Today in music history: 1994

Today, we look back, and find:



"Stay (I Missed You)" by Lisa Loeb

I so love this song.  I can't quite sing along with it the way I used to be able to do(She sings pretty fast for a white chick.)

The video is sparse, but really captures the feel of the song.

What do you remember about this one?

Previously in 1994:

I Swear

The Sign

Light Posting

Due to the Olympics, and my obsessive watching of them, posting may be a bit light for the next couple of weeks.

Go Team USA!

Today in music history: 1986

And I'm back!  And totally cheating, since I am going to backdate all the music video posts, so there will be a massive pile on the first few pages of posts, but I hope to get fully caught up in this long slog.

So, today, we look back to 1986, and find:


"Glory of Love" by Peter Cetera.

This song is soooo boring.  Going out on a limb to say that it's from Karate Kid 2, what with all the movie clips and whatnot.

I don't even think it had the typical verse/chorus mix, so it sounded like one giant string of notes.

What did you think of this one?


Previously in 1986:

Addicted to Love

On My Own

Sledgehammer

The Greatest Love of All

There'll be Sad Songs

Today in music history: 1990

Today, we look back to 1990, and find:



"Vision of Love" by Mariah Carey

Hmm....this song was rather boring.  If I remember correctly, it's the song that was Mariah's breakout hit, but it doesn't do much for me at all.

What did you think of this one?

Previously in 1990:

Hold On

It Must Have Been Love

Nothing Compares 2U

She Ain't Worth It

Step by Step

Vogue

Today in music history: 1991

Today, we look back to 1991, and find:



"(Everything I Do) I Do it For You" by Bryan Adams

Oh my.  This song is so incredibly cheesy, but so fun to sing along with as well.  The video isn't much to write home about, just scene from Robin Hood, which this song was made for.

What did you think of this one?

Previously in 1991:

Baby, Baby

Joyride

I Don't Wanna Cry

Rush Rush

Unbelievable

You're in Love

Today in music history: 1985

Today, we look back to 1985, and find:



"Every Time You Go Away" by Paul Young

When I saw the song title, I was like, I know that one!  And then it started and I was very confused.  It didn't sound a thing like the song I had in my head.  But then!  The chorus started, and it was the song I was thinking of, but I don't know if this is a different version or what, cause ot did not sound nearly as strong in the video as it does in my head.

What did you think of it?

Previously in 1985:

A View to Kill

Don't You(Forget About Me)

Everybody Wants to Rule the World

Everything She Wants

Heaven

Sussudio

We Are The World

Book Review Friday!

Now with 100% more video review!

How'd you like it?  Let me know in the comments!

Tangerine by Edward Bloor

(Click here to buy it!)

Transcript below the cut, if you're lazy :)

Today in music history: 1987

Today, we go back to 1987, and find:



"Shakedown" by Bob Seger.

So here, we have generic movie theme #4234.  The lyrics are generic, the tune is generic, the song is generic, and boring.

 What did you think of this one?

Previously in 1987:

Alone

Always

Head to Toe

(I just) Died in Your Arms Tonight

I Wanna Dance With Somebody

With or Without You

You Keep Me Hangin' On

AGT: 7/25 Quarterfinal #4 Results

Holy crap, that was a stressful night for me.  In two of the three eliminations, I wasn’t sure if the person I wanted to go through would.  And how did my predictions turn out?  Find out below!

The first three acts called out were Ulysses, Olate Dogs, and David “The Bullet” Smith.  This group was not terribly suspenseful at all, seeing as it had one amazing group, and two lackluster acts.  And then, my favorite dogs made it through, so yay!

William Close, Unity in Motion, and Sebastian came out next, and I was HIGHLY worried.  My fear from last night, that people would assume William Close was safe, and not vote for him, seemed to be a distinct possibility with this group.  Even though Sebastian sang terribly, and Unity in Motion hopefully split the dance vote, they were strong contenders, and I was really nervous.  Luckily, my nerves turned out to be for naught, and William Close sailed through, and I breathed a huge sigh of relief.

The third group to come out were Joe Castillo, Eric and Olivia, and Horse. I knew Horse was no threat, but I really wasn’t sure on Eric and Olivia.  Did the voting audience find Joe’s “Obviously” comment a bit too smug, and send him packing because of it?  Was Eric and Olivia’s strong performance good enough to knock off one of my favorites?  Thank goodness again, the voting public had more sense than I gave them credit for, and Joe is on to the semi-finals. 

Before we get to the final group, a quick note on the guest performers:  The British chick blew monkey chunks, and if she disappears from the music scene all together I would not be sad.  The performance from the musical Once was great, mostly cause I love the song they sang, after they got through the ruckus that was all the instruments playing.

And then, there were three: All That, Eric Dittelman, and Lindsey Norton.  Nick was uncharacteristically quick in giving poor Lindsey the boot, and she was crying the whole time, even if she tried to hold it in.  So we were left with All That, who shouldn’t even be eligible, and Eric Dittelman, who should have been in the top three.  Howie voted first, and went for Dittelman, and I totally cheered.  Sharon was second, and for whatever reason, decided All That should move on, probably because they promised oily leather chaps, meh.  So it came down to Howard, and he really does seem to have a good head on his shoulders, as he chose Dittelman for the win.  Of course, Sharon had to ruin it by calling her first pick for the wild card round, blech.

So, my shoulds pulled out a major upset this time, and rocked the house.  We are off for the next few weeks for the Olympics, and then we are right back for the Youtube round.

Shoulds are sitting at 11/16 correct, while wills are sitting at 12/16.  All in all, not bad on the predictions, but we still have eight more acts to go through, so we’ll see how I’m sitting after those.

Today in music history: 1996

Today, we look back to 1996, and find:



"You're Makin' Me High" by Toni Braxton

When I saw this song come up, I didn't know what it was, and thought it was going to be lame, but then it came on, and not so much!  This is another fun song to sing along to, and the music video is fun as well.

What did you think of this one?

Previously in 1996:

Always Be My Baby

All My Life

Because You Loved Me

How Do U Want It?

Tha Crossroads

Bunheads(S1E6)-Movie Truck

So, oh man.  This episode was all sorts of cray-cray.

So first, Michelle wakes up to a gaggle of girls in her backyard; the doors to the dance studio are locked.  She goes to Fanny’s kitchen to find her, and instead find the old bitty’s book club, plus Truly, who are discussing the smut which shall not be named. 

Anyway, Michelle first bags on Truly for not having any friends her own age, then asks where Fanny is.  Turns out, Fanny has gone on vacation!  And left Michelle in charge!  Of course, it happens to be Michelle’s birthday weekend.  “If you insist on dressing up like Cinderella with your tiara and tutu, do it at night, now you have a class to teach!”  “It was only once,” Michelle sputters as Fanny hangs up and goes back to her vacation.

And then, we have class for all of two seconds.

Of course, we then must go to after class, and the girls discussing the movie truck that is coming later that evening, and they makes plans to meet at horrible Sasha’s house, for some reason.

We then cut to Michelle inexplicably practicing on the inexplicable pole that Fanny has installed, when Michelle’s friend Talia comes in, all “Hi there Nomi Malone,” and right there is where I just lost it.  This episode was hilarious from then out.  I don’t know what the point was, I don’t know if any of this is going to have any bearing on future episodes, but this episode was amazingly funny, and now I see how AS-P had a job writing for Roseanne.

Anyway, other stuff happens, like Ginny’s no-longer redheaded boyfriend brings pick gift bags for the girls for their girls night, and Sasha’s parents are awful and yelly, and her dad is so gay, like, literally, and Boo is a sad puppy again, some more when Charlie, tall bunhead’s brother, uses her as a post-it note.

BUT.  Michelle and Talia wander about town, and Talia spots Truly’s store, and goes apeshit.  “It’s a Duck! On a DRESS!”  Talia manage to rope Truly into Michelle’s birthday madness, and it is glorious, even if Truly isn’t a drinker.  I mean, spitting back in to the communal bottle?  Ewww.  Anyway, so drinking, and woo-ing, and slutty dresses, and not narc-cool, just cool-cool, so they talk to the girls, and then drive to LA for the 24 hour cupcake machine, as you do.

And then, the girls get back to Sasha’s too late, and can’t get in without setting off the alarm, so they sleep outside until six in the morning, on Sasha’s mom’s (now broken) car.  And they get back in, and Sasha’s dad is having a mental breakdown on the couch, and Sasha can’t deal, so she goes up to him “I stayed out all night and wrecked Mom’s car,” and silently walks up the stairs. 

And just when you think it’s over…

EXTREME closeup of Sasha in exaggerated black eye makeup, dancing to Constantinople with two random girls(or possibly adults?  Not sure).  It’s a beautiful contemporary piece with some ballet thrown in, and we have no clue if it’s a dream sequence or what, though the lack of anyone at all in the studio indicates dream, and then, we’re done.

This was another very weird episode, but I think I can see the forest through the trees… I’m not one hundred percent, but I think they are trying for a slow build, so we are seeing the gestation of a Michelle/Truly friendship, a Fanny/Michelle mentorship, and the girls are showcasing their before personalities, so they have somewhere to grow.  The only problem is, I’m not sure if we are going to have this show long enough for this gestation to come to fruition.  Only time will tell, so until next week…

AGT: 7/24 Quarterfinal #4

And so we have reached our final quarterfinal of the initial 48.  We still have the youtube show and judges choice, but these represent the last of the first cut.  Based on the previews from last week, I knew we would be in for a tough night, and a majority of the acts didn’t disappoint.  I really have no idea how it’s all going to shake out come tomorrow.

There were a few clunkers, and some absolutely amazing acts.  We’ll go through a rundown of the acts, then hit up the should and will go throughs.

First up: David “The Bullet” Smith.  This act was BS from the beginning, and had no right being put through without a second look.  Oh, woo-hoo, he can shot himself out of a cannon with air, color me not impressed.  He tried to liven it up with a bit of a gimmick, he held a football through some uprights, but that didn’t add to the fact that this is a one-note, rather boring act.  And talk about a BS statistic: 85% of the human cannonball performers are dead, but how many of old age?  Do you suppose it could be because no one wants to see this lame act anymore?

All That came next, and this is another group I really shouldn’t get started on…but I will anyway.  They were in season one!  They got to the TOP THREE in season one!  They should NOT be eligible, and I think it is ridiculous they were even allowed to audition, let alone move on.  Their actual act was fine, very in-sync, but a bit boring compared to all the other fantastic dance crews we have seen so far.

Ulysses was terrible, as expected.  He was almost, but not quite, as bad as Big Barry.  This was just another slot withheld from a deserving act, and it’s really not good for the show, I don’t think, when it is so blatantly obvious the producers are sending out fodder for the acts they do want to get through.  Lazy lazy lazy.

And then, Joe Castillo, sand artist.  I love these so much, so I’m biased toward them, and it comes as no surprised that I enjoyed this act.  I wasn’t quite as impressed with the preachy-ness, I much prefer just a good story, but it was cool nonetheless.  I really enjoyed his transition into the elephant, it looked so neat.  The lack of clear story may be a bit of a detriment in this strong pack, but we’ll have to see how America votes.

Today in music history: 1986

Today, we look back to 1986, and find:



"Sledgehammer" by Peter Gabriel

Wow.  The vidoe of this song is trippy.  I couldn't even watch it for more than a couple of minutes, it was wigging me out a bit.

The song itself was kind of meh, not memorable really, or that enjoyable either.

What did you think of this one?

Previously in 1986:

Addicted to Love

On My Own

The Greatest Love of All

There'll be Sad Songs

Melissa Meets Boy: Season 5 part 3

And so, after a short hiatus, we come back to the last third of season 5.   When we last left our intrepid heroes, Cory and Topanga had broken up, and Shawn was all mopey because of it.   But how will it end?  Lets jump right in and find out!

In the first couple of episodes, we get a whole lot of nowhere.  Shawn is still broken-hearted over the breakup, and so, when the entire group gets detention, he has a daydream about killing everyone off to get Cory and Topanga back together.  It’s basically the best thing ever, and probably my favorite episode of the season.

Cory is depressed, and apparently not a fun person to be around, until he gets a bit of alcohol in him, then he’s a hoot and a half.  That is, until his dad finds out, and nearly ruins his and Shawn’s friendship, along with sending Shawn down a shame spiral that only ends when he (possibly) unintentionally pushes Angela around.

We then have a bit of a filler episode, though it is another fantastic one, right up there with the horror movie one.  Eric realizes he can do Shakespeare, and manages to get himself on a Hollywood show: Kid Gets Acquainted With the Universe.  It’s about as meta as you can get, though hilariously funny at the same time.  And then they go back around on the whole thing, which I have to show a bit later in this post.

But now, we are down to four episodes left, and things need to kick into high gear.  Topanga *gasp* goes on a date with another guy, and finally realizes what Cory had been telling her all along.  Sometimes a kiss is just a kiss, and doesn’t mean anything, and thus, our happy couple are happy once more!  Except, oops, they forgot to tell Shawn before anyone else, and now, they are playing broken up so Shawn can get them back together, with near disastrous results.  However, things work out in the end, and everyone, including Jack and Eric, go to prom.  And who happens to show up there?  A newly pregnant Mr. and Mrs. Matthews, of course!

This leads us into the penultimate episode of the season, where Cory is afraid of change.  Unfortunately for him, EVERYTHING is changing.  Chubbies? Changed to Peg Leg Pete’s. His room?  Duckies, if Eric has his way.  Mr. Feeney? Retiring, to the shock of everyone.  And somehow, Cory pulls through, even after Topanga drops a bombshell: She applied, and got waitlisted, to Yale.

And so, we hit our final episode of the season, graduation.  We see some old friends, we tie up loose ends, and Cory is supportive of Topanga going to Yale, even if it’s only pretend.  And when she gets in, no one knows what’s going to happen, especially not Cory.  Topanga asks Mr. Feeney for one final bit of advice, and he tells her to go to Yale, unless she has a good reason not to.  And does she have a good reason?  Find out in the clips below.

So this was a story heavy third.  So much happened, the overarcing plot can sometimes get jumbled.  But it basically amounts to Cory, Shawn, and Topanga growing up, and possible growing apart, with as much grace as you would expect from three 18 year olds.  This last third of the season is definitely some of the strongest storytelling in all seven seasons, and has so many memorable moments, it’s hard to chose just one from each episode.  For example, I didn’t pull Eric’s niece/niche confusion, which has a payoff…in season 7.  This is the season where you grow to really care about these characters, and want to see them succeed and be happy, and you are not disappointed at season end.

And now, without further ado, a clip show, from me to you!

And Then There Was Shawn(S5E17)-After the group’s life seems to turn into a horror movie, Shawn knows exactly what will happen.

Today in music history: 1988

Today, we look back to 1988, and find:


"Hold on to the Night" by Richard Marx

I recognized the chorus in this song, but it was completely unmemorable besides that.  It was way too slow, and the beats it did have kind of sucked.

The video itself was not very good either, tons of still pictures for whatever reason, and generic band plays the song footage.  Pretty lame, I think.

What do you remember of this one?

Previously in 1988:

Anything For You

Dirty Diana

Foolish Beat 

Get Outta My Dreams(Get into my Car)

One More Try 

The Flame

Together Forever

In case you missed it

Superman trailer!

The obligatory Batman post

Batman was great.  I’m gonna put that out there first, before discussing properly.  I really enjoyed it, the sets were great, the acting was great, the story was…only a little incomprehensible, but mostly good.

I’m going to try to avoid spoilers as best I can, but will probably fail, so be forewarned if you don’t want any.

We start out eight years later, after the events of TDK.  Bruce Wayne has been holed up in his rebuilt mansion, sulking over his disabled leg and tarnished reputation.  The legacy of Harvey Dent has cleaned up the city but good.  A law was passed that somehow managed to get every criminal off the street, so Gotham is relatively safe.

Of course, things start going crazy right away.  Bane, a crazy strong guy with a mask that is explained in the third act, comes to town, and takes over the sewers.  Joseph Gordon Levitt’s Officer Blake has a suspicion, and convinces Commissioner Gordon into the sewers with him.  Gordon almost immediately gets shot, and we are thrust into the action proper. 

Bruce Wayne is fairly convinced he will never be Batman again, until Selena Kyle steals his mother’s pearls.  This gets him into action, and he figures out a way to fix his leg, instill Miranda Tate(a heretofor unmentioned person that he trusts because she wants to create clean energy) as head of Wayne Enterprises, and fully instill himself in society to get his pearls back from Selena. 

And then things really hit the fan, as he convinces Selena to help him find Bane.  When they do, Bane breaks him.  Literally.  Broken back and all that, pulled straight from the comic books.  We shoot off into act two, and the end of my synopsis.

So, to actually review.  This was an interesting movie, for sure.  It was a titch distracting that everyone and their mother knew the secret identity.  Batman, if “you have a mask to protect the ones you love,” you really need to work on keeping your identity secret.

Today in music history: 2000

Today, we go to the far away time of 2000, and find:



"Bent" by Matchbox 20

Matchbow 20 is such a good band.  I really enjoy this style of music, so it should come as no surprise that I enjoy this song.  The beat is good, the lyrics are memorable, and the video is interesting as well.

What did you think of this one?

Previously in 2000:

Everything You Want

Maria Maria  

Today in music history: 1990

Today, we look back to 1990, and find:



"She Ain't Worth It" by Glenn Medeiros

So this combines the worst of dance with the worst of hip hop to come up with a terrible song.

The best is bad, the singing is bad, and they should feel bad for making this song.

It features Bobby Brown, for goodness sake.

What did you think of this one?

Previously in 1990:

Hold On

It Must Have Been Love

Nothing Compares 2U

Step by Step

Vogue

Today in music history: 1989

Today, we look back to 1989, and find:



"Toy Soldiers" by Martika

So, that was definitely a thing.   A bit overwrought, and dramatic for my tastes, but not as bad as some of the crap that came out of the eighties.

What did you think of it?

Previously in 1989:

Baby Don't Forget My Number

Good Thing

If You Don't Know Me By Now

I'll Be Loving You (Forever)

I'll Be There For You

Like a Prayer

Rock On 

Satisfied

Wind Beneath My Wings

Book Review Friday

Hi all, I’m back again with another book review!  This week, we have:

Withering Tights by Louise Rennison

We start out with our main protagonist, Tallulah.  Tallulah has a lot to say, and seems intent on spitting it all out at once.

At the start, she is off to a performing arts summer camp, and at 14 and a half, feels ready to take on the world, even if she has no idea how she got in in the first place.

Tallulah does the things one does at summer camp, meet new friends, find new crushes, gossip about the weird faculty, all while being completely oblivious to how her actions are being perceived by those around her.

She is fairly convinced through most of the book that she is going to be sent home early for not being perform-y enough, when she’s not crushing on her neighbor, or the boys at the all-boys camp.

This book is set in Britain, and the language shows.  There are odd abbreviation, and slang that goes for days.  However, that’s not to say this isn’t a fun read.  For the most part, the context reveals the meaning, and most of the words are fun, to boot.

I really enjoyed this book.  Tallulah’s cluelessness was amusing, and the story was fast paced without feeling rushed.  You really want her to succeed, or at least see that she does belong in the program.  The secondary characters are fleshed out nicely, even if their motivations are a bit suspect.

All in all, I would recommend this for a bit of light summer reading, it’s a fluffy read for when you don’t want to go in too deep.

4/5 owlets  

Today in music history: 1996

Today, we look back to 1996, and find:



"How Do U Want It" by 2Pac

So, that was...a thing.  I'm not a huge rap fan, and I had never heard that song before.  It was kind of meh, to me, but I don't really think I'm the best judge of that.

What did you think of this one?

Previously in 1996:

Always Be My Baby

All My Life

Because You Loved Me

Tha Crossroads

AGT: 7/18 Quarterfinal #3 Results

And now we get to find out who got voted through of this rather lackluster group of acts.

First, a quick note on the guests: the BGT winner, chicka and her dog, were really cute, but I can’t believe that won the whole thing, that’s just cra-cra.  The other girl, and her crappy music can go away, like, yesterday.

Anyway, on to the results!

First out were Jacob William, Rock Star Juggler Mike Price, and Cristin Sandu.   This was utterly predictable, as Jacob William was sent through easily.

The next group was another group of three, so we found out that the producers decided to go straight this time.  The options were  All Beef Patty, Lightwire Theater, and Inspire the Fire. Another no-brainer choice, as Lightwire Theater made it through to the surprise of no one.

Elusive, The Untouchables,  and Jake Wesley Rogers were called next, and this one was almost a toss-up, except for the fact that they put The Untouchables in the group.  They went on, and we were left with an interesting group.

All Wheel Sports, Wordspit, and Spencer Horsman were the last three acts.  Spencer was cut to little fanfare, and the judges were left with an easy choice, in my opinion.  Of course, Howard tried to bork it up, but Howie and Sharon were the brains of the operation tonight, and sent through All Wheel Sports, for a top group that is solid.

And with that, my should go through got bumped up by two, I missed on Cristin and Spencer, for a total right of 7/12.  My will go’s are a bit better, standing at 9/12, I only missed All Wheel Sports there.

 

Next week, we have a stacked group, and it is going to be super difficult to make my choices.  I wish they would have spread out the really good acts a bit more, but que sera sera, I suppose.