Category: Television

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Saturday Night Retro

IT’S ALL ABOUT THE STARS

TODAY – the 07TH of August of 2010 – is the 29TH anniversary of the end of my very first job. On this date back in 1981 one of the two major daily newspapers in our nation’s capital – ‘The Washington Star’ – published its final edition after over 128 years. It went bankrupt, and most of its equipment was bought out by its longtime rival ‘The Washington Post’. I was a newspaper carrier for The Star (and The Post). As a rare afternoon big city newspaper I delivered The Star to the homes around my McLean Virginia  neighbourhood every day after Junior High School. That final edition of The Star was a collector’s item, and many of those newspapers that were delivered on that final afternoon by carriers just like me all around the Washington D.C. area were stolen. It was also sold out at all of the stores. An institution had ended.

Back in the Summer of 1981 a Dutch studio ensemble group was very popular in stringing along a medley of previously-popular TOP 40 tracks of the 1960s and 1970s. Known as ‘Stars On 45’ – their biggest “Medley” was their very first one that shot straight to the top of the American pop charts. Check out this 2008 television reimagining of the 1981 ‘Stars On 45’ “Medley”. Now THAT’S what I call a ‘Saturday Night Retro’ !

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Saturday Night Retro

On this 93RD edition of my ‘Saturday Night Retro’ I take you back to a wild and crazy life that I like to refer to as the Fall of 1986. I was a young 19-year-old USAF Airman (one-stripe) at the time living and working in the United Kingdom at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire. During the work week I analyzed KC-135A Stratotanker aircraft maintenance data for the 11TH Strategic Group. After work during the week I took in the British radio and television pop culture via the BBC, ITV, and Channel 4. During the weekends I enjoyed discovering the free nation. Cirencester, Swindon, Oxford, and London were frequent getaways. Shopping and music were common themes. Music concerts were frequent at The Apollo in Oxford and London’s famed Hammersmith Odeon.

This week I continue ‘The Awesome ’80s In August International Dance Party’ with a memorable act from the Fall of 1986. Celebrating their 30TH anniversary in existence it’s the English HI-NRG dance act known as Dead Or Alive. Fronted by Pete Burns (who celebrates his 51ST birthday next week) they scored their biggest smash ever 25 years ago this Summer in 1985. You may remember “You Spin Me Round (Like A Record)’. They followed-up that anthem with a second hit that was nearly as huge and memorable – “Brand New Lover”. It’s a track that I memorized all of the words to way back then, and even today I could sing it Karaoke style at the drop of a glowstick. It’s one of the greatest dance songs of its style ever made in my lifetime. Let’s kick this thing into HI-NRG ! 

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Saturday Night Retro

On this 92ND edition of my ‘Saturday Night Retro’ I’m looking back at the Spring of 1985 – just a few months before I turned 18-years-old, graduated from high school, left home, and joined the Air Force – all within a single week !

At home I enjoyed hangin’ out with my 10-year-old brother Danny and our young Manx cat Fluffy. We watched Johnny Carson, David Letterman, and “Saturday Night Live” that I taped overnight on our Betamax videocassette recorder downstairs in our family room. I also enjoyed driving around Langley, McLean, and Tysons Corner Virginia in my beige 1980 Chevy Citation (my first car). It was equipped with a high-quality AM radio !

Back at home (where I actually had an FM stereo) I listened to the Washington D.C. area’s two big Top 40 radio stations – ‘All-Hit-105-WAVA’ and ‘Q-107’. One of the big smash hits during this memorable time of my life as I approached adulthood was this electronic dance smash. It was HUGE all around the world, and I think that they played it at my high school prom. I really don’t know for sure because I never attended my high school prom because I was such an outcast at the time. I was the original ‘All-American Reject’ !

Here’s Animotion – as I kick-off 6 fun-filled weeks of ‘The Awesome ’80s In August International Dance Party’. It’s my “Obsession”:

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Thursday Night Mini Thoughts

– I just returned home from my Doctor’s office.
– I was there waiting for nearly 2 hours for what amounted to a 10-minute appt.
– My Doctor told me that I’m in excellent health.
– My cholesterol levels remain within all of the optimal categories.
– She told me that I could decrease my Lipitor consumption.
– I could either go down from 10 mg. per day to 5 mg. per day.
– Or I could stay on the 10 mg. but only take it every other day.
– I choose the latter option.
– Starting today I’m taking my Lipitor on odd-numbered days only.
– Happy odd-numbered day my friends !
– Happy 43RD Birthday CNN host Anderson Cooper.
– Your hair is super gray, yet mine is not.
– But you are a TV star, and I am not.
– I’ll be joining Anderson as a 43-year-old on Saturday.
– This weekend is also the 25TH anniversary of my high school graduation.
– I’ll mark the event this Saturday night on an all-new ‘Retro’.
– Tonight’s edition of the ‘Thursday Night Mini Thoughts’ contains no MSG.
– Tomorrow morning I’ll be staying here at home.
– I’ve got plumbers arriving early in the morning to repair a water line leak.
– It’s my first such leak since the end of 2006.
– Unfortunately the leak is in a bad location.
– It’s located directly behind the wall that’s directly behind my computer.
– It’s been slow leaking for at least a week now based on the mold I now have.
– What’s it doin’ outside ?
– It was a scorcher today here in Homestead.
– We climbed into the lower-90s with humidity readings above 60%.
– Our heat indices were just above 100° F !
– Heavy downpours are drenching much of the region from Miami northward.
– Meanwhile we’ve got bright sunshine and no rain (yet) down here.
– I got word earlier today that I’m hosting the 9 AM service again at LPC.
– That means I’ll be reading and studying more Scripture starting tonight.
– I always look forward to hosting because I enjoy the learning involved.
– ‘The Truth’ be told – it’s ‘The Greatest Story Ever Told’.
– I hope to enjoy a peaceful and quiet weekend here at home.
– I also hope that my living room wall begins to dry out once the leak is fixed.
– I hope that you have a safe and enjoyable weekend as well.
– Make it positively memorable.
– You won’t regret it pal.