ΤΑ ΚΑΛΥΤΕΡΑ ΤΟΥ 2007

Σύμφωνα με μένα, έτσι??? Μην πέσει κανείς να με φάει :-)

TOP-50 SINGLES

1. DOLORES O'RIORDAN "Ordinary Day"
2. CELINE DION "Taking Chances"
3. KT TUNSTALL "Saving My Face"
4. CELINE DION "S'il N'en Restait Qu'une (Je Serais Celle-La)"
5. ROBYN WITH KLEERUP "With Every Heartbeat"
6. JAMES BLUNT "1973"
7. RILO KILEY "The Moneymaker"
8. TORI AMOS "Bouncing Off Clouds"
9. BRITNEY SPEARS "Gimme More"
10. MIKA "Relax (Take It Easy)"
11. HANNAH FURY "Girls That Glitter Love the Dark"
12. THE ATTIC feat. THERESE "The Arrival"
13. RUFUS WAINWRIGHT "Going to A Town"
14. ALLAIN BOUGRAIN DUBOURG & ARNO ELIAS "El Corazon"
15. AMY WINEHOUSE "You Know I'm No Good"
16. RIHANNA "Umbrella"
17. PATRICK NUO "Watching Over You"
18. ARCTIC MONKEYS "Teddy Picker"
19. DAVID VENDETTA "Unidos (Para La Musica)"
20. BAT FOR LASHES "What's A Girl to Do?"
21. RIHANNA "Don't Stop the Music"
22. TRAVIS "Closer"
23. BJORK "Earth Intruders"
24. BEYONCE & SHAKIRA "Beautiful Liar"
25. ROGER SANCHEZ "Lost"
26. LEONA LEWIS "Bleeding Love"
27. SUNRISE AVENUE "Fairytale Gone Bad"
28. DQ "Drama Queen"
29. PAUL VAN DYK feat. REA "Let Go"
30. KYLIE MINOGUE "2 Hearts"
31. MICHAEL BUBLE "Lost"
32. PURESSENCE "Don't Know Any Better"
33. DAVID GUETTA "Love Is Gone"
34. ROISIN MURPHY "Overpowered"
35. PETER BJORN AND JOHN "Young Folks"
36. GLORIA ESTEFAN "No Llores"
37. LEANN RIMES "Nothin' Better To Do"
38. NATASHA BEDINGFIELD "Soulmate"
39. JOSS STONE feat. COMMON "Tell Me What We're Gonna Do Now"
40. TAKE THAT "Rule the World"
41. TRACEY THORN "Grand Canyon"
42. YVES LAROCK "Rise Up"
43. NICOLE ATKINS "Neptune City"
44. PLUMB "In My Arms"
45. WITHIN TEMPTATION "Frozen"
46. JAMIE LEWIS & DJ PIPPY feat. KIM COOPER "So Sexy"
47. BILLIE RAY MARTIN "Undisco Me"
48. PJ HARVEY "The Piano"
49. PLAIN WHITE T'S "Hey There Delilah"
50. ERIK FABER "Not Over"/ THE BIRD AND THE BEE "Fucking Boyfriend"

TOP-20 GREEK SINGLES

1. ΤΑΜΤΑ "Αγαπησέ Με"
2. MATISSE "5 Seconds of Love"
3. ΑΝΔΡΙΑΝΑ ΜΠΑΜΠΑΛΗ "Δες Καθαρά"
4. TAMTA "With Love"
5. ΜΠΛΕ "Με Ταξιδεύεις"
6. ΕΥΡΥΔΙΚΗ "Comme Ci, Comme Ca"
7. ΔΕΣΠΟΙΝΑ ΟΛΥΜΠΙΟΥ "Πες το Δυνατά"
8. ΚΩΝΣΤΑΝΤΙΝΟΣ ΒΗΤΑ "Όλο Αυτό Που Ποτέ"
9. ΕΛΛΗ ΚΟΚΚΙΝΟΥ "Λυπάμαι Ειλικρινά"
10. ΜΙΚΡΟ "Αυτή η Πόλη"
11. MATISSE "Call Me, Call Me"
12. ΕΛΕΥΘΕΡΙΑ ΑΡΒΑΝΙΤΑΚΗ "Μην Ορκίζεσαι"
13. ΕΥΣΤΑΘΙΑ "Δεν Υπήρξες Ποτέ"
14. EMIGRE & ΣΤΑΜΑΤΗΣ ΚΡΑΟΥΝΑΚΗΣ "Κόκκινα Γυαλιά"
15. MATISSE "She Bop"
16. ΕΛΕΝΑ ΠΑΠΑΡΙΖΟΥ "Μαζί Σου"
17. ΔΟΜΝΑ ΚΟΥΝΤΟΥΡΗ feat. OMINUS "Δεν Θα΄μαι Εδώ"
18. ΓΙΩΡΓΗΣ ΧΡΙΣΤΟΔΟΥΛΟΥ "Πειρατής"
19. ΑΓΓΕΛΙΚΗ ΗΛΙΑΔΗ "Ποτέ Δεν Έφυγες"
20. ΦΙΛΙΠΠΟΣ ΠΛΙΑΤΣΙΚΑΣ "Ποιος Έχει Λόγο Στην Αγάπη"

TOP-50 ALBUMS

1. PJ HARVEY "White Chalk"
2. CELINE DION "D'Elles"
3. DOLORES O'RIORDAN "Are You Listening?"
4. CELINE DION "Taking Chances"
5. ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK "Persepolis"
6. KT TUNSTALL "Drastic Fantastic"
7. MAROON 5 "It Won't Be Soon Before Long"
8. HARD-FI "Once Upon A Time in the West"
9. PINK MARTINI "Hey Eugene!"
10. TORI AMOS "American Doll Posse"
11. TARJA TURUNEN "My Winter Storm"
12. MATTAFIX "Rhythm & Hymns"
13. BRITNEY SPEARS "Blackout"
14. KYLIE MINOGUE "X"
15. DAVID VENDETTA "Rendez-vous"
16. MICHAEL BUBLE "Call Me Irresponsible"
17. MIKA "Life in Cartoon Motion"
18. KAISER CHIEFS "Yours Truly, Angry Mob"
19. WITHIN TEMPTATION "The Heart of Everything"
20. ULTRA ORANGE & EMMANUELLE "Ultra Orange & Emmanuelle"
21. MARTINA MCBRIDE "Waking Up Laughing"
22. THE ATTIC "Remember Tomorrow"
23. THE BIRD AND THE BEE "The Bird and the Bee"/ CHROMATICS "Night Drive"
24. GLORIA ESTEFAN "90 Millas"
25. RADIOHEAD "In Rainbows"
26. LUCINDA WILLIAMS "West"
27. KATIE MELUA "Pictures"
28. AGUA DE ANNIQUE "Air"
29. AU REVOIR SIMONE "The Bird of Music"
30. BEN'S BROTHER "Beta Male Fairytales"
31. THIRTEEN SENSES "Contact"
32. BJORK "Volta"
33. DELTA GOODREM "Delta"
34. SIOBHAN DONAGHY "Ghosts"
35. DAVE GAHAN "Hourglass"
36. JESSICA FOLCKER "Skin Close"
37. JAMES BLUNT "All the Lost Souls"
38. PAUL VAN DYK "In Between"
39. RIHANNA "Good Girl Gone Bad"
40. SUGABABES "Change"
41. TRAVIS "The Boy With No Name"
42. ROISIN MURPHY "Overpowered"
43. TRACEY THORN "Out of the Woods"
44. TIMBALAND "Presents Shock Value"
45. FEIST "The Reminder"/ THE PIERCES "Thirteen Tales of Love and Revenge"
46. HANNAH FURY "Through the Gash"
47. ARCADE FIRE "Neon Bible"
48. SCORPIONS "Humanity Hour I"
49. BURIAL "Untrue"
50. ENRIQUE IGLESIAS "Insomniac"/ NICOLE ATKINS "Neptune City"

TOP-15 (ούτε καν 20!) GREEK ALBUMS

1. MATISSE "Toys Up"
2. ΕΛΕΝΗ ΤΣΑΛΙΓΟΠΟΥΛΟΥ+ΜΙΚΡΟ "MAD Secret Concerts"
3. ΓΙΩΡΓΗΣ ΧΡΙΣΤΟΔΟΥΛΟΥ "Μην Αλλάξεις Ποτέ"
4. ΕΛΕΝΑ ΠΑΠΑΡΙΖΟΥ "Υπάρχει Λόγος (Platinum Edition)"
5. ΑΝΔΡΙΑΝΑ ΜΠΑΜΠΑΛΗ "Δες Καθαρά"
6. ΣΑΚΗΣ ΡΟΥΒΑΣ "This Is My Live"
7. ΤΑΜΤΑ "Αγάπησέ Με"
8. EMIGRE "Είμαστε Ένα"
9. ΕΥΣΤΑΘΙΑ "Δεν Μπορεί, Έχει Meeting"
10. ΔΕΣΠΟΙΝΑ ΒΑΝΔΗ "10 Χ.Μ."
11. ΜΙΧΑΛΗΣ ΧΑΤΖΗΓΙΑΝΝΗΣ "Ζωντανά Στο Λυκαβηττό 2007-08"
12. ΜΙΚΡΟ "Restart"
13. ΚΩΝΣΤΑΝΤΙΝΟΣ ΒΗΤΑ "Άργος"
14. NIKOS ALIAGAS & FRIENDS "Rendez-vous"
15. ΕΛΛΗ ΚΟΚΚΙΝΟΥ "Ειλικρινά"

oh bettie

hot stuff !

Holding Back The Years...

Welp, as much as we hate to admit it, in a couple of days we'll all have to learn to write 2008 on our checks. The new year will be upon us and, as we are all wont to do, sit back and take inventory of what kind of year it was, what we got out of it and what we expect out of the next one.

Me first!

Needless to say, 2007 wasn't the best year for me. Looking back through my posts is a good indicator of that. For a couple of months I was posting strong (in fact, a lot more frequently than a lot of my betters - no offense, betters.) and was excited about a lot of what I was saying.

Thing is, there was also a lot of that horrible thing called "life" seeping in around the cracks and edges, making me doubt a lot of what I was doing - not just here but in every aspect of my life. It wasn't a pretty picture and, frankly, I didn't like the person I became as a result of it.

But then, closer to the end of the year, things did start to turn around (at a 10-degree angle, but they did turn), a little more money started trickling in, I got a job that was steady, I got more involved in the local theater (thee-ay-tuh!) and found an outlet for all my frustrated creativity. Not to mention the friendships I made here online strengthened and helped me out emotionally as well as psychologically - you already know about my upcoming changes to the blog here...what, you don't? Oh well...nevermind - hee hee - and in all things have just turned around for the better.

I guess what I'm getting at is that things are going to be good in 2008. Better, even. And I have so many people to thank for it that a list threatens to take up the rest of my space here. Just know what all of you who contributed to my newfound inner peace and tranquility that will see me carefully into the new year, I appreciate you all and thank you profusely. More than profusely, in fact... über-profusely!

So, as the clock ticks down and friends raise their champagne glasses and sing "Auld Lang Syne" and watch the ball drop, I'll be right here, keeping on, writing and smiling, being happy about how things are going. Thankful. A marked change from this time last year.

This will probably be my last post for this year, since I have a lot to get ready for in '08. That being the case, for all of my friends and acquaintances (all 12 of you), I wish you a Happy New Year, a prosperous 2008 and all the best in the coming months.

In fact, just for old times sake, watch this:



...but not until around midnight this coming Monday. ; ) ...and I'll see ya next year!

Dope out.

-TGWD

whoa. this kid is insane.

this kid is playing guitar hero III, expert level, DragonForce's "Through the Flames and Fire"

and he gets a 95%. I am not kidding



http://view.break.com/422526 - Watch more free videos

what the fuck

what the fuck is this? seriously. can anybody tell me what this is? it looks like mr. t shit on chyna and then its hair became all anime. or something.


and is that a peen or a vageen? what is going on?????

best 20 albums of the year

refinery29.com just put out their list of top albums of the year. I must be really out of touch b/c I haven't heard any of these albums in their entirety and haven't even heard of 7 or 8 of these bands. and although at first I was into feist (mostly b/c she sang for broken social scene and used to be roommates w/ peaches) I want to fucking kill myself if I see that ipod commercial one more time w/ her 1234 song. thoughts?


1. Radiohead—In Rainbows
"Reckoner" [MP3]
Leave it to Radiohead to casually release a masterpiece on the internet with no promotion or warning. The songs sound worn-in and comfortable, and even without making a stylistic jump forward, it's still the best album we've heard all year. Buy this album



2. Of Montreal—Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer?
"Faberge Falls for Shuggie" [MP3]
There's something completely insane yet totally innovative and amazing about Of Montreal where there is so much going on, so many sounds and references your head is spinning but at the same time your body is moving. "Faberge Falls..." is a perfect starting point for someone to experience exactly what I mean. Enjoy. Buy this album



3. Feist—The Reminder
"Intuition" [MP3]
She's known now as the iPod queen, but that track just scratches the surface of her true song-writing abilities. Usually an album so poppy and accessible doesn't stand the test of time, but "The Reminder" was stronger than we initially expected as evidenced by this heartbreaking ballad "Intuition," one of our top tracks of the year. Buy this album



4. Panda Bear—Person Pitch
"Bros" [MP3]
There are thousands of bedroom producers all over the world, but only one of them is capable of making "Pet Sounds" on a cheap sampler. The only logical thing to do when this album ends is to play it over again. Buy this album



5. Deerhunter—Cryptograms
"Hazel Street" [MP3]
This band elicits a rather divisive reaction from people but at its core it's really just an amazing pop band with iconic characters and sometimes abrasive psychadelics. (spelling?). Hazel St creeps up on you and will have you rocking out in no time to Mr. Cox's angelic vocals. Keep an eye on these guys. Buy this album



6. Justice—+
"Newjack"
So what if they stole most of their moves from Daft Punk? We should be trying to encourage that kind of behavior and not condemn it. Plus, the " D.A.N.C.E." video made our year. Buy this album




7. The Field—From Here We Go Sublime
"Everyday" [MP3]
Those crazy Swedes—they can take a millisecond of a Lionel Richie song, repeat it ad nauseum, and make us love every minute of it. Buy this album




8. Dirty Projectors—Rise Above
"No More" [MP3]
Those crazy Brooklynites—they can take a Black Flag album we haven't listened to since high school, reimagine it as an art-school pop experiment, and turn it into one of the freshest albums of the past five years. Buy this album




9. LCD Soundsystem—Sound of Silver
"Someone Great" [MP3]
The guy with impeccable taste who made it cool for indie kids to be into electronic music finally reached his full potential with Sound of Silver. This time around he had more than good ideas: He had great songs. Buy this album




10. PJ Harvey—White Chalk
"Silence" [MP3]
Ok, so PJ doesn't rock so hard anymore, but she's still as intense as ever. Let this track wash over you like a warm bath, just don't hurt yourself! Buy this album




11. Cass Mccombs—Dropping the Writ
"That's That" [MP3]
A Baltimore folksinger who abandons his lo-fi sound for a style closer to the classic Smiths sound. For some reason, whenever we hear this we think of the Mannequin soundtrack. Good movie. Buy this album





12. Beirut—The Flying Club Cup
"Cliquot" [MP3]
Co-written by Canadian wunderkind Owen Pallett, this track is the only duet on the album and ends up being one of the stronger pieces. A gay love story as played by Beirut—a classic. Buy this album





13. Roisin Murphy—Overpowered
"Primitive" [MP3]
All you need to do to understand Roisin Murphy is watch her videos and check out her outfits. It makes everything click into place. Trust us. Buy this album





14. No Age—Weirdo Rippers
"Semi-Sorted" [MP3]
Pretty much the formula for this album is beautiful, noisy intros that lead into 20-second pop punk explosions. After a few listens you begin to realize you love the buildup so much, you don't care if the explosion ever comes. Buy this album





15. Sleeping States—There the Open Spaces
"Rivers" [MP3]
This little-known UK singer-songwriter put out one of 2007's most charming releases, with this track standing above major label singles as one of the sweetest songs we've heard in years. Buy this album




16. Electrelane—No Shouts No Calls
"The Greater Times" [MP3]
RIP Electrelane. We will sorely miss you, but at least you left us with an amazing final album to remember you by. Buy this album




17. Deerhoof—Friend Opportunity
"Believe E.S.P." [MP3]
For a rock band, we admire Deerhoof's willingness to take any sound that pops into their heads and run with it. For this album, they decided to sound like a drunken J-pop garage band. It works. Buy this album




18. Papercuts—Can't Go Back
"John Brown" [MP3]
Woozy, reverbed and tender the Papercuts are here to heal you and "John Brown" is just the man for the job. Buy this album




19. The Clientele—God Save The Clientele
"Bookshop Casanova" [MP3]
The Clientele with a bit of disco sass you say? We welcome that after their endless sleepy record of yesteryear. Bookshop Casanova owns big time. Buy this album




20. Yeasayer—All Hour Cymbals
"2080" [MP3]
One of the newer faces around the *cough*, "brooklyn scene", these guys are setting themselves to be the next animal collective except catchier—a great release all around. Buy this album

How Was YOUR Christmas?

Here's hoping that all my regulars (all 12 of you) had a Merry Christmas, a Happy Kwaanza, Jolly Hanukkah, Great Festivus, Lovely Summer Solstice or a Nice Tuesday.

Myself, I got a boatload of great DVDs on and pre-Christmas, not to mention a few sundry other items, of clothing, candy, and so forth.

...but the greatest gift I got today came from my good friend Andrew (whose blogs are prominently featured on the side of this text, over there), who seems to hold a great deal of faith in my abilities and what I'm doing here with the old semi-updated blog - enough so that he secured me a domain in which to park my rantings from now on.

Yeah, I know. Whoa.

Now you can all update your bookmarks to http://www.thegreatwhitedope.com

So expect a few changes here and there in the coming days/weeks/months in what you see.

And it looks like I'll be sticking with this whole thing for a while longer than I thought, or even expected. Not a complaint, mind you...yet I'm still (pleasantly) surprised by all that's happened in the last few weeks.

And to you, Andrew...you're the best friend a guy could ever have. Thanks.

(thumbs up)

So if you'll excuse me, I have to go and count my blessings now.

Dope out.

-TGWD

The Dope's Top 10 Wanna-Sees - PART 2!

Hey, a sequel! Cool!

Well, a sequel to a previous post, anyway. You may remember a few pages back (or down or whatever) that I listed some movies that I wouldn't mind seeing as well as owning. The thing is that I have a lot of movies that I've already seen but, hard as it is to believe, there are a great many that I have not yet or have briefly and want very much to own to see at my leisure.

And NO, this is not me being greedy. I'm simply stating my desire to look upon flicks that have such a sterling reputation (i.e.: really BAD reputations) that necessity states I must have them. Simple as that, see?

With this in mind, and keeping in mind also that there are only a couple of shopping days till Christmas (hint-hint), here are 10 MORE movies that I, TheGreatWhiteDope, must have, at any and all costs.
----------
NOTE: As before, the ones I've finally got have their titles/reviews in red, such as this. So you see, I'm a-still collectin'.

You may continue now.

----------

10. THE LAST MOVIE (1971, dir: Dennis Hopper)

Anyone who is familiar with Dennis Hopper is more familiar with his acting successes in Easy Rider, Blue Velvet, Hoosiers and Speed, as well as his directorial triumphs the likes of Easy Rider (again) and Colors. But in 1971, he released a film that was funded by Universal Studios in the hopes that Easy Rider lightning would strike twice. It didn't, but this is supposed to be such a hallucinatory, disjointed, artsy-fartsy, mind-bendingly inexplicable example of film-making that seeing it is a no-brainer for someone like me. Heck, I own The Master Gunfighter. Check THAT one out at the ol' IMDb and you'll see my rationale.








9. YOR - THE HUNTER FROM THE FUTURE (1983, dir: Antonio Margheriti)

Yes, the one starring Reb "Screams Like A Girl" Brown doing his Conan thing in an Italian movie that somehow ends up in a futuristic utopia after trudging through caveman times for the first half of the film. I always ended up seeing the last half of Yor on the Sci-Fi Channel and wished I could see it all. Besides which, any movie that has our hero hang-gliding into an enemy camp using a dead pterodactyl has my vote for greatest movie ever.










8. THE MANITOU (1978, dir: William Girdler)

Weird title: check. Late-70s hipness/kitsch: check. Tony Curtis: check. Burgess Meredith: check. Native American medicine man being born from Susan Strasberg's neck: check. An ending that literally must be seen to be believed: double-check.












7. THE TRIAL OF BILLY JACK (1974, dir: Tom Laughlin)

Okay, this one will take some explaining: I know full well how painful a Tom Laughlin movie can be (just see my review of Billy Jack Goes To Washington for proof), but this one is pure masochism with a huge dollop of pretension and tiny sprinkles of boring platitudes atop. It lasts the length of three average movies and doesn't even have the plot to support one. And for a movie that supports non-violence, it sure does pander to the senseless violence crowd, especially in the final moments. The New Age philosophy and Native American tangents also do not mix well together (at least not here) and one thing that stays a constant: NO ONE IN THE DAMN MOVIE CAN ACT.

So yeah, I want it.




6. SPACEHUNTER: ADVENTURES IN THE FORBIDDEN ZONE (1983, dir: Lamont Johnson)

You may remember my last list also had a 3-D choice (JAWS 3-D) but even though this one is of the same ilk, it has a different pedigree. Used to be that anything with Peter Strauss was good (he has a whole slew of TV movies that were actually decent and worth watching), ditto Molly Ringwald and Ernie Hudson. But this was made with the same excuse of Metalstorm: The Destruction of Jared-Syn and Amityville 3-D: throw and point as much stuff at the viewer as you can, forget about the plot. And stuff did get thrown at the viewer, at least.








5. WEASELS RIP MY FLESH ( 1979, dir: Nathan Schiff)

Yes, it's the same title as that Frank Zappa song, but this is a low-budget, no-star horror movie about a radioactive mutant weasel that infects a scientist, his assistant and a police detective and they all mutate, run around, attack people and chase each other right up to the end...which I would never dream of revealing simply because it's the stupidest ending I've ever heard of in my entire life, and probably your life, too. But stupid movies can be a good thing to watch, too. especially ones that were made with non-actors and on a shoestring budget that wouldn't even hold your shoes on your feet.






4. CAN'T STOP THE MUSIC (1980, dir: Nancy Walker)

Just because I want to see a flashy, gaudy, tacky disco movie about a bunch of singers that were as flashy, gaudy and tacky as the era and music they represented doesn't necessarily mean that I promote that kind of thing. You know: DISCO. But it also contains directing from the Bounty Paper Towel Lady, acting from the likes of Steve Guttenberg (pre-Police Academy), Valerie Perrine, Bruce Jenner (right, the gold medal Olympic guy) and Jack Weston, plus all the glitz and tackiness that producer Allan Carr could muster. And believe me, you can tell what you're in for even from the very first seconds in. It's just that hard to miss.







3. THE YESTERDAY MACHINE (1963, dir: Russ Marker)

This is a rare gem that isn't even out on DVD, I don't believe. In fact, let me just tell you what it says on the IMDb about it:

• A Nazi scientist invents a time machine enabling him to go back to alter the events of WWII

Nice, huh? Add to that the kidnapping of a baton twirler apparently vital to the turns of events, a lounge singer advertised as "The Girl With The Orchid Voice", Tim Holt (who was once a good actor but did schlock like this near the end of his life) and Jewish actor Jack Herman playing the Nazi scientist (!!) and giving such an outlandish performance that he apparently outdoes his co-stars! And a kewpie doll goes to anyone who can follow the time travel theories extrapolated by Herman.




2. DRUNKEN WU-TANG (1983, dir: Cheung-Yan Yuen)

I've seen only one clip of this beauty (over on badmovies.org - check 'em out!) and it seems to be one of the wildest, craziest things put on film from across the sea since the first Asian man slipped on a rubber monster suit. It stars The Devil, a rat-faced man, a car made out of bamboo, a monster that looks like a watermelon with teeth and more wire-supported kung-fu than you can shake a Singapore Cane at! Not only do I want this movie, but I think you should go out and buy it, too. Now. Go.








1. SEXTETTE (1978, dir: Ken Hughes)

Good Lord. Mae West was a sexy sexy woman. Once. A looooong time ago. In the late '70s she WAS NOT SEXY. She was old. Ancient. Crumbling. Not even beautiful in age like Westminster Abbey is. And to see her arthritically strutting around, croaking her lines (and SONGS!!) and still trying to be sexy would harm animals, children and other living things. But Mae did not just harm herself here. She also hurt poor Timothy Dalton, Dom DeLuise, Tony Curtis, Ringo Starr, George Hamilton, Regis Philbin, Alice Cooper, Walter Pidgeon, Keith Moon and so many others.
Legendarily bad in the annals of film-making and a genuinely bad experience all around. I want this one so bad it hurts. Really, Right in my side, there....




Quite the eclectic group of flicks, eh? And yeah, I know some may even be next to impossible to find on VHS, much less DVD. But a man can dream, can't he? Huh? Can't he?!

Dope out.

-TGWD

I Got Some Early Christmas Presents!!

Yes indeedily-do, I done did. :D

Okay, no more goofiness. I shall now continue.

The last few weeks, things have really been turning around for me and the family in general. Work is going well - nothing but compliments from my boss and co-workers (always nice). I'm in the middle of rehearsals for a local production of a stage adaptation of Stephen King's "Misery" (I play the James Caan part, for those who saw the movie), so that's sweet plus infinity. My wife got a part-time job and is looking for further employment after the holidays, so more money is trickling in little by little. And the best part of all is -

(drum roll)

Through some judicious trades and gifting, I got some very verrrrry nice DVDs!

Let's take a peek, shall we?

STARCRASH (aka: FEMALE SPACE INVADERS) - I mentioned this one a few posts back; a Star Wars ripoff from Italy that is as goofy and stiltedly bad as anything you're liable to see. And the special effects - hoo man, you have to see 'em to believe 'em.

See?



SUPERSONIC MAN - Yes! Hong Kong Cavalier got me the English language version of this absolute treasure (I already had the Spanish language version). And this is one that didn't disappoint...not by a long shot. Cameron Mitchell as a maniacal bad guy? Stereotyped buffoons as henchmen? A boxy robot from a cartoon show as a diabolical weapon of destruction? an aloof nobody as the hero? Thorough ripoffs of the Superman legacy left and right? All here, baby.

And I know I've shown this before but please, bear with me: I'm giddy.



PIECES - From the same director and a lot of the bit players from the movie just above this sentence. A lot of blood, guts, stupidity and a small part for Paul Smith, the guy who played Bluto in the movie Popeye and Beast Rabban in David Lynch's Dune. Oh, an done of the absolute best last scenes ever made. What is it? Rent it and see, bubba.



KING OF KONG ISLAND - And yes, it involves apes. It's also the messiest (as in "involves blood"), stupidest and most lazy movie I've seen in awhile. I'm glad it's mine.

For a rundown and other information (since I can't seem to find any flippin' videos online of this), click here, won't you? Thank you.

And a few better known discs in the fray as well (Mission: Impossible, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Clue: The Movie), but yes, I got me some more movies!!

The best part of all of this? It ain't even Christmas yet!! The worst part? Now I need more shelf space for all my DVDs. :(

Ah well. Into every life, baby, the rain must fall.

Dope out.

-TGWD

20 Χ.Π.

20 Χρόνια Πριν...το 1987
η ελληνική ποπ ήταν στα καλύτερα της. Οι πωλήσεις ήταν πραγματικά μεγάλες πωλήσεις, και η ποπ ήταν αληθινή ποπ, όχι μπασταρδεμένη. Τα ραδιόφωνα έκαναν τα τραγούδια επιτυχίες, κι όχι οι εταιρείες ή τα συμφέροντα. Και δεν τα λέω για να γκρινιάξω, έχω επιχειρήματα, αποδείξεις και ονόματα :-) Ας αρχίσουμε το "μάθημα"! Φτύστε τις τσίχλες, κλείστε τα κινητά και διαβάστε προσεχτικά:

H Αλέξια μετά την 7η θέση για την Κύπρο που κατέλαβε με το "Άσπρο Μαύρο" στη Eurovision το 1987, κυκλοφορεί το debut album της με τίτλο "Αλέξια", σε συνθέσεις του Μίδα εκείνης της εποχής, Κώστα Χαριτοδιπλωμένο. Το άλμπουμ έκανε ρεκόρ πωλήσεων αγγίζοντας τα 180.000 αντίτυπα! Όλα σχεδόν τα κομμάτια έγιναν μεγάλες επιτυχίες, και η Αλέξια καθιερώθηκε επίσημα στην ελληνική ποπ σκηνή. "Τα Κορίτσια Ξενυχτάνε", "Σταλιά Σταλιά", "Κανένας Δε Μας Σταματά", "Θα Σε Περιμένω", "Το Ξέρω-Το Ξέρω", "Γράμματα" και "Αγάπη Καλοκαιρινή" ακούγονταν παντού!

Ποιός θα ξεχάσει την μεγαλύτερη επιτυχία του 1987, που έγινε αμέσως σλόγκαν και τραγουδήθηκε τότε όσο κανένα άλλο..."Πάμε Για Τρέλλες Στις Σευχέλλες", με την Πωλίνα, που 1 χρόνο πριν μας είχε συστηθεί με το mega hit που της έγραψε ο Σταμάτης Κραουνάκης, "Μπιρίμπα". Την υπογραφή την έχει once again ο Κώστας Χαριτοδιπλωμένος. Το άλμπουμ έγινε τόσο μεγάλη επιτυχία που η Πωλίνα ταξίδεψε μαζί με το περιοδικό Playboy στις Σευχελλες οπου και εκανε γυμνη φωτογραφηση!

2 χρόνια πριν κυκλοφορήσει τον πρώτο της δίσκο η Καίτη Γαρμπή ("Πρόβα" 1989), συμμετείχε στη συλλογή με διασκευές «Τα Δέκα Δεκάρια». Στον δίσκο αυτό η Καίτη έκανε την πρώτη της επιτυχία με το τραγούδι «Στο Σαν Τροπέ». Στο άλμπουμ αυτό όμως έκανε και την πρώτη της εμφάνιση σε ελληνικό δίσκο η Μαντώ, με τα τραγούδια "Στα Ζεστά Φεγγάρια" και "Το Γράμμα". Στο ίδιο άλμπουμ συμμετείχαν επίσης οι Σοφία Βόσσου, Ανδρέας Μικρούτσικος, Λαυρέντης Μαχαιρίτσας, Σάκης Μπουλάς, Στέλιος Σταυράκης και η Πωλίνα, που με τη διασκευή της στο "Ροζ Μπικίνι" έκανε το άλμπουμ να εκτοξευτεί!

Ενώ η επιτυχία για την "Επόμενη Κίνηση" της Άννας Βίσση, που κυκλοφόρησε το 1986, και μέχρι το 1987 είχε πουλήσει πάνω από 100.000 αντίτυπα, συνεχίζεται, ο συζυγός της Νίκος Καρβέλας, με τον οποίο παντρεύτηκε το 1983, κυκλοφορεί το άλμπουμ "Όλα ή Τίποτα". Ο δίσκος γίνεται αμέσως πλατινένιος και γίνονται μεγάλες επιτυχίες τα "Όλα ή Τίποτα", "Εσώρουχα", "Το Τσιγάρο ή Εγώ", "Θεία Λόλα", "Το Πανεπιστήμιο" και "Ο Γιεγιές". Στο κομμάτι «Ο Γιεγιές» τραγουδανε στο ρεφρεν οι γονεις του! Στον ίδιο δίσκο ο Νίκος Καρβέλας γράφει χαριτολογώντας ότι οι «γιεγιέδες» ήταν μια λέξη για τους μακρυμάλληδες μουσικούς και μη των 60's («Η λέξη δεν προέρχεται από το "She loves you yeah yeah yeah" των Beatles»)

"Παραδώσου Λοιπόν", "Στο Μπαράκι", "Πες Πες Πες Μου", "Τρυφερά", "Κατερίνα Κατερινάκι"...ή αλλιώς το μισό άλμπουμ του Πασχάλη "9 Τρόποι Αγάπης" έγινε επιτυχία και πλατινένιο.

Ο Μιχάλης Ρακιντζής κυκλοφορεί το πρώτο του άλμπουμ "Μωρό Μου Φάλτσο". Εκτός από το ομώνυμο κομμάτι που έγινε τεράστια επιτυχία και σύστησε στο κοινό το ιδιαίτερο στυλ του, περιείχε και τη συμμετοχή της Ελένης Δήμου στην επίσης μεγάλη επιτυχία "Δεν Πιστεύω".

Μετα το "Φιλαράκι" που την καθιέρωσε το 1986, η Σοφία Βόσσου κυκλοφορεί το 1987 το πρώτο της άλμπουμ με τίτλο "Με Χίλιες Στροφές", απο το οποίο ξεπήδησαν οι επιτυχίες "Χαδακι", "Μετακόμιση" και "Κομήτης".

Σας έπεισα καθόλου ή τσαμπα τα λέω σαν τις γριές που μιλάνε μόνες τους και σηχτιρίζουν τη νέα γενιά και το κράτος?

ΠΑΣΧΑΛΗΣ "Παραδώσου Λοιπόν"

ΑΛΕΞΙΑ "Τα Κορίτσια Ξενυχτάνε"

ΜΙΧΑΛΗΣ ΡΑΚΙΝΤΖΗΣ "Μωρό Μου Φάλτσο" (live)

ΠΩΛΙΝΑ "Πάμε Για Τρέλλες Στις Σευχέλλες" (audio)