Monday, December 1st, is World AIDS Day. In conjunction with this day, (RED) will launch a new digital music magazine called (RED) WIRE to continue its fundraising efforts to eliminate AIDS in Africa. (RED)WIRE is a digital music magazine with one very important difference. It not only changes the way music is discovered, it provides medicine for people who need it in Africa.
Basically, if you sign up for this service (which costs just $5 per month), each week you'll receive exclusive music from the world's greatest artists, and in turn people living with HIV in Africa will get the medicine they need to stay alive. Seems like a worthwhile endeavor to me.
For those of you not aware, (RED) is not a charity. (RED) is a business model created to raise awareness and money for the Global Fund by teaming up with the world's most iconic brands to produce (PRODUCT) RED branded products. A portion of profits from each (PRODUCT) RED product sold goes directly to the Global Fund to invest in African AIDS programs, with a focus on women and children. (RED) was created by Bono and Bobby Shriver and current partners include Starbucks, American Express (UK only), Converse, Gap, Dell, Windows, Apple and Hallmark with more joining all the time.
Why is it called (RED)? Red is the color of emergency. 4,100 people die every day in Africa and many others are fighting for their lives; so this constitutes an emergency. In just year two, (PRODUCT)RED passed the $100 million mark for funds generated for the Global Fund. More than 2.5 million people have been impacted by programs supported by (PRODUCT)RED purchases.
(RED) is separate from ONE, but the they work together to fight the AIDS pandemic and the extreme poverty in which it thrives. (RED) empowers you, the consumer, to choose products that raise money for the Global Fund to help eliminate AIDS in Africa. ONE harnesses the voices of its 2.4 million members to advocate for justice for the world's poor, targets G-8 nations to campaign on debt, HIV and AIDS, and trade in Africa. Between (RED) and ONE, there is a way for every individual to get involved in the fight against AIDS and extreme poverty. For more information about ONE go to ONE.ORG. For more information on (RED) go to www.joinred.com.
USA Today: Subscriptions to (RED)WIRE Digital Music Will Fight AIDS 25 November 2008 By Elysa Gardner, USA TODAY
The new digital music service co-founded by Bono, which promises fans exclusive music by major artists in exchange for $5 a month to fight AIDS, will launch on the 20th anniversary of World AIDS Day.
MSN will host Monday's kickoff event for (RED) Wire, an extension of the (RED) organization founded by the U2 frontman and Bobby Shriver to combat AIDS in Africa. New songs and videos from U2, Coldplay, Death Cab for Cutie, Dixie Chicks, Jay-Z, John Legend and Sheryl Crow will be available at red.msn.com.
For Legend, signing on "was a no-brainer. (RED) has proven an effective vehicle. And the lineup of artists is exciting company." The singer recorded a new version of Bob Marley's Redemption Song, "which just felt right for this project and for the time that we're in."
The premieres also include a live track from the upcoming Sundance series Spectacle, pairing Elvis Costello with The Police, and a new Christmas song recorded by The Killers and Elton John. Bob Dylan and R.E.M. are on deck for future editions.
"The goal was something that wasn't just a one-off CD, but an ongoing service that would generate an ongoing flow of money," says Hear Music founder Don MacKinnon, who conceived the project.
"I like that it stands alone as a creative and fun thing to both receive and participate in," says R.E.M. frontman Michael Stipe. "And it would be that with or without the charity aspect."
In addition to the superstar exclusives and collaborations, subscribers will receive a weekly spotlight track featuring a lesser-known artist. "I call it 'the artist we want everyone to hear,' " MacKinnon says. "It doesn't mean that they're a big buzz act or unsigned, but there will be some that very few people have heard of."
There's also a non-music feature that MacKinnon describes as "the Cracker Jack surprise. It could be an actor reading a favorite speech or poem, or telling a joke, or some great photography."
Subscribers will receive updates on how their donations are being used. "So many charities show a picture of a dusty village and ask you to send $10," MacKinnon says. "We want to give people a real window into the culture of Africa, something that can help them understand in deeper ways. We're trying to get cameras to teenagers, so they can show us their lives."
Half the fee will go the Global Fund, through which (RED) provides AIDS medicines for women and children. Most of the remainder goes to artist royalties.
I love music and it seems like some outstanding artists will be making special songs available through this service, so that interests me very much. The fact that some of the proceeds will go to help fight a horrible disease to me is just a bonus. If you want to sign up for (RED)WIRE, you can visit red.msn.com and I noticed they have an offer of the first two issues free if you sign up now. Then every Wednesday, you receive your new music via the (RED)WIRE player - which also places each song automatically in your iTunes.
Each week's issue of (RED)WIRE contains...
• An exclusive song from a major artist.
• A song by an artist we want everyone to hear.
• A fun or inspiring piece that's not music - a short video of someone telling a story, a slideshow of great photography, someone reading something they love.
• Frequent updates from Africa - a window into the culture of the people receiving the medicine.
All your (RED)WIRE music is yours to keep - they are unprotected digital files. Play them on your iPod, burn them to a CD and enjoy.
Like I said, seems like something that is worth checking out. The reason I have included this in Kickin' it Old School is that (RED)WIRE is definitely making a pop culture impact. The simple fact that some of the greatest musicians in the world are contributing songs made it worth sharing with you.
I personally feel there are many issues/charities within the United States that could use this sort of attention and support. I try to prioritize the organizations that help those people in my own community. The battles against monsters like cancer and AIDS are making progress and are also worthwhile causes in my opinion. And in this case, you get some good music out of it as well.
That's all I have for this issue of Kickin' it Old School. Thanks as always for reading. I will be back to more 80s issues soon. In the meantime, if you want to find any previous issues of Kickin' it, use the Google Search Bar at the top of the right hand column. While up there, please take a moment to rate and/or vote for my blog with the several buttons that are also near the top of the right hand column. Peace and much love.
Check this out: On a lighter note, here is another sign that caused me to chuckle. This place is called the 4 Seasons restaurant, which to me would imply it was open year round, but see the banner that contradicts that. I think when they re-open, they should change the name of the restaurant to something more appropriate.
Quote of the day: "Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope... and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring those ripples build a current that can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance." -Robert F. Kennedy
Download this: Go to red.msn.com and take advantage of the great songs they will send you each week.
With Thanksgiving upon us, I wanted to do a special issue on my favorite Thanksgiving-related movie from the 80s. I obviously chose Planes, Trains & Automobiles which is one of my very favorite films of that decade period (whether it has to do with Turkey Day or not) and one of my favorite comedies of all time. It ranked #1 on my list of movies by the late, great John Candy.
Planes, Trains & Automobiles was written and directed by the great John Hughes and originally released back on November 25, 1987. The film is set two days before Thanksgiving, when marketing consultant "Neal Page" (played by Steve Martin) races to catch a plane home to Chicago, only to find that his flight has been delayed. Hours later, he boards the plane and ends up next to obnoxious shower curtain ring salesman, "Del Griffith" (played by John Candy). When the flight is detoured to Wichita, the mismatched pair are forced to find their own way to Chicago-by any means necessary. Hilarity ensues.
Here is the original trailer for P,T & A which is well-worth watching:
I started to write some of my thoughts on this great film, when I came across an article by Eric D. Snider on Film.com which I really thought did a fantastic job of capturing some of the feelings I was trying to express. I thought I would just share with you excerpts from Snider's fantastic article below:
Eric's Time Capsule: Planes, Trains and Automobiles John Hughes left the teen angst back in the 'burbs to make this timeless farce with Steve Martin and John Candy.
John Hughes' association with teen movies is so entrenched that modern critics often feel compelled to name-check him, usually with great reverence, when reviewing anything set in a high school. It's easy to forget that he only wrote and directed four such films -- Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club, Weird Science and Ferris Bueller's Day Off -- and that most of his other two-dozen-plus screenplays have been about families and kids: Home Alone, National Lampoon's Vacation, Mr. Mom, etc.
Rarer still in the Hughes canon are films that are entirely about adults. Of the eight films he has directed himself, only two fall under that category: She's Having a Baby and Planes, Trains and Automobiles, the latter of which has become a classic that almost surpasses any of the teen comedies Hughes made.
PT&A was released the day before Thanksgiving in 1987, Hughes' fifth film as a director and the first one after that string of teen-centric hits. He filled it with people he was comfortable with, including Ferris Bueller cast members Edie McClurg, Ben Stein, and Lyman Ward (Ferris' dad). There's a cameo from Kevin Bacon, who had just starred in Hughes' She's Having a Baby, which was released 10 weeks after PT&A and can actually be heard playing in the background early in the film.
Star John Candy had appeared in Vacation, which Hughes wrote, and though co-star Steve Martin and Hughes had not worked together before, they certainly knew each other in Hollywood comedy circles. Candy and Martin were both very popular. The film was a departure from Hughes' established genre, but it wasn't exactly a risky proposition.
That said, it may be surprising how positive the reviews were. Martin and Candy were stars, but they weren't exactly known for highbrow, critic-pleasing comedies. Yet most critics adored the film, and audiences rewarded it with a modestly successful box office take. Its $49 million gross would be about $88 million at today's ticket prices and it has flourished on TV and video. (Hughes helped its TV longevity by shooting an alternate, profanity-free version of the famous F-word-laden car-rental-agency scene for broadcast networks to use in place of the theatrical one.) *see below for this scene
The film is a combination of two major genres, the road-trip movie and the odd-couple movie, as well as the sub-genre I like to call the one-thing-after-another disaster comedy (think Meet the Parents). Uptight Neal Page (Martin) and annoyingly gregarious Del Griffith (Candy) are stranded businessmen trying to get from New York to Chicago in time for Thanksgiving, forced by circumstances to pool their resources and become traveling companions. Neal and Del's opposite personalities create plenty of comic potential (casting Martin and Candy as heightened versions of themselves seals the deal), and there's a lot of the vehicular mayhem and destruction typical of the road-trip genre. Some of these gags are more inspired than others -- Hughes' sense of humor runs toward the conventional -- but Candy and Martin sell them like true pros.
Take the bed scene, for example. It is customary in all comedies that if two heterosexual men are required to share a bed, they will wake up in a compromised position, react initially as if nothing is wrong, do a double-take, then leap out of the bed in horror. (This is so well established that it's only in comedies that two straight men ever have to share a bed. If it happened in a drama, we'd be expecting hilarity when they woke up, and the film's mood would be ruined.) Hughes employs this chestnut, which was already old in 1987, but look at how well Martin and Candy play it. The dialogue itself is classic:
MARTIN: Why did you kiss my ear? CANDY: Why are you holding my hand? MARTIN: Where's your other hand? CANDY: Between two pillows. MARTIN: THOSE AREN'T PILLOWS!
Here is that scene below:
Hughes, a reclusive Chicagoan who dislikes Hollywood and rarely grants interviews anymore, has said that there's enough footage lying around somewhere for a three-hour version of PT&A. While it would be marvelous to see those deleted scenes, I can't imagine the film working with a running time much longer than its current 92 minutes.
The story is preposterously slim, after all: two guys are trying to get home. It is primarily a farce, focused on slapstick and errors and mishaps, not on characterization. Del and Neal eventually become friends, but neither of them learns, changes or grows. (The idea that Neal has spent too much time away from his family is halfheartedly brought up, then discarded.) You can have too much of a good thing, and farce is definitely one of the good things that it is easy to have too much of.
That being said, where is this film's special-edition DVD? The 2000 DVD release is bare-bones, without a single extra -- not even the trailer. A recent "I Love the '80s" edition is downright fraudulent, with one alternate scene and nothing else. Any film that is rumored to have an extra 90 minutes of deleted scenes floating around ought to be able to scrape up some DVD extras, particularly a perennial favorite like Planes, Trains & Automobiles.
PT&A was something of a triumph for everyone involved: a smart, funny, exceedingly well crafted film that, unlike many comedies, achieves timelessness. You could make the exact same film today and the only detail you'd have to alter would be to have the characters use cell phones rather than pay phones. Even all the changes that have occurred in the airline industry since 1987 wouldn't affect the comedy of errors that Neal Page and Del Griffith endure.
That was very well written in my opinion and I wanted to give credit where it is due. I am very impressed with Eric Snider's article, so much so that I have chosen his words to express my own admiration for this great film.
When I publish my Top 100 movies of the 80s list, Planes, Trains & Automobiles will definitely be ranked near the top. Other critics surprisingly agree with me on this one. It now has 95% positive ratings on Rotten Tomatoes and is featured in Roger Ebert's Great Movies collection. In 2000, readers of Total Film magazine voted it the 10th greatest comedy film of all time.
There are so many great scenes that I cannot share them all, but I did want to share at least a couple more of my favorite scenes from P, T & A. The first is probably one of my favorite scenes in any movie ever. WARNING: It does contain vulgarity. In fact, the scene is exactly one minute long from the time Steve Martin starts his tirade, to the time the car rental associate ends the scene. In that 60 seconds, the word "f***ing" is used (impressively) 18 times! This scene is the main reason why this film received an R rating, but in my opinion it was well worth it (plus they shot an alternate version of the scene without the f-word to be used for television).
The second is a scene where they end up entering the freeway on an exit ramp going the wrong way. I still use the phrase "You're going the wrong way!" as screamed in this scene myself when necessary.
"Neal" frequently blows up at "Del", blaming him for much of their misfortunes, though mere fate is more at fault. "Del" in turn regards "Neal" as pretentious and uptight, while "Del" is less afraid to be himself. After much heated arguments between the two men, a bond between them forms, and "Neal" finally manages to overcome his self-centeredness and both men pull together to finally make their way home. The bond between the two men continually strengthens until an emotional moment at the end when "Neal" invites "Del" to his home for the holidays. The scene where the two weary travelers carry "Del's" chest down the street, walk through the door and are greeted by "Neal's" loving family underlines what Thanksgiving is all about to me. Not only that, this movie underlines what great storytelling is all about to me as well.
I have been blessed and am thankful for a lot of things in my life. One of those many things I am thankful for is Planes, Trains & Automobiles. I highly recommend you watch it this weekend or any weekend for that matter.
That does it for another issue of Kickin' it Old School. Thank you for reading. I am thankful for all of my loyal readers and I wish you and your families a very happy Thanksgiving. If you are interested in reading more of my 80's related issues, please click there for a summary. You can also always click on the Archives in the upper left hand column or use the Google Search Box at the top of the right hand column to find any other issues you may have missed. If you are a fan of Kickin' it, PLEASE CLICK ON THE FACEBOOK LOGO in the upper right hand column. This will take you to the Fan Page where I ask you to then click on the "Like" button. Even if you are not a Facebook member yet, please consider joining and registering as a fan at that page. You can also follow @OldSchool80s on Twitter by clicking on the FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER LOGO also in the upper right hand column. This will take you the page and you can just click on the box that says "Follow". I am sending daily 80s tweets, so sign up to get those. Let other 80s fans know about it as well! Peace and much love.
Check this out: Since Thanksgiving is coming soon, this week I thought I would share a few cartoons related to this holiday...
Quote of the day: "Love...is not a big enough word." - 'Del Griffith' character (played by John Candy) in Planes, Trains & Automobiles when asked about his wife.
+ a Bonus Thanksgiving Quote of the day: "A thankful heart is not only the greatest virtue, but the parent of all the other virtues." -Marcus Tullius Cicero
Download this: "Every Time You Go Away" is featured in Planes, Trains & Automobiles at the end, but it is performed by a band called Blue Room (instead of by Paul Young.
Have you heard of "Rickrolling" yet? It is not all that new, but I am surprised how many people have NOT heard of it yet.
"Rickrolling" is a relatively harmless internet prank where users are tricked into watching the video for Rick Astley's 1987 hit song "Never Gonna Give You Up." In sort of a "bait and switch" fashion, the person clicks on a link that they believe will take them to a certain destination, but instead they are greeted with Astley's soulful pop classic. Once this happens, you have been "Rickrolled."
Do you really want to know how this started? Well it involves an egg, a duck and a video game. According to an article by Fox New.com, in keeping with silly Internet humor, the director of the image-sharing Web site 4chan decided he'd play a joke and change the word ‘egg' to ‘duck' every time a user posted a message. In time the phenomenon spread, and the word ‘eggroll' was replaced by ‘duckroll.' When someone came up with the idea to redirect Internet links to an image of a duck on wheels ‘duckrolling' was born. Then in March 2007 came the release of the eagerly awaited first trailer for the still-upcoming video game Grand Theft Auto IV. So popular was the response that it immediately crashed the game publisher's web site. In what was to become a pivotal moment in Internet hoax history, someone at 4chan took the now-useless Web link for the Grand Theft Auto IV trailer and ‘duckrolled' it. But instead of linking to the image of a duck on wheels, he or she linked to the Rick Astley video on YouTube. Rickrolling was born. (Now you know!)
It started as a silly joke back in 2007, but has surprisingly become more mainstream with over 30 million internet users estimated to have already been "Rickrolled" at one point or another.
Back on April 1st (April Fool's Day 2008), YouTube even pranked its users by making every single featured video on the front page a "Rickroll." One week later, the New York Mets announced that "Never Gonna Give You Up" had received 5 million online votes to become the team's new 8th inning sing-along song thanks to several websites which set up "Rickrolls" to vote.
It culminated back on November 6th (2008) when Rick Astley was named the Best Act Ever at the MTV Europe Music awards - and all due to "Rickrolling." Yes, you read that correctly, Rick Astley was named the Best Act EVER. "We've been well and truly Rickrolled," Richard Godfrey, a senior vice president at MTV and executive producer of the awards, told the Telegraph newspaper in the UK. "We wanted to see who our audience would nominate and, given that we're in Liverpool, we thought it would be someone like the Beatles."
The Beatles were not even nominated (which was also done by voting) and Astley ended up beating out Green Day, Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Tokio Hotel and U2 to take home the "honor." Astley has sold more than 40 million albums worldwide, but has not even had a Top 40 hit in the UK since 1993. "Rickrolling" made a mockery out of this award show (or at least this particular award). This had to take a little bit of the luster away from the Ultimate Legend Award which was presented to Paul McCartney that same evening for his lifetime achievements and contributions to music. Astley simply takes this all in good humor and simply released a statement, "I am honoured that my fans worked so hard to help me win Best Act Ever at the 2008 MTV Europe Music Awards."
That's probably more than you ever wanted to know about "Rickrolling" but I was reminded of this after my last issue where I posted the video of Barry Manilow's version of "Never Gonna Give You Up" from his newly released album The Greatest Songs of the Eighties. As I reminded you in the Manilow issue, the Astley song ranked on my Worst #1 Songs of the 80s list. But the internet prank is quite hilarious to me.
And because you know you really want to... CLICK HERE to experience it yourself (Pop Up Video Style)!
That will do it for another issue of Kickin' it Old School. Thanks so much for reading. If you are interested in reading more of my 80's related issues, please click there for a summary. You can always click on the Archives in the upper left hand column or use the Google Search Box at the top of the right hand column to find any other issues you may have missed. If you are a fan of Kickin' it, please pass the word and let others know to give it a try (and of course come back often!). Peace and much love.
Check this out: Since Thanksgiving is coming soon, this week I thought I would share a few cartoons related to this holiday...
Quote of the day: "The past is always judged by the present." -Neith Boyce
Download this: I just can't recommend "Never Gonna Give You Up" but I thought I would go with another song that was on the charts in 1987. Bruce Hornsby just turned 54 years old yesterday (November 23rd, 2008), so I am going to go with "The Way It Is" by Bruce Hornsby & The Range.
I would not consider myself a fan of Barry Manilow, but you have to respect his accomplishments. The 65-year-old singer/songwriter has sold more than 76 million records worldwide while demonstrating longevity with a career spanning 35 years.
The reason Barry Manilow graces the pages of Kickin' it Old School today is that he will be releasing a new album November 24th (2008) called The Greatest Songs of the Eighties. This will be his fourth in a series of successful "Greatest Songs" releases which have already included the Fifties, Sixties and Seventies. The three prior "Greatest Songs" releases have sold more than 2 million copies combined in the U.S. alone.
Manilow returned to Arista Records to work with longtime collaborator Clive Davis on this series of "Greatest Songs" albums. Here is a video previewing the new Eighties album:
Here is the complete track list for Manilow's The Greatest Songs of the Eighties:
"Islands in the Stream" duet with Reba McEntire - originally by Kenny Rogers & Dolly Parton in 1983 "Open Arms" - originally by Journey in 1982 "Never Gonna Give You Up" - originally by Rick Astley in 1987 "Have I Told You Lately" - originally by Van Morrison in 1989 "I Just Called to Say I Love You" - originally by Stevie Wonder in 1984 "Against All Odds (Take A Look At Me Now)" - originally by Phil Collins in 1984 "Careless Whisper" - originally by Wham! in 1984 "Right Here Waiting" - originally by Richard Marx in 1989 "Arthur's Theme (The Best That You Can Do)" - originally by Christopher Cross in 1981 "Hard to Say I'm Sorry" - originally by Chicago in 1982 "Time After Time" - originally by Cyndi Lauper in 1984 "I've Had the Time of My Life" - originally by Bill Medley & Jennifer Warnes in 1987
I would say there are some good songs on that list, but I would not call that collective group the "greatest songs of the 80s." In fact, three of those songs are actually ranked on my Worst #1 Songs of the 80s list (which you should check out if you haven't before). One of those songs is "Never Gonna Give You Up" by Rick Astley. Here is the video of Manilow performing this song:
Now I want to make it clear that I do not really intend on purchasing this album myself, but I wanted to recognize the effort being made to keep the 80s alive and relevant. That will wrap up this issue of Kickin' it Old School. Thanks so much for reading. If you are interested in reading more of my 80's related issues, please click there for a summary. You can also click on the Archives in the upper left hand column or use the Google Search Box at the top of the right hand column to find any other issues you may have missed. If you are a fan of Kickin' it, please pass the word and let others know to give it a try (and of course come back often!) Also, if you are so inclined, please vote or leave high ratings for it by using the several buttons in the upper right hand column (appreciate it!). Peace and much love.
Check this out: Since Thanksgiving is coming soon, this week I thought I would share a few cartoons related to this holiday...
Quote of the day: "Misfits aren't misfits among other misfits." -Barry Manilow
Download this: Some of the songs on Manilow's album are great by the original artist. One of those that I will recommend here is "Have I Told You Lately" by Van Morrison. This song was later covered by Rod Stewart in 1993 and had great success.
Not again! We already had to suffer through the consequences of the Writers strike earlier this year. Now there is a strong possibility of an Actors strike coming our way soon.
LOS ANGELES - The Screen Actors Guild said Saturday it will ask its members to authorize a strike after its first contract talks in four months with Hollywood studios failed despite the help of a federal mediator.
The guild said it adjourned talks with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers shortly before 1 a.m. after two marathon sessions with federal mediator Juan Carlos Gonzalez.
SAG, representing more than 120,000 actors in movies, television and other media, said in a statement that it will launch a "full-scale education campaign in support of a strike authorization."
"We have already made difficult decisions and sacrifices in an attempt to reach agreement," the statement said. "Now it's time for SAG members to stand united and empower the national negotiating committee to bargain with the strength of a possible work stoppage behind them."
The statement did not specify what led to the impasse, saying only that "management continues to insist on terms we cannot responsibly accept." A SAG spokeswoman said she would not comment further. A call to the movie producers group, known as the AMPTP, was not immediately returned.
SAG's national board has already authorized its negotiating committee to call for a strike authorization vote if mediation failed. The vote would take more than a month and require more than 75 percent approval to pass.
SAG is seeking union coverage for all Internet-only productions regardless of budget and residual payments for Internet productions replayed online, as well as continued actor protections during work stoppages.
But the AMPTP said it was untenable for SAG to demand a better deal than what writers, directors and another actors union accepted earlier in the year, especially now that the economy has worsened.
Earlier this week, the producers' group said it had reached its sixth labor deal this year, a tentative agreement on a three-year contract with the local branches of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, Moving Picture Technicians, Artists and Allied Crafts, accounting for 35,000 workers.
The stagehands alliance accepted Internet provisions that were modeled on agreements with other unions, the producers group said.
Actors in prime-time television shows and movies have been working under the terms of a contract that expired June 30, with the hope of avoiding a repeat of the 100-day writers strike which shut down production of dozens of TV shows and cost the Los Angeles area economy an estimated $2.5 billion.
As the article states, this vote would take over a month to complete, so a strike would likely not happen until early 2009 at this point. Either way, this could have a huge impact on our television and movie watching enjoyment in the coming year.
Just thought I would take a moment to share this disappointing news with you. More 80's issues are coming soon. That's all for this quick issue of Kickin' it Old School.
Check this out: As you should know, I always find amusement with signs that provide ironic or unusual information. Here is another that I can't believe someone would allow to happen. The sign says to "keep to the right" but the arrow clearly points to the left...
Quote of the day: "The block of granite which is an obstacle in the pathway of the weak, becomes a stepping-stone in the pathway of the strong." -Thomas Carlyle
Download this: "I Can't Make You Love Me" by Arnold McCuller - This is a cover of the Bonnie Raitt song by an amazing singer whom I discovered after seeing him perform as a background singer for the great James Taylor. I love his version of this song.
Happy Birthday (November 19th) to fashion designer icon Calvin Klein, who turns 66 years old today. Many people don't even know that there is a real person named Calvin Klein who is the man who started the brand himself.
He began his company, Calvin Klein Inc., back in 1968 though he would really reach notoriety in the late 70's and into the 80's. By 1981, it is reported that his annual income reached $8.5 million due in large part to the popularity of his designer jeans.
I remember the famous ads from the early 80's for Calvin Klein Jeans which starred a very young Brooke Shields. These were a bit controversial because they were sexually provocative and Shields was just 15 years old at the time. She would say such lines as "nothing comes between me and my Calvins" or "Momma said he's only interested in my Calvins."
Here is one of those famous television commercials for Calvin Klein Jeans from 1980:
Wow, does she look young, but she was just 15 years old after all. I thought since it was Calvin Klein's birthday, I would share this cool 80's memory. Hope you enjoyed it. I did not even want to get into the fragrance ads for Obsession or Eternity at this point, but those were just as controversial.
That will do it for this short issue of Kickin' it Old School. Thanks so much for reading. If you are interested in reading more of my 80's related issues, please click there for a summary. You can also click on the Archives in the upper left hand column or use the Google Search Box at the top of the right hand column to find any other issues you may have missed. If you are a fan of Kickin' it, please pass the word and let others know to give it a try (and of course come back often!). Peace and much love.
Check this out: A good friend of mine recently traveled over to Asia and took these pictures while in Indonesia. They make me laugh, but it really is not that funny since these are serious matters in that country. The first picture is a welcome sign you would see as you exit the airplane and enter the airport. Notice it says "Death Penalty for Drug Traffickers!" Not that I would deal drugs anyways, but if I saw that sign it would definitely convince me to peddle my stuff elsewhere...
The second picture is advertising a special service offered. It is a little dark, so might be difficult to read. It is for Tourism Insurance! It covers you for "Personal accident & liability, including Sabotage & Terrorism (all risks)." Can you believe this??? The fact that this is necessary can't help the Indonesian tourism industry. Just in case I am abducted and/or taken hostage, I better get the insurance...
Quote of the day: "I don't dwell on success. Maybe that's one reason I'm successful." -Calvin Klein
Download this: I am going to pick a song from 1980 since that is when that Brooke Shields CK ad was from. Let's go with... "Into the Night" by Benny Mardones which has always been a favorite of mine. There is also an acoustic version available which I also recommend.
With the new James Bond movie, Quantum of Solace, just released in theaters, I thought the following article posted by my friends over at Pop Culture Madness was worth sharing. As you may or may not already know, the original name that author Ian Fleming was going to use for 007 was "Peregrine Carruthers" instead of "James Bond." Can you imagine that?
"Carruthers, Peregrine Carruthers" doesn't quite sound as well as "Bond, James Bond," but that is what author Ian Fleming was originally going to name his super-spy. He decided against it because he realized that exotic and fantastic things would be going on around Bond, so he needed a dull name to provide some balance. A name like Peregrine would blow any spy's cover.
If you think that is bad Walt Disney originally wanted to name his iconic toon Mortimer Mouse. He eventually changed the name to Mickey Mouse at the bequest of his wife. She didn't think kids would vibe well with the name. Apparently Disney didn't listen 100%. A new character appeared a few years after the introduction of Mickey named Mortimer. Never heard of him? There's a good reason.
It may not surprise you that Star Wars hero Luke Skywalker was originally named Annikin Starkiller. Before George Lucas had pounded out all the intricate details of Star Wars this character was a composite of Han Solo and Luke Skywalker. He was in the learning phase like Luke but had the cockiness of Han. Eventually the two broke but Lucas held onto the name Anakin for Luke's father. Luke was also named Justin Valor for a while in between the Starkiller and Skywalker phase. That name is a bit too cheesy.
So what's the point? People change names all the time - especially celebrities. Want to know some of their real names? Trust me some are embarrassing. Enjoy.
Chevy Chase - Cornelius Crane Chase John Wayne - Marrion Morrison Tom Jones - Thomas Jones Woodward Cary Grant - Archie Leach Audrey Hepburn - Edda Van Heemstra Hepburn Tiger Woods - Eldridge Tiger Woods Fred Astaire - Frederick Austerlitz Richard Burton - Richard Walter Jenkins Jr. Queen Latifa - Dana Owens Marilyn Monroe - Norma Jean Baker Ringo Starr - Richard Starkey Rodney Dangerfield - Jack Roy Kid Rock - Bob Ritchie Bob Hope - Leslie Towne Hope Larry King - Lawrence Zeiger Ludacris - Christopher Brian Bridges Gene Simmons - Chiam Witz Ice Cube - O'Shea Jackson Madonna - Madonna Louise Veronica Ciccone Lewis Carroll - Rev. Charles Lutwidge Dodgson
So that was the very interesting article about character and celebrity names. Hope you enjoyed that. I always recommend checking in on the Pop Culture Madness blog which is updated daily with lots of topical celebrity stories.
I thought I would continue giving you a few more celebrities and what their real names are/were. My list will (of course) have an 80's focus to it. If you have more good ones, please feel free to leave them in the comments section, but please check for accuracy first. Here are some 80's celebrities who changed their names:
Hulk Hogan - Terry Bollea (included on my Most Favorite & Hated Pro Wrestlers from the 80s list) George Michael - Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou Charlie Sheen - Carlos Estévez Billy Idol - William Michael Albert Broad Tom Cruise - Thomas Cruise Mapother IV Huey Lewis - Hugh Anthony Cregg III (see my Top 10 Huey Lewis & the News Songs list) Alan Alda - Alphonso D'Abruzzo Rick Springfield - Richard Springthorpe Sting - Gordon Sumner (see my Top 10 Police Songs list) Elton John - Reginald Dwight Pat Benatar - Patricia Andrzejewski Tony Danza - Antonio Iadanza Prince - Prince Rogers Nelson (see my Top 10 Prince Songs list) Billy Ocean - Leslie Sebastian Charles Demi Moore - Demetria Guynes (see my Top 10 Brat Pack Movies list) Mr. T - Laurence Tureaud Bono - Paul David Hewson Tina Turner - Anna Mae Bullock Adam Ant - Stuart Leslie Goddard Boy George - George O'Dowd Freddie Mercury - Farrokh Bulsara Sheena Easton - Sheena Orr Eddie Money - Edward Mahoney David Bowie - David Jones Falco - Hans Hölzel Bruce Willis - Walter Bruce Willis Donna Summer - LaDonna Garnes
That's all I could think of for now, but like I said, if you have any more good ones you know, please share them in the comments section. As you probably would agree, I don't blame some of these folks for changing their names.
That will do it for this short issue of Kickin' it Old School. Thanks for reading. You can always click on the Archives in the upper left hand column or type a topic in the Google Search Box (right hand column) to find any other issues you may have missed. If you are a fan of Kickin' it, please pass the word and let others know to give it a try (and of course come back often!). Peace and much love.
Check this out: I first saw this at the RetroCrush website, but thought it was pretty cool and wanted to share it with all of you. It is the artwork of Rob Sheridan and is titled "Cereal Mascot Reunion." It features Frankenberry, the Trix rabbit, Count Chocula, Cap'n Crunch and Tony the Tiger. Sheridan describes this piece as "It's kind of about the strange, uncomfortable feeling of reuniting with old friends only to find that the magic just isn't there anymore - and in turn, about the melancholy ‘nothing will ever be as good as it used to be' type of nostalgia, of which I am increasingly fond. And of course, a tribute to the late, great, wood-paneled, shag-carpeted 1970's rec room." I like the Atari 2600 joysticks sitting on the table. I think it is extremely cool for some reason and you can check out more of Sheridan's art at his website.
Quote of the day: "Character is much easier kept than recovered." -Thomas Paine, political theorist and writer
Download this: I am going to recommend "Take Me To The Pilot" by Elton John since he was included on my list above. That has always been one of my favorites by him.
As you should know, the music industry has changed drastically over the last 5 years or so as the mp3 digital form of music is quickly replacing the traditional compact disc (just as the CD gradually replaced the cassette tape and vinyl LP). This is in large part due to the iPod and iTunes is probably the most influential and most utilized legal source of downloading music.
Well, I came across this bit of news this week declaring that the Journeysong (originally from 1981) "Don't Stop Believin'" has sold over 2 million copies through iTunes thus becoming the biggest selling song released in the pre-digital era, but later re-released through the iTunes store, ever.
Journey have become the band with the "biggest ever catalogue song on digital platforms".
It means that the band's track "Don't Stop Believin'" is the first song that was available in the pre-digital era to sell more than two million through iTunes.
According to the Theguardian.co.uk, part of the track's popularity is to do with it soundtracking the finale of TV hit drama The Sopranos last year.
The song was originally released in 1981, then made available through iTunes in April 2003.
Of all of the great music released pre-iTunes, it is a little surprising to me that this Journey song would top the list. Though it seems that its use in the final episode of The Sopranos in June 2007 helped boost those sales significantly, this says a lot about this band who peeked in popularity during the early 80's. I thought this would be an appropriate time to publish my top 10 Journey songs list, but first I will give you a little background on the band.
Though Journey originally formed way back in 1973, they did not really start to take off until Steve Perry joined the band and took over lead vocals in 1977. The rest of the band during those key 80's years consisted of Neal Schon (lead guitar), Ross Valory (bass guitar), Jonathan Cain (keyboards) and Steve Smith (drums).
Known best for their power ballads, Journey has sold over 46 million albums in the U.S. alone. This includes 7 multi-platinum albums with 5 of those released in the 80's. Their biggest selling studio album was 1981's Escape which went 9x platinum (selling over 9 million copies) hitting #1 on the album charts and producing 3 top ten hits. They even had a video game for the Atari 2600 called Journey Escape. The majority of the band's success came with Steve Perry on lead vocals, but Perry left the band in 1987 then coming back for a short time between 1995-98 before leaving the band again for good. In my opinion, you just cannot replace a voice like Perry and Journey will never be the same without him.
Journey released a Greatest Hits album in November of 1988. This album impressively went 15x platinum selling over 15 million copies. It spent an amazing 760 weeks on the Billboard pop album charts, which doing the math is well over 14 years! I believe all of the songs on my Top 10 list below are included on this album, so it really is worth having if you enjoy Journey music.
Here is OLD SCHOOL'S TOP 10 JOURNEY SONGS OF ALL TIME:
Honorable Mention. "Any Way You Want It" (1980) from Departure [link to video] - A good song, but not one of my absolute favorites. I wanted to include it as an honorable mention because I love the scene in the movie Caddyshack where this song is used. In fact, that scene ranks on my Best Dancing Scenes from 80s Movies list. Definitely check out that list which includes a link to the scene in the movie featuring the song.
10. "Girl Can't Help It" (1986) from Raised on Radio [link to video]
9. "I'll Be Alright Without You" (1986) from Raised on Radio [link to video]
8. "Ask The Lonely" (1983) from Two of a Kind soundtrack [link to video]
7. "Who's Crying Now" (1981) from Escape [link to video]
1. "Don't Stop Believin'" (1981) from Escape [link to video] - 2 million iTunes shoppers can't be wrong (though I had mine from my Greatest Hits album already)
There's my list. Please notice there are links to each song in case you are not familiar with them or just want to relive a memory. As you probably already know from some of my previous lists, I am a sucker for a sappy love song or power ballad, so my list definitely reflects that in this case. A rocker would likely rank this list totally different, so please leave comments or feedback below.
Journey is still releasing albums and touring today though with a couple different members and obviously without Steve Perry. As I mentioned earlier though, they just are not the same without him. Congratulations to the band on the iTunes success of their 80's classic.
That wraps up this issue of Kickin' it Old School. Thanks so much for reading. If you are interested in reading more of my 80's related issues, please click there for a summary. If you are interested in reading more of my Top 10 lists, please click there for a summary of those. You can also click on the Archives in the upper left hand column or use the blogbar Search Box in the right hand column to find any other issues you may have missed. If you are a fan of Kickin' it, please pass the word and let others know to give it a try (and of course come back often!). Peace and much love.
Check this out: Came across this sign promoting the South Lake Union Trolley. The acronym they used creates an interesting (and amusing) proposition...
Quote of the day: "It's a troublesome world. All the people who're in it are troubled with troubles almost every minute. You ought to be thankful, a whole heaping lot, for the places and people you're lucky you're not!" -Dr. Seuss from Did I Ever Tell You How Lucky You Are?
Download this: Not that it needs any more help, but I guess I have to go with "Don't Stop Believin'" by Journey
In my last post on the movie The Last Dragon, I referred to the song "Rhythm of the Night" by the band DeBarge which was featured on the soundtrack. Coincidentally, I came across this story regarding former lead singer El DeBarge and his legal troubles.
Here is a link to the entire TMZ story which they posted on October 28th (2008), but here is the story below in its entirety:
El DeBarge Guilty -- Sent to El Big House
El DeBarge will spend the next two years feeling the rhythm of the night behind bars in connection with a recent drug bust in L.A.
The pop star was just sentenced to two years in state prison -- starting right this second. Authorities are currently taking him to California State Prison in Lancaster where he will immediately begin his sentence.
The judge decided his conduct during the drug bust earlier this month -- in which DeBarge was allegedly found with crack cocaine on his person -- was enough to violate the probation he was on from a drug case in 2007.
This made me a little sad to read since I was a fan of the band back in the 80's. After I got over my extreme disappointment, some jokes immediately came to mind. Like... "He is really going to get some love ‘in a special way' where he is going," or "How much will two years of time reveal?" or add your own prison joke here.
After amusing myself a little with those jokes, I figured this is probably as good of a time as any to publish my Top 10 list of DeBarge songs. Only problem is that I don't think I could really come up with 10 songs that I felt really deserved to be mentioned. Instead, I will give you my Top 5 plus an honorable mention. I will include links so you can at least hear all of these great songs.
The band was made up of five members of the DeBarge family. They were El (short for Eldra), James, Marty, Randy and Bunny. The group was signed by the legendary Motown label in the late 70's and became one of label's most successful acts during the 80's. They really gained notoriety when their second album, All This Love, was released in 1982. DeBarge had three gold albums and singles not only rise up the R&B and Adult Contemporary charts, but also saw success on the Billboard Hot 100.
The band's largest pop success came with the release of the 1985 album Rhythm of the Night which included the title track which was featured in the film The Last Dragon. This song reached #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and is their largest-selling and probably most recognized single. El would leave the group in 1986 to begin a solo career. The remaining family members would not see the same success after his departure and eventually disbanded in 1989.
It turns out that many of the family members, not just El, ended up dealing with drug and alcohol abuse. This year, the mother, Etterlene DeBarge released an autobiography, Other Side of the Pain, which documented her family's troubled childhoods, their rise to fame and their troubles while under the glare of the spotlight. What a shame, but not an uncommon tale.
Now here is OLD SCHOOL'S TOP 5 SONGS BY DeBARGE:
Honorable Mention. "Who's Johnny" (1986) by El DeBarge [link to video] - This was his first single as a solo artist and was featured on the soundtrack to the movie Short Circuit. The video features Ally Sheedy along with scenes from the movie. The song ranks on my popular Top Songs from 80s Movies list. I actually owned the 45 record shown in the picture here. Since it was a solo release, I decided to only list it here as an honorable mention.
There's my list. I loved those songs. When I listen to them now it makes me even more saddened that this group did not stand the test of time. It also saddens me to think that one of my favorite 80s singers has made such a mess of his life and now will spend the next couple of years in prison. I guess he had many chances to straighten himself out and was not strong enough to do so. Now he must suffer those consequences.
That will do it for another issue of Kickin' it Old School. As always, thanks for reading. If you are interested in reading more of my 80's related issues, please click there for a summary. If you are interested in reading more of my Top 10 lists, please click there for a summary of those. You can also click on the Archives in the upper left hand column or use the blogbar Search Box in the right hand column to find any other issues you may have missed. If you are a fan of Kickin' it, please pass the word and let others know to give it a try (and of course come back often!). Peace and much love.
Check this out: Since it is Veteran's Day today, I thought I would share this sign which is posted at this "Veterans of WWII Park & Ride." The point of a park & ride is to reduce traffic and make it convenient for people to meet and combine into one car to drive to a common destination. The idea would be that you would leave your car unattended for some amount of time while you travel in another car. That is why I am perplexed (and amused) by the warning also listed on this sign...
Quote of the day: On this Veteran's Day, I would like to especially share the following... "As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them." -John F. Kennedy
Download this: Since I already recommended "Rhythm of the Night" before, I will give you both "Time Will Reveal" and "Love Me In A Special Way" by DeBarge
As we go along, I will let you in on some of my "guilty pleasures" from the 80's (as if an 80s obsession is not enough in itself). I have already let you in on one in my post on The Karate Kid which you should check out if you have not before. Another of my specific "guilty pleasure" movies from the 80s is 1985's The Last Dragon. Now I read in the Hollywood Reporter that a remake is in the works and it will star Samuel L. Jackson as the main bad guy "Sho'Nuff."
Having most recently played a dirty cop in Lakeview Terrace, Samuel L. Jackson is set to star as a bad guy again in Columbia Pictures' remake of Berry Gordy's 1985 cult classic The Last Dragon.
Jackson will play Sho'nuff, the Shogun of Harlem, a role played in the original by the late Julius Carry, whose spiel included asking ego-driven questions like "Am I the baddest mofo lowdown around this town?" Each time his gang of thugs answered, "Sho 'nuff!"
Davis Entertainment's John Davis and Gordy's son Kerry Gordy are producing. Penning the screenplay as well as producing is Dallas Jackson, who heads up the urban family label DJ Classicz with Davis. Wu-Tang Clan's RZA is co-producing.
The updated plot will be along the same lines of the original, centering on young martial arts student Leroy Green in his quest through the streets of New York to achieve the highest level of martial arts accomplishment, known as the Last Dragon. Those who achieve the high ranking possess the Glow, making them the greatest fighter alive.
The project, announced by Columbia presidents Doug Belgrad and Matt Tolmach, will take a new look at "Last Dragon" coinciding with the 50th anniversary of Motown next year. "We're thrilled to be working with Kerry Gordy as he continues his father's legacy, and we're confident that he along with John and Dallas are the perfect team to develop the project," Belgrad said. "They will capture everything that people love about the original while also bringing a fresh edge to the remake."
The original, which also starred one-namers Taimak and then-Prince protégé Vanity, was released in March 1985 by TriStar Pictures and received lukewarm reviews by critics like Roger Ebert, who gave it 2 1/2 stars and said it was a "great near-miss."
Despite the reviews, "Last Dragon" did well at the box office, grossing nearly $26 million. It soon became a cult classic for scenes like Bruce Lee follower Green remaining so loyal to the martial arts star that he eats his popcorn in a movie theater with chopsticks.
"I'm a huge fan of the original and look forward to bringing Sho'Nuff into the 21st century," Jackson said.
I am not quite sure how I feel about this. I have seen the original so many times I cannot even count and I enjoy all of the bad acting and cheesiness. Sam Jackson is a great choice to try to replicate the "Sho'Nuff" character, but I don't think anybody could be as good as Julius Carry was in the original.
Here is a video to some scenes featuring the "Sho'Nuff" character.
It's sad, but true, that I can recite many of the lines from this film. Whether it is lines by "Sho'Nuff" played by Carry, the main character "Leroy Green" played by Taimak, his little brother "Richie," the other bad guy "Eddie Arcadian," or the beautiful "Laura Charles" played by Vanity as well as some of the other minor characters. I can just start reciting them almost as easily as I can the lines from Caddyshack (which says a lot). I can even remember the slogan that Leroy's Dad used for his pizza place, "Just direct-a your feets-a to Daddy Green's Pizza."
The film has a mix of comedy (both intentionally and unintentionally), action with carefully choreographed martial arts fighting, and even a little romance. It also has a pretty girl (Vanity) which always helps. It even had the DeBarge song "Rhythm of the Night" in it which will rank in my top 200 songs of the 80s list when that gets published.
Like I said, the dialogue is pretty cheesy and the acting is pretty bad, but there is something about this movie that I just really enjoy. Maybe it is the quest for "the glow" which represents the greatness that was inside of us all along. I thought I was alone in my appreciation of The Last Dragon, but to my surprise it sounds like it is actually a cult classic. Here is a link to sort of a trailer for the movie well worth watching which gives you a little better glimpse into what it is about.
That does not do it justice. I would recommend watching this film to any fan of kung-fu movies or just cheesy 80s movies in general. I am not sure how many times you will have to watch before you really start to enjoy it as I still do, but give it at least one try. No matter how good the remake is or how good Sam Jackson is as "Sho'Nuff," I just don't think it has a chance of replacing the original to me.
That will do it for another issue of Kickin' it Old School. Thanks for reading about one of my "guilty pleasures." I am sure I will be sharing others and, believe me, they won't all be karate related. The fact that the first two movies I shared happened to have that connection is purely a coincidence. If you are interested in reading more of my 80's related issues, please click there for a summary. You can always click on the Archives in the upper left hand column or use the blogbar Search Box in the right hand column to find any other issues you may have missed. If you are a fan of Kickin' it, please pass the word and let others know to give it a try (and of course come back often!). Peace and much love.
Check this out: Here is a funny video of Thomas Wilson who played "Biff" brilliantly in the Back to the Future movies. Wilson still acts a little, but also is a comedian. "Biff's Question Song" is pretty funny as it describes what a recognizable character from an iconic movie might go through on a daily basis. Enjoy!
Quote of the day: "Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony." -Mahatma Gandhi
Download this: Since it was featured in the original film The Last Dragon, I am going to go with "Rhythm of the Night" by DeBarge
I have always been a huge Star Wars fan and this was something right out of Star Wars which made it very cool to me. Only problem, like the special effect in the movies, it was not real either. The "hologram" was not really a hologram at all.
Here is a story which I am providing you via www.gearlog.com posted by Sascha Segan:
One of the most talked-about features of last night's election coverage was CNN's supposedly-holographic projections of correspondent Jessica Yellin and musician Will.I.Am onto the CNN studio floor. But CNN's name for the tech was misleading. As Gizmodo explains, the anchors on the studio floor couldn't see 3D images of the correspondents - there was no "hologram" being projected.
Rather, the correspondents were being shot by 35 HD cameras simultaneously to create a 3D image which was then digitally composited into CNN's broadcast image of their studio. There was no live, glowing, 3D picture that people could walk around. The "image" of Jessica Yellin and Wolf Blitzer standing in the same room existed only on TV screens.
If you want to be really pedantic (oh, and I do), Merriam-Webster describes a "hologram" as "a three-dimensional image reproduced from a pattern of interference produced by a split coherent beam of radiation." The CNN shots weren't three-dimensional images - they existed only on two-D TV screens. And they weren't produced from a pattern of interference, etc etc. They were produced by meshing live feeds from 35 cameras pointing in different angles.
It was movie magic, folks, similar to what we all remember from The Matrix. Given that it was done live without a hitch, it was extremely way cool. But it wasn't a hologram, and no amount of wishing will make it so.
Very well written article explaining the stunt, so I thought it was worth sharing. We are now in 2008 and I would have expected to see more real technology like having a discussion with a hologram or flying cars or (insert your favorite sci-fi futuristic ability here). Until I checked into it, I thought that CNN had broken through with at least one of those inventions. Though it now seems extremely unnecessary, it was kind of cool to see Anderson Cooper interview Will.I.Am in this manner. Here is a link to watch the video of this particular "hologram" interview.
I am a little disappointed that the interviewer was just staring at blank space and that at no time was there an actual holographic projection being displayed anywhere. The more I think about it, the more it seems this illusion was kind of pointless. On the other hand, it made me watch last night and it has me writing about it today... so it can't be all bad.
That will wrap up this short issue of Kickin' it Old School. Thanks for reading and we will be back to 80's stuff again soon. Peace and much love.
Check this out: My friends over at 80sInjection.com take some regular pictures and insert 80's cartoon characters into them to make it a little more interesting. Since it is sort of 80s related, it caught my attention. I am including one example from last night below, but please go check out the others at the site yourself. More are added everyday.
Quote of the day: "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character." -Martin Luther King, Jr. on August 28, 1963
Download this: "Human" by The Killers - Great new song which has a sound like it could have been released back in the mid-80's and fit right in.
Another Halloween has come and gone this year but before you put all of your decorations and your It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown DVD away until next October, I thought I would share with you some of my favorite 80's themed Halloween costumes that I came across this year.
First some of the more traditional ideas... like Freddy Krueger (originally from 1984's A Nightmare on Elm Street movie)
like Crockett & Tubbs (from the television series Miami Vice which aired 1984-89)
like singer Billy Idol (with such 80's hits as "Dancing With Myself," "Rebel Yell" and "Eyes Without a Face")
like Rocky Balboa (in, one of my guilty pleasure movies, 1985's Rocky IV)
like President Ronald Reagan (our 40th President serving 1981-1988)
like Beetlejuice (from the 1988 Tim Burton film of the same name)
like Mario & Luigi (from such video game favorites as 1983's Mario Bros. or 1985's Super Mario Bros.)
like the grey suit and red bow tie of Pee Wee Herman (from television series Pee Wee's Playhouse which aired 1986-90 and the 1985 movie Pee Wee's Big Adventure)
like Alf (from the television series of the same name which aired 1986-90)
like a Ghostbuster (complete with "proton pack" from the 1984 film Ghostbusters)
like this great group idea of Captain Stubing, Isaac the Bartender and Cruise Director Julie McCoy (from the television series The Love Boat which aired 1977-86)
Or for the ladies... like Madison the Mermaid (played by Daryl Hannah in the 1984 movie Splash)
like Daisy Duke (played by Catherine Bach in the television series The Dukes of Hazzard which aired 1979-85)
like Princess Leia in her slave costume (from 1983's Return of the Jedi)
Or some other fun options from the Star Wars films... like Yoda (in this case made for a small child)
like a very creative Death Star
Or some other creative efforts... like Pac-Man and Ms. Pac-Man (from the 1980 and 1981 classic arcade games respectively)
like the Rubiks Cube (the puzzle game that became a craze in the early 80's)
like Elliot with E.T. (from the 1982 blockbuster film E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial)
Or some that are just kind of funny... like Chachi (originally from the television series Happy Days and also from the spin-off Joanie Loves Chachi which aired 1982-83)
like Mr. T (which takes dedication if you actually get the haircut & a strong neck to hold all of those chains -- from the television series The A Team which aired 1983-86)
like Hulk Hogan (the Pro Wrestling superstar that took the business to the next level in the mid-80's)
like Beaker and Dr. Bunsen Honeydew (from The Muppets)
And last, on the Halloween episode of NBC's The Office (which aired on Thursday, October 30, 2008), the "Ryan" character came to work dressed as Gordon Gekko from the 1987 film Wall Street which I thought was an interesting idea (suspenders and slicked back hair)
There's all I have for this year. Hope you got a chuckle out of some of these or they gave you some good ideas for next Halloween. Either way, the 80's are a great source for fun and interesting costumes. That will wrap up this Halloween themed issue of Kickin' it Old School. Thanks for reading. If you are interested in reading more of my 80's related issues, please click there for a summary. You can always click on the Archives in the upper left hand column or use the blogbar Search Box in the right hand column to find any other issues you may have missed. If you are a fan of Kickin' it, please pass the word and let others know to give it a try (and of course come back often!). Peace and much love.
Check this out: This is not a Halloween costume. This is an actual family photo from back in the 80's. Check out the big, BIG hair and the flipped up collars. Even the poor kid had her hair teased up in some form of a mullet. Now that's literally a child of the 80's. I just thought this picture was pretty funny. I bet even this family looks back at this picture and has to giggle a little. We have the "THEN" picture, I wish we could see the "NOW" picture just to compare.
Quote of the day: "Well, we all have a face that we hide away forever And we take them out and show ourselves when everyone has gone. Some are satin, some are steel, Some are silk and some are leather. They're the faces of a stranger, But we'd love to try them on." -Billy Joel from the song "The Stranger"
Download this: Since I mentioned it earlier, I will go with "Eyes Without a Face" by Billy Idol
Happy belated birthday to Duran Duran lead singer, Simon LeBon. He actually turned 50 years old on October 27th (2008). If you recall, I did issues on Prince, Madonna and Michael Jackson as they celebrated their 50th birthdays earlier this year. If you missed any of those, be sure to click on the link to give them a read. Now Duran Duran might not have turned out to be the icons that those other three have, but back in the 80's they probably were just as popular.
It turns out that Simon LeBon is the oldest member and the other members are all still under 50. The group was formed back in 1978 and LeBon was not even the original vocalist for the group. Stephen Duffy was the original lead singer, but was replaced in 1979 by LeBon. Duffy formed the original band along with Nick Rhodes (keyboards) and John Taylor (bass guitar). They later added LeBon (vocals), Roger Taylor (drums) and Andy Taylor (guitar). On a surprising note, none of the three Taylors are related to each other.
They released their self titled debut album in 1981 which was a huge success in the UK rising all the way to #3 on the UK album charts. The third single from that album, "Girls on Film" gained them some attention in the U.S. due to the racey video which accompanied it. The second album, Rio, was released in 1982 and gained Duran Duran worldwide attention. The rest is history. The group would go on to have four platinum or multi-platinum albums in the 80's alone.
I thought I would take advantage of this occasion to publish my favorite Duran Duran songs from the 80's. They have had a couple hits after the 80's, but most of their great work was during that great decade. Duran Duran is also well respected for the outstanding music videos that they have produced over the years. They ranked on my popular list of Top 80s Music Videos which I also recommend you check out if you haven't before. Since they are especially deserving, I will be including links to each of the videos on my list.
Now here is OLD SCHOOL'S TOP 10 DURAN DURAN SONGS FROM THE 80's:
Honorable Mention: "Girls on Film" (1981) from Duran Duran - Not one of my favorites, but it really did help launch the band's success in the U.S., so I thought it deserved an honorable mention. [link to video]
10. "I Don't Want Your Love" (1988) from Big Thing - peaked at #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart [link to video]
9. "The Wild Boys" (1984) from Arena - peaked at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart [link to video]
8. "Union of the Snake" (1983) from Seven and the Ragged Tiger - peaked at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart [link to video]
7. "Notorious" (1986) from Notorious - peaked at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart [link to video]
6. "A View to a Kill" (1985) from the soundtrack to A View to a Kill - 007 would be proud since it went all the way to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart [link to video]
5. "New Moon on Monday" (1983) from Seven and the Ragged Tiger - peaked at #10 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart [link to video]
4. "The Reflex" (1983) from Seven and the Ragged Tiger - went all the way to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart [link to video]
2. "Is There Something I Should Know?" (1983) originally released as a stand-alone single - peaked at #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart [link to video]
1. "Hungry Like the Wolf" (1983) from Rio - peaked at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart [link to video]
There's my list. Be sure to watch the videos since most are well worth it. Did I miss any of your favorites? Duran Duran impressively sold more than 100 million records and most of those were during the 80's. They have released a total of 12 studio albums, 3 remix albums, 2 live albums and 4 compilations. They were leaders of what many called the "second British invasion" and made a major impact on 80's music and, like many other artists from early in the decade, gained notoriety using MTV as a major marketing tool.
Though I would not consider myself a huge fan, when I hear many of the songs listed above they take me right back to that time and have mostly fond memories attached to them. One thing I remember about Duran Duran were the pins/buttons that so many people wore on their jackets. They were not the only band to be popular on pins, but one that I specifically remember being prominent. Covering a portion of your jacket in pins/buttons was one of those many odd 80's fashions. Happy 50th Birthday Simon LeBon, you were the voice of a band who I feel is synonymous with 80's pop music.
That will do it for another issue of Kickin' it Old School. As always, thanks for reading. If you are interested in reading more of my 80's related issues, please click there for a summary. If you are interested in reading more of my Top 10 lists, please click there for a summary of those. You can also click on the Archives in the upper left hand column or use the blogbar Search Box in the right hand column to find any other issues you may have missed. If you are a fan of Kickin' it, please pass the word and let others know to give it a try (and of course come back often!). Peace and much love.
Check this out: I thought this newspaper correction notice was humorous (found on failblog.org). Instead of reporting the actual infraction as failure to stop at a railroad crossing, the reported an entirely different crime (see below). The paper "apologizes for the error" but I am not sure a simple apology is enough in this case.
Quote of the day: "Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending." -Carl Bard
Download this: All of the songs on the above list would make solid choices, but I am going to go with "Is There Something I Should Know?" by Duran Duran
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Kickin' it Old School - 80s Pop Culture
World AIDS Day. In conjunction with this day, (RED) will launch a new digital music magazine called (RED) WIRE to continue its fundraising efforts to eliminate AIDS in Africa. (RED)WIRE is a digital music magazine with one very important difference. It not only changes the way music is discovered, it provides medicine for people who need it in Africa. 
(which costs just $5 per month), each week you'll receive exclusive music from the world's greatest artists, and in turn people living with HIV in Africa will get the medicine they need to stay alive. Seems like a worthwhile endeavor to me.
(RED) is not a charity. (RED) is a business model created to raise awareness and money for 
, which promises fans exclusive music by major artists in exchange for $5 a month to fight AIDS, will launch on the 20th anniversary of World AIDS Day.
I obviously chose Planes, Trains & Automobiles which is one of my very favorite films of that decade period (whether it has to do with Turkey Day or not) and one of my favorite comedies of all time. It ranked #1 on 
association with teen movies is so entrenched that modern critics often feel compelled to name-check him, usually with great reverence, when reviewing anything set in a high school. It's easy to forget that he only wrote and directed four such films -- Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club, Weird Science and Ferris Bueller's Day Off -- and that most of his other two-dozen-plus screenplays have been about families and kids: Home Alone, National Lampoon's Vacation, Mr. Mom, etc. 
had appeared in Vacation, which Hughes wrote, and though co-star Steve Martin and Hughes had not worked together before, they certainly knew each other in Hollywood comedy circles. Candy and Martin were both very popular. The film was a departure from Hughes' established genre, but it wasn't exactly a risky proposition. 
Martin and Candy were stars, but they weren't exactly known for highbrow, critic-pleasing comedies. Yet most critics adored the film, and audiences rewarded it with a modestly successful box office take. Its $49 million gross would be about $88 million at today's ticket prices and it has flourished on TV and video. (Hughes helped its TV longevity by shooting an alternate, profanity-free version of the famous F-word-laden car-rental-agency scene for broadcast networks to use in place of the theatrical one.) *see below for this scene
, for example. It is customary in all comedies that if two heterosexual men are required to share a bed, they will wake up in a compromised position, react initially as if nothing is wrong, do a double-take, then leap out of the bed in horror. (This is so well established that it's only in comedies that two straight men ever have to share a bed. If it happened in a drama, we'd be expecting hilarity when they woke up, and the film's mood would be ruined.) Hughes employs this chestnut, which was already old in 1987, but look at how well Martin and Candy play it. The dialogue itself is classic:
two guys are trying to get home. It is primarily a farce, focused on slapstick and errors and mishaps, not on characterization. Del and Neal eventually become friends, but neither of them learns, changes or grows. (The idea that Neal has spent too much time away from his family is halfheartedly brought up, then discarded.) You can have too much of a good thing, and farce is definitely one of the good things that it is easy to have too much of. 
Planes, Trains & Automobiles will definitely be ranked near the top. Other critics surprisingly agree with me on this one. It now has 95% positive ratings on Rotten Tomatoes and is featured in Roger Ebert's Great Movies collection. In 2000, readers of Total Film magazine voted it the 10th greatest comedy film of all time.
The bond between the two men continually strengthens until an emotional moment at the end when "Neal" invites "Del" to his home for the holidays. The scene where the two weary travelers carry "Del's" chest down the street, walk through the door and are greeted by "Neal's" loving family underlines what Thanksgiving is all about to me. Not only that, this movie underlines what great storytelling is all about to me as well.
is a relatively harmless internet prank where users are tricked into watching the video for Rick Astley's 1987 hit song "Never Gonna Give You Up." In sort of a "bait and switch" fashion, the person clicks on a link that they believe will take them to a certain destination, but instead they are greeted with Astley's soulful pop classic. Once this happens, you have been "Rickrolled."
In time the phenomenon spread, and the word ‘eggroll' was replaced by ‘duckroll.' When someone came up with the idea to redirect Internet links to an image of a duck on wheels ‘duckrolling' was born. Then in March 2007 came the release of the eagerly awaited first trailer for the still-upcoming video game Grand Theft Auto IV. So popular was the response that it immediately crashed the game publisher's web site. In what was to become a pivotal moment in Internet hoax history, someone at 4chan took the now-useless Web link for the Grand Theft Auto IV trailer and ‘duckrolled' it. But instead of linking to the image of a duck on wheels, he or she linked to the Rick Astley video on YouTube. Rickrolling was born. (Now you know!)
but has surprisingly become more mainstream with over 30 million internet users estimated to have already been "Rickrolled" at one point or another.
when Rick Astley was named the Best Act Ever at the MTV Europe Music awards - and all due to "Rickrolling." Yes, you read that correctly, Rick Astley was named the Best Act EVER. "We've been well and truly Rickrolled," Richard Godfrey, a senior vice president at MTV and executive producer of the awards, told 
Astley has sold more than 40 million albums worldwide, but has not even had a Top 40 hit in the UK since 1993. "Rickrolling" made a mockery out of this award show (or at least this particular award). This had to take a little bit of the luster away from the Ultimate Legend Award which was presented to Paul McCartney that same evening for his lifetime achievements and contributions to music. Astley simply takes this all in good humor and simply released a statement, "I am honoured that my fans worked so hard to help me win Best Act Ever at the 2008 MTV Europe Music Awards."
reason Barry Manilow graces the pages of 
representing more than 120,000 actors in movies, television and other media, said in a statement that it will launch a "full-scale education campaign in support of a strike authorization."
fashion designer icon Calvin Klein, who turns 66 years old today. Many people don't even know that there is a real person named Calvin Klein who is the man who started the brand himself. 
Calvin Klein Inc., back in 1968 though he would really reach notoriety in the late 70's and into the 80's. By 1981, it is reported that his annual income reached $8.5 million due in large part to the popularity of his designer jeans.
from the early 80's for Calvin Klein Jeans which starred a very young Brooke Shields. These were a bit controversial because they were sexually provocative and Shields was just 15 years old at the time. She would say such lines as "nothing comes between me and my Calvins" or "Momma said he's only interested in my Calvins."
doesn't quite sound as well as "Bond, James Bond," but that is what author Ian Fleming was originally going to name his super-spy. He decided against it because he realized that exotic and fantastic things would be going on around Bond, so he needed a dull name to provide some balance. A name like Peregrine would blow any spy's cover.
Star Wars hero Luke Skywalker was originally named Annikin Starkiller. Before George Lucas had pounded out all the intricate details of Star Wars this character was a composite of Han Solo and Luke Skywalker. He was in the learning phase like Luke but had the cockiness of Han. Eventually the two broke but Lucas held onto the name Anakin for Luke's father. Luke was also named Justin Valor for a while in between the Starkiller and Skywalker phase. That name is a bit too cheesy.
Hulk Hogan - Terry Bollea (included on 
Prince - Prince Rogers Nelson (see 
David Bowie - David Jones
song (originally from 1981) "Don't Stop Believin'" has sold over 2 million copies through iTunes thus becoming the biggest selling song released in the pre-digital era, but later re-released through the iTunes store, ever.
it is a little surprising to me that this Journey song would top the list. Though it seems that its use in the final episode of The Sopranos in June 2007 helped boost those sales significantly, this says a lot about this band who peeked in popularity during the early 80's. I thought this would be an appropriate time to publish my top 10 Journey songs list, but first I will give you a little background on the band.
Their biggest selling studio album was 1981's Escape which went 9x platinum (selling over 9 million copies) hitting #1 on the album charts and producing 3 top ten hits. They even had a video game for the Atari 2600 called Journey Escape. The majority of the band's success came with Steve Perry on lead vocals, but Perry left the band in 1987 then coming back for a short time between 1995-98 before leaving the band again for good. In my opinion, you just cannot replace a voice like Perry and Journey will never be the same without him.
released a Greatest Hits album in November of 1988. This album impressively went 15x platinum selling over 15 million copies. It spent an amazing 760 weeks on the Billboard pop album charts, which doing the math is well over 14 years! I believe all of the songs on my Top 10 list below are included on this album, so it really is worth having if you enjoy Journey music.
7. "Who's Crying Now" (1981) from Escape [
will spend the next two years feeling the rhythm of the night behind bars in connection with a recent drug bust in L.A.
DeBarge family. They were El (short for Eldra), James, Marty, Randy and Bunny. The group was signed by the legendary Motown label in the late 70's and became one of label's most successful acts during the 80's. They really gained notoriety when their second album, All This Love, was released in 1982. DeBarge had three gold albums and singles not only rise up the R&B and Adult Contemporary charts, but also saw success on the Billboard Hot 100.
This was his first single as a solo artist and was featured on the soundtrack to the movie Short Circuit. The video features Ally Sheedy along with scenes from the movie. The song ranks on 
4. "All This Love" (1982) from All This Love [
1. "Rhythm of the Night" (1985) from Rhythm of the Night and The Last Dragon soundtrack [
I have already let you in on one in 
Samuel L. Jackson is set to star as a bad guy again in Columbia Pictures' remake of Berry Gordy's 1985 cult classic The Last Dragon.
Each time his gang of thugs answered, "Sho 'nuff!"
I have seen the original so many times I cannot even count and I enjoy all of the bad acting and cheesiness. Sam Jackson is a great choice to try to replicate the "Sho'Nuff" character, but I don't think anybody could be as good as Julius Carry was in the original.
It also has a pretty girl (Vanity) which always helps. It even had the DeBarge song "Rhythm of the Night" in it which will rank in my top 200 songs of the 80s list when that gets published. 
which represents the greatness that was inside of us all along. I thought I was alone in my appreciation of The Last Dragon, but to my surprise it sounds like it is actually a cult classic. Here is 
fan and this was something right out of Star Wars which made it very cool to me. Only problem, like the special effect in the movies, it was not real either. The "hologram" was not really a hologram at all.
There was no live, glowing, 3D picture that people could walk around. The "image" of Jessica Yellin and Wolf Blitzer standing in the same room existed only on TV screens. 
is the oldest member and the other members are all still under 50. The group was formed back in 1978 and LeBon was not even the original vocalist for the group. Stephen Duffy was the original lead singer, but was replaced in 1979 by LeBon. Duffy formed the original band along with Nick Rhodes (keyboards) and John Taylor (bass guitar). They later added LeBon (vocals), Roger Taylor (drums) and Andy Taylor (guitar). On a surprising note, none of the three Taylors are related to each other.
their self titled debut album in 1981 which was a huge success in the UK rising all the way to #3 on the UK album charts. The third single from that album, "Girls on Film" gained them some attention in the U.S. due to the racey video which accompanied it. The second album, Rio, was released in 1982 and gained Duran Duran worldwide attention. The rest is history. The group would go on to have four platinum or multi-platinum albums in the 80's alone.
I would take advantage of this occasion to publish my favorite Duran Duran songs from the 80's. They have had a couple hits after the 80's, but most of their great work was during that great decade. Duran Duran is also well respected for the outstanding music videos that they have produced over the years. They ranked on 
9. "The Wild Boys" (1984) from Arena - peaked at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart [
5. "New Moon on Monday" (1983) from Seven and the Ragged Tiger - peaked at #10 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart [
Did I miss any of your favorites? Duran Duran impressively sold more than 100 million records and most of those were during the 80's. They have released a total of 12 studio albums, 3 remix albums, 2 live albums and 4 compilations. They were leaders of what many called the "second British invasion" and made a major impact on 80's music and, like many other artists from early in the decade, gained notoriety using MTV as a major marketing tool.
when I hear many of the songs listed above they take me right back to that time and have mostly fond memories attached to them. One thing I remember about Duran Duran were the pins/buttons that so many people wore on their jackets. They were not the only band to be popular on pins, but one that I specifically remember being prominent. Covering a portion of your jacket in pins/buttons was one of those many odd 80's fashions. Happy 50th Birthday Simon LeBon, you were the voice of a band who I feel is synonymous with 80's pop music.
