Today (January 28, 2010) is the 54^th birthday of German musician Peter Schilling. In Germany he still seems to be well-known and has a large catalog of music, but in the U.S. he is known best for his only international hit single "Major Tom (I'm Coming Home)" from his 1983 album Error in the System. Though the original song was recorded in German, the international hit version was sung in English. It is assumed that the song is a re-telling of David Bowie's 1969 song "Space Oddity" about the character being caught in an accident in outer space. I have always liked this synth-pop song, so this week's Flashback Video is "Major Tom (I'm Coming Home)" by Peter Schilling...

The song would reach #14 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, though it did hit #1 on the Germany, Austria, Canada and Switzerland charts. Unfortunately, this would be Schilling's one and only hit in the United States. He is a "one-hit wonder" at least in terms of his American success. In 2009, Shiny Toy Guns recorded a cover of "Major Tom (I'm Coming Home)" that was featured in a commercial for the 2010 Lincoln MKZ. It was later released as a single and on the remix album Girls Le Disko. Here is that Lincoln commercial featuring the cover version of the song...

Alles Gute zum Geburtstag! Peter Schilling. (That's happy birthday in German, I am told). Thanks for at least one classic 80s song. Your one international hit song is still one more than most musicians ever get.

That's another issue of Kickin' it Old School. Thanks for reading. If you are interested in reading any of my other 80s related issues, please click there for a summary of those. If you want to see the past issues of Flashback Videos, just type that into the Google Search Box at the top of the right hand column and it should give you a list of all of them. You can also always click on the Archives in the upper left hand column or use that Google Search Box to find any past issues or topics 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 "Become a Fan". Even if you are not a Facebook member yet, please consider joining and registering as a fan at that page. You can also follow Old School 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". Even though the blog only updates a couple times a week, I try to send out daily 80s tweets. Let other 80s fans know about it as well! Peace and much love.

At the website boxofficemojo.com, they estimate the number of tickets sold and then multiply that by the average box office ticket now which is $7.35 to get the adjusted comparison. According to the site, adjusting for ticket price inflation is not an exact science and should be used to give you a general idea of what a movie might have made if released in a different year, assuming it sold the same number of tickets. Since these figures are based on average ticket prices they cannot take into effect other factors that may affect a movie's overall popularity and success. Such factors include but are not limited to: increases or decreases in the population, the total number of movies in the marketplace at a given time, economic conditions that may help or hurt the entertainment industry as a whole (e.g., war), the relative price of a movie ticket to other commodities in a given year, competition with other related medium such as the invention and advancements of Television, VHS, DVD, the Internet, etc. Still, this method best compares "apples to apples" when examining the history of box office earnings.

As a result, Avatar which currently ranks #2 on the unadjusted list falls all the way down to #26 when you adjust for inflation. Titanic which ranks #1 on the unadjusted list falls down to #6. 1939's Gone With the Wind only ranks at #99 on the unadjusted list with just under $200 million, but jumps all the way up to #1 when you adjust for inflation incredibly taking it over $1.4 billion. Here are the Top 5 movies on the list adjusted for inflation:
1. Gone With the Wind (1939) - $1.485 billion
2. Star Wars (1977) - $1.309 billion
3. The Sound of Music (1965) - $1.047 billion
4. E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial (1982) - $1.043 billion
5. The Ten Commandments (1956) - $963 million

The average movie ticket price in 1939 when Gone With the Wind was originally released was just $0.23! By 1982 when E.T. was released it was still just $2.94 and by the end of the 80s it would go up another dollar to $3.97 in 1989. By the end of the following decade it would rise to $5.08 in 1999 and, as mentioned before, is now all the way up to $7.35 at the end of 2009.

As noted above, 1982's E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial is the highest ranking film from the 80s on this list at #4. That includes its re-releases in both 1985 and 2002. Here are the other films from the 80s to make the Top 100 on the All-Time U.S. Domestic Gross Box Office Earnings Adjusted for Inflation:
12. The Empire Strikes Back (1980) - $721.6 million
14. Return of the Jedi (1983) - $691.3 million
16. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) - $647.8 million
32. Ghostbusters (1984) - $519.9 million
40. Beverly Hills Cop (1984) - $493.6 million
49. Batman (1989) - $462.7 million
59. Back to the Future (1985) - $434.0 million
63. Tootsie (1982) - $418.2 million
84. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984) - $393.5 million
94. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989) - $363.2 million
100. Top Gun (1986) - $350.2 million

You can go to boxofficemojo.com to see the rest of the list if you are interested. It seems like common sense to me that movie box office success should be normalized like this or simply ranked by attendance numbers rather than dollars. It really puts the box office achievements in perspective when you recognize that the average cost of a movie now is over $4.00 more (+150%) than in early 80s and $7.00 more (+3095%) than it was back in 1939 when Gone With the Wind was released. Not sure where Avatar will eventually rank on this list, but I think it is only right to put its achievements into proper historical perspective.

That'll do it for this short issue of Kickin' it Old School. Thanks as always for reading. If you are interested in reading any of my other 80s related issues, please click there for a summary of those. 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 "Become a Fan". Even if you are not a Facebook member yet, please consider joining and registering as a fan at that page. You can also follow Old School 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: As regular readers know, I always enjoy a humorous or ironic sign. This includes billboards and I was just sent a few that I thought were worth sharing. Not sure if these are real or not, but they are funny either way. Enjoy!

Quote of the day: "When evil men plot, good men must plan. When evil men burn and bomb, good men must build and bind. When evil men shout ugly words of hatred, good men must commit themselves to the glories of love." -Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

This week (January 19, 2010) is the 59^th birthday for Martha Davis, the lead singer of the band The Motels. The band had two hit songs in the early 80s and to celebrate Davis' birthday, I decided to feature them in this issue. I have always enjoyed the voice of Martha Davis and thus both of these songs.

From the 1982 album All Four One, the single "Only The Lonely" would reach #9 on the Billboard Hot 100. This week's first Flashback Video is "Only The Lonely" by The Motels...

The Motels - Only the Lonely Music Video 1982 - The funniest videos clips are here

Then in November of 1983, from the album Little Robbers, the single "Suddenly Last Summer" would also reach #9 on the Billboard Hot 100. Oddly enough, Tennessee Williams who in 1958 authored a play titled "Suddenly Last Summer" passed away in February of 1983 just as The Motels were hitting the studio to record this album. Martha Davis has said in various radio interviews that the song was written while reflecting on her life and how you know summer is ending when you hear the ice cream truck go by for the last time and you know he won't be back for a while. This week's second Flashback Video is "Suddenly Last Summer" by The Motels...

That song appears on my Best Songs with the word Summer in the Title list. It does not matter what other musicians she surrounds herself with, The Motels are all about the voice of Martha Davis. Davis most recently released a solo album, Beautiful Life, along with another album with The Motels, This, both in 2008. Davis is still touring with a band under the name The Motels and singing those two great 80s classics.

That will wrap up another issue of Kickin' it Old School. Thanks for reading. If you are interested in reading any of my other 80s related issues, please click there for a summary of those. If you want to see the past issues of Flashback Videos, just type that into the Google Search Box at the top of the right hand column and it should give you a list of all of them. You can also always click on the Archives in the upper left hand column or use that Google Search Box to find any past issues or topics 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 "Become a Fan". Even if you are not a Facebook member yet, please consider joining and registering as a fan at that page. You can also follow Old School 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". Let other 80s fans know about it as well! Peace and much love.

This week (January 13, 2010) was the 44^th birthday of actor Patrick Dempsey. Nowadays, Dempsey is known best as "Dr. McDreamy" on Grey's Anatomy, but I will always think of him as "Ronald Miller" from one of my favorite 80s teen comedies Can't Buy Me Love. The first film I remember him from was Meatballs 3, but 1987's Can't Buy Me Love is a guilty pleasure classic for me.

The film is about a high school nerd who makes a deal with the cool pretty girl at school to be his girlfriend with the expectation that it would make him cool in the process. The nerd is played by Dempsey and the cool girl "Cindy Mancini" is played by the beautiful Amanda Peterson. It tells the story of what kids are willing to do in order to gain acceptance and the characters all discover a valuable lesson at the end. Here is the original trailer for Can't Buy Me Love...

The film did not get good reviews as you might expect, but I have always considered it an entertaining effort. The movie has a scene that ranks on my popular Best Dancing Scenes from 80s Movies list. It also has a moment at the end which ranks highly on my Best Inspirational Speeches from 80s Movies which ends with "Ronald" saying, "Nerds, jocks. My side, your side. It's all bulls**t. Its hard enough just trying to be yourself." Both of those lists are worth checking out if you haven't before (they also include video links), so just click on the link to take you there.

A couple interesting notes about the cast are that it included Gerardo Mejia as one of the cool kids who would later go on to be the Latin rapper with the 1991 hit song "Rico Suave". It also included Seth Green when he was 13 years old as "Ronald's little brother Chuckie" who would go on to appear in several movies and TV shows including Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Family Guy, Austin Powers and many more. The gorgeous Amanda Peterson who played "Cindy Mancini" in the film surprisingly did not go on to do much else after the popularity she achieved in this film. Sadly, she left acting after her last screen appearance in the 1995 film Windrunner.

I don't watch Grey's Anatomy regularly, but even when I watch the movie Enchanted with my daughter or see him on a magazine cover, I will always think of Patrick Dempsey as "Ronald Miller." But would you really expect anything less from me?

That's going to do it for this issue of Kickin' it Old School. Thanks as always for reading. If you are interested in reading any of my other 80s related issues, please click there for a summary of those. If you want to see the past issues of Preview Review, just type that into the Google Search Box at the top of the right hand column and it should give you a list of all of them. 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 "Become a Fan". Even if you are not a Facebook member yet, please consider joining and registering as a fan at that page. You can also follow Old School 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.

Today (January 8, 2010) is the 63^rd birthday for David Bowie (real name David Robert Jones). Now Bowie produced quite a bit of music in the late 60s and throughout the 70s finding his first American success with 1975's "Fame" (which was actually co-written by none other than John Lennon). As a youngster, I had no idea who David Bowie was until he joined Queen to release the amazing song "Under Pressure" in 1981, but would really not take notice until 1983 when his album Let's Dance dropped which was co-produced by Chic's Nile Rodgers.

That album features the late, great Stevie Ray Vaughan's guitar on most songs and yielded several hits including "Modern Love," "China Girl" and the album's namesake. This week's Flashback Video is "Let's Dance" by David Bowie...

The video features Bowie watching an Aboriginal couple's struggles against metaphors of Western cultural imperialism impassively while playing with his band intending some feelings of loneliness and desperation despite being a dance song. "Let's Dance" would hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in May of 1983 and always reminds me of that year when I hear it. Despite his success both before and after the 80s, David Bowie is always remembered by me best for his 80s classics.

That will do it for issue of Kickin' it Old School. Thanks for reading. If you are interested in reading any of my other 80s related issues, please click there for a summary of those. If you want to see the past issues of Flashback Videos, just type that into the Google Search Box at the top of the right hand column and it should give you a list of all of them. You can also always click on the Archives in the upper left hand column or use that Google Search Box to find any past issues or topics 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 "Become a Fan". Even if you are not a Facebook member yet, please consider joining and registering as a fan at that page. You can also follow Old School 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". Let other 80s fans know about it as well! Peace and much love.

In my last issue, I came to accept that it has now been 20 years since the ‘80s ended. Let me repeat that, 20 years!!! It made me start thinking about what was happening back at the end of 1989. My last issue was on the song which was #1 at the end of the 1989 and this issue will be on the #1 worldwide grossing movie of that final year of my favorite decade. Despite strong efforts by Batman and Ghostbusters II, that honor went to Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.

In North America, Batman was the highest, but Last Crusade would bring in a worldwide total of over $474 million which at the time of its release in 1989 was the 11th highest-grossing film of all time. This was the third installment of Indiana Jones films and this one brings in Indy's relationship with his father. Of course, Indiana Jones is one of the most iconic film characters or all time and is played brilliantly by Harrison Ford. The role of his father is played by Sean Connery (though Connery is only really 12 years older than Ford). Here is the original trailer for Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade...

The movie shows Indiana Jones as a youngster (played by the late River Phoenix) and serves to provide some backstory on the character. Harrison Ford has a scar on his chin from a car accident when he was younger, but the film shows young Indy getting this scar while cracking a bullwhip. It also discusses the origination of the nickname Indiana which really came from the name of George Lucas' dog, so in the film it also comes from the Jones' pet dog. This "prologue" depicting Indiana in his youth inspired Lucas to create The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles television show which would run from 1992-1996.

I was a big fan of the Indiana Jones movies, especially the first one, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and this third one, The Last Crusade. They will always hold a special place for me and I will always remain a fan. It is hard to believe that it has been 20 years since that one was released. There was a fourth installment, the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, in theaters in 2008. Though it received mixed reviews, I still really enjoyed seeing the Indiana Jones character played by Harrison Ford back on the screen again. I hope they even make another one at some point.

That'll do it for this issue of Kickin' it Old School. Thanks as always for reading. If you are interested in reading any of my other 80s related issues, please click there for a summary of those. If you want to see the past issues of Preview Review, just type that into the Google Search Box at the top of the right hand column and it should give you a list of all of them. 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 "Become a Fan". Even if you are not a Facebook member yet, please consider joining and registering as a fan at that page. You can also follow Old School 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.