For Those Who Like To Read, I Salute You: And Party Every Day (The Inside Story Of Casablanca Records) by Larry Harris

I always search for the most interesting books to read, especially when I'm heading on a week's vacation. So it was off to the Barnes & Noble in Princeton to find some great reading material last week. Going into the store, I actually intended on picking up the Bill Simmons Book Of Basketball which I had already read the first few chapters while lounging in Borders the week before. But knowing that this B&N has perhaps the best music-related books in this area, I first set sail toward the music section. I'm always searching for the intriguing music facts books or a biography about one of the bands I love because I can never know enough. Glancing through the section, I caught sight of a book titled And Party Every Day! Figuring it was a KISS-related book, I picked it up to see what this book was all about. To my delight, it was an inside history of the rise and fall of Casablanca Records written by Larry Harris who was one of the principal owners of Casablanca Records. This was the guy who had signed KISS to Casablanca and had a hand in their success. I had been waiting years to read this, and decided to go with this instead of the Bill Simmons book.


For those who aren't aware of Casablanca Records, here's a brief recap. Neil Bogart was the man most responsible for the rise and fall of Casablanca Records during the 1970's. Bogart was a former pop artist that eventually became a record exec at Buddhah Records and was influential in creating bubblegum pop music. He knew how to promote better than anybody at that time, and wanted to use those skills to run his own label. With the backing of Warner Brothers, he and some other guys including Larry Harris founded Casablanca Records. With Warner Brothers totally hovering over his day to day activities and having a set timetable on new record releases, he wasn't very happy. Yet, it eventually worked out where he and his partners were able to buy the label outright from Warner Brothers, and work their own operation. Casablanca's first big signing was KISS, a band that nobody thought would ever make it in the business due to their unique costumes and make-up. Bogart and crew would have the last laugh as KISS would become the biggest rock band in the world. Casablanca also became the number one disco label in the 70's with key artists on their roster including Donna Summer, The Village People, and Santa Esmeralda. In 1976 Casablanca merged with an up and coming film company named Filmworks run by former Columbia exec Peter Guber. The new entity Casablanca/Filmworks churned out some big 70's movies such as The Deep, Thank God It's Friday, and Midnight Express. Yet bad accounting practices, overspending, poor performance, and the death of disco led to the eventual demise of Casablanca. 1980 saw Polygram, who had become the co-owners of Casablanca in 1977, push Bogart out the door of the label he created. Ironically, the day he left, the #1 song on on the charts was a Casablanca song, Do That To Me One More Time from Captain & Tenille. Neil Bogart eventually died of cancer at the young age of 39. Although he was an influential figure in the history of pop music, he has never really been honored for his contributions.


Larry Harris was a cousin of Bogart's who became one of the co-owners of Casablanca and was responsible for creating and marketing some of the biggest stars in music history. He details the inner workings of Casablanca in full detail and provides an inside glimpse into how the music business worked in the 70's. And Party Every Day goes into detail about the sex, drugs, and debauchery that went on in the Casablanca offices. The book discusses the impact of KISS to the label, how important the KISS Alive album was, and the disaster of the KISS solo albums. The book discusses Giorgio Moroder and the discovery of Donna Summer. The book details how the label used payola and bribery to get their records on the radio, and to have the Billboard charts skewed in their favor. The book discusses Angel, one of their rock acts that was given a lot of time but never found mainstream success. The book talks about George Clinton and Parliament, the Village People, Paul Jbara, and Marc Bolan. The book talks about the ease of creating successful disco acts like Santa Esmeralda, Love & Kisses, and Meco and how disco music was an easy method of making money. The book talks about Bogart's crazy ideas, his fondness for his family and employees, and his quest to rule Hollywood. We also hear stories about Studio 54, Cher, Bogart losing his creativity signing acts past their primes, and the dog eat dog conflicts between the key players. The book also confirms Scott Shannon's influence on establishing Beth as a hit song for KISS. The end of the book details where the key people from those days are now, as well as a full catalog of all of the albums that Casablanca released.


I was so disappointed when I got to the final pages of And Party Every Day! I honestly didn't want this book to end because it was so rich and full of facts I didn't know or had forgotten. When that happens, I know I just finished reading a classic. I might have had some personal interest in this book that skewed my opinion, but I honestly believe this is the best book I have ever read about the music business. Larry Harris pulled no punches and held nothing back about his experience at Casablanca. His dirt about KISS was much needed to hear from somebody not currently in the KISS camp. I gained a whole new perspective of how dirty the music business was, and how the power of the radio DJ has totally been taken away from them. If you are a fan of disco music, KISS, or the record industry, I highly recommend this as a must read. Again, it's the best book about the music business I have ever read, and probably one of the ten greatest books I have ever read.

Final Grade: A+ (The best insider book about the music business that I have ever read!)

Music That Matters: Top 50 Movie Symphonies (#46 Jaws Theme by John Williams)

I'm sure I might get some flack for this one. If this list was purely about the most influential and most recognized movie themes of all time, the Jaws theme probably is #1. John Williams' brilliant piece of music is actually a character in the movie representing the unseen shark for the majority of the movie. When you hear those few up tempo notes, you know the shark is on the war path and something bad is about to happen. It took me 32 years to finally see the movie and understand how great this theme is, but I simply can't put it higher on the list because it's really only a few alternating notes with no real melody upon first listen. After hearing it many times since seeing the movie, I realized there is a little more to the song other than those infamous notes, which is why it's on the list at #46.

When Director Stephen Spielberg first heard the song, he laughed and thought it was a joke. When the movie was completed, he recognized that the movie would only be half successful if not for the imaginative score from John Williams. Many critics feel that the score from Jaws was the one that truly put John Williams on the map and jump started his career. The Jaws theme earned John Williams his first Oscar in 1975. More importantly it's probably the most recognized movie theme of all time. You can't tell me that you never hummed it under your breath as a good rib when your friends or family members were about to enter the ocean?!

Out There!: Reggae Night by Jimmy Cliff

I'm back from Jamaica, Mon! And I got a new little golden nugget of a song to tell you about. So instead of rehashing an retro article I wrote on Sonic Clash from a few months ago, I figured it was due time to write a new Out There piece about this great lost 80's song that is a staple tune in Montego Bay.

When I go away on vacation, I'm always looking to create another memory or find any piece of obscure pop culture that I can find. Most people usually want to go sightseeing or sit on the beach and catch some rays when they go on vacation. Although that stuff is fine and dandy, I'm usually only concerned with sleeping, reading books, and searching for those little pop culture relics that most other people would care not to uncover. I guess you can call me the Indiana Jones of pop culture. This past Thanksgiving weekend, I spent some quality time in Jamaica with my wife and family. What I will remember most from this trip is this great song from the 80's that I had never even know of it's existence. Let me give you the backstory:

My mom planned a fun little excursion for the entire family in which we would all get on a fishing boat to spend some time on the ocean. While the rest of family was interested in snorkeling, drinking, and playing in the ocean, I was really only interested in taking a nap on the boat. The boat's crew consisted of a few Jamaicans who provided a lot of laughs and smiles while also looking out for our safety. During the trek out to sea, they played Bob Marley's (who else?) greatest hits to keep the mood nice and calm. Truly nothing beats relaxing on a boat in the Atlantic Ocean while listening to the great music of Mister Marley. I honestly never realized that Bob Marley was so revered as a God by the people of Jamaica. The crew has probably heard and sung along to songs like Jammin', Redemption Song, and Stir It Up for many years while doing these boat cruises, but it doesn't stop from bringing smiles to their faces! After a stop at Margaritaville (Jimmy Buffet's themed restaurant) for some food and for some water slides, we set sail to return back to our beach. On the way back, the DJ mixed it up and pulled the Bob Marley greatest hits out. Instead, he played the new-school Jamaican stuff from Sean Paul and Sean Kingston, of which got the crew and us tourists dancing up a storm. If only they could have played some Duran Duran, so I could dance on the stern of the boat like Simon LeBon in the Rio video? Oh well! Anyhow there was one song in particular stuck in the middle of the new age Jamaican music that really got me smiling and out of my tired daze. That song was a cheesy synth-pop reggae tune called Reggae Night that sounded like something Lionel Richie might have recorded in the 80's. For the rest of my time in Jamaica (and even now as I'm writing this!) I could not get this awesome song out of my head. But I needed to know who sang it. I asked dozens of staff members at our hotel about the song. They knew the song, but had no idea who actually recorded it. Not until the last day of the trip while waiting in the lobby for the bus to take us to the airport did I finally get the information I was seeking. The porter with a big confident smile told me the artist was Jimmy Cliff. I'm not a big tipper for people to do things like carrying my bags or helping me off a boat, but this deserved a contribution to this guy's vacation fund. If my wife had let me, I would have even tipped him $10!

As I sat on the plane home, the only thing on my mind besides missing the Vikings game was that I needed to download and to get as much information I could on the song that was the theme song of my vacation. Reggae Night was recorded in 1984 by Jimmy Cliff who is one of the most famous Jamaican ska and reggae singers of his time. His most recognized works to Americans are his cover of Johnny Nash's I Can See Clearly Now and Hakuna Matata from The Lion King soundtrack, or The Harder They Come which is recognized by Rolling Stone as one of the top 500 songs of all time. Yet, it seems that Reggae Night is almost like an anthem to the Jamaicans. And did you know who wrote this song? It was a member of the Jackson family. Not Michael, not Janet, not Jermaine, not even Marlon. It was actually written by none other than Latoya. It's pretty funny that one of the most popular songs in Jamaican culture is a song written by Latoya Jackson! The song never had any life on the U.S. billboard charts, but was nominated for a Grammy. You have to listen to the song below, it's a great dance tune with a great hook that I didn't even know existed until my trip to Jamaica.

Ladies and gentlemen, Reggae Night!!

Worldwide Gems: The Muppets sing Bohemian Rhapsody

People who know me understand my true love for everything Muppet. I'm the guy who only four years ago had all of the Palisades Muppet figures adorned on my bedroom wall. Check out the video below which pays homage to Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody the only way the Muppets know how to do it!! Would it be a crime if the Muppet Show had a chance to come back to network television? Enjoy!

MisenPOPic Update 11/25

Sorry y'all! Unless I have some access to a computer in the next few days, no more blogging for the rest of the week. I'll be in Jamaica over the next few days having some fun with the entire family. I won't be bringing a dead boss trying to pretend he is alive in order to get access to his bank accounts (think about this one!), or looking to find the next Shaggy (by the way, whatever happened to that guy?). I'm not even sure there are any pop culture-relevant places to visit there, unless I can find some places linked to Bob Marley or Peter Tosh. I'll be singing Montego Bay by Bobby Bloom the whole time I'm there, though. Wow, what's up with all of the real obscure pop culture references today?

Happy Thanksgiving to all! Gobbledy goo, gobbeledy gook! Enjoy the crappy football games on Thursday, and please stay away from Wal-Mart and the malls on Black Friday. Pull out the Police Academy movies instead and make it a marathon with your loved ones!

Mikey

Music That Matters: Top 50 Movie Symphonies (#47 Love Theme From The Karate Kid by Bill Conti)

This is Bill Conti's first entry of many on the list. Keep in mind that you will be seeing his name pop up a lot more specifically for his musical contributions to two big movie franchises, Rocky & The Karate Kid. Can you believe The Karate Kid movies actually had a love theme? I don't believe it was written for the first movie, but snippets of the song can be detected in parts II and III. I believe it's playing in Part II during scenes between Daniel and Kumiko. It also can be heard during the dramatic scenes between Daniel and Miyagi in Karate Kid Part III. The love themes for Karate Kids II and III actually made their way onto the soundtracks for each movie. Yet, the best stuff from Bill Conti is from the first Karate Kid movie, none of which made it to the hard to find soundtrack. You'd have to find different avenues to get the better musical compositions. Enjoy the Love Theme For The Karate Kid below at #47.

Music That Matters: Top 50 Movie Symphonies (#48 Wonkavator/End Titles from Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory by Leslie Bricusse & Anthony Newley)

I love the classic movie Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory. But only the first adaptation of the book from 1972 starring Gene Wilder. The other movie that Tim Burton directed in 2005 starring Johnny Depp was a piece of crap and didn't even feature the original score. What drew me to the original movie as a child was the vivid imagery and interesting characters. But most of all it was the wonderful music. Songs like Cheer Up Charlie, The Candy Man, and Pure Imagination are golden, and my friends and I would sing them all of the time. And the actual score of the movie is off the charts. The music was written by Leslie Bricusse & Anthony Newley, but the music direction belonged to Walter Scharf. The team of Bricusse and Newly composed scores for some other films and also for artists such as Frankie Avalon, Shirley Bassey, and Maureen McGovern. Yet, they will always be best known for the music of Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory. My personal favorite song is the song at the end of the movie when Wonka tells Charlie about the boy who got everything he wanted and lived happily ever after. Charlie then gives Willy Wonka a big hug and the end credits start rolling. The actual song is simply the instrumental version of Pure Imagination and it makes me giddy every time. Regardless that I've seen the movie about 500 times. You would think that with such a tailor made soundtrack for the stage, Willy Wonka would have hit Broadway by now. It's only a matter of time, I guess. I'd recommend the entire score. If I had to pick one, it would be the tune down below.

MisenPOPic Treat: Live Blog of The American Music Awards

12:08- Well, my brother never told me his computer was a piece of crap, so the blog cut out right around the end of the show. Maybe that deserves a blog all unto itself. To show the world that current artists are still on the money, Taylor Swift was given Artist Of The Year over Michael Jackson. Not like it matters much anyway. So our man Adam Lambert ended the show with his new single, For Your Entertainment. He not only stole the show with the best performance of the night, but you'll be hearing about it in the papers and on all the blogs tomorrow. Lambert took one of his dancer's heads and rubbed it on his crotch much to the dismay of the crowd. A few minutes later, he made out with the gothic dude playing synthesizer for 20 seconds. I don't really care whether he is gay or not, but did he cross the line tonight. I personally don't think so, and this controversial performance will make him a superstar. He could well be the male 2010 version of Madonna!! He's got the charisma, he's got the voice, he's got the talent, and he's got the ego. Say what you want about him and his open sexuality, but you can't get past the fact that Lambert is the best talent American Idol ever found. And his new album is going to see some nice sales upon release on Tuesday! Other than Adam Lambert's performance, the AMA's were a complete waste of time. Hope the Grammys can do better.

10:34- I'm proud to say I'm a fan of Green Day. I remember seeing them open up for Blink-182 in 2001 performing their greatest hits. That night, I told my brother that they had a nice little run, but they are simply a nostalgia band now. Two years later, American Idiot came out. And now they are the torch bearers of what's left of real rock & roll. Although the political messages in the music kind of bothers me. Looking forward to seeing them perform 21 Guns.

10:32- Yeah, now the real Nelly Furtado comes out and the song begins to pick up.

10:30- Yeah, Shock Value 2 is coming out. Timbaland's new single with Nelly Furtado!! It could be good or it could be really bad. Again, seeing this crap live probably doesn't do this justice. I'll wait to hear the album before I judge if Timbaland still is relevant. Wait a second, is that a "fake" Nelly Furtado? Sounds like her, but doesn't look like her at all.

10:25- I'm not the biggest fan of hip hop, but can appreciate it. But watching these hip hop artists perform live is like watching Disney On Ice in high school. Both are pretty much as irritable as you can get! By the way, 50 Cent needs all of the help he can get right now.

10:20- Maybe Adam Lambert's performance tonight will be as memorable as Michael Jackson's at the 1983 Motown Retrospective, or Milli Vanilli's on Club MTV. We will find out soon.

10:18- Ladies and gentleman.... Eddie Trunk, Jim Florentine, and Don Jamieson. I wish. Perhaps they can come out and give a lifetime achievement to Firehouse.

10:15- My brother just brought up a good point. Doesn't it seem that Alicia Keys performs twice at the awards shows she is at? I don't mind though because she is nice on the eyes. I give her props. I wasn't impressed in 2001 when she won the Grammy for Best New Artist, but she seems to get better and better with each new album. I'll take her over Rihanna anyday of the week.

10:13-Michael Jackson vs. Eminem vs. TI? Uggh! How funny would it have been if TI won this? I just saw a commercial for the Jacksons reality show, seriously this is getting out of hand. It's safe to say we'll be seeing Jermaine a lot over the next few months at the Oscars, Golden Globes, and Grammys.

10:11- Carrie Underwood had a nice little run, but the crown now belongs to Taylor Swift. How great would it be if Kanye West actually went to England to interrupt her speech?

10:01- Whitney Houston looks like she has got her act together. Hope she can pull out another hit single, although it's doubtful. Goes to show you that Mary J. Blige is not even in the same league. Always brings a smile to my face to see the performers I respected when I was younger. Now bring out Lionel Richie, dammit!

9:57- Samuel Jackson is also looking to set the record for most awards shows ever to go with his list of total films He must be at 50 awards shows, and that includes video game awards and the ESPYS.

9:50- Can Adam Lambert save this show? Stay tuned.

9:48- Sorry J-Lo, you are yesterday's news. It might be in your best interest to get that sex tape released to resurrect your career. It looks she is about to sing a cover of I Think I Can Beat Mike Tyson.

9:45- Has there been more performances than actual awards? LOL, Gloriana just won the award for breakthrough artist over Lady Gaga and I have no clue. But listening to their song as they came on stage, they sound pretty good. Glad that even the guy in the band has a sense of humor and realizes that most people still don't know who they are. I truly don't think the fans voted for this one. Conspiracy!!!

9:42- I've never understood why people fawn over Mary J. Blige. She does nothing for me. She's like the Winger of R&B music. It's okay, but nothing even remotely near the cream of the crop.

9:35- 2009, the year you could be a celebrity just because you have enough money to pay a good publicist. Perez Hilton, The Kardashians, Spencer and Heidi. We are living in such uncreative times.

9:29- Okay, okay. My brother showed some support and urged me to come back. Since this show is irritating me, I'll just keep on going with quips. Well, Lady Gaga is on now, maybe this show will pick up when she shows us her penis. You might be shocked, but I actually can tolerate Lady Gaga. Poker Face could be song of the year, it's chances are good since I don't listen to the radio much.

9:23- I'm giving up on this. This awards show is a total snoozefest. I'm missing Dexter for this. It's official, the music of today sucks. When a dead guy who hasn't released a new album in years is going to win Artist of the year, what does that tell you? Hope you enjoyed what I was able to write. I'll be back doing this for the Oscars and maybe the Grammys.

9:16- How crazy would it be if Rihanna and Chris Brown came out and performed together? Rihanna has a billion hit singles it seems like, but the only one that I can tolerate is Don't Stop The Music which is basically a funkier version of Michael Jackson's Wanna Be Startin' Somethin.

9:14- Kris Allen's first and last time at the music awards. When he's presenting an award with Demi Leodato, his chances for success don't look good. Wow, this must be the first awards show I've ever seen without Beyonce.

9:13- Do they really play country music in Australia? What a great niche in the market, a dude from down under playing country tunes? What's next, Ethiopians playing hard rock?

9:12-Is this the Zac Brown Band, or Alabama Juniors?

9:06- Jermaine soaking up Michael's success! And he has his kids up on stage and one of their names is Jermajesty. Jermaine even trying to use this overexposure to get his kids some recognition!

9:05- Didn't I tell you that the Aussie guitar player with Michael Jackson from This Is It was going to be big? She's at the awards, and she's going to take the award right now for Michael Jackson!!

8:59- Let's get ready for the most overplayed band of this generation! But I'll give some credit, in terms of great pop and dance songs, the Peas are in a class all to themselves. When we look back to the 00's many years from now, The Black-Eyed Peas will one of a handful of bands that people still remember.

8:53- Green Day wins yet another award. Back in 1995, did any of us think that Green Day would be the one band that is still going strong? Is Green Day's stuff from the late 90's now considered classic rock?

8:50- Alternative rock award. Oh boy!!! I'm sure all three of these bands never wanted this nomination.

8:49- Please god, don't let my son be anything like Perez Hilton!!

8:47- Is this supposed to be Jay-Z's We Didn't Start The Fire?

8:45- Here we go with another live performance of Empire State Of Mind. Great song thanks to Alicia Keys, but what the hell is Jay-z even saying? Maybe I should just write this blog like Jay-Z sings and I can beome a worldwide superstar. oiujimndfsnfnem, pkkseriojolk,s. pkrtopkoafkl mkj4 atkokrmtjoakrelt. Man, I hate this guy!

8:42- I hate Joe Perry! This guy is everywhere. No wonder Steven Tyler wants out of Aerosmith.

8:37- Hmm, a standing ovation for Kelly Clarkson. Surprised that got shown on air. By the way, how is this the return of Rihanna? Isn't she the same artist who has a new song on the charts every two weeks?

8:34- Another Awards show staple- Kelly Clarkson. Is it just me or is this show so super-produced? Will there be any surprises tonight? Highly doubtful.

8:33- Reba McEntyre- Yee haw!

8:30- Keith Urban is the money! Kiss A Girl is a great little number. I wonder if Kris Allen remembers singing it with him on American Idol. Kris Allen should start soaking up his fifteen minutes, because come Tuesday when Adam Lambert's album hits stores, Kris Allen's music career is over.

8:28- Good to know Julie Bowen will not just be known as Adam Sandler's love interest in Happy Gilmore.

8:24- Best Breakthrough artist, we get to vote. Nominees are Lady Gaga, Kid Cudi, Keri Hilson, and....Gloriana? Who the f*** is Gloriana? Why even vote, I'm sure Lady Gaga is winning this one.

8:22- I've always appreciated that AC/DC has never and will never show up at these award shows. It took a lot of coddling just to get them to accept their Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame nomination. What would ever happen if the Black-Eyed Peas or Beyonce stopped showing up? Shouldn't ask the question because it will never happen.

8:20- Does anybody still care about Shakira? I like the booty, but I've always thought her face was like butter! I wonder if Timbaland produced her album, maybe he could resurrect her career like he did for Nelly Furtado.

8:17- YAY! Daughtry!!! Is his new album still on the Top 40? Or has everybody already forgotten about him and moved on to Adam Lambert? I'll admit I like this guy. Corporate rock lives on!!

8:16- Should I even waste my time actually reviewing the awards? This might be the most predictable awards show ever. Why don't I know anybody who could get me into an AMA pool? Does Vegas even have odds on these awards. If so, you probably can bet $1 to win $1.05.

8:15- Best Country Band/Duo. Let me guess, Rascal Flatts?

8:10- Trivia question: What is the name of guy with the mohawk in Black-Eyed Peas? Actually you don't have to answer that, he's not the important anyhow. Also, have we confirmed if Will.I.Am and Wyclef Jean are not the same person?

8:09-Whoa! Is it me or is Will.i.am and Fergie at every single awards show, Obama appearance, Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame induction, Sesame Street, and movie?

8:08- Best Pop/Rock Band Duo Or Group. I don't even know the nominees, but let's give it to Black-Eyed Peas!!

8:07- Please don't tell me Russell Brand is hosting this!!!

8:03- Okay, maybe no Jermaine Jackson in the performance. But he must thank Michael's death for getting him prime time seats at every awards show in 2009 and probably 2010!

8:01- And Britney Spears gets crap for lip syncing? This performance is awful. Where is Jermaine Jackson to keep his 15 minutes of fame and maybe more by ripping open Janet Jackson's blouse? Six more minutes of this? Uggh!

8:00: Is this a repeat of the MTV music awards? Wow, it sounds like she's only promoting her new greatest hits album and not any of the hundreds of Michael Jackson posthumous hits albums!

7:57: Here we go with a play by play account of tonight's festivities. It's about to start in three minutes. Keep in mind that this is the same awards show that gave best hard rock performance in 1991 to Firehouse in the year that the Seattle grunge scene took over. You know who Firehouse beat for the award? Nirvana and Alice In Chains. I love Firehouse, they sang my wedding tune, Love Of A Lifetime. But it just goes to show you how relevant these awards are!!!

Yo, Do You Remember?: Hardcore TV

I'm throwing you a curve ball today and decided to write a little piece about one of the most obscure but funniest sketch shows I have ever seen. Back in 1994 if you wanted to see some female skin, you either had to hope your dad had a Playboy collection in his closet or you had premium cable. Lucky for the Hersh family, we had HBO!! Back when TV Guide was actually used to determine what programs you needed to watch, I picked up on some random show called Hardcore TV that was airing during the wee hours of the morning on HBO. There was no information whatsoever about the premise of the show but the only indication that it could be worth watching was that it was rated M for mature audiences. So like a perverted high schooler, I taped this show hoping it could either A) be a show about pornography or B) could be a show featuring nudity. Once I had the time to watch it, I was blown away. Sure there was some nudity on the show but that stuff didn't really matter. What made the show interesting were the various satires and sexual humor on the show.

Hardcore TV was a low budget comedy show which had a lot of original and recurring sketches focusing on sexual situations. Some of my favorites included: Rastapiece Theatre in which a Jamaican guy used vulgar language to describe television shows, Sports Lady in which an older Jewish woman asked professional athletes random questions about sports and sex, Fly Fishing Jam in which two hip-hop urban guys out on the lake trying to catch some fish, and Fairy Tales From The Darkside in which a Fairy Princess reads fairy tales that have been altered to now include sex and violence, dirty illustrations included!!! Hardcore TV was able to get away with the vulgar sexual humor thanks in part to being on premium cable. Sadly though, after only 13 episodes the show was pulled from the network and never mentioned again.

Wikipedia has no data at all on Hardcore TV, and there is very little information on-line about it. What's fascinating is that the writers David Kolin and Steve Kerper never went on to do anything else. You would think that with their ability to write some pretty hilarious sketches Saturday Night Live or MAD TV would have added them to their writing staff. Not the case at all. The only person from the show who had any future success was Susie Essman, who is best known as Susie Greene from Curb Your Enthusiasm. Keep in mind that this was before HBO really dove into original programming although you will never hear of any credit given to the show. Maybe because the subject matter didn't appeal to a lot of people. Hardcore TV was never released on DVD, or ever shown again on HBO or any other premium channel for that matter. Considering the lack of star power Hardcore TV had, I think it's safe to say we'll never see a special edition DVD ever hit the market. Thank the heavens for Youtube!! Below are some of the great clips:

Music That Matters: Top 50 Movie Symphonies (#49 Duel Of The Fates by John Williams)

What can I say about John Williams? He is a pure genius of which I don't know if we will ever see another composer like him come around ever again. When it was announced that George Lucas was going to make three more Star Wars movies back in the early 90's, I was excited. Not only to see the origins of Darth Vader, but to hear what John Williams was going to come up with as a score for the new movies. Would he mail it in and just use the old themes, or would he bring something new to the table? I'm glad that John Williams went with the latter. The Phantom Menace unfortunately failed to live up to expectations, but there were two good things about the film. And both of these things coincided with another. The Phantom Menace had the best lightsaber duel of all the Star Wars movies (Darth Maul vs. Qui Gon Jinn & Obi-Wan Kenobi) which was helped with a beautiful piece of music composed by John Williams called Duel Of The Fates. The piece was so well received that portions of it could sporadically be heard in the last two Star Wars prequels. Duel Of The Fates actually incorporates a choir with the orchestra. If I'm not mistaken, this was the first theme from the Star Wars movies to use a choir. Just a little bit more trivia before I go: Duel Of The Fates was the only song performed by an orchestra to make the Total Request Live countdown where it stayed on for 11 days. Yet, John Williams was not able to add another Oscar nomination for this dynamic piece of music.

MisenPOPic Update 11/20/09

You'll notice the new photo collage up top. It's a homage to my favorite characters from a comedy film. Can you figure out who is in each box and the movie which that character appears in? Take your best shot. Going forward, there will be all kind of random themes. Yet, we are starting out with the best of the best.

As I previously mentioned, I'll be blogging live for the American Music Awards on Sunday. I don't have high expectations for this show, and I'm sure to get irritated by all the crap that has become the standard of pop music. Most of which probably won't even matter in twenty years. Come along for the ride, and I hope to hear what you think as well.

I've been getting some grief that my some of my articles are too long. I know, I know. I like to be very detailed even if it means writing a book instead of a blog. Trust me, you have no idea how much I cut out before posting. This site could be a companion to Wikipedia if I really wanted to get crazy for you. So I am making a conscious effort to cut down the amount of words even if it's difficult for me to do so. That's why it's very important for me to come up with the audio podcast. In this day and age, most people like things quick and don't have time to listen so they sit on their blackberry all day text messaging. That's not what I'm about. The thing that I treasure most is a good conversation about culture. Hope to soon come up with a game plan on how to make it fun and interesting. To be continued...

Have a great weekend! I may be adding a few things over the next few days, but hope to entertain you on Sunday with my thoughts on the state of the music business while breaking down the American Movie Awards.

Mikey

Music That Matters: Top 50 Movie Symphonies (#50 Raiders Of The Lost Ark March by John Williams

A great score can elevate a movie to a whole different level. Whenever I watch a film, the most important thing to me besides the overall plot is the music. To me it's more important than the acting, cinematography, and effects. Seriously, what would movies such as Superman, Jaws, or Star Wars be without those legendary music compositions that accompany the films? Probably not as memorable! I'm a sucker for a good movie score, and am one of those morons that stays in his seat to watch the end credits mostly to check out who scored the movie. Over the past few years, I've been able to amass quite a collection of symphonic tunes from movies and I would like to share the best of them with you. Some of them are obvious, while others hopefully will bring back memories and prompt you to go out and download. You'll see a lot of composers such as John Williams, Elmer Bernstein, and Bill Conti repeated on my list. These three in particular are probably my three favorite composers of all time! I'll be counting down every few days from #50 to #1 of the best symphonic themes from cinema. Mind you that these are my personal favorites, many of which would be scoffed at by those supposed film noir critics. Enjoy!

#50 Raiders March by John Williams- If this were a list of the most important songs in movie history, The Raiders March would probably be higher. It has to be one of the most memorable movie themes of all time that even non-movie buffs recognize it. Now, I'll admit I'm not the biggest Indiana Jones fan. But I have always appreciated John Williams' theme for the Indiana Jones franchise. John Williams originally wrote two different pieces of music to be used as Indy's theme for use in the first film, Raiders Of The Lost Ark. Director Steven Spielberg liked both pieces and instructed Williams to include both together as one main theme. Those two pieces of music became the Raiders March. Williams received an Oscar nomination in 1982 for Best Original Score, but lost to Vangelis for Chariots Of Fire (you'll read about this soon!). Goes to show you that if this song is only #50 on my list, the other 49 songs have to be really out of this world!

MisenPOPic Update 11/18/09

I saw one of the most disgusting things ever today at Kohls. While I was walking into the store through the automatic entrance, this really odd-looking lady was walking out the same way. Behind her were a older couple who I assumed were her parents. For some reason the man stopped walking and adjusted his pants. He looked like he might have a screw loose, but I had no clue what he was doing. They left as I entered the store toward the register to pay a bill. As I walked over to the register, I took a whiff of perhaps the worst aroma of fart that I've ever smelt. As I stood in line, I looked over to the ground near the exit, and there was a big pile of poop near the entrance of the store. The guy apparently had crapped his pants, and figured it would be okay to slide it down his leg to the ground before he hit his car. There are some real sickos out there, and I feel for the Kohls employee who had to clean it up. Anyway....

I'm going to give up Dexter on Sunday night, and do a live blog of the American Music Awards which I'm sure is going to piss me off. It might not be the Oscars or the Grammys, but it's a good test as I begin trying new things on the site. I just hope the Twilight crap will be limited for the show.

I'm off to play New Super Mario Brothers for Wii. I redeemed some credit at Game Stop that I had received for trading in my crappy games, but what's strange is that I didn't even know it had been released to the open market. I'm usually on top of release dates and data about new albums, games, books, and movies. But I guess with so much going on these days, I just totally forgot about it.

Peace and love,

Mikey

Out There!: Shake For The Sheik/Walking Thru Walls/I'll Be There by The Escape Club

I'm spent after writing that extensive Chiller Theatre Experience #2 article last night. I got some more little ditties in the work for tomorrow. But I'm trying to put all of my old Out There! articles up to refresh your memories unitl I'm down to zero and have to start writing new ones. And oh I have so many left to write about!!! Here's a piece about one of the biggest bands of the 80's who faded into obscurity, but left us with one of the most beautiful songs I have ever heard, "I'll Be There!. If you take anything away from this article, be sure to play the last video to understand what I mean when I say it's one of the best songs that you might not even know about.

We all remember the Escape Club, don't we? Back in 1988, none of us could escape The Escape Club and their smash hit, Wild Wild West. Wild Wild West hit the top of the charts, and was supposed to lift the band to further acclaim. Unfortunately, it didn’t happen! Yet, the Escape Club would become popular for another song at the end of their brief career. But I’ll get to that in a little bit. Wild Wild West was on pop radio every fifteen minutes, and the video was in heavy rotation on MTV. One of MTV’s legendary and best-known videos, it featured these strange combo arms and legs (without a crotch) getting down to the beat. Twenty years later, and I still haven’t gotten those flopping arms out of my head! The Escape Club consisted of a singer who could maybe pass as Bono’s younger brother (Trevor Steel),“Booger Presley” on the lead guitar (John Holliday-doesn’t he look like Booger from Revenge Of The Nerds? If not, how about Eric Bogosian?), the rasta-haired bassist (Johnni Christo) and the quiet Steven Seagal inspired pony-tailed drummer with no personality (Milan Zekavica). You know what? Even twenty years later, the song still hasn’t aged one bit.

Following up on Wild Wild West, The Escape Club released their second single, Shake For The Sheik Sheik climbed all the way up to #28 on the Billboard charts, but I remember it topping the MTV Top 20 Video charts for a few weeks. Shake For The Sheik was a fun little song, and could still be relevant in today’s world. Perhaps when Barrack Obama and Joe Biden sit down with the Arabs to discuss nuclear weapons and peace with Israel, they can begin their speech by playing this song and doing a dance routine of “shaking for the sheiks”?

Sticking with the alliteration theme (Hmm, I still remember some things I learned in high school), The Escape Club’s third single was titled Walking Through Walls. The song went to #81 on the charts, and again the Escape Club surprised me with another fun and catchy song. If you like the first two singles, you’ll love this one. I’ve tried to download the entire album with limited results to see if the other tunes on the album are as good as the single. When I do a search on a P2P network which will remain nameless, all I get are the three singles aforementioned.

To follow up on the success of the first album, The Escape Club released their second album on Atlantic Records, Dollars & Sex, in 1991. The first single, Call It Poison, was a disaster not even cracking the Top 40. I understand why it tanked, the song didn’t really recapture the formula of their previous hits. Atlantic Records would turn their focus to other projects, and the Escape Club soon became an afterthought. But not until a second single was released perhaps to see if the band still had some appeal. That song was a beautiful ballad titled “I’ll Be There”.

Supposedly, the radio stations were getting tons of requests for this song to the surprise of Atlantic Records. I’ll Be There, which was inspired by the Ghost movie of 1990, hit #8 and made sure The Escape Club wouldn’t be known as a one-hit wonder. It was little too late as the band had disbanded for good in 1992. The Escape Club band members should be happy they are still collecting royalties on a terrific song as they sit in their cubicles in a London business complex selling life insurance!!!! On a personal note, I’ll Be There is one of my Top 40 songs of all time. It’s five minutes of pure bliss, and a great song to inspire you if you miss a friend or are simply having a bad day. I’ll Be There still pops up every now and then on local radio, although the callers who request the song never know the artist that sings it or that it’s the same band who three years earlier were all over the charts with Wild Wild West. I actually almost used it for my wedding, but I already had the band learning enough new songs to play for me so I refrained. Watch this video below, and don’t tell me this song isn’t amazing? If the Escape Club ever decide to reunite, I am so there!!!

The Chiller Theatre Experience #2 (April 2009)

Since we had so much fun at our first Chiller Experience in October, it was now time to see if the sequel could live up to the original. From February up unto April, I was checking out the Chiller Theatre website twice a day reviewing the latest guest updates. Although the guest list was not as extensive as the previous show, there still were some celebs I wanted to meet. Plus it's only $25 to attend the show, the Parsippany Hilton is twenty minutes down the street, and I was free on Sunday so there were no excuses. This time my dad, brother, and I would be joined by special guest. And if there were going to be some old school legends in the house, it only be fitting that Mr. Old School Ron Hart also be there as well to join the Hersh brothers on our escapade.

We learned our lessons from the last show, so it was decided to get there early on Sunday morning. My dad and I got to the Hilton at 10:00 in the morning and waited in a line that went pretty quickly and got us into the show at a reasonable time. While in line, we caught some of the legends walking to and fro including Ax and Smash from Demolition and Lou Ferigno. My brother and Ron were scheduled to come a little bit later. The crowd seemed a lot more tamer this time around, and it was pretty easy to move from room to room. The guests were really full of conversation this time around, and many of them agreed to take photos with us at no fee because we proved once again that we were true fans of their work. My dad was like a teenage girl at a rock and roll concert because one of his heroes was at the show and there was no way he was going to pass up the opportunity to meet him. Who am I talking about? Why, it would be one of the best living actors of all time, Tony Curtis. Because it wasn't Halloween, there were very few people dressed up for the occasion. The Hilton had a vendor selling pizza for a dollar, which came in very handy considering my budget and hearty appetite. The set up was pretty much the same with the main stars in "The Pit", other semi-known guests in the random suites, and of of course "The Tent" outdoors with a lot of familiar faces.

List of Significant Guests:

Christopher Atkins (70's teen idol best known from The Blue Lagoon), Dian Bachar (the little guy who was in Baseketball with the South Park guys), Cheryl Bachman (former Playboy Playmate), Corbin Bernsen, Dale Bozzio (lead singer from Missing Persons who gave us Words and Destination Unknown), Dennis Cole, Gene Cornish (member of the Rascals), Peter Criss, Tony Curtis, Charles Cyphers, E.G. Daily (Dotty from Pee Wee's Big Adventure), Taylor Dayne, Demolition, Amy Dolenz, Micky Dolenz, James Duval (one of Randy Quaid's kids in Independence Day), Erika Eleniak, Lou Ferrigno, William Forsythe, Francine, Zach Galligan, Erin Gray, Dean Haglund (the nerdy dude from The X-Files), Pat Harrington Jr, Gregory Harrison, Tippi Hedren (legendary actress from The Birds and Melanie Griffith's mother), Jose Hernandez Jr, Kane Hodder (the actor who played Jason in four of the Friday The 13th movies), April Hunter, Richard Kline, Meadowlark Lemon (the most famous of the legendary Harlem Globetrotters), Jason Lively, Jason London, Jeremy London, Nancy Loomis (from Halloween I and II), Lynn Lowry, Donna Mills, Cynthia Myers (former Playboy Playmate and star of classic B movie Beyond The Valley Of The Dolls), Noel Neill (original Lois Lane from the 50's TV Show), Miguel Nunez Jr (the star of Juwanna Mann), Ken Olandt, Edward J Olmos, Amanda Pays, Cindy Pickett (Ferris Bueller's mom), Amanda Plummer, Geri Reischl, Deon Richmond, Oliver Robins, Robert Rusler, Richie Scarlet, Iron Sheik, Mark Slaughter, Frank Stallone, Suzanne Stokes (Playboy Playmate), Larry Storch, Tiffany Taylor, Jonathan Tiersten (Ricky from Sleepaway Camp), Eddie Trunk, Nikolai Volkoff, Zacherly (of course!), George Romero, Rene Auberjonois (it seems this guy has been in every TV show ever produced. Also the villain in Police Academy 5), Michael Dorn (Worf from Star Trek: The Next Generation), Walter Koenig (Chekov from Star Trek), Garrett Wang

Show Highlights:

Hands down, the nicest celebrity I have ever met was Geri Reischl. For those of you who don't know who she is, Geri is and will forever be known as "The Fake Jan Brady". Geri Reischl's role in the overall landscape of pop culture is pretty impressive, at least in my mind it is. After the Brady Bunch ended it's run in 1971, people were still dying to get their Brady fix. So in 1976, The Brady Variety Hour hit the airwaves under the legendary 70's production team of Sid & Marty Kroft. Eve Plumb had no interest in reprising her role as Jan for this cheesy show, so she was replaced by a look-alike who had actual singing talent. The Brady Variety Hour is considered by many as one of the worst television shows of all time. But the whole 'fake Jan" thing became a phenomenon, and has been spoofed numerous times in film and TV. The Simpsons, Family Guy, and That 70's Show all used it as reference. Nobody seems to remember the fake Marcia (Lea Ayres on The Bradys) or the fake Cindy (Jennifer Runyon on A Very Brady Christmas), but most Pop Culture fans remember Geri Reischl as the fake Jan. We talked for a good half hour about her career and about her days working on the Brady Variety Hour. She told us that she was still very good friends with Susan Olsen who played Cindy on the Brady Bunch, and surprisingly has never met Eve Plumb although she would love to meet her one day. God, wouldn't that be a Kodak moment? Geri Reischl was so awesome and a genuinely sweet person. She even took our pictures, remembered our names, and put them up on her myspace page a week later. After the show, we emailed her to say thanks for meeting us and talking about the Brady stuff, and she wrote us back letting us know we were the highlight of the show for her. It's pretty cool to say you are buddies with the "Fake Jan Brady"! Geri Reischl also will play prominently in our third Chiller Theatre experience.

Jason and Jeremy London were surprise guests at the show. I always forget which one was in Mallrats and which one was in Dazed And Confused. Both of them were really cool. Although they are identical twins, they weren't sitting together and looked totally different. Jason now has short hair and a goatee. We talked a bit about Dazed and Confused and how it was one of the movies that had a big influence on me. Of course, I asked him if he still keeps in touch with Wiley Wiggins. He admitted that he did not, and appreciated when Ron and I gave him a Wiggins update that he was a musician. Sasha Jenson who played Dawson in Dazed and Confused was also supposed to be there, and Jason told us he was a last minute cancel. Scott and I asked him some twin questions including wondering if he ever would hit the Twins convention in Twinsburg. He didn't seem to care too much about the twin questions. Jeremy London was the one who was in Mallrats and Dawson's Creek, and he looked the same as how we always pictured him. I jokingly asked him if he and his brother would play the roles of Michael and Scott Hersh in the future movie about our lives. Jeremy stated that should the movie ever get made, it's a deal! Who else but the London twins could play us anyway? C'mon!

I've already written about meeting Erin Gray, but in case you were too lazy to read it, I'll provide a quick recap. Another sweetheart who was open to all of our questions about her work in Buck Rodgers, Silver Spoons, and Six Pack. She even admitted herself that she sometimes gets starstruck. She was only charging $5 to take a photo with her. That money was for a great cause, Breast Cancer Research. Might be one of the best $5 bills I ever spent. Erin was even interrogating Ron Hart about his Beatles shirt and how she would like to buy a similiar shirt for her daughter. Erin Grey still looks gorgeous, and was a total class act.

Corbin Bernsen was at the show. He seemed to be really enjoying himself standing up and smiling with his fans. He gave me a hard slap on the hand, and was so grateful that I appreciated his work as Roger Dorn in Major League. I asked why he wasted his time for the third Major League movie Back To The Minors, and he said it was a quick shoot and it paid well. He was accompanied by his wife, Amanda Pays who was also a guest at the show. I remember them getting married back in the early 90's, but didn't think it lasted. Guess I was wrong! I ended up taking a photo for somebody else. I actually should have finagled my way into having the dude reciprocate for me. I dropped the ball on that one.

I don't think I've ever seen my dad so star struck in all of his life. He was so adamant about getting a photo with the legendary Tony Curtis. Tony Curtis is an Oscar-nominated actor and a living legend. He also happens to be the father of Jamie Lee Curtis and was married to Vivien Leigh. My dad and Tony had a conversation, and my dad went even so far as to kiss Tony's ring like he was a mafia don. Tony then whispered in my dad's ear that them Jews had to stick together. I thought Tony Curtis looked good for his age, considering he must be closing in on 90 years young. My dad was in his glory that day, and it's good stuff like this to really give you a sense of how something so silly to one person can be so special to somebody like my pops.

Do you remember the kid from Poltergeist? Not the cute little blonde girl, but her brother Robbie who almost falls to his death from the large tree? His name is Oliver Robbins, and he was making a rare appearance at this show. I hadn't seem him in years, and wow did he get old! Oliver also appeared as the little kid in the cockpit in the second Airplane movie. He mentioned to us that he is still directing and loved working with Craig T. Nelson and Jobeth Williams on the first Poltergeist movie. When it came time to ask him about the Poltergeist curse and how he was the only living child actor from the movie, he didn't seem to know what I was talking about. Strange considering the franchise has been deemed with having the biggest curse in movie history. But then he quickly avoided any more questions and started talking to somebody else. Just a quick lesson for those interested: Dominique Dunne (Dana) and Heather O'Rourke (Carol Anne)both died prematurely. Dunne was strangled to death right after filming of the movie was completed in 1982, and O'Rourke died of intestinal complications in 1988 at the young age of 13 before Poltergeist III hit theatres. Hmm, strange. Good to know that Oliver Robins was still alive and able to withstand the curse.

I'm a huge fan of the National Lampoon Vacation movies, and was glad to meet Jason Lively who played Rusty Griswald in European Vacation. I told him that I always thought he was the best Rusty of the four, and always wondered why they didn't bring him back for Christmas Vacation. Jason spoke so fondly about his experience making the movie, and is so proud to be remembered as Rusty Griswald and the phrase Oink, oink my good man! He also told us he had a great relationship with Dana Hill who played Audrey Griswald in the movie, but unfortunately passed away in 1996 at the young age of 32 due to a stroke caused by diabetic complications. He was so sad that she couldn't be there to feel the love from Vacation fans. I asked him what his sister Robin was up to. If you didn't know, Robin Lively was the female love interest in The Karate Kid Part III, and the lead role in Teen Witch. He commented quickly that she doing her thing, but he needed to let us know about his other sister. I had no idea who he was talking about until he mentioned that his sister Blake is doing well. Putting two and two together, I totally forgot that Blake Lively is his younger sister. She's a huge star right now appearing every week it seems in her bikini in US weekly and also as the lead character on the hit show, Gossip Girl. Jason was joking that he didn't mind riding her coattails now, getting to hit the major parties while not having to do much work anymore. Because he realized how much of a fan I was of his work, he was more than happy to take a photo of us at no cost.

Eventually you are going to read a shocking blog post from me about Nightmare On Elm Street 2, and how it might be the most unintentional gay movie of all time. Anyhow, at the booth next to Jason Lively was Rob Rusler. Rusler played Grady the good looking jock who was Freddy's second victim in Elm Street. I went right up to him and asked if he knew at the time how gay the movie was? He gave me a serious look like he might kill me, and then let out a big laugh and admitted that the kid who played Jesse was a huge fag. We talked a little more about the movie, and then Scott and I went back to talk to Jason Lively. As we were chatting with Jason Lively, Rob Rusler came to his table and popped out his ipod. On the ipod screen was the scene from Elm Street when Jesse comes to Grady's room for help after having killed his gym teacher in another totally strange gay S&M scene. Again, he was playing up the whole gay theme and loved the fact that I brought it up. Scott and I went back to his table and talked about his other big movie, Weird Science. He and some guy named Robert Downey Jr. played Max and Ian, two of the antagonists in the movie who eventually become pals with the nerds in order to hook up with Kelly Lebrock. Rob Rusler told us he is still good pals with Robert Downey Jr. and also told us a funny story about the Weird Science TV show. He happened to be making a cameo on a TV show that happened to be shooting right next to the Weird Science TV set. He had no idea they were making this show, and walked on set to find out who was playing the part he made famous. Actually, Max and Ian weren't even on the show. Yet, the entire crew was happy to see him and he had drinks with everybody that night, but truly wanted to make some dough if he could for the show. He happened to be another class act, and was more than happy to get a picture with us. I hope to see his career get resurrected soon. Maybe he'll make a cameo in Iron Man 2 with his buddy, Robert Downey Jr.

Zach Galligan was probably on top of the list of Chiller guests that I was dying to chat with. Of course, we know him as Billy Peltzer from Gremlins 1 & 2. Although he appeared in a few low budget movies, his career never really took off. Yet, he might be one of the luckiest actors on the planet. He got to play with Gizmo for two movies, and of course got to make out with Phoebe Cates. Of course I admitted my jealousy that he got to kiss the legendary Phoebe Cates, and he assured me that he will never forget it. We joked around about the three rules about taking care of a Mogwi. For example what happened if it were three hours behind on the west coast and you fed Gizmo after midnight, or how did Gizmo drink anything if he couldn't be exposed to water? Pretty funny to hear the random questions right from the source. I admitted that I actually loved Gremlins 2 and thought it was a better movie. He also was surprised that a lot of people besides myself appreciated the second movie, maybe because it was more satirical and less dark than the firsy Gremlins. With the word of a new Ghostbusters movie coming out soon, perhaps it was only a matter of time until a new Gremlins movie hits as well. Zach figured since Ghostbusters and Gremlins both hit in 1984 and their sequels both hit in 1989 & 1990, it wouldn't surprise him if he gets asked to do another Gremlins movie. And if he gets to kiss Phoebe Cates again, that's a bonus!

Christopher Atkins from The Blue Lagoon was there. We had a great conversation, and he made us laugh with his comments about being nude on a beach with Brooke Shields. He also told us that his appearance on the VH1 reality show Confessions Of A Teen Idol was a farce, and he didn't even stay at the house during the shoot. But it was good to be with his old friend Billy Hufsey again and made a new friendship with Jeremy Jackson. Atkins seemed less than thrilled to even have appeared on the show. He was one of the only celebs that wouldn't take a photo with us unless we paid even though we had a good conversation about his career. We probably o should have gotten a free photo for having to shy away from the obvious nude photos of him on the table while chatting with him.

Peter Criss, the original drummer of KISS, was also there. I would have probably been in my glory to meet him, but he was charging a ridiculous fee and you couldn't really see him because he was trapped in a corner room. Considering I had already met him for free a few years ago and already got a photo with him at Virgin Records, it didn't really faze me. I would have liked to see if he remembered us. Yet, by the time we went back to see if we could chat with him, he had already left early either due to illness or lack of interest in being there.

Perhaps one of the classic moments ever, and it almost could have ended in a disaster. While Scott, Ron, and I were walking around chatting with the celebs in "The Tent", my dad needed a breather. I didn't know where he went, but all of a sudden Ron Hart told me to turn around because he just found the new Israel/Iran alliance. I had no idea what he was talking about until I saw my dad sitting on a bench with his arm around The Iron Sheik. The Sheik is a WWF Hall Of Famer and currently a member of Howard Stern's wack pack due to his incoherrent rants if you didn't know. This could have been so bad since I've seen the Iron Sheik on some youtube videos when he wasn't in the best state of mind. So I told Ron to keep his mouth shut because rumor had it that The Sheik was also not too fond of Jews, let alone Israeli Jews. But the Iron Sheik actually laughed and stated that he loved Israel because the falafel there was out of this world. My dad and The Iron Sheik shook hands and we got a great laugh out of this. I only wish I had gotten a picture of my dad with The Iron Sheik as it truly was a Kodak moment.

Speaking of ridiculous photo opportunities, my dad committed one of the cardinal sins trying to get one with an iconic TV character from the 70's. Let me give you a back story. About an hour before, we had been chatting with Richard Kline (Larry from Three's Company) and Pat Harrington. We were going to walk by the table, but Pat Harrington saw us smiling and talking about him. So we shook his hand and talked about the legendary character he played. Okay, the suspense is over. He was Schneider the handyman janitor from One Day At A Time. So an hour later, it was pretty ironic to see the guy who fixed the plumbing on One Day At A Time in the men's rest room. My dad screamed at me to get the camera and take a picture with Schneider in the bathroom while I was urinating. Pat Harrington might not have been standing by a urinal, but you still don't do stuff like this in the men's bathroom. He looked at my dad like he was not from another country, but from another planet!! I'll admit I have no shame, but do have some standards. Apparently, my dad has no standards and will bother anybody anywhere for a photo.

Frank Stallone was in the house. Frank is the younger brother of Sylvester Stallone who is best known for contributing his music to his brother's films. He had a major hit song in the 80's with Far From Over which went all the way to #10 on the charts in 1983 and also garnered a Golden Globe and Grammy nomination for Best Song From A Motion Picture. You probably also know that tune Take You Back, doo doo doo doo from the Rocky movies? That was also done by Frank Stallone. He also was involved in a legendary boxing match against Geraldo Rivera on the Howard Stern Show back in the early 90s, and just recently was a contestant on Hulk Hogan's Celebrity Championship Wrestling program in which he was the second contestant eliminated. I talked with him briefly and expressed my love for his 80's tunes. He tried to hawk one of his CD's which I had no interest in buying. I asked him if he was going to write the music for his brother's next movie, The Expendables. Frank told me he had no idea what his brother was doing. I read into my conversation with Frank that Sly has cut him off which has caused him to be a little bitter. Catching this, I got my quick photo with Frank and walked off before he punched me in the face for asking another question about his legendary brother.

Remember how I mentioned at the previous Chiller Show that William Forsythe threw a fit when we accidentally said he was the son of John Forsythe per a book I owned about "That Guy" actors? Well, he was back for this show. I lived up to my word and brought the book to show him with hopes that he would give us a photo opportunity at no cost. He did remember us from the last show so I unloaded the book for his reading pleasure. He looked at it pretty quickly and threw the book right at me. I then figured that asking for the free photo was not a good idea. He really is a tough cookie just like the characters he plays in the tons of movies he has been in. Unfortunately, I lost all respect for this character actor slash psychopath.

The biggest line of day was for George Romero, the legendary director of classic horror movies such as Night Of The Living Dead, Dawn Of The Dead, and Creepshow. Makes sense since this Chiller Show is supposed be an appreciation of monster movies! Romero and the stars of his movies were in the same room Ace Frehley had been in at the last show. I appreciate Romero's art, but am not a big fan of zombie movies. So instead of having to wait in line to chat with him, my dad and I walked into the room to see a bunch of actors and actresses I had never even heard of. One of them was Lynn Lowry, who had a cool banner behind where she was sitting. She started up a conversation with me, and although I had no idea who she was, I figured she could be interesting. Did I mention she was pretty hot for an old lady (a GMILF, might I add!)? Lynn mentioned that she appeared nude in Playboy and many horror films, and most horror fans know her as a household name. I apologized that I had no real knowledge of these films, nor did I ever see myself devoting a year of my life to study this genre of film. Yet, she was very fascinating and one of the nicest people I've ever met.

Dennis Cole was a semi-famous actor who appeared for three years on Felony Squad and made random appearances on many big 70s's TV shows such as Fantasy Island, Charlie's Angels, and The Love Boat. But he gets major props for having been married to Jaclyn Smith. I pointed to the photo of him and his former wife on the table, and proclaimed that he was so damn lucky! He gave me a quick smile. While researching for this article, I just found out that he passed away three days ago. Considering he got to have sex with one of the most beautiful women ever, it's safe to say he lived a damn good life.

Mickey Dolenz from the Monkees was in "The Pit", but seemed like he really had no interest in being there. He rarely smiled and probably was paying more attention looking over at his daughter's booth to make sure there was no funny business going on.

Ken Olandt made a surprise unannounced apperance at Chiller. Although I didn't know him by name, I was very familiar with his work in cult movies such as Leprechaun and April Fools Day. My brother was totally clueless who this guy was until I had to remind him that Ken was the always sleeping stripper in 1987's classic 80's comedy, Summer School. A smile came across his face once he put it all together. I inquired with Ken if he still kept in touch with Clayton Rohner or Deborah Foreman from April Fool's Day. He said that Deborah Foreman was gorgeous and fun to work with. We tried to get a photo opp with the guy, but he was charging $15. Although it was going to charity, how could I justify paying this when I just paid $5 for a real star, Erin Gray? Some of these C-level celebs have no clue that they should actually be paying me to take a photo with them!!!

To sum it all up, the April Chiller show was yet another good time. Definitely worth the wait, and we hoped that the next show in October would be another good time for us pop culture aficionados! Be prepared to read about my Chiller #3 experience in the upcoming weeks! May the force be with you!

MisenPopic Tribute: Ken Ober (1957-2009)

I've mentioned numerous times that I spent a lot of time watching MTV back in the 80's. Although they had a few music-related shows like Headbangers Ball and Club MTV, most of what ran on MTV were music videos with the occasional news update from Kurt Loder every half hour. But in an unprecedented move, MTV started running commercials for an original new program of theirs called Remote Control in 1987. Supposedly, it was going to be a game show? At first I questioned why they were giving program time for a game show that probably had very little to do with music. But I figured I would give the show a chance. And I'm glad that I did! I actually watched the first episode, and thought that this show was unlike anything I had ever seen. Even though it was a game show, you didn't really care who won or lost. The categories were so over the top with such themes as Dead Or Canadian?, Inside Tina Youthers, and Brady Physics. But you always hoped the contestants would select a performance skit like Sing Along With Colin in which you had to guess what he was actually singing after his dreadful butchering of a song, or Trivia Delinquent in which a character would come out and indicate he was arrested for doing something that was related to pop culture which the contestants had to guess the answer to. Remote Control introduced us to Colin Quinn, Kari Wuhrer (who I was deeply in love with), Dennis Leary, and of course Adam Sandler who player the Trivia Delinquent, Stud Boy, and other kooky characters. The show ran on MTV and then syndication from 1987 to 1990. Trust me when I say it probably was the best original program MTV ever ran with possibly the exception being The State. My brother and I spent many weeknights watching this crazy show, and we knew even back then that Adam Sandler would one day be a huge comedy star. In my mind, the best game show of all time, and there surprisingly has been nothing like it since. For detailed information about Remote Control, check out the wikipedia page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Remote_Control_(game_show)


Ken Ober was the host of Remote Control for three of the four seasons, and was fantastic in his role as the main voice of reason on the show. Why I'm writing such a quick tribute to Ken Ober and Remote Control is because I found out today that he was discovered dead this past weekend in his home at the age of 52. I'm in shock!!! If you never saw Remote Control, you might still know Ken Ober from his random appearances in Blues Traveler's videos such as The Hook, Runaround, and The Mountains Win Again. He also was in 90's Jenga TV commercials, and had a radio show with Susan Olsen (Cindy Brady from the Brady Bunch). He currently was working as a producer on the hit CBS sit-com, The Old Adventures Of New Christine. Cause of death is unknown, but it sounds like he died from flu-like symptoms. As a tribute to Ken Ober, I hope MTV will finally search through their vaults and release the Remote Control seasons on DVD so we can all rewatch his genius work. I'm sure the sales would be worth their while. Rest in peace, Ken Ober!!

MisenPOPic Update 11/15/09

Wow! A Sunday where I wasn't totally bombarded with TV programs to watch. Mad Men is over until next summer, and I can always watch Family Guy on Hulu tomorrow. I did record the remake of The Prisoner on AMc which has gotten good reviews, but who knows when I'll watch it? It's on the queue with the first two episodes of V that I still need to watch. Tonight, only Dexter was on the docket. Dexter was great, but I really don't understand why they show so much on their sneak previews for next week. Can't the creative staff of Dexter learn from Mad Men? If you ever watch a Mad Men sneak preview for the following week, they show clips but give away absolutely nothing. I've learned my lesson, and because I'm old-school in the sense that I like surprises, no more watching the sneak previews for next week's Dexter episodes. So I now know Trinity is going to kill the reporter, and Rita is cheating on Dexter already. It's just stupid.

I also had a great weekend. Got my groove on at my buddy Henry's wedding today without a drop of alcohol in my system. I didn't know I still had the dance moves, but that's what happens when songs like Please Don't Stop The Music by Rihanna and Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' by Michael Jackson start playing. Fora brief moment, I felt like I was back in college dancing with my buddies although I'm now a taken man with a baby on the way. :) Good stuff.

Hopefully this week, I'll get around to writing my Chiller #2 article and some other hunky dory articles about random pop culture stuff. You keep on reading, I'll keep on writing.

Mikey

Out There!: Spacer by Sheila / Crying At The Discoteque by Alcazar

I'm taking the weekend off from writing, even though I planned on writing my Chiller Theatre #2 article for this weekend. Oh well! Here's another Out There! article I wrote last year. What's going to happen when I run out of my old stuff? Hopefully, I'll be able to do all new Out There! articles about more obscure music. I have hundreds of ideas. Enjoy!

I will admit I am a sucker for a song with a great dance beat. Back in 2001 during my clubbing days, I was a real big fan of dance music and spent a few days a week listening to KTU radio or buying dance compilation albums. I used to think One More Time from Daft Punk was the greatest dance song of all time. Okay, I’ll admit I was wrong. The best song was an obscure tune from a Swedish pop group called Alcazar with the title of Crying At The Discoteque. The song was the group’s biggest hit in America, peaking at #44 on the U.S. mainstream dance chart in 2000. I first got wind of the song from a dance compilation CD I bought so I could proudfully acclaim that I owned Lady by Modjo for my music collection. I ended up almost crying at the discoteque because I never heard this great song played while I was doing my disco disco! The song has a distinctive melody and some of the cheesiest lyrics of all time. Check these out: The golden years, The silver tears,You wore a tie like Richard Gere! Back in those days, my brother and I would ride down the highway blasting this tune as we bopped our heads like the Night At The Roxbury guys played by Chris Kattan and Will Ferrell. It wouldn’t be until a few years later that I realized that Alcazar had actually sampled the track from an obscure Swedish pop star of the 70’s. Considering most great dance and hip hop melodies are stolen, how can I have been so blind?

The original melody actually was from a super hot 70’s disco queen from France known as Sheila. The song’s title was Spacer, and the tune was as or if not more cheesy than Alcazar’s tune. Sheila oddly enough got her stage name from the title of her first release which was a cover of Tommy Roe’s classic tune. Sheila was actually a folk singer until she changed her music style to disco in 1977.You know what, she was kind of hot and ranks up there with Agnetha from ABBA as my favorite blondes from overseas. Spacer was actually written and produced by the team of Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards of Chic. The song never charted in the US, although it was a big hit overseas and peaked at #18 on the British charts. I’m sure most people don’t even know what this song is. You probably won’t find it on any disco box sets or compilation albums. Just like Crying At The Discoteque, I’ve never heard Spacer at a 70’s night or club which is an outrage. Listen to the song below, and I’m sure you’ll have that melody in your head for the rest of the day. If not, at last you’ll never forget the images from the video. “Because he’s a spacer, a starchaser!” Yah!

And here’s the Alcazar tune for you to make the comparison which song is more funky for ya!

The Best Show On TV And Nobody's Watching?

What is the best show currently on television? Two years ago, I would have said that the answer had to hands down be Dexter. But that was before I had the pleasure and honor of watching Breaking Bad. Dexter is probably the equivalent of an MTV reality show in comparison to Breaking Bad. That just goes to show you how much I think of this show. Now mind you, I've only seen the first season of Breaking Bad, but I assume the second season is just as good as the first establishing Walter's turn to the dark side. Breaking Bad is the best produced, best directed, and best acted show on television currently. And it may soon compete with The Wire as the most complete and greatest serial drama ever on television. What exactly is Breaking Bad all about, you ask? Well, think of the 1993 classic movie Falling Down which starred Michael Douglas as a misenthrope creating his own brand of justice. Add some elements from The Wire, Dexter, and Weeds and you got Breaking Bad.

Breaking Bad takes place in New Mexico and stars Bryan Cranston as Walter White. Walter is a high school chemistry teacher who has given up his dreams of being a Noble Prize winning physicist to be a family man. He happens to be down on his luck struggling with family issues and financial problems. In order to make ends meet, he takes a second job at a car wash which surprises his students. He develops a very nasty cough which causes him to pass out, and ends up finding out he has developed terminal lung cancer. In order to take care of his family upon his death, he knows he will need to find a new avenue to make money. Walter decides to turn to a life of crime by using his intensive knowledge of chemistry to cook a top-notch product of crystal meth in order to rake in some serious money. After going on a drug bust with his brother-in-law, he notices one of his former students escaping from the house. He confronts his former student Jesse Pinkman, who can assist him with getting the product out on the street. Jesse Pinkman is played brilliantly by Aaron Paul. Together, they drive out to the desert in a beat-up RV trailer to cook crystal meth with Walter dressing down to his tighty whities to avoid any suspicion. Walter just wants to cook and not be involved with the drug trade. Unfortunately due to Jesse's incompetence, Walter has no choice but to get involved even though he has no idea the danger involved. They soon land themselves in sticky situations trying to sell their product without being pushed around. Walter also is transforming from a reserved and peaceful man into a criminal. As he is undergoing treatment for his cancer reluctantly for his family, he even shaves his head to look like a badass to complete the transformation. Anna Gunn plays Walter's wife, Skylar. She is pregnant with Walter's daughter and has him on a tight leash controlling many aspects of his life. Skylar has no idea in the first season that Walter is cooking meth. Walter also has a son, Walter Jr. who unfortunately struggles with cerebral palsy. Walter Jr. is played by RJ Mitte, who has mild cerebral palsy in real life. Walter Jr. also has no idea of what his dad is up to. Walter's brother-in-law is Hank Schrader, who happens to be a DEA agent who soon will be on Walter's trail. Hank is played by Dean Norris. Hank's wife/Skylar's sister is Marie who is always in the ear of Skylar and happens to be a cleptomaniac unbeknown to her husband. The entire White family is close, and spend a lot of time together much to the chagrin of Walter. Walter is "breaking bad" meaning he is finding happiness with breaking off his usual straight and narrow path toward a life of crime.

I have questioned why Jon Hamm from Mad Men still hasn't won the Emmy for Best Actor in a drama. Although Jon Hamm is flawless as Don Draper and might win the award in 2010, his acting is nowhere near what Cranston is doing each episode as Walter White. Which is why Bryan Cranston has won the Emmy the past two years! And this was the same guy who played the dad on Malcolm In The Middle? The acting from the entire cast on Breaking Bad is top notch. There also is never a dull moment on the show, and each week the writers are creating brilliant and over the top situations. Breaking Bad returns to AMC in March on Sundays at 10:00 PM for it's third season, but you need to catch up immediately. The first season is available on DVD, and I am hoping that the second season will soon be available on-demand.

Unfortunately, I don't know anybody who is watching this brilliant show. If you are a fan of great television, you are doing yourself a total disservice by not having tracked down this show yet. Have I ever let you down before? Trust me on this one, you will thank me for introducing Breaking Bad to you. It's worth your time!!! Guaranteed!