Def Leppard are working on a new cartoon featuring their likenesses. Is this really a good idea? Do they think they could pull this off? Considering their last album, Songs In The Sparkle Lounge, bombed on the charts, do people even still care about them? I'm a huge Def Leppard fan, and even I have no interest whatsoever to see this animated cartoon. So is Rick Allen going to have a bionic arm and is Joe Elliott going to screech with high notes to kill villains. Note to the producers of this crap, save your money and move away from this project!!! By the way, when is that new cartoon about John Oates and his mustache hitting the airwaves?
I've already announced a boycott of the Karate Kid remake, but I have to give props to the team that put together the trailer. It doesn't look like it's going to be as big of a train wreck as I originally thought, and has potential to appeal to a new generation of kids not familiar with the original. If they could have also used Ralph Macchio and William Zabka (oh yeah and Thomas Ian Griffith as Terry Silver) in cameo appearances to hand off the reigns to Jackie Chan and Will Smith's kid, I'd check it out. For those who haven't seen it yet, below is the trailer:
Still feeling the chills from watching Avatar last weekend. If you haven't read my review, I'll say it again. Avatar is going to be for today's generation of moviegoers what Star Wars was for my generation. Put that in your pipe and smoke it.
How disappointing was the Survivor finale on Sunday? I've been adamant that the show is not "real" and manipulated by the producers to make for better television which in turn makes the sponsors happy. But they can only do so much, and must truly leave it up to the bitter members of the jury to vote for the winner. It seems that no matter how many challenges they create to eliminate boring contestants, or telling Russell where the immunity idols are to make us believe he found them on his own, the producers have no pull with the jury. Survivor finales are usually fun, but when the truly best player does not win only because of the jealousy of the people they outwitted, outplayed, and outlasted, it's a huge letdown. I've seen it happen many times!! I am looking forward to the 20th Season of Survivor, the only reality program I can still tolerate. It definitely makes for a good season when you already know the contestants. But I'm sticking to my guns with the following proclamation: After the next Survivor, I am done not only with any reality show, but with Survivor also. There is only so much more I can tolerate knowing I'm watching a manipulated game show. Can't we get truly "real" television soon? I'm sticking to the cable dramas instead.
Still on the Survivor subject, considering how upset Russell was after not being named the winner, don't you think he must be more pissed because he is probably not going to go far in the All-Star next season which he supposedly is a cast member of?
Another huge death that went unnoticed in the media. Keri Lee Tucker, the Box Of Junk Girl on The Metal Show, was found dead in her apartment last week. Still no explanation what happened. She was gorgeous beyond belief, and seeing her wiggle the box was always a treat.
As a favor to my wife, I'll sometimes watch Wheel Of Fortune with her. Seriously, it is Jeopardy for idiots, and sitting there for thirty minutes is pure agony!! Why do these people always buy vowels quickly, doing all of the work for somebody else who can then go ahead and solve it? Do you think that they are told before the show that it makes for better television to choose vowels? Also, why is Vanna White even there? Now that the letters are electronic and could pop up automatically, is there a point of her standing around while earning the easiest paycheck in the business?
Why hasn't there been another Ken Jennings on Jeopardy? I can't recall a champion staying on for more than two weeks. Jennings was on for almost four months? Think maybe there was some manipulation to boost ratings. Hmm? I'm wondering if or when ABC would ever replace Jeopardy and Wheel Of Fortune with another lame talk show? It's going to happen eventually, but I'm a purist and like the old-school game shows that have been on the same time for god knows how long.
Imagine the internet was around in 1984? A lot of classic movie scenes would never have happened. One good example is the Blue Oyster bar scene. You remember that crazy scene. Blanks And Copeland are told to monitor the big party that Mahoney is throwing during their break. They are able to gain the party information through bullying tactics, although Mahoney was two steps ahead of them. Nowadays, if I get an invite for a party, I'd go on-line to do some research so I'm prepared. These two schmucks didn't have that resource which would have saved them a lot of embarrassment and humiliation. I'd think if I got trapped for hours slow dancing with a gay biker, it would take years to recover from that.
Ghostbusters III has been talked about for years, and it seems like it's finally going to happen. Do we really need this movie to happen?
Why hasn't there been another Ken Jennings on Jeopardy? I can't recall a champion staying on for more than two weeks. Jennings was on for almost four months? Think maybe there was some manipulation to boost ratings. Hmm? I'm wondering if or when ABC would ever replace Jeopardy and Wheel Of Fortune with another lame talk show? It's going to happen eventually, but I'm a purist and like the old-school game shows that have been on the same time for god knows how long.
Imagine the internet was around in 1984? A lot of classic movie scenes would never have happened. One good example is the Blue Oyster bar scene. You remember that crazy scene. Blanks And Copeland are told to monitor the big party that Mahoney is throwing during their break. They are able to gain the party information through bullying tactics, although Mahoney was two steps ahead of them. Nowadays, if I get an invite for a party, I'd go on-line to do some research so I'm prepared. These two schmucks didn't have that resource which would have saved them a lot of embarrassment and humiliation. I'd think if I got trapped for hours slow dancing with a gay biker, it would take years to recover from that.
Ghostbusters III has been talked about for years, and it seems like it's finally going to happen. Do we really need this movie to happen?
Judd Apatow has made a huge impact on not just Hollywood, but real life as well. In his movies, the funny but unattractive dudes seem to score with the hot chicks. His ideas must have had a huge influence on the ladies of Mad Men. Elisabeth Moss (Peggy Olsen) is engaged to ugly funny man Fred Armisen from Saturday Night Live, and Christina Hendricks (Joan Holloway, who according to Roger Sterling was the best piece of ass he has ever had) married the ugly funny man Geoffrey Arend from movies such as Super Troopers and The Ringer. Why of course he also happened to appear on Apatow's failed TV show, Undeclared! Seems to be a positive sign for funny buy ugly guys out there that they might land super hot babes if they can only make them laugh.
I've gone on and on about the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, and the huge slap in the face to the members of the KISS army including me. But it's not only a slap in the face to me as a KISS fan, but also a slap in the face to me as a music history aficionado. I was going to break down the achievements of the band and analyze the hypocritical arguments against them being inducted such as: they weren't great musicians (yet, the Sex Pistols are in the Hall even though Sid Vicious didn't actually play bass, as are The Ramones who only play the same three chords in all their tunes), their music didn't have any substance (Umm, I love AC/DC to death, but they are in the Hall Of Fame with the same basic tongue in cheek lyrics. Not all rock and roll music has to have substance, it just has to be good enough to make the gimmick work), they were a band who wore costumes and make-up (as did David Bowie who went bi-sexual for a few years and had an alter-ego known as Ziggy Stardust, Elton John wore flamboyant costumes such as Donald Duck outfits, and Parliament/Funkadelic were pretty out there! Of course these acts are all in the hall of fame), they hit their peak in 1976 and were only relevant for a few years (People always forget KISS had success in the eighties after removing the make-up, so throw this out the window. Besides, artists like Buffalo Springfield, The Velvet Underground, and Janis Joplin are in the Hall Of Fame with no longevity. So Paul or Gene had to die young in order to be recognized? I know Nirvana is going in first ballot only on the simple fact that Kurt Cobain killed himself right as they reached their peak. Should Nirvana have kept going on, they would not even be relevant anymore! I can go on and on about this, but will save it for another time) and Gene Simmons is a prick (I can't deny that, and I'm sure he will ask for $$$$ in exchange for the band's costumes and such to be displayed). Johnny Rotten didn't even show up to the induction, AC/DC didn't even care but showed up out of respect to the fans, and Ozzy wanted Black Sabbath to be removed from the ballot but still showed up when they did get inducted.) Instead, I'm going to make it crystal clear why they have not yet been inducted. It's all politics!!
Jan Wenner has an ego the size of Mt. Everest, and for the past thirty+ years has been the one responsible for determining what truly is great music. What he hasn't realized is that once his magazine was more interested in saving it's ass by covering hot trends and putting Backstreet Boys, Justin Timberlake, and The Jonas Brothers on the cover of his magazines, Rolling Stone was no longer relevant. Back in the late 60's, the music fans needed a magazine that went against the grain and weren't tied down to outside interests. So Jan Wenner founded Rolling Stone. Of course that does not hold true anymore. Although it probably kills him and his staff, they need to feature the latest and greatest trends with cover stories and generous reviews in order to sell magazines. Of course after they get their cover stories, in their year-end magazines, they'll do a total 180 and rip apart the stuff only a few months ago were telling us was the future of Hollywood. How does this equate to KISS being snubbed. If you didn't know, Jann Wenner is the head of the nomination committee. Back in the 70's, when KISS needed music publications to help promote the band, Wenner and his crew didn't understand what the band was all about. They never have taken kindly to hard rock bands as evident by the lack of them in the Hall. Anyway, Wenner thought the band was a joke and stuck to his big stories about John Lennon, Bob Dylan, and Joni Mitchell. KISS gained exposure by turning to other magazines such as Creem and Circus. Fast forward to 1996 and the infamous KISS reunion. Rolling Stone wanted to feature the band because it was the hottest thing on the planet But Gene and Paul remember how Rolling Stone failed to promote them back in their heyday, so they told Wenner to fuck off and worked exclusives with Spin magazine. So KISS is snubbed every year not because of anything to do with their music, but because of a stupid business grudge. I wanted to go on and on and on with this, but I figured a quick blurb was sufficient. So now you know the real reason why!!!
By the way, here are my quick thoughts on the 2010 Nominees:
ABBA- You might not find a bigger hetero-sexual fan of ABBA than me. Benny and Bjorn were outstanding song writers who gave some some great pop melodies. Agnetha was a goddess, and Anni-Frid had some great pipes. But there is no way that they should be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame. And especially not since other more influential "ROCK" bands like KISS, Rush, Judas Priest, Chicago, Iron Maiden, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Bon Jovi are not in.
Jimmy Cliff- If this was the "World Music" Hall Of Fame, then absolutely? But when your biggest contributions to the music world are a cover of Johnny Nash's I Can See Clearly Now, acting in an infamous movie (The Harder The Come), and having your most recognizable song be written by Latoya Jackson, you shouldn't be in. This one was a joke!
Genesis- They were a huge influence on me in the eighties. How could you go wrong with songs like Invisible Touch, That's All, and Throwing It All Away. But this was total corporate rock, which means that if you putting in the band for this material, then it could be a good sign for Journey, Styx, and REO Speedwagon. As for the Peter Gabriel era of Genesis, it was truly overrated. Their songs were twenty minutes of crap, and the band was more known for Gabriel's elaborate costumes. You are telling me KISS can't in, but Genesis can. I love the band, but in a perfect world, they should not in the Hall. But considering other artsy bands like Talking Heads and Blondie are in, then it makes sense.
Iggy & The Stooges- I still don't get their appeal or influence, but I'm sure that if I was alive in the 70's and caught them live, I could have more of an opinion. From what I have seen, Iggy Pop was all substance and not a good musician. The most overrated musician of all time! So he flashed his 10 inch cock around and cut himself with glass on stage? Iggy and the Stooges get in for being a crazy live act? Alice Cooper and KISS both has more shocking acts, and unlike the Stooges, their music was actually good.
The Hollies- This might be the only one I agree with, only because Buffalo Springfield, The Rascals, and Lovin' Spoonful are in. It also doesn't help when you are buddies with Jan Wenner (i.e. Stephen Stills which helped Buffalo Springfield, and Graham Nash which helps the Hollies) Carrie Ann is one of my favorite tunes of all time, and nobody could sing a melody in the 70's like Graham Nash. If the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame really only represented the creme de la creme of music, The Hollies would have no chance.
I finally caught some clips from The Gene Simmons Roast. Jeffrey Ross, Greg Gass (who also did a great impersonation of both Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons), and Lisa Lampanelli really took it to Gene. And judging from Gene's face, it didn't make him happy to hear potshots about his talent, his ego, and his lover Shannon Tweed. Why couldn't they have gotten scorned ex-KISS member like Ace Frehley, Peter Criss, Vinnie Vincent, and Eric Carr's family to real stick it to him? By the way, did you see who the house band is? None other than Steel Panther, although at this time they were known as Metal Skool!
I have a few personal goals for 2010, but even with the easy access to information making nothing a challenge anymore, I still have a few goals in relation to pop culture. I want to find a copy of the Lean On Me soundtrack ('cause Mr. Clark don't play), obtain the theme song from Meatball II, see a photo of Thora Birch's mom (why you ask? Only because she was Candy Christian in the legendary Candy porn movies, and I'm dying to see what she looks like now. Google Image searches over the years have left me with nothing!), and to find out if Bambi Woods is still alive (Bambi Woods was the lead role in Debbie Does Dallas. The big mystery is that she has disappeared since 1986 and nobody, not even private investigators, have any idea what ever happened to her! She could have died of a drug overdose, she could be a born-again Christian living in Montana with a husband and three kids. My theory is that she was involved with the drug mafia, and her body was never meant to be discovered. Oh how I hope I am wrong!)
On that note, I am out of here before I go off on another random tangent. Got some more movie symphonies (even if they don't seem to be a hit!) and an Out There! retread coming this week. Otherwise, Happy Holidays!
Mikey
I've gone on and on about the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, and the huge slap in the face to the members of the KISS army including me. But it's not only a slap in the face to me as a KISS fan, but also a slap in the face to me as a music history aficionado. I was going to break down the achievements of the band and analyze the hypocritical arguments against them being inducted such as: they weren't great musicians (yet, the Sex Pistols are in the Hall even though Sid Vicious didn't actually play bass, as are The Ramones who only play the same three chords in all their tunes), their music didn't have any substance (Umm, I love AC/DC to death, but they are in the Hall Of Fame with the same basic tongue in cheek lyrics. Not all rock and roll music has to have substance, it just has to be good enough to make the gimmick work), they were a band who wore costumes and make-up (as did David Bowie who went bi-sexual for a few years and had an alter-ego known as Ziggy Stardust, Elton John wore flamboyant costumes such as Donald Duck outfits, and Parliament/Funkadelic were pretty out there! Of course these acts are all in the hall of fame), they hit their peak in 1976 and were only relevant for a few years (People always forget KISS had success in the eighties after removing the make-up, so throw this out the window. Besides, artists like Buffalo Springfield, The Velvet Underground, and Janis Joplin are in the Hall Of Fame with no longevity. So Paul or Gene had to die young in order to be recognized? I know Nirvana is going in first ballot only on the simple fact that Kurt Cobain killed himself right as they reached their peak. Should Nirvana have kept going on, they would not even be relevant anymore! I can go on and on about this, but will save it for another time) and Gene Simmons is a prick (I can't deny that, and I'm sure he will ask for $$$$ in exchange for the band's costumes and such to be displayed). Johnny Rotten didn't even show up to the induction, AC/DC didn't even care but showed up out of respect to the fans, and Ozzy wanted Black Sabbath to be removed from the ballot but still showed up when they did get inducted.) Instead, I'm going to make it crystal clear why they have not yet been inducted. It's all politics!!
Jan Wenner has an ego the size of Mt. Everest, and for the past thirty+ years has been the one responsible for determining what truly is great music. What he hasn't realized is that once his magazine was more interested in saving it's ass by covering hot trends and putting Backstreet Boys, Justin Timberlake, and The Jonas Brothers on the cover of his magazines, Rolling Stone was no longer relevant. Back in the late 60's, the music fans needed a magazine that went against the grain and weren't tied down to outside interests. So Jan Wenner founded Rolling Stone. Of course that does not hold true anymore. Although it probably kills him and his staff, they need to feature the latest and greatest trends with cover stories and generous reviews in order to sell magazines. Of course after they get their cover stories, in their year-end magazines, they'll do a total 180 and rip apart the stuff only a few months ago were telling us was the future of Hollywood. How does this equate to KISS being snubbed. If you didn't know, Jann Wenner is the head of the nomination committee. Back in the 70's, when KISS needed music publications to help promote the band, Wenner and his crew didn't understand what the band was all about. They never have taken kindly to hard rock bands as evident by the lack of them in the Hall. Anyway, Wenner thought the band was a joke and stuck to his big stories about John Lennon, Bob Dylan, and Joni Mitchell. KISS gained exposure by turning to other magazines such as Creem and Circus. Fast forward to 1996 and the infamous KISS reunion. Rolling Stone wanted to feature the band because it was the hottest thing on the planet But Gene and Paul remember how Rolling Stone failed to promote them back in their heyday, so they told Wenner to fuck off and worked exclusives with Spin magazine. So KISS is snubbed every year not because of anything to do with their music, but because of a stupid business grudge. I wanted to go on and on and on with this, but I figured a quick blurb was sufficient. So now you know the real reason why!!!
By the way, here are my quick thoughts on the 2010 Nominees:
ABBA- You might not find a bigger hetero-sexual fan of ABBA than me. Benny and Bjorn were outstanding song writers who gave some some great pop melodies. Agnetha was a goddess, and Anni-Frid had some great pipes. But there is no way that they should be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame. And especially not since other more influential "ROCK" bands like KISS, Rush, Judas Priest, Chicago, Iron Maiden, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Bon Jovi are not in.
Jimmy Cliff- If this was the "World Music" Hall Of Fame, then absolutely? But when your biggest contributions to the music world are a cover of Johnny Nash's I Can See Clearly Now, acting in an infamous movie (The Harder The Come), and having your most recognizable song be written by Latoya Jackson, you shouldn't be in. This one was a joke!
Genesis- They were a huge influence on me in the eighties. How could you go wrong with songs like Invisible Touch, That's All, and Throwing It All Away. But this was total corporate rock, which means that if you putting in the band for this material, then it could be a good sign for Journey, Styx, and REO Speedwagon. As for the Peter Gabriel era of Genesis, it was truly overrated. Their songs were twenty minutes of crap, and the band was more known for Gabriel's elaborate costumes. You are telling me KISS can't in, but Genesis can. I love the band, but in a perfect world, they should not in the Hall. But considering other artsy bands like Talking Heads and Blondie are in, then it makes sense.
Iggy & The Stooges- I still don't get their appeal or influence, but I'm sure that if I was alive in the 70's and caught them live, I could have more of an opinion. From what I have seen, Iggy Pop was all substance and not a good musician. The most overrated musician of all time! So he flashed his 10 inch cock around and cut himself with glass on stage? Iggy and the Stooges get in for being a crazy live act? Alice Cooper and KISS both has more shocking acts, and unlike the Stooges, their music was actually good.
The Hollies- This might be the only one I agree with, only because Buffalo Springfield, The Rascals, and Lovin' Spoonful are in. It also doesn't help when you are buddies with Jan Wenner (i.e. Stephen Stills which helped Buffalo Springfield, and Graham Nash which helps the Hollies) Carrie Ann is one of my favorite tunes of all time, and nobody could sing a melody in the 70's like Graham Nash. If the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame really only represented the creme de la creme of music, The Hollies would have no chance.
I finally caught some clips from The Gene Simmons Roast. Jeffrey Ross, Greg Gass (who also did a great impersonation of both Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons), and Lisa Lampanelli really took it to Gene. And judging from Gene's face, it didn't make him happy to hear potshots about his talent, his ego, and his lover Shannon Tweed. Why couldn't they have gotten scorned ex-KISS member like Ace Frehley, Peter Criss, Vinnie Vincent, and Eric Carr's family to real stick it to him? By the way, did you see who the house band is? None other than Steel Panther, although at this time they were known as Metal Skool!
I have a few personal goals for 2010, but even with the easy access to information making nothing a challenge anymore, I still have a few goals in relation to pop culture. I want to find a copy of the Lean On Me soundtrack ('cause Mr. Clark don't play), obtain the theme song from Meatball II, see a photo of Thora Birch's mom (why you ask? Only because she was Candy Christian in the legendary Candy porn movies, and I'm dying to see what she looks like now. Google Image searches over the years have left me with nothing!), and to find out if Bambi Woods is still alive (Bambi Woods was the lead role in Debbie Does Dallas. The big mystery is that she has disappeared since 1986 and nobody, not even private investigators, have any idea what ever happened to her! She could have died of a drug overdose, she could be a born-again Christian living in Montana with a husband and three kids. My theory is that she was involved with the drug mafia, and her body was never meant to be discovered. Oh how I hope I am wrong!)
On that note, I am out of here before I go off on another random tangent. Got some more movie symphonies (even if they don't seem to be a hit!) and an Out There! retread coming this week. Otherwise, Happy Holidays!
Mikey
It's obviously only a difference of opinion because I believe the Hollies do represent the creme de la creme of music. Over their long and distinguished career they've created a body of work second only to the Beatles and Rolling Stones and that's a fair assessment of their ranking. In the 60's they were overshadowed by those 2 groups in both music and popularity but were far ahead in creativity and popularity than their other rivals. How can the Dave Clark 5 be elected and not the Hollies? Though it's not one of my favorites, 'He Ain't Heavy' is one of the all time classic songs, ranking with Georgia by Ray Charles, or Tony Bennett's 'San Francisco' or 'Loving Feeling' by the Righteous Brothers. I don't think that you've given the Hollies their due.
ReplyDeleteLook, I love the Hollies and their catalog speaks for itself. But in the grand picture of the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame, would you really believe they were the best of the best? If the hall of fame had a pantheon with different levels based on who is already in, The Hollies would be on the third or fourth ring. If the Hall Of Fame only included the elite, there is no way The Hollies are in as is the case with probably 150 or more artists that are currently in including: The Pretenders, Bob Seger, Talking Heads, Blondie, Bonnie Raitt, Steely Dan, etc. I am a huge fan of all the aforementioned artists, but I wouldn't consider them elite. But you are right, if other bands like Dave Clark Five, Buffalo Springfield, and Lovin Spoonful are in, I guess The Hollies are more than qualified. Also remember that The Who and The Kinks had a more distinguished career than The Hollies in terms of 60's rock. Thanks for the comment.
ReplyDeleteNo, you're right. If one judges on an absolute, unbiased standard the Hollies would not be considered an elite group. As a fan there was always a sense of frustration at how often they would settle for something commercial-garbage like Jennifer Eccles or Wiggle that Wotsit. But they would also do something great and renew my faith in them. I don't imagine that anyone felt the Hollies indifferent critical success more than Allan Clarke. After Nash left Clarke tried so hard to get the commercial and critical success that Nash had and kept failing at having a solo career away from the Hollies. As for the Who and the Kinks I liked them both and bought their records and attended their concerts back in the 60's(Ray Davies would always like to remind the audience what a cute ass he had) but over the course of years I'm far less impressed by the Kinks and the Who than I was then. The last Kinks song that I liked was 20th Century Man and the last Who album that I totally enjoyed was Who's Next. Each of them have maybe a dozen songs that I would place on my all-time list while the Hollies, between the Nash era through the 80's have about 50 or so. The Who particularly through the years became so pretentious and self-important. Tommy seems just like mostly filler now. The Kinks at their best had modest but appealing songs. I loved the Buffalo Springfield's 3 albums and it doesn't bother me in the least of their being in the Hall of Fame. Which comes back to the first point that if only the absolute elite are to be elected what are your definitions, popularity or critical success or musical impact or number of hits? I wouldn't say that the Hollies belong in the elite but after weighing the other elected artists there's no justifiable reason not to acknowledge their music.
ReplyDelete