Blast from the Past: Xanadu

Just as I'm about to make a post about my favorite musical from the 80's starring Olivia Newton John, I found out that Xanadu is coming to Broadway!

http://www.playbill.com/news/article/98702.html









Anyhoo, so Xanadu is all about these Greek muses who incarnate themselves on Earth to inspire men to achieve. One of them, Kira, played by ONJ, falls in love with an artist named Sonny Malone. With the help of Danny McGuire, played by Gene Kelly (his last starring role) a man Kira had inspired forty years earlier, Sonny builds a huge disco roller rink and makes Sonny his partner. We really never know why he does this, but it inspires the best dance sequence/montage of all time, at least until Staying Alive. However, the fact that the whole thing was performed on roller skates makes the scene one-of-a-kind. Speaking of which, another one of my favorite ONJ films is Two of a Kind. And just like Napoleon's grandma, ONJ broke her coccyx during filming.

ONJ met her 1st husband, Matt Lattanzi, a dancer, on the set. They were married soon after filming wrapped.

I love this movie and definitely recommend it! Unfortunately, the critics did not and it was the inspiration for the creation of The Razzies, an award ceremony that honors the year's worst in film. Xanadu's director, Robert Greenwald, won the first ever Razzie for Worst Director.

Just For Fun: What was the #1 song when you were born?

This was a fun little quiz! When I was born, the #1 song was "I Honestly Love You" by Olivia Newton-John. Very appropriate, since she was my idol when I was 3!

What was the #1 song when YOU were born?

http://www.joshhosler.biz/NumberOneInHistory/SelectMonth.htm

Dead or Alive: Gene Anthony Ray

Fame was one of my favorite TV shows growing up. I dreamed of being able to go to a school where people danced in the halls and the students performed in cabaret shows or in pizza parlors in the evenings.

Gene Anthony Ray played the rebellious Leroy Johnson in the film version of Fame as well as on the television show.

One evening during a particularly drunken session of Karaoke Revolution, the theme song from Fame, performed by Irene Cara, popped up as my random song. During the musical interludes, my friend and I pondered the life of Gene Anothony Ray and how he had faired after Fame stopped talking.

Unfortunately, Mr. Ray's only true professional success came as the mischevious & street smart Leroy. He rode the Leroy boat as long as he could, even touring Europe with his Fame castmates in 10 concerts called "The Kids of Fame." Ray also appeared in the films Out Of Sync (1995) which was directed by his Fame co-star Debbie Allen and the 1996 Whoopi Goldberg comedy Eddie. His last acting role was the part of "Dancer" on an episode of The Drew Carey Show in 1997.

Sadly, Gene passed away in November of 2003 at the age of 41 due to complications of a stroke. He was HIV positive when he died.

Poor Leroy.

Ear Candy: Natalie Portman's SNL Digital Short in Mp3 Format

Once in a while, a celebrity that I don't like or find annoying or, in Natalie Portman's case, reminds me of a goody goody uptight snot I went to school with, will do something that makes me see them in a different light. This is one of those times.

Enjoy!

http://s56.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=26TB1VT6IDLFA0K4AUNUGJ1AH7

R.I.P. Peter Tomarken

Peter Tomarken, former host of popular game show Press Your Luck, and his wife, Katherine, were killed Monday when their small plane crashed into the ocean off the coast of Los Angeles. Tomarken, 63, owned the Beechcraft but was not flying the plane when it crashed while flying from Santa Monica to San Diego. The pilot reported engine trouble shortly after taking from Santa Monica and had turned around before the plane plunged into the ocean about a half-mile from the Santa Monica Pier.

Poor guy. I used to LOVE Press Your Luck and always thought Peter Tamarken was really cute, too. Need a refresher on Press Your Luck?

On Press Your Luck, contestants collected "spins" by answering trivia questions, and then used the "spins" on a board with dollar amounts. The person who amassed the most in cash and prizes at the end of the game won.

The show claims to be most memorable for the "Whammy," a red cartoon creature of indeterminate species wearing a cape. The Whammy's spaces on the game board took away the contestant's money, accompanied by an animation that would show the Whammy taking the loot—but frequently being chased away, blown up, or otherwise humiliated in the process.

The more memorable part of the show were its crazy, wailing contestants, who would scream, "NO WHAMMY! NO WHAMMY! NO WHAMMY!" while their block rotated around the board and then "STOP!!!" when they would pounce on the red button when they wanted their cursor to stop.

Also quite memorable was this HUGE scandal that occurred in the 80's with PYL. Wikipedia provides an account:

On one episode of Press Your Luck in 1984, a self-described unemployed ice cream man named Michael Larson made it onto the show. With the use of a VCR, Larson was able to memorize the presumed random patterns of the game board, to help him stop the board where and when he wanted to. On the episode he appeared in, Larson spun 35 times without hitting a Whammy and took away $110,237 in cash and prizes, most of which was earned via "cash plus a spin" spaces (thus allowing him to take so many consecutive spins). His total was a record by far for a single appearance on a game show up to that time. The Press Your Luck board's patterns were significantly reworked after this incident, increasing from the original five patterns to thirty-two, and such a run was never repeated on the show.

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How Drugs Will Fuck Yo Shit Up: The Leif Garrett Edition

Leif Garrett was a hottie and ruled Tiger Beat.



You might've seen Leif on Behind The Music several years ago, when he was looking somewhat stank, not quite as cute as he had been in his heyday, but not bad.




Unfortunately, the heroine has taken its toll and now he looks like a beat down druggie. Sad. It might be time to update your ghoul pool, folks.

Ear Candy: Dolly Parton's "Travelin' Thru"

While I realize it's "Hard Out Here for a Pimp", who can deny that Dolly's Oscar-nominated song, "Travelin' Thru" from Transamerica, is another stellar masterpiece from the talented Miss Parton? She had the best performance of the evening, IMHO!

Take a listen!

http://s43.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=1RW47VF4U526D14Z4H3WKDKA3O

3.08.06: This Week's "What the Fug?" Award

Eddie Van Halen at the height of his career, circa 1984.

This is Eddie Van Halen now, who looks scary-crazy. I know the poor guy had tongue cancer, but I think his deathly appearance can be credited to his recent split from Valerie Bertanelli. Men always go downhill when they leave their wives.

Blast from the Past: New Zoo Revue

Holy geez!

I was sooooo excited to see that you can now view video clips of my FAVORITE early Saturday morning show, The New Zoo Revue. In the early 80's, my brother and I used to watch this on WYTV 33 at probably 6am or 7am on Saturday mornings. I have no idea why we would get up that early, but we did.

My favorite NZR memory, aside from the theme song, (which I still sing from time to time), really has little to do with the wholesomeness of the original show. My grandmother bought my brother and I this blooper tape, that had bloopers from really obscure shows. It had no narration, just clip after clip. There were several from NZR, and one between Charlie & Freddie that cracks me up still. Freddie screwed up his lines, and caused Charlie to say in a very effeminate voice, "Let's have a ball!" and Freddie lifted his shirt and said, "How about two?" and they then embrace. I wish I had the clip to share! But trust me, it was hysterical, and my brother and I laughed and laughed about the whole thing. I don't even think we recognized the gay undertones. The fact that they said "balls" was funny enough for our underdeveloped senses of humor.

Stroll down memory lane: http://www.newzoorevue.com/index1.html

Just For Fun: You Tube

http://youtube.com/watch?v=FYAlkuR-rk0

You Tube has some awesome videos. This cracks me up!

Blast from the Past: Voyage of the Mimi

Anyone remember "The Voyage of the Mimi?" In 6th grade, we did this extensive lesson on whales. It was fun because we got to watch videos and do computer games.

It was also probably a waste of time because I don't remember that much except that we did it. I do remember the yellow slickers the Mimi crew wore. And that a pre-dental work Ben Affleck was a starring player.

I think schools are still doing the whole Mimi experience.

Did you Mimi?