February 29, 2012
Greg's Top Ten Theatrical Releases About Musicians:
1. A Hard Days Night (The Beatles)
2. This is Spinal Tap (Spinal Tap)
3. The Decline of Western Civilzation Part 2 (Various Sunset Strip Bands)
4. Help! (The Beatles)
5. The Doors (The Doors) if for no other reason than Val Kilmer's brilliance
6. Some Kind of Monster (Metallica)
7. Purple Rain (Prince)
8. Head (The Monkees)
9. Stop Making Sense (Talking Heads)
10. Anvil: The Story of Anvil (Anvil)
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Monday, February 27, 2012
February 28, 2012
Greg's Top Ten Things Society Should Re-Embrace (1-5 Yesterday, 6-10 Today):
6. Websites Without Intrusive Ads: Once upon a time I could visit Yahoo! without an advertisement for a movie taking up the entire page, covering nearly every clickable link except for that tiny little box that says "close ad" hiding ever so covertly in the upper right corner of the page. It's bad enough that advertisements are everywhere on the net but now they actually have the gall to have the advertisements intrude our browsing process. I understand that these sites offer free services to us and can afford to do so by having ads on their pages. I don't have a problem with the ads, but please spare me the one that covers the entire page when I accidentally place my mouse on it. The advertisement actually dissuades me from wanting to purchase the product it is promoting because it's pissing me off. In fact, I will likely go out of my way to avoid that product as a result of it being such a pain in my ass when I go to check my e-mail.
7. Actresses Who Don't Look Like Twigs: Last night the Oscars were on and I had a moment of angst. When Angelina Jolie walked out to present an award at the ceremonies I could have sworn she had been starving herself. It was sickening. If you saw her arms you know exactly what I'm talking about. I wanted to hand her a sandwich or at least offer her one of my french fries. I love celebrities like Pink and Kate Winslet who refuse to conform to the stereotypical thin celebrity look flaunted by people like Jolie. There was actually a time in Hollywood when actresses didn't look like skeletons but those days have been long gone for too long. I hope this kind of garbage eventually becomes a thing of the past but I doubt very seriously it ever will.
8.Tuition Free College: In 1847, Baruch College, opened in New York and was noted as being the first free college in the United States. In 1862, the first Morrill Act created established free universities through federal grants. That’s right, free quality education at the university level. Today you have to barter your firstborn child and sacrifice your pets to get through college without foreclosing on your home because your university is run by Dr. Evil. Seriously, I can just see some rich jerk sitting in a mahogany chair stroking a cat while he smokes cigars made of $100 bills in a mansion that overlooks your school, laughing as starving students eat ramen and supply his fortune with their outrageous tuition. Isn’t having an intelligent society full of hard working people who are good at what they do something that could help foster a productive society? Instead lets overcharge for an education, pay teachers jack squat and leave most of the country without an education so they can become gas station attendants. How are we supposed to excel as a country when the country denies its people the education it needs to thrive?
9. Quality Journalism: First off, before people start cracking jokes, I do NOT consider myself a journalist. This is just my fun way of getting my creative juices flowing. However, ESPN, Fox News, Yahoo! and the like all consider themselves “news” sources and their brand of journalism would make Walter Cronkite turn in his grave. I could write an entire top ten list dedicated to the crap news stories that make the front page of Yahoo or ESPN - stories that have weak sources, lack credibility, have erroneous content and are generally fail to “inform” us of anything interesting. No joke, Yahoo’s front page yesterday boasted articles about a player falling while running the 40-yard dash in the NFL combine, Brad Pitt being excited about meeting Lea Thompson at the Oscars, tattoos the panel of “The Voice” regret getting and Sean Young getting arrested at an Oscar party. Now, to be fair, there are some well written and interesting stories on Yahoo, but they are few and far between when compared to the TMZ fronted drivel they boast on their homepage.
10. Mom & Pop Stores: I couldn’t leave this off the list. I think there are some people out there who really do their best to conduct their shopping experiences in small independently run shops as opposed to large department stores. I’ll be the first to admit that the convenience of a Target or Barnes & Noble sometimes wins out when I shop, but I’m not particularly happy about it. I need to make a conscious effort to keep “mom & pop” stores in business as opposed to spending my hard earned money in places where most employees couldn’t care less if I’m enjoying my shopping experience. I’m always going to enjoy going to a place that has the “Cheers” experience where everybody knows your name over a place where I’m just another walking dollar sign to some bigwig billionaire counting their fortune.
Greg's Top Ten Things Society Should Re-Embrace (1-5 Yesterday, 6-10 Today):
6. Websites Without Intrusive Ads: Once upon a time I could visit Yahoo! without an advertisement for a movie taking up the entire page, covering nearly every clickable link except for that tiny little box that says "close ad" hiding ever so covertly in the upper right corner of the page. It's bad enough that advertisements are everywhere on the net but now they actually have the gall to have the advertisements intrude our browsing process. I understand that these sites offer free services to us and can afford to do so by having ads on their pages. I don't have a problem with the ads, but please spare me the one that covers the entire page when I accidentally place my mouse on it. The advertisement actually dissuades me from wanting to purchase the product it is promoting because it's pissing me off. In fact, I will likely go out of my way to avoid that product as a result of it being such a pain in my ass when I go to check my e-mail.
7. Actresses Who Don't Look Like Twigs: Last night the Oscars were on and I had a moment of angst. When Angelina Jolie walked out to present an award at the ceremonies I could have sworn she had been starving herself. It was sickening. If you saw her arms you know exactly what I'm talking about. I wanted to hand her a sandwich or at least offer her one of my french fries. I love celebrities like Pink and Kate Winslet who refuse to conform to the stereotypical thin celebrity look flaunted by people like Jolie. There was actually a time in Hollywood when actresses didn't look like skeletons but those days have been long gone for too long. I hope this kind of garbage eventually becomes a thing of the past but I doubt very seriously it ever will.
8.Tuition Free College: In 1847, Baruch College, opened in New York and was noted as being the first free college in the United States. In 1862, the first Morrill Act created established free universities through federal grants. That’s right, free quality education at the university level. Today you have to barter your firstborn child and sacrifice your pets to get through college without foreclosing on your home because your university is run by Dr. Evil. Seriously, I can just see some rich jerk sitting in a mahogany chair stroking a cat while he smokes cigars made of $100 bills in a mansion that overlooks your school, laughing as starving students eat ramen and supply his fortune with their outrageous tuition. Isn’t having an intelligent society full of hard working people who are good at what they do something that could help foster a productive society? Instead lets overcharge for an education, pay teachers jack squat and leave most of the country without an education so they can become gas station attendants. How are we supposed to excel as a country when the country denies its people the education it needs to thrive?
9. Quality Journalism: First off, before people start cracking jokes, I do NOT consider myself a journalist. This is just my fun way of getting my creative juices flowing. However, ESPN, Fox News, Yahoo! and the like all consider themselves “news” sources and their brand of journalism would make Walter Cronkite turn in his grave. I could write an entire top ten list dedicated to the crap news stories that make the front page of Yahoo or ESPN - stories that have weak sources, lack credibility, have erroneous content and are generally fail to “inform” us of anything interesting. No joke, Yahoo’s front page yesterday boasted articles about a player falling while running the 40-yard dash in the NFL combine, Brad Pitt being excited about meeting Lea Thompson at the Oscars, tattoos the panel of “The Voice” regret getting and Sean Young getting arrested at an Oscar party. Now, to be fair, there are some well written and interesting stories on Yahoo, but they are few and far between when compared to the TMZ fronted drivel they boast on their homepage.
10. Mom & Pop Stores: I couldn’t leave this off the list. I think there are some people out there who really do their best to conduct their shopping experiences in small independently run shops as opposed to large department stores. I’ll be the first to admit that the convenience of a Target or Barnes & Noble sometimes wins out when I shop, but I’m not particularly happy about it. I need to make a conscious effort to keep “mom & pop” stores in business as opposed to spending my hard earned money in places where most employees couldn’t care less if I’m enjoying my shopping experience. I’m always going to enjoy going to a place that has the “Cheers” experience where everybody knows your name over a place where I’m just another walking dollar sign to some bigwig billionaire counting their fortune.
February 27, 2012
Greg's Top Ten Things Society Should Re-Embrace (1-5 Today, 6-10 Tomorrow):
1. Live Friendly Customer Service: I'm not exactly sure when companies started using computer prompts instead of having a living human being speak to you, but it was sad day for humanity. Whoever the jackhole is that decided to remove the human element from telephone customer service should be forced to use the same crappy prompts when making the 911 call that could potentially save his life. I say "his" life because only a person with a Y chromosome would eliminate the empathy from customer assistance. Just imagine the irony of the guy who invented this money-saving idea trying to make the emergency phone call to the hospital just after experiencing cardiac arrest:
Hospital: "Thank you for calling El Camino Hospital. If you have genital herpes, please press one. If you have anal warts, please press two, if you have a large buildup of ear wax, please press three...(twenty minutes later), if you are having a heart attack, please press 82."
The kind of hair-pulling frustration this insensitive prick would likely be enduring as he's about to expire is probably not too far off from what many of you out there have gone through at some point in your lives. What ever happened to a friendly voice on the other end of the line working hard to keep you the customer satisfied? Instead I have to listen to a series of prompts and then when I finally get connected after twenty minutes of listening to Kenny G instrumentals I have to speak to some poor schmuck who has no training except to read off of some stupid pre-written set of cards his idiot supervisors gave him that supposedly answer every question the customer potentially might have.
2. Full Service Gas Stations: You know that scene in Back to the Future when Marty goes back to 1955 and witnesses a car pull up to a Texaco station and five guys jump out of the building in white suits and service the entire car right there without the customer ever getting out of his vehicle? They clean his windshield, check the air in his tires, fill the tank up with gas. Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if they shined his damn shoes. When did that go out of style? Most of the time I go to a gas station some asshat who has too much time on his hands gives me a blank stare, takes my $60 without saying a word and punches some buttons on a computer meanwhile I walk to my car in the freezing cold and get raped by Chevron and their $4.50 per gallon gasoline. For 4 f***ing fifty the least you could do is smile at me while you're draining my bank account, you arrogant buffoon. Where's a DeLorean when you need one?
3. Original Movies: Anyone out there with me on this one? Sure, for the average thirteen year-old out there the new "Footloose" movie might be a hoot, especially when they never saw the original. For everyone else out there who has seen the original, we all know we're about to get subjected to a far crappier version than what we grew up on. Remakes are everywhere these days and most all of them suck. Remember when Vince Vaughn starred in the remake of "Psycho" or when Chris Klein was in 2002's "Rollerball." My favorite movie "Blade Runner" is apparently getting the treatment which terrifies me to no end. How do you remake something that's already nearly perfect. Even "Total Recall" is getting the remake treatment with Colin Farrell. Seriously, they're remaking a Schwarzenegger classic and casting Colin Farrell in the lead role. I shutter at the thought. Next thing you know they'll try to remake timeless treasures like "The Breakfast Club" and cast Justin Bieber in the Judd Nelson role.
4. Kids Sitting at the Dinner Table: Because I work at a restaurant, I feel as though I'm exposed to bratty children on a regular basis. When I was a kid I had to sit a the dinner table whenever my parents took me to a restaurant. If I got out of line, it was out to the car we went...and you did NOT want to go out to the car. These days many kids just do as they please, with almost no threat of punishment. I actually saw a kid last night sit down at the table at Double D's and demand his mother give him quarters. So, what did this mother do in response, you ask? Without looking at the little brat she gave him a roll of quarters. I can think of a few things she should have done with that roll of quarters but I might get sent to prison for offering that up here. In all seriousness, while I would never legitimately endorse such violence, I think it's insane that a parent would allow their kid(s) to walk all over them like that and I see it happen all the time.
5. Quality Air Travel: If you've ever seen the wonderful Leonardo DiCaprio movie "Catch Me if You Can" you know how unbelievably well respected airline crews were treated and how in turn they treated their passengers. These days we're stuffed into shiny metal tubes like sardines and served lukewarm chicken dinners with pilots flying the plane on a salary a McDonald's manager wouldn't touch. It's bad enough that the pre-flight experience is a nightmare of standing in long lines, carrying luggage everywhere while you get stink-eye from the airport security for holding up the line while you try and remove your shoes. Where are the gorgeous Pan-Am girls or the pilot who looks like George Clooney or the hot towels and hot meals? I'm guessing the same muffblossom who invented computer prompts on customer service lines probable removed all the suave from air travel, too.
Greg's Top Ten Things Society Should Re-Embrace (1-5 Today, 6-10 Tomorrow):
1. Live Friendly Customer Service: I'm not exactly sure when companies started using computer prompts instead of having a living human being speak to you, but it was sad day for humanity. Whoever the jackhole is that decided to remove the human element from telephone customer service should be forced to use the same crappy prompts when making the 911 call that could potentially save his life. I say "his" life because only a person with a Y chromosome would eliminate the empathy from customer assistance. Just imagine the irony of the guy who invented this money-saving idea trying to make the emergency phone call to the hospital just after experiencing cardiac arrest:
Hospital: "Thank you for calling El Camino Hospital. If you have genital herpes, please press one. If you have anal warts, please press two, if you have a large buildup of ear wax, please press three...(twenty minutes later), if you are having a heart attack, please press 82."
The kind of hair-pulling frustration this insensitive prick would likely be enduring as he's about to expire is probably not too far off from what many of you out there have gone through at some point in your lives. What ever happened to a friendly voice on the other end of the line working hard to keep you the customer satisfied? Instead I have to listen to a series of prompts and then when I finally get connected after twenty minutes of listening to Kenny G instrumentals I have to speak to some poor schmuck who has no training except to read off of some stupid pre-written set of cards his idiot supervisors gave him that supposedly answer every question the customer potentially might have.
2. Full Service Gas Stations: You know that scene in Back to the Future when Marty goes back to 1955 and witnesses a car pull up to a Texaco station and five guys jump out of the building in white suits and service the entire car right there without the customer ever getting out of his vehicle? They clean his windshield, check the air in his tires, fill the tank up with gas. Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if they shined his damn shoes. When did that go out of style? Most of the time I go to a gas station some asshat who has too much time on his hands gives me a blank stare, takes my $60 without saying a word and punches some buttons on a computer meanwhile I walk to my car in the freezing cold and get raped by Chevron and their $4.50 per gallon gasoline. For 4 f***ing fifty the least you could do is smile at me while you're draining my bank account, you arrogant buffoon. Where's a DeLorean when you need one?
3. Original Movies: Anyone out there with me on this one? Sure, for the average thirteen year-old out there the new "Footloose" movie might be a hoot, especially when they never saw the original. For everyone else out there who has seen the original, we all know we're about to get subjected to a far crappier version than what we grew up on. Remakes are everywhere these days and most all of them suck. Remember when Vince Vaughn starred in the remake of "Psycho" or when Chris Klein was in 2002's "Rollerball." My favorite movie "Blade Runner" is apparently getting the treatment which terrifies me to no end. How do you remake something that's already nearly perfect. Even "Total Recall" is getting the remake treatment with Colin Farrell. Seriously, they're remaking a Schwarzenegger classic and casting Colin Farrell in the lead role. I shutter at the thought. Next thing you know they'll try to remake timeless treasures like "The Breakfast Club" and cast Justin Bieber in the Judd Nelson role.
4. Kids Sitting at the Dinner Table: Because I work at a restaurant, I feel as though I'm exposed to bratty children on a regular basis. When I was a kid I had to sit a the dinner table whenever my parents took me to a restaurant. If I got out of line, it was out to the car we went...and you did NOT want to go out to the car. These days many kids just do as they please, with almost no threat of punishment. I actually saw a kid last night sit down at the table at Double D's and demand his mother give him quarters. So, what did this mother do in response, you ask? Without looking at the little brat she gave him a roll of quarters. I can think of a few things she should have done with that roll of quarters but I might get sent to prison for offering that up here. In all seriousness, while I would never legitimately endorse such violence, I think it's insane that a parent would allow their kid(s) to walk all over them like that and I see it happen all the time.
5. Quality Air Travel: If you've ever seen the wonderful Leonardo DiCaprio movie "Catch Me if You Can" you know how unbelievably well respected airline crews were treated and how in turn they treated their passengers. These days we're stuffed into shiny metal tubes like sardines and served lukewarm chicken dinners with pilots flying the plane on a salary a McDonald's manager wouldn't touch. It's bad enough that the pre-flight experience is a nightmare of standing in long lines, carrying luggage everywhere while you get stink-eye from the airport security for holding up the line while you try and remove your shoes. Where are the gorgeous Pan-Am girls or the pilot who looks like George Clooney or the hot towels and hot meals? I'm guessing the same muffblossom who invented computer prompts on customer service lines probable removed all the suave from air travel, too.
Friday, February 24, 2012
February 25, 2012
Greg's Top Ten Favorite Metallica Songs:
1. Disposable Heroes
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0F0kK45lVyk
2. Creeping Death
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1G5vdnUsmkA
3. Seek & Destroy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-tvJcTPxHc
4. Eye of the Beholder
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qCuaPUVFbzg
5. Blackened
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DU_ggFovJNo
6. Battery
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZ7Aif5aXlQ
7. One
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WM8bTdBs-cw&ob=av2n
8. Fade to Black
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_E8tOkjrSA
9. Frayed Ends of Sanity
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rTu-1-j037U
10. Leper Messiah
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JmWroc4VarY
Greg's Top Ten Favorite Metallica Songs:
1. Disposable Heroes
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0F0kK45lVyk
2. Creeping Death
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1G5vdnUsmkA
3. Seek & Destroy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-tvJcTPxHc
4. Eye of the Beholder
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qCuaPUVFbzg
5. Blackened
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DU_ggFovJNo
6. Battery
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZ7Aif5aXlQ
7. One
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WM8bTdBs-cw&ob=av2n
8. Fade to Black
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_E8tOkjrSA
9. Frayed Ends of Sanity
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rTu-1-j037U
10. Leper Messiah
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JmWroc4VarY
February 24, 2012
Greg's Top Ten Favorite Metal Bands (6-10 Today, 1-5 Yesterday):
Before we get started here, I want to be clear that the metal genre is subjectively defined. Nobody, even those in the metal community, can definitively say who's metal and who's not. I don't believe bands like Led Zeppelin, Van Halen, AC/DC or Def Leppard belong on this list. Not because they aren't tremendous acts, but because I don't define them as metal, so if you notice a band missing from this list, it's possible I didn't qualify them as metal. Ok, enough of my blabbering...
6. Ozzy Osbourne: I'll always wonder what Ozzy's career could have been like had his prodigy guitarist Randy Rhoads not died an untimely death shortly after Osbourne's second record "Diary of a Madman" hit the shelves. Ozzy's first two records were, I dare say, better than a lot of his work with Black Sabbath. Songs like "Suicide Solution" and "Over the Mountain" might be some of the finest metal songs of all time. Though some of Ozzy's records suffered a bit in the post-Rhoads era, he rebounded nicely with his comeback album "No More Tears" in 1991 which featured current Black Label Society guitarist Zakk Wylde.
7. Alice Cooper Band: Before Marilyn Manson or Trent Reznor started using macabre imagery in their acts there was Alice Cooper. Cooper once said "Nobody ever tried to do what Alice did. Nobody every tried to be the sort of bizarre vaudevillian character. There are so many rock heroes. I wanted to be a rock villain." He certainly succeeded. Though I love songs like "School's Out For Summer" and "No More Mr. Nice Guy" it's his stage presence and live horror show that makes his legend even more impressive. His acts often included frightening imagery like decapitated bodies, guillotines and bloody corpses and paved the way for metal acts like Manson, and Rob Zombie to follow suit with their own brand of shock rock.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kiTPL7t4Aq4&feature=related
8. Scorpions: It seems like Scorpions have always been a part of my life - as if their music has followed me around forever. The first time I heard "Loving You Sunday Morning" when I was in grade school I was hooked and that was before I had heard other massive hits like "Rock You Like a Hurricane" or "Blackout." They definitely became more pop in their prime with big top 40 hits like "Winds of Change" but, like Metallica, their more mainstream sound helped them reach a larger fan base that was mostly untapped before they hit it big.
Greg's Top Ten Favorite Metal Bands (6-10 Today, 1-5 Yesterday):
Before we get started here, I want to be clear that the metal genre is subjectively defined. Nobody, even those in the metal community, can definitively say who's metal and who's not. I don't believe bands like Led Zeppelin, Van Halen, AC/DC or Def Leppard belong on this list. Not because they aren't tremendous acts, but because I don't define them as metal, so if you notice a band missing from this list, it's possible I didn't qualify them as metal. Ok, enough of my blabbering...
6. Ozzy Osbourne: I'll always wonder what Ozzy's career could have been like had his prodigy guitarist Randy Rhoads not died an untimely death shortly after Osbourne's second record "Diary of a Madman" hit the shelves. Ozzy's first two records were, I dare say, better than a lot of his work with Black Sabbath. Songs like "Suicide Solution" and "Over the Mountain" might be some of the finest metal songs of all time. Though some of Ozzy's records suffered a bit in the post-Rhoads era, he rebounded nicely with his comeback album "No More Tears" in 1991 which featured current Black Label Society guitarist Zakk Wylde.
7. Alice Cooper Band: Before Marilyn Manson or Trent Reznor started using macabre imagery in their acts there was Alice Cooper. Cooper once said "Nobody ever tried to do what Alice did. Nobody every tried to be the sort of bizarre vaudevillian character. There are so many rock heroes. I wanted to be a rock villain." He certainly succeeded. Though I love songs like "School's Out For Summer" and "No More Mr. Nice Guy" it's his stage presence and live horror show that makes his legend even more impressive. His acts often included frightening imagery like decapitated bodies, guillotines and bloody corpses and paved the way for metal acts like Manson, and Rob Zombie to follow suit with their own brand of shock rock.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kiTPL7t4Aq4&feature=related
8. Scorpions: It seems like Scorpions have always been a part of my life - as if their music has followed me around forever. The first time I heard "Loving You Sunday Morning" when I was in grade school I was hooked and that was before I had heard other massive hits like "Rock You Like a Hurricane" or "Blackout." They definitely became more pop in their prime with big top 40 hits like "Winds of Change" but, like Metallica, their more mainstream sound helped them reach a larger fan base that was mostly untapped before they hit it big.
9. Megadeth: One can't help but wonder what Metallica would have been like had Dave Mustaine not been booted from the band just before their debut record "Kill 'Em All" was released. I suppose his exit from Metallica might have been one of the best things to happen to metal because it opened the door for Mustaine to start his own band - Megadeth. Songs like "Peace Sells" and "Symphony of Destruction" are staples of heavy metal, featuring Mustaine's signature growling vocals. I'm sure Mustaine would rather he stayed with a more profitable act like Metallica, but fans of his are likely glad he was given the chance to make his own mark on metal.
10. Dream Theater: Simply put, there's no other band in the world quite like Dream Theater. Rolling Stone Magazine once called them the perfect mixture of progressive rock and heavy metal. They also might be the most technically proficient metal band on this list. Most people who aren't familiar with their work probably know the song "Pull Me Under" from their 1992 record "Images and Words." It's the song that got me started on their library of work when I was in high school. 11 albums later and they're still at the top of their game. Their 2011 album "A Dramatic Turn of Events" reached #8 on the Billboard Top 200, proving their staying power and elite status as one of metal's most beloved acts.
10. Dream Theater: Simply put, there's no other band in the world quite like Dream Theater. Rolling Stone Magazine once called them the perfect mixture of progressive rock and heavy metal. They also might be the most technically proficient metal band on this list. Most people who aren't familiar with their work probably know the song "Pull Me Under" from their 1992 record "Images and Words." It's the song that got me started on their library of work when I was in high school. 11 albums later and they're still at the top of their game. Their 2011 album "A Dramatic Turn of Events" reached #8 on the Billboard Top 200, proving their staying power and elite status as one of metal's most beloved acts.
February 23, 2012
Greg's Top Ten Favorite Metal Bands (1-5 Today, 6-10 Tomorrow):
1. Metallica: Pretend that they never released another record past 1988's "And Justice For All..." and I doubt any metal fan would have a single complaint about their catalog of music. Those first four records are absolutely flawless in every way, with almost no tracks getting the skip treatment on my iPod. Even their later material really doesn't detract me from keeping them from the #1 spot on this list. Many will say they sold out when they released The Black Album in 1991, but as their former bassist Jason Newstead once said, "Yes, we sell out...every single show we have, every night we play." I can't really argue with that.
2. Iron Maiden: I liked them with former lead singer Paul Di'Anno. I absolutely love them with current and longtime frontman Bruce Dickenson. The theatrics, the heavy riffs, the incredible shows, the badass mascot...they absolutely rule. When they released 1982's "Number of the Beast" they reached a worldwide audience and helped foster a new era for a British style of heavy metal that would influence countless bands in their wake. They still tour today and have a larger core audience than almost any metal act.
3. Judas Priest: Speaking of British metal...I got into Priest far later in life than most of the bands on this list, but made up for the lost time in spades. I've never heard a vocalist quite like lead singer Rob Halford. I swear, even Mariah Carey can't hit some of the notes he elevates his voice to. The twin guitar sounds created by Glenn Tipton and K.K. Downing are unlike anything I've ever heard. Just listen to "You Got Another Thing Coming" and you might get the point.
4. Black Sabbath: Though their later works with Ozzy Osbourne aren't quite as powerful as the albums that preceded them, they absolutely have to be in the top five on this list. They literally are the first true metal band and have impacted the lives of virtually everyone in the metal genre. Even their post-Ozzy work with Ronnie James Dio is awesome. Seriously, they're so awesome that their lead guitarist accidentally cut his fingers off and glued melted bottle caps to his amputated fingers to keep playing. That's metal, right there.
5. Motley Crue: Metal is such a difficult genre to truly define. Some will say Crue are too glam to be metal, but it's all subjective. I think the four original members (Vince Neil, Tommy Lee, Mick Mars and Nikki Sixx) are one of the most influential bands of their time and have a definitive place in metal history. They might be the first of the "Sunset Strip" bands to have a lasting presence in the metal community, largely due to their crazy antics and incredible stage shows. Still, if their music sucked, we wouldn't be talking about them here. Their greatest hits record is a treasure of incredible songs like "Too Fast For Love", "Looks That Kill", "Shout at the Devil" and "Home Sweet Home." The latter of those songs ended up being the first recognized power ballad and set the stage for glam metal's rise in the 1980s.
Greg's Top Ten Favorite Metal Bands (1-5 Today, 6-10 Tomorrow):
1. Metallica: Pretend that they never released another record past 1988's "And Justice For All..." and I doubt any metal fan would have a single complaint about their catalog of music. Those first four records are absolutely flawless in every way, with almost no tracks getting the skip treatment on my iPod. Even their later material really doesn't detract me from keeping them from the #1 spot on this list. Many will say they sold out when they released The Black Album in 1991, but as their former bassist Jason Newstead once said, "Yes, we sell out...every single show we have, every night we play." I can't really argue with that.
2. Iron Maiden: I liked them with former lead singer Paul Di'Anno. I absolutely love them with current and longtime frontman Bruce Dickenson. The theatrics, the heavy riffs, the incredible shows, the badass mascot...they absolutely rule. When they released 1982's "Number of the Beast" they reached a worldwide audience and helped foster a new era for a British style of heavy metal that would influence countless bands in their wake. They still tour today and have a larger core audience than almost any metal act.
3. Judas Priest: Speaking of British metal...I got into Priest far later in life than most of the bands on this list, but made up for the lost time in spades. I've never heard a vocalist quite like lead singer Rob Halford. I swear, even Mariah Carey can't hit some of the notes he elevates his voice to. The twin guitar sounds created by Glenn Tipton and K.K. Downing are unlike anything I've ever heard. Just listen to "You Got Another Thing Coming" and you might get the point.
4. Black Sabbath: Though their later works with Ozzy Osbourne aren't quite as powerful as the albums that preceded them, they absolutely have to be in the top five on this list. They literally are the first true metal band and have impacted the lives of virtually everyone in the metal genre. Even their post-Ozzy work with Ronnie James Dio is awesome. Seriously, they're so awesome that their lead guitarist accidentally cut his fingers off and glued melted bottle caps to his amputated fingers to keep playing. That's metal, right there.
5. Motley Crue: Metal is such a difficult genre to truly define. Some will say Crue are too glam to be metal, but it's all subjective. I think the four original members (Vince Neil, Tommy Lee, Mick Mars and Nikki Sixx) are one of the most influential bands of their time and have a definitive place in metal history. They might be the first of the "Sunset Strip" bands to have a lasting presence in the metal community, largely due to their crazy antics and incredible stage shows. Still, if their music sucked, we wouldn't be talking about them here. Their greatest hits record is a treasure of incredible songs like "Too Fast For Love", "Looks That Kill", "Shout at the Devil" and "Home Sweet Home." The latter of those songs ended up being the first recognized power ballad and set the stage for glam metal's rise in the 1980s.
February 21, 2012
Greg's Top Ten Legendary Replacements
1. Mo Lewis Drops the Hammer on Drew Bledsoe: People tend to forget that Drew Bledsoe was once the savior of aonce decrepit franchise in the New England Patriots. Before taking Bledsoe #1 overall in the 1993 NFL Draft the Patriots had suffered through a 1-15 and 2-14 season over a stretch of three seasons. Just after Bledsoe arrived on the scene the Patriots were on the rise, with Bledsoe leading the Patriots to a Super Bowl in 1996 after throwing a then-career best 27 touchdown passes. In essence, Bledsoe was on his way to becoming a legend until this moment in history changed the course of NFL history forever:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQOaT7TRirY
Think about what you just saw and the implications it had for the history of the NFL. If this play never happens it's entirely possible Tom Brady is selling insurance somewhere in California right now. Maybe Peyton Manning has 3 Super Bowl rings. Who knows. The hit Mo Lewis laid on Bledsoe in that video knocked the quarterback out for what was supposed to only be a few games. Instead, some backup quarterback taken in the 6th round of the 2000 NFL Draft comes in and never relinquished the job back to Bledsoe - leading the Patriots to 5 Super Bowl appearances and 3 Lombardi Trophies on the way. Bledsoe never found his way back to anything close to greatness, languishing in Buffalo and Dallas only to watch his understudy build a Hall of Fame career.
2. Steve Young Replaces Joe Montana: I know many of you will say that this should be #1 on the list but I think it deserves to be knocked down a peg. Why, you ask? Because Montana won four Super Bowls to Young's one. Young was a stud quarterback, but Montana simply has more to show for his career accomplishments. Frankly, I'm amazed at how many people in this town still bitch about how Montana was so great without recognizing Young's own greatness. While I think Super Bowl rings are extremely important, we tend to overvalue a quarterback's greatness based solely on the number of titles he's been a part of. After all, nobody would ever say Trent Dilfer or Brad Johnson, both Super Bowl winning quarterbacks, were greater than Dan Marino or Warren Moon, both of whom never won a Super Bowl ring. What Young had to endure during the post-Montana era was brutal and yet he handled it with tremendous grace. Hey Niner fans, here’s a little tidbit for ya, Steve Young threw six touchdown passes in his Super Bowl win over the San Diego Chargers, which is the same number of touchdown passes Montana threw in his first three Super Bowls combined.
3. Leroy Kelly Takes Over For Jim Brown: No matter how great a running back might seem to be, they all bow down to Jim Brown who many claim is the single greatest professional football player of all-time. Everyone from Barry Sanders to Walter Payton to Marshall Faulk has praised Brown for being one of the toughest and most elusive runners in NFL history. He was the perfect blend of power and speed. When he decided to leave the NFL for Hollywood, the Browns handed the reigns over to halfback Leroy Kelly, who went on to amass nearly 10,000 yards from scrimmage and earn a Hall of Fame bust in Canton.
4. John Madden's Exit Opens the Door for Tom Flores: The very name Madden is synonymous with everything football. The Hall of Fame coach starred in everything from light beer commercials to football announcing gigs to having his own brand of video game that is still the benchmark for all football video games. Having to fill his shoes would be a difficult job at best. Tom Flores quietly took over for Madden in 1979 and just two years later won his first of two Super Bowl titles as head coach of the Silver and Black. While Madden might get all of the glory for being the face of pro football, Flores had the distinct honor of being the first person in NFL history to win Super Bowls as both a player and a coach.
5. Aaron Rodgers Replaces Brett Favre: I question whether this is too high on my list since Rodgers is still playing and has only had a few years of experience under his belt but considering what he has already accomplished in such a short period of time, I have a hard time placing him any lower. I also get the feeling that he’s far from finished with his winning ways. Before Brett Favre “retired” from the Green Bay Packers I always wondered how the hell they were going to find someone capable of supplanting #4. Rodgers was practically an afterthought in the 2005 NFL Draft who had to sit in the green room of Radio City Music Hall after his name was repeatedly passed over by nearly 30 teams before finally getting taken by the Packers. When Favre finally did leave Titletown he left the organization under less than amicable terms and allegedly was frigid towards Rodgers, who now had massive shoes to fill. Rodgers not only filled his shoes, he’s practically made Favre an afterthought by winning a Super Bowl title in just his third year as a starter. Furthermore, he’s passing with far greater accuracy than Favre ever did and looks all the part of a future Hall of Famer.
6. Tom Landry is Fired From the Dallas Cowboys: Some will argue that this should be higher on the list given what Landry's replacement Jimmy Johnson did when he arrived in Dallas. Truth is, although Landry was a twice-over world champion head coach with the Cowboys, Dallas was completely in shambles when he was fired. Dallas had suffered three straight losing seasons including a 3-13 record in his final campaign before being unceremoniously shown the door. Enter former Miami Hurricane coach Jimmy Johnson who would barter star running back Herschel Walker to the Minnesota Vikings for a bevy of future draft picks that would end up transforming the Cowboys from laughing stock to dynasty. Johnson won two Super Bowl titles with Dallas and set the team up for a third title in four years when Barry Switzer took over for Johnson one year after resigning from the Cowboys.
7. The Edge Arrives in Indy: People often overlook how incredible Marshall Faulk was when he played in Indianapolis - usually associating him with the Rams and their "Greatest Show on Turf" era. Truth is, Faulk was an absolute beast for the Colts, especially during the 1998 season - his last in Indy. It was Peyton Manning's rookie season when Faulk amassed 2,227 combined yards from scrimmage - at the time the sixth highest total in NFL history. With Faulk due to cash in on his career best season, the Colts had a tough decision to make - either dish out a boatload of money or seek less expensive talent elsewhere. I won't lie, I was furious when the Colts jettisoned Faulk. What I didn't realize was how the Colts would rebound by partaking in one of the most shocking moments in NFL Draft history a few months later by drafting Miami Hurricane rusher Edgerrin James over far more heavily touted Texas Longhorns star Ricky Williams. Williams was listed much higher on virtually everyone's draft board having just broken the NCAA Division I record for career rushing yards. The Colts passed on Williams and grabbed James who would go on to break virtually every Colts rushing record during his career with Indianapolis.
8. Bill Cowher Replaces Chuck Noll: I wonder what Cowher must have thought after taking over for Noll in 1992. Noll had won four Super Bowls as the Steelers head coach, still an NFL record for Super Bowl wins by a head coach. It's a near impossible task to replace someone so legendary but Cowher did a pretty damn good job. He ranks a little low on this list because he only won one Super Bowl and it took over a decade to do it, but there's no denying that the team was in tremendously good hands when The Chin was in charge of the Steelers. They were a constant threat to win the AFC crown and many will argue that Cowher helped plant the seeds that helped the Steelers blossom in the post-Cowher era when Mike Tomlin took over in 2006.
9. Sonny Jurgensen replaces Norm Van Brocklin: Before Young took over for Montana there was this situation in Philly where future Hall of Famer Sonny Jurgensen sat on the Philly bench for four seasons behind another future Hall of Famer in Norm Van Brocklin. Van Brocklin won an NFL title with the Eagles in 1960 and pulled a John Elway by retiring as an NFL champion opening the door for Jurgensen to get his chance at greatness. Though Jurgensen never won a title with the Eagles, he would lead the league in passing yards and touchdowns a year after getting the starting gig. The Eagles foolishly traded Jurgensen a few years later to the Washington Redskins when ownership had concerns about Jurgensen's off-field antics. Jurgensen's career would only continue to blossom in Washington until his own retirement following the 1974 season.
10. MJD Takes Over For Fred Taylor: Fred Taylor racked up over 13,000 yards from scrimmage for the Jaguars and held virtually every team rushing record before his eventual replacement Maurice Jones Drew arrived on the scene in 2006. Since then it's been Jones-Drew who has re-written the Jaguars' record books. In half the time it took Taylor to rack up his 13,000 yards, Jones-Drew is already closing in on 10,000 career yards from scrimmage and is just two TDs shy of Taylor's team milestone of 74 total touchdowns. It's only a matter of time before Jones-Drew smashes every record in Jacksonville Jaguars history.
Greg's Top Ten Legendary Replacements
1. Mo Lewis Drops the Hammer on Drew Bledsoe: People tend to forget that Drew Bledsoe was once the savior of aonce decrepit franchise in the New England Patriots. Before taking Bledsoe #1 overall in the 1993 NFL Draft the Patriots had suffered through a 1-15 and 2-14 season over a stretch of three seasons. Just after Bledsoe arrived on the scene the Patriots were on the rise, with Bledsoe leading the Patriots to a Super Bowl in 1996 after throwing a then-career best 27 touchdown passes. In essence, Bledsoe was on his way to becoming a legend until this moment in history changed the course of NFL history forever:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQOaT7TRirY
Think about what you just saw and the implications it had for the history of the NFL. If this play never happens it's entirely possible Tom Brady is selling insurance somewhere in California right now. Maybe Peyton Manning has 3 Super Bowl rings. Who knows. The hit Mo Lewis laid on Bledsoe in that video knocked the quarterback out for what was supposed to only be a few games. Instead, some backup quarterback taken in the 6th round of the 2000 NFL Draft comes in and never relinquished the job back to Bledsoe - leading the Patriots to 5 Super Bowl appearances and 3 Lombardi Trophies on the way. Bledsoe never found his way back to anything close to greatness, languishing in Buffalo and Dallas only to watch his understudy build a Hall of Fame career.
2. Steve Young Replaces Joe Montana: I know many of you will say that this should be #1 on the list but I think it deserves to be knocked down a peg. Why, you ask? Because Montana won four Super Bowls to Young's one. Young was a stud quarterback, but Montana simply has more to show for his career accomplishments. Frankly, I'm amazed at how many people in this town still bitch about how Montana was so great without recognizing Young's own greatness. While I think Super Bowl rings are extremely important, we tend to overvalue a quarterback's greatness based solely on the number of titles he's been a part of. After all, nobody would ever say Trent Dilfer or Brad Johnson, both Super Bowl winning quarterbacks, were greater than Dan Marino or Warren Moon, both of whom never won a Super Bowl ring. What Young had to endure during the post-Montana era was brutal and yet he handled it with tremendous grace. Hey Niner fans, here’s a little tidbit for ya, Steve Young threw six touchdown passes in his Super Bowl win over the San Diego Chargers, which is the same number of touchdown passes Montana threw in his first three Super Bowls combined.
3. Leroy Kelly Takes Over For Jim Brown: No matter how great a running back might seem to be, they all bow down to Jim Brown who many claim is the single greatest professional football player of all-time. Everyone from Barry Sanders to Walter Payton to Marshall Faulk has praised Brown for being one of the toughest and most elusive runners in NFL history. He was the perfect blend of power and speed. When he decided to leave the NFL for Hollywood, the Browns handed the reigns over to halfback Leroy Kelly, who went on to amass nearly 10,000 yards from scrimmage and earn a Hall of Fame bust in Canton.
4. John Madden's Exit Opens the Door for Tom Flores: The very name Madden is synonymous with everything football. The Hall of Fame coach starred in everything from light beer commercials to football announcing gigs to having his own brand of video game that is still the benchmark for all football video games. Having to fill his shoes would be a difficult job at best. Tom Flores quietly took over for Madden in 1979 and just two years later won his first of two Super Bowl titles as head coach of the Silver and Black. While Madden might get all of the glory for being the face of pro football, Flores had the distinct honor of being the first person in NFL history to win Super Bowls as both a player and a coach.
5. Aaron Rodgers Replaces Brett Favre: I question whether this is too high on my list since Rodgers is still playing and has only had a few years of experience under his belt but considering what he has already accomplished in such a short period of time, I have a hard time placing him any lower. I also get the feeling that he’s far from finished with his winning ways. Before Brett Favre “retired” from the Green Bay Packers I always wondered how the hell they were going to find someone capable of supplanting #4. Rodgers was practically an afterthought in the 2005 NFL Draft who had to sit in the green room of Radio City Music Hall after his name was repeatedly passed over by nearly 30 teams before finally getting taken by the Packers. When Favre finally did leave Titletown he left the organization under less than amicable terms and allegedly was frigid towards Rodgers, who now had massive shoes to fill. Rodgers not only filled his shoes, he’s practically made Favre an afterthought by winning a Super Bowl title in just his third year as a starter. Furthermore, he’s passing with far greater accuracy than Favre ever did and looks all the part of a future Hall of Famer.
6. Tom Landry is Fired From the Dallas Cowboys: Some will argue that this should be higher on the list given what Landry's replacement Jimmy Johnson did when he arrived in Dallas. Truth is, although Landry was a twice-over world champion head coach with the Cowboys, Dallas was completely in shambles when he was fired. Dallas had suffered three straight losing seasons including a 3-13 record in his final campaign before being unceremoniously shown the door. Enter former Miami Hurricane coach Jimmy Johnson who would barter star running back Herschel Walker to the Minnesota Vikings for a bevy of future draft picks that would end up transforming the Cowboys from laughing stock to dynasty. Johnson won two Super Bowl titles with Dallas and set the team up for a third title in four years when Barry Switzer took over for Johnson one year after resigning from the Cowboys.
7. The Edge Arrives in Indy: People often overlook how incredible Marshall Faulk was when he played in Indianapolis - usually associating him with the Rams and their "Greatest Show on Turf" era. Truth is, Faulk was an absolute beast for the Colts, especially during the 1998 season - his last in Indy. It was Peyton Manning's rookie season when Faulk amassed 2,227 combined yards from scrimmage - at the time the sixth highest total in NFL history. With Faulk due to cash in on his career best season, the Colts had a tough decision to make - either dish out a boatload of money or seek less expensive talent elsewhere. I won't lie, I was furious when the Colts jettisoned Faulk. What I didn't realize was how the Colts would rebound by partaking in one of the most shocking moments in NFL Draft history a few months later by drafting Miami Hurricane rusher Edgerrin James over far more heavily touted Texas Longhorns star Ricky Williams. Williams was listed much higher on virtually everyone's draft board having just broken the NCAA Division I record for career rushing yards. The Colts passed on Williams and grabbed James who would go on to break virtually every Colts rushing record during his career with Indianapolis.
8. Bill Cowher Replaces Chuck Noll: I wonder what Cowher must have thought after taking over for Noll in 1992. Noll had won four Super Bowls as the Steelers head coach, still an NFL record for Super Bowl wins by a head coach. It's a near impossible task to replace someone so legendary but Cowher did a pretty damn good job. He ranks a little low on this list because he only won one Super Bowl and it took over a decade to do it, but there's no denying that the team was in tremendously good hands when The Chin was in charge of the Steelers. They were a constant threat to win the AFC crown and many will argue that Cowher helped plant the seeds that helped the Steelers blossom in the post-Cowher era when Mike Tomlin took over in 2006.
9. Sonny Jurgensen replaces Norm Van Brocklin: Before Young took over for Montana there was this situation in Philly where future Hall of Famer Sonny Jurgensen sat on the Philly bench for four seasons behind another future Hall of Famer in Norm Van Brocklin. Van Brocklin won an NFL title with the Eagles in 1960 and pulled a John Elway by retiring as an NFL champion opening the door for Jurgensen to get his chance at greatness. Though Jurgensen never won a title with the Eagles, he would lead the league in passing yards and touchdowns a year after getting the starting gig. The Eagles foolishly traded Jurgensen a few years later to the Washington Redskins when ownership had concerns about Jurgensen's off-field antics. Jurgensen's career would only continue to blossom in Washington until his own retirement following the 1974 season.
10. MJD Takes Over For Fred Taylor: Fred Taylor racked up over 13,000 yards from scrimmage for the Jaguars and held virtually every team rushing record before his eventual replacement Maurice Jones Drew arrived on the scene in 2006. Since then it's been Jones-Drew who has re-written the Jaguars' record books. In half the time it took Taylor to rack up his 13,000 yards, Jones-Drew is already closing in on 10,000 career yards from scrimmage and is just two TDs shy of Taylor's team milestone of 74 total touchdowns. It's only a matter of time before Jones-Drew smashes every record in Jacksonville Jaguars history.
Monday, February 20, 2012
February 20, 2012
Greg's Top Ten Favorite Presidential Musicians:
1. George Harrison
2. Andy Taylor
3. Dead Kennedys
4. Jefferson Airplane (Starship)
5. The Jackson Five (or Michael Jackson)
6. Bush
7. George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic
8. Bryan Adams
9. Presidents of the United States of America
10. Isaac Hayes
Greg's Top Ten Favorite Presidential Musicians:
1. George Harrison
2. Andy Taylor
3. Dead Kennedys
4. Jefferson Airplane (Starship)
5. The Jackson Five (or Michael Jackson)
6. Bush
7. George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic
8. Bryan Adams
9. Presidents of the United States of America
10. Isaac Hayes
February 19, 2012
Greg's Top Ten Favorite Songs That Should Always Be Played Back to Back:
1. Intruder/Pretty Woman: Van Halen
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-665xRg8vKE
2. Empty Spaces/Young Lust: Pink Floyd
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cLu__NNxX_g
3. Heartbreaker/Living Loving Maid: Led Zeppelin
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jd3jDzp0QjM
4. Eruption/You Really Got Me: Van Halen
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OCwigPhpiXs
5. Brain Damage/Eclipse: Pink Floyd
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DVQ3-Xe_suY
6. We Will Rock You/We Are The Champions: Queen
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNWvNEPsilI
7. Need You Tonight/Mediate: INXS
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Si2ZdcBz8Q
8. The Happiest Days of Our Lives/Another Brick in the Wall Pt. 2: Pink Floyd
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZiUuXdk8LU
9. Driven to Tears/When the World is Running Down: The Police
Can't seem to find a link for this one, but they are tracks 2 and 3 on "Zenyatta Mondatta" by The Police
10. Tainted Love/Where Did Our Love Go: Soft Cell
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XF68OyTlP4E
Greg's Top Ten Favorite Songs That Should Always Be Played Back to Back:
1. Intruder/Pretty Woman: Van Halen
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-665xRg8vKE
2. Empty Spaces/Young Lust: Pink Floyd
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cLu__NNxX_g
3. Heartbreaker/Living Loving Maid: Led Zeppelin
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jd3jDzp0QjM
4. Eruption/You Really Got Me: Van Halen
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OCwigPhpiXs
5. Brain Damage/Eclipse: Pink Floyd
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DVQ3-Xe_suY
6. We Will Rock You/We Are The Champions: Queen
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNWvNEPsilI
7. Need You Tonight/Mediate: INXS
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Si2ZdcBz8Q
8. The Happiest Days of Our Lives/Another Brick in the Wall Pt. 2: Pink Floyd
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZiUuXdk8LU
9. Driven to Tears/When the World is Running Down: The Police
Can't seem to find a link for this one, but they are tracks 2 and 3 on "Zenyatta Mondatta" by The Police
10. Tainted Love/Where Did Our Love Go: Soft Cell
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XF68OyTlP4E
Saturday, February 18, 2012
February 18, 2012
Greg's Top Ten Favorite 80's School Movies (So Many to Choose From!):
1. Real Genius (1985): Val Kilmer, William Atherton, Gabriel Jarrett
2. The Breakfast Club (1985): Molly Ringwald, Judd Nelson, Emilio Estevez
3. Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986): Matthew Broderick, Mia Sara, Alan Ruck
4. Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982): Sean Penn, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Judge Reinhold
5. Pretty in Pink (1986): Molly Ringwald, Andrew McCarthy, Jon Cryer
6. Back to School (1986): Rodney Dangerfield, Sally Kellerman, Robert Downey Jr.
7. Heathers (1988): Christian Slater, Winona Ryder, Shannen Doherty
8. Licence to Drive (1988): Corey Haim, Corey Feldman, Carol Kane
9. Just One of the Guys (1985): Joyce Hyser, William Zabka, Sherilyn Fenn
10. Revenge of the Nerds (1984): Robert Carradine, Anthony Edwards, Timothy Busfield
Greg's Top Ten Favorite 80's School Movies (So Many to Choose From!):
1. Real Genius (1985): Val Kilmer, William Atherton, Gabriel Jarrett
2. The Breakfast Club (1985): Molly Ringwald, Judd Nelson, Emilio Estevez
3. Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986): Matthew Broderick, Mia Sara, Alan Ruck
4. Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982): Sean Penn, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Judge Reinhold
5. Pretty in Pink (1986): Molly Ringwald, Andrew McCarthy, Jon Cryer
6. Back to School (1986): Rodney Dangerfield, Sally Kellerman, Robert Downey Jr.
7. Heathers (1988): Christian Slater, Winona Ryder, Shannen Doherty
8. Licence to Drive (1988): Corey Haim, Corey Feldman, Carol Kane
9. Just One of the Guys (1985): Joyce Hyser, William Zabka, Sherilyn Fenn
10. Revenge of the Nerds (1984): Robert Carradine, Anthony Edwards, Timothy Busfield
Thursday, February 16, 2012
February 16, 2012
Greg's Top Ten Most Wanted Celebrity Autobiographies that Haven't Been Written:
1. David Bowie: Although the extensive and somewhat well received biography "Starman" was released in 2011, I'm not a big fan of biographies since they're usually poorly written and done so by almost exclusively from collateral accounts. I want Bowie to write his own account of the insanity he's been a part of from his days as a shaggy-haired youth to Ziggy Stardust to the Thin White Duke era to his recent retreat from the limelight. I want to read it all and I'd be one of the first people in line to grab his autobiographical account.
2. Peyton Manning: I hope he writes an all encompassing memoir after his playing days are over. It would be pretty awesome to hear his perspective on his life and career. My only reservation about reading a Manning autobiography would be due to Manning's tendency to be a bit diplomatic. He'd likely hold back a lot of his deeper feelings towards members of the Colts organization to save face, but I'll take my chances.
3. Simon LeBon: Duran Duran guitarist Andy Taylor already wrote his autobiography and bassist John Taylor has one coming out later this year. I think the Duran frontman's bio would be a blast to read, especially given his conquests. I'd be particularly interested to hear how he managed to put up with Nick Rhodes' snobby ass all these years.
4. Madonna: If for no other reason than to read the musings of a delusional narcissist. If only she could have written one before she started using a British accent and acting like she was holier than thou. I'd love to hear what she has to say about her kinky lifestyle from the Erotica/Bedtime Stories era, but I'll probably skip the chapter where she talks about her love affair with Dennis Rodman unless I'm reading it on an empty stomach.
5. Eddie Van Halen: Especially after reading Sammy Hagar's hack of an autobiography "Red" where he pretty much rips all things Van Halen to shreds, calling out both Eddie and Alex Van Halen for being self-absorbed, substance abusing slobs who completely take advantage of their fans' loyalty. I would love to hear the rebuttal. Seriously, Van Halen is like a 35 year soap opera and I can't get enough of it.
6. Harrison Ford: I'm a bit surprised he hasn't already written one since he's certainly in the twilight of his career. I'd love to read his accounts of what it was like to work on the sets of the Star Wars and Indiana Jones sagas. If only he would apologize to fans for making that last Indiana movie and whatever the hell Cowboys and Indians was supposed to be.
7. Axl Rose: Not sure if it would be a particularly truthful account given Rose's propensity to not take responsibility for his actions, but I'd still be interested to hear his perspective on GNR's heyday and eventual breakup. Former Guns bandmates Steven Adler, Slash and Duff McKagan have already written their bios, so it would be awesome to have Axl follow suit.
8. Marvin Harrison: He's arguably the quietest superstar to ever play football so reading an autobiography of his would be extremely insightful. The man's a legend and probably has said less to the media in his entire career than Peyton Manning has in one month.
9. Jimmy Page: Please make this happen, Jimmy. There have been countless unauthorized biographies of Page and his Led Zeppelin bandmates but nothing from the man himself.
10. Mick Jagger: Outside of drummer Charlie Watts, every member of the Stones has written an autobiography. Now that Keith Richards finally wrote his memoirs, I think we're all due a Jagger account from the most famous mouth in rock n roll.
Greg's Top Ten Most Wanted Celebrity Autobiographies that Haven't Been Written:
1. David Bowie: Although the extensive and somewhat well received biography "Starman" was released in 2011, I'm not a big fan of biographies since they're usually poorly written and done so by almost exclusively from collateral accounts. I want Bowie to write his own account of the insanity he's been a part of from his days as a shaggy-haired youth to Ziggy Stardust to the Thin White Duke era to his recent retreat from the limelight. I want to read it all and I'd be one of the first people in line to grab his autobiographical account.
2. Peyton Manning: I hope he writes an all encompassing memoir after his playing days are over. It would be pretty awesome to hear his perspective on his life and career. My only reservation about reading a Manning autobiography would be due to Manning's tendency to be a bit diplomatic. He'd likely hold back a lot of his deeper feelings towards members of the Colts organization to save face, but I'll take my chances.
3. Simon LeBon: Duran Duran guitarist Andy Taylor already wrote his autobiography and bassist John Taylor has one coming out later this year. I think the Duran frontman's bio would be a blast to read, especially given his conquests. I'd be particularly interested to hear how he managed to put up with Nick Rhodes' snobby ass all these years.
4. Madonna: If for no other reason than to read the musings of a delusional narcissist. If only she could have written one before she started using a British accent and acting like she was holier than thou. I'd love to hear what she has to say about her kinky lifestyle from the Erotica/Bedtime Stories era, but I'll probably skip the chapter where she talks about her love affair with Dennis Rodman unless I'm reading it on an empty stomach.
5. Eddie Van Halen: Especially after reading Sammy Hagar's hack of an autobiography "Red" where he pretty much rips all things Van Halen to shreds, calling out both Eddie and Alex Van Halen for being self-absorbed, substance abusing slobs who completely take advantage of their fans' loyalty. I would love to hear the rebuttal. Seriously, Van Halen is like a 35 year soap opera and I can't get enough of it.
6. Harrison Ford: I'm a bit surprised he hasn't already written one since he's certainly in the twilight of his career. I'd love to read his accounts of what it was like to work on the sets of the Star Wars and Indiana Jones sagas. If only he would apologize to fans for making that last Indiana movie and whatever the hell Cowboys and Indians was supposed to be.
7. Axl Rose: Not sure if it would be a particularly truthful account given Rose's propensity to not take responsibility for his actions, but I'd still be interested to hear his perspective on GNR's heyday and eventual breakup. Former Guns bandmates Steven Adler, Slash and Duff McKagan have already written their bios, so it would be awesome to have Axl follow suit.
8. Marvin Harrison: He's arguably the quietest superstar to ever play football so reading an autobiography of his would be extremely insightful. The man's a legend and probably has said less to the media in his entire career than Peyton Manning has in one month.
9. Jimmy Page: Please make this happen, Jimmy. There have been countless unauthorized biographies of Page and his Led Zeppelin bandmates but nothing from the man himself.
10. Mick Jagger: Outside of drummer Charlie Watts, every member of the Stones has written an autobiography. Now that Keith Richards finally wrote his memoirs, I think we're all due a Jagger account from the most famous mouth in rock n roll.
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
February 14, 2012
Greg's Top Ten Favorite Romantic Comedies:
1. Roxanne (1987) Steve Martin, Darryl Hannah, Rick Rossovich
2. The 40 Year Old Virgin (2005) Steve Carrell, Catherine Keener, Seth Rogen, Paul Rudd
3. Amelie (2001) Audrey Tautou
4. Groundhog Day (1993): Bill Murray, Andie MacDowell, Chris Elliott
5. Bull Durham (1988): Kevin Costner, Susan Sarandon, Tim Robbins
6. Coming to America (1989) Eddie Murphy, Arsenio Hall, James Earl Jones
7. Romancing the Stone (1984) Michael Douglas, Kathleen Turner, Danny DeVito
8. My Big Fat Greek Wedding: Nia Vardalos, John Corbett
9. Love Actually (2003): Liam Neeson, Emma Thompson, Hugh Grant, Bill Nighy
10. What Women Want (2000): Mel Gibson, Helen Hunt, Marisa Tomei
Greg's Top Ten Favorite Romantic Comedies:
1. Roxanne (1987) Steve Martin, Darryl Hannah, Rick Rossovich
2. The 40 Year Old Virgin (2005) Steve Carrell, Catherine Keener, Seth Rogen, Paul Rudd
3. Amelie (2001) Audrey Tautou
4. Groundhog Day (1993): Bill Murray, Andie MacDowell, Chris Elliott
5. Bull Durham (1988): Kevin Costner, Susan Sarandon, Tim Robbins
6. Coming to America (1989) Eddie Murphy, Arsenio Hall, James Earl Jones
7. Romancing the Stone (1984) Michael Douglas, Kathleen Turner, Danny DeVito
8. My Big Fat Greek Wedding: Nia Vardalos, John Corbett
9. Love Actually (2003): Liam Neeson, Emma Thompson, Hugh Grant, Bill Nighy
10. What Women Want (2000): Mel Gibson, Helen Hunt, Marisa Tomei
Monday, February 13, 2012
February 13, 2012
Greg's Top Ten Current Artists I Cannot Stand:
Greg's Top Ten Current Artists I Cannot Stand:
1. LMFAO - When I found out the member of this "band" were the children of Motown Records founder Berry Gordy it all became clear why they have a hit record. I'm guessing without a legendary papa they'd be washing dishes an an IHOP somewhere because their "music" makes me want to stab myself in the ears with a dull knife. By the way, the lead DJ in the band named himself DJ Redfoo. Yeah, because Redfoo is just such an awesome name like Terminator X or DJ EZ Rock. Right now Jam Master Jay is rolling in his grave at the thought of DJ Redfoo owning the airwaves. The instant I started to bitch and complain about their music was the moment I knew I was getting old. **** you, LMFAO!
2. Nicki Minaj: Seriously, people, what the hell was that crap at The Grammy Awards last night? A freaking Exorcism? At least when Madonna was edgy on award shows she actually sang something halfway decent.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyQ70oK5La4&feature=fvst
Obviously with that said, I'm not really upset by use of religious symbolism in art. I really couldn't care less. What was utterly lame about that crap we were witness to last night is that it was an utter mess. Let me see if I understand this, she's a possessed girl with a gay child inside of her named Roman who needs to show the world what a hack of an artist she is? I'd rather watch the un-watchable sequel to The Blair Witch Project than see that performance from Minaj again. Judging by most of the photos and videos I've seen of Minaj, I get the impression she's desperately trying to copy Lady Gaga, Katy Perry and Rihanna at every turn.
3. Rihanna: Speaking of Rihanna, here's another one I'm completely over. When I first heard her music I actually thought it was okay. Now, after the ten millionth time of hearing the Umbrella song I think I'm done listening to her ever again. Even her new stuff is so overplayed and annoying and few things will get me to jump off an artists bandwagon more than overexposure. Again, I want to make it clear that I don't think she makes bad music, it's just tremendously overplayed to the extent that I'll change my radio station upon hearing her voice.
4. Kid Rock & 5. Nickelback: Here are two artists who I could have placed on this list ten years ago and yet they're still making the cut. Congrats, fellas, you're still utterly shitty a full decade later. In fact, I dare say I think they're both more shitty now than I did then because for the life of me I cannot fathom why they're both still relevant to ANYONE. Nickelback currently have a top ten record on the Billboard charts and Kid Rock is always showing up on MTV singing his hybrid of southern rock and hip hop. Hey, Rock, if I wanted to listen to Lynyrd Skynyrd and Limp Bizkit together I'd stick my head in an oven. These guys rule the charts at every turn and it causes me nausea when I consider the truly great artists out there who get about 1% of their exposure in the media.
6. Justin Bieber: Like I actually need to explain this one, right?
7. Lana Del Rey: I barely knew about her before her butchered performance on Saturday Night Live a few weeks ago. Sadly, that absolutely horrific attempt at singing probably gained her more publicity than anything else she could have done short of join Nicki Minaj on stage at The Grammy Awards and stick a crucifix in her lady parts a la The Exorcist. Dont' believe me? Just watch this video and tell me you've seen a worst performance on SNL.
3. Rihanna: Speaking of Rihanna, here's another one I'm completely over. When I first heard her music I actually thought it was okay. Now, after the ten millionth time of hearing the Umbrella song I think I'm done listening to her ever again. Even her new stuff is so overplayed and annoying and few things will get me to jump off an artists bandwagon more than overexposure. Again, I want to make it clear that I don't think she makes bad music, it's just tremendously overplayed to the extent that I'll change my radio station upon hearing her voice.
4. Kid Rock & 5. Nickelback: Here are two artists who I could have placed on this list ten years ago and yet they're still making the cut. Congrats, fellas, you're still utterly shitty a full decade later. In fact, I dare say I think they're both more shitty now than I did then because for the life of me I cannot fathom why they're both still relevant to ANYONE. Nickelback currently have a top ten record on the Billboard charts and Kid Rock is always showing up on MTV singing his hybrid of southern rock and hip hop. Hey, Rock, if I wanted to listen to Lynyrd Skynyrd and Limp Bizkit together I'd stick my head in an oven. These guys rule the charts at every turn and it causes me nausea when I consider the truly great artists out there who get about 1% of their exposure in the media.
6. Justin Bieber: Like I actually need to explain this one, right?
7. Lana Del Rey: I barely knew about her before her butchered performance on Saturday Night Live a few weeks ago. Sadly, that absolutely horrific attempt at singing probably gained her more publicity than anything else she could have done short of join Nicki Minaj on stage at The Grammy Awards and stick a crucifix in her lady parts a la The Exorcist. Dont' believe me? Just watch this video and tell me you've seen a worst performance on SNL.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d6I5ti0-GCE&feature=fvst
Even the Baha Men had a more compelling stint on SNL than this wannabe. She wouldn't make it past Hollywood week on American Idol yet she gets a shot at performing on SNL?
8. JG Wentworth: While writing this list their stupid freaking jingle came on the tube twice. Now I'm going to have it stuck in my head all day. Nothing says "awesome Monday" like hearing a battle between LMFAO and the JG Wentworth gang in my melon all freaking day. This is going to be an 8 Advil day to be certain.
9. Ke$ha: Ever notice how her voice sounds like a cat being murdered by a chainsaw? Ok, that's a little dramatic...forget the chainsaw part. I've heard from multiple sources that she's pitiful to listen to live which makes me wonder if she's on autotune in the studio. I've always felt she was trying too hard to get noticed by being outrageous without having substance to her music. Maybe I haven't listened to her closely enough, but the problem with that is that I can't get past listening to her for a moment let alone "closely enough" to understand her talent.
10. The Fray: I know a certain friend of mine who will be very disappointed to see this band on my list, but I can't help myself. When the lead singer whines the lyrics "How to Save a Life" I reach for a bottle of Pepto Bismol. I probably shouldn't include a band on here for one song making me that ill but I don't care. I'll keep Miley Cyrus off this list because "How to Save a Life" annoys me that much.
Even the Baha Men had a more compelling stint on SNL than this wannabe. She wouldn't make it past Hollywood week on American Idol yet she gets a shot at performing on SNL?
8. JG Wentworth: While writing this list their stupid freaking jingle came on the tube twice. Now I'm going to have it stuck in my head all day. Nothing says "awesome Monday" like hearing a battle between LMFAO and the JG Wentworth gang in my melon all freaking day. This is going to be an 8 Advil day to be certain.
9. Ke$ha: Ever notice how her voice sounds like a cat being murdered by a chainsaw? Ok, that's a little dramatic...forget the chainsaw part. I've heard from multiple sources that she's pitiful to listen to live which makes me wonder if she's on autotune in the studio. I've always felt she was trying too hard to get noticed by being outrageous without having substance to her music. Maybe I haven't listened to her closely enough, but the problem with that is that I can't get past listening to her for a moment let alone "closely enough" to understand her talent.
10. The Fray: I know a certain friend of mine who will be very disappointed to see this band on my list, but I can't help myself. When the lead singer whines the lyrics "How to Save a Life" I reach for a bottle of Pepto Bismol. I probably shouldn't include a band on here for one song making me that ill but I don't care. I'll keep Miley Cyrus off this list because "How to Save a Life" annoys me that much.
Saturday, February 11, 2012
Feburary 11, 2012
Greg's Top Ten Favorite Sports Milestones/Records:
1. Joe Dimaggio's 56 Consecutive Game Hitting Streak: The record was set in 1941 and although most every sports fan agrees that it's an unbreakable milestone, someone every baseball season gets on a roll and starts their own hitting streak hoping to best Joltin' Joe's mark. For some reason I always get sucked into to the remote possibility that someone could actually challenge DiMaggio's incredible feat. ESPN usually doesn't start making a fuss over a player's hitting streak gets to about 30 games and that's still over a month's worth of games away from a person actually matching the record of 56.
2. Jerry Rice's 22,895 Career Receiving Yards: Most people would take issue with an athlete not named Muhammad Ali calling themselves the "Greatest of All Time" during their career. Nobody would dare question that statement with Rice, who is without any doubt the single greatest pass-catcher in the history of pro football. The owner of virtually every receiving mark in NFL history, his 22,895 career receiving yards mark is the one that impresses me the most. The player with the second most receiving yards in NFL history is Terrell Owens who trails Rice by nearly 7,000 yards. Even in this age of increased passing numbers I doubt any player will ever sniff Rice's record.
3. Cal Ripken Jr's 2,632 Consecutive Games Played: Anyone out there who thinks this record isn't a big deal because he played baseball should be forced to watch every game Ripken played during the streak to see how wrong they are. Playing shortstop, Ripken's natural position, is incredibly hard on the body. From 1982 to 1995, Ripken never once missed a game and broke what was formerly thought of as an unbreakable record - 2,130 consecutive games played by Lou Gehrig. 13 years ago The Spice Girls were relevant and Donovan McNabb was a rookie quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles. That might give you a little perspective on just how long Ripken's streak lasted.
4. Wayne Gretzky's 51 Consecutive Game Point Streak: There are so many Gretzky records that I could place on this list. Hell, I could do a top ten for just Gretzky-related records. This one blows my mind the most. Those of you that watch the S.J. Sharks know how hard it is for a player to score a goal in a single game. Now try doing that 51 games in a row. It's unfathomable. Only one other player in NHL history has a streak of over 30 games (Mario Lemieux, 46). It goes to show you just how absolutely dominant "The Great One" truly was during his player career.
5. Michael Phelps' 8 Gold Medals in 1 Olympics: When my wife and I were watching the Winter Games four years ago we were dumbfounded that a person could be that elite. Remember, the Olympic Games feature only the very best of the best of the best. There aren't any hacks swimming alongside Phelps. Every single guy out there has been deemed the very top percentile of athletes in the world and Phelps went a perfect 8-8 in every event he swam in. One can only wonder what more he'll be able to accomplish when the next Winter Games come back around. Most of the records on this list are long-term marks set over a period of time. Even though Phelps won the medals in a span of just several days, it took a lifetime of incredible dedication to bring home the gold.
6. Wilt Chamberlain's 50.4 Points Per Game Average: I thought about placing his famous 100 point game on this list, but the 50.4 ppg average in 1961-62 is far more impressive. He was a total freak of nature and absolutely dominated the basketball scene during his prime. We all know how great Michael Jordan was when he played, right? He was the undisputed greatest player of our lifetime. For perspective, Jordan's greatest single season was 1986-87 when he averaged 37.09 points. Yeah, The Stilt averaged 13 points more per game than Jordan did at his very best.
7. Boston Celtics 8 Straight NBA Titles: It's the dynasty to end all greatest dynasty conversations in pro sports and it's not like the Celtics just walked all over everyone. There were some incredibly talented teams playing in the NBA during the Celtics title reign from 1959-1966. Can you imagine something like this happening in today's era of pro sports? Imagine if the Yankees won 8 straight World Series titles or if the Lakers won the NBA finals 8 straight times. That kind of dominance will likely never be seen again at the professional level and it's probably for the best. One reason why pro sports are so interesting is because of the parity involved - every year the odds of a team winning it all are vastly different due to free agency, salary caps and contract disputes among other reasons.
8. Johnny Unitas' 47 Consecutive Games with a Touchdown Pass: When I first heard that this was the record for most consecutive games with a touchdown, I didn't really think much of it until I considered how tough it would be to throw at least one TD for three straight season's worth of games. It simply can't be done. Brett Favre was the player who nearly challenged the mark but his streak ended 11 games shy of Unitas' record. Even the greatest quarterbacks of the modern era like Dan Marino, Drew Brees, Peyton Manning and Tom Brady have their off days. It happens. For whatever reason, even the greatest players have a day where either their skills aren't as sharp or their team doesn't score passing touchdowns.
9. Rickey Henderson's 1,406 Career Stolen Bases: Holy crap, I forgot just how insane Rickey Henderson was during his playing career. Slight tangent here: when Rickey Henderson was up for the Hall of Fame voting he wasn't voted in unanimously which means some fucktard actually didn't think Henderson was worthy of Cooperstown. Yeah, that guy should be forced to write "Rickey Henderson is a first ballot Hall of Famer" 1,406 times on a chalkboard a la Bart Simpson. Juan Pierre is the MLBs active stolen base leader with 554 steals. Let that settle in for a minute. The games' best base stealer today is still nearly 900 steals shy of approaching Henderson's mark.
10. Cy Young's 511 Career Wins: I understand that the game was different when he played and how pitching rotations were smaller, blah, blah, blah. Regardless, Cy Young passing the 500 win milestone is sickening. The closest player behind Young is Walter Johnson with 417 wins - nearly 100 wins less than Young. Today we consider 300 career wins to be an astounding accomplishment for a pitcher. Young reached 300 wins in just his 12th major league season and wasn't even close to being finished.
Greg's Top Ten Favorite Sports Milestones/Records:
1. Joe Dimaggio's 56 Consecutive Game Hitting Streak: The record was set in 1941 and although most every sports fan agrees that it's an unbreakable milestone, someone every baseball season gets on a roll and starts their own hitting streak hoping to best Joltin' Joe's mark. For some reason I always get sucked into to the remote possibility that someone could actually challenge DiMaggio's incredible feat. ESPN usually doesn't start making a fuss over a player's hitting streak gets to about 30 games and that's still over a month's worth of games away from a person actually matching the record of 56.
2. Jerry Rice's 22,895 Career Receiving Yards: Most people would take issue with an athlete not named Muhammad Ali calling themselves the "Greatest of All Time" during their career. Nobody would dare question that statement with Rice, who is without any doubt the single greatest pass-catcher in the history of pro football. The owner of virtually every receiving mark in NFL history, his 22,895 career receiving yards mark is the one that impresses me the most. The player with the second most receiving yards in NFL history is Terrell Owens who trails Rice by nearly 7,000 yards. Even in this age of increased passing numbers I doubt any player will ever sniff Rice's record.
3. Cal Ripken Jr's 2,632 Consecutive Games Played: Anyone out there who thinks this record isn't a big deal because he played baseball should be forced to watch every game Ripken played during the streak to see how wrong they are. Playing shortstop, Ripken's natural position, is incredibly hard on the body. From 1982 to 1995, Ripken never once missed a game and broke what was formerly thought of as an unbreakable record - 2,130 consecutive games played by Lou Gehrig. 13 years ago The Spice Girls were relevant and Donovan McNabb was a rookie quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles. That might give you a little perspective on just how long Ripken's streak lasted.
4. Wayne Gretzky's 51 Consecutive Game Point Streak: There are so many Gretzky records that I could place on this list. Hell, I could do a top ten for just Gretzky-related records. This one blows my mind the most. Those of you that watch the S.J. Sharks know how hard it is for a player to score a goal in a single game. Now try doing that 51 games in a row. It's unfathomable. Only one other player in NHL history has a streak of over 30 games (Mario Lemieux, 46). It goes to show you just how absolutely dominant "The Great One" truly was during his player career.
5. Michael Phelps' 8 Gold Medals in 1 Olympics: When my wife and I were watching the Winter Games four years ago we were dumbfounded that a person could be that elite. Remember, the Olympic Games feature only the very best of the best of the best. There aren't any hacks swimming alongside Phelps. Every single guy out there has been deemed the very top percentile of athletes in the world and Phelps went a perfect 8-8 in every event he swam in. One can only wonder what more he'll be able to accomplish when the next Winter Games come back around. Most of the records on this list are long-term marks set over a period of time. Even though Phelps won the medals in a span of just several days, it took a lifetime of incredible dedication to bring home the gold.
6. Wilt Chamberlain's 50.4 Points Per Game Average: I thought about placing his famous 100 point game on this list, but the 50.4 ppg average in 1961-62 is far more impressive. He was a total freak of nature and absolutely dominated the basketball scene during his prime. We all know how great Michael Jordan was when he played, right? He was the undisputed greatest player of our lifetime. For perspective, Jordan's greatest single season was 1986-87 when he averaged 37.09 points. Yeah, The Stilt averaged 13 points more per game than Jordan did at his very best.
7. Boston Celtics 8 Straight NBA Titles: It's the dynasty to end all greatest dynasty conversations in pro sports and it's not like the Celtics just walked all over everyone. There were some incredibly talented teams playing in the NBA during the Celtics title reign from 1959-1966. Can you imagine something like this happening in today's era of pro sports? Imagine if the Yankees won 8 straight World Series titles or if the Lakers won the NBA finals 8 straight times. That kind of dominance will likely never be seen again at the professional level and it's probably for the best. One reason why pro sports are so interesting is because of the parity involved - every year the odds of a team winning it all are vastly different due to free agency, salary caps and contract disputes among other reasons.
8. Johnny Unitas' 47 Consecutive Games with a Touchdown Pass: When I first heard that this was the record for most consecutive games with a touchdown, I didn't really think much of it until I considered how tough it would be to throw at least one TD for three straight season's worth of games. It simply can't be done. Brett Favre was the player who nearly challenged the mark but his streak ended 11 games shy of Unitas' record. Even the greatest quarterbacks of the modern era like Dan Marino, Drew Brees, Peyton Manning and Tom Brady have their off days. It happens. For whatever reason, even the greatest players have a day where either their skills aren't as sharp or their team doesn't score passing touchdowns.
9. Rickey Henderson's 1,406 Career Stolen Bases: Holy crap, I forgot just how insane Rickey Henderson was during his playing career. Slight tangent here: when Rickey Henderson was up for the Hall of Fame voting he wasn't voted in unanimously which means some fucktard actually didn't think Henderson was worthy of Cooperstown. Yeah, that guy should be forced to write "Rickey Henderson is a first ballot Hall of Famer" 1,406 times on a chalkboard a la Bart Simpson. Juan Pierre is the MLBs active stolen base leader with 554 steals. Let that settle in for a minute. The games' best base stealer today is still nearly 900 steals shy of approaching Henderson's mark.
10. Cy Young's 511 Career Wins: I understand that the game was different when he played and how pitching rotations were smaller, blah, blah, blah. Regardless, Cy Young passing the 500 win milestone is sickening. The closest player behind Young is Walter Johnson with 417 wins - nearly 100 wins less than Young. Today we consider 300 career wins to be an astounding accomplishment for a pitcher. Young reached 300 wins in just his 12th major league season and wasn't even close to being finished.
Thursday, February 9, 2012
February 9, 2012
Greg's Top Ten Least Favorite Current Athletes:
1. LeBron James (NBA): This pick might be all to obvious to some of you out there. I used to actually root for him when he played for the Cavaliers, hoping he could be the guy that turned around the fledgling franchise which had not won an NBA title since entering the league in 1970. By now you all know the story that followed: he left Cleveland, did a ridiculously arrogant spot on ESPN where he said he was "taking his talents to South Beach" and joined new Miami Heat teammates Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade on stage in Miami as if they had already won an title and got bounced by the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Finals. I'm not an NBA fanatic and I was rooting for the Mavs to KILL the Heat when they met last year in the Finals. After the Heat lost, the ever classy LeBron said this about NBA fans who rooted for him to lose:
"All the people that were rooting on me to fail, at the end of the day, they have to wake up tomorrow and have the same life that they had before they woke up today. They have the same personal problems they had today. I’m going to continue to live the way I want to live and continue to do the things that I want to do with me and my family and be happy with that."
If that doesn't come off as completely elitist, spoiled and arrogant then nothing will. Kobe Bryant used to be the heel of the NBA - the villain everyone loved to hate. No question, King James now owns that crown all to himself.
2. James Harrison (NFL): I used to hate dirty players like Rodney Harrison and Chuck Cecil when they played in the NFL. James Harrison might be dirtier than both of them...combined. While his Steelers teammate Troy Polamalu might also play with a reckless style, he is a total class act off the field and well respected by opponents and teammates alike. Harrison comes off like the kid you went to grade school with who steals lunch money from kids behind the gym and stuffs them in their lockers after. Let's take a look at Harrison's resume of douche: he was suspended for two games his senior year of high school for challenging a coach to a fight, the first game after his suspension he was ejected from the game for making obscene gestures to fans, he shot a BB gun at a defensive coach in his high school locker room and ended up in court...this is all before he even played in the NFL! Today he continues being a complete tool as a pro athlete often getting heavily fined and suspended for taking cheap shots at his opponents. Seriously, I can't stand this freaking guy.
3. Albert Haynesworth (NFL):
"Fat, drunk and stupid is no way to go through life, son." - Dean Wormer in Animal House
Well, Haynesworth has two out of the three. He's the posterchild for overpaid and underperforming pro athletes. After having one spectacular year playing for the Tennessee Titans, the Washington Redskins threw over $100 million at the free agent - the largest sum of money ever given to a defensive free agent. Care to see how Haynesworth paid back the generous team? With efforts like this one:
1. LeBron James (NBA): This pick might be all to obvious to some of you out there. I used to actually root for him when he played for the Cavaliers, hoping he could be the guy that turned around the fledgling franchise which had not won an NBA title since entering the league in 1970. By now you all know the story that followed: he left Cleveland, did a ridiculously arrogant spot on ESPN where he said he was "taking his talents to South Beach" and joined new Miami Heat teammates Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade on stage in Miami as if they had already won an title and got bounced by the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Finals. I'm not an NBA fanatic and I was rooting for the Mavs to KILL the Heat when they met last year in the Finals. After the Heat lost, the ever classy LeBron said this about NBA fans who rooted for him to lose:
"All the people that were rooting on me to fail, at the end of the day, they have to wake up tomorrow and have the same life that they had before they woke up today. They have the same personal problems they had today. I’m going to continue to live the way I want to live and continue to do the things that I want to do with me and my family and be happy with that."
If that doesn't come off as completely elitist, spoiled and arrogant then nothing will. Kobe Bryant used to be the heel of the NBA - the villain everyone loved to hate. No question, King James now owns that crown all to himself.
2. James Harrison (NFL): I used to hate dirty players like Rodney Harrison and Chuck Cecil when they played in the NFL. James Harrison might be dirtier than both of them...combined. While his Steelers teammate Troy Polamalu might also play with a reckless style, he is a total class act off the field and well respected by opponents and teammates alike. Harrison comes off like the kid you went to grade school with who steals lunch money from kids behind the gym and stuffs them in their lockers after. Let's take a look at Harrison's resume of douche: he was suspended for two games his senior year of high school for challenging a coach to a fight, the first game after his suspension he was ejected from the game for making obscene gestures to fans, he shot a BB gun at a defensive coach in his high school locker room and ended up in court...this is all before he even played in the NFL! Today he continues being a complete tool as a pro athlete often getting heavily fined and suspended for taking cheap shots at his opponents. Seriously, I can't stand this freaking guy.
3. Albert Haynesworth (NFL):
"Fat, drunk and stupid is no way to go through life, son." - Dean Wormer in Animal House
Well, Haynesworth has two out of the three. He's the posterchild for overpaid and underperforming pro athletes. After having one spectacular year playing for the Tennessee Titans, the Washington Redskins threw over $100 million at the free agent - the largest sum of money ever given to a defensive free agent. Care to see how Haynesworth paid back the generous team? With efforts like this one:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XFzp3uHua40
That's right people, he just laid down on the play. Before you come to his defense, he wasn't hurt on the play unless you consider a lack of testicular fortitude to be an injury. The guy is just plain lazy. Still not convinced he's worthy of being on the list? Check out this classy move Haynesworth used on fallen opponent Andre Gurode of the Dallas Cowboys:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5nlEA8BUTQ
4. Serena Williams (Tennis): Watching her chew out tennis officials when they make calls she disagrees with makes me sick. She's a great player but a disgrace to the sport when she chooses to whine like a baby and act like she's above everyone. There's no place in the sport for threatening umpires and throwing childish tantrums that are usually typical of 2nd graders. I root for her to lose every time I see her on television and despise how she's able to get away with treating people so poorly. After losing a match in the 2011 US Open Finals she was quoted as saying this to the umpire: "If you ever see me walking down the hall, look the other way." and "You're out of control. ... You're a hater, and you're just unattractive inside." When people say her name in the same sentence as Billie Jean King or Chris Evert it makes me sick. She's not even half as classy as either one of those legends and shouldn't be allowed to continue treating people like trash.
5. Tiger Woods (PGA): Even before he cheated on his wife with enough women to fill a WNBA roster, I never thought highly of his attitude. I could never argue with his tremendous work ethic and success as an athlete, but he always seemed put off by fans and onlookers. I got the impression that his idea of golf heaven would be to remove the fans from the greens and have the course all to himself. Though I'll admit, he would not have made this list were it not for all of his transgressions away from home. Because I work in the psychology realm, I understand the difficulties that addicts deal with, but I still have a hard time feeling badly for this guy. Somehow the world has a way of humbling arrogant people like LeBron and Tiger and I'm glad we're all witnesses to it.
6. Philip Rivers (NFL): Notice how arrogance is a theme among these players? He taunts fans, talks trash to opponents and has zero rings. Not that having Super Bowl rings enables a player to suddenly talk crap to everyone, but it certainly helps. Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe might be the most well known trash talker in NFL history but he was hilarious when he opened his yap and left the game with three Super Bowl rings. Rivers just comes off like a child when he bitches and moans. He has a face I would like to print, cut out and use as a dartboard in my garage. He also completely screwed he in fantasy football this year, so he can kiss my rosy red butt for all I care.
7. Manny Ramirez (MLB): I have a hard time calling him an athlete considering how lazy and slow his flabby ass is. He looks like crap when he comes out of the dugout, as if he rolled out of bed and grabbed the first jersey he found crumpled on the floor. He puts about as much effort into his defensive play as Lindsay Lohan does into maintaining sobriety. The cherry on top was when he got caught for using performance enhancing drugs. His career numbers are Hall of Fame worthy, but his recent suspensions for using PEDs ensures that he won't soon be entering Cooperstown without purchasing a ticket at the gate.
8. DeSean Jackson (NFL): One of my all-time favorite moments in NFL history:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AIWWrdDNBRU
That's right, he caught a gorgeous deep pass from Donovan McNabb and proceeded to discard the ball before getting into the end zone, turning the ball over to the Dallas Cowboys. The Eagles lost the game 41-37. I understand that this kind of mistake could happen to anyone once. Here's the thing, he did it before...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oBrxSI58JoU
Yes, he did it in high school. You'd think he'd have learned his lesson for being a self-centered showboat, but noooooooooooo. These days he's busy giving up on his struggling team while complaining about not getting a fat contract. Perhaps DeSean Jackson doesn't understand that being a mouthy hack of a football player doesn't equal dollar signs. If you're going to act like a diva, at least have the numbers to back it up, DeSean.
9. Kris Humphries (NBA): I honestly don't know whether to love or hate the guy. I love him for driving Kim Kardashian insane. I fully admit, I've watched their stupid show just to see what the talk is all about and I always loved how he knew exactly how to push Kim's buttons and act like he didn't give two shits that she was upset. At the same time, the guy is a total d-bag. The kind of person who people think about when they consider the stereotypical "Ed Hardy" or "Affliction" shirt wearing jerkoff who thinks he's hot shit even though everyone else thinks he's a steaming pile of cattle dung. To top it off, he's only a marginally decent player in the NBA averaging 6.1 points per game for his career.
10. Hank Baskett (NFL): Thanks, Hank. Thank you very f***ing much.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wUM0m2q2gN4
That's right people, he just laid down on the play. Before you come to his defense, he wasn't hurt on the play unless you consider a lack of testicular fortitude to be an injury. The guy is just plain lazy. Still not convinced he's worthy of being on the list? Check out this classy move Haynesworth used on fallen opponent Andre Gurode of the Dallas Cowboys:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5nlEA8BUTQ
4. Serena Williams (Tennis): Watching her chew out tennis officials when they make calls she disagrees with makes me sick. She's a great player but a disgrace to the sport when she chooses to whine like a baby and act like she's above everyone. There's no place in the sport for threatening umpires and throwing childish tantrums that are usually typical of 2nd graders. I root for her to lose every time I see her on television and despise how she's able to get away with treating people so poorly. After losing a match in the 2011 US Open Finals she was quoted as saying this to the umpire: "If you ever see me walking down the hall, look the other way." and "You're out of control. ... You're a hater, and you're just unattractive inside." When people say her name in the same sentence as Billie Jean King or Chris Evert it makes me sick. She's not even half as classy as either one of those legends and shouldn't be allowed to continue treating people like trash.
5. Tiger Woods (PGA): Even before he cheated on his wife with enough women to fill a WNBA roster, I never thought highly of his attitude. I could never argue with his tremendous work ethic and success as an athlete, but he always seemed put off by fans and onlookers. I got the impression that his idea of golf heaven would be to remove the fans from the greens and have the course all to himself. Though I'll admit, he would not have made this list were it not for all of his transgressions away from home. Because I work in the psychology realm, I understand the difficulties that addicts deal with, but I still have a hard time feeling badly for this guy. Somehow the world has a way of humbling arrogant people like LeBron and Tiger and I'm glad we're all witnesses to it.
6. Philip Rivers (NFL): Notice how arrogance is a theme among these players? He taunts fans, talks trash to opponents and has zero rings. Not that having Super Bowl rings enables a player to suddenly talk crap to everyone, but it certainly helps. Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe might be the most well known trash talker in NFL history but he was hilarious when he opened his yap and left the game with three Super Bowl rings. Rivers just comes off like a child when he bitches and moans. He has a face I would like to print, cut out and use as a dartboard in my garage. He also completely screwed he in fantasy football this year, so he can kiss my rosy red butt for all I care.
7. Manny Ramirez (MLB): I have a hard time calling him an athlete considering how lazy and slow his flabby ass is. He looks like crap when he comes out of the dugout, as if he rolled out of bed and grabbed the first jersey he found crumpled on the floor. He puts about as much effort into his defensive play as Lindsay Lohan does into maintaining sobriety. The cherry on top was when he got caught for using performance enhancing drugs. His career numbers are Hall of Fame worthy, but his recent suspensions for using PEDs ensures that he won't soon be entering Cooperstown without purchasing a ticket at the gate.
8. DeSean Jackson (NFL): One of my all-time favorite moments in NFL history:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AIWWrdDNBRU
That's right, he caught a gorgeous deep pass from Donovan McNabb and proceeded to discard the ball before getting into the end zone, turning the ball over to the Dallas Cowboys. The Eagles lost the game 41-37. I understand that this kind of mistake could happen to anyone once. Here's the thing, he did it before...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oBrxSI58JoU
Yes, he did it in high school. You'd think he'd have learned his lesson for being a self-centered showboat, but noooooooooooo. These days he's busy giving up on his struggling team while complaining about not getting a fat contract. Perhaps DeSean Jackson doesn't understand that being a mouthy hack of a football player doesn't equal dollar signs. If you're going to act like a diva, at least have the numbers to back it up, DeSean.
9. Kris Humphries (NBA): I honestly don't know whether to love or hate the guy. I love him for driving Kim Kardashian insane. I fully admit, I've watched their stupid show just to see what the talk is all about and I always loved how he knew exactly how to push Kim's buttons and act like he didn't give two shits that she was upset. At the same time, the guy is a total d-bag. The kind of person who people think about when they consider the stereotypical "Ed Hardy" or "Affliction" shirt wearing jerkoff who thinks he's hot shit even though everyone else thinks he's a steaming pile of cattle dung. To top it off, he's only a marginally decent player in the NBA averaging 6.1 points per game for his career.
10. Hank Baskett (NFL): Thanks, Hank. Thank you very f***ing much.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wUM0m2q2gN4
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
February 8, 2012
Greg's Top Ten Favorite Movie Soundtracks (non-orchestral version):
1. Top Gun (Favorite Song: "Mighty Wings" by Cheap Trick)
2. A Hard Day's Night (Favorite Song: "I Should Have Known Better" by The Beatles)
3. Beverly Hills Cop I (Favorite Song: "Stir It Up" by Patti LaBelle)
4. Purple Rain (Favorite Song: "I Would Die For You" by Prince)
5. Breakfast Club (Favorite Song: "Don't You (Forget About Me)" by Simple Minds)
6. Ferris Bueller's Day Off: (Favorite Song: "Love Missile F1-11" by Sigue Sigue Sputnik)
7. Beverly Hills Cop 2 (Favorite Song: "Shakedown" by Bob Seger)
8. The Crow (Favorite Song: "Dead Souls" by Nine Inch Nails)
9. The Wedding Singer (Favorite Song: "Love My Way" by The Psychadelic Furs)
10. Miami Vice II Soundtrack: (Favorite Song: "When the Rain Comes Down" by Andy Taylor)
Greg's Top Ten Favorite Movie Soundtracks (non-orchestral version):
1. Top Gun (Favorite Song: "Mighty Wings" by Cheap Trick)
2. A Hard Day's Night (Favorite Song: "I Should Have Known Better" by The Beatles)
3. Beverly Hills Cop I (Favorite Song: "Stir It Up" by Patti LaBelle)
4. Purple Rain (Favorite Song: "I Would Die For You" by Prince)
5. Breakfast Club (Favorite Song: "Don't You (Forget About Me)" by Simple Minds)
6. Ferris Bueller's Day Off: (Favorite Song: "Love Missile F1-11" by Sigue Sigue Sputnik)
7. Beverly Hills Cop 2 (Favorite Song: "Shakedown" by Bob Seger)
8. The Crow (Favorite Song: "Dead Souls" by Nine Inch Nails)
9. The Wedding Singer (Favorite Song: "Love My Way" by The Psychadelic Furs)
10. Miami Vice II Soundtrack: (Favorite Song: "When the Rain Comes Down" by Andy Taylor)
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
February 7, 2012
Greg's Top Ten People Who I Can't Believe Still Have A-List Careers In Hollywood:
1. Ashton Kutcher: Seriously, what the hell has this guy done in the past six years worth a crap that enables him to still get top billing in movies and television shows? I recognize that some people out there liked "That 70s Show" and that's all fine and dandy but that show ended in 2006. Seriously, go check out his IMDB page and offer up one movie to me that he was the lead male actor in that was a hit at the box office. One - just one, people? They're almost exclusively crap-for-crap romantic comedies that few people outside of a Playtex convention would bat an eyelash over. And his taking over of Charlie Sheen on "Two and a Half Men" hasn't exactly helped his career as the show continues to decline steadily in the ratings department.
2. Jude Law: The word "overrated" in the dictionary should have a photo of Law's face next to it. So what, the guy has a British accent and is good looking enough to shag every housekeeper he's ever employed at his estate. Big deal. As an actor, he often comes off to me as boring and one-dimensional. Aside from 1997's brilliant sci-fi drama "Gattaca" I cannot think of one movie he's been in that I enjoyed. An though I have never seen either of the "Sherlock Holmes" movies, based on what many of my friends say, I have no reason to rush out and see either one. Jude Law earned $9 million for co-starring in "Sherlock Holmes" and I wouldn't pay $9 to see it.
3. Nicole Kidman: I'm starting to think that Tom Cruise dates or marries women to serve two purposes - to turn them into stars and to cover up the fact that he's...nevermind. The two divorced in 2001 and aside from the terrible yet critically acclaimed "Cold Mountain" name one movie past 2001 starring Kidman that was a hit film. Let's run down a list of some of the more memorable films in Kidman's illustrious career since divorcing Cruise..."Bewitched", "The Golden Compass", "Australia", "Trespass" and "Rabbit Hole" to name a few. And those were just the movies I recognized the titles of. Nevermind the blockbuster movies like "Margot at the Wedding" and "Birth." Oh, you never heard of those two last ones? Neither has anybody else.
4. Nicolas Cage: I understand that he's been in some absolutely incredible movies and that's to his credit. I, for one, am a big fan of "The Rock" and "Face/Off" which were both made in the 1990s. Since then, his movies have been mostly terrible with some barely making the theaters like 2011's "Trespass" which co-starred Nicole Kidman. And before you say "He's no longer an A-list actor, Greg" consider this...he's paid like one. In 2010 he was paid $12 million for "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" which barely made back it's astounding $150 million budget. Though he's certainly capable of being a tremendous actor, as evidenced by his Academy Award win for "Leaving Las Vegas" he's mostly known these days for being over-dramatic and one-dimensional.
5. Owen Wilson: I do not understand this guy's appeal. He's not good looking, funny or talented as an actor. Not that his brother is Robert DeNiro, but Luke Wilson has more acting talent in his pinky finger than Wilson does in his whole body and that's saying something. Wilson has been in some really funny movies but plays virtually the same dopey character in every one of them. While Wilson might be the romantic (and God knows why) lead in "Wedding Crashers" it's clearly Vince Vaughn that makes the movie hilarious.
6. Cameron Diaz: Remember when she was smooooooking hot in "The Mask" back in the mid-90s when nobody knew who she was? Since then her career has cooled quite a bit. 2011's "The Green Hornet" and "Bad Teacher" were both forgettable at best and "What Happens in Vegas" from 2008 was downright awful by most accounts. She co-starred with Ashton Kutcher in "What Happens in Vegas" so at least she wasn't the worst actor in the movie, but you get the point. Aside from the Shrek movies, she's been in nothing anyone particularly raves about and yet she still headlines movies every year.
7. M. Night Shyamalan: Kevin Smith has a saying about Hollywood – if your movies even make a few bucks they’ll (studios) will continue letting you make ‘em. That certainly applies to Shyamalan’s movies which aside from 2006’s “Lady in the Water” have all brought in a nice profit for studios. Still, I’m perplexed as to why his movies make money. They usually have massive budgets but are terribly written, horribly acted and generally boring and outrageously overdramatized. If you’ve seen “The Village” or “The Happening” you know exactly what I’m talking about. I just cannot for my life understand why people continue paying to see his movies.
8. Eddie Murphy: Murphy’s career has been a roller coaster of extraordinary highs and plunging lows, the latter of which he is currently resting comfortably in. Murphy was quoted in a Rolling Stone interview as saying the following regarding critics of his movies, "I remember when Beverly Hills Cop came out, they gave it some horrible reviews…back then I would listen and trip. Now I don't listen to anything. I haven't read a newspaper in 20 years. I don't look at the computer or anything. You have to have a filter on what you let in." I guess he’s doing a lot of filtering these days because most of his films lately have been mediocre at best to absolutely terrible at worst. Aside from voicing a Donkey in the Shrek films take a look at how Murphy movies have fared from a financial standpoint: “Imagine That” (2009) cost $55 million and made just $16 million in the U.S., “Meet Dave” (2008) cost $60 million and made just $11.8 million in the U.S. and “The Adventures of Pluto Nash” (2002) was the biggest bomb of all raking in just $4 million on a budget of over $100 million. Yes, folks, you read that right. It made just $4 million domestically on a budget of a small country. The only reason he doesn’t rank higher on the list is because of the Shrek movies and his Academy Award nomination in 2006 for “Dreamgirls” which have both helped to keep him relevant.
9. Drew Barrymore: If I haven’t lost you by this point, this might be the moment where you say “you’ve gone too far, Greg.” Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely adore Barrymore and think she’s one of the best comeback stories in all of Hollywood, but consider this for a moment: Eddie Murphy brings in $2.70 for every $1 he’s paid per film, mostly because the Shrek movies have been financial juggernauts. Drew Barrymore brings in $0.40 for every $1 she’s paid. That’s right, the man who brought you such colossal busts like “Meet Dave” and “The Adventures of Pluto Nash” is still more profitable than Barrymore. To get an idea of what a truly profitable actor’s value is take for instance Matt Damon, who in 2008 was ranked as Hollywood’s most profitable actor, bringing in $27 for every $1 he was paid for his last three movies.
10. Hollywood Starlets: I know, I know – most of these people will be nothing more than a flash in the pan and perhaps they don’t really belong on this list because right now they’re hot and starring in highly profitable movies more often than not. Still, I get a sense that a shovel with a broken handle could do a better acting job than Kristen Stewart. For a moment in time Megan Fox was the hottest thing in Hollywood and now she’s nearly unemployable because she’s difficult and easily replaceable. Any girl with a large bra size and a pretty face can do the type of work Fox is usually cast for. Here today and gone tomorrow.
Greg's Top Ten People Who I Can't Believe Still Have A-List Careers In Hollywood:
1. Ashton Kutcher: Seriously, what the hell has this guy done in the past six years worth a crap that enables him to still get top billing in movies and television shows? I recognize that some people out there liked "That 70s Show" and that's all fine and dandy but that show ended in 2006. Seriously, go check out his IMDB page and offer up one movie to me that he was the lead male actor in that was a hit at the box office. One - just one, people? They're almost exclusively crap-for-crap romantic comedies that few people outside of a Playtex convention would bat an eyelash over. And his taking over of Charlie Sheen on "Two and a Half Men" hasn't exactly helped his career as the show continues to decline steadily in the ratings department.
2. Jude Law: The word "overrated" in the dictionary should have a photo of Law's face next to it. So what, the guy has a British accent and is good looking enough to shag every housekeeper he's ever employed at his estate. Big deal. As an actor, he often comes off to me as boring and one-dimensional. Aside from 1997's brilliant sci-fi drama "Gattaca" I cannot think of one movie he's been in that I enjoyed. An though I have never seen either of the "Sherlock Holmes" movies, based on what many of my friends say, I have no reason to rush out and see either one. Jude Law earned $9 million for co-starring in "Sherlock Holmes" and I wouldn't pay $9 to see it.
3. Nicole Kidman: I'm starting to think that Tom Cruise dates or marries women to serve two purposes - to turn them into stars and to cover up the fact that he's...nevermind. The two divorced in 2001 and aside from the terrible yet critically acclaimed "Cold Mountain" name one movie past 2001 starring Kidman that was a hit film. Let's run down a list of some of the more memorable films in Kidman's illustrious career since divorcing Cruise..."Bewitched", "The Golden Compass", "Australia", "Trespass" and "Rabbit Hole" to name a few. And those were just the movies I recognized the titles of. Nevermind the blockbuster movies like "Margot at the Wedding" and "Birth." Oh, you never heard of those two last ones? Neither has anybody else.
4. Nicolas Cage: I understand that he's been in some absolutely incredible movies and that's to his credit. I, for one, am a big fan of "The Rock" and "Face/Off" which were both made in the 1990s. Since then, his movies have been mostly terrible with some barely making the theaters like 2011's "Trespass" which co-starred Nicole Kidman. And before you say "He's no longer an A-list actor, Greg" consider this...he's paid like one. In 2010 he was paid $12 million for "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" which barely made back it's astounding $150 million budget. Though he's certainly capable of being a tremendous actor, as evidenced by his Academy Award win for "Leaving Las Vegas" he's mostly known these days for being over-dramatic and one-dimensional.
5. Owen Wilson: I do not understand this guy's appeal. He's not good looking, funny or talented as an actor. Not that his brother is Robert DeNiro, but Luke Wilson has more acting talent in his pinky finger than Wilson does in his whole body and that's saying something. Wilson has been in some really funny movies but plays virtually the same dopey character in every one of them. While Wilson might be the romantic (and God knows why) lead in "Wedding Crashers" it's clearly Vince Vaughn that makes the movie hilarious.
6. Cameron Diaz: Remember when she was smooooooking hot in "The Mask" back in the mid-90s when nobody knew who she was? Since then her career has cooled quite a bit. 2011's "The Green Hornet" and "Bad Teacher" were both forgettable at best and "What Happens in Vegas" from 2008 was downright awful by most accounts. She co-starred with Ashton Kutcher in "What Happens in Vegas" so at least she wasn't the worst actor in the movie, but you get the point. Aside from the Shrek movies, she's been in nothing anyone particularly raves about and yet she still headlines movies every year.
7. M. Night Shyamalan: Kevin Smith has a saying about Hollywood – if your movies even make a few bucks they’ll (studios) will continue letting you make ‘em. That certainly applies to Shyamalan’s movies which aside from 2006’s “Lady in the Water” have all brought in a nice profit for studios. Still, I’m perplexed as to why his movies make money. They usually have massive budgets but are terribly written, horribly acted and generally boring and outrageously overdramatized. If you’ve seen “The Village” or “The Happening” you know exactly what I’m talking about. I just cannot for my life understand why people continue paying to see his movies.
8. Eddie Murphy: Murphy’s career has been a roller coaster of extraordinary highs and plunging lows, the latter of which he is currently resting comfortably in. Murphy was quoted in a Rolling Stone interview as saying the following regarding critics of his movies, "I remember when Beverly Hills Cop came out, they gave it some horrible reviews…back then I would listen and trip. Now I don't listen to anything. I haven't read a newspaper in 20 years. I don't look at the computer or anything. You have to have a filter on what you let in." I guess he’s doing a lot of filtering these days because most of his films lately have been mediocre at best to absolutely terrible at worst. Aside from voicing a Donkey in the Shrek films take a look at how Murphy movies have fared from a financial standpoint: “Imagine That” (2009) cost $55 million and made just $16 million in the U.S., “Meet Dave” (2008) cost $60 million and made just $11.8 million in the U.S. and “The Adventures of Pluto Nash” (2002) was the biggest bomb of all raking in just $4 million on a budget of over $100 million. Yes, folks, you read that right. It made just $4 million domestically on a budget of a small country. The only reason he doesn’t rank higher on the list is because of the Shrek movies and his Academy Award nomination in 2006 for “Dreamgirls” which have both helped to keep him relevant.
9. Drew Barrymore: If I haven’t lost you by this point, this might be the moment where you say “you’ve gone too far, Greg.” Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely adore Barrymore and think she’s one of the best comeback stories in all of Hollywood, but consider this for a moment: Eddie Murphy brings in $2.70 for every $1 he’s paid per film, mostly because the Shrek movies have been financial juggernauts. Drew Barrymore brings in $0.40 for every $1 she’s paid. That’s right, the man who brought you such colossal busts like “Meet Dave” and “The Adventures of Pluto Nash” is still more profitable than Barrymore. To get an idea of what a truly profitable actor’s value is take for instance Matt Damon, who in 2008 was ranked as Hollywood’s most profitable actor, bringing in $27 for every $1 he was paid for his last three movies.
10. Hollywood Starlets: I know, I know – most of these people will be nothing more than a flash in the pan and perhaps they don’t really belong on this list because right now they’re hot and starring in highly profitable movies more often than not. Still, I get a sense that a shovel with a broken handle could do a better acting job than Kristen Stewart. For a moment in time Megan Fox was the hottest thing in Hollywood and now she’s nearly unemployable because she’s difficult and easily replaceable. Any girl with a large bra size and a pretty face can do the type of work Fox is usually cast for. Here today and gone tomorrow.
Monday, February 6, 2012
February 6, 2012
Top Ten Most Awesome Things About The Giants Winning Super Bowl XLVI:
1. The Patriots will never, ever, get compared to the great dynasties of all time. The Packers never lost a Super Bowl in their dynasty years. Neither did the Steelers in the 70s, the 49ers in the 80s or the Cowboys in the 90s. The Patriots lost two to Eli Manning and the Giants in a span of four years. Don't get me wrong, the accomplishments are incredibly impressive but Tom Brady is no Joe Montana and Bill Belichick is no Chuck Noll who were both undefeated in Super Bowls.
2. Eli Manning just punched his ticket to Canton. Only one Hall of Fame eligible quarterback with 2 Super Bowl wins failed to get inducted to the Hall (Jim Plunkett) so you know Eli is a lock, especially with so much left in his tank. Some people will make comments about how Eli has more rings than Peyton and that's all fine and dandy. It's a team game, and the Giants were more successful at surrounding Eli with a kick-ass defense than the Colts did for Peyton. Kudos to the Giants and kudos to Eli - the man is definitely elite.
3. Gisele Bunchen's pathetic attempt to pray her precious Tommy to a win fell flat. Seriously, I love it when rich snobs see their dreams explode right in their faces. By the way, did you know the shortened version of your name is Gizz. Chew on that for a moment while you make arrogant comments like "My husband can't throw and catch the ball at the same time." Way to throw Tom's teammates under the bus, Gizz. Here's an idea, why don't you go back to doing your day job of modeling which doesn't require you to open your mouth.
4. The media gets proven wrong on so many levels from this loss, it's mind-blowing. Of course, the media would never admit to such a thing, but they were responsible for headlining how Giants coach Tom Coughlin was on the hot seat after they started the year 7-7 and on the brink of being eliminated from playoff contention. The media has to always make a story out of nothing and this was another example of the media getting bored and trying to make a story out of nothing. Tom Coughlin now has just one less ring than Bill Belichick and he may not be finished yet, so suck it media hacks!
5. Bill Belichick got a chance to make up for his snub from the first Giants/Patriots Super Bowl. Anyone remember the awesome embrace and handshake Tom Coughlin and Bill Belichick shared the first time these two teams met in the Super Bowl? Oh, right, you don't remember it. That's because when the Giants won the game, Belichick stormed off the field and acted like a child who had his toys taken away. Because the Patriots lost, Belichick got a second chance to look graceful after a loss and he didn't disappoint. That hug at midfield between the two coaches was pretty awesome and gave us all a glimpse at Belichick being gracious.
6. A Manning brother kept the Patriots from celebrating in the "House that Peyton built." How terrible would it have been for Colts fans to see Tom Brady win a Super Bowl on the Colts home turf? It would have been like SF Giants fans watching the Dodgers celebrate a World Series on their field, not that such a thing could happen, but you get the idea. It would have sucked. Instead, Eli made big brother proud and kept the Patriots from another Super Bowl win.
7. Victor Cruz is the Tom Brady of wide receivers. Seriously, this guy was on the practice squad a year ago and now he's a top-flight wide receiver who was undrafted and now has a touchdown in a Super Bowl and a ring to boot. Nobody wanted Tom Brady until the 6th round. Cruz wasn't even drafted and now he's living the dream that few get to realize in their careers. I think it's a great story for such an unlikely hero.
8. The Giants continue to dominate the New York football scene at the expense of Rex Ryan and the Jets. Seriously, I cannot stand Rex Ryan. No, I don't have the same disdain for Ryan that I do for Belichick, but it's damn close. While Ryan opens his fat yapper at every turn talking big game about how he's going to lead the Jets to the Super Bowl, he continues to fail miserably while the Giants pay huge dividends without all the smack talk and arrogant headlines. The Jets are like the redheaded stepchild of New York football teams. They want so badly to be accepted like their older brother but instead get consistently tossed to the curb.
9. Giants TE Jake Ballard's heroic attempts to continue playing in the Super Bowl didn't go for naught. Seriously, did you see how Ballard tried desperately to do sprints on the sideline only to fall to the ground clutching his knee in pain after leaving the game earlier? It was almost like watching Keanu Reeves' Johnny Utah try to get up and chase Patrick Swayze in "Point Break" after jacking up his knee. Hope you get the reference. In any case, it was awesome to know that the embattled and unsung hero of the Giants got to see his dreams realized after putting his body on the line.
10. Because I'm a Colts fan who can't bear to see the Patriots win another Super Bowl. Yup, I'm a very biased fan who happens to gleefully celebrate when the Patriots lose. Call it childish, call it bitterness...whatever. If you're a fan of a sports team there's probably another team out there you consider your bitter rival who you love to see fail and the Patriots are mine. A fellow Colts fan I work with and I were talking about how we couldn't stand to see Brady win again and when the final pass fell short with :00 left on the clock we both joyfully embraced and squealed like schoolchildren. It was the perfect ending to such an imperfect season for a Colts fan and that's perfectly okay with me.
Top Ten Most Awesome Things About The Giants Winning Super Bowl XLVI:
1. The Patriots will never, ever, get compared to the great dynasties of all time. The Packers never lost a Super Bowl in their dynasty years. Neither did the Steelers in the 70s, the 49ers in the 80s or the Cowboys in the 90s. The Patriots lost two to Eli Manning and the Giants in a span of four years. Don't get me wrong, the accomplishments are incredibly impressive but Tom Brady is no Joe Montana and Bill Belichick is no Chuck Noll who were both undefeated in Super Bowls.
2. Eli Manning just punched his ticket to Canton. Only one Hall of Fame eligible quarterback with 2 Super Bowl wins failed to get inducted to the Hall (Jim Plunkett) so you know Eli is a lock, especially with so much left in his tank. Some people will make comments about how Eli has more rings than Peyton and that's all fine and dandy. It's a team game, and the Giants were more successful at surrounding Eli with a kick-ass defense than the Colts did for Peyton. Kudos to the Giants and kudos to Eli - the man is definitely elite.
3. Gisele Bunchen's pathetic attempt to pray her precious Tommy to a win fell flat. Seriously, I love it when rich snobs see their dreams explode right in their faces. By the way, did you know the shortened version of your name is Gizz. Chew on that for a moment while you make arrogant comments like "My husband can't throw and catch the ball at the same time." Way to throw Tom's teammates under the bus, Gizz. Here's an idea, why don't you go back to doing your day job of modeling which doesn't require you to open your mouth.
4. The media gets proven wrong on so many levels from this loss, it's mind-blowing. Of course, the media would never admit to such a thing, but they were responsible for headlining how Giants coach Tom Coughlin was on the hot seat after they started the year 7-7 and on the brink of being eliminated from playoff contention. The media has to always make a story out of nothing and this was another example of the media getting bored and trying to make a story out of nothing. Tom Coughlin now has just one less ring than Bill Belichick and he may not be finished yet, so suck it media hacks!
5. Bill Belichick got a chance to make up for his snub from the first Giants/Patriots Super Bowl. Anyone remember the awesome embrace and handshake Tom Coughlin and Bill Belichick shared the first time these two teams met in the Super Bowl? Oh, right, you don't remember it. That's because when the Giants won the game, Belichick stormed off the field and acted like a child who had his toys taken away. Because the Patriots lost, Belichick got a second chance to look graceful after a loss and he didn't disappoint. That hug at midfield between the two coaches was pretty awesome and gave us all a glimpse at Belichick being gracious.
6. A Manning brother kept the Patriots from celebrating in the "House that Peyton built." How terrible would it have been for Colts fans to see Tom Brady win a Super Bowl on the Colts home turf? It would have been like SF Giants fans watching the Dodgers celebrate a World Series on their field, not that such a thing could happen, but you get the idea. It would have sucked. Instead, Eli made big brother proud and kept the Patriots from another Super Bowl win.
7. Victor Cruz is the Tom Brady of wide receivers. Seriously, this guy was on the practice squad a year ago and now he's a top-flight wide receiver who was undrafted and now has a touchdown in a Super Bowl and a ring to boot. Nobody wanted Tom Brady until the 6th round. Cruz wasn't even drafted and now he's living the dream that few get to realize in their careers. I think it's a great story for such an unlikely hero.
8. The Giants continue to dominate the New York football scene at the expense of Rex Ryan and the Jets. Seriously, I cannot stand Rex Ryan. No, I don't have the same disdain for Ryan that I do for Belichick, but it's damn close. While Ryan opens his fat yapper at every turn talking big game about how he's going to lead the Jets to the Super Bowl, he continues to fail miserably while the Giants pay huge dividends without all the smack talk and arrogant headlines. The Jets are like the redheaded stepchild of New York football teams. They want so badly to be accepted like their older brother but instead get consistently tossed to the curb.
9. Giants TE Jake Ballard's heroic attempts to continue playing in the Super Bowl didn't go for naught. Seriously, did you see how Ballard tried desperately to do sprints on the sideline only to fall to the ground clutching his knee in pain after leaving the game earlier? It was almost like watching Keanu Reeves' Johnny Utah try to get up and chase Patrick Swayze in "Point Break" after jacking up his knee. Hope you get the reference. In any case, it was awesome to know that the embattled and unsung hero of the Giants got to see his dreams realized after putting his body on the line.
10. Because I'm a Colts fan who can't bear to see the Patriots win another Super Bowl. Yup, I'm a very biased fan who happens to gleefully celebrate when the Patriots lose. Call it childish, call it bitterness...whatever. If you're a fan of a sports team there's probably another team out there you consider your bitter rival who you love to see fail and the Patriots are mine. A fellow Colts fan I work with and I were talking about how we couldn't stand to see Brady win again and when the final pass fell short with :00 left on the clock we both joyfully embraced and squealed like schoolchildren. It was the perfect ending to such an imperfect season for a Colts fan and that's perfectly okay with me.
February 5, 2012
Top Ten Predictions For Super Bowl XLVI:
#10 - Someone will mistake Madonna for Giants Head Coach Tom Coughlin
#9 - The Giants will sack Tom Brady five times and force two turnovers
#8 - Patriots wide receiver Chad Ochocinco will fail to catch a pass
#7 - Announcers will reference Lucas Oil Stadium as "The House that Peyton Built" at least once
#6. Wes Welker will lead all Patriots receivers with nearly 150 receiving yards
#5. Patriots TE Rob Gronkowski will be a non-factor most of the game
#4. Hakeem Nicks and Victor Cruz will carve up the Patriots secondary and each have over 100 yards receiving
#3. Tom Brady will throw three touchdowns to three different receivers.
#2. Eli Manning will throw three touchdown passes en route to his 2nd Super Bowl MVP - besting his big brother
#1. The New York Giants will defeat the New England Patriots 34-24
Top Ten Predictions For Super Bowl XLVI:
#10 - Someone will mistake Madonna for Giants Head Coach Tom Coughlin
#9 - The Giants will sack Tom Brady five times and force two turnovers
#8 - Patriots wide receiver Chad Ochocinco will fail to catch a pass
#7 - Announcers will reference Lucas Oil Stadium as "The House that Peyton Built" at least once
#6. Wes Welker will lead all Patriots receivers with nearly 150 receiving yards
#5. Patriots TE Rob Gronkowski will be a non-factor most of the game
#4. Hakeem Nicks and Victor Cruz will carve up the Patriots secondary and each have over 100 yards receiving
#3. Tom Brady will throw three touchdowns to three different receivers.
#2. Eli Manning will throw three touchdown passes en route to his 2nd Super Bowl MVP - besting his big brother
#1. The New York Giants will defeat the New England Patriots 34-24
February 4, 2012
Greg's Top Ten Concerts I've Been To:
1. Duran Duran @ The Fillmore 04/16/11
2. Rush @ Concord Pavilion 07/10/04
3. Duran Duran @ HP Pavilion 03/02/05
4. Metallica (w/ Korn) @ HP Pavilion 12/31/96
5. Duran Duran (w/ Seal, Liz Phair, & Maroon 5) @ Golden Gate Park 09/21/03
6. Metallica (w/ Suicidal Tendencies & Candlebox) @ Shoreline 07/22/94
7. The Police @ Oakland Coliseum 06/13/07
8. B-52s & The Pretenders @ Shoreline 08/08/98
9. Huey Lewis & The News @ Mountain Winery 09/27/02
10. Page & Plant @ Shoreline 10/07/95
Greg's Top Ten Concerts I've Been To:
1. Duran Duran @ The Fillmore 04/16/11
2. Rush @ Concord Pavilion 07/10/04
3. Duran Duran @ HP Pavilion 03/02/05
4. Metallica (w/ Korn) @ HP Pavilion 12/31/96
5. Duran Duran (w/ Seal, Liz Phair, & Maroon 5) @ Golden Gate Park 09/21/03
6. Metallica (w/ Suicidal Tendencies & Candlebox) @ Shoreline 07/22/94
7. The Police @ Oakland Coliseum 06/13/07
8. B-52s & The Pretenders @ Shoreline 08/08/98
9. Huey Lewis & The News @ Mountain Winery 09/27/02
10. Page & Plant @ Shoreline 10/07/95
February 3, 2012
Greg's Top Ten Favorite 80s Music Videos (6-10 today, 1-5 yesterday):
6. "Hot For Teacher" by Van Halen: I always got the impression by watching this video that it was art imitating life. You just know the boys from Van Halen were the popular kids in school checking out the smoking hot teacher! The video is a riot and easily my favorite of their extensive library. There are so many lines from the video that I still hear people blurt out today and it's nearly 30 years old! "Class Dismissed!!!"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyMQLrnbBgE
7. "Addicted to Love" by Robert Palmer: The coolest Halloween outfit I ever saw was a guy dressed to the nines like Palmer walking around downtown San Jose with six stocking-clad models at his side. This video is so freaking awesome on every level. The sultry lyrics, the Patrick Nagel-inspired models and Palmer looking as sharp as ever. It's really a testament to what a force Palmer was in his prime to be that sharp looking with six supermodels surrounding him. Though he would go on to use the models again in his videos for "Simply Irresistible" & "I Didn't Mean to Turn You On" for his next album, this was the song and video that came first.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XcATvu5f9vE&ob=av2e
8. "Once in a Lifetime" by Talking Heads: When I first saw this video it was 1987 and Martha Quinn was hosting the now defunct MTV Classic program that aired old videos from earlier in the decade. Upon viewing it I thought it was the most unusual and bizarre thing I had ever seen in my life. Today, I still think it's completely weird and that's why it's so memorable. Seriously, what the hell is David Byrne doing in this video? It's like watching someone on an acid trip try to perform a Talking Heads song.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1wg1DNHbNU
9. "Sledgehammer" by Peter Gabriel: Like there was any doubt this would make the list. I am not a big fan of the song but I can't deny the video for this song is awesome. In 1986, when this video debuted, nobody had seen anything like it. It's comparable to A-ha's "Take on Me" for utilizing what was breakthrough special effects at the time of it's release. The video won 9 MTV Music Video Awards in 1987. It's also the most played music video in MTV history, which makes it's entry here on this list easy to defend.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N1tTN-b5KHg
10. "Rockit" by Herbie Hancock: Though there are a plethora of great music videos out there to choose from, I couldn't leave this gem off of the list. It was directed by Godley & Creme who also directed Duran Duran's "Girls on Film" in two years earlier. The song is one of the first hit singles to feature record scratching and the video was the perfect compliment to what was thought of at the time as an odd type of music. It's a video that most everyone has seen at least once and most walk away perplexed at how anyone could come up with the visual content they've just witnessed. See it and judge for yourself!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JicmU_MtOjE
Greg's Top Ten Favorite 80s Music Videos (6-10 today, 1-5 yesterday):
6. "Hot For Teacher" by Van Halen: I always got the impression by watching this video that it was art imitating life. You just know the boys from Van Halen were the popular kids in school checking out the smoking hot teacher! The video is a riot and easily my favorite of their extensive library. There are so many lines from the video that I still hear people blurt out today and it's nearly 30 years old! "Class Dismissed!!!"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyMQLrnbBgE
7. "Addicted to Love" by Robert Palmer: The coolest Halloween outfit I ever saw was a guy dressed to the nines like Palmer walking around downtown San Jose with six stocking-clad models at his side. This video is so freaking awesome on every level. The sultry lyrics, the Patrick Nagel-inspired models and Palmer looking as sharp as ever. It's really a testament to what a force Palmer was in his prime to be that sharp looking with six supermodels surrounding him. Though he would go on to use the models again in his videos for "Simply Irresistible" & "I Didn't Mean to Turn You On" for his next album, this was the song and video that came first.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XcATvu5f9vE&ob=av2e
8. "Once in a Lifetime" by Talking Heads: When I first saw this video it was 1987 and Martha Quinn was hosting the now defunct MTV Classic program that aired old videos from earlier in the decade. Upon viewing it I thought it was the most unusual and bizarre thing I had ever seen in my life. Today, I still think it's completely weird and that's why it's so memorable. Seriously, what the hell is David Byrne doing in this video? It's like watching someone on an acid trip try to perform a Talking Heads song.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1wg1DNHbNU
9. "Sledgehammer" by Peter Gabriel: Like there was any doubt this would make the list. I am not a big fan of the song but I can't deny the video for this song is awesome. In 1986, when this video debuted, nobody had seen anything like it. It's comparable to A-ha's "Take on Me" for utilizing what was breakthrough special effects at the time of it's release. The video won 9 MTV Music Video Awards in 1987. It's also the most played music video in MTV history, which makes it's entry here on this list easy to defend.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N1tTN-b5KHg
10. "Rockit" by Herbie Hancock: Though there are a plethora of great music videos out there to choose from, I couldn't leave this gem off of the list. It was directed by Godley & Creme who also directed Duran Duran's "Girls on Film" in two years earlier. The song is one of the first hit singles to feature record scratching and the video was the perfect compliment to what was thought of at the time as an odd type of music. It's a video that most everyone has seen at least once and most walk away perplexed at how anyone could come up with the visual content they've just witnessed. See it and judge for yourself!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JicmU_MtOjE
February 2, 2012
Greg's Top Ten Favorite 80s Music Videos (1-5 today, 6-10 tomorrow):
1. "Take on Me" by A-ha: Even as I watch this video today I'm impressed by the incredible special effects. One can only imagine how blown away people were when it debuted on MTV in 1985. It's one of those videos that, in my opinion, is completely timeless. It won six awards at the 1986 MTV Music Video Awards including Video of the Year back when the MTV Music Video Awards actually meant something. Interesting side note to this video - A-ha used the same pencil sketch/live action rotoscoping in their follow-up video for "The Sun Always Shines on TV."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPIVNrI7Kp0
2. "Land of Confusion" by Genesis: The British puppet show "Spitting Image" was the inspiration for this gem - a Cold War political nightmare that takes place in the mind of then-President Ronald Reagan. Pretty much everyone of us remembers this video for the funny looking caricatures used to represent the figments of Reagan's imagination. One of the coolest things about this video is that it really is a time-stamp for what was current when the video came out in 1986. The featured puppets in the video are plentiful and included 80s icons like Margaret Thatcher, Hulk Hogan, Mr. T, Johnny Carson, Bill Cosby, Cyndi Lauper and dozens more!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zU9lv_WqK6k
3. "Girls on Film (uncensored version)" by Duran Duran: While the videos for "Hungry Like the Wolf" and "Rio" might be far more well known, I find the video for "Girls on Film" to be far more memorable. The video was shot just weeks before MTV debuted in 1981 and raised quite a stir on both sides of the Atlantic. Two versions of the video were shot: one that was more PG-13 and one that was NC-17, the latter of which was banned by MTV. However, the ban generated a tremendous amount of publicity for the New Wave icons and helped propel their debut record to greater success on the Billboard charts. Keep in mind, this video is so explicit that it still cannot be played on MTV today, so you can imagine the buzz it created in 1981. Nothing says dirty like topless girls mud wrestling and girls having ice cubes rubbed on their nipples.
http://vimeo.com/18521738
4. "Need You Tonight/Mediate" by INXS: I love black and white videos, especially when they're done the right way. The combination of lead singer Michael Hutchence's sultry moves and the song's smooth lyrical content come across more brilliantly in black and white than I could ever imagine they would in color. I think most of us will admit that the song still sounds awesome nearly 25 years later. I think the video, like A-ha's "Take on Me" is timeless and will always be remembered as one of MTV's most enduring clips. The second half of the video, "Mediate", is a nod to Bob Dylan's "Subterranean Homesick Blues" and is equally awesome especially at the climax when Kirk Pengilly's sax solo fades the song to black.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Si2ZdcBz8Q
5. "Billie Jean" by Michael Jackson: You just had to know that there would be a Michael Jackson video on this list, right? Though "Thriller" is arguably the video most will argue should make the cut because it was the first longform video of the era and had what at the time was considered cutting edge special effects. Today, I think "Billie Jean" has stood up far better over time and was more enjoyable. It's so cryptic and mysterious, I still get mesmerized every time I watch it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zi_XLOBDo_Y&ob=av2n
Greg's Top Ten Favorite 80s Music Videos (1-5 today, 6-10 tomorrow):
1. "Take on Me" by A-ha: Even as I watch this video today I'm impressed by the incredible special effects. One can only imagine how blown away people were when it debuted on MTV in 1985. It's one of those videos that, in my opinion, is completely timeless. It won six awards at the 1986 MTV Music Video Awards including Video of the Year back when the MTV Music Video Awards actually meant something. Interesting side note to this video - A-ha used the same pencil sketch/live action rotoscoping in their follow-up video for "The Sun Always Shines on TV."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPIVNrI7Kp0
2. "Land of Confusion" by Genesis: The British puppet show "Spitting Image" was the inspiration for this gem - a Cold War political nightmare that takes place in the mind of then-President Ronald Reagan. Pretty much everyone of us remembers this video for the funny looking caricatures used to represent the figments of Reagan's imagination. One of the coolest things about this video is that it really is a time-stamp for what was current when the video came out in 1986. The featured puppets in the video are plentiful and included 80s icons like Margaret Thatcher, Hulk Hogan, Mr. T, Johnny Carson, Bill Cosby, Cyndi Lauper and dozens more!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zU9lv_WqK6k
3. "Girls on Film (uncensored version)" by Duran Duran: While the videos for "Hungry Like the Wolf" and "Rio" might be far more well known, I find the video for "Girls on Film" to be far more memorable. The video was shot just weeks before MTV debuted in 1981 and raised quite a stir on both sides of the Atlantic. Two versions of the video were shot: one that was more PG-13 and one that was NC-17, the latter of which was banned by MTV. However, the ban generated a tremendous amount of publicity for the New Wave icons and helped propel their debut record to greater success on the Billboard charts. Keep in mind, this video is so explicit that it still cannot be played on MTV today, so you can imagine the buzz it created in 1981. Nothing says dirty like topless girls mud wrestling and girls having ice cubes rubbed on their nipples.
http://vimeo.com/18521738
4. "Need You Tonight/Mediate" by INXS: I love black and white videos, especially when they're done the right way. The combination of lead singer Michael Hutchence's sultry moves and the song's smooth lyrical content come across more brilliantly in black and white than I could ever imagine they would in color. I think most of us will admit that the song still sounds awesome nearly 25 years later. I think the video, like A-ha's "Take on Me" is timeless and will always be remembered as one of MTV's most enduring clips. The second half of the video, "Mediate", is a nod to Bob Dylan's "Subterranean Homesick Blues" and is equally awesome especially at the climax when Kirk Pengilly's sax solo fades the song to black.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Si2ZdcBz8Q
5. "Billie Jean" by Michael Jackson: You just had to know that there would be a Michael Jackson video on this list, right? Though "Thriller" is arguably the video most will argue should make the cut because it was the first longform video of the era and had what at the time was considered cutting edge special effects. Today, I think "Billie Jean" has stood up far better over time and was more enjoyable. It's so cryptic and mysterious, I still get mesmerized every time I watch it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zi_XLOBDo_Y&ob=av2n
February 1, 2012
Greg's Top Ten Favorite Peyton Manning Memories (#6-10) Continued From Yesterday:
6. November 7, 2005 @ New England (Monday Night Football): Before this game, the Patriots had made the Colts their bitch over and over again. This was the day the true rivalry began. The 40-21 victory over the Patriots in Foxboro was the event that helped fans realize that the Patriots were not in Manning's head and that the Patriots were mortal. Peyton's 3 touchdown performance was the catalyst for the win and the start of a streak of Colt victories over the Patriots, which brings us to...
7. November 5, 2006 @ New England (Sunday Night Football): If anyone thought the game from 2005 against the Patriots was an anomaly, this game quashed any idea that the 40-21 win was a fluke. Peyton Manning vastly outplayed Tom Brady by throwing 2 scores on 326 yards passing including a key touchdown pass to a very emotional Marvin Harrison who spiked the ball in front of Patriot defenders following the score. Tom Brady was completely ineffective throwing four interceptions and zero touchdowns en route to a 27-20 loss to the Colts.
8. August 8, 1998 @ Seattle (Preseason): Why is a preseason game on the list, you ask? This was Peyton Manning's first appearance as a member of the Indianapolis Colts and boy did he make a good first impression. First pass of his career would be a long touchdown pass to Marvin Harrison right up the seam. One pass, one score, thank you very much for coming. It would be a sign of things to come as the two would hook up for 112 scores in their regular season careers.
9. October 17, 2005 vs. St. Louis (Monday Night Football): Speaking of Marvin Harrison, this would be the game in which Manning and Harrison would break Steve Young and Jerry Rice's touchdown record for most score between a QB and WR in NFL history. It would happen on a textbook corner fade pass that helped the Colts beat the Rams 45-28. After catching the pass I'll never forget watching Manning try to give the ball to Harrison who was playfully pushing the ball back to Manning. Manning's response to Harrion's humility: "We'll split it! We'll split it!"
10. January 4, 2004 vs. Denver (Wild Card Weekend): The moment I knew this game would be special happened when Manning threw a perfect pass to slot receiver Brandon Stokley who was running a seam route up the middle of the field. Stokley would eventually take that pass to the house 87 yards. It was Manning's fourth touchdown pass of the game and it wasn't even halftime yet. Manning finished the game 22-26 passing for 377 yards and 5 touchdowns. It was the first postseason win of Manning's illustrious career.
Greg's Top Ten Favorite Peyton Manning Memories (#6-10) Continued From Yesterday:
6. November 7, 2005 @ New England (Monday Night Football): Before this game, the Patriots had made the Colts their bitch over and over again. This was the day the true rivalry began. The 40-21 victory over the Patriots in Foxboro was the event that helped fans realize that the Patriots were not in Manning's head and that the Patriots were mortal. Peyton's 3 touchdown performance was the catalyst for the win and the start of a streak of Colt victories over the Patriots, which brings us to...
7. November 5, 2006 @ New England (Sunday Night Football): If anyone thought the game from 2005 against the Patriots was an anomaly, this game quashed any idea that the 40-21 win was a fluke. Peyton Manning vastly outplayed Tom Brady by throwing 2 scores on 326 yards passing including a key touchdown pass to a very emotional Marvin Harrison who spiked the ball in front of Patriot defenders following the score. Tom Brady was completely ineffective throwing four interceptions and zero touchdowns en route to a 27-20 loss to the Colts.
8. August 8, 1998 @ Seattle (Preseason): Why is a preseason game on the list, you ask? This was Peyton Manning's first appearance as a member of the Indianapolis Colts and boy did he make a good first impression. First pass of his career would be a long touchdown pass to Marvin Harrison right up the seam. One pass, one score, thank you very much for coming. It would be a sign of things to come as the two would hook up for 112 scores in their regular season careers.
9. October 17, 2005 vs. St. Louis (Monday Night Football): Speaking of Marvin Harrison, this would be the game in which Manning and Harrison would break Steve Young and Jerry Rice's touchdown record for most score between a QB and WR in NFL history. It would happen on a textbook corner fade pass that helped the Colts beat the Rams 45-28. After catching the pass I'll never forget watching Manning try to give the ball to Harrison who was playfully pushing the ball back to Manning. Manning's response to Harrion's humility: "We'll split it! We'll split it!"
10. January 4, 2004 vs. Denver (Wild Card Weekend): The moment I knew this game would be special happened when Manning threw a perfect pass to slot receiver Brandon Stokley who was running a seam route up the middle of the field. Stokley would eventually take that pass to the house 87 yards. It was Manning's fourth touchdown pass of the game and it wasn't even halftime yet. Manning finished the game 22-26 passing for 377 yards and 5 touchdowns. It was the first postseason win of Manning's illustrious career.
January 31, 2012
Greg's Top Ten Favorite Peyton Manning Memories (1-5):
1. January 21, 2007 vs. New England (AFC Championship Game): I'll never forget seeing Peyton with hands folded on the sidelines just after the Colts took the lead 38-34 over the Patriots. With just over a minute to go, Manning undoubtedly knew that Tom Brady was capable of mounting a miraculous comeback. That comeback would be thwarted by a Marlin Jackson interception of Brady with seconds to go, sending Indianapolis and Manning to their first Super Bowl. Once the interception occurred, Manning got up slowly with a smile on his face, well aware that his critics were silenced...for the time being.
2. February 4, 2007 vs. Chicago (Super Bowl XLI): When Indianapolis went to the Super Bowl for the first time, the game seemed to pale in comparison to the drama that was the AFC Championship two weeks prior. After all, Indianapolis had a longstanding rivalry with the Patriots. Still, there was one more game to be played and for the AFC Title game to have real meaning, Manning had to finish the job against the Chicago Bears. Seeing Manning join his teammates atop the winner's circle after the victory over the Bears was something Colts fans had been dreaming of for decades and when it finally happened it was a thing of beauty.
3. October 6, 2003 @ Tampa Bay (Monday Night Football): This was supposed to be former Bucs and then-current Colts head coach Tony Dungy's homecoming - his first return to the stadium he once called home. It was also the eve of one of the greatest comebacks in NFL history. Down 35-14 with less than five minutes to go the Colts mounted the most improbable of comebacks against one of the NFL's stingiest defenses. Several deep passes to Colt receivers including a 28-yard strike to Marvin Harrison narrowed the gap and sent the Colts and Bucs to overtime knotted at 35 points apiece. Colts kicker Mike Vanderjagt sealed the victory with a 29-yard field goal sending the Colts to what is still the largest comeback in an NFL game with less than 5 minutes to go in regulation.
4. November 15, 2009 vs. New England (Sunday Night Football): This is also known as the game Patriots coach Bill Belichick made one of the most questionable calls in NFL history - going for it on 4th down deep in Colts territory with 2:08 to go and a six point lead. Tom Brady threw a short pass to running back Kevin Faulk who bobbled the ball and was tackled short of the first down, turning the ball over to Manning and the Colts. Manning threw a series of passes including the eventual game winner to Reggie Wayne with just 13 seconds to go. The game was gratifying on so many levels: it kept the Colts unbeaten on the year, it was an unbelievable comeback and it was a big "F.U." to Patriots coach Bill Belichick and the Patriots. There's nothing quite as enjoyable as watching Belichick see his well laid plans blow up in his face on cable television.
5. December 26, 2004 vs. San Diego: Although I believe that team accomplishments always trump single player accomplishments, this game holds special place in the hearts of Colts fans everywhere. For twenty seasons Dan Marino held the single-season mark for passing touchdowns in a season (48) with very few players even coming close to challenging the mark. Manning had been carving up defenses all season and seemed set to at least match Marino's mark in a week 16 contest against the Chargers. In the third quarter Manning threw the record-tying score to the most unlikely of receivers, backup running back James Mungro. However, Manning was not finished. Late in the game Manning threw a perfect pass down the middle of the field to Brandon Stokley who ran into the end zone for the touchdown. The Colts would eventually win the game in overtime and Manning would sit for nearly their entire week 17 contest with the #1 seed in the AFC already wrapped up. So, while Tom Brady might hold the new record with 50 TD passes, keep in mind that Manning didn't play the final game while Brady needed a full 17 weeks to get to 50.
Game 6-10 coming tomorrow!
Greg's Top Ten Favorite Peyton Manning Memories (1-5):
1. January 21, 2007 vs. New England (AFC Championship Game): I'll never forget seeing Peyton with hands folded on the sidelines just after the Colts took the lead 38-34 over the Patriots. With just over a minute to go, Manning undoubtedly knew that Tom Brady was capable of mounting a miraculous comeback. That comeback would be thwarted by a Marlin Jackson interception of Brady with seconds to go, sending Indianapolis and Manning to their first Super Bowl. Once the interception occurred, Manning got up slowly with a smile on his face, well aware that his critics were silenced...for the time being.
2. February 4, 2007 vs. Chicago (Super Bowl XLI): When Indianapolis went to the Super Bowl for the first time, the game seemed to pale in comparison to the drama that was the AFC Championship two weeks prior. After all, Indianapolis had a longstanding rivalry with the Patriots. Still, there was one more game to be played and for the AFC Title game to have real meaning, Manning had to finish the job against the Chicago Bears. Seeing Manning join his teammates atop the winner's circle after the victory over the Bears was something Colts fans had been dreaming of for decades and when it finally happened it was a thing of beauty.
3. October 6, 2003 @ Tampa Bay (Monday Night Football): This was supposed to be former Bucs and then-current Colts head coach Tony Dungy's homecoming - his first return to the stadium he once called home. It was also the eve of one of the greatest comebacks in NFL history. Down 35-14 with less than five minutes to go the Colts mounted the most improbable of comebacks against one of the NFL's stingiest defenses. Several deep passes to Colt receivers including a 28-yard strike to Marvin Harrison narrowed the gap and sent the Colts and Bucs to overtime knotted at 35 points apiece. Colts kicker Mike Vanderjagt sealed the victory with a 29-yard field goal sending the Colts to what is still the largest comeback in an NFL game with less than 5 minutes to go in regulation.
4. November 15, 2009 vs. New England (Sunday Night Football): This is also known as the game Patriots coach Bill Belichick made one of the most questionable calls in NFL history - going for it on 4th down deep in Colts territory with 2:08 to go and a six point lead. Tom Brady threw a short pass to running back Kevin Faulk who bobbled the ball and was tackled short of the first down, turning the ball over to Manning and the Colts. Manning threw a series of passes including the eventual game winner to Reggie Wayne with just 13 seconds to go. The game was gratifying on so many levels: it kept the Colts unbeaten on the year, it was an unbelievable comeback and it was a big "F.U." to Patriots coach Bill Belichick and the Patriots. There's nothing quite as enjoyable as watching Belichick see his well laid plans blow up in his face on cable television.
5. December 26, 2004 vs. San Diego: Although I believe that team accomplishments always trump single player accomplishments, this game holds special place in the hearts of Colts fans everywhere. For twenty seasons Dan Marino held the single-season mark for passing touchdowns in a season (48) with very few players even coming close to challenging the mark. Manning had been carving up defenses all season and seemed set to at least match Marino's mark in a week 16 contest against the Chargers. In the third quarter Manning threw the record-tying score to the most unlikely of receivers, backup running back James Mungro. However, Manning was not finished. Late in the game Manning threw a perfect pass down the middle of the field to Brandon Stokley who ran into the end zone for the touchdown. The Colts would eventually win the game in overtime and Manning would sit for nearly their entire week 17 contest with the #1 seed in the AFC already wrapped up. So, while Tom Brady might hold the new record with 50 TD passes, keep in mind that Manning didn't play the final game while Brady needed a full 17 weeks to get to 50.
Game 6-10 coming tomorrow!
January 30, 2012
Greg's Top Ten Favorite Guilty Pleasure Movies:
1. Ice Pirates (1984): This one's a classic cheesy 80's romp that's part Indiana Jones and part Star Wars with a dash of Robert Urich. It was on HBO all the time when I was a kid and now it's a permanent part of my movie collection. Nothing says awesome like Spencer For Hire running around space in retro 80s apocalyptic attire trying to avoid getting space herpies. Yes, I said space herpies. Those of you that have seen this movie know how hilarious that scene is. It even starred Raider legend John Matuszak before he donned the famed Sloth outfit in "Goonies" a year later!
2. Legend (1985): I'll admit, this might be my favorite Tom Cruise movie not named "Top Gun" and it has nothing to do with Cruise being great in it. This movie is Tim Curry's finest role that doesn't involve him dressing like a transvestite. The makeup artists on the set of Legend turned Curry into Satan personified and it's truly a sight to see. My only knock on Legend is that Curry wasn't in the movie more because he's truly chewing scenery every time he shows up. In the end it's a love/fantasy movie with Tom Cruise, fairies, dwarfs and Ferris Bueller's girlfriend so it definitely qualifies as a guilty pleasure.
3. Last Action Hero (1993): Many avid Arnold Schwarzenegger fans will mention this movie as their least favorite. When you consider that it was Arnold's first big screen release to follow perhaps his finest movie, Terminator 2, it's understandable how people would be let down. Still, I can't find much not to love about this movie. It's completely cheesy, self-deprecating...a total mockery of everything Arnold Schwarzenegger and that's why it's awesome. This movie never takes itself seriously - instead it takes potshots at Arnold and the action genre. Do I like it more than classics like Predator or T2? Not a chance. But it certainly qualifies for this list!
4. Road House (1989): Over the years this movie has become more widely accepted as being a movie people aren't afraid to admit liking. That wasn't always the case. The lines are ultra-cheeseball ("pain don't hurt"), the action scenes are ridiculous (a guy gets his throat ripped out), the love scene is sappy, the bad guy is completely over-the-top and yet it works.
5. Rocky IV (1985): Best training sequence ever. Seriously. Who hasn't gone running up a hill with the soundtrack to this movie pumping through their veins? It's invigorating. Nonetheless, the whole training montage is ridiculously silly. Rocky Balboa is seen weightlifting boulders, running through the wastelands of Russia, pulling people on a carriage while his roided-up opponent is training in Russia's most technologically advanced facilities. It introduced the world to the acting skills of Dolph Lundgren and Brigitte Nielsen, which isn't saying much. It's far from the quality movies that Rocky I and II are, but it might be infinitely more re-watchable.
6. Just One of the Guys (1985): Not sure how many have seen this little gem, but it's freaking awesome. A high school girl dresses like a boy to experience what it's like on the other side of the gender fence. It's rarely on television, hard to find on DVD, but I'll watch it every time I get the chance.
7. Weekend at Bernies (1989): Terrible acting? Check. Completely unbelievable story? Check. Dumber than dumb antagonists? Check. Heroes who have no clue what they're doing? Check.
8. Howard the Duck (1986): For those of you that hate George Lucas, this movie is likely the flick that you'll point out as the beginning of the end of Lucas' magic as a filmmaker. I'll argue it happened far earlier, but that's beside the point. This movie is utterly terrible yet totally watchable. You have to wonder if Lea Thompson still cringes when people mention that she nearly had a love scene with a guy in a duck costume. It's that bad. Still, I love this movie because it's so terrible and the theme song at the conclusion is so damn catchy.
9. Teen Wolf (1985): Don't even begin trying to defend this movie by saying how it's one of Michael J. Fox's best films. Have you ever really watched this movie closely? It's freaking awful...but that's why it's so damn good. Who didn't want to "wolf up" and ride atop a van through the city and follow it up by completely schooling everyone in a pick-up basketball game?
10. Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989): Don't ask. Maybe I just want to go camping at Yosemite with the crew of the Enterprise. It's terrible, especially when you consider it's place in the Trek canon of being wedged between two of the most beloved Trek movies of all time (Voyage Home & Undiscovered Country), but I still find myself watching it.
Greg's Top Ten Favorite Guilty Pleasure Movies:
1. Ice Pirates (1984): This one's a classic cheesy 80's romp that's part Indiana Jones and part Star Wars with a dash of Robert Urich. It was on HBO all the time when I was a kid and now it's a permanent part of my movie collection. Nothing says awesome like Spencer For Hire running around space in retro 80s apocalyptic attire trying to avoid getting space herpies. Yes, I said space herpies. Those of you that have seen this movie know how hilarious that scene is. It even starred Raider legend John Matuszak before he donned the famed Sloth outfit in "Goonies" a year later!
2. Legend (1985): I'll admit, this might be my favorite Tom Cruise movie not named "Top Gun" and it has nothing to do with Cruise being great in it. This movie is Tim Curry's finest role that doesn't involve him dressing like a transvestite. The makeup artists on the set of Legend turned Curry into Satan personified and it's truly a sight to see. My only knock on Legend is that Curry wasn't in the movie more because he's truly chewing scenery every time he shows up. In the end it's a love/fantasy movie with Tom Cruise, fairies, dwarfs and Ferris Bueller's girlfriend so it definitely qualifies as a guilty pleasure.
3. Last Action Hero (1993): Many avid Arnold Schwarzenegger fans will mention this movie as their least favorite. When you consider that it was Arnold's first big screen release to follow perhaps his finest movie, Terminator 2, it's understandable how people would be let down. Still, I can't find much not to love about this movie. It's completely cheesy, self-deprecating...a total mockery of everything Arnold Schwarzenegger and that's why it's awesome. This movie never takes itself seriously - instead it takes potshots at Arnold and the action genre. Do I like it more than classics like Predator or T2? Not a chance. But it certainly qualifies for this list!
4. Road House (1989): Over the years this movie has become more widely accepted as being a movie people aren't afraid to admit liking. That wasn't always the case. The lines are ultra-cheeseball ("pain don't hurt"), the action scenes are ridiculous (a guy gets his throat ripped out), the love scene is sappy, the bad guy is completely over-the-top and yet it works.
5. Rocky IV (1985): Best training sequence ever. Seriously. Who hasn't gone running up a hill with the soundtrack to this movie pumping through their veins? It's invigorating. Nonetheless, the whole training montage is ridiculously silly. Rocky Balboa is seen weightlifting boulders, running through the wastelands of Russia, pulling people on a carriage while his roided-up opponent is training in Russia's most technologically advanced facilities. It introduced the world to the acting skills of Dolph Lundgren and Brigitte Nielsen, which isn't saying much. It's far from the quality movies that Rocky I and II are, but it might be infinitely more re-watchable.
6. Just One of the Guys (1985): Not sure how many have seen this little gem, but it's freaking awesome. A high school girl dresses like a boy to experience what it's like on the other side of the gender fence. It's rarely on television, hard to find on DVD, but I'll watch it every time I get the chance.
7. Weekend at Bernies (1989): Terrible acting? Check. Completely unbelievable story? Check. Dumber than dumb antagonists? Check. Heroes who have no clue what they're doing? Check.
8. Howard the Duck (1986): For those of you that hate George Lucas, this movie is likely the flick that you'll point out as the beginning of the end of Lucas' magic as a filmmaker. I'll argue it happened far earlier, but that's beside the point. This movie is utterly terrible yet totally watchable. You have to wonder if Lea Thompson still cringes when people mention that she nearly had a love scene with a guy in a duck costume. It's that bad. Still, I love this movie because it's so terrible and the theme song at the conclusion is so damn catchy.
9. Teen Wolf (1985): Don't even begin trying to defend this movie by saying how it's one of Michael J. Fox's best films. Have you ever really watched this movie closely? It's freaking awful...but that's why it's so damn good. Who didn't want to "wolf up" and ride atop a van through the city and follow it up by completely schooling everyone in a pick-up basketball game?
10. Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989): Don't ask. Maybe I just want to go camping at Yosemite with the crew of the Enterprise. It's terrible, especially when you consider it's place in the Trek canon of being wedged between two of the most beloved Trek movies of all time (Voyage Home & Undiscovered Country), but I still find myself watching it.
January 29, 2012
Greg's Top Ten Favorite Places He Wishes Still Existed:
1. Bullwinkle's Pizza: Seriously, who didn't love going here for birthdays? It was like the upscale Chuck E. Cheese with a kick-ass video arcade, a water show, a bar for the adults to drink beer at...did I mention the kick-ass video arcade? I must have spent about $500 in quarters playing Spy Hunter, Marble Madness, Rampage and a ton of other favorites. When I returned from UC Riverside in 1997 to see it turned into a nightclub I nearly wept. Damn you, Avalon Nightclub!!!!
2. Old Mill Shopping Center: Don't ask me why I loved this mall so much as a kid. It wasn't the "cool" mall when I grew up. That would be Vallco, which is now a ghost town. Old Mill had a certain aura to it that was unique. How many malls do you know have a working mill and a river running through the center of it? The movie theater hold a dear place in my heart, too. Saw "The Muppet Movie" there with my mom. Doesn't get much better than that!
3. Primo's Pizza: This place used to exist in the Village Green Shopping Center on Calabazas and Cabrillo in Santa Clara. Best pizza ever!!! However, the pizza was just the beginning. Those that know me well might know of my affinity for playing Galaga. This pizza parlor is where the obsession began.
4. Pioneer Chicken: I still have no idea what they put in the batter. Perhaps it was crack or methamphetamine. When I was a kid, my mother used to take me there all the time. Corner of Lawrence and Homestead. Doesn't exist anymore and hasn't for quite some time but the batter was incredible. I'll take an order of batter with a side of chicken please!
5. Aladdin's Castle: Those who visited the old Sunnyvale Mall know this place well. When you went to the food court in the middle of the mall, the red brick exterior of the arcade was just a step away. My mother forbade me to step foot in there, but I might have escaped to it when parents of friends took me to the Sunnyvale Mall as a kid.
6. St. James Infirmary: My cousin Jason took me there for lunch when I was 19 and they had over 100 beers on tap. Some of you might remember this place as the bar on Moffett Blvd. with the giant Wonder Woman in the center of it. By the time I was 21 and old enough to legally drink the place had burned down to the ground. Talk about the ultimate tease. I guess I'll have to settle for the Yardhouse. =(
7. Cafe Quinn: My first service job was at Cafe Quinn in the Oak's Plaza in Cupertino. It's now a dance studio but at the time it existed it was the place my friends and I hung out after St. Francis football games every Friday.
8. 94th Aero Squadron: This restaurant bar and grill used to exist right by the old San Jose International Airport before it got the facelift. It had a great view of the runways and had a real triplane parked in front of it. As a kid, I though it was the coolest place with all the war memorabilia inside of it.
9. Late For the Train Restaurant: The best omelets ever! It used to exist right by the train station in Menlo Park across from Cafe Boronne's and Kepler's bookstore. I'm not sure when it ceased to exist, but it was an incredible breakfast place and the staff were incredibly friendly whenever I went. It's a shame more mom and pop places like that don't last long.
10. This is where you get to write in your own votes! What places to do you miss that used to exist in the SF Bay Area?
Greg's Top Ten Favorite Places He Wishes Still Existed:
1. Bullwinkle's Pizza: Seriously, who didn't love going here for birthdays? It was like the upscale Chuck E. Cheese with a kick-ass video arcade, a water show, a bar for the adults to drink beer at...did I mention the kick-ass video arcade? I must have spent about $500 in quarters playing Spy Hunter, Marble Madness, Rampage and a ton of other favorites. When I returned from UC Riverside in 1997 to see it turned into a nightclub I nearly wept. Damn you, Avalon Nightclub!!!!
2. Old Mill Shopping Center: Don't ask me why I loved this mall so much as a kid. It wasn't the "cool" mall when I grew up. That would be Vallco, which is now a ghost town. Old Mill had a certain aura to it that was unique. How many malls do you know have a working mill and a river running through the center of it? The movie theater hold a dear place in my heart, too. Saw "The Muppet Movie" there with my mom. Doesn't get much better than that!
3. Primo's Pizza: This place used to exist in the Village Green Shopping Center on Calabazas and Cabrillo in Santa Clara. Best pizza ever!!! However, the pizza was just the beginning. Those that know me well might know of my affinity for playing Galaga. This pizza parlor is where the obsession began.
4. Pioneer Chicken: I still have no idea what they put in the batter. Perhaps it was crack or methamphetamine. When I was a kid, my mother used to take me there all the time. Corner of Lawrence and Homestead. Doesn't exist anymore and hasn't for quite some time but the batter was incredible. I'll take an order of batter with a side of chicken please!
5. Aladdin's Castle: Those who visited the old Sunnyvale Mall know this place well. When you went to the food court in the middle of the mall, the red brick exterior of the arcade was just a step away. My mother forbade me to step foot in there, but I might have escaped to it when parents of friends took me to the Sunnyvale Mall as a kid.
6. St. James Infirmary: My cousin Jason took me there for lunch when I was 19 and they had over 100 beers on tap. Some of you might remember this place as the bar on Moffett Blvd. with the giant Wonder Woman in the center of it. By the time I was 21 and old enough to legally drink the place had burned down to the ground. Talk about the ultimate tease. I guess I'll have to settle for the Yardhouse. =(
7. Cafe Quinn: My first service job was at Cafe Quinn in the Oak's Plaza in Cupertino. It's now a dance studio but at the time it existed it was the place my friends and I hung out after St. Francis football games every Friday.
8. 94th Aero Squadron: This restaurant bar and grill used to exist right by the old San Jose International Airport before it got the facelift. It had a great view of the runways and had a real triplane parked in front of it. As a kid, I though it was the coolest place with all the war memorabilia inside of it.
9. Late For the Train Restaurant: The best omelets ever! It used to exist right by the train station in Menlo Park across from Cafe Boronne's and Kepler's bookstore. I'm not sure when it ceased to exist, but it was an incredible breakfast place and the staff were incredibly friendly whenever I went. It's a shame more mom and pop places like that don't last long.
10. This is where you get to write in your own votes! What places to do you miss that used to exist in the SF Bay Area?
January 27, 2012
Greg's Top Ten People Who Should Be Exiled From the U.S.
1. Rush Limbaugh (does anyone actually like this guy?)
2. The Cast of Jersey Shore
3. Bill Maher (arrogance has a name and it's Maher)
4. Bill O'Reilly
5. Donald Trump (at least he could buy his own island)
6. Lindsay Lohan's Parents (who I despise more than their daughter)
7. O.J. Simpson
8. Harold Camping
9. Casey Anthony
10. Joe Buck (seriously, NOBODY likes listening to you)
Greg's Top Ten People Who Should Be Exiled From the U.S.
1. Rush Limbaugh (does anyone actually like this guy?)
2. The Cast of Jersey Shore
3. Bill Maher (arrogance has a name and it's Maher)
4. Bill O'Reilly
5. Donald Trump (at least he could buy his own island)
6. Lindsay Lohan's Parents (who I despise more than their daughter)
7. O.J. Simpson
8. Harold Camping
9. Casey Anthony
10. Joe Buck (seriously, NOBODY likes listening to you)
January 25, 2012
Greg's Top Ten Favorite Recurring SNL Characters/Skits:
1. Matt Foley (Chris Farley)
2. Harry Caray (Will Farrell)
3. Sean Connery/Celebrity Jeopardy (Darrell Hammond)
4, Wayne & Garth (Mike Myers & Dana Carvey)
5. Buckwheat (Eddie Murphy)
6. Bennett Brauer (Chris Farley)
7. Stefon (Bill Hader)
8. The Continental (Christopher Walken)
9. Church Lady (Dana Carvey)
10. Hanz and Franz (Dana Carvey & Kevin Nealon)
Greg's Top Ten Favorite Recurring SNL Characters/Skits:
1. Matt Foley (Chris Farley)
2. Harry Caray (Will Farrell)
3. Sean Connery/Celebrity Jeopardy (Darrell Hammond)
4, Wayne & Garth (Mike Myers & Dana Carvey)
5. Buckwheat (Eddie Murphy)
6. Bennett Brauer (Chris Farley)
7. Stefon (Bill Hader)
8. The Continental (Christopher Walken)
9. Church Lady (Dana Carvey)
10. Hanz and Franz (Dana Carvey & Kevin Nealon)
January 21, 2012
Top Ten Favorite Kids Movies From My Childhood:
1. The Muppet Movies (all of 'em)
2. Who Framed Roger Rabbit
3. The Secret of Nimh (Saw this at the Hacienda Theaters with my dad after going mini-golfing in Sunnyvale. How's that for a good memory!)
4. The Last Unicorn
5. The Fox & The Hound
6. The Three Caballeros
7. Daffy Duck's Fantastic Island
8. Transformers: The Movie
9. Labyrinth
10. The Dark Crystal (even though it scared the crap out of me)
Top Ten Favorite Kids Movies From My Childhood:
1. The Muppet Movies (all of 'em)
2. Who Framed Roger Rabbit
3. The Secret of Nimh (Saw this at the Hacienda Theaters with my dad after going mini-golfing in Sunnyvale. How's that for a good memory!)
4. The Last Unicorn
5. The Fox & The Hound
6. The Three Caballeros
7. Daffy Duck's Fantastic Island
8. Transformers: The Movie
9. Labyrinth
10. The Dark Crystal (even though it scared the crap out of me)
January 20, 2012
Ten Random Moments Involving High School Friends That Make Me Smile (in no particular order):
1. Ditching college classes with Mike McCullough and Daniel Forte by heading off to the San Francisco Hard Rock Cafe.
2. Joshua Hess allowing me to borrow his brother's cassette copy of Van Halen's 1984, thus introducing me to the greatness that is Eddie Van Halen.
3. Heading over to Cafe Borrone's after Saint Francis football games to play cards, drink coffee and smoke cloves with Paul Somoff, Vincent Jørgensen and Nino Skilj. Man, those were the days.
4. Playing paintball at The Action Zone with Eric Ericson. Seriously, I would give just about anything to get a group together and do that again.
5. Stepping inside of Robert Holcomb's red Camaro for the first time at Cafe Quinn in Cupertino - inspiring me to get my own red sportscar which certainly got me into plenty of trouble as a twentysomething.
6. Going to senior prom with Vicky Troyan at the Decathalon Club in Santa Clara. Seriously, I had a blast at both proms. I just wish I had gone to that Tom Petty concert with you guys the next day!
7. Even though Alice in Chains didn't make the show, my first ever concert featuring Metallica as the headliner has to be on this list. But seriously - why did Candlebox make the cut as the replacement for Alice in Chains?
8. Going to Ashland, Oregon for the Shakespeare Festival. Nothing like being in Ashland for an entire week instead of being in school!
9. To Mr. McCullough and Mr. Forte, I have three words: Chinese Fire Drill.
10. Jeff Bishop, were it not for you I would never have known the greatness that is The Hunt For Red October. Bishop, some things in here don't react well to bullets.
Ten Random Moments Involving High School Friends That Make Me Smile (in no particular order):
1. Ditching college classes with Mike McCullough and Daniel Forte by heading off to the San Francisco Hard Rock Cafe.
2. Joshua Hess allowing me to borrow his brother's cassette copy of Van Halen's 1984, thus introducing me to the greatness that is Eddie Van Halen.
3. Heading over to Cafe Borrone's after Saint Francis football games to play cards, drink coffee and smoke cloves with Paul Somoff, Vincent Jørgensen and Nino Skilj. Man, those were the days.
4. Playing paintball at The Action Zone with Eric Ericson. Seriously, I would give just about anything to get a group together and do that again.
5. Stepping inside of Robert Holcomb's red Camaro for the first time at Cafe Quinn in Cupertino - inspiring me to get my own red sportscar which certainly got me into plenty of trouble as a twentysomething.
6. Going to senior prom with Vicky Troyan at the Decathalon Club in Santa Clara. Seriously, I had a blast at both proms. I just wish I had gone to that Tom Petty concert with you guys the next day!
7. Even though Alice in Chains didn't make the show, my first ever concert featuring Metallica as the headliner has to be on this list. But seriously - why did Candlebox make the cut as the replacement for Alice in Chains?
8. Going to Ashland, Oregon for the Shakespeare Festival. Nothing like being in Ashland for an entire week instead of being in school!
9. To Mr. McCullough and Mr. Forte, I have three words: Chinese Fire Drill.
10. Jeff Bishop, were it not for you I would never have known the greatness that is The Hunt For Red October. Bishop, some things in here don't react well to bullets.
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