The RRHOF's Class of 2010 Has Been Announced

On Tuesday, the five acts who will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2010 was announced. I have mixed feelings about the artists who made the cut. For the record, I correctly predicted 2 out of the 5 acts who would get inducted in 2010. You can read my predictions at the link below:

Final Results of RRHOF Poll

If I was a baseball player, my .400 average would be good enough to win a batting title. Since I'm not, my percentage kinda sucks.

Below are the 5 acts who will be inducted in 2010:

ABBA

Jimmy Cliff

Genesis

The Hollies

The Stooges

and here are the 7 nominees who didn't make the cut:

The Chantels

KISS

LL Cool J

Darlene Love

Laura Nyro

Red Hot Chili Peppers
Donna Summer

Even though I would have passed over ABBA for the RRHOF's upcoming class, a smile came across my face when I read they were getting inducted because I am a fan. I haven't read any message boards yet, but I know people are pissed about the RRHOF voters saying I Do I Do I Do I Do I Do to ABBA while giving Gene, Paul, Ace, and Peter the KISS-off. Although ABBA once turned down a billion dollar offer to get back together, I hope they will make an exception to their "no reunion" rule and at least perform a medley of their hits at the induction ceremony.

The Hollies' induction was the biggest surprise to me. Outside of a handful of their songs (such as Bus Stop, Look Through Any Window, and Carrie-Anne), they've never really done much for me. They're alright, but kinda vanilla.

As for Jimmy Cliff, Genesis, and the Stooges, I have no feelings (positive or negative) about them getting inducted. I am looking forward to seeing all five members of Genesis perform together. It will be interesting to see how they reconcile their early prog-rock sound (when Peter Gabriel was at the helm) with the mainstream pop they made during the Phil Collins era. I am also banking on Iggy Pop doing some crazy shit during the Stooges' performance at the induction ceremony.

I was disappointed that KISS, Darlene Love, and Donna Summer won't be a part of the 2010 class. I have a feeling they (along with Laura Nyro) will fall through the cracks and never get enshrined. As for LL Cool J and the Red Hot Chili Peppers, I think they are locks to get inducted somewhere down the line.

What are your thoughts on who will be inducted and who got passed by?

Moolah For Hulu?

It's been reported that Hulu, the awesome (and FREE) online streaming service, may start charging a subscription fee for video content sometime in 2010. Since it's introduction in 2007, Hulu has been a haven for millions of viewers interested in checking out the old (Dragnet, The Big Valley, Doogie Howswer, M.D., etc.), the new (Family Guy, Glee, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, etc.) and much, much more at no cost. What I love about Hulu is that I have the chance to watch old faves that are rarely rerun anymore and catch up on episodes of new series I may have missed. Oh yeah, I also love the fact that it's FREE!

The plan to charge a subscription fee doesn't sound like a good idea to me. Especially when there are other online video services that are free of charge. You know what they say... if it ain't broke, don't fix it pull the rug out from under your customers by sticking them with a fee.

Would you pay for Hulu? If so, how much?


For more on the story, please visit the link below:

Hulu To Charge Subscription Fee

DVD Picks: Do the Right Thing Turns 20 and Parker Lewis Goes Digital

Coming to DVD on Tuesday June 30th are a couple of releases that couldn't be more dissimilar: the 20th anniversary edition of Do the Right Thing and Parker Lewis Can't Lose: The Complete First Season.


Arguably his best film, Spike Lee's 1989 tale depicts simmering racial tensions within a multi-ethnic community in Brooklyn on a hot summer's day. Filled with memorable dialogue and colorful characters with names to match (Radio Raheem, Buggin' Out, Da' Mayor, et. al.), and a climax that still sparks controversy, the film has lost none of its power. I still think one of the biggest injustices in Academy Awards history is that Do the Right Thing didn't receive at the very least a nomination for Best Picture. Not too surprisingly, the Oscar for Best Picture that year went to a film that was a much safer depiction of race relations in America... the Jessica Tandy/Morgan Freeman drama Driving Miss Daisy. Time has had the last say though: while Do the Right Thing has grown in stature over the years, Driving Miss Daisy seems destined to be perceived as a relic from a bygone era.

The 2-disc set of the 20th anniversary of Do the Right Thing includes deleted scenes that were previously unseen and commentary by Spike Lee. If you haven't heard any of Lee's DVD commentaries, I'll tell you that he is one of the best when it comes to providing insight and background details.

Coming to DVD for the very first time is Parker Lewis Can't Lose, the Ferris Buelleresque sitcom that ran on FOX from 1990-1993. Although it's been years since I've seen Parker Lewis Can't Lose, I do recall enjoying the quirky camera angles, cartoonish sound effects, and the cast headed by the easygoing Corin Nemec (above, center) in the title role. The series was also notable for its use of eclectic guest stars (Ziggy Marley, Kool Moe Dee, Ozzy Osbourne, Married...With Children's David Faustino, and Donny Osmond all pop up during the 1st season).

The 4-DVD set of Parker Lewis Can't Lose: The Complete First Season comes with special features including exclusive interviews with the cast, crew, and creators.

Thursday Thirteen #72: Favorite Advertising Characters

Thirteen of My Favorite Advertising Characters

Over the years, the folks at Madison Avenue have come up with numerous advertising campaigns that may not have made you try the product they were pushing, but at least were memorable. Below, in alphabetical order, are 13 of my favorite advertising characters that have been used to sell everything from cheesy flavored confections to cream filled sponge cakes.

1. Chester Cheetah (Cheetos)

2. Dig 'Em Frog (Sugar Smacks)

3. Flo, the cashier (Progressive Insurance)

4. Fred the Baker (Dunkin Donuts)

5. The Great Root Bear (A&W Root Beer)

6. Messy Marvin (Hershey's Chocoloate Syrup)

7. The Most Interesting Man In the World (Dos Equis Beer)

8. Poppin' Fresh (aka The Pillsbury Doughboy)

9. Punchy (Hawaiian Punch)

10. Rosie the waitress (Bounty paper towels)

11. The Rubberband Man (Office Max)

12. The Scrubbing Bubbles (Scrubbing Bubbles bathroom cleaner)

13. Twinkie the Kid (Twinkies snack cakes)






















Who are your favorite advertising characters?

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CTFD: The Zach and Miri Make A Porno Controversy

I don't know if you've heard, but there's controversy brewing over the new Kevin Smith romantic comedy, Zach and Miri Make A Porno. The film, which opens on Oct. 31st and features Seth Rogen and Elizabeth Banks as platonic best friends and roommates who decide to make a porn movie to get out of debt has caused a ruckus due to its title and marketing strategy. According to the head of marketing at the studio releasing the film (the Weinstein Co.), some newspaper, TV, and outdoor ads have been rejected because it contains the dreaded five-letter word "porno". Along with various media outlets raising a fuss, the Motion Picture Association of America decided to get in on the act. Feeling that it was too suggestive, the MPAA banned the movie poster directly below (it will only be displayed in Canada and on websites and blogs like mine).


Once the above poster was squashed, Weinstein went back to the drawing board and came up with this ad:

Diane Levin, who wrote the book So Sexy So Soon: The New Sexualized Childhood and What Parents Can Do to Protect Their Kids, says she was shocked by the ads she saw for the film in Boston. "My expertise is with young children," Levin says. "I thought, they're going to see the stick-figure drawings and they're going to think 'Gee! this must be a movie for me!' "

The title of this post began with the abbreviation CTFD, which means "calm the fuck down" and that's what I would say to anyone making a big deal out of the ads for Zach and Miri Make A Porno. Any sane adult is in favor of protecting kids. However, some adults go overboard and that doesn't do kids any good. Children by nature are just like the monkey who hangs out with "The Man with the Yellow Hat". When they ask questions, why not try something wild and crazy like answering them! Like Kevin Smith said, if a kid asks "What's a porno?" answer by telling them "It's a movie not for you."

To read more on the Zach and Miri Make A Porno controversy, click here and here.

In unrelated (but ironic) news, Deep Throat director Gerard Damiano died last Saturday at the age of 80.

Although it has nothing to do with the Zach and Miri Make A Porno dustup, I still wanted to include the clip to one of my favorite songs from the Alternative Nation era. It's the video for Pets by the band Porno For Pyros.

Thursday Thirteen #61: Movie Sequels

Thirteen Movie Sequels

Earlier this week I did a post about reports of a possible sequel to "Bull Durham". That got me to thinking about other follow-up films. I've heard many people say that they are against sequels. I won't go that far because there have been some that are worthy follow-ups to the original film. On the other hand, most seem to exist for the sole purpose of padding a star's bank account.

Below (in alphabetical order) are 13 random sequels that I've seen over the years. They run the gamut from being exceptional to being straight up garbagio. For the most part, I steered clear of obvious film franchises such as Star Wars and Batman.

Along with any thoughts regarding the 13 follow-ups I've listed below, please also include in the comments section your choices for the best sequel you've seen and the worst you've seen.

Also, if you haven't voted in the RRHOF poll (in the top part of the left sidebar), please feel free to do so.

1. Aliens (1986)- Because of the 7 year gap between this and the original, any skepticism was understandable. However, this is one of the few sequels that arguably either matches or surpasses the original. It helped that the director of Alien (James Cameron) as well as star Sigourney Weaver were both back onboard.

2. The Bad News Bears In Breaking Training (1977)- Without stars Matthau and Tatum or director Michael Ritchie, what was the point?















3. Blues Brothers 2000 (1999)- Belushi's dead, 'nuff said.
















4. Bride of Chucky (1998)- Several months ago, I was channel surfing late Friday/early Saturday and caught this on the USA Network. Normally I don't watch theatrical movies on commercial TV, but I couldn't bring myself to turn the channel. Not only does this "so bad, it's good" movie feature John Ritter in a surprise borderline cameo appearance, but it also contains a love scene between Chucky and his bride (voiced by Jennifer Tilly). If you didn't lost your breakfast, lunch, and dinner after reading the last part of the previous sentence, props to you. The next time that Grey's Anatomy star Katherine Heigl complains about the quality of her storyline on the hit show (which might be tomorrow), the producers need to point out that she could do a lot worse (Bride of Chucky was one of her early films).














5. Grease 2 (1982)- When Danny and Sandy went flying off into the sunset via automobile (wtf was that all about?) in the 1978 original, that should have been the end of it. If you bring this film up to Michelle, I wonder if she'll be c-o-o-l about it or put a beatdown on you Catwoman-style.















6. House Party 2: The Pajama Jam! (1991)- We went to see this at the theater anticipating a lively follow-up to 1990's House Party. Although it was OK, it was a huge void missing... the late, great Robin Harris (who played Kid's father in the original). They tried to compensate by using clips of Harris via flashback, but it wasn't the same.














7. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)- Another sequel that I think lives up to the original. Hiring Sean Connery to play Indy's dad was a brilliant move because he and Harrison Ford played off each other extremely well. Thanks to the opening sequence featuring River Phoenix as a young Indy, the movie It was also answered some questions about our hero (how he obtained his scar, fedora, etc.).















8. Jaws: The Revenge (1987)- About the best thing that can be said about this mess is that it effectively put an end to the franchise... for now anyways. Co-star Michael Caine once said of the movie: "I have never seen it [the film], but by all accounts it is terrible. However, I have seen the house that it built, and it is terrific!" Hey, at least he's honest.














9. The Karate Kid Part III (1989)- This third installment was a big comedown from both the 1984 original and the 1986 follow-up. One of my lasting memories of part III is that Ralph Macchio was pushing 30 at the time and looked every bit of it (the so-called "kid" had a gut that was visible throughout most of the movie).















10. The Naked Gun 2 1/2: The Smell of Fear (1991) - This follow-up to the surprise 1988 original didn't let me down. When I see that director David Zucker and writer Jim Abrahams are attached to a film, I look at it like Smucker's ... it has to be good.














11. Rocky III (1982)- Although not a great film, it's a definite improvement over the dreary first sequel. A lot of that has to do with Mr. T. as Rock's opponent Clubber Lang, who delivers some of the best lines in the film:

"Getting out while you can? Don't give this sucker no statue. Give him guts! I told you I wasn't going away. You got your shot, now give me mine. "

"Dead meat! "

and of course...

"No, I don't hate Balboa. I pity the fool, and I will destroy any man who tries to take what I got! "















12. Superman II (1981) - As good as 1978's Superman: The Movie was, this was better! One plus was that it gave The Man of Steel three formidable foes, led by Terence Stamp as the arrogant General Zod. Also, it was great to see Clark Kent get his revenge at the end of the movie on the truck driver who gave him a beatdown during the time that Clark gave up his powers to be with Lois... what the hell was he thinking when he did that?!















13. A Very Brady Sequel (1996) - 1995's The Brady Bunch Movie is one of the best adaptations of a TV show because it spoofed the ripe-for-parody sitcom by moving the stuck-in-the-1970s Bradys into the 1990s. The sequel continues in the same vein with several funny references to not only the TV series, but also addresses the "what if" question surrounding the attraction between step-siblings Greg and Marcia.
















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

For this week's Thursday Thirteen, please either scroll down or click here.

On Monday Sept. 22nd, the nominees for possible induction into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame were announced. The inductees will be announced in January 2009, with the ceremony scheduled to take place on April 4th, 2009.

Over the years, I have had a love/hate relationship with the RRHOF. I understand that's it's next to impossible to have everyone agree with who should be/shouldn't be in the RRHOF. However, there are some things that piss me off about the nomination process:

1. The passing over of well-deserving older artists in favor of fairly recent "name" acts. Although artists such as Queen and Talking Heads are worthy of being inducted, there's no way they should have gotten in before acts like The Dells or The Dave Clark Five.

2. With the exception of Pink Floyd, the bias the nominating committee shows towards progressive rock. Although I am not a big fan of the genre, I think that at the very least acts such as Yes and The Moody Blues are worthy of consideration.

3. Accomplished R&B acts from the 60s and 70s who haven't even been nominated. Labelle/Patti Labelle, The Spinners, The Chi-Lites, and The Stylistics are just a few of the artists who haven't even made the ballot. Again, we can debate whether or not these acts belong in the RRHOF. However, I think they should at least get on the ballot.

Last year I wrote a post about the RRHOF that included a 2001 letter by a former RRHOF board member that was sent to Fox News. You can click here to read the post.

Because of the evolution of the music, one of the debates about the RRHOF that has gained steam over the last few years is which artists are considered rock and roll. Here are a few of the definitions of "rock and roll" that I found:

The American Heritage College Dictionary: A form of popular music arising from and incorporating a variety of musical styles, esp. rhythm and blues, country music, and gospel.

Dictionary.com: A genre of popular music originating in the 1950s; a blend of black rhythm-and-blues with white country-and-western; "rock is a generic term for the range of styles that evolved out of rock'n'roll."

Merriam-Webster's Online Dictionary: Popular music usually played on electronically amplified instruments and characterized by a persistent heavily accented beat, repetition of simple phrases, and often country, folk, and blues elements.

Because I belong to the school of thought that rock and roll is an umbrella term encompassing a variety of musical styles, I don't have a problem with artists such as Bob Marley, The Bee Gees, Isaac Hayes, and Madonna being enshrined in the RRHOF. However, I sometimes wish The Hall would change its name to something like "The Popular Music Hall of Fame" so that people could shut the hell up about "what is and isn't rock and roll" and concentrate on whether or not a recording act's artistic merits and influence make them worthy of induction.

Below in alphabetical order are the 2009 nominees for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Of these nine artists, only five will be inducted. Following each artist are my thoughts on who should/will get inducted. For the 4 that I feel shouldn't be inducted in 2009, it's not that I don't think they are worthy. I just feel that the other 5 should go in ahead of them. If you are curious as to why I feel that an artist will or won't be among the five to be inducted, feel free to ask me about them in the comments section.

Jeff Beck- Should and will get in.















Chic- Shouldn't and won't get in.











Wanda Jackson- Shouldn't, but will get in.













Little Anthony & the Imperials- Shouldn't and won't get in











Metallica- Should and will get in












Run-DMC- Should and will get in














The Stooges- Shouldn't and won't get in














War- Should and will get in














Bobby Womack- Should, but won't get in.














Let the debates begin...

The Golden Girls' Estelle Getty Dies At Age 84

I am sad to write that Emmy-winner Estelle Getty, best known for her role as Sophia Petrillo on The Golden Girls, died earlier this morning at the age of 84. According to one of her sons, Getty, who suffered from advanced dementia, died at about 5:30 a.m. at her Hollywood Boulevard home.

A classic example of perserverance paying off, Getty struggled in showbiz for over 40 years before landing the role of Sophia in 1985. As the sarcastic senior citizen, Getty kept us laughing with her hilarious putdowns of Dorothy, Blanche, and Rose and anyone else who crossed her path. When I first started watching The Golden Girls on Saturday nights during the mid 1980s, I often couldn't believe what was coming out of Sophia's mouth! For her work on The Golden Girls, Getty took home the Emmy in 1988 for Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Comedy. She also won a Golden Globe two years earlier for her portrayal of Sophia as well.

In addition to playing Sophia on not only The Golden Girls, but also The Golden Palace and Empty Nest, Getty did extensive stage work and appeared in such films as Tootsie, Mask, and Stop! or My Mom Will Shoot. Getty is survived by two sons, a brother, and a sister.

Below is a clip from The Golden Girls in which Sophia tells one of her famous "picture it" stories.

Madonna Omits Michigan From Her 2008 Tour Schedule

Last Thursday, the dates for Madonna's 2008 Sticky and Sweet tour were announced. Once again, the former Material Girl has left her home state of Michigan off the list of places where she will perform. Although Madonna has toured the U.S. in 2004 and 2006, her last stop in Michigan was in 2001 as part of her Drowned World Tour. As of now, the closest her 2008 tour comes to Michigan is when she performs in Toronto on Oct. 18 and Chicago on Oct. 26. This makes me mad for a couple of reasons:

1. Although she is in no way obligated to play in her home state, you would think that she might take into consideration the fact that she has many fans in Michigan who would love to see her live. Some might argue that those fans could travel to see her at one of the nearby cities I mentioned earlier. However, I think that asking a fan to buy a concert ticket and on top of that shell out more money to travel to a show outside their area is asking alot.

2. Also, Madonna bringing her tour to Michigan would help pump some life into our sluggish economy. There are those who might say that the state of the economy would have a negative effect on ticket sales and that's why Madonna has chosen to skip Michigan. However, things are tough all over the country and I think that Madonna's most ardent Michigan fans would pay to see her no matter what.

I heard someone speculate that Madonna's decision not to tour Michigan over the past several years stems from her reluctance to deal with her relatives who still live in the state (apparently some are would-be hangers on). However, I think that someone of Madonna's stature can make herself inaccessible if she so chooses. If Madonna has relatives here who are sponges, I don't blame her for not wanting them around. However, I don't think it's fair to punish her fans in Michigan.

To be fair, there could be other valid reasons why Madonna has decided to leave Michigan off her tour schedule for the 3rd consecutive time. However, I can't imagine what they could be. Given that Michigan is the home of such major concert venues as The Palace of Auburn Hills and The Fox Theatre, Madonna's decision not to bring her tour here seems to be a conscious snub.

Because of the space between dates on the tour, there's a possibility that more shows will be added. However, chances are that these new dates would involve additional shows at venues already on the schedule instead of dates in new cities.

Can you imagine Michigan bred artists such as Bob Seger, Aretha Franklin, and Kid Rock consistently giving the brush off to their fans from here? Me neither.

The Oscars: A Recap

Sunday night's 80th annual Academy Awards ceremony was a so-so affair. Not surprisingly, it looks to be the lowest rated Oscar telecast ever. I believe that the writers' strike had something to do with it. During the strike, there was some doubt as to whether there would be an Oscar telecast. As a result, the buzz factor for this year's Oscars was decidedly low. The fact that there wasn't a epic box-office blockbuster up for major awards (think "Titanic") is perhaps another reason why people decided not to watch this year. While watching the telecast, there were some things (both good and bad) that stuck out to me:

* Host Jon Stewart did a solid job of emceeing. Mixing entertainment and political humor, Stewart's jokes were mostly on target. One of his best zingers took aim at former President Bill Clinton.

Stewart (In reference to Julie Christie's best actress nomination for "Away From Her") :

A moving story of a woman who forgets her own husband. Hillary Clinton called it the feel-good movie of the year.

* The orchestra was quick on the musical trigger, giving the bum's rush to several winners before they had a chance to start or sometimes finish their acceptance speech. One cool moment was when Jon Stewart brought Best Original Song co-winner Marketa Irglova back onstage so that she could give her speech.

* Cameron Diaz has a sense of humor about herself. When presenting the Oscar for Best Cinematography, Diaz stumbled over the word "cinematography". In mock defiance, she then put her hand on her hip and said "I can do this!"

* As I predicted, Heath Ledger was shown last in the montage of Hollywood figures who died in the past year. However, Brad Renfro (who died a week before Ledger) was noticeably missing from the tribute. When asked about the Renfro snub, a spokeswoman for the Academy gave the bullshit reply "Unfortunately we cannot include everyone". True enough, but would including 5-10 seconds of Renfro had been so bad? I have a feeling that had the troubled Renfro died in a less sordid manner instead of from an accidental heroin/morphine overdose, he would have been included in the montage.

* In two other oversights, four-time Oscar host Whoopi Goldberg and two-time emcee Steve Martin were omitted from a montage featuring those who presided over the ceremony in the past.

* In his acceptance speech, Best Supporting Actor Oscar winner Javier Bardem honored his mother, who attended the ceremony with him, with a tribute in Spanish that moved her to tears. Although my mastery of Espanol is limited, that was still a cool moment.

Did you catch the Oscar telecast? If so, what did you think?