The Retro Mix Playlist For 5/28/10

Because I had so much fun last week, I've decided to switch formats from 70s, 80s, and 90s to "real oldies" of the 50s and 60s. Although I will probably do music from the 70s, 80s, and 90s again at some point in the future, it's not where my heart is at the moment.

In order to keep the show fresh and interesting, I've decided to keep the format loose and do different themes/eras each week. What I'll do from week to week is anyone's guess. I hope you are able to join me on this musical joyride.

7 pm hour

The Locomotion- Little Eva

Gonna Back Up Baby- Gene Vincent & his Blue Caps

Rave On- Buddy Holly

Pucker Up Buttercup- Jr. Walker & the All-Stars

Leavin' On Your Mind- Patsy Cline

Rock Island Line- Lonnie Donegan

Sweet Soul Music- Arthur Conley

Sweet Blindness- The Fifth Dimension

A Hazy Shade of Winter- Simon & Garfunkel

Rock This Joint- Bill Haley & his Comets

The Battle of New Orleans- Johnny Horton

The Guilty Pleasure of the Week:

Winchester Cathedral- The New Vaudeville Band

You Were On My Mind- We Five
For Your Precious Love- Jerry Butler & the Impressions
I Thank You- Sam & Dave
Woo Hoo- The Rock-A-Teens
Runaway- Del Shannon
Walkin' Miracle- The Essex
Betty and Dupree- Chuck Willis
Maybellene- Chuck Berry
Your Auntie Grizelda- The Monkees

8 pm hour

Double Shot of My Baby's Love- The Swingin' Medallions
Hey Jean, Hey Dean- Dean & Jean
Book of Love- The Monotones
Ask the Lonely- The Four Tops
Cara Mia- Jay & the Americans
Summertime U.S.A.- The Pixies Three
Crying In the Chapel- The Orioles
Sorry (I Ran All the Way Home)- The Impalas
Mendocino- The Sir Douglas Quintet
Western Union- The Five Americans

The Greatest Miss of the Week:
Twenty Flight Rock- Eddie Cochran (did not chart in the U.S.)

Slow Down- Larry Williams
Party Lights- Claudine Clark
Glad All Over- The Dave Clark Five
It Won't Be Long- The Beatles
You Beat Me To the Punch- Mary Wells
Mercy- Larry and Lorrie Collins
Land of 1000 Dances- Wilson Pickett
Shake A Tail Feather- The Five Du-Tones
I Cried A Tear- LaVern Baker
Time Won't Let Me- The Outsiders

The Retro Mix Video of the Week: You Were On My Mind by We Five

Tuesday Tunes: Week 134

Who are your favorites:

Guitarist- Chuck Berry















Drummer- Keith Moon of The Who













Bassist- James Jamerson (member of "The Funk Brothers", the session musicians who played on most of Motown's recordings from 1959-1972)















Vocalist (Male and Female)- David Ruffin and Gladys Knight










Songwriter(s)- Lennon & McCartney














If you'd like to play along, you can leave your choices in the comments section of this post or visit Tuesday Tunes: Week 134.

Final Results of the Recent "Lost" Poll

In the recent poll in which I asked readers if they would be watching the series finale of Lost, almost 60% of you said "no". Although my viewership (or lack thereof) of Lost since 2004 has been documented here previously, I still watched the series finale. The two-hour retrospective leading up the finale did help fill in a lot of holes for me. As for the finale itself, I felt it was satisfying. No doubt my reaction would have been different (either better or worse) if I had remained a loyal viewer for the entire run of the show.

According to Nielsen, the two-and-a-half hour finale of Lost averaged 13.5 million viewers. Not bad, but nowhere near the ratings of such finales as The Fugitive, M*A*S*H, and Seinfeld. I think that's partly because of the serialized nature of Lost and because it had stiff competition last night (The season finale of Celebrity Apprentice and Game 3 of the NBA Western Conference Finals). It would be interesting to know the number of those who DVR'd the Lost finale instead of watching it "live".

Here are the final poll results:

Will you be watching the series finale of Lost?
No- 57 %
Yes- 40%
Maybe- 2%

Thanks to all who took part. The next poll will be up later today.

The Retro Mix Playlist For 5/21/10

For this show, I traveled even further back in time with Sherman and Mr. Peabody as I did a "real oldies" show featuring music from the 50s and 60s. More importantly than it being fun for me, the listeners were into the golden oldies I was spinning as well. Because the songs of that era were short by today's standards (a few of the tunes I featured were less than 2 minutes), it left little room for BS-ing around on my part. As a result, it was a little more frantic in the studio than normal, but it was a fun frantic. Due to it getting so damn hot in the studio during the warmer months and because I was bopping to the oldies throughout the show, I literally worked up a sweat. Since the show turned out so well and to shake things up a bit, I'm going to start doing a "real oldies" show once a month in the Retro Mix time slot.

7 pm hour

Johnny B. Goode- Chuck Berry
Hully Gully Baby- The Dovells
Honey Chile- Martha Reeves & the Vandellas
Why Do Fools Fall In Love- Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers
Running Bear- Johnny Preston
He- The Righteous Brothers
Maybe- The Chantels
Twistin' the Night Away- Sam Cooke
The Land of Milk & Honey- The Vogues

On the Flip Side segment:
On the Road Again- The Lovin' Spoonful (B-side to Do You Believe In Magic)

Laugh, Laugh- The Beau Brummels
Let Me In- The Sensations
Keep A Knockin'- Little Richard
Sixty-Minute Man-The Dominoes
Zoom- The Cadillacs
Expressway To Your Heart- The Soul Survivors
The Worst That Could Happen- The Brooklyn Bridge
What's It Gonna Be- Dusty Springfield
Charlie Brown- The Coasters
I Need Somebody- ? and the Mysterians

8 pm hour

This Old Heart of Mine- The Isley Brothers
Right Now and Not Later- The Shangri Las
Smoke Gets In Your Eyes- The Platters
Am I the Man- Jackie Wilson
Liar, Liar- The Castaways
The Loser (With A Broken Heart)- Gary Lewis & the Playboys
Jailhouse Rock- Elvis Presley
The Glory of Love- The Five Keys
Mack the Knife- Bobby Darin
Here I Sit- The Ronettes
Kicks- Paul Revere & the Raiders

Double Retro segment-
Louie, Louie- The Kingsmen (released in 1963)
Louie, Louie- Richard Berry (orig. version; released in 1957)

Cry- Johnnie Ray & the Four Lads
Mecca- Gene Pitney
Twistin' Postman- The Marvelettes
You're Gonna Miss Me- The Thirteenth Floor Elevators
Peaches and Cream- The Ikettes
That's Life (That's Tough)- Gabriel & the Angels
Psychotic Reaction- The Count Five

The Retro Mix Video of the Week: Why Do Fools Fall In Love by Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers

Please Take A Moment To Vote In the Current "Lost" Poll, Thank You

The answers to all the questions surrounding that wacky gang stranded on some mysterious island are scheduled to be revealed on Sunday May 23rd as the ABC series Lost comes to a close after 6 seasons. As some of you may know, I was a fan of the show for the first 1/4 of a season. Unfortunately, I got a few episodes behind and became... well, you know.

In preparation for the series finale, earlier this year I had planned to play catch up on what I missed via DVD and season 6 episodes streamed online. One of my colleagues graciously offered to loan me her seasons 1-5 DVD boxed sets. She started me out with the first 2 seasons and I intended to watch them and remaining sets over successive weekends. Although I knew I was under the gun time-wise, I was up for the challenge... or so I thought. While I was in my kitchen one weekend afternoon, I looked at the season 1 and 2 DVD boxed sets of Lost as they leaned against the TV stand/cabinet in my living room (for the 3rd weekend in a row). I said to myself, "shiiit" because I knew that catching up on Lost wasn't going to happen for me. I also rationalized that even if I did watch every episode leading up to finale, there still was no guarantee it would all make sense.

Because it will likely go down as a landmark event in TV history, I still plan on watching the series finale of Lost. Besides, I can read the seasons 1-5 recaps contained in the May 14 special issue of Entertainment Weekly to fill in some of the gaps. The finale will run two-and-a-half hours starting at 9 pm EST; pushing the local news back a half-hour, followed by the previously announced post-finale special, Jimmy Kimmel Live: Aloha to Lost, at 12:05 a.m.

Whichever way you vote, please feel free to share the reason(s) why in the comments section of this post.

You Tube Turns 5 Years Old

On May 17 2005, the site which gave birth to the slogan "Broadcast yourself" was launched. Although it wasn't the 3rd of September, the day I accidentally discovered You Tube is one I'll always remember. While doing prep for my radio show on a Saturday afternoon back in 2005, I did an Internet search for the UK group The Housemartins. Since one of the songs on my playlist that day was their a capella version of Caravan of Love, I wanted to see if there was some interesting trivia about the band and/or song. My search took me to a results page that had a link to watch the music video for Caravan of Love on some site called You Tube and the rest is approved time wasting history:




Since I'd be here until the 10th anniversary of You Tube listing some of the best stuff I've seen on the site, here are a few of my fave clips:

Then Michigan State head football coach John L. Smith extols the virtues of his staff:



A New York news anchor asks a very important question:



A 1950s crooner literally flips his wig:




What are some of your favorite You Tube memories?

The Retro Mix Playlist for 5/14/10

7 pm hour

Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting- Elton John

Wild World- Maxi Priest

Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic- The Police

What Can I Do For You- Labelle

If You Could Only See- Tonic

Come Undone- Duran Duran

La Isla Bonita- Madonna

Now & Then segment's feat. artist: Lou Reed

Some Kind of Nature (from the Gorillaz' 2010 CD Plastic Beach)

Walk On the Wild Side

Candyman- Mary Jane Girls

Ice Ice Baby- Vanilla Ice

Jam Master Jay- Run DMC

Take Me- Grand Funk Railroad

8 pm hour

Axel F- Harold Faltermeyer

My Secret (Didja Git It Yet)- New Edition

Hat 2 Da Back- TLC

Dream Police- Cheap Trick

Africa- Toto

Time After Time- Cyndi Lauper

Pass the Dutchie- Musical Youth

Breaking the Law- Judas Priest

Devil Gate Drive- Suzi Quatro

Beat It- Michael Jackson

City Song- Luscious Jackson

Family Affair- Sly & the Family Stone

Whirly Girl- Oxo

The Retro Mix Video of the Week- Breaking the Law by Judas Priest

Judas Priest - Breaking The Law
Uploaded by melanch0ly. - Explore more music videos.

Law & Order, 1990-2010

Earlier today, it was announced that NBC has canceled the original Law & Order after a 20-year run. The final original episode of L&O will air on Monday, May 24th. Because L&O had survived numerous cast and time slot changes over the years, the announcement that it was getting the ax caught me off guard. It was like the 60 Minutes of TV dramas, I just expected it to be there.

A lot has happened in the world of pop culture during L&O's long run. Think about it, when L&O premiered on Sept. 13 1990:

• Miley Cyrus (aka "Hannah Montana"... or is it the other way around?) wasn't even born

• Will Smith was 2 years away from making his motion picture debut

• The general public still believed that Milli Vanilli could actually sing!

Although the original L&O is set to drop its final "chung chung" on us very soon, NBC announced it has renewed Law & Order: SVU for a 12th season and will also be launching a new drama in the "Law & Order" franchise called "LOLA" ("Law & Order: Los Angeles") this coming fall.

Do you have any favorite episodes, guest stars, detective/attorney partnerships from the original Law & Order?

Thursday Thirteen #74: Women Who Should Have Made Maxim's Hot 100, But Didn't

Earlier this month, Maxim published the Maxim Hot 100 (its list of the hottest women in the world). For the complete list of the women who made the cut, please click the link below:

Maxim's Hot 100 for 2010

As with any list of this type, people will always feel that someone is ranked too high, too low, didn't make the list, etc. Below (in alphabetical order) are 13 women who didn't make Maxim's Hot 100, but I think were worthy of inclusion.

If you have any thoughts about the Maxim Hot 100 itself, including who you think should/shouldn't have made the list, feel free to share your opinion in the comments section of this post.

1. Halle Berry

2. Beyoncé

3. Actress Denise Boutte (Why Did I Get Married?)

4. Food Network personality/bestselling author Giada DeLaurentiis

5. Singer/actress Renee Elise Goldsberry (Rent and The Color Purple on Broadway)

6. Actress Christina Hendricks (Mad Men)

7. Actress Bianca Kajlich (the CBS sitcom Rules of Engagement)

8. Headline News personality Robin Meade

9. Actress Paula Patton (Precious)

10. Actress Frieda Pinto (Slumdog Millionaire)

11. Natalie Portman

12. Bollywood actress Aishwarya Rai

13. Actress Bree Williamson (One Life To Live)

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! View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Final Results of the Recent KFC Poll

In a final tally that I think is the biggest blowout I've seen since I've been doing polls, nearly 80% of you said you wanted no part of the new KFC Double Down sandwich. I had planned to try one this evening and give a full report, but my arteries were spared. When I went to a local KFC after work, I was told that their location had discontinued the Double Down. I was disappointed, because my mouth was all set for that concoction of boneless chicken, bacon, two slices of Monterey Jack and pepper jack cheese, and Colonel's sauce. It turns out my wallet was spared too because the employee informed me that the sandwich cost $7.00!!

Here are the final poll results:

There is no way in hell I'm eating that thing!- 79%
Haven't tried it, but it looks good- 10%
Had one, loved it!- 6%
Had one, it was OK- 4%

Below is the commercial for the KFC Double Down. For fans of awesome TV from The Great White North, you may recognize the first actor in the commercial. His name is Dayo Ade and as a teenager he played Bryan Lister Taylor (better known as "BLT") on the series Desgrassi Junior High/High. KFC probably realizes that the Double Down is primarily a guy thing because there isn't a female actress to be found in this spot.

Lena Horne, 1917-2010

One of the true legends of entertainment, Lena Horne, died Sunday at a New York City hospital at the age of 92. Because Lena was highly successful for such a long period, she had a string of noteworthy appearances in the movies and on TV that stretched across generations:


Performing her signature tune "Stormy Weather" in the 1943 movie of the same name:




Singing the ABC's with The Muppets on Sesame Street:





Singing a song for Cliff on his birthday on The Cosby Show.

A 1994 televised performance of her live album An Evening with Lena Horne:



In addition to her unquestionable talent, Lena Horne was the gold standard to many (including me) when it came to celebrities who aged gracefully. She was a remarkable performer and woman who will be greatly missed.

Side note: TV Land will be airing Lena's classic 1973 appearance on Sanford & Son this week on Tuesday May 11th at 7 pm EST and the following day at 9 am EST. You can also click here to watch the episode on You Tube.

If you have any favorite memories of Lena Horne, please share them in the comments section.

The Retro Mix Playlist For 5/7/10

7 pm hour

Eye of the Tiger- Survivor

Heavy Makes You Happy- The Staple Singers

Flash Light- Parliament

Hope Street- The Levellers

Who Can It Be Now- Men At Work

Whisper To A Scream (Birds Fly)- Icicle Works

Moving Out (Anthony's Song)- Billy Joel

Now & Then segment's feat. artist: Erykah Badu

Gone Baby, Don't Be Long (from her 2010 album New Amerykah Part Two: Return of the Ankh)
On & On (released in 1997)

Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now- McFadden & Whitehead

Tears- John Waite

Seether- Veruca Salt

Whatcha See Is What You Get- The Dramatics

Radioactivity- Royal Cash

8 pm hour

Hip Hop Hooray- Naughty By Nature

I'll Be Good- Rene & Angela

Time Warp- (from The Rocky Horror Picture Show)

Panic In Detroit- David Bowie

Ghetto Jam- Domino

So Alive- Love & Rockets

Spiderwebs- No Doubt

With or Without You segment's feat. artist: Eddie Kendricks

Just My Imagination- The Temptations

Get the Cream Off the Top- Eddie Kendricks

True Faith- New Order

Groove Thang- Zhane

Lover's Holiday- Change

Take On Me- Aha

Start Me Up- The Rolling Stones

The Retro Mix Video of the Week: Spiderwebs by No Doubt

Ernie Harwell: 1918-2010

On Tuesday May 4th, sports broadcaster Ernie Harwell passed away at his home in Novi, MI after a nearly year-long battle with incurable cancer. He was 92. Although Ernie previously had served as the announcer for The Brooklyn Dodgers, New York Giants, and Baltimore Orioles, he is best known for the 40-plus years (1960-1991, 1993-2002) he spent calling games for The Detroit Tigers. In fact, Ernie eventually became known as "The Voice of the Tigers".

One of my fondest memories as a kid was listening to Ernie and his broadcast partner Paul Carey cover Tiger games on WJR (760 AM) during that magical season of 1984 when Detroit won the World Series. As did countless others, I enjoyed Ernie's warm, conversational style of broadcasting. His love of baseball was evident and he never tried to be bigger than the game. After his retirement in 2002, Ernie didn't fade away completely. It was always a treat when he showed up in the TV booth during his final years to call a few innings of a Tiger game and share anecdotes from his legendary career.

Below is a video tribute to Ernie Harwell followed by his farewell address to Tiger fans at Comerica Park. This took place on September 16, 2009, less than two weeks after Ernie announced that he had been diagnosed with cancer.

Tuesday Tunes: Week 131

Since this weekend is Mother's Day, that's the theme for this week:

Who do you think is the coolest rock mom? Natalie Merchant- Natalie's latest project (the concept album Leave Your Sleep) was inspired by her desire to expose her young daughter to complex poetry. I think it's great when parents take an active role in educating their children at a young age.

What rocker mom are you really glad, isn't your mom? Courtney Love- No explanation necessary.

Do you think you'd like to be the child of a rock n' roll mom? Yes. I'm optimistic that most rock and roll moms veer towards the Natalie Merchant end of the spectrum. Although there would likely be some drawbacks, I think the good would outweigh the bad.

This meme was created at Music Memoirs. Feel free to go there and check out the other weekly memes and play along.

TCM Presents Native American Images On Film During May

As part of its popular "Race & Hollywood" series, Turner Classic Movies presents Native American Images On Film every Tuesday and Thursday nights in May starting at 8 PM EST. Hosted by TCM's own Robert Osborne and Professor Hanay Geiogamah, director of the American Indian Studies Center at UCLA, the 30 film retrospective traces the evolution of how Native Americans have been portrayed (both positively and negatively) on the big screen.

Below are the topics that will be covered each night (along with a sampling of the movies being featured):

The evolution of Native American depictions by director John Ford (May 4)-

• Stagecoach (1939) starring John Wayne, Claire Trevor and John Carradine

• Cheyenne Autumn (1964) with Richard Widmark, Carrol Baker, and Karl Malden

Non-Indians in Indian roles (May 6)-

• The Outsider (1961) starring Tony Curtis as the ill-fated WW II hero Ira Hayes

• Walk the Proud Land (1956) featuring Anne Bancroft as an Apache widow gifted to an Indian agent (Audie Murphy) by a grateful Apache chieftain

Indians as enemies (May 11)-

• Northwest Passage (1940) with Spencer Tracy, Robert Young, and Walter Brennan

• The Last of the Mohicans (1992) starring Daniel Day-Lewis, Madeline Stowe, and Wes Studi

White men living among Indians (May 13)-

• John Huston's 1960 western The Unforgiven starring Burt Lancaster and Audrey Hepburn

• The 1990 Best Picture Oscar winner Dances With Wolves starring Kevin Costner, Mary McDonnell, and Graham Greene

Indians as “noble savages” (May 18)-

• One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) featuring Will Sampson as Chief Bromden

• 1970's A Man Called Horse starring Richard Harris in the title role and featuring Dame Judith Anderson as Buffalo Cow Head!

Native Americans facing racism (May 20)-

• Devil's Doorway (1950) starring Robert Taylor, Louis Calhern, and future All My Children star James Mitchell

• The 1992 mystery Thunderheart which stars Val Kilmer as a half-Sioux FBI agent

Native American actors and filmmakers (May 25)-

• The 1994 made-for-cable movie Lakota Woman: Siege at Wounded Knee starring Irene Bedard (who in addition to providing the voice of Pocahontas in the 1995 Disney animated film of the same name, was the physical model for the character as well)

• Smoke Signals, the 1998 road movie starring Adam Beach, Evan Adams, and Irene Bedard

Images from outside Hollywood (May 27)-

• The 1922 silent documentary Nanook of the North

• Broken Rainbow, the 1985 Academy Award winner for Best Documentary Feature which tells the story of the mistreatment of Native Americans at the hands of the U.S. government.

For a complete list of movies that TCM will feature in the Native American Images On Film festival, as well as other information on the retrospective, please click here.

The Retro Mix Playlist For 4/30/10

7 pm hour

Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours- Stevie Wonder
The One- Tracy Bonham
I Melt With You- Modern English
I Didn't Mean To Turn You On- Cherrelle
Kiss and Say Goodbye- The Manhattans
Wake Up Next To You- Graham Parker
Fly- Sugar Ray

The Greatest Miss of the Week:
Native Land- Everything But the Girl (single did not chart in the U.S.)

Karma Chameleon- Culture Club
Me and Baby Brother- War
What Cha Gonna Do With My Lovin'- Stephanie Mills
Down Boys- Warrant
We're Not Gonna Take It- Twisted Sister
Loving Your Best Friend- Eric Benet

8 pm hour

Come As You Are- Nirvana
Did I Lead You On- Danielle Brisebois
Bust A Move- Young MC
Let's All Chant- The Michael Zager Band
Thin Line Between Love and Hate- The Persuaders
Everything Must Change- Paul Young
Back and Forth- Cameo

Double Retro segment:
Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood- The Animals (1965)
Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood- Santa Esmeralda (1977)

Robert De Niro's Waiting- Bananarama
Summer Madness- Kool & the Gang
She's On It- The Beastie Boys
Cantaloop (Flip Fantasia)- Us3
Runnin' with the Devil- Van Halen

The Retro Mix Video of the Week: I Didn't Mean To Turn You On by Cherrelle


Didn't Mean to Turn You On
Uploaded by ice1906. - Music videos, artist interviews, concerts and more.