December 13, 2021
Great Album Covers: The Score, Head Games & Vacation
December 11, 2021
Shout Out to: Dian Parkinson
Regrettably, Dian never branched out to do movie roles, TV guest spots or anything other than TPIR. In 1991 however, Playboy, which had pursued her for years, finally convinced her to pose for their magazine. The result was one of the highest selling issues of all time and a curtain call second pictorial in the May1993 issue. A Playboy newsstand special and celebrity centerfold video followed, but again Dian never capitalized on her popularity and the boost the Playboy publicity gave her. She finally retired from TPIR at age 49 after filing a lawsuit against Bob Barker for sexual harassment. The suit was later dropped and Dian has since disappeared from public life. Still, she apparently remains in the memories of many others — so much so that there are several compilations of her TPIR swimsuit work all over YouTube.
Unbelievably, Dian turns 77 in November but for those who grew up in the 70s and 80s, she remains the ultimate sexy older woman and late morning game show treat.
October 31, 2021
Go-Go's Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (About F**king Time!)
Visiting the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame makes many people's bucket list, including mine. The Rock Hall is often criticized for inducting artists whose musical style and influence is far removed from the "rock" genre -- artists like Donna Summer, Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five, The Supremes, Run-DMC and Parliament-Funkaledic. For the record (once again) the Rock Hall's mission is not to recognize rock and roll exclusively, but to "honor artists whose music created the sound of youth culture." The Rock Hall, via official statements and quotes from its representatives, has restated this idea (in one form or another) on numerous occasions so everyone really should be good with that.
What it's okay not to be good with are the many egregious omissions among the Rock Hall's inductees. These include Foreigner, The Smiths, Spinners, B-52's, Squeeze, Suzi Quatro, Paul Revere and the Raiders, George Michael, Styx, Devo, Kool & The Gang, Weezer, Duran Duran and most amazingly, Pat Benatar. Nevertheless, to its credit, the Rock Hall corrected one of its other omissions this weekend by inducting the Go-Go's.
Emerging as a punk band in the late 70s before ultimately evolving into a new wave/pop group, their definitive lineup consisted of guitarist Jane Wiedlin, bassist Kathy Valentine, drummer Gina Schock, guitarist and keyboardist Charlotte Caffey, and lead singer Belinda Carlisle. I won't go over the band's bio, resume, or discography (you can find these things anywhere across the web) but suffice it to say that the Go-Go's are the greatest female band of all time -- and still the only one to score a #1 album (1981's Beauty and the Beat.)
Make no mistake, the Go-Go's induction was a very big deal. Events this weekend included a red carpet event, plaque unveiling, Q&A, autograph session, interviews -- and on Saturday night, their formal induction (by Drew Barrymore), speeches, performance and traditional jam session with the other inductees. Check out some of the photos below:
The Go-Go's being honored this way is even more significant when you consider that many of group's fellow girl bands (as well as their 1970s/80s Los Angeles punk and new wave contemporaries) have not been inducted -- or for that matter, even nominated -- for the Rock Hall.) The Runaways are not in. Neither are the Bangles, Motels, X, Black Flag, Berlin or Oingo Boingo.
So once again, congrats to this seminal 80's band for yet another groundbreaking achievement. All I can say is I echo Stella McCartney's sentiment when she -- on the occasion of her dad Paul's long overdue induction as a solo artist in 1999 -- wore this unforgettable t-shirt to the ceremony.
I wish I had Stella's shirt to wear in the Go-Go's honor this weekend, but I guess I'll have to settle for one of my own (below.)
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October 18, 2021
Rachel Nichols Should Have Known: At ESPN/Disney You Don't Cross the Boss
Today marks the debut of ESPN’s new daily (M-F) show, NBA Today (real creative titling, I know.)
An audio of ESPN reporter and host, Rachel Nichols, has surfaced, in a conversation with LeBron James’ spokesman, Adam Mendelsohn, where Rachel says Mariah Taylor was tabbed to cover last year’s NBA Finals because the company was feeling the pressure of last summer’s BLM movement pic.twitter.com/iXdUINf1W6
July 4, 2021
September 30, 2021
Moonlighting: How the Best Show on Television Came Apart at the Seams
The following article is transcribed from an essay I wrote on May 15, 1989 -- the day after the last episode of Moonlighting aired. The Newsweek cover is an original scan from the Pop Culture Fiend Archives. Any additions or clarifications made during article transcription appear in brackets.
Moonlighting: How the Best Show on Television Came Apart at the Seams
I’m obviously not a network executive; I don’t have access to Hollywood inside information but I've followed the show from the very beginning and made the following determinations that help explain Moonlighting's staggering downfall.
Cybill Shepherd‘s pregnancy
Anytime a lead actress on a TV series becomes pregnant it's trouble. And anybody who watched Moonlighting regularly can tell you that it certainly spelled the beginning of the end for the show. It happened during the great '86-'87 season and by the time Mark Harmon showed up [to form the riveting Dave-Maddie-Sam] love triangle] the show was already shooting around Shepherd's pregnancy.
But Shepherd's pregnancy wasn’t the [only] problem... For some reason it was decided that the Maddie character would become pregnant as well. Now someone should have recognized that this was not a smart move. By making Maddie pregnant, the writers were painting themselves into a corner. They were committing themselves to a main storyline (i.e., what will happen with Maddie's baby? And will she and David stay together?)
The smart thing to do would have been to simply let Shepherd have her baby and write Maddie out of the show for the first few episodes of the '87-'88 season. The show was certainly popular enough at the time (9th in the ratings the previous year) and Bruce Willis was talented enough to carry several episodes by himself. Then, when Maddie returned (from wherever) she and Dave could get back to business as usual and their romance could take whatever direction the writing team saw fit.
The writer's strike
Show creator Glenn Gordon Caron and the Moonlighting writers had trouble delivering the normal amount of episodes to the network under normal circumstances. [Moonlighting was one of the most dialogue-heavy shows of its time, loaded with constant banter, sharp wordplay, flirtations and lengthy arguments between Dave and Maddie. This led to Moonlighting scripts typically being much longer than the average one-hour detective show.] So when the 1988 Hollywood writers' strike hit, the show got off to a very late start that fall and began to lose popularity.
Outside projects of the two stars
Simply put, Moonlighting gave Cybill Shepherd's career a rebirth and made Bruce Willis's. Willis was an unknown before landing his role, but soon proved himself to be a major TV talent as well as a natural for the big screen. He appeared on television specials, cut an album and played some live gigs, and in the summer of 1988 his movie Die Hard was a blockbuster. Soon after, Willis went on record saying he would do the last two years of his Moonlighting contract and then call it quits.
Shepherd also shot a movie during the show's run (Chances Are) and did a number of TV commercials. More importantly [after enduring a post-1970's career stall] Hollywood was interested in her again and she was getting all kinds of offers. Because of all this, Willis and Shepherd became distracted and in some episodes their performances suffered. In particular, Willis, who won an Emmy in 1987, looked as if he was just counting the days until his contract expired and he would be free to do movies full-time. Shepherd was slightly better but her acting seemed [apathetic] at times and she and Willis both seemed like they’d rather be someplace else. [Shepherd, for example, in efforts to be more comfortable during shooting, would insist on swapping her heels for a pair of Reeboks. This wasn't a big deal in and of itself, but given the context of what was happening with the show at the time, perhaps it was an indication that she was becoming spoiled and bored with the show.]
Bad choices by the show creators
When the '87-'88 season finally got underway, it proved disastrous. After finally sleeping with David, Maddie wound up flying home to Chicago in order to sort things out, while David, Bert and Agnes held the fort [at Blue Moon] in LA. Having Dave and Maddie in two different cities killed the fundamental premise of the entire show -- the friction and love/hate relationship between the two characters. Since the two were not interacting, the writers chose to focus some episodes on David and others on Maddie. [With the exception of the two-part "Cool Hand Dave" episode] most of these shows were just awful. (Remember the Pat Boone episode in which Maddie imagined what it would be like if David cleaned up his act?)
[The shows fans were not happy and] ratings began to slip drastically. Then, in what was perhaps the worst decision anyone could have made, it was decided that Maddie would marry a man she just met on a train. One can only assume that this was a desperate attempt to boost ratings [via shock value] and generate new interest in the show. But viewer response to Maddie's marriage was so overwhelmingly negative that the writers were forced to have her divorced two episodes later.
Natural decline in the quality of writing
[Jeff Reno and Ron Osborne headed the Moonlighting writing team and for two and half seasons the group was able to inject the show with some of the snappiest, wittiest and intelligent dialogue we would see prior to the debuts of shows like The West Wing (which Reno and Osborn also worked on) and Frasier. To this day, the "Atomic Shakespeare" episode of Moonlighting remains one of the single greatest pieces of television ever produced for a weekly prime time series -- right up there with "Goodbye, Farewell, and Amen" (the final episode of M*A*S*H) and the "A, My Name is Alex" episode of Family Ties.]
Indeed, Moonlighting was one of the most creative and imaginative series in the history of television and the fact that its scribes were able to maintain such high-level quality writing for as long as they did is testimony to their genius. But you can only go so far with the same characters in the same setting, and in the fifth season ('88-'89) the writers seemed to run out of steam. The storylines became thinner and the dialogue not as funny. The show began to rely more and more on the gimmicks (like characters breaking the fourth wall and addressing the audience directly) that had made the show something special. In the first show of that season, Maddie lost the baby, finally freeing everyone from a storyline that should have never been pursued in the first place. The plan for that season was to start from scratch, but the damage had been done. Both the ratings and the buzz around the show had declined tremendously the season before and though all the ingredients seemed to still be there, the magic was gone.
So there you have it. As I sat watching the last 15 minutes of the last Moonlighting ever, I thought to myself, "So this is how it all ends?"
I thought about how I had been one of the few who had watched the show from the very beginning, before it became so popular. I thought about the pilot episode [which premiered so unusually in March of 1985 as a very late season replacement.] Later, I thought about how many people were missing this last episode [despite the fact that it was specifically written, shot and promoted as the series finale.]
It was a sad moment but those last 15 minutes with Dave and Maddie were great. When Maddie said, "I can’t imagine not seeing you tomorrow," it really felt like she (Cybill Shepherd) meant it. And then there’s a shot of Willis' face and he looked genuinely moved -- like he had all kinds of different feelings on the inside. [Like he knows that although things got awfully muddled along the way, nevertheless, this isn't the way the book should end.] That look on his face says it all.
Still and all, it was a great ending to a great show -- and it was great while it lasted.
So long Moonlighting, I’m gonna miss you...
I love that show.
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September 19, 2021
What's the Deal with the Serena-Wonder Woman Commercial?
Not sure what the recent fascination with Serena Williams is all about. She's 40, well past her prime athletically, is constantly injured these days, and hasn't won a Grand Slam since the 2017 Australian Open (which began in January of that year -- when Barack Obama was still in the White House!)
There wasn't this much coverage or interest in Serena fifteen or so years ago when she was at the top of her game, dominating women's tennis and winning tournaments on a regular basis. So why do we now seemingly see her everywhere, including this commercial for Direct TV? Click here to see see what I mean.
If you're like me, you probably noticed that somehow, the Amazonian powers that Serena gains not only transform her into Wonder Woman, they also enable the moles on her face to travel back and forth indiscriminately from the right side (0:14) to the left side (0:18). This phenomenon is evident no matter which cut of the commercial you're watching (albeit with different timestamps.)
So did someone somehow inadvertently flip the image and no one noticed until it was too late?... Was the image flipped purposely in order to solve some larger production dilemma, thereby leaving no choice but to have Serena's moles appear to bounce back and forth?... I guess we'll never know. But this happenstance (however it came to be) deserves to examined.
I seriously doubt this blunder wasn't caught in time. You're telling me, the agency's creative leads, the commercial's director, the video editors and production people involved, the account execs, and the client (i.e., all of the big-wigs at AT&T) -- they all missed this and only realized the error after the spot began airing?... Doubtful.
So the question is, how could the company choose to let the spot go to market like this? I mean, wasn't there a meeting where they weighed the pros and cons of such a decision?
I can honestly say that I have been in those meetings -- where the advertising agency, after days, weeks or months of production, presents finished creative to the client company. "Last look"-type meetings where the client signs off on said creative, and I can state unequivocally that there is absolutely no acceptable explanation for why something like this shouldn't be fixed... None.
You spend all of that money producing this commercial; you pay Serena; you pay John McEnroe; you pay the costumer (likely the same one used for Gal Gadot for the WW movies) and have a custom-fitted duplicate outfit made for Serena; and you don't want to spend the cash or take the time and effort to make the spot right by fixing the moles issue?
The result of not doing so is that we're left with a commercial that's something that AT&T and its ad agency should be ashamed of. Even moreso after so many like me have called them out on Twitter.
Look, replacing TV ads and similar creative already trafficked into market can be tricky and expensive, but AT&T can certainly afford it. So the only explanation is that decision makers there believed the public wouldn't notice or care -- and/or that the mistake (as obvious and amateurish as it is) for whatever reason wasn't worth correcting.
But if AT&T doesn't have enough respect for its brand, for its customers, and for the simple notion of owning up to your own sloppy (or otherwise corner-cutting created) mistakes, then the company really don't deserve your business.
And as for the advertising and marketing agencies involved in creating the spot -- which include Hearts & Science, a division of Omnicom Group -- they should all be rightfully mocked for their negligence and for being complicit.
September 1, 2021
What Happened in the Physical Writer's Room?
Just to be clear, this is not a review. I don't do reviews of TV shows, movies, music or anything else creative. It's because I have far too much respect for artists and know firsthand that practically anyone can write an article, speak on a podcast, etc., about what someone else has created. It takes far more talent, discipline and courage to create something from nothing and then (if you're one of the lucky ones) put it out there for consumption and inevitable critique. So yeah, this is not a review; this is just someone wondering what happened with Physical's Annie Weisman and the other show creators/writers that would result in the series taking such drastic turns (beginning with episode 5) that it makes you wonder if the series was threatened with cancellation unless big changes took place. A quick recap:
- Blackmailed her business partner Bunny...
- Repeatedly abandoned her husband Danny and their efforts for him to win election to state legislature...
- Cooked the books and embezzled money from the aforementioned political campaign...
- Rationalized stealing from both her friend Greta and from an old ballet teacher...
- Extorted money from her parents...
- Drained the family bank account to pay for hotel rooms so she can better hide her eating disorder...
- Ignored her young daughter who is obviously autistic
- The subplot of Greta's husband's fetish for shaving women's heads (and Greta -- who up to this point had been established as a conservative, mousey housewife -- surprisingly choosing to indulge her husband's freaky sexual desire.)
- Deep diving into John Breem's ultra-stoic, hyper-religious personality and his weird personal life, including his Stepford Wives-ish spouse and family.
- Tyler's (Bunny's surfer boyfriend) health crisis.
- Bunny's seemingly added at the last minute backstory of having immigrated from war-torn Lebanon and being estranged from her family.
- Sheila's revelation of being sexually abused as a child by one of her father's friends (which, I'm sorry, but at this point, is as trite a plot twist as there is.)
July 15, 2021
Streaming Wars Update: Part 3
- The history of Hulu and it's current place in the Disney bundle
- Roku's revenue shifts from hardware to advertising after its acquisition of the Quibi content
- AMC, studios, theater owners, and Christopher Nolan all have beef
- The Scarlett Johanssen lawsuit
- What the streaming industry can learn from Napster
July 14, 2021
Streaming Wars Update: Part 2
The second part of my audio blog covering the current state of the streaming wars. Have a listen as I discuss:
- Apple +'s enviable position "owning the rails"
- CBS/Viacom's Paramount + and its need for a consolidation strategy
- Whether sports content could be a key differentiator to thrust one or more streamers to the top
- How tier-based pricing and advertising are being implemented
- If Comcast and NBC Universal can leverage its cable platform and theme parks to market struggling latecomer Peacock (and its weird new original that conjures memories of Josie and the Pussycats in Outer Space!)
July 13, 2021
Streaming Wars in Full Effect!
- How the pandemic ignited the streaming industry
- The bundling of streaming apps with mobile phones, TVs and other smart devices
- Amazon Prime, it's acquisition of MGM, and massive investment in Lord of the Rings
- Netflix's position as first in the market
- Disney +'s Star Wars and MCU-based platform (How many spin-offs are enough?)
- HBO Max's controversial same-day new release strategy
July 7, 2021
Beauty and the Beat turns 40
I know what I'll be listening to at the gym tomorrow...
July 8th marks the (I cannot freakin' believe it's been that long) 40th anniversary of the release of the Go-Go's debut album, Beauty and the Beat.
I won't go into detail on the history or significance of the band or their post-punk/new wave/pop offering that rose to become the first number one album by an all-girl band. Instead, I'll let the others tell you why the album is so great and simply relate a story:
Around my freshman year of high school, when music became a much more significant part of my life, I visited Record Town with enough money to purchase my very first album. I didn't realize then, but this would be a seminal event in my life and my choices came down to Olivia Newton-John's Physical, Blondie's Parallel Lines, or Beauty and the Beat. I lingered in the store and mulled long and hard before finally choosing ONJ.
Weeks later, I did wind up buying Beauty and the Beat, making it one of the first ten or so albums I ever owned. Today I have an extensive collection of vinyl, cassettes and CDs that I cherish, and it all began with that trip to Record Town. I'm also proud to say that my three finalists that day were all albums that had major success and historical importance in popular music.
Among other accolades, Parallel Lines was Blondie's breakthrough album, spawned six singles, was number one in the US and UK, and its single "Heart of Glass" was one of the biggest crossover hits of all time, dominating both black and white radio stations in the early months of 1979.
Physical sold over ten million copies; it's title single was number one for (a then record) ten straight weeks; and an accompanying compilation of videos for each of Physical's tracks served was one of the first ever video albums.
But back to Beauty and the Beat. It's well-produced blend of Belinda Carlisle's throaty lead vocals, group choruses and surf-rock drums and guitars, combined with infectious beats and underrated musicianship (drummer Gina Schock is a standout) set the benchmark for all-female band success on the album charts. In this regard, the album trail blazed for a number of 80's and 90's radio-friendly punk and rock artists including Green Day, Joan Jett, and The Donnas (who, ironically, went on to master the pop/punk fusion the Go-Go's originally intended but wound up straying from.) From "We Got the Beat" (a punk record disguised as dance-pop) and the power-driven "How Much More", "This Town" and "Lust to Love", to the frolicking "Our Lips Are Sealed", and the haunting lyrics and harmonies of "Fading Fast", the album is nothing short of an early 80's treasure.
To recognize Beauty and the Beat's anniversary, the band is holding a listening party that you can access through Apple Music or Spotify.
And if you've read this far and are a true Go-Go's fan, let me reward you with a rare bootleg from one of the group's early concerts.
Go-Go's: Live at the Sun Plaza Hall, Tokyo, Japan, 1982
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June 10, 2021
New Original Mashup - Cher vs B.o.B "Gypsys Tramps & Magic"
I have no idea what inspired this but I was showering one day last month and it just came to me that Cher's jangly ballad from 1971, "Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves", would blend well with B.o.B's pulsing, singalong/rap hit "Magic" from his debut album, The Adventures of Bobby Ray. Ostensibly, the two tunes couldn't seem more disparate. They were released almost 40 years apart, and while Cher's song paints a melancholy portrait of racism, teen pregnancy and prostitution, B.o.B's track is an irresistible hunk of ear candy and the perfect jam for karaoke or singing into the mirror.
And though I'm not a deejay, sound engineer or music producer, I just couldn't shake the remix I had in my head, so I figured I'd give this mashup a try. A bit of warning, it starts a little rough but gets better and better as it goes.
Enjoy.
May 15, 2021
The Greatest Softcore Actresses of the Home Video Era
Sexual content in film has been a part of cinema since the earliest days of the medium -- from 1896's Le Coucher de la MariƩe (which depicted a bride removing her clothes on her wedding night), to the underground films produced in Austria and Argentina in the early 20th century, to the blue movies that proliferated in America beginning in the 1920's. But in the 1970's an evolution took place in the way sex was depicted onscreen. Better, more attractive acting talent, an emphasis on story, and higher production values were added to the mix in features like the Emmanuelle series, which gained worldwide popularity and big box office returns. France, Germany and Italy in particular rushed to the forefront of producing what was now formally referred to as "softcore films", which focused on content that was suggestive and erotic -- but still less explicit than what was found in hardcore pornography. Soon after, thanks to the home video boom of the 80's and 90's, softcore entered its heyday. Freed from restrictions imposed by the MPAA, theater owners and other governing bodies, film companies across the globe freely produced and marketed softcore films (in every genre), skipped theaters and released their movies straight to home video and on-demand outlets. Showtime, Cinemax, Playboy TV and other cable channels similarly thrived on this content. In the process, a new generation of female stars rose to prominence and became some of the most recognized and popular faces in the softcore film industry. Here's a list of the Top 10 Softcore Actresses of the Home Video Era.
Shannon Tweed
After winning Playboy’s Playmate of the Year in 1982, Tweed transitioned into acting and became queen of the straight-to-DVD erotic thriller with performances in some of the genre's earliest softcore entries like Night Eyes 2 & 3, Scorned and Indecent Behavior.
Tane McClure
If anyone could challenge Shannon Tweed’s claim as queen of softcore, it just might be her full-lipped lookalike McClure. Tane actually has an impressive filmography apart from softcore. Still, it’s her roles in Lap Dancing, Illicit Dreams, Sexual Roulette and the like for which she’ll always be best known.
Maria Ford
Though virtually unrecognizable today due to extensive cosmetic surgery, Ford had a long softcore career dating back to the late 1980's with films like Stripped to Kill 2. She would hit her peak in 1999 when she starred in the ultra-hot I Like to Play Games Too and The Key to Sex.
Beverly Lynne
Appearance-wise, Lynne was pretty average in both face and figure, but she makes this list due to the sheer volume of softcore films and series she appeared in, including The Erotic Dreams of Jeannie, Busty Housewives of Beverly Hills, Black Tie Nights, and Playboy’s Sexy Urban Legends. Lynne also starred in a crap ton of softcore's infamous “bikini” titles like Bikini Chain Gang, Bikini Royale 1 & 2, Bikini Avengers, and The Bikini Escort Company.
In the 90's, the fair-skinned, red-haired Parent was a classic beauty with a fit, naturally proportioned figure. She came off classy and refined in many of her roles, which included Play Time in the mid 90's along with the dopey The Witches of Breastwick and The Breastford Wives a decade later. Today, Monique is a silver-haired fox with a popular YouTube channel where she offers makeup and beauty tips for aging gracefully.
Taimie Hannum
Taking everything into account -- looks, figure, steamy performances, etc. -- Taimie might very well get the nod as the greatest of all time. The sultry brunette performed in pretty much every genre of softcore out there, including thrillers (Secret Pleasures), sci-fi (Pleasurecraft), and parodies (Alabama Jones and the Busty Crusade.) She also had a number of memorable one-off appearances in adult anthology series like Kama Sutra and Erotic Confessions.
Julie Strain
The six-foot buxom Strain appeared in Playboy and was also a Penthouse Pet of the Year. Her resume includes T&A filled action pics like Fit to Kill and Day of the Warrior, along with typical softcore fare like 1995’s Night Visions, 1998’s Masseuse III, and she also starred as the titular (no pun intended) character in the Bare Wench Project trilogy.
Tamara Landry
Landry excelled in roles as seductive, sexually aggressive characters in films like Animal Attraction, Carnal Desire and Wicked Pleasures.
Nikki Fritz
Tall, leggy Nikki Fritz flat out had one of best bodies ever seen (sans clothing) onscreen. Surrender Cinema was at the forefront of 90's softcore and Nikki was one of that company’s biggest stars. Sadly, she passed away in 2020 but will always be known for Nightcap, Hidden Beauties, The Exotic Time Machine, and her positively scorching work (with Julia Ann) in Veronica 2030.
Kira Reed
Petite and prolific, Reed's most notable work includes Beverly Hills Bordello, The Price of Desire, Fast Lane to Mailbu, and the Sex Files: Alien Erotica series.
Honorable Mentions:
Gabriella Hall
Lauren Hays
Kim Yates
Griffin Drew
Shauna O’Brien
Julie K. Smith
Landon Hall
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