Sunday, November 30, 2008

Web Find: Dickipedia

This past Saturday, my sister sent me an email that turned me on to a website called Dickipedia. The email contained a link to Greta Van Susteren's page in which it stated that the Fox News Channel personality is a dick.

Launched by the political humor website 23/6, Dickipedia aims its poison arrows at people and institutions both past and present. With a layout designed to mirror the mega popular online resource Wikipedia, each entry on Dickipedia starts out with an opening that includes the name of the person/institution, their year of birth/introduction, their main claim(s) to fame, and their dubious title of dick. Example: "Kanye Omari West (born June 8, 1977 in Atlanta, GA) is a Grammy-winning producer, a platinum-selling rapper, and a dick." The entry then provides a biographical sketch of the person/institution, including reasons for why they are considered a dick. One thing I enjoy about Dickipedia is that it has an irreverent laugh out loud edge you won't find on Wikipedia. In the entry for Sean Penn it says:

"Often described as an acting “powerhouse,” Sean Penn is known for his intensity and humorlessness. He has been a druggie, a delinquent, mentally-unhinged, and a retard. He has also played those characters in films."

On its main page, Dickipedia has its dickroll broken down by categories (latest, political, media, sports, entertainment, international, and miscellaneous). In addtion to the people I previously mentioned, some of the others getting the dick tag hung on them include Barack Obama, Joe Biden, John McCain, Sarah Palin, Naomi Campbell, Simon Cowell, Kobe Bryant, Ann Coulter, and Sean Hannity. Dickipedia even takes aim at Santa Claus, oil, The Olympics, and Halloween.

For each Dickipedia entry, visitors can login/register and add their comments. However, unlike its well-established counterpart, Dickipedia is unavailable for community editing at this time.

Having said that, after viewing its dickroll (which you can reach by clicking the word "Dickipedia" in the opening sentence of this post), is there anyone/anything you'd like to see added to Dickipedia?

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

And the Winners of the 7th Season of DWTS Are...

Brooke Burke and Derek Hough! No argument from me; Brooke and Derek were the most consistent dancers throughout the 7th season. From day 1, they were the pair to beat. With that being said, Brooke and Derek's dance last night where she ended it by hugging two of her daughters did come off as shameless pandering.

Some other observations from last night:

* 2nd place finisher (former NFL player Warren Sapp) picked up a lot of fans due to his appearance on DWTS. In addition to his engaging personality, Warren's dancing skills were a revelation to many of us.


* Ex-NSYNC member Lance Bass (who wound up in 3rd place) was the sleeper of the season. For the most part, he was in the middle of the pack. However, as the season wore on, he picked up steam. Another thing I enjoyed about his appearance is that he and his partner (Lacey) took chances. The risks may not have always paid off, but they rarely played it safe.

* With the exception of injured volleyball player Misty May-Treanor and singer Toni Braxton, the other 8 celebrity contestants who had been eliminated performed a dance routine. I was pleasantly surprised that celebs such as comedian Jeffrey Ross and TV personality Kim Kardashian performed as well as they did. If you saw them during the competition, you know exactly what I mean because their routines during the competition rated high on the cringe-o-meter. When some of the eliminated celebs were asked why they performed so well last night, they said that the pressure wasn't there because they weren't competing.

* Although Jeffrey Ross' roasting of the three finalists, himself, and Cloris Leachman was on odd fit for DWTS, he did get some funny lines in:

People keep asking me if I lost weight during the show. I don't know, how much does my dignity weigh?

Cloris, was that even dancing? Your partner Corky just dragged you around the floor like a... it was like Weekend At Bernie's the Musical... just relax Cloris, you had your 15 decades of fame.

Doesn't Brooke look great? Especially considering she gave birth to her 15th child 3 hours ago backstage. And congratulations, I hear Lance is the father. Maybe the baby will come out of the womb and the closet on the same day.


Below is the winning team of Brooke and Derek performing the salsa during week 9 of the competition:

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

In Praise of Annie Lennox

This past Sunday evening, Annie Lennox received the Award of Merit at the 36th Annual American Music Awards. Ever since her days as one half of Eurythmics, I've been a fan of Annie's vocal prowess and sense of style. While channel surfing during a break in the Sunday Night Football game, I turned it on ABC and caught the tail end of Annie performing her solo hit "Why". Thanks to ETHRILLnet for posting the entire portion of the Annie Lennox segment on You Tube, which you can watch below. During Annie's performance, she demonstrated that she is still one of the premier voices in popular music. As she accepted her award after her performance, she was both humble and gracious. I didn't expect anything less.

Sunday, November 23, 2008

Final Results of the Recent Sesame Street Muppet Poll

With over 40% of the vote, Grover was chosen as the favorite Sesame Street Muppet in the most recent poll. Take that Elmo!

I was a little disappointed that two of my favorites as a kid (Bert and Ernie) didn't perform better in the poll. Maybe voters were hating on Ernie because he had a hit record once ("Rubber Duckie"). As for his roomie, voters might have been reluctant to cast their lot with him because of the Bert is Evil rumors.

Here are the final results:

Grover- 44%
The Cookie Monster- 33%
Kermit the Frog- 32%
Oscar the Grouch- 25%
Count von Count- 21%
Big Bird- 19%
Elmo and Mr. Snuffleupagus- 16% each
Bert- 12%
Ernie- 8%
Other- 4%

Here is a 1975 clip of the winning Muppet Grover doing his "Near and Far" sketch:

Saturday, November 22, 2008

The Retro Mix Playlist For 11/21/08

7 pm hour

Hollywood Swinging- Kool & the Gang
American Heartbeat- Survivor
A View To A Kill- Duran Duran
Just A Touch- Keith Sweat
Stutter- Elastica
People Are People- Depeche Mode
No Sleep till Brooklyn- The Beastie Boys

The Guilty Pleasure of the Week:
Together Forever- Rick Astley

Bad Girls- Donna Summer
It Takes Two- Rob Base & D.J. E-Z Rock
Your Mirror- Simply Red
Private Dancer- Tina Turner
I Ain't No Joke- Eric B. & Rakim

8 pm hour

Tubthumping- Chumbawamba
Vanity Kills- ABC
Higher Ground- Stevie Wonder
What It Comes Down To- The Isley Brothers
You Learn- Alanis Morissette
Don't Change- INXS
Will It Go 'Round In Circles- Billy Preston
Talk Talk- Talk Talk

Double Retro segment's feat. artist: David Ruffin & Eddie Kendricks
You're My Everything- The Temptations (released in 1967)
I Couldn't Believe It- David Ruffin & Eddie Kendrick (released in 1987)

It's A Mistake- Men At Work
Look Away- Big Country
Salvation- The Cranberries
Fear- Lenny Kravits
Runnin' With the Devil- Van Halen

The Retro Mix Clip of the Week: Will It Go 'Round In Circles by Billy Preston

Friday, November 21, 2008

Old School Friday: Jazz Tribute



For my first selection on this week's Old School Friday, I chose the legendary Cab Calloway's signature tune... Minnie the Moocher. Although Cab recorded Minnie the Moocher in 1931, I'm not sure of the date of the clip I selected. Whenever I think of him, I'm reminded of a story my mother told me when I was a kid. During Cab's heyday, she and her friends would see him perform live. She said that while performing, Cab would shake his head in such a way that his processed hair would be all over one minute and right back in place the next.

For those of us who weren't around during Cab's prime, we probably remember him from his role in the 1980 movie The Blues Brothers (he played Curtis, the orphanage worker who introduced Jake and Elwood to the blues). One of the highlights of the movie was when Cab performed Minnie the Moocher, all decked out in a white-tie-and-tail suit.

This week's 2nd selection is by The Crusaders and is perhaps their most famous song, the 1979 hit Street Life. Featuring female vocalist Randy Crawford, the song has been featured in the films Sharky's Machine starring Burt Reynolds and Jackie Brown (starring Pam Grier in the title role).

You can watch the clips to both "Minnie the Moocher" and "Street Life" in the You Tube player below.

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 participants

If you want to join in on the fun, click here.

Please Take A Moment To Vote In the Current Sesame Street Poll... Thank You.

Sunday, November 16, 2008

The Death of Julius Carry, the Original Sho'nuff

One of the downsides of this age of information overload in which we live (sorry Sir Paul, but a 2nd "in" isn't needed) is that some stories slip through the cracks. About a month ago, I read that there is a remake in the works of the 1985 cult classic The Last Dragon. In the update, it's been reported that Samuel L. Jackson will take over the role of Sho'nuff, the Shogun of Harlem. While reading about the upcoming remake of The Last Dragon, I learned that the actor who played Sho'nuff in the original version (Julius Carry) died on August 19th of pancreatic cancer at the age of 56. Carry is one of those performers whose name may not cause a clanging sound, but chances are you've seen him. Although he had scores of acting credits (including regular roles on Doctor, Doctor and The Adv. of Brisco County Jr. and guest appearances on such series as The Cosby Show, Moonlighting, Murphy Brown, The Hughleys and JAG), Carry is perhaps best known for his role as Sho'nuff in The Last Dragon (pictured below in a scene from the film).

Were it not for Carry's scene-stealing turn as the meanest... the prettiest... the baddest mofo around, it's likely that The Last Dragon would have wound up in the trash heap of forgotten 80s films alongside such relics as Beat Street, The Wild Life, and Midnight Madness. If none of those films registers on your 80s movie meter, I rest my case. If they do, you're a bad mofo yourself.

As I mentioned earlier, it's been reported that Samuel L. Jackson will step into role of Sho'nuff in the upcoming remake of The Last Dragon. Even though it's a role that Jackson was practically born to play, he still has some big Converse shoes to fill thanks to the memorable performance by the late Julius Carry in the original. Below is the scene from The Last Dragon where Sho'nuff and his goons invade a local movie theater.



The Retro Mix Playlist For 11/14/08

7 pm hour

Informer- Snow
Yes I Am- The Emotions
(Every Time I Turn Around) Back In Love Again- L.T.D.
The Love Parade- The Dream Academy
The Ballad of Peter Pumpkinhead- XTC
Do You Want Crying- Katrina and the Waves
I'll Be Around- The Spinners

Common Thread segment: 44th b-day tribute to Joseph "Run" Simmons of Run DMC
Mary Mary
The King of Rock
Down with the King

All I Wanna Do- Sheryl Crow
Ride Captain Ride- Blues Image
Evil- Earth, Wind and Fire

8 pm hour

Major Tom- Peter Schilling
The Sign of Fire- The Fixx
Dust In the Wind- Eric Benet
Believe- Cher
I'm Qualified To Satisfy You- Barry White
Lowdown- Boz Scaggs
Mary Goes 'Round- Ready For the World

Now & Then segment's feat. artist: Labelle
Rollout (feat. Wyclef Jean, from their 2008 CD Back To Now)
What Can I Do For You (released in 1975)

One Week- Barenaked Ladies
Lawnchairs- Our Daughter's Wedding
The Glamorous Life- Sheila E.
More Than A Woman- Tavares
Heart Shaped Box- Nirvana


The Retro Mix Video of the Week: The Love Parade by The Dream Academy

Friday, November 14, 2008

Old School Fridays: Songs From the Year of My Birth


Below are not 1, but 2 tracks from the year I was born... 1967. The first track holds special meaning for me because it was the #1 song on the Billboard Pop Singles chart on the day I was born (November 13)... the title song to the Sidney Poitier film To Sir With Love by Lulu. The second track is one of the funkiest tunes ever committed to vinyl, Boogaloo Down Broadway by The Fantastic Johnny C.

You can watch/listen to both "To Sir With Love" and "Boogaloo Down Broadway" in the You Tube player below.

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 participants

If you want to join in on the fun, click here.


Thursday, November 13, 2008

Special Guest On The Pop Art Diva's Show

On Thursday 11/13 at 6 PM EST, I am honored to be the guest on the BlogTalkRadio show of Pop Art Diva. For two hours, we will talk about (surprise surprise) pop culture both past and present. To listen to the webcast live or the archived version at a later date, click here. The Pop Art Diva will have the phone lines open at various times throughout the show so if you listen live and have any questions for me, you can call 347-326-9293. I hope you can tune in because it will be a lot of fun!

Thursday Thirteen #64: Decision 2008, Part 2



Thirteen Pop Culture Showdowns

Last week, millions of Americans took part in the election process to decide the next President of the United States. In that same (although much lighter) vein, I have listed 13 pop culture showdowns on which you can cast your votes.

After each selection, I have listed my choice. Feel free to join in on the decision-making process by listing your choices from the 13 showdowns below in the comments section.

Also, please take a moment to vote in the current Sesame Street poll in the left sidebar. If you have any comments about your choices for favorite Sesame Street Muppets, click here.


1. American Bandstand vs. Soul Train- Soul Train gets my vote. It wasn't called "The Hippest Trip in America" for nothing.






















2. The Beatles vs. The Rolling Stones- Because they knew when to call it a day, The Fab Four trumps The Bad Boys of Rock and Roll.












3. The Brady Bunch vs. The Partridge Family- Better pop tunes (featuring the sterling tambourine/triangle playing of little sister Tracy), plus a psychedelic bus! It's The Partridges by a narrow margin.



























4. Coke vs. Pepsi- This one was almost a draw. In addition to enjoying their taste equally, I couldn't give an edge to either of them when comparing their commercials over the years. However, Pepsi wins the "Cola Wars" because they had the good sense not to change their formula.














5. The Flintstones vs. The Jetsons- Since a flying car is always preferable to an auto that has to be started with your bare feet, The Jetsons get my vote.
















6. Ginger vs. Mary Ann- Ginger was a little high maintenance and she tried too hard to be sexy. Mary Ann never had to try, which made her all the more sexier. Plus, Mary Ann's coconut cream pie was in a class all by itself!














7. The Go-Gos vs. The Bangles- This is a tough one, but The Bangles have the edge. The reason boils down to two words... Susannah Hoffs (top center in the Bangles' RS cover).






























8. I Dream of Jeannie vs. Bewitched- I Dream of Jeannie wins this one. Tony Nelson (aka Master) had a good thing in Jeannie and didn't mind using her powers to his advantage.













Durwood (aka Darrin) on the other hand was always trying to suppress Samantha's witchy ways (wtf?). If I was Darrin, Samantha would have been twitching that nose of hers so much she would have wound up like Jack Nicholson in Chinatown.















9. McDonald's vs. Burger King- McDonald's... the fries have it.













10. Prince vs. Michael Jackson- His Royal Badness comes out on top over The Gloved One. Although Mike has the best dance moves by just a bit, Prince has a slight edge when it comes to their song catalogs and is more musically talented (dude can play over 25 instruments). Plus, the present-day Prince actually still resembles his 80s-era self.
















11. Star Trek vs. Star Wars- You can try coming after me with your light saber if you want, but Star Trek gets my vote. I don't care how much dough those Star Wars prequels (Episodes 1, 2, and 3) made, they were mediocre at best.













12. Superman vs. Batman- My choice goes to The Dark Knight over The Man of Steel. Reason: his arsenal of gadgets. Like Nicholson's Joker asked, "Where does he get those wonderful toys?"
















13. The Temptations vs. The Four Tops- Although I have much love for The Tops, my choice of The Tempts is a surprise to no one who knows me.



























Don't forget to make your choices in the comments section.

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, November 10, 2008

Final Results of the Recent SNL Poll

In the recent poll in which I asked you what your viewing habits were for SNL this season, 33% of you said that you watch segments of the show online. Thanks to sites such as Hulu.com, if you hear about a funny skit that you missed, you can usually watch it online instead of fast-forwarding to find it or worse... sitting through an entire episode of SNL. One thing that I have noticed when watching SNL this season is that, outside of the political skits, the funny quotient is mediocre at best. Some skits, such as MacGruber, are downright brutal! Maybe if they trimmed SNL down to an hour, it would lessen the pressure on the writers/performers of coming up with enough funny material to fill a 90 minute time slot.

Here are the final results:

Watch segments of the show online- 33%
Watch the opening political skit and skip the rest- 27%
Stick around after the opening political skit- 16%
Don't watch it at all- 19%
Tune in after the opening skit because you don't like political humor- 2%

Below is the SNL skit parodying Katie Couric's interview with Sarah Palin

Saturday, November 8, 2008

The Retro Mix Playlist For 11/7/08

7 pm hour

In My House- Mary Jane Girls
Jackson Cannery- Ben Folds Five
Late In the Evening- Paul Simon
Shiftless, Shady, Jealous Kind of People- The O'Jays
Once You Get Started- Rufus feat. Chaka Khan
Jump Around- House of Pain
Car Wash- Rose Royce

The Guilty Pleasure of the Week:
We'll Never Have To Say Goodbye Again- England Dan & John Ford Coley

Thing Called Love- Bonnie Raitt
Kiss- Prince
Driving- Everything But the Girl
Brown Sugar- The Rolling Stones
Type- Living Colour

8 pm hour

Neutron Dance- The Pointer Sisters
City Country City- War
Trick Bag- Robert Palmer
Because of Love- Janet Jackson
No Myth- Michael Penn
Human Wheels- John Mellencamp
Get Up and Boogie (That's Right)- Silver Convention

Double Retro segment's feat. artist: George Clinton
I Wanna Testify- The Parliaments (released in 1967)
Atomic Dog- George Clinton (released in 1983)

State Farm- Yaz
Set Adrift on Memory Bliss- P.M. Dawn
Peace Frog- The Doors
Superfly- Curtis Mayfield
Limelight- Rush

The Retro Mix Video of the Week: Driving by Everything But the Girl

Friday, November 7, 2008

Texas Lineman Given the Boot After Racist Remarks About Obama

When will idiots learn that things posted on Facebook have the potential to be seen by millions of people? On Wednesday, Texas Longhorns lineman Buck Burnette was kicked off the team after it was learned that he posted a racist remark about President-Elect Barack Obama on his Facebook page. His Facebook page no longer exists, but according to reports, the posting of the following comment led to his dismissal from the team:

"all the hunters gather up, we have a n----- in the whitehouse"

Note: I didn't type out the offensive word that Burnette put on his Facebook page, but you get the point. After Burnette was bounced from the team, he made the following apology:

Clearly I have made a mistake and apologized for it and will pay for it. I received it as a text message from an acquaintance and immaturely put it up on facebook in the light of the election. Im not racist and apologize for offending you. I grew up on a ranch in a small town where that was a real thing and I need to grow up. I sincerely am sorry for being ignorant in thinking that it would be ok to write that publicly and apologize to you in particular. I have to be more mature than to put the reputation of my team at stake and to spread that kind of hate which I dont even believe in. Once again, I sincerely apologize.

Mmm... yeah. If Burnette had said something in the heat of the moment, I'd be more willing to give him a pass. However, he had plenty of time to ponder whether or not it was a good idea to post this racist remark on his Facebook page. His apology comes off as a weak attempt at damage control. In addition to ending his college football career, Burnette may have also killed any chances he may have had of making it in the NFL.

President-Elect Barack Obama's historic win on Tuesday night (yes all you haters, it was historic whether you want to admit it or not) has many saying that this proves America is not a racist country. Maybe... maybe not. However, the comments by ex-college football player Buck Burnette proves that there are still pockets of racism in this country. Yes, let's celebrate President-Elect Barack Obama's historic victory (there it is again you haters) and work to move The United States in a positive direction, but let's not forget that there are several people in this country who have zero interest in progress.

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

Barack Obama Makes History

Photo courtesy of the AP

Normally I stay away from politics on this blog. However, I feel that Barack Obama's historic win in the 2008 U.S. Presidential Election is worthy of discussion. When it became official that Obama would be the next President of the U.S., I was reminded of something that I hadn't thought of in a few years. My introduction to Obama was when he gave the keynote address at the 2004 Democratic National Convention. After listening to him, I said that if an African American has a legitimate shot at becoming President of the U.S., it's him.

One thing that has distressed me over the last several years is the divisiveness of this country. I've been trying to figure out when things started to go wrong. I don't think it can be traced to one particular event, but I would say that a big part of it can be blamed on our involvement in an unpopular war, the feelings by many that the media doesn't fairly represent their political viewpoint, and the venom spewed by some of the media outlets. Unfortunately, this has spilled over into the blogosphere. Over the past few months, some of the things I've read on blogs have taken dishonesty and ugliness to a new level (or should I say depth). Not only that, but on Halloween, a woman in suburban Detroit refused to give candy to Obama supporters or their children! I was like, "lady, are you out of your fuckin' mind?!" Regardless of one's political beliefs, I'd like to think that we are all in agreement that we need to come together and truly be The United States of America. I'm confident that President-Elect Obama will be able to build that bridge.

In keeping with the pop culture angle of my blog, below is a clip from when the then Senator Barack Obama appeared on The Ellen Degeneres Show.


Sunday, November 2, 2008

Please Take A Moment To Vote In the Current SNL Viewing Habits Poll... Thank You


The Retro Mix Playlist For 10/31/08

7 pm hour

Nobody Told Me- John Lennon
Flex- Mad Cobra
Why Can't We Be Friends?- War
Give- Missing Persons
Right Here, Right Now- Jesus Jones
Come and Get To This- Marvin Gaye
No Scrubs- TLC

Common Thread segment: Tunes for Halloween
Somebody's Watching Me- Rockwell
Time Warp- Charles Gray, Richard O'Brien, Patricia Quinn, and Nell Campbell of The Rocky Horror Picture Show
Pet Sematary- The Ramones
Ghostbusters- Ray Parker Jr.

Scenario- A Tribe Called Quest
The Lover In Me- Sheena Easton

8 pm hour

Go All the Way- The Raspberries
Love Is Alive- Gary Wright
Around the Way Girl- LL Cool J
Mr. Policeman- Rick James
Doll Parts- Hole
Truth Hits Everybody- The Police
Turning Japanese- The Vapors
Rock the Boat- The Hues Corporation

Now and Then segment's feat. artist: Raphael Saadiq
100 Yard Dash (from his 2008 CD The Way I See It)
Don't Fall In Love- Tony, Toni, Tone

Dear Jessie- Madonna
Would- Alice In Chains
Whisper To A Scream (Birds Fly)- Icicle Works
Epic- Faith No More

The Retro Mix Video of the Week: Dear Jessie by Madonna



 
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