days and Laverne & Shirley), it didn't stand a chance.













12. South Central- If you ask anyone who saw this comedy-drama (which ran on FOX during the spring and summer of 1994), they will most likely tell you that it was one of TV's most realistic portrayals of inner city life. Featuring a cast that included future stars Larenz Tate and Jennifer Lopez, there is very little information online about South Central. As a matter of fact, I couldn't even find a cast photo and had to settle for a headshot of actress Tina Lifford (who starred in the series as a single black mother).















13. Wonderfalls- Focusing on a recent Brown University grad named Jaye who works as a clerk at a Niagara Falls gift shop, this comedy-drama aired on FOX in 2004. In each episode, Jaye hears the voices of inanimate objects (a wax lion, a brass monkey, a wind-up penguin toy, etc.) --which instruct her to help out total strangers. Of course, no one else can hear them. Sort of an acid-drenched version of Touched by An Angel, I read that the show was originally titled Touched by A Crazy Person. Also appearing on Wonderfalls as Jaye's brother Aaron is Lee Pace (who currently stars in the ABC fantasy Pushing Daisies).













Leave your link in comments so that others can visit you.


Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!


The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!


Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Tuesday Tunes: Week 45


Tuesday Tunes: Week 45

List the first band/artist/song/album that comes to mind when you see these 10 words:

Ending: The Long and Winding Road by The Beatles
Long: Long Long Long by The Beatles
School: School Day by Chuck Berry
Teen: Teenage Idol by Ricky Nelson
Crazy: Crazy Man Crazy by Bill Haley & his Comets
Search: Searchin' by The Coasters
Baby: Baby Baby by Amy Grant
Shoes: Blue Suede Shoes by Carl Perkins
Mellow: Mellow Yellow by Donovan
Window: Look Through My Window by The Mamas and the Papas

Below is a clip from the film Let It Be of The Beatles performing the un-Spectorized version of their last U.S. #1 hit, The Long and Winding Road.




Monday, August 18, 2008

Final Results of the Recent Box-Office Champ Poll

In last week's poll in which I asked if you felt that The Dark Knight would surpass Titanic to become the all-time box office champ, just over half of you said yes. There were some good theories by voters as to why The Dark Knight would or wouldn't overtake Titanic. As some of you said, the hype factor surrounding The Dark Knight and the fact that it's Heath Ledger's last completed film may lead it to supplant Titanic at #1. On the other hand, some voters felt that Titanic would remain at the top because it has broader appeal which in turn led to moviegoers paying to see it multiple times.

I have been going back and forth as to what I thought would happen. However, I finally decided that The Dark Knight will fall short in passing up Titanic. The domestic gross of Titanic is at just over 600 million, while The Dark Knight's domestic take sits at $471 million dollars and counting. Last weekend, it took in approximately 16 million dollars. It stands to reason that the weekend take will continue to decline as time passes. Also, the fact that the window between a film's theatrical run and its DVD release is shorter than it was 10 years ago will play a role in The Dark Knight falling short. According to various websites, the DVD release date for The Dark Knight is 12/9/08 (gotta get that Christmas money). Even if The Dark Knight is recognized when the Oscar nominations are announced, it will most likely already be available on DVD. As a result, the studio would probably forgo re-releasing it to theaters in order to capitalize on it's Oscar noms.

Who really knows how it will all shake out in the end. Even if The Dark Knight does fall short, it should still prove to be an interesting race.

Poll question:

Will The Dark Knight surpass Titanic to become the all-time box office champ?

Yes- 52%
No- 47%

Saturday, August 16, 2008

The Retro Mix Playlist For 8/15/08

12 Midnight hour

Can You Feel It- The Jacksons
Super Connected- Belly
Broken Wings- Mr. Mister
Ain't Gonna Hurt Nobody
Nothing From Nothing- Billy Preston
Lessons In Love- Level 42
Stay- Shakespear's Sister

Common Thread segment: Tribute to Isaac Hayes
Don't Let Go
Do Your Thing
Theme From Shaft

Would- Alice In Chains
Love Is A Battlefield- Pat Benatar
It Only Takes A Minute- Tavares
Criticize- Alexander O'Neal

1 am hour

Saturday In the Park- Chicago
American Storm- Bob Seger
Just A Girl- No Doubt
Paid In Full- Eric B. and Rakim
Groove Me- King Floyd
And You Know That- The Sequence
Selling the Drama- Live
Tempted- Squeeze

With or Without You segment's feat. artist: Jeffrey Osborne
Holdin' On (When Love Is Gone)- LTD
Don't You Get So Mad (solo)

You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)- Sylvester
Tell Me When- The Human League
Saturday Night- The Bay City Rollers
Dance Hall Days- Wang Chung
What About Your Friends- TLC

The Retro Mix video of the week: Criticize by Alexander O'Neal

Friday, August 15, 2008

Old School Fridays: Social/Political Songs

For my social/political song, I decided to showcase James Brown's classic tune from 1968... Say It Loud, I'm Black and I'm Proud. The performance below is from the 1969-1970 syndicated show Playboy After Dark.

This meme was developed by Marvalus View and Ms. Grapevine. The rules are simple:

1. Anyone can participate; any music genre
2. Old School is defined as music created before 1999
3. No offensive words allowed, please use edited radio version
4. Post a video of your favorite Old School song to take us back down memory lane
5. Add your name to the meme list so that others can check you out
6. Have fun & don't forget to leave comments for other participantsIf you want to join in on the fun, click here.

Please Take A Moment To Vote In the Current Dark Knight/Titanic Poll... Thank You


Thursday, August 14, 2008

Thursday Thirteen #53: Girls, Girls, Girls



12 of Elvis' Leading Ladies, Plus 1 Almost Co-star

During his career, Elvis starred in over 30 films. Some were fairly good, while most were just an excuse to put The Pelvis in an exotic setting. Besides plenty of tunes, one thing that was practically a given with an Elvis pic is that he would be surrounded by a bevy of babes. Below in chronological order are 12 of Elvis' leading ladies, plus one female that was almost his co-star.

What is your favorite and/or least favorite Elvis film?

1. Debra Paget- She was Elvis' co-star in his first film (the 1956 post-Civil War drama Love Me Tender). I always thought it was funny because even though this film is set in the 19th century, you have Elvis doing his 1950s-era hip shaking moves as the girls swoon and scream.
















2. Dolores Hart-The lovely Ms. Hart appeared in two Elvis films, 1957's Loving You (my personal favorite) and the 1958 musical drama King Creole. Hart retired from acting in 1963 to become a nun. Today, she is known as the Reverend Mother Dolores Hart.
















3. Judy Tyler- She appeared as Peggy Van Alden opposite Elvis (Vince Everett) in Jailhouse Rock. This 1957 film contains one of the most memorable quotes from an Elvis movie:

Peggy Van Alden: How dare you think such cheap tactics would work with me!
Vince Everett: That ain't tactics, honey. It's just the beast in me.

Sadly, Ms. Tyler was killed in a car accident shortly after filming Jailhouse Rock. She was only 23.

















4. Barbara Eden- The once and future Jeannie appeared with Presley in one of his best films, the 1960 western Flaming Star.
















5. Joan Blackman- She co-starred with Elvis in two films, Blue Hawaii (1961) and the boxing drama Kid Galahad (1962).
















6. Ursula Andress- The Swiss sex symbol appeared in the 1963 film Fun In Acapulco. Also appearing in this movie in an uncredited role as an extra was an actress making her film debut... Teri Garr.
















7. Ann-Margret- The flame haired dynamo co-starred with Elvis in Viva Las Vegas (1964). Next to the Jailhouse Rock number in the film of the same name, Viva Las Vegas contains my 2nd favorite musical sequence in an Elvis movie (the uptempo rocker Come On Everybody).
















8. Shelley Fabares- Appearing with Elvis in the films Girl Happy (1965), Spinout (1966), and Clambake (1967), Fabares holds the distinction of co-starring on the big screen with him the most number of times.
















9. Donna Douglas- Best known as Elly May on the sitcom The Beverly Hillbillies, Douglas made one of her few big screen appearances opposite Elvis in the riverboat musical comedy Frankie and Johnny (1966).
















10. Nancy Sinatra- The These Boots Are Made For Walking singer co-starred as an IRS agent assigned to collect taxes from Elvis' financially troubled race car driving character in the 1968 movie Speedway. According to imdb.com, the role of the IRS agent was turned down by British pop star Petula Clark.
















11. Ina Balin- Ms. Balin appeared with Elvis in the 1969 western Charro. This film marks the only time that Elvis wore a beard in one of his movies.
















12. Mary Tyler Moore- The former Laura Petrie co-starred with Elvis in what proved to be his final feature film role, the 1969 comedy-drama A Change of Habit. Also appearing in this movie was Mary's future co-star Ed Asner.













13. Barbra Streisand- When this 1976 remake was announced, Elvis was Streisand's first choice to play washed up singer John Norman Howard (the role that eventually went to Kris Kristofferson). According to imdb.com, Elvis wanted to do it but Colonel Tom Parker, his manager, made several demands (such as having Elvis' name at the top of the movie poster, above Streisand's) which knocked Elvis out of the running.













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The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!


 
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