Blast from the Past: Guilty Pleasures, Part One

I realize that summer is ending, and I've got to get back to the business of blogging, such as it is. But I tell you, when you've got a lazy Sunday, and it is still light out until 7:00 pm, it's difficult to get up from the readin' couch by the window, particularly when the readin' cat is on your lap. But, let's get on with it, shall we?

This week's topic, "Guilty Pleasures" isn't the gentle kind. It's not ABBA or The Carpenters. . .you know, the groups you're shy about admitting you secretly dig. No, I mean specific songs that were often times enormous hits, but nobody will admit to ever having liked! These are the songs that could either fill or empty out a dance floor, depending upon the crowd. And you'd have no way of knowing!

This one is going to be text-light, videos-heavy. The source of the guilt and the pleasure (particularly the guilt) is self evident!

And that will do it for part one. There are so many--so many--others. Meanwhile, have a great week and a happy Monday! I'll be back late today refreshed, and get back to the politics.

Fall TV: Melrose Place Redux

It's gonna be stupid. It's gonna be trashy. The acting is going to suck. And I'll watch every episode. Just like I did the first time around. Melrose Place? I'm there.

Frivolity Break: Paula Abdul May Not Return to Idol

Image from source, Huffington Post

It's very late on Sunday night as I type this, so I need to get something posted for Monday morning before bedtime. Often times, I stumble upon just the thing, or there is a new edition of Top 10 Conservative Idiots to link to. Other times, I find something like this.

It's not that American Idol isn't interesting, it's just embarrassing. It's the kind of show I usually follow, but only with one eye. I have to be reading, or working, or doing the dishes, or surfing the 'net--anything to avoid giving the show my undivided attention. I'd just feel too guilty.

But one of the pleasures of viewing, is watching Paula Abdul's spastic gyrations and incoherent critiques. She surprises when she is lucid and cogent, and delights when she's flailing about. She is, as far as I'm concerned, every bit as crucial as Simon Cowell. Ryan's probably replaceable, despite his new $45 million contract. And Randy Jackson? Dawg, he hasn't said or done anything new in years. Dawg.

[Excerpt]

Paula Abdul 'Idol' Drama: She May Not Return

Paula Abdul's (ab-DOOL') new manager says she may not be returning to "American Idol. . ."

Read more at: Huffington Post

Frivolity Break: Laura Leighton Returns to Melrose Place

Photo from source, Socialite Life

Everybody has their guilty pleasures. Whether it's professional wrestling, soap operas, ABBA, Clay Aiken, or Judge Judy, we all have them. As something of a pop culture junkie (though not as much as I get older) I've had more than my share. But none was guiltier or trashier than Melrose Place.

I got hooked mostly to see the gay character played by Doug Savant, pictured here with Laura Leighton (who is his wife), and Marcia Cross. Melrose Place was something of an updated, more youthful Dynasty, and both were from Aaron Spelling. Coincidentally (or maybe not so much), I started watching Dynasty for the character of Stephen, played by Jack Coleman (Noah on Heroes).

Anyway, neither Stephen nor Matt (Savant's character) got any action at all on their shows. But it was enough to get me hooked on both. I probably watched every single episode of each, well beyond their primes. The common denominator (beyond what I've already mentioned) was Heather Locklear, who took the lion's share of Melrose Place's attention. No offense to Heather, but it was the two ladies in the picture who provided the best scenes and the most interesting story lines on MP.

Both were evil redheads, both were crazy, and both died on the show. Which presents a dilemma for the writers, I suppose. I mean they're reviving the show, which isn't so hard to do. But they're also reviving Leighton's character, Sydney, who was run down and squashed by a car on her wedding night! Bringing back either Cross' evil Kimberly or even Savant's Matt would be even more difficult. Sure, they're both also dead in the storyline, but they also co-star on one of my other guilty pleasures, Desperate Housewives.

It's all very silly, and I'll probably watch every single episode.

[Excerpt]

Laura Leighton To Reprise Sydney Andrews On 'Melrose Place' Remake

The bitch is back. Okay, I may now actually watch the pilot. Original Melrose Place actress Laura Leighton has joined the CW pilot in a recurring role. . .

Read more at: Socialite Life

CBS' Swingtown Losing Advertisers

Image from source, Ad Age

How lame is this really? Swingtown, a CBS show about the swingin' 70s has advertisers skittering. Why? Yes, the subject matter is racy. But it is a 10 pm show, and the "swinging" element is only a part of a rich, fun drama series. There isn't much in Swingtown that is racier than a typical Desperate Housewives, or any weekday soap opera. In fact, one of the advertisers jumping ship is Procter & Gamble--one of the major sponsors of the soaps. Silly.

But trust me folks, this is a great show, particularly if you are old enough to remember the 70s first hand. Attention to detail--while not perfect--is several notches higher than most nostalgia pieces. The music is great. The fashion is terrific. It's good, guilty pleasure fun. Maybe if it gets too rough for CBS, they can put it on one of the other Viacom-owned properties.

[Excerpt]

Advertisers Don't Party With CBS's Swingers: Broadcasters Pay the Price for Competing With Cable

You wouldn't think Philips North America, the company whose Bodygroom razor offers American males an "extra optical inch," would be easily fazed. But it was rather taken aback by consumer reaction to its advertising on "Swingtown."

'Swingtown' features characters who enjoy the occasional skinny dip, wife swap or threesome. . .

Read more at: Ad Age

And if you'd like to see what all the fuss is about, you can find clips--and entire episodes--here.

Writers' Strike to End Next Week?

Photo from source, Raw Story

I thought the writers' strike would lead me to better persuits than the boob tube. I'd crack open some books! Maybe start a project, clean out the closets, medatate, take up yoga. . . Yeah, well, I'm more a creature of habit than that. I mean, I spend a couple of hours a night working on the blog, and the house is quiet, especially when The Other Half is away. Plus I got this nifty flat-screen TV for my office for Christmas! What was I supposed to do?

When it gets dark early, TV watching is an easy to excuse guilty pleasure. But with the writers' strike, it has been more guilt than pleasure. TV stinks on ice, most nights. Reruns, reality shows, game shows. I actually watched that stupid lie detector show on FOX! For shame.

That may be coming to an end. The writers' strike may soon be over. Hallelujah! But is it too late for the 2007-2008 TV season? Will we be stuck with 8-episode-long DVD collections in future years? Is there time for them to get back to work on a few more episodes of Desperate Housewives, Brothers & Sisters and Lost? Please?

[Excerpt]

End to Hollywood writer's strike may be close

America’s long wait for new episodes of “Grey’s Anatomy” and “The Office” may finally be coming to a close.

The New York Times is reporting that anonymous sources close to the talks claim Hollywood’s writers and production companies may have overcome the major roadblocks in their contract negotiations, opening the chance of a tentative agreement between the constituencies as early as next week. . .

Read more at: Raw Story

Match Game Star Brett Somers Remembered

Brett Somers, wife of Jack Klugman, and star of The Match Game passed away last week. Of all the pop culture nuggets in my brain, The Match Game was something of a boulder. The show was one of the biggest slabs of orange shag carpeted slabs of cheese on TV in the 70s. I don't know why my brother and I liked is so much--we surely couldn't comprehend the double entendres in the "blanks."

Maybe it was the drunken behavior of stars, Brett Somers, Richard Dawson, Charles Nelson Reilly, and Gene Rayburn. Watching clips today, it is profoundly evident that they were absolutely loaded during these tapings. And Charles Nelson Reilly was even gayer than Paul Lynde, if such a thing is possible. Pure 70s cheesy goodness.

Brett Somers passed away last week, and I'd just like to acknowledge her contribution to the huge filing cabinet of trivial pop culture knowledge in my brain. Rest in ____, Brett! Enjoy.

Guilty Pleasures: Laverne & Shirley, Season 3

Image from TVShowsOnDVD.net

In a recent post about 80s music, I pointed out how difficult it is to separate "good" from "nostalgic." Things you loved in your childhood hold warm fuzzy memories, and then you see and hear them again, and some of the charm is lost. My best example is the movie Fright Night, a film I dearly loved in the 80s that simply doesn't hold up as a classic 22 years later (though it's still fun in its way).

I was happy to find that Laverne & Shirley still holds up. It remains funny, and my nostalgic memories are not proven wrong. It still has some of that old-fashioned 50s-70s sitcom, "playing to the balcony" unreality about it, but so did I Love Lucy.

Penny Marshall and Cindy Williams were a remarkable comic team, with a prowess for physical comedy only rivaled at the time by John Ritter. Michael McKean and David L. Lander were seen as silly and stupid as Lenny & Squiggy back in the 70s. Modern day viewing shows a subversive--almost dirty--undercurrent to much of their comedy. I'm sure some of my love for this show still is colored by nostalgia, but I'm confident that there's more to it than that.

The third season DVD release has finally been slated for November 27th, after having been set for September. Since there were a few years between seasons 1 & 2's DVDs, I guess I should be grateful. I still can't figure out how so many crappy shows get full releases, and this one is just trickling out (and with box-cover art semi-foreign to the graphics on the show too). Oh well.

I posted the theme song to Laverne & Shirley several weeks ago, in one of my other "Guilty Pleasures" posts. So, to prevent making this post a rerun (hah!), here is the theme song that ran during the much-lamented California years. People tend to think Laverne & Shirley jumped the shark after the move. I disagree. Lots of funny adventures were found in LA. And don't tell me that whole groups of people don't just pick up and move across the country together. I DID!

Five of us quit the same company, and all moved to Las Vegas together 13 years ago! And I don't think we've jumped the shark yet! Anyway, it was only after Cindy Williams left, and the show became "Laverne & Furniture" that this show ran out of gas.

Thursday the 13th - Friday the 13th

As I've proven many times, I'm a child of the 70s and 80s, and no other movie had as much impact on my young life as Friday the 13th. Picture it: it's 1980, and at the tender age of 14, I sneaked into a drive in movie theater, through a hole in the fence with my brother and our friend, Bill. We had lawn chairs and snacks, the works. Mom let us do this? Yes, she did.

We parked ourselves at the playground at the front of the drive-in, right under a speaker. We met a few girls there (I still hadn't figured out certain things about that). Anyway, we thoroughly enjoyed the movie, and poked fun that the girls were scared. I had one of the girls sitting on my lap during the canoe scene. And when the climactic scene happened, I freaked the hell out, jumping up, dumping the girl into the gravel, and hitting my head on the speaker. To add insult to injury, the speaker flew into the air, and fell back down on my head. A double-whammy.

Oh, and then I found out my fly was unzipped. No biggie as an adult. Devastating to a 14-year old. At least I didn't wet my pants.

WARNING: Graphic 80s-style violence ahead.



And if you want to see what led up to the climactic battle, here's the fantastic fight between the last survivor, Alice, and Mrs. Voorhees (Jason's Mama). And if you didn't know, Jason didn't officially appear as an adult until Part 2. He polished off Alice, and now we can't get rid of him.

Guilty Pleasures: Songs to Get a Party Started

In a continuation of the previous post, these are four songs that will get a dance floor hopping. You might not personally like them (or maybe you just won't admit it), but request one of them at a dance club sometime, and watch the floor fill up. I've done it, and it works!

Today's dance music can be so boring and repetitive (I know, I'm old, but that doesn't make me wrong). This is what good dance floor or party music is to me. Crank up your speakers, and get the party started!

#1 - Xanadu by Olivia Newton-John & ELO
#2 - Dancing Queen by ABBA
#3 - Into the Groove by Madonna
#4 - One by One by Cher

Guilty Pleasures: Songs You Love to Hate

While out running errands today, I was trying to come up with some more fluffy entertainment, to break up the political drudgery. I came up with two ideas, both regarding music.

There are two types of songs that really interest me. One is the type that is so infectious, that no matter what you think of it, it will always fill a dance floor, or get a party hopping. The other type is the one that might do the same thing. . .or. . .will absolutely clear a room.

This post is about the latter. The songs you love to hate. Or hate to love. All of these songs were ridiculously popular at one time, but are now harbingers of party doom. But cast aspersions all you want, I'll bet you know every word.

#1 - Mambo #5 by Lou Bega
#2 - I'm Too Sexy by Right Said Fred
#3 - Supermodel (You Better Work) by Ru Paul
#4 - Macarena by Los del Rio

Classic TV Themes: Dramas of the 80s (and 90s)

My previous posts' sidestep into frivolity led to this one. I realized that most of my "Classic TV" clips were from the 70s, and I was as much a "child" of the 80s--and even the 90s (I was immature), so I thought I'd branch out a bit.

First up, while I was still in my "comic book" phase (as if I ever left), I was a big fan of The Greatest American Hero, starring William Katt, Robert Culp (future father-in-law of Ray Romano on Everybody Loves Raymond), and Mrs. John Tesh, Connie Sellecca.

Second, the vastly underrated Remington Steele, starring the equally underrated Stephanie Zimbalist and future James Bond, Pierce Brosnan. Not to mention (future Ray Romano Mother on Everybody Loves Raymond) Doris Roberts.

Third, my guiltiest pleasure (I never missed an episode), Dynasty. Not well-written. Not well-acted. For some reason, addictive anyway. And the best use of a trumpet in a theme ever.

And last, a nineties entry, Melrose Place, which didn't kick into high gear until Dynasty alum Heather Locklear joined the cast (as perpetual guest star). And a great cast it was. Whatever happened to Andrew Shue, Josie Bissett and Thomas Calabro anyway?

Enjoy.

Fall TV: Desperate Housewives

Yes, back to absolute frivolity. I can't wait for the season premiere of this show, one of my guilty pleasures: Desperate Housewives. The title never fit, as I think one of the characters is actually a traditional housewife, but I don't care. It's one of the funniest, well-written and well-acted shows on TV, in my opinion. It's like Melrose Place, if it were a quality production instead of merely a confection. Even if they didn't know what to do with the (incredible) Alfre Woodard. And it looks like Edie lives! Yay!

Guilty Pleasures: Soap

As you've seen in previous posts, I was a kid of the 70s, addicted to ABC, in their heyday. One of the best of the era (and it still holds up) was Soap. I didn't get all the jokes back then, which only makes it better now. Check out this clip of the first appearance of "Chuck" and "Bob," Bert's son and his son's puppet. Inspired silliness. Enjoy.



And because I can't stop with just one, here's a clip of Jessica's possessed grandson.

Guilty Pleasures: Laverne & Shirley

As a child of the 70s, I was of the perfect age to experience an explosion of silliness on TV, ranging from the superhero shows like The Bionic Woman, and Wonder Woman, to the "jiggle" shows, Three's Company and Charlie's Angels, to my favorite, Laverne & Shirley.

I was not quite 10 when the phenomenally successful Happy Days spun off this unsung gem, and I was hooked from the first episode. Mom, previously worried about my fascination with record players, soon started to worry about my new addiction to ABC TV, which was experiencing a boom in the ratings. I could name every time slot, every theme song, and every star. She soon imposed strict "after 7, only two hours, and only if your chores and homework are done" rules.

I managed. Laverne & Shirley never got any respect from reviewers or the Emmys, but it got viewers in droves. That is why it surprises me that the show is getting something of a short-shrift on DVD from Paramount. Only two seasons have been released so far, and those two were released years apart. Allegedly, season three will be available in September. Meanwhile, you can get the lamest of lame series (What's Happening!! and What's Happening Now!!) in their entirety. Criminal.

Penny Marshall and Cindy Williams were truly inspired in their timing, physical comedy and chemistry. David L. Lander and Michael McKean were just as inspired, and quite demented--even subversive--as Lenny and Squiggy. And, sigh, Eddie Mekka as Carmine. Great fun all around. I can't wait for season three.

Here's the famous opening credit sequence. Just try not to sing along. . .



And, because the Other Half wouldn't have it any other way, a clip from the 2nd Season episode, "Guinea Pigs," where Laverne & Shirley have participated in a scientific expirement in order to get enough money to go to a society function. Laverne was in a sleep deprivation test, and Shirley in a food deprivation test. Genius.

Ann Coulter's Inspiration: Robert Palmer

Earlier, I posted a video clip of comedienne, Kathy Griffin, who compares Ann Coulter to a "Robert Palmer Girl." I was reminded of this when my MP3 player picked Addicted to Love immediately after I Didn't Mean to Turn You On today. I got to thinking, and remembered a regular feature on TowleRoad.com is aYouTube roundup, with a four-way split screen.

I think I learned how to do it! So, here are four "Robert Palmer Girls" videos. The first, Addicted to Love, was the original, and the girls sort of just played musical robot/mannequins. In the second, I Didn't Mean to Turn You On, the mannequins are joined by dancers with really bad 80s fashion sense. The third video is a Pepsi commercial (Robert sells out), and the fourth, Simply Irresistible, the ultimate culmination (and I think final installment) of the concept.

Robert Palmer died on September 26, 2003 of a heart attack at age 54. But his legacy lives on, with his "lip girls!"

I really wanted to include a video of the 1989 Geena Davis appearance on Saturday Night Live, where she played a "Robert Palmer Girl" in a skit called "The Robert Palmer Bunch," a Brady Bunch-inspired sitcom, with all of the girls living with Robert Palmer in suburbia. It was quite funny, but I can't find a video clip The best I could do was this photo. Yes that is the (unfortunately) late Phil Hartman as Palmer.


Photo from NBC.com

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Saturday Update - ABBA (Why Not?)

Not much time to post this day, as we are preparing for yet another social gathering (we're so popular (heh!). Anyway, here's something new to take the top spot, until later this evening.

We're gonna go back into the "Guilty Pleasures" file for an ABBA attack! This song has a few nonsense lyrics (dum-de-dum-dum-de-dum-de-dum-dum), but it always makes me smile. One of the best parts of the video (for me) is that Agnetha and Frida don't look like they have any idea what they're singing. I know it is an urban legend that the ABBA girls sang phonetically, and this may be where it started! Enjoy!



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Guilty Pleasures: Xanadu

Illustration from source, Towleroad.com

OK, we're back to the odd things I like. Xanadu, starring Olivia Newton-John. Yeah, it's cheesy, and at times relentlessly stupid. But for some reason, I just dig it. That said, I had no idea it was a Broadway musical. I'm not sure if I can wrap my brain around that.

Kenneth Walsh (of Kenneth in the 212) is filling in for blogger extrordinaire Andy Towle this week at Towleroad.com, and has this review: Xanadu: On Broadway (Seriously).

And since I can't mention Xanadu without running a clip of it, here you go!

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Night Night, It's Time for Bye Byes (Shock Treatment)

Photo from shocktreatment.net

The great thing about having your own blog, is sharing weird and odd things about yourself. One of those weird, odd things is this fact: one of my favorite movies is 1981's Shock Treatment. It was a quasi-sequel (or "Equel") to The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Since Barry Bostwick and Susan Sarandon, the stars of the first movie, had moved on to bigger and better things, Cliff DeYoung (also in Protocol with Goldie Hawn) and Jessica Harper (of the cult flick, Suspiria) took over the roles.

The film is set in a TV studio in Denton, Ohio, the same town as Rocky Horror. The whole town basically exists within the studio. Considering that this was 1981, I'd say that Richard O'Brien (creator and songwriter) was darn near psychic. This is what America is on the road to. While the movie follows the further adventures of Brad and Janet, none of the characters from Rocky Horror is reprised, except for Ralph and Betty Hapschatt (happy shit!). The great thing though, is many of the ACTORS did reappear: Richard O'Brien and Patricia Quinn (once again playing incestuous brother and sister), Little Nell Campbell, and Charles Gray. Added to the mix was Barry Humphries (Dame Edna Everidge) and Ruby Wax.

The movie takes a couple of viewings to grow on you, but the music is fantastic. "Breaking Out" by "Oscar Drill & the Bits" (apparently about coming out of the closet) could've been sung by Green Day. Other songs, "Bitchin' in the Kitchen," "Little Black Dress," and the title song "Shock Treatment" are nothing short of delightful. What got me to thinking about the movie was the song, "Lullaby," which has the characters turning in for the night, as I was going to do prior to writing this (lengthy) post. Here it is for your visual and aural pleasure.

And another clip that makes me think George Bush may have been a fan back in the day. I mean, can't you hear him saying, "You're not looking a King, you're looking at a goddamn ACE?




12/26/07 UPDATE: A warning folks, but is wont to happen with these clips, FOX has apparently pulled many of their videos. They've also pulled all of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Simpsons clips. I fail to see why, as all these YouTube clips do is keep interest going in their projects, and raise the profile of their properties. My site has made a whopping 81 cents since it debuted, and I can't even cash that out. I am not putting a dent in Rupert Murdoch's profits. Anyway, it probably won't be long until these are gone too.

06/13/08 UPDATE: Added a different clip, Bitchin' in the Kitchen, since You're Looking at an Ace has been removed.