The Alphie II was a very simple learning toy produced by Playskool (circa 1980). It ran on batteries and came with different insert cards to help children learn math, spelling, matching skills, etc. It also played music.
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January 2008
January 31, 2008
Singer tries to reinvent old '80s hits
Michael Jackson, the “King of Pop,” is reviving his classic album, “Thriller,” supposedly working with producers such as will.i.am and Kanye West.
In a supreme effort to save what’s left of his shattered career and tarnished image, Jackson is remixing and updating some of his greatest work to change with the post-Moonwalk musical times. By adding some of today’s most revered artists, Jackson hopes to solidify his already iconic mark on popular music – while trying to add some much-needed cash in his silver-sparkling hands.
A remake of Jackson’s “Wanna Be Startin’ Something,” has been rolling around many entertainment Web sites recently. The track features Akon yelping over a plain yet corny piano opening, then attempting to cover the track with minimal originality.
If I wanted to hear “Wanna Be Startin’ Something,” in the original capacity, I would opt to remove Akon’s pointless and cornball support. MJ must have gone down the list of performers on the Billboard Top 20 list and selected the most talentless ones.
What’s next, “Smooth Criminal” featuring T.I. and “Leave Me Alone” with T-Pain? (Not taking anything from these two.)
Wouldn’t it be better if MJ created more new music, instead of dwelling in his past feats? I guess as long as he and R. Kelly don’t remake “Trapped In The Closet” together, the kids are safe.
But I think he still has a few more “Hee, Hee“s and “Woo“s left to make an album – without employing every one-hit wonder in heavy radio rotation.
Akon shouldn’t have even sung a verse, since everything he sings sounds exactly the same.
He should’ve just stuck to the refrain, “Mama-se, mama-sa, ma-ma-koo-sa.”
Click Here to view the original article.
80s Greaties
There once was a blissful world of tongue and cheek, where terms like "politically correct" did not exist and people watched sitcoms and movies for entertainment rather than the new staple, reality shows. I call this land the 80s, and from it emerges the ever present 80s film. A time where movies were supposed to be funny and silly and they actually were.
But sometimes there was a dark side, and this is where "The Lost Boys" comes in. Quite possibly after having just directed "St. Elmo's Fire," director Joel Schumacher was looking for something with a bit more bite, and he found that in Janice Fischer and James Jeremais' story of a group of decadent teenage vampires and their exploits.
In the center of it all are Michael (Jason Patric) and Sam (Corey Haim), who recently moved into this land of iniquity with their mother after her divorce. And, as young teenage boys do, Michael goes in search of a little randiness; he manages to find some, but of course not without trouble following along with it. Michael's love interest, Star, just happens to come with a few attachments - a group of guys, namely David (Kiefer Sutherland) and their taste for nightlife, with blood as their chosen refreshment for the evening.
The Frog brothers are a duo of vampire menace and maliciousness played by Corey Feldman and Jamison Newlander. They brought the fix of comedy to the film that every cult 80s film holds the right to have. The classic scream hug consisting of an embrace joined in with bloody murder screaming is something you just don't see today - pure hilarity. But on top of this, they must prove Sam's mother is dating a vampire and, my what fun ensues at the dinner table. However, Grandpa (Barnard Hughes) steals the show quite a few times with his quirky and matter-of-fact personality. The taxidermy jokes are priceless, and frankly I haven't seen better since.
These days, everyone has gone on to relatively lucrative lives, but they will always be transfixed in the lost boys section of our hearts. Haim and Newlander obviously knew this as they are planning to return to their Frog brother's glory in the straight to video "The Lost Boys 2: The Tribe," due out this July. Perhaps this is a nostalgic attempt to remember when their careers had more of a pulse. But just maybe it can live up to its predecessor.
Whenever I look at the latest vampire movie with all its blood and gore, I can only reminisce about what once was. "The Lost Boys" has become a staple for present vampire movies. Most contemporary tales of the vampire are similar in detail to its predecessor, and this could be the ultimate homage. Though I must say I wish they wouldn't, because there can only be one "The Lost Boys."
Click Here to view the original article.
January 30, 2008
Best Guitar Shredders of the 80s
Although there were too many hair bands in the 80s who focused too much on looking good and too little on learning to play instruments, the 80s really brought the guitarist front and center. Here's a list of some of the best guitarists to emerge from this decade:
Eddie Van Halen: Eddie
offered a completely unique style with finger tapping and melodic riffs
that had guitar players everywhere jealous. Countless guitarists tried
to copy him, from Vitto Bratta to Reb Beach. But you always knew an
Eddie solo. He not only had the coolest sound, but he seemed like the
coolest person on stage too.
Yngwie Malmsteen:
Yngwie's first release was with a metal band featuring none other than
Ron Keel on vocals. He then launched a solo career and brought the
neo-classical style to the forefront. It was all about speed and when
teamed with Jeff Scott Soto on vocals, he put together some great
songs. But his best recording was completed recently where he went on a
tirade against some woman on a flight. His buddy recorded and
distributed it on the web. Too funny.
Steve Vai:
Vai is one of the more talented musicians but his style isn't for
everyone. He performed with Frank Zappa and then went on to join David
Lee Roth and Whitesnake. He can put together amazing songs with
unbelievable solos, and then throws in some weird, out-of-tune stuff
that leaves you wondering.
Nuno Bettencourt:
If you've ever seen Extreme live, you probably got to watch Nuno
perform Flight of the Bumblebee. Pretty cool experience. He seems to
play with an effortless style and incorporates some melodic licks in
his solos.
Jake E. Lee:
Ozzy's former lead guitarist really knew how to play. He covered Randy
Rhodes' solos and then offered a style all his own. Once the Ultimate
Sin came out, it seemed like Ozzy was going a little mainstream which
hurt Lee's performance. But he came back in Badlands to write some very
cools songs.
Angus Young:
Not only is Angus one of the best hard rock guitarists, he's also the
most energetic. The fact that he can play a solo without missing a note
while bouncing around all night on stage is truly impressive. He has a
unique style that mixes a lot of blues riffs with pull-offs that make
for a great sound.
Paul Gilbert:
The man would play solos with an electric drill. Pretty funny stage
antics but he also had sound chops and melodic riffs. He could play
several different styles, from fast arpeggio runs to slow solos for
ballads.
George Lynch:
I was never a Dokken fan because I didn't like the weak vocals. But
listening to songs like Mr. Scary really highlighted what a good
guitarist Lynch was. You can hear more of it come out on Lynch Mob
releases as well.
Dave Murray and Adrian Smith:
The Iron Maiden duo provided us with memorable guitar harmonies that
still sound good today. Instead of trying to compete with each other,
they really worked together to write some great songs and solos.
Top action stars of the 1980s
The action movies of today seem to be group efforts. Teams of soldiers, cops, cowboys and/or Spartans battle scores of villains for the future of peace and other important stuff. Wimps.
We remember when an action hero fought alone, spraying evil-doers with lead and one-liners, without the help of anyone, except maybe a dog or some random chick. It was a simpler time back then, a time known as the '80s.
Celebrating the return of Sylvester Stallone as John J. Rambo, here are some of the top '80s action stars.
Sylvester Stallone
'80s High Point: First Blood (1982)
'80s Low Point: Rhinestone (1984)
Sly Stallone was one of the few action heroes who had an Oscar pedigree thanks to 1976's incomparable underdog tale, Rocky. In the '80s, Stallone turned down the acting chops and turned up the awesome chops as he got totally ripped and only signed up for films where he killed more than 235 people.
Arnold Schwarzenegger
'80s High Point: The Terminator (1984)
'80s Low Point: Twins (1988)
If you wrapped an atomic, sword-shooting bazooka in muscle and fists and fired it from atop your talking, two-headed lion, you still wouldn't be as deadly as Arnold was in flicks like Commando, Conan the Barbarian and Predator. Schwarzenegger was the go-to guy when you needed to ventilate some terrorists, punch an alien in the pancreas, travel through time to hand out some face killers to an unborn child, or be Danny Devito's long-lost twin.
Harrison Ford
'80s High Point: Raiders of the Lost Ark (1982)
'80s Low Point: What low point?
Who were they then? By the time the 1980s were over, Harrison Ford had appeared in five of the Top 10 highest grossing films of that decade. In those five movies, Ford played two of the greatest characters in film history (Han Solo and Indiana Jones).
Where are they now? Ford's winning streak at the box office may have slowed down a tad, but he's still a big name star. He's also still in shape, as he's set to reprise his role as Indiana Jones in the franchise's upcoming fourth film, The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.
Click Here to view the original article.
The '80s Are Back: NKOTB Edition
People Magazine is reporting that the former five hardest working kids in show business might just become the five hardest working middle-aged men in show biz. That's right - New Kids on the Block are reportedly planning to follow in Extreme's footsteps as the latest former Boston glory band returning to the spotlight.
Just how long has it been? Bostonist remembers back when teen mag pin-up boy Joey Joe McIntyre (who has subsequently dropped the extra Joe) was busy modifying the vocals to "Please Don't Go Girl" because his voice had finally deepened (that would be the Hangin' Tough World Tour). Now? Joey McIntyre has a new baby. Oh, and he's 35 years old. Yeah.
In honor of this news, we present our take on the discussions that surely must have taken place prior to the decision to update the official NKOTB website. We'd like to think that the process went as follows:
Step One - Realize the amount of enjoyment that could take place from such a reunion.
Step Two - Acknowledge the potential for what could be accomplished through said reunion.
Step Three - Accept that only McIntyre, Jordan Knight, Jonathan Knight,
Donnie Wahlberg and Danny Wood would make such an event take place.
Step Four - Discuss the manner in which the band could take its musicianship to the next level.
Step Five - Inquire about whether people are aware of the timeliness of this reunion.
Click Here
January 29, 2008
January 28, 2008
January 25, 2008
Rubik’s Cubes invade Heritage Hall
In Oklahoma City,
A lot has happened since the Chargers defeated Casady in basketball last week, starting with the invasion of a certain multi-colored cube first popularized in the 80s. That’s right, I’m talking about the Rubik’s Cube. This interesting trend emerged after Winter Break during which Daniel Pappas and Caleb Villaflor became intrigued with it. As they brought the cubes to school, others’ curiosities were peaked; thus, the fad spread like wildfire among the senior class.
Click Here to view the original article.
