BBC NEWS: Hasselhoff joins UK Chicago cast
Someone out there really, really, REALLY hates me.
BBC NEWS: Hasselhoff joins UK Chicago cast
Someone out there really, really, REALLY hates me.
It’s our nation’s birthday…and I’ve got nowhere to be. I’ve been watching reruns of Ground Force America all day. While I feel fairly confident I can install a water feature without help now, I’m not any less bored.
I’ve mentioned in the past that I don’t normally remember my dreams after I wake up, but for whatever reason, this one stuck in my head this morning. At the start of my dream, I was in New York City (why, I don’t know), and for whatever reason, I didn’t have my truck, and the trains and busses weren’t running. So I was walking in the shoulder of the NJ Turnpike trying to get back home, watching all the cars zoom by. And then I woke up.
I just don’t get it.
There are more doughnut shops per capita in Canada than in any other country.
Ponder that, eh.
So, AFI’s long string of “100 Years…” lists continued this week with 100 Years, 100 Songs. Take a look at the top 10:
1) Over the Rainbow (The Wizard of Oz, 1939)
2) As Time Goes By (Casablanca,1942)
3) Singin’ in the Rain (Singin’ in the Rain, 1952)
4) Moon River (Breakfast At Tiffany’s, 1961)
5) White Christmas (Holiday Inn, 1942)
6) Mrs. Robinson (The Graduate, 1967)
7) When You Wish Upon A Star (Pinocchio, 1940)
8) The Way We Were (The Way We Were, 1973)
9) Stayin’ Alive (Saturday Night Fever, 1977)
10) The Sound of Music (The Sound of Music, 1965)
Can someone at AFI maybe check and tell me if this isn’t actually the “80 Years, 80 Songs” top 10? How is it that there’s not a single song from the last 27 years in the top 10? In fact, here are ALL of the entries on the list from within my lifetime:
9) Stayin’ Alive (Saturday Night Fever, 1977)
14) My Heart Will Go On (Titanic, 1997)
16) Evergreen (Love Theme from A Star is Born) (A Star is Born, 1976)
27) Unchained Melody (Ghost, 1990)
31) Theme from ‘New York, New York’ (New York, New York, 1977)
33) Aquarius (Hair, 1979)
40) Fight the Power (Do The Right Thing, 1989)
44) Wind Beneath My Wings (Beaches, 1988)
51) Fame (Fame, 1980)
55) Flashdance…What a Feeling (Flashdance, 1983)
58) Gonna Fly Now (Rocky, 1976)
60) It Had to Be You (When Harry Met Sally…, 1989)
62) Beauty and the Beast (Beauty and the Beast, 1991)
65) I Will Always Love You (The Bodyguard, 1992)
68) Streets of Philadelphia (Philadelphia, 1993)
70) Summer Nights (Grease, 1978)
74) Rainbow Connection (The Muppet Movie, 1979)
75) Up Where We Belong (An Officer and a Gentleman, 1982)
78) 9 to 5 (9 to 5, 1981)
79) Arthur’s Theme (Best That You Can Do) (Arthur, 1982)
81) I’m Easy (Nashville, 1975)
83) The Rose (The Rose, 1979)
85) Come What May (Moulin Rouge!, 2001)
86) (I’ve Had) The Time of My Life (Dirty Dancing, 1987)
90) Seems Like Old Times (Annie Hall, 1977)
91) Let the River Run (Working Girl, 1988)
93) Lose Yourself (8 Mile, 2002)
94) Ain’t Too Proud to Beg (The Big Chill, 1983)
96) Footloose (Footloose, 1984)
98) All That Jazz (Chicago, 2002)
99) Hakuna Matata (The Lion King, 1994)
100) Old Time Rock and Roll (Risky Business, 1983)
Clearly, this list was put together by a panel devoid of anyone under the age of 40. There are at least 5 songs on this list that make me outright retch, and at least 2 that I would sooner put a pencil through my ear than have to listen to again. (In case you couldn’t guess – “My Heart Will Go On” and “I Will Always Love You”.) Bette Midler, Celine Dion, and Whitney Houston are all on this list. It’s nice to see that “Lose Yourself” made the list, but I suspect that’s only because after winning the Oscar for Best Song, they felt obligated to include it. (I haven’t a clue how “Fight the Power” made it onto this list. One of the clerks at AFI must have slipped that in while no one on the panel was looking.)
And how is it that “The Rose” makes this list, but not even one track from The Blues Brothers? (Alright, that’s just a personal gripe.)
Anyway, the point of this whole diatribe…we (the blogging Gen-X public) need to “amend” the AFI list. What movie song from your lifetime would you want to see on this list?
The comment box is standing by.
I felt like I had to change gears where the photos were concerned, so the pictures from The Wedding Party (Live at Caves Lounge) are up. I’ll resume posting the Road Trip photos shortly. I’m up to New Orleans, and there are only so many ways of saying “this is a house in the Garden District”.
Just when I thought there was some hope for American musical theatre, I read this:
Legally Blonde heads for Broadway
Just like every book doesn’t necessarilly make a good movie, every movie doesn’t make a good musical. In fact, very few live-action movie-to-stage show transitions are successful. (I’m purposely discounting Disney’s cartoon crossovers, because…well, no matter how badly Michael Eisner mismanages that company, Disney can still essentially print their own money.) “The Full Monty” is probably an exception, but bear in mind that “Monty” held the promise of full-frontal male nudity – something that always brings the crowds. And then, of course, there’s “The Producers” – but that was a case of all of the pieces (writing, acting, directing) coming together perfectly – and that rarely happens in ANY medium. (The fact that the movie predates the show by about 30 years helped too.)
I honestly thought that after a season that included “Caroline, or Change” “Wicked” and “Avenue Q”, the American musical was making a rebound. Man, I hate being wrong.
-Happy belated Birthday to Stacey.
-Congratulations to my boss James on his ordination to the post of Deacon in the Philadelphia archdiocese of the Catholic church.
-Part 6 of the Road Trip photos are up.
Sorry for the general lazy demeanor regarding updating the ol’ weblog, but, frankly, I’ve been in a general sort of funk for a while. I’ll get back to updating on a more regular basis – I promise.
Speaking of funk, pictures from Memphis have been posted. They’re in Part 5 (see sidebar). I needed a little time away from the hundreds of Road Trip photos, but I’m going to get my head back into the game and start posting more of them. (Graceland is next!)
Quick capsule review of “The Day After Tomorrow”: El stinko grande. Detail later.
Finally, a belated happy Memorial Day. I celebrated the memory of the fallen men and women of the US armed forces by cleaning my bathroom and doing laundry. (We all celebrate in our own way. Mine involves scrubbing bubbles and an iron.)