June 29, 2012

Greg's Top Ten Undrafted Players in NFL History:

1. Warren Moon, QB, Houston Oilers, Minnesota Vikings, Seattle Seahawks, K.C. Chiefs
2. Kurt Warner, QB, St. Louis Rams, N.Y. Giants, Arizona Cardinals
3. Dick "Night Train" Lane, DB, L.A. Rams, Chicago Cardinals, Detroit Lions
4. Jim Otto, C, Oakland Raiders
5. Emlen Tunnell, S, N.Y. Giants, Green Bay Packers
6. Willie Brown, CB, Denver Broncos, Oakland Raiders
7. John Randle, DT, Minnesota Vikings, Seattle Seahawks
8. Antonio Gates, TE, San Diego Chargers
9. Larry Little, G, San Diego Chargers, Miami Dolphins
10. Wes Welker, WR, San Diego Chargers, Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots

June 28, 2012

Greg's Top Ten Favorite John Cusack Movies:

1. Better Off Dead
2. One Crazy Summer
3. High Fidelity
4. Hot Tub Time Machine
5. Sixteen Candles
6. Stand By Me
7. Grosse Pointe Blank
8. Say Anything
9. Con Air
10. 1408

June 27, 2012

Greg's Top Top Actors I Wish Would Make Comebacks*:

*And I'm not talking about actors who make awful movies like Mel Gibson, Eddie Murphy or Val Kilmer. I'm talking about actors who rarely act in movies anymore or are in retirement.

1. Gene Wilder
2. Gene Hackman
3. Sean Connery
4. Kevin Kline
5. Joe Pesci
6. Rick Moranis
7. Emilio Estevez
8. Michael Keaton
9. Kurt Russell
10. Sidney Poitier

June 25, 2012

Greg's Top Ten Favorite Police Songs:

1. Wrapped Around Your Finger
2. King of Pain
3. Every Breath You Take
4. Don't Stand So Close to Me
5. Driven to Tears
6. Message in a Bottle
7. Synchronicity II
8. Spirits in the Material World
9. Can't Stand Losing You
10. Roxanne

June 23, 2012

Ten Random Factoids From "I Want My MTV" (5 Today, 5 Yesterday)

6. David Fincher Got His Start on MTV: Today, director David Fincher is best known for helming cinematic gems like Fight Club, Se7en and The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. However, years before Fincher began working behind the camera as a Hollywood icon he was cutting his teeth as a music video director. His first video was Rick Springfield’s “Bop ‘Til You Drop” in 1984, which can only be described as very Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YLnu8SzOGfs

However, it would be incredibly memorable videos like Aerosmith’s “Janie’s Got a Gun”, Billy Idol’s “Cradle of Love” and Madonna’s “Vogue” and “Bad Girl” that would propel Fincher to superstardom and launch a highly successful directing career. His work behind the camera on “Freedom 90” by George Michael helped start a trend of using supermodels in music videos that still gets copied by a multitude of artists today.

7. Michael Jackson’s brother Jackie Launches the Career of a Future Star with an Affair: A short time after Michael Jackson released the immensely successful “Thriller” album in 1982, Jackson clan father Joe Jackson got the five less famous Jackson brothers back together with Michael to form The Jacksons and release the record “Victory” in 1984. For the second single “Torture” choreographer and Billy Idol beau Perri Lister was set to choreograph the video. That didn’t sit well with Jackie Jackson, who was cheating on his then-wife Enid with the woman who he insisted get the choreographer gig instead. That woman was former American Idol judge Paula Abdul. So, I guess there is something to be said for sleeping your way to the top. Of course, I’m sure she had no idea Jackie was married to someone for ten years at that point, right?

8. Sinead O’Connor Weeps: I have never been a Sinead O’Connor fan, but I have to admit that this story is pretty damn incredible, even if a bit heartbreaking. Most all of us know the video for the song “Nothing Compares 2 U” which won Video of the Year at the MTV Video Music Awards in 1990. The video took home 3 VMAs that year and is probably best known for the end of the video when at 3:40 into the song she begins shedding quite a few tears just after singing the lyric “All the flowers that you planted, mama, in the back yard/all died when you went away.” The moment was so powerful because the video came off as so genuine and emotionally powerful. The truth is, O’Connor’s mother died shortly before the video was shot...in one take. The take you see in the video where she’s balling is the one that was used and every tear was as genuine as they appeared on camera.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iUiTQvT0W_0

9. MTV Gets Mick Jagger to Proclaim “I Want My MTV” for One Dollar: By now we’ve all heard the catchphrase “I Want My MTV” which went public almost immediately after the conception of the famed music channel. MTV executives figured if they could get one of music’s biggest icons, Mick Jagger, to speak the phrase first that everyone else in music would follow. Executive Les Garland travelled to France to meet up with the Rolling Stones frontman who absconded that the Rolling Stones don’t do commercials for anyone unless they were paid to do it. At the time, MTV wasn’t exactly rolling in money which led Garland to tell Jagger he couldn’t pay him to do the spot and instead threw a dollar down on the table and jokingly proclaimed that was all they could muster. Jagger, amused by Garland’s sense of humor agreed and filmed the very first “I Want My MTV” spot in history which led countless other musical legends like David Bowie, Madonna and The Police to follow suit figuring if Jagger was cool with MTV it was ok for everyone else to be cool with it too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=46idQ5USX18

10. The Van Halen Contest that Nearly Killed a Fan: In the Golden Age of MTV from 1981-1992, the fledgling cable network tried a host of gimmicky contests to get fans to tune in. One such contest promised one lucky fan a weekend of partying with Van Halen in what was famously and appropriately called “Lost Weekend With Van Halen” which steals its name from the movie “The Lost Weekend” that chronicles an alcoholic’s weekend of binge drinking. The fan who won the contest was a college student named Kurt Jefferis who had recently suffered a traumatic brain injury and was sending countless postcards to MTV while in recovery. At first glance, Jefferis appeared to be just like any other 20-something college student to the boys of Van Halen who were about to expose Jefferis to a weekend of heavy drinking, drug usage, partying and sexual escapade. What they didn’t realize was that Jefferis had recently had a metal plate placed in his head from falling down a flight of stairs resulting in a brain clot. Due to the recent injury, medications and the metal plate, drinking was a big no-no for Jefferis, which was completely lost on Van Halen and their crew of roadies who had been partying hard with the kid for most of the first day. By day two, Jefferis completely started freaking out and throwing up back at his hotel. With the band and MTV legitimately fearing the kid was going to suffer a seizure and die, producers had to stay with him to ensure his safety. Not that Van Halen is to blame, but since then, Jefferis has been in an Anonymous program, suffers from diabetes insipidus and has gone legally blind. When asked about his 15 minutes of fame, Jefferis commented, “I think it lasted a little longer than that.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cnbVTduQcgk

June 22, 2012

Ten Random Factoids From "I Want My MTV" (5 Today, 5 Tomorrow)

1. Bobby Brown Drops His Coke Vial - This one doesn't surprise me one bit. In 1990, Bobby Brown was at the very top of the R&B food chain, fresh off his massively successful solo album "Don't Be Cruel." When Ghostbusters II was released, Brown recorded "On Our Own" for the movie and later performed the hit single on the 1990 MTV Video Music Awards. While Brown was busy dancing up a storm, something unthinkable happened...his vial of coke fell from his pants during the live broadcast. In the book, Brown claims it was his gold bracelet. Several sources who were present including producers state otherwise. See for yourself: At 1:14 something clearly fell from his pocket. At 1:17, Brown goes in for the kill and grabs his "bracelet" or for those of us living in reality, his "coke vial"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0C3zckQ4Kk

2. Def Leppard Swing & Miss With "Pour Some Sugar on Me": Wait, you recall "Pour Some Sugar on Me" being a massive success? It didn't quite happen that way at first. When Def Leppard released the album "Hysteria" following their smash "Pyromania" album, the record was a major disappointment in the United States because it couldn't match the success of the previous album. Three singles had been released in the US, with none of them giving the record the boost it needed on the Billboard charts. Mercury Records, just about ready to give up promotions for the record, financed one last music video for the band which would promote their fourth US single "Pour Some Sugar on Me" in hopes that it would propel the "Hysteria" record to new heights. Now, I'm sure you remember the video for "Pour Some Sugar on Me" which topped the MTV charts for weeks, right? It look JUUUUUUUST like this...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hCnoND2v5Ow

When Mercury Records saw the video they were devastated. It was a complete disaster. Mercury scrapped the video and wouldn't allow it to be seen on MTV in the US. It wasn't until they later released the more popular "live" video that the "Hysteria" album shot up the charts and ended up becoming Def Leppard's best selling record. Equally interesting, the song almost didn't make the final cut of the record during production.

3. Poison Play the Wrong Song at the Wrong Time: The 1991 MTV Video Music Awards would prove to be a major low point in the history of the glam metal band, Poison. Guitarist C.C. DeVille, along with pretty much everyone in the band, were going through a variety of substance abuse issues. However, C.C. DeVille's cocaine addiction would get the best of him on September 5th of 1991. Poison were scheduled to play their hit single "Unskinny Bop" after a commercial break during the live 1991 VMA airing. Unfortunately, DeVille didn't get the memo and began playing during the commercial break. To not leave DeVille out to dry, the rest of the band joined in and played "Unskinny Bop" during the break to the live audience. When the commercial break ended, cameras showed Poison halfway through their set, which host Arsenio Hall cut short when he realized the band had missed their spot. Because they were live, Poison needed to play something which prompted the band to start an improptu version of "Talk Dirty to Me" which looked and sounded disjointed. At one point C.C. Deville's guitar accidentally unplugged from its amp, which didn't stop the cocaine loaded DeVille from playing unplugged during a section of the performance. After Poison finished, singer Bret Michaels punched out DeVille offstage, leading to DeVille being fired and replaced by axeslinger Richie Kotzen.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_CPu9nbMj0

4. Duran Duran Get Banned: This one, many of you might already know about, but it's heavily chronicled in the book along with many other Duran Duran exploits. When you see a music video get banned in 1981 for being too provocative, it usually looks tame by today's standards, especially when you consider how far we've come in this country when it comes to censorship. Well, here's a music video from 1981, the year MTV was born, that to this day still cannot be played on MTV, VH1 or any other cable format. Duran Duran had just released their self-titled debut and wanted to create a stir to boost record sales. Their third single off their debut album was the immortal new wave hit "Girls on Film" and the band decided that they needed something extremely risque for the accompanying music video. Knowing it would be banned immediately, they shot multiple versions of the video including a "clean" version that could be aired on cable. The other version, well, see for yourself. Ice cubes on nipples, anyone?

http://www.youtube.com/verify_age?next_url=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DIOmSRivaL48

5. Billy Idol Draws Blood: In the 1980s, few artists were as shocking and as successful as former punk frontman Billy Idol. When he was ready to film the music video for "White Wedding" he asked his then-girlfriend, choreographer Perri Lister, to act as the bride-to-be in the video. When it came time for Idol to place a ring on Lister's finger in the video, they couldn't get fake blood to properly show up on her ring finger as Idol is slipping the ring onto her digit. So, they did what all great punk artists would do...draw real blood for the scene. Lister's actual finger was sliced for the sequence and the blood you see in the video was actually hers, which managed to slip past MTV's censorship board who assumed it must have been fake.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tgFh4RHgn0A

June 21, 2012

Greg's Top Ten Favorite Songs With "Summer" in the Title:

1. Boys of Summer - Don Henley
2. Indian Summer Sky - U2
3. Summer Nights - Van Halen
4. Summer of 69 - Bryan Adams
5. Violence of Summer - Duran Duran
6. Summer of Love - The 52's
7. Summertime - DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince
8. Suddenly Last Summer - The Motels
9. Summer in the City - Lovin' Spoonful
10. Cruel Summer - Bananarama

June 20, 2012

Greg's Top Ten Stupid Things I've Done in a Car (5 Yesterday and an extra special 5 Today):

5. This one happened before I even got my driver's license. I was in front of what used to be the Los Altos DMV with my dad, practicing for my exam. I pull forward past the stop sign into the intersection and in a moment of fear punch it in reverse because I was uncertain if I was going to make it across the entire intersection in time. Did I look behind me to see if there was another car waiting? Heck no. I rammed the back of my Jeep Cherokee right into the grill of some poor schmuck's black Firebird. Nice one, Greg. Thank you dad for writing the guy a check for $300 instead of it going on my record.

4. As if the last incident wasn't enough...Junior year of high school. I'm driving the same Jeep Cherokee. I'm about to pull on Central Expressway from San Tomas. A car is in front of me and is beginning to pull onto the expressway since traffic has cleared. I look behind me to merge and hit the accelerator. One big problem. The car in front of me stalled before it got to merge and, because I wasn't looking ahead of me, accelerated right into his rear bumper. Beautiful. Maybe this driving thing isn't for me...

3. I swear that Jeep Cherokee hates me, even to this day. My mother will recall this momentous occasion. I pull forward to a Shell Gas station on the corner of Lawrence Expressway and Monroe. After I filled the car up with gas I get in and turn on the ignition like anyone else would do. I go to pull out of the station and the most God awful noise comes from the passenger side door and just about every person within 40 yards is staring at me and giving me the "oooooooooh" face. Yup, I pulled to close to those giant metal poles that protect the tanks from being hit and scraped the entire right side of my car up against it. Yeah. Which leads me to #2...

2. So my dad, in his infinite wisdom, thought it would be smart to bondo the door where the damage I inflicted was visible. I can't make this next part up if I tried. The bondo job the guy did on my car was a peach color, which wasn't a big deal. The only problem was, it turned an ever so sexy shade of hot pink after it dried. Me, being a color blind idiot drove it around like it wasn't a big deal until one day someone asked me why I chose pink. I thought they were kidding. Nope. It really contrasted quite nicely with the dark blue paint on the Jeep though.

1. This one might be the biggest dumbass job of all, though. It's 1997 and I'm on my way back from watching The Rocky Horror Picture Show for the umpteenth time. It's about 2 in the morning and my friends want to get breakfast at the Lyon's in Milpitas. It was at this point in my life that I used to smoke cigarettes, which was dumb enough on its own merit. What's dumber than smoking in a car is smoking in a moving car with the convertible top down while the wind is blowing something fierce. As I pull on to 237, while smoking, an ash cherry goes into my left eye, blown free by the wind. A night in the ICU and a full day of immense pain and discomfort and it's a miracle I still have 20/15 vision.

June 19, 2012

Greg's Top Ten Stupid Things I've Seen Drivers Do in their Cars (5 Today and an extra special 5 Tomorrow):

5. Man driving car on El Camino trying to find something in his backseat...for a good 20 seconds. Any idea how much can happen in 20 seconds? In an NBA game, four lead changes can happen, listening to a Nickelback song can cause brain damage, some people can finish and end a sexual experience and you can watch every one of Jamarcus Russell's NFL highlights. Yet, this fucktard thought it would be a good idea to rummage through the backseat of his car for that length of time. I wonder what he was looking for? His good sense, perhaps?

4. Man changing his shirt while driving on the freeway. No, he wasn't wearing just a t-shirt. This guy decided that changing out of his three-piece was a good idea while going 70+ on Highway 101. What would have safely taken less than a minute to do while pulled over at his destination this asshat decided to do in three terrifying minutes while driving on the freeway. Nice.

3. Woman driving with her Cocker Spaniel on the dashboard. Yes, you read that right. The entire fucking dog was resting on the dashboard. At least it was on the passenger side of the car. Brilliant! There's a dingleberry on that dog's ass with more common sense than the idiot behind the wheel. This one inspired today's list, BTW. Gotta love Los Gatos.

2. Man driving his Jeep with his left foot hanging over the edge of his driver side door. I've seen passengers hang their feet out the window, which is dangerous enough, but to be driving your car...that's a true daredevil of douchebaggery. So, driver, what happens when you need to make an evasive maneuver that results in a car accident and your leg gets chopped off because it was hanging outside of the vehicle? Didn't you ever go to an amusement park where they tell you to keep that shit inside the cart?

1. Woman driving her Escalade while talking on the phone with one hand, coffee in her other hand, Miniature Poodle in her lap with his paws on the steering wheel. People, I can't make this shit up. I swear this lady had more crap going on in her general vicinity than there were moving parts in her car's engine. It was truly one of those moments where I wanted a cop to be nearby. The best part of the story...there was cop and when his lights came on to pull her over I cackled with glee. I should have pulled over and shook the cop's hand for being spot on.

June 16, 2012

Greg's Top Ten Favorite College-Themed Movies (since today I graduate from grad school!)

1. Animal House
2. Real Genius
3. Back to School
4. Good Will Hunting
5. Rudy
6. Revenge of the Nerds
7. Van Wilder
8. Old School
9. The Social Network
10. PCU

June 15, 2012

Greg's Top Five Reasons I Can't Stand LeBron James: (Why only five? Because it's five more reasons than a lot of people have.)

1. His Arrogance:

Above all, I have a disdain for players being boastful or arrogant, especially when they haven't earned the right to do so. If you're Joe Montana or Michael Jordan, you get to boast a bit. When you're LeBron James and everyone expects you to be the next big thing and you haven't cashed in yet, you need to stay humble. Even after you win, it's probably better to stay soft-spoken about your accomplishments if you want the public to perceive you well. Just ask Tim Duncan. When LeBron, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh held a party in Miami celebrating like they had already won, it rubbed me all kinds of wrong. But the worst offense of all...saying they'd win 8 championships and that thing would be easy. Ask Charles Barkley or Karl Malone how easy it is to win just one ring.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pT-I8jQDQ7c

2. His Narcissism:

By now, you've all seen the of "The Decision" so I won't bother to re-post it here. Why the hell do you need to have a television show dedicated to your decision to either stay in Cleveland or sign elsewhere unless your a full-blown ego-driven narcissist? And please spare me the "he did it for the children" bit. That whole Boys and Girls Club bit was just a cover for the real plot and intentions of that show. If he really wanted to make a donation to the Boys and Girls Club of America he could have done so privately and still made his decision without all the hoopla. You know how Kevin Durant re-signed with the Thunder? He announced it on Twitter in a few short words just to let the fans know. Simple, easy and to the point.

3. His Elitist Attitude:

LeBron James after losing in The Finals last year...

"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."

So, what you're saying is, you think that all the common folk who rooted for you to lose have to go back to their middle class pathetic lives while the rich douchebags like yourself get to live on the top of the hill with your eight Bentleys. Gotcha. Now, he may not have necessarily meant it that way, but that's how it came across to a hell of a lot of people.

4. Calling Himself "King James"

If the quote above wasn't enough to convince you of his over-inflated sense of worth, then this should drive the point home. He nicknamed himself "King James" before entering the NBA Draft. Seriously? King James? There's a Metallica song that I think might better describe LeBron called "King Nothing." You can't call yourself King. Other people can make that name for you if they choose, but you can't endorse it.

You see, you can call yourself King all you want, shithead, but at the end of the day, you have to wake up tomorrow and have the same life you had before you woke up today. You have the same personal problems you had today. You have to put your crown away and wipe your ass just like the rest of us. And until you win more titles than Kobe, Jordan or Russell, you're just another guy with a ring who didn't live up to his own hype.

5. The Exit From Cleveland:

First off, if you make a promise and you state it publicly, don't back out of it unless you like backlash. This is a direct quote from LeBron James:

"I got a goal, and it's a huge goal, and that's to bring an NBA championship here to Cleveland, and I won't stop until I get it."

Ah, so you won't stop until you get it...unless of course you change your mind and take your talents to South Beach, right? Cool. Thanks for coming off like a phony. Furthermore, the way he stormed off after his last game with Cleveland and acted like a baby during the game didn't help his cause. He comes off like the only person that matters is LeBron and I'm sure that's exactly how he wants it.

June 11, 2012

Greg's Top Ten Favorite Gene Wilder Movies:

1. Blazing Saddles
2. Young Frankenstein
3. The Producers
4. Silver Streak
5. The Frisco Kid
6. Stir Crazy
7. Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory
8. Haunted Honeymoon
9. See No Evil, Hear No Evil
10. The Woman in Red (hello Kelly LeBrock!!!)

June 10, 2012

Greg's Top Ten Favorite Tom Cruise Movies:

1. Top Gun
2. Interview with the Vampire
3. Minority Report
4. Mission Impossible
5. Jerry Maguire
6. Collateral
7. Rain Man
8. Legend
9. Days of Thunder
10. Risky Business

June 9, 2012

Greg's Top Ten Favorite Tom Hanks Movies:

1. Apollo 13
2. A League of Their Own
3. Forrest Gump
4. Big
5. Saving Private Ryan
6. The Green Mile
7. The Burbs
8. Cast Away
9. Dragnet
10. Splash

June 8, 2012

Greg's Top Ten Favorite Bill Murray Movies:

1. Ghostbusters
2. Caddyshack
3. Groundhog Day
4. Scrooged
5. Zombieland
6. Stripes
7. Tootsie
8. Rushmore
9. Ghostbusters 2
10. What About Bob?

June 7, 2012

Greg's Top Ten Favorite Kurt Russell Movies:

1. Tombstone
2. Big Trouble In Little China
3. The Thing
4. Deathproof
5. Escape From New York
6. Backdraft
7. Overboard
8. Tango & Cash
9. Tequila Sunrise
10. Stargate

June 6, 2012

Greg's Top Ten Favorite Jack Nicholson Movies:

1. The Shining
2. Batman
3. As Good As It Gets
4. Chinatown
5. The Witches of Eastwick
6. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
7. The Departed
8. A Few Good Men
9. The Last Detail
10. Mars Attacks!

June 5, 2012

Greg's Top Ten Favorite Robert DeNiro Movies:

1. Heat
2. The Godfather Part II
3. Goodfellas
4. The Untouchables
5. Midnight Run
6. Casino
7. Ronin
8. Backdraft
9. Taxi Driver
10. Jackie Brown

June 4, 2012

Greg's Top Ten Favorite Clint Eastwood Movies:

1. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
2. The Unforgiven
3. A Fistful of Dollars
4. Gran Torino
5. Dirty Harry
6. For a Few Dollars More
7. High Plains Drifter
8. Heartbreak Ridge
9. In the Line of Fire
10. Escape From Alcatraz

June 1, 2012

Greg's Top Ten Favorite Desserts:

1. Marie Calendar's Warm Apple Pie & Vanilla Ice Cream (old school, but freaking perfect)
2. BJ's Peanut Butter Pizookie
3. La Fondue's Chocolate Fondue
4. Glazed Donuts from Stan's Donuts
5. PF Chang's Red Velvet Cake
6. Foster's Freeze Vanilla Soft Serve
7. Double D's Warm Brownie A la Mode
8. Creme Brulee
9. Dippin' Dots
10. Ben & Jerry's Chocolate Fudge Brownie

May 31, 2012

Greg's Top Ten Actors/Actresses I Can't Believe Were Nominated For An Academy Award:

1. Gary Busey (1978, Best Actor)
2. Randy Quaid (1973, Best Supporting Actor)
3. Eric Roberts (1985, Best Supporting Actor)
4. Dan Aykroyd (1989 Best Supporting Actor)
5. Rosie Perez (1993 Best Supporting Actress)
6. Mira Sorvino (1995 Best Supporting Actress)
7. John C. Reily (2002 Best Supporting Actor)
8. Clive Owen (2004 Best Supporting Actor)
9. Andy Garcia (1990 Best Supporting Actor)
10. Rip Torn (1983 Best Supporting Actor)