Throwback Thursday 09-30-10 You Give Me... Funky Love, Funky Love!

I have this weird predilection toward... I'm not sure how to put it... I get obsessed with pop artists that aren't really huge. Well, I mean, of course Madonna is massive and Kylie... not in America, but everywhere else. But there's something about certain singers that I L-O-V-E but that aren't that notable. Maybe I'll do a series and discuss them all. But today, I am focusing on my favorite singer, circa 1991, Cathy Dennis!
Cathy's first US hit was as the featured vocalist on a track by D-Mob a.k.a. producer Dancin' Danny D, "C'Mon And Get My Love," which reached #10 on the US Pop Chart and #1 on the Dance Chart. It was part of a wave of club music that was blowing up in the mainstream. It was a fantastic summer party song!

Man, THAT was an unfortunate hairdo! Dancin' Danny D is the director/rapper on the song and he would produce and provide vocals on Cathy's solo debut single, "Just Another Dream" from the album Move To This. It was widely rumored that it was Rick Astley doing the "Just Another Dream" echo on the song, but it wasn't. Sounds like him, I suppose, but not him.

Thank God she made friends with a straightening iron before she filmed this! The Funky Love, Funky Love arm swirl is still my go-to dance move of choice! This single made it to #9 on the Pop Chart and #1 on the Dance Chart. She soon followed it up with "Touch Me (All Night Long)" which soared to #2 on the Pop Chart and once again #1 on the Dance Chart.

Girl never met a turtleneck she didn't like! She even wore turtleneck catsuits! She must have been BURNING UP when she performed live on MTV's Spring Break edition of Club MTV!

She broke it down and showed her sensitive side on the next single, "Too Many Walls."

"Too Many Walls" made it to #8 and is actually her one song that I hear the most frequently today. I never hear the dancier songs, but this one will come on when I'm like grocery shopping or waiting to get a haircut. Guess ballads are timeless!

I didn't realize this, but a fourth single was released from Move To This, "Everybody Move."

She must've found a buy one get ten free Catsuit sale! "Everybody Move" barely made an impact, unfortunately. It only made it to #91 on the Pop Chart and #41 on the Dance Chart. This is probably because this was right when Nirvana and Naughty By Nature arrived and pop music was shifting toward hard rock and rap and away from dance.
She released a follow-up album Into The Skyline featuring the single "You Lied To Me" which unfortunately flopped. It made it to #32 on the Pop Chart and #12 on the Dance Chart. To be honest, as enjoyable as the song is, it sounds identical to her earlier hits.

She never had another hit in the US, although she performed better in the UK. What's funny is that "Touch Me (All Night Long)" was a bigger hit in the US than any of her other songs in the UK, but she continued cracking the Top 40 over there for well into the late 90s. I wish I'd known, because music from like 1993-1997 in the US SUCKED SWEATY GORILLA BALLZ!!! Hootie & The Blowfish, Better Than Ezra, Sister Hazel, Third Eye Blind, Matchbox 20, Fastball... explain to me how those aren't all the same band! Anyone? ANYONE?! Man, I woulda killed everyone in all of those bands to hear some fresh new Cathy Dennis goodness!

Interestingly, she has proven MUCH more successful as a songwriter. She's written some of the biggest, awesomest hits of the last ten years or so:

Never Had a Dream Come True - S Club 7 (2000)

Natural - S Club 7 (2000)

Can't Get You Out Of My Head - Kylie Minogue (2001)

Come Into My World - Kylie Minogue (2202)

Toxic - Britney Spears (2004)

I Kissed A Girl - Katy Perry (2008)

Last Name - Carrie Underwood (2008)

Paranoid - Jonas Brothers (2009)


There were a lot more, but most were only hits in the UK or weren't singles. Recently she wrote several songs recorded by Heidi Montag. Look... they can make ANYONE sound good! I will own up, this song is on my iPod and I listen to it frequently!
Fanatic - Heidi Montag (2010)

SEE!!! It's pretty damn good! You can't tell who's singing! Sounds like a robot! So ugh!

But seriously, to this day, I stick a Cathy Dennis song into every party mix play list I make! I still love those songs! They're great, classic dance songs! And when I dance to them, I always do the Funky Love Funky Love arm swirls! All together now...

Tune In Tuesday One Day Late 09-29-10... Oops, TOO Late!

I sat down to write a blog yesterday and realized I was WAY too exhausted. I went downstairs to watch the new Superman/Batman movie and fell asleep half-way through. So, yeah, no blog yesterday.

I didn't have much to discuss anyway. I'm still feeling my way through this new TV season. I've been sampling a lot more new shows this year than I have in the past. But you can't tell much from one show. I laughed out loud several times during the first episode of Raising Hope, but the second episode was a snoozer! It has a certain charm, so I'm going to try it one more episode. What I liked about the first was how they WENT THERE with the humor. Child endangerment, especially BABY endangerment is a taboo, so the fact that they joked around with it was shocking and hilarious to me.

I had high hopes for Running Wilde, but that show SUCKS! I feel so bad for everyone involved. It's like ANTI-funny. Like any humor I had in me going into the show, is violently jerked out and stomped to death in front of me. I mean, I LOVE Will Arnett and Keri Russell and David Cross and Arrested Development... so my complete dislike for this show is a TOTAL let down.

I did really enjoy Under Covers! That may be my favorite of the new shows so far. It's definitely got that J.J. Abrams vibe going on and is it just me, or is this the first hour-long drama show to star black characters? Like... EVER?! That's crazy! I really like it. I guess I can relate to the "boring married couple" aspect and the need to spice things up... and being spies certainly does that. I never watched Alias, but this show has me considering it. Prior to this, my favorite J.J. Abrams product... well, just prior to this, it's Star Trek, but prior to THAT, is Felicity! Aw... Keri Russell. Full circle.

I was also watching Lone Star. Kinda, just because the lead actor, James Wolk is ridiculously ZEXI!
Here is the math equation that created him.

Kyle Chandler
+
Lee Pace
X

George Clooney

=

SWOOOOOOOON!!!

Buuuuut... this ended up being the first new show axed. I'm really surprised! I mean, usually, you go into the new season already knowing which shows are going to tank, but this one was a shock!
It was actually a good show! The acting was great. The writing was crisp. The production values were exceptional! It was a high-quality show any way you look at it. I was on board at least!

I think the premise might have been overly complicated. A con man living a double life with two wives, at the same time trying to get out of the con business, despite his dad who taught him everything he knows. It had the potential to be a really engaging story. A unique story, not another cop show or another doctor show. There's an almost Shakespearean redemption vibe about it.
Did I mention he was gorgeous? And cutie pie Bryce Johnson played one of his wives brothers? Mmmmm... Bryce Johnson.
Seriously, how badly did people have to TUNE OUT for this to be the first casualty of the season? I expected far less from so many other shows and so far they're still chugging along. For NOW!
Sigh! Hope you bounce back soon, Gorgeous!

MANic Monday 09-27-10 Hawaii Five-OMG

I was actually surprised that I enjoyed Hawaii Five-O. I mainly watched because Scott Caan was on it, but it was actually pretty solid! The production is lavish to put it mildly. It was like watching a motion picture, with all the location shooting, stunts and effects. I know it's the pilot, so it probably won't be AS impressive, but even so, overall, I liked it!You can't get enough Scott Caan. Yummy!But Alex O'Loughlin ain't so hard on the eyes either!Hottest male pairing since... well, heck, I think they even TRUMP Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto in Star Trek! So, yeah... good show! I endorse it!

Throwback Thursday 09-23-10 ...Maybe, One More Time

Last night, Extra (don't ask) ran the above photo from four years back, of the three hottest messes in the world, Britney, Lindsay and Paris out partying together. They also ran some clips from the news... well, y'know "news" including the hi-to-the-larious video of Lindsay whining about how Paris hit her and how uncool it was and how she was seriously hurt, then a video from a couple nights later when Lindz was all, "She never hit me! We're friends! She's a nice person! That never happened! That was a lie! People need to stop making things up!" Um, retard, YOU'RE the one who said it! SO!!! STUPID!!!!!

They took a poll and asked "In two years, which of the three will have their act the most together?" and Britney had over 50% of the votes, Paris came in second and Lindsay had like 2% or something. That is one trainwreck that'll never get back on track. At least Britney has down-to-earth parents looking after her and Paris doesn't really DO anything, so she's kinda safe, but Lindsay is a disaster! Look at HER parents! How she wasn't hopped up on coke in preschool is a mystery!

Anyhoo... next week, Glee is doing their Britney-themed episode. Sigh. I read an interview with Chris Colfer and they asked if he was a big Britney fan and he replied, "Well, she was actually before my time." OH! SNAP!! How old does that make you feel? And I know what you're thinking, but she's still around! True, but Circus was a comeback. Prior to that, she hadn't had a hit in ages and she hadn't been the phenomenon she was since the early 00s.
That picture RULEZ!!! It's hard to remember now, but remember how everyone LOVED her?! I was OBSESSED! I had like 25 Britney dolls!I was glad when she made her comeback! She didn't completely win me back over. I'll never again be as nutso over her as I was at that time, but I thought it would be nice to look back at a better time. Less this...More this...

...Baby, One More Time: Where It All Began

Sometimes: The dancer heart rulez... and the shot of the girl zipping up her pants. Watch for it!

Born To Make You Happy: I loved short, dark haired Britney and the red top/black skirt/tall boots outfit!

Craaaaay-zeeee! (I had to memorize this dance for improv once!)

Stonger: I love how pale she is in this video with the black costumes and everything. And the song just kicks ASS! This goth girl I was friends with at the time even liked it! This MIGHT be my favorite of hers!

I'm A Slave 4 U: Remember how BONKERS this sounded when it came out?! It didn't sound like anything else out there! Still stands up today!

Toxic: Okay, I must admit... I DON'T like this video. It's ALL CG. It just looks totally artificial and not in a cool way. It's just bad green screen. But the song is one of her best, so...

I Love Rock & Roll...
HA HA!!! I'm just messing with you! I'd never subject you to that shit!
Me Against The Music...
HA HA! See above TIMES a hundred! It's WORSE than "I Love Rock & Roll!" Seriously!!!

Ahhhh... good times!

Wonder Wednesday 09-22-10 Getting From Here To There... Super Style!

Some super vehicles are more famous than the majority of super heroes out there.Millions more recognize The Batmobile than Black Canary. And in terms of Batman, EVERY vehicle makes sense because he can't fly... or do anything really. No powers. So it makes perfect sense for him to have a Batboat...
Batcopter...
Batjet...
And Batcycle...Holy Stuntmen! The Batcycle makes enough sense that it's practical, however, Robin riding bitch in the sidecar is just another degradation on top of everything else Batman made him do. "No seriously, everyone's going to be wearing green scaly underwear this year! Oh and can you sweep up all the guano on the floor of the Batcave?"Finally, Robbie Rob was all, "Fuck this shit! I want my own bike!" And who can forget Batgirl's bad ass, lace trimmed Batgirl Cycle?
And Batman's foes HAD to have fun vehicles to compete. The best is The Joker's Jokermobile:
Although Catwoman's Catmobile is a close second. I love the figureheads on the front of both. In one issue, Catwoman even escaped capture on the water in her Cat-amaran! Clever kitten!
Next to the Batmobile, the most famous super vehicle is Wonder Woman's Invisible Jet. Thankfully, in recent years people have STOPPED drawing a fully visible Wonder Woman sitting inside. The ENTIRE thing and everything inside is invisible from the outside! Duh!

Also, to those who ask, "Why does Wonder Woman need an Invisible Jet for, when she can fly?" For the same reason you own a car, when you can walk. Ever think of that?

However... Superman can not only fly, he can fly at super speed. He can be anywhere on Earth in minutes. He doesn't need a vehicle at all, you'd think, but in the 70s a toy company wanted to make a Superman vehicle of sorts, so DC was forced to create Supermobile...
Yeah... not THE Supermobile, just Supermobile. I can't decide whether the fists are whimsical or silly. I guess the idea is he uses this if for some reason he loses his powers. If I lost my powers, I'd just call in sick.

Still, one of the most nonsensical toy super vehicles ever is the recent Aquaman Sub:
Um... he can breath underwater. And see and withstand the pressure of the depths. This would only hold him back!
And if he needs to travel greater distances, he has a steed, a giant seahorse named Storm! There used to be these swings at Municipal Park in Mobile shaped like animals. There was a pig, a rabbit and a seahorse... which I totally owned! If I walked up and some other kid was riding that, I'd be like, "Get the fuck off! Go play on the slide!" I didn't really. But it would have been awesome if I had.

Onto Marvel comics, one thing that they do that makes sense is giving the big teams a means of group travel. The X-men pilot these Blackbirds, also called X-Jets.
Similarly, The Avengers have these Quinjets:
The one thing that ticks me off, though, is that both teams DESTROY these vehicles every other issue! They are constantly getting them trashed by villains or crashing them into mountains or kamikaze-ing them into giant monsters/robots or something. And yet, next issue, they have more. They rely on the "Prof X and Tony Stark are millionaires" explanation (which they also use to explain how they pay for the property damages of their epic battles). But even REAL millionaires... hell billionaires!... don't just buy fleets of souped-up super vehicles by the case! That's ridiculous! Try being more careful! If I'd gotten into as many car accidents as the X-men have been in plane crashes, I'd just stop driving!
The most famous Marvel vehicle is the Fantastic Four's Fantasticar. I don't know why they call it a car when it flies. I don't think I've ever seen them drive it on the ground. It snaps apart, so that each member can have a smaller solo vehicle. It's a neat idea, minus the open top! I mean, I've been in the backseat of a convertible on the ground on a windy day and that's no fun! I can imagine what it's like zooming through the stratosphere in a sky-convertible! Invisible Woman's hair would be all jacked! Hell, logically, their skin would be ripped off... well, except The Thing's. Oh well... it's worked out well for them so far, so whatever...
For times when all of the Super Heroes want to take some time off and go on a scenic cross country trip.

So the same thing that happened with Superman happened with Spider-Man. A toy company wanted to make a vehicle and wanted Marvel to use it in an actual comic to promote it.
Thus came... The Spider-Mobile. That makes total... nonsense. Spider-Man gets around by swinging from rooftop to rooftop. He lives in New York City! Why does he need a freakin' dune buggy?! Yeah, it's not even a CAR! It's a dune buggy! Is that for when he vacations in Myrtle Beach? Not surprisingly, the writers of the comic were miffed at having to write this ridiculousness into their book, so at the end of the story, the Spider-Mobile went a-plunging into the East River. PAYCE!

But the flood of stupid vehicles for Marvel's flagship hero didn't end. Here's a sampling:
Isn't it sad that our minds automatically go to rape, molestation and kidnapping when we see a 70s disco van? We forget all the good times, pot smoking and getting consensually laid to the tune of Three Dog Night that occurred in these sweet babies. I even had a friend whose grandfather still had one when I was old enough to drive. I drove it and it was a blast! The steering wheel was like two feet in diameter. I felt like I was captaining a ship! And you're so high up! They need to bring disco vans back, baby! Those were the good times!
Well, it works for Batman, I suppose, but Batman goes on missions. Spidey usually just patrols the streets and runs into danger.
Makes even less sense. Plus, Peter Parker is a freelance newspaper photographer. Did he steal this jet?!
For those times when the dune buggy isn't running. Kudos for the safety helmet. Way to set an example!

Or how about this:He doesn't even need a vehicle... he IS one! (That makes no sense.)

Making even less sense:Not only does it not make sense for the capable-of-flying god of thunder to be riding a motorcycle... but LOOK at it! That color scheme is RIDICULOUS! Red tires?! There's no such thing!
These are just SAD! Captain America looks like a baby that pooped his diaper! And they all look like they've melted a little bit!

These take the cake though:
Hulk like vacation in Myrtle Beach, too! Raaaah!Hulk ride two wheels for on-road. Four wheels for off-road! Raaaaarrh! Hulk not need helmet! WHO THE FUCK GAVE HULK A LICENSE TO DRIVE ANYTHING?! He can't even form coherent sentences! He can't wear a shirt! He's always barefoot and smashing things! Um, hello, road rage? Ever hear of that, BMV of the Marvel Universe? MADNESS!!!
A helicopter? That's a tragedy waiting to happen! Also, "Hulk like disco van! Want hear Zepplin? Raaaaarh!"