Seriously people. Has everyone lost their damn minds?
The AMA Awards (American Music Awards) recently announced the nominees for 2009, and Michael Jackson is up for FIVE awards. When I read this news, I actually thought it was some sort of spoof.

But no, Jackson was nominated for Best Artist, Best Male Artist, Best Album, Best R&B Male Artist and Best R&B Album.

I just can’t sit back and watch this stupidity unfold without asking WTF?
This may be the only time I will ever stand up for Lady Gaga.

The AMA Awards are actually based on sales and radio data from Nielsen. And for the last three years, fans were able to vote for the winners on AMA’s website.

So although Jackson’s album “Number Ones” is selling like hot cakes now,*shakes head*, it was RECORDED BACK IN 2003.
SIX YEARS AGO.
So why the HELL was it eligible for a nomination? And how is this fair to the other artists?
It’s not.

A tribute to Jackson at the AMA Awards would have been more than enough. Even although I am sick to death of ”Jackson mania” and do not understand the worship that this man is receiving. It just blows my mind that people have such short memories.

If you think the award nominations are insane, hold on to your sequined glove, because just when I thought it couldn’t possibly get any more ridiculous, I happen to see a petition online, for Michael Jackson to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. I kid you not.

Here is a snippet from the petition, and it is one of the funniest things I have read in a long time and I have bolded the parts I find most hilarious.

Dear Norwegian Nobel Committee,

We the undersigned, would like to nominate legendary performing artist and global humanitarian Michael Jackson for the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize. He was and will continue to be one of the most famous, and influential men on earth. Michael’s message for humankind has always been rooted in compassion, and kindness. He has succeeded a lifelong dedication to the well being of humanity. Moving beyond all political, social, and economic borders Michael Jackson consistently spread a positive message of global unity, healing, and love.

Wait…. I have to get off the floor, I was laughing too hard.
I know I always say this, but I swear, you can’t make this crap up.
Surprisingly, there are over 45,000 + people supporting this petition. *pinching myself*

Yes Jackson has helped some people over the years. Ok.
But the Nobel Peace Prize?
He doesn’t exactly have the best reputation. *snicker*
Remember?

Remember that tiny little court case where he showed up in his PJ’s?
You know, the one where they let him go even though the evidence was a mountain high? *grumble*

So back to the most ridiculous AMA Awards in the history of the AMA.

A truthful snipette LA Times:

Michael Jackson’s “Number Ones” will compete for favorite album in the pop/rock field against Lady Gaga’s “The Fame” and Taylor Swift’s “Fearless.”

Both of the latter have a decent shot at being represented at the upcoming Grammy Awards, but the latter won’t feature any albums from Jackson.

That’s because his “Number Ones” was released back in 2003. What’s more, the album is simply a greatest hits compilation, featuring only a pair of songs actually released this decade. Regardless of retail impact, a 2009 award show should be restricted to albums actually recorded within its recent history. At last check, Jackson has already won plenty of American Music Award trophies for the songs on “Number Ones,” including an artist of the century accolade in 2002.
A segment or two honoring Jackson would have been a better way to recognize the King of Pop’s contributions to music. The MTV Video Music Awards opened with a tribute to the star, and the 2010 Grammy Awards will surely feature some sort of Jackson memorial. Yet giving the artist posthumous awards, especially when said artist hasn’t released an album of new material since 2001, seems an unfair slight to today’s current crop of pop stars.

 

Yes! Exactly!
Thank you LA Times!

I think it is a damn shame that other artists are going up against someone that recorded an album SIX YEARS AGO, and who won’t be present to accept, because of a little minor detail that can not be rectified. What is it again? Oh yeah.. HE IS DEAD.

Further more, do people think that Jackson would have been nominated if he was still alive?
HELL NO!
Under these circumstances, and besides that other little thing about Jackson…. what was it again? Oh yes… the fact that he was an alleged child molester, who admitted on camera  to sharing his bed with young boys…
I think if he wins ANY one of these awards, it will show just how insane people really are and I may have to donate some money to NASA so they can continue working on an alternative planet for me to move to. (certainly not the moon, Jackson was already there too)

 Now you can bash me all you want in the comment section, because I know that all the Michael Jackson blind sheep without memories will be out in droves praising their fallen King.
So go ahead…bash away.

But keep in mind that these nominations for Jackson are simply NOT FAIR to the other artists, besides the fact that is beyond RIDICULOUS.

Yes the man was talented. We get it, I would never dispute that. But enough is enough!
Give the other artists the chance they deserve.

If Jackson ends up winning any awards, the best thing the Jackson estate could do, is to not accept it and pass up the award (s) to the most deserving artist. At least that would show some class.

If you were one of the artists that busted their tails to get where they are today and then lost to someone who would have not won if they were alive, whose album was recorded SIX YEARS AGO, and again that little minor detail of them being DEAD, how would you feel?
How would YOU feel if the shoe was on the other foot?
Or in this case…. the glove on the other hand?

I’ll take Johnny Depp please!
Is that the way the clients of California Cryobank sperm bank order their baby makers?

Apparently the California Cryobank has come up with the idea of matching up their sperm donors with famous celebrity faces. Are they genius entrepreneurs helping their clients make a tough decision of who they should pick as their baby daddy? Or are they just trying to make more money than other sperm banks by claiming their donors are celebrity look alikes? Or both?

How does this sperm bank match their donor’s faces with celebrities? With high tech face-recognition? Nope!
Employees of Cryobank sit around a table and put the donor’s pictures up on a screen and argue which celebrity looks like that donor the most. When they come to a consensus, they add that information to the donor’s file, and then the donor’s name goes into a huge data bank. Clients can then search the data base for a donor by which celebrity they want their child to look like.

Although clients are not allowed to see the donor’s ACTUAL picture by law, clients can  search for a potential donor by picking out a celebrity name.

Too superficial?
How will the general public weigh in on this?

I wonder if someone will pass up a donor with a better IQ, for a donor that looks like Mario Lopez? I also wonder if people out there will pick a celebrity look alike in hopes on trying to cash in on their offspring down the line, especially if their child ends up as a dead ringer of a celebrity.

Hey Kate Gosselin, this has your name all over it! Only eight kids? What’s the big deal? The Duggars have you beat by a landslide! It can be your new show! “Kate Plus Eight Plus Elvis!”
And remember Kate, there is a plus side besides the new show…which ever donor you pick… he can’t take money out of your bank account! 

Now I have seen just about every way there is to make a buck in the ol’ USA, and a lot of it ain’t too pretty. And there are some wackos out there who may try to claim that their child is the child of an actual celebrity. I wouldn’t put it past them. Far fetched? Perhaps.

But take the case  of a women trying to collect millions from Keanu Reeves. She is claiming that he is the father of at least one of her four adult children.  *snicker*
Even though Reeves took a DNA test to prove that he wasn’t the father, and he also said he never met the women, she still isn’t backing off. 
What did Reeves have to say about this whole ordeal? 
Rest assured, he didn’t say, ”eeeeeexcellent!” *snicker*

Of course Cryobank does have a disclaimer to cover their butts in this overly litigious world:

“No celebrity is meant as an exact match for any donor, nor should you assume that your future children will look like any celebrity listed.”

NBC’s Today Show covered the sperm bank story, and on this video, you can see the employees sitting around a table with the donor’s picture on a screen and trying to figure out who the donors most resemble. Man, where do I sign up for this cream puff gig?

Scott Brown, communication manager of the California Cryobank said to NBC TODAY,

“It’s not that our donors look like celebrities, it’s that celebrities look like our donors,”

Oh! I see what he did there…. he is SO crafty!

You can also pick a young or older version of the celebrity too. Perhaps you would like a young Sean Connery as OO7, or the older more sophisticated Sean Connery. The choice is yours!

There are MANY stars as well as athletes listed in their data base. And let’s not forget musicians and the less than famous celebs. You can pick from Eddie Van Halen to Jackass reality star Stev-O!
I kid you not, he is on the list.
Wow, seriously…if anyone picks the Steve-O look alike, I am afraid I just don’t understand, unless he is a nuclear physicist.

 
So are there people out there opposed to this celebrity look alike baby daddy factory? YES.

Some snippets from NBC’s TODAY,

The program has its share of critics, especially in the bioethics world. University of Albany professor Bonnie Steinbock bashed California Cryobank’s celebrity-match program on CNN, saying, “There’s something strange about a culture that has stratified rigid types of beauty where everyone looks alike; now they’re trying to create children through who the actor of the moment is.”

Brown’s defense:

Not so, says Brown. While the process may seem superficial, it is actually extremely helpful in guiding prospective parents through a stressful and often confusing time, he asserts.

“Seem superficial”?
Some people would argue that it is superficial. But don’t people have the right to choose which donor they want for whatever reason, since they are the ones paying for it? And what if it does help the client make their choice?

Take the opinion of a perspective Mom who was trying to pick a donor:

“I’m flipping through the catalog with a friend of mine, feeling like I was about to recruit a basketball team, because it was just all stats.” And while she whittled down her list, the Cryobank couldn’t show her a picture of the donor — but it could tell her one of her finalists resembled Freddie Prinze Jr.
“For me, that clinched it right then and there,” she said. “I’ve always found him attractive!”

Freddie Prinze Jr.? Really? That clinched it for her? To each their own.

So matching a face to a donor may actually make some clients feel more at ease about who they pick, or actually help them to decide who to pick. I hope people have the good sense to pick donors with good qualities, rather than picking a donor because they like Orlando Bloom.
But then again, this is the land of the SUPER DUPER superficial, so nothing would surprise me.

I wonder if Cryobank’s business will be booming?

I can see it now…
Mothers with their kids are at the playground and one mother says to another,
“wow your little boy really looks like Leonardo DiCaprio! Any relation?” 

The proud Mom says, “Well no, it was donor #09756-QL5, we were really big fans of the movie Titanic, so that’s why we went with him”.

I guess if there is one guy who is a real dead ringer of a handsome celebrity, he will be in big demand and asked to come back quite often. There can be a panic at Cryobank if they run out!  What happens then?

It may go something like this:

“OMG! We are fresh out of the Ryan Reynolds look alike! Get 9087-K490L on the phone stat! Tell him we have some new vids and magazines! Yeah I know he has been in twice a day for the past month and he’s a bit tender… Chain him down again if you have to, until he puts out. We are in the baby making business people!”

MORE???

I guess in the long run it can become quite a lucrative and fun “job” if you are a celebrity look alike donor. What guy wouldn’t want this gig? At $50- $75 a pop, I am surprised that there is a job shortage for men in the US! Hell, they ain’t getting paid for doing it at home!

Tough luck for all you donors out there who look like Gary Busey (sorry Gary) or OJ Simpson. (not sorry OJ)

I imagine their “stuff” wouldn’t have too many takers and is probably passed up for the gloopus of a more hunkier looking celebrity look alike.

But things may not work out exactly the way you have planned. Even though you picked out your favorite celeb look alike, don’t forget there is a 50/50 chance that your child may be a girl and you may end up with a pretty scary looking child! And I am more than sure that Cryobank does not issue refunds for fuglies.

Very Scary Indeed!

I bet some clients just won’t really care if the donor they picked has only two brain cells….
Just as long as their celebrity knock off looks good in a tux!

Everyone remembers the “Newlywed Game” which was hosted by Bob Eubanks. Their first show aired way back in 1966. Who could forget Eubanks with his corny personality and dorky questions? For instance… where was the strangest place you ever made whoopee? (I always hated that word). Even dorkier by far, were the newlywed couples that were on the show.

I used to marvel at the couple’s answers. It was the kind of show you loved to watch, but the dorkiness also made you cringe.

Well the “Newlywed Game” was revamped a year ago, with a brand new host. Carnie Wilson, the new host, known for her participation in the defunk 1990’s group Wilson Phillips is getting ready for season 2. (fact :Wilson Phillip’s song  Hold On was used in “Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle” )

They are jazzing things up a little this year and having a celebrity edition, which will have the likes of newlyweds Christopher Knight and Adrianne Curry, former Monkee, Davy Jones (wow!) with his better half and others.

And for the first time in Newlywed history, a gay married couple will be contestants on the show when George Takei aka Sulu of the famed Star Trek will be joined by husband Brad Altman.

Young George As Sulu On Star Trek Set

George finally came out to the world when he was 71.  He married Brad last September and the couple has just shared their first one year anniversary.(Happy Anniversary guys!) But these two have been together much longer than one year…try 22 years! So they must be doing something right.

George met Brad through Front Runners, an LA based gay running club. George’s family and friends had to make some adjustments to his coming out and most were very supportive. One of his siblings wasn’t too accepting of George’s life style and he had some difficulties with his mom at first, but she eventually grew to really like Brad. 

George’s Mom suffered from Alzheimer’s and he had his mother move in with them, where she spent her last four years before her death. Living with someone with Alzheimers is an extremely difficult journey and Brad was George’s rock of Gibraltar, standing right by George’s side the entire time. George referred to Brad as a saint for his role in helping him to care for his Mom. True love over comes all obstacles. Click here to read about it.

George and Brad married on Sept 14th of last year and the guest list included fellow Star Trekers, Leonard Nimoy, aka Spock, Walter Koenig, aka Anton Yelchin Chekov, who was George’s best man with Nichelle Nichols aka Uhura as the maid of honor.

Wedding Party Trekers Uhura, and Chekov with George and Brad

Fellow Trekers, the late James Montgomery Doohan aka “Scotty” and the late DeForrest Kelly aka “Bones” who passed away some time back were hopefully there in spirit.

There was another Treker who was not present at the wedding. William Shatner aka Captain Kirk, who was not invited to George’s wedding and it caused quite the riff between the two to say the least. 
Apparently George was not a big fan of working with Shatner during the Star Trek years, and according to Takei, Shatner supposedly did not accept Takei’s coming out as well as the other cast members.

So I guess George snubbing Shatner sent him a big message. I was never a fan of  Shatner. I always found him creepy and pompous, perhaps George felt the same way.

George even spoke at Shatner’s roast in 2005, but I think George’s insults were more on the serious side compared to the other roaster guests.

On George’s website, you can watch a fabulous video and hear George and Brad talk about their wedding, their rings, their fight against Prop 8 and they also included some actual footage from their wedding.

So back to the Newlywed Game…..

The airing of this show is such a wonderful step towards the acknowledgment of equality for gay marriages. Kudos and a big round of applause for GNS for airing this show.

The new format of the show has not strayed too far from the original format. I would imagine that some questions had to be updated due to the changing times and there are only three couples on the new show instead of four like the original. So Bob Eubanks will be very happy that the show stayed pretty true to the original.

A snippette from EOnline :

GSN is boldly going where no Newlywed Game has gone before.

Star Trek’s George Takei, he of the mean Jon Gosselin impression, and partner Brad Altman will be the first same-sex couple ever to participate in the game show when the cable net airs a celebrity edition later this season.

So anyone interested in knowing the weirdest place they’ve “made whoopee,” be sure to set your TiVos.

The couple recently celebrated the one-year anniversary of their marriage but have been together for 22 years.

Joining them in the celebrity editions of the show this year will be Dancing with the Stars pros Edyta Sliwinska and Alec Mazo; Christopher Knight and Adrianne Curry; Survivor’s Jonny Fairplay and his America’s Next Top Model wife, Michelle Deighton; and the Real Housewives of Orange County’s Lauri Waring and George Peterson.

The Takei show, which has yet to be taped with new host Carnie Wilson, is expected to air sometime in October.

Not sure why did ”E” put such emphasis on tuning in to find out where was the strangest place George and Brad made whoopee? Why? Do they think George and Brad’s answers will be any stranger than the other couples answers? Frankly, I am more interested in Davey Jone’s answer. So shame on “E” for being so square and semi-insulting to George and Brad.

I really didn’t know anything about George. I really only knew him as Sulu, and I was not a Star Trek follower. So I was curious and I dug a little.

George, had a tough life  when he was young and he grew up with a lot of discrimination. In his earlier years, it was due to his Japanese nationality. He was brought up in two American internment camps also called the War Relocation Camps. Now I am not going to get into all the different names of these camps, their locations and history. If you are not aware of what these camps were all about, click here and educate yourself.

Surprisingly, George’s memories of the camp were fond memories. Something you would not expect to hear. But due to his very young age, and because he knew of nothing else, thankfully he was spared from what was really going on around him and the real reason why he was placed there. No child should ever have to endure that sort life style and live in a compound with guards and be surrounded by fences with barbed wire and be held prisoner. The mere notion of people and children in those horrid internment camps is despicable and cruel.

Now when I was reading about the internment camps, I was reminded of the modern day horror which is still sadly going on today in the US and other countries. Where is this going on in the US you may ask? There is an actual compound in California. There is slave labor being carried out in Clearwater Florida also. By whom? SCIENTOLOGY.

Scientology’s Sea Organization members live at a very similar compound in Gilman Hot Springs, California called Golden Era Productions aka Gold Base or Int Base. The Sea Orgers live within a compound with guards, razor fencing that points inwards, and are not allowed to leave.Want to see actual footage of this compound?
Have a look at this beyond creepy place on this Youtube video where you can hear the organ tone that the cult started to play on the arrival of the TWO people filming it.

Tom Cruise has been there SEVERAL times. The leader of the cult, David Miscavige, even had an apartment built there for Cruise by Sea Orgers.

The difference with Gold Base and the internment camps? Gold Base is much worse. Sea Orgers are subject to the RPF. (Rehabilitation Project Force) which is bestowed on any members who disobey in ANY way and this punishment lasts for YEARS. Someone can be put on RPF for as little as looking at someone the wrong way.

Many Sea Org members have also been disconnected from their families. Members as well as young teens are assigned to hard labor, sleep deprivation, mind control, humiliation, human trafficking, sexual abuse, beatings, forced abortions, improper medical care and the list of abuse goes on and one. Now the Florida location is not set up like a compound in the middle of the desert like Gold is, but it’s abuses are the same. And ALL members must sign a billion year contract with Scientology. No joke.

Sorry to get side tracked, but the internment camps reminded me of Scientology’s Gold Base so much, and if people are outraged by the cruelness of those internment camps, then the Sea Org should horrify you even more.

The internment camps only lasted a few years, and then the government put an end to them because it abused people’s civil rights. Then, why are they allowing Scientology to continue on with this abuse? The only reasons can be hush money and Scientology’s “religious” cloak.

The internment camps ended in 1945. And it wasn’t till 1988 when the US government finally apologized for the internment camps and offered some reparation to it’s victims. Scientology’s Sea Org members world wide have been suffering since L. Ron Hubbard created it in 1967. First Sea Org members suffered on Hubbard’s ships, and then they were brought on to land.

Gold Base was built over thirty years ago. 
When will the government apologize for turning a blind eye to the suffering of Scientology’s Sea Org members and finally put an end to the entire Sea Org and all it’s abuses? So do your homework people! Speak up for those who can’t!

Ok, I got that off my chest.
Now back to George.
George is known to be a very quiet man, but he agreed to be the Grand Marshall at the 37th Annual Pride Parade in Chicago in 2006, less than a year after he came out publicly.

Congrats to George for his courage in publicly supporting gay rights. I hope to see the day where people finally realize that all people should have the same rights as any other couple. People should have the right to openly celebrate their love for one another and get married without any laws telling them who they can or can not marry. I certainly don’t want any laws telling me or my family members who they can marry. How horrible would that be? Now think of the pain and anguish for same sex couples who are told that marrying someone they love is wrong, just because they happen to be the same sex as them. The laws are idiotic and obsolete. Besides, love has nothing to do with law. Marriage is about love and commitment, plain and simple. This is 2009 people, not the dark ages.

So again, thank you “Newlywed Game” for boldly going where other networks fear to tread.

Now I know this is only a very small step in helping to see the dream of gay equality becoming a reality, but every little bit helps to break down the ignorance that so pollutes our society.

So to everyone … open your minds and your hearts. Embrace individuality. 
To couples everywhere… in the words of Star Trek…
Live Long and Prosper!

Well, well looks like Bobby Brown has packed on the pounds. Bobby
and his double chin will be sweating it out on “Celebrity Fit Club” scheduled to air in 2010.

According to TMZ, he will be joined by cast members from “High School Musical”, “Baywatch” and “The Practice,” which will include Shar Jackson, Nicole Eggert, Tanisha Thomas, Casey Stroh, and Michael Badalucco. Is this the best Celebrity Fit Club can come up with?

I wonder if Bobby, who has always been tough to handle (to say the least) will succumb to the grueling boot camp and all the rules of “Celebrity Fit Club.” Many “stars” *cough* before him, like for instance Dustin (a-hole) Diamond aka “Screech” of “Saved By The Bell” fame, did not fair too well and had too much of an attitude to be on the show and ended up leaving.

Bobby’s track record of being an abusive crack smoking husband 
married to Whitney Houston (although she is not innocent by any means) certainly has crushed his popularity over the years.

Bobby better decide if he still wants to use his “My Prerogative” attitude or man up and stay on the show.

I happen to catch Bobby on D.L. Hughley’s show one night, and he sang My Prerogative, (it WAS a kick ass dance song) or I should say, he attempted to sing it. It was SO bad, it was painful to hear. His years of drug abuse, alcoholism and cigarettes really reeked havoc on his voice. It was totally shot. Don’t get me wrong, I do not have one smidgen of sympathy for this man.

His years or partying, abuse and just being an all around IDIOT have really caught up to him.

A Young Bobby Brown Back In  The Day

It's anyone's bet whether or not Brown will show up on "Celebrity Fit Club." The man can not seem to stay out of trouble. After all... he has been juggling living at two different homes over the years. *snicker*

But then again, ”reality” tv shows have to film their shows way in advance, so maybe this show has already wrapped?  Who knows. I just may have to tune into Celebrity Fit Club this time around, just to see Bobby sweating his butt off and being told what to do.

Will Whitney be at home watching with a big tub of popcorn? I only hope she will be tickled silly over getting to see a little pay back 
served up to Brown, rather than her cheering him on, because I never want to see Whitney, or anyone for that matter, looking like this again.

Crack is Definitely Whack!

To be fair, Bobby wasn’t all to blame for their insane relationship. It takes two to tango don’t forget. (geez! I sound like my Dad)
They were total partners in crime. And she should have left long ago. And of course Brown has always said that he never did cocaine before Whitney came along. HIS WORDS. Yeah ok.

I just know that I saw Whitney go from a vibrant and beautiful singer to an abused and skinny drug abuser after the two of them hooked up.

Their reality show they did together, “Being Bobby Brown” was short lived and a disaster, and Whitney ended up paying a huge price for standing by her man.

Now I was never a Whitney Houston fan, “I Will Always Love You,” has always pierced my brain, but she does have a beautiful voice. Even though her music is not my style, I do hope her recovery continues and that “The Voice” is able to get more of it back.

Her recent appearance singing on “Good Morning America” in Central Park and her talk with Oprah had her fans out in droves. Houston’s interview with Oprah was a far cry from her raspy voiced  interview with Diane Sawyer on Prime Time  (part 1) back in 2002, which is where her infamous “crack Is whack” quote came from. It was beyond obvious that she was in much denial, and very defensive. And Here is Part 2 of the interview, where she talks about her past missed appearances, drugs and actual footage of their marriage to Brown along with their 800 guests in her $40,000 wedding gown. 

In that interview, Whitney and Bobby were already married for 10 years and at that time she said she didn’t want to let go of Brown. I am just glad, as well as her fans, she finally did let go of him.
Bobby ends up joining the interview later on and denied he ever hit her and he said he was diagnosed as being bi-polar and denied all other drug use except smoking pot. *snicker* (Here are parts 3, 4, and 5 of that  2002 interview  if you are interested.)

Whitney’s recent interview with Oprah was like night and day in comparison to the interview with Diane Sawyer back in 2002. She looked like Whitney again. Finally Whitney came clean about the drug abuse, Bobby’s physical abuse and his infidelity and how her mother saved her life with an intervention and valiantly had Whitney removed from her house and forced her into rehab. Thank you Mom!

Her recent performance on GMA in Central Park definitely showed how much her voice has suffered from years of ”partying” and it was quite obvious that she wasn’t able to sing all the parts of the song and she seemed quite winded.

Rumors have it that ABC “digitally sweetened” her songs as reported by Gawker. But  it didn’t matter to her fans one iota, who seemed very elated to see her and were there to support her. Whitney is very fortunate that so many of her fans have never left her side.

Now back to Bobby…

Bobby’s fans? He has never had anywhere near as many as Whitney to begin with, and the ones he had, I think have totally given up on him for the most part. Partly because he has dropped out of the music scene long ago and because people blamed Bobby for ruining Whitney’s life. 

The man has always been his own demise. So your guess is as good as mine as to what the future will hold for him. My gut feeling is that he isn’t done abusing himself or others and he may stay clean for a while, but I don’t know how long that will last.

He is destined for a meeting with karma somewhere down the line, and he’s the only one who can change that.

Actor Patrick Swayze has lost his fight with pancreatic cancer. The man best known for playing a ghost seeking closure with his life, passed away yesterday after a bravely fought battle for the last 20 months.

Swayze, who starred in two hugely popular films, “Ghost” and “Dirty Dancing” became a heart throb through his sincere and earnest performances, making women swoon. He even had a hit song, “She’s Like The Wind,” from the “Dirty Dancing” soundtrack.

What makes Patrick unique in Hollywood is his anti-Hollywood persona. Married to his childhood sweetheart for the past 34 years and no hint of personal drama, Swayze was all class to the very end. His film choices and the passion in which he infused in his characters left an indelible mark on popular culture — plus his Texas charm and good looks made him loved by many women. He was like a genuinely gentle cowboy. Sigh.

CNN reports:

Patrick Wayne Swayze was born on August 18, 1952, in Houston, Texas. His father was an engineering draftsman; his mother was a ballet dancer and later the director of the Houston Ballet Dance Company.

She led her son into the dancing world, which wasn’t always easy for a Texas male. Indeed, the young Swayze played football, practiced martial arts and was an accomplished diver and track star while growing up, though he was good enough at dance to earn a college scholarship.

After an early professional job playing Prince Charming in an early ’70s version of “Disney on Ice,” Swayze returned to Houston, where he met Lisa Niemi, a student of his mother’s. The two were married in 1975 and moved to New York to pursue their careers. See timeline of Swayze’s life »

Swayze seemed set on a dance career: He studied with the prestigious Joffrey Ballet and joined another company, the Eliot Feld Ballet Company. But surgery for an old football injury ended his ballet career and he turned to acting, nabbing the lead role of Danny Zuko in the long-running Broadway production of “Grease” in 1978, around the time the movie starring John Travolta was hitting theaters. “Grease” earned him some Hollywood attention, and he and Niemi moved West.

After a couple of bit parts, including one in a 1981 episode of “M*A*S*H,” Swayze picked up the role of Darrel Curtis in Francis Ford Coppola’s 1983 film of “The Outsiders,” which also included future stars Matt Dillon, Rob Lowe, Ralph Macchio, Emilio Estevez and Tom Cruise. Swayze was also one of the leads in 1984’s “Red Dawn,” about teenagers defending their town from a Soviet attack on America.

“Not only did we lose a fine actor today, I lost my older ‘Outsiders’ brother,” said actor C. Thomas Howell, who also starred with Swayze in “Red Dawn” and “Grandview, U.S.A.”

But it was with “Dirty Dancing” that Swayze hit it big. The film about a girl’s coming of age at a Catskills resort in the early ’60s was intended for a limited release but became one of the decade’s biggest sleeper hits and made Swayze and Grey household names.

The film gave birth to a catchphrase — “Nobody puts Baby in a corner,” spoken by Swayze’s character to Grey’s domineering father (Jerry Orbach) — and eventually led to a follow-up, 2004’s “Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights.” Swayze even sang a Top 10 hit, “She’s Like the Wind,” on the film’s soundtrack.

Swayze, known as a down-to-earth, nice-guy actor, was determined not to follow a predictable career path.

I loved Patrick in “Ghost,” perhaps one the most romantic movies ever. His wife Lisa is a lucky woman and our hearts goes out to her and Patrick’s family.

R.I.P

Rumors have been circulating lately about the gender or shall I say the genders of Lady GaGa. Many people thought that The Princess of Pop (yeessh) is a hermaphrodite. For those of you who do not know what a hermaphrodite is, it is a person born with both male and female genitalia.

The picture that had everyone a-buzz, is the one below. It clearly shows a “bulge” of some sort in the crotch region.

People were wondering, if this was carefully placed “package” for shock value for her career? Or a photo-shopped picture? Or is Lady (I use the term lightly) more than just a lady?

Well Lady finally came forward and put an end to the rumors and said that “she was not offended, but her beautiful vagina was very offended”.  Thank God that is cleared up, I will no longer have sleepless nights. *snicker*

Wait….what did she say? Her beautiful vagina? Who the hell talks publicly (or at all for that matter) about having a beautiful vagina? (with the exception of the Vagina Monologues)
Wow!  Talk about being totally full of themselves.

The Examiner.com reported:

Since the hermaphrodite rumors started circling around Lady Gaga back in August, the singer has kept quiet about whether or not she has both parts.

Lady Gaga reportedly told an Australian radio station, “My beautiful vagina is very offended. I’m not offended; my vagina is offended. I’m not embarrassed. I sold four million records in six months; I’m not embarrassed about anything. I think this is society’s reaction to a strong woman.”

“The idea that we equate strength with men and a penis is a symbol of male strength, you know, it is what it is. But like I said,” the dance-pop diva reiterated, “I am not offended at all, but my vagina might be a little bit upset,” she added.

The singer has been flaunting her naked body in various magazines since the rumors began, hoping to disprove that she may have both man and lady parts, but we all know what a little Photoshop can do.

What do you think? Is Lady Gaga telling the truth or just deny, deny, denying?

My reply? Who gives a damn? Sorry, I could care less what she’s packing, and besides, what’s the difference? Are people saying if GaGa was a hermaphrodite that they wouldn’t be fans any more? Why, can’t a hermaphrodite be a diva too?

This story oddly peaked my interest and I decided to look more into GaGa’s music, since I wasn’t too familiar with it, and I wanted to see what the fuss was all about. What I discovered wasn’t much. I found an ok looking gal who loves to dress in kooky outfits and writes some really lousy songs.

GaGa is going the ol’ shock diva route because she basically needs those costumes and stage performances to hide her lack of talent. Her audience needs a lot of distractions. And now that she has a following, he crappy songs wont’ matter as much.
 
Her voice and song style comes pretty close to Madonnas, although Madonna’s songs were better written. Now I am not a fan of Madonna’s either, but nobody can deny that when Madonna blew up big in the 80’s that she was at least original and her songs were much better than GaGa’s. 

I have to say, that some of GaGa’s outfits are very cool, I will at least give her that. I love the way she sometimes meshes a vintage look with wackiness and forms some pretty outrageous get-ups. BUT…is that it? Yes, that’s it.

Let’s not forget this has been done a hundred times over in the music biz, and way before she strapped on that bubble suit for the cover of Rolling Stone.

Performers have been making names for themselves via shock for years. Way back when, Liberace was one of the first shockers and was the king of outlandish outfits. He was one of the first pioneers of  “putting on the dog“.

Although Liberace’s voice was far from good, he did play a mean piano. And look at Elton John, who started out as sort of a meek country bumpkin and ended up going all Liberace on everyone, once fame came knocking on his door.

Elton was not only an elaborate dresser, but he had quite the collection of outrageous glasses, which became a signature for him. So was Elton copying Liberace? It really didn’t matter, because he can sing and play piano to boot.

There was David Bowie who dressed up as Zigggy Stardust, and Cyndi Lauper who started an entire fashion craze with her gobs of costume jewelry, and her poofy crinoline slips.

But again like Elton, this girl can sing.

Take the band Kiss for instance, who was popular in the 1970’s. They rose up in the ranks due to their alter ego wild costumes, pyrotechnics on stage and Gene Simmons spewing blood and wiggling that long snake of a tongue. It was freaky to see a band dressed like that with full face paint back  in the 1970’s, and it was very innovative. (I was never a Kiss fan though, I think their movie ruined it for me *snicker*) But they did have some talent to back up their look.

Alice Copper, another unusual performer, used to hang himself on stage complete with an entire gallows set up on stage. He also would whip bloody plastic baby dolls on stage during his Dead Babies song… but again…Cooper had the talent to rock the house.

Let’s not forget Dee Snyder in Twisted Sister, ok… never mind, we can forget that one.

(Just have to mention, and way off topic, but I think Christina Aguilera definitely stole Dee’s look when she did the video for Moulin Rouge).

And what about Boy George? He started out rather tame with Culture Club (well sort of) and then showed up in an airport one day dressed like a Geisha girl, and got more outrageous from there. But nobody can deny that the man possessed decent set of pipes on him. We won’t get into where he is today.

Back to Madonna… one of the biggest shock divas. (who is sadly still trying to shock people today, you can stop now)
She started a whole fashion trend with her pointy bustiers, rosaries, rubber O ring bracelets, and boy toy belt buckles.

Who can forget her humping a wedding veil and rolling around on the floor, when she performed Like A Virgin for the 1984 MTV music awards?  Looking back on Madonna’s perfomance in that video, it wasn’t a very good one, but people were so wrapped up in the lyrics of  the song and what she was doing on stage,  that few people noticed the bad notes she hit. Rr the fact she was fluffing up her hair after she took off her veil, and that she became semi entangled in the veil at one point.

Madonna continued to push the envelope in her career and put many Catholics and others’ knickers in quite the bunch with her Like A Prayer video.
 Fact.. it was her highest-selling single and viewers voted the video as the “Most Groundbreaking Music Video of All Time”.

Many people argue that Lady GaGa is a huge Madonna rip off. Although I am not a Madonna fan at all, her pop songs were much better than GaGa’s. (never thought I would be defending Madonna’s music)

Yes.. shocking people has always worked. (Right Cher?)
And we certainly couldn’t name all of them here. But one thing for sure… they had the right stuff.

But does GaGa have the right stuff? Is her only claim to fame shocking the audience with costumes and stage humping, so they won’t notice her lackluster singing? It looks that way. Although her fans would certainly disagree.

GaGa is also trying to further her career by posing for an ENDLESS  amounts of nudie photos. Now I am not a prude in any sense, but honey if your bringing out all the goods now, what’s left? Put that dern thing away!

Take for instance this lovely photo of her half straddling a skeleton. Yawwwwnnn. Needless to say, I had the same reaction as the skeleton. DEAD BORED.

There is the chance of spreading yourself (no pun intended) too thin in this business, especially if that’s all you have. So GaGa better come up with some decent hits soon.

Now before you jump down my throat, I did listen to some of her songs and watched her videos. I suffered through “Paparazzi”,
and “Poker Face,” (she obviously likes to stu-stu-stutter in her songs). I then went on to listen to ”Just Dance” (total Madonna rip off), “LoveGame” – (that’s the “I want to take a ride on your disco stick” song) and ”Eh, Eh (Nothing Else I Can Say)”, which was eh eh, more boring than the title. And finally let’s not leave out “Beautiful Dirty Rich”. (”Bang bang we’re beautiful and dirty rich.”) Well she got the dirty rich part right. 

My conclusion?

I find her ba-ba-ba-BORING and repetitive. Perhaps I am jaded by years of watching others before her do the same things, only better. The difference again is they HAD TALENT and it was new.

I happened to catch a video of her on YouTube. She was a guest on some sort of talk show in Tokyo. Her performance was not any better than a night at a karaoke bar or a cruise ship talent show. She did a slow and painful version of “Po-po-po Poker Face.” Her piano playing sounded like she was wearing oven mitts. And frankly, I could NOT stop staring at the elephant on her head.

Yes, you heard me. She had a wig on her head in the shape of an elephant, complete with eyes.  However the elephant did work as far as taking my attention away from her piss poor performance. 
Smart gal. The acoustic rendition of this song  made me cringe more than her other version. If you haven’t seen it yet, it’s worth the laugh. Click here. 

GaGa just doesn’t cut it for me. She is probably thinking,  Hey! look at me in my rubber spider bubble dress with the giant butterfly on my head, aren’t I outrageous? NO! Sorry, you are not. 

But who is laughing all the way to the bank? She is.

As she said, ”I sold four million records in six months; I’m not embarrassed about anything”. Bless her little heart. 

But I say, if you are going to be a diva today, you better have some talent to back it up.

It’s very hard to get ahead these days in the music industry. Unfortunately many talented people fall by the way side, and some with little or no talent make it big. Just doesn’t seem fair. Hello William Hung!

There have also been some American Idol contestants who made it to the top, but I still don’t understand how some of them got there…. (hello Clay Aiken). Sorry Claymates. Are there any left out there?

I do give Lady GaGa SOME kudos for her confidence and for being able to make it in the music industry today, despite how little talent she has under those bubbles. But everything she does seems “borrowed” from either someone or something that came way before her. Even her name was taken from Queen’s song Radio GaGa according to her.

So for all you fans out there who are gaga over GaGa, and whom I expect will be barraging me with some lovely comments…just know that she is not the inventive ground breaking diva you think she is.

It’s all been done before many, many years ago and by people who wrote better songs and who had much more talent.

In fact even GaGa’s hair and face have a familiar look to it. GaGa has said that Donatello Versace is her favorite fashion icon. Um, clearly…she totally stole her look. I guess we know early what GaGa will look like when she gets older and has had a few nip, tucks and plumps. Scary isn’t it?

So getting back to divas from way back when… Who had the coconuts back in the 1940’s, to put a pile of fruit on her head and wear gigantic platform shoes and outrageous midriff outfits?

Why it was the lovely Carmen Miranda of course. Aka Maria do Carmo Miranda da Cunha. Here she is in one of her many wacky costumes complete with Christmas ornaments glitz and feathers! Carmen was also an actress and appeared in many movies. Watch this vid to see some of her many outrageous outfits and actual movie footage.

I can easily see GaGa taking Carmen’s Chica Boom song and adding some techno tracks and coming out on stage with fruit on her head. Errr…I mean humping some fruit on stage. Gee, I hope GaGa doesn’t read this, I don’t want to give her any ideas.

Chica chica boom chic baby!

Marilyn Monroe died in 1962. She lies at rest at the Westwood Village Memorial Park in Los Angeles with other great celebrities such as Dean Martin, Roy Orbison, Truman Capote, Natalie Wood, and recent arrival Farrah Fawcett, just to name a few.

The person buried directly above Marilyn is Mr. Richard Poncher. His last request was to be buried FACING down looking at Marilyn Monroe. Yes I think that is pretty creepy but yet comical at the same time. Richard originally purchased the crypt from baseball great Joe DiMaggio. As you may or may not know, Joe DiMaggio was married to Marilyn and they divorced in 1954.

So when Richard passed, his wife Elsie went along with his wishes and made sure that he was buried as he requested.
Below, in the red sqaure is where Mr. Poncher’s crypt is, which is of course directly above Marilyn.

But Richard Poncher’s final request was about to change. You see Mrs. Elsie Poncher decided to put her hubbie’s crypt up for sale, so she can pay off her Beverly Hills mortgage which was supposedly over one million dollars. She turned to, who else… Ebay.  Now of course his wife wasn’t going to leave Mr. Poncher out on a patio like Aunt Edna in the movie Vacation. She already owned a crypt for herself which is only over one spot from Marilyn, and she has now decided to be cremated. So Richard won’t be too far away from Marilyn, just no longer looking down at her.

Some may find  that not honoring or changing someone’s last request (within reason), is a bit crappy. But I guess his wife thought it was a pretty smart move . Or shall I say it WILL be a pretty smart move, because the ending bid on Ebay, after 21 bids that just ended this past Monday, was a whopping $4,602.100.00!

So poor Mr. Poncher’s request of eternally facing Marilyn will shorty be over. But wait…. the top bidder who was from Japan said he didn’t have the cash after all. So the bid will go to the next highest bidder and so on and so forth until the the deal is sealed. So that will buy Mr. Poncher a little more time next to Marilyn for now.

There were eleven bids over 4 million, so out of the eleven bidders, I imagine someone will eventually come forward with the dough. If you look at the actual auction above, you can see the “No Returns Accepted” in the auction details. I found that pretty amusing. Although “Local Pick-Up Offered” had me scratching my head a little.

Someone else who wanted to be next to Marilyn was Anna Nicole Smith. Her wish has always been to be buried next to her idol Marilyn.

It was brought up in court:

Anna’s mother; Virgie Arthur and boyfriends Howard Stern and Larry Birkhead all commented and testified in court that Anna wanted to be buried in California next to Marilyn Monroe. Virgie added, “She wanted to be buried with the stars.” Howard said he researched the possibility of burial alongside Marilyn, but the cost was an issue. Howard agonizes over money in the most clever ways, doesn’t he?
Anyhow, regardless of court testimony, burying Anna next to Marilyn was never even a remote possibility because of no space, that is, unless Hugh Hefner were to yield his, or somebody move out.

Shame this auction happened so late. Maybe Anna could have got her wish. It seems only fit that Anna Nicole should be laid to rest next to her idol? Maybe some day that will finally happen.

Will others jump at the chance to sell their loved one’s crypt on Ebay if they are near Marilyn? Maybe now that they have seen how much money can be made.

But who owns the crypts surrounding Marilyn?

A Genevieve Haney (if I read the name correctly from a picture) is below her, and to the right of Marilyn is Bruce Fred Fisher Jr. who was there before Marilyn. To the left of Marilyn is Hugh Hefner’s future crypt which he paid a pretty penny for not too long ago.
Fact: Marilyn was his first Playboy Playmate.

Maybe Heff will be struck with a surge of kindness and let Anna have his spot. It would be a very gracious gesture if he did. (and great publicity, not that he needs it)

If you want to know who ALL the stars are resting at this cemetery, go here for a list. It is a VERY impressive list at that. This cemetery is open to the public and anyone can visit. People are dying to get in there. Sorry.. I couldn’t resist.

Seriously… all are free to visit, which is pretty darn cool. It is located on1218 Glendon Avenue,Westwood, CA.

If you are lucky, maybe you will get to see Mr. Poncher getting moved to his FINAL? resting spot.
I wonder if Mr. Poncher will haunt his wife for changing his view?

Well I hope not, and if I was him I would keep quiet. If his wife doesn’t stay out of debt, who knows where Mr.Poncher may end up next? *snicker*

Here we go again.
It has been announced that the remake of the Beatles classic Yellow Submarine is in the works.Why or why do they insist on taking classics and and trashing them? Didn’t they learn their lesson with Willy Wonka, The Whiz, How The Grinch Stole Christmas, and Charlotte’s Web? (just to name a few classics).

Yellow Submarine was magic on the screen back in 1968. Imagine how it looked to a generation that was used to seeing black and white television and experiencing the whole “make love not war” movement. It was also the year that Martin Luther King was assassinated. The movie came out at a time of great civil unrest, and it was a hit I mean a ray of yellow sunshine. *snicker*

In the movie, the playful rhymes of  the charachter Jeremy Hillary Boob PhD. (he was my favorite) pretty much summed up the premise behind Yellow Submarine, “Peace! Peace! Supplant the doom and the gloom! Turn off what is sour! Turn into a flower and BLOOM! BLOOM! BLOOM”

To me, Yellow Submarine was more than just a trippy animated flick. It was part of an entire movement of peace and love. Beatles classic songs like Nowhere Man and All You Need Is Love melded together with trippy animation into a sensory overload of psychedelic yumminess which was loved by many young and old.

But Yellow Submarine was not loved by all and many considered it just a drugged out cartoon. Take for instance this scathing review  (<<<click on the link) of  Yellow Submarine when it was re-released in 1999. The review was entitled “ Take a psychedelic journey to Nowhere land with the Beatles & the Nowhere Man where you’ll find nothing too pleasing without the help from your friends.” Needless to say of course I disagreed with that interview.

The original Yellow Submarine took two years to make, by 40 animators and 140 technical artists and had 14 different scripts. Now I know by today’s standards, those methods are now obsolete, and technology has improved by leaps and bounds, but I am not too privy of someone taking this classic and making it into a modern day mess either.

Sadly, Disney is doing the remake. Now don’t even get me started on Disney, with it’s mass marketing of clothing and toys made in their GLOBAL sweat shops, and other things I don’t care to get into. I just ask you to please do your homework before you support them!
Disney is also pairing up with Rob Zemeckis for this remake.

Now granted Zemeckis has some big  and successful films under his belt, he also did two movies that I just totally despise which were Forest Gump and Who Framed Roger Rabbit. Two of the most annoying movies I ever had the displeasure of watching. Save me all the Forest Gump love  fest comments which I am sure I will get. I HATED the movie with a passion and had trouble getting through the whole thing and almost walked out. And if I hear “life is just like a box of chocolates” in that HORRIBLE fake accent that Hanks did one more time, I swear I am going to get the screaming Blue Meanies out.

In Yellow Submarine, the Captain of the Blue Meanies says to ”glove”, “A thing of beauty; destroy it forever!”

Is Disney going to be Yellow Submarine’s ”glove”?

Of course I know the original can never be destroyed. But sometimes another thing occurs when movies are remade. The younger audience thinks that the remake is the first one that was ever made and tend to think the real original is crap. This also happens with music today and it drives me totally NUTS! Grrrrrr! And no, Limp Bizkit was not the originator of the song ”Behind Blue Eyes“. Geez!

A lot of younger people also think if the movie is not in their face with special effects, then it just plain stinks. Perhaps that’s why Disney is going with 3-D animation to inhance it a much as posisble.

But…Disney has yet to acquire the rights to the Beatles songs thus far and one has to wonder if Michael Jackson’s recent death has anything to do with acquiring these songs.Why? Jackson’s estate happens to include the 4,000 song catalogue of  Beatle’s music which he purchased for 47.5 million back in 1985. But keep in mind, he owns the publishing rights for the songs. There is a difference in owning the publsihing rights and the performance rights. For a full explanation go here.  

A bit of history with Jackson and Beatle, Sir Paul McCartney. Jackson worked with McCartney on the song  Say Say Say and they did a video together for the song in 1984. Jackson also did The Girl Is Mine with McCartney in 1982. ( I won’t comment on the title or lyrics of that song, it’s just too easy).

Jackson was ironically advised by Paul McCartney. Sir Paul told Jackson more or less that buying music was a sound and lucrative investment. This advice was prior to the 1985 auction of the Beatles catalogue of songs. Jackson took Sir Paul’s advice and outbid both Paul McCartney AND John Lennon’s widow,Yoko Ono! 
Hey all you Jackson fans out there, how can you justify this dastardly move by Jackson? Huh?

Sir Paul and Yoko must have been a tad hot under the collar to say the least. If Jackson had any scruples, ESPECIALLY for the fact that he was also in the music industry, he would of let McCartney keep the publishing rights to his own songs that HE wrote with Lennon and not outbid him in the first place. But then again who knows what McCartney would of done with the songs either. Or even Yoko for that  matter. Maybe it was a good thing that Sir Paul didn’t get the songs? Sir Paul’s ex-wife, the money grubbing Heather Mills, never signed a pre-nup and the songs  may have ended up as being partly hers. GASP!
That money grubbing biotch got WAY too much from Sir Paul as far as I am concerned. At least she is out of the picture now. But when will you ever learn Sir Paul?

So what has happened with some of these songs over the years? Let’s jump back to the 1987 Nike commercial using the Beatles Revolution song. Capital Records owed the performance rights and was paid $250,000. Michael Jackson owned the publishing rights, (meaning use of the words and music) and he was paid for use of the song. Which was later followed by others like All You You Need is Love, which was used for a Luv’s Diaper commercial, and a version of the Beatles song Help, which was used in a car commercial in 1985 . Son Julian Lennon, son of John, lent his voice to When I’m 64 for an Allstate commercial and  let’s not forget Target’s use of Hello- Goodbye for their TV commercials. Egad!

The Beatles song collection saga continued on….. and in 1995, Sony paid Jackson 95 million and merged with ATV, to form Sony/ATV Publishing which was a 50/50 joint venture. So it is probably safe to say that Jackson’s estate includes HALF of the publishing rights to the Beatles songs. 

But there may be a silver lining in this dark cloud, well sort of.
Supposedly Jackson left the 4,000 Beatles songs to McCartney in his will. Rumor has it that Jackson felt remorse about his failed relationship with Sir Paul, and thought this was a way to make amends. Too bad Jackson didn’t do this YEARS ago, so he could of actually made amends in person with Sir Paul, rather than from the grave. So Sir Paul may end up with the publsihing rights to half of his own songs in the end. Just plain sad. *shakes head* But I guess it is better than nothing.
Sadly, Sony/ATV doesn’t need permission from surviving Beatles or heirs to license the songs. Damn you Jackson! And Damn you Sony!
So it’s still up in the air as to whether this remake of Yellow Submarine will eventually get the rights to use these songs.

So getting back to this movie remake.
The NY Times called the original a 2-D CARTOON and they also mentioned two of the movies I despise by Zemeckis.
From the NY Times :

More than 40 years after Old Fred fired up the titular vehicle of “Yellow Submarine” and used it to round up four Liverpool lads who would defend Pepperland from the Blue Meanies, Disney is preparing a remake of the Beatles’ 1968 animated movie, Variety reported.

The original film was a traditional (if thoroughly trippy) 2-D cartoon directed by George Dunning and designed by Heinz Edelmann, in which the Beatles appeared only in a live-action segment tacked on at the end. The planned remake, to be directed by Robert Zemeckis (“Forrest Gump,” “Who Framed Roger Rabbit”), will be a 3-D animated feature that would use the performance-capture technology seen in Mr. Zemeckis’s “Beowulf” and his coming remake of “A Christmas Carol.”

The Variety report said that Disney was still seeking to obtain rights to the Beatles songs used in the original “Yellow Submarine” film, including the title song and tracks like “Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds” and “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.” The remake is being planned for a 2012 release.

No casting was announced for the motion-capture remake, though the project does call to mind Paul McCartney’s recent remarks to Daniel Radosh in The New York Times Magazine: “In 10 years’ time you’ll be standing there, and you will be Paul McCartney. You know that, don’t you?”

Fact: Many people didn’t realize that the voices used in the original Yellow Submarine where not those of the actual Beatles. I never knew that myself. The Beatles only appeared at the very end of the movie as themselves.

Yellow Submarine had it’s fair share of merchandising back in the day to say the least, and it continues today. The Beatles had more merchandise than any other band in history. There were Yellow Submarine pop up books, calenders, Blue Meanie Halloween costumes, Goebel figurines and even Huffy Bikes jumped on the YS band wagon in 1968 and came out with a girls YS yellow bicycle complete with movie graphics right on the seat which I found on a Beatles memorabilia website.

Of course all this stuff had a huge resurgence in 1999 when they re-released the movie for the 30thyear Anniversary. Today you can still buy Yellow Submarine merchandise in all shapes and forms from neck ties to purses, to t-shirts to wallies to stick on your walls. They also came out with new YS Beatles figurines in the 90’s and again in 2000. Even the Cirque du Soleil has a show called LOVE dedicated to the music of the Beatles. I am sure Disney will jump on the merchandising band wagon and will have their little workers slaving away making sure that there is enough Yellow Submarine Onesies and Jeremy Hillary Boob lunch boxes. And don’t forget Yellow Submarine Happy Meals complete with plastic figures which will end up in landfills and stay there for all eternity. Oh wait that s right, Disney dumped McDonald’s back in 2006. Maybe Burger King then? *snicker*

OK, I know I am being cynical, and maybe I am too sentimental about movies being remade and the “old days”. So I decided to check myself, and I went through the list of movie remakes on Wikipedia, but I still found myself rooting for the original versions. Even really early movies like Mighty Joe Young which came out in 1949. I still found myself favoring the original over the remake. (ironically Disney did a remake and they also did  an animated version of course, they make me sick).

Films like Little Shop Of Horrors? DEFINITELY the original. Who can deny the greatness of the cameo by a very young and loony Jack Nicholson in the original? You can’t.
Even though some of these original movies were sheer cornball and the filming techniques were primitive, but that was part of what made the originals so great. They had a lot less to work with back then, but yet the movies were still phenomenal.

That is why I wish they would just leave the classics alone. You can’t reproduce living in the era when these original movies came out or the way people felt when they first saw the original Yellow Submarine. Many people may be annoyed by the remaking of Yellow Submarine. And I can’t speak for the hard core Beatles buffs. Maybe some will be unhappy and some will embrace the new movie with the hopes of a whole new generation of yougins’ buying Beatles music once again and helping to continue the Beatles legacy. I myself do not support Disney, so I will not be catching this particular flick.

But at the very least, let’s just hope that this new release does the original Yellow Submarine some justice and more importantly let’s hope it sends the same message as the original.
Which of course was:

Early Photo OF Les Paul Back In The Day

The legendary Les Paul has died at age 94. A truly great man whose expertise and talent will live on in the hearts and minds of many. His legacy will continue to inspire musicians for all eternity.

Rolling Stone wrote:

Les Paul, one of the most revered guitarists in history and the father of the electric guitar, passed away last night, August 12th at the age of 94. Paul’s manager confirmed to Rolling Stone that cause of death was respiratory failure, and a statement from Gibson indicates Paul was suffering from severe pneumonia and died at a hospital in White Plains, New York.

Look back at Paul’s life in photos: Jimmy Page, Eddie Van Halen and more stars with the father of the electric guitar.

An inductee of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and Grammy Hall of Fame, Paul is credited as the inventor of the electric body guitar and the pioneer of recording techniques like electronic echo and multi-tracking. Paul also had a celebrated career as both a solo artist and with singer Mary Ford, his wife until 1964. In 2003, Rolling Stone named Les Paul to our list of the Greatest Guitarists of All Time, and his influence on guitar greats who followed him is undeniable. “He was one of the most stellar human beings I’ve ever known,” Slash posted on his Twitter today, referring to Paul as his “friend and mentor.” Chickenfoot guitarist Joe Satriani released a statement that reads, “Les Paul set a standard for musicianship and innovation that remains unsurpassed. He was the original guitar hero, and the kindest of souls.”

Slash, Tom Morello and more guitarists remember Les Paul.

In the early ’50s, Paul and Ford had a string of hits including Mockin’ Bird Hill,” “How High the Moon,” “The World Is Waiting for the Sunrise” and “Vaya Con Dios.” Paul also began experimenting with the electric guitar, building the Les Paul Recording Guitar, an instrument that allowed for “hot” pickups and “fatter” tone than the Fender on the market. Paul linked up with Gibson Guitars and his six-string became one of the guitar maker’s signatures.

Around this time, Paul also made the first-ever eight-track recording, as well as the dual-pickup guitar, the 14-fret guitar, and various types of electronic transducers used both in guitars and recording studios. For his achievements as a technician, Paul was also inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2005, joining Thomas Edison and Nikola Tesla.

Read Gibson’s CEO’s memories of Paul’s impact here.

Paul was born in Waukesha, Wisconsin in 1915, a fact noted in the name of the 1980 Les Paul documentary The Wizard of Waukesha. Last November, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame honored Paul with its annual American Music Masters Concert, where Slash, ZZ Top’s Billy Gibbons, Richie Sambora and the Patti Smith Group’s Lenny Kaye paid tribute to Paul (watch footage from the event, below). Kaye told the audience, “Before Les, guitars were only amplified. Les made them truly electric.” During his acceptance speech, Paul joked, “Everybody thought I was a guitar until I played here tonight.” One thing is for certain: Les Paul is responsible for changing the way rock & roll sounds and he will be greatly missed.

Our many thanks and gratitude to a great man who blessed us with his ingenuity, his talent, his music and of course his guitars.
Sincere condolences to family and friends.

I have a serious case of the sads (hattip MK at Dlisted) today upon learning the man who defined my youth on film has gone to the great big movie screen in the sky.

John Hughes, responsible for some of the greatest movies ever made in the 80’s, died of a heart attack yesterday at the age of 59. Oddly, we’ve recently embarked on a journey of his films, including Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Weird Science, Breakfast Club, National Lampoon’s Vacation (the whole series), and Home Alone (1 and 2). This list is merely touching the surface of the films Hughes was responsible for either writing, directing or producing.

John Hughes single-handedly made Molly Ringwald a household name, and quite honestly, no other filmmaker has come close to capturing the teen-angst of Generation X better than he did.

John began his career writing for the parody magazine National Lampoon (responsible for the great Animal House — another one of my favorite movies – though Hughes was not involved in that film.) Specifically, I am most fond of Pretty In Pink, which pretty much summed up my one and only major heartbreak in high school (except mine didn’t end happily ever after) and for that, I will forever be in debt to Mr. Hughes.

Here’s more on the legend from the LATimes:

Filmmaker John Hughes burned brightest in the ’80s, when he defined teen angst in terms of the caste system of the suburban high school experience, a thread that others would pick up again and again.

His films were talky, in a good way. Like the kids whose stories he was telling, he let them ramble. Teen self-absorption was treated with reverence, not ridicule. The world might make fun of them, their classmates, their brothers and sisters too, but never John Hughes.

And a generation of kids and future filmmakers like Kevin Smith and Judd Apatow embraced it.

Hughes, who died Thursday at age 59, was fascinated with the human as outsider. Outsiders like “Pretty in Pink’s” Molly Ringwald who just wanted to fit in. And outsiders who couldn’t care less: Matthew Broderick as Ferris Bueller on his legendary day off, Judd Nelson’s not quite broken Bender in “The Breakfast Club,” Anthony Michael Hall’s martini-mixing geek in “Sixteen Candles,” all members of the players club before they were 17.

But Hughes’ outsiders lived in a different part of town than, say, Francis Ford Coppola’s gritty, wrong side of the tracks “The Outsiders.” Hughes outsiders were white, comfortably middle-class and probably from one of Chicago’s affluent suburbs, where he grew up and returned in the ’90s when he’d had his fill of Hollywood. Things were only slightly sad or bad in his films, there were no serious train wrecks — only feelings got hurt, and the endings were usually happy ones.

He reflected a very specific slice of Americana that like many, I understood. A pop culture filmmaker adored in the heartland, he knew how to hit all the light notes – an easy sentimentality, a measured angst, an outrageous sense of fun. His was a spoon-full-of-sugar kind of filmmaking that was often exactly what I wanted, if not what I needed.

The slights that life hands us was one of his favorite playgrounds. Forgotten birthdays, forgotten kids, forgotten families — “Sixteen Candles,” “Home Alone,” “Planes, Trains & Automobiles” — someone was forever being overlooked.

When you’re Ringwald, and a soft, pouty, still awkward 16, it hurts; when you’re an 8-year-old screaming terror embodied by Macaulay Culkin, it’s the best Christmas gift ever; and when you’re John Candy’s middle-aged lonely traveling salesman in a life where nothing, including the suit, fits, it’s tragic.

For a period of time, Hughes was so dominant — certainly in the U.S. where he always played best — that it’s hard to believe that he only directed eight films. He wrote 30 others — the “Home Alones,” most notably — that were produced, 16 of them in the ’80s, 13 in the ’90s, and contributed characters or ideas to a handful of others.

Of all of his films, there are two that will forever be quintessentially Hughes for me: “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,” absolutely swimming in attitude, which captured brilliantly and irritatingly the kind of cockiness that you envy as a teen, hate as an adult, recognize no matter what age you are, and “The Breakfast Club,” life deconstructed in high school detention, the archetypes and the anxiety playing out in real time.

By “Curly Sue” in 1991, Hughes had apparently tired of fighting battles with studio executives who second-guessed him.

He left Hollywood behind and headed back to the Chicago area, where he would still dabble in the business from a distance.

But really, Hughes was a creature of the ’80s, and if he hadn’t left Hollywood, it was on its way to leaving him.

Comedy took on more of an edge, went raunchier, darker, meaner than Hughes ever could.

In the end, like so many of the characters he created, Hughes had become a cinematic memory stream of another time when things didn’t seem so bad.

I will light 16 candles and remember.

As will I. Honestly, I don’t think any person before or after, captured a cultural phenomenon like that of the 80’s as well as Hughes did, therein lies his genius. And quite frankly, the movie industry has yet to replace Hughes’ unique insight into the teen psyche, and for that, we are a little less rich as a society.

R.I.P John Hughes, thanks for smoothing the edges of my teen years and making them seem almost normal.