So I have no real desire to put a lot of thought into tonight's post, as I am physically exhausted and mentally wired. Thus...the return of the iPod Shuffle Post. Do not take this as sign of my laziness...but as an opportunity to reflect on a few songs that you probably haven't thought of in awhile or possiblly even ever. So here is the iPod shuffle game. The idea is to hit shuffle and write something about whatever song comes up. Just a few thoughts or memories, etc. So in following with Chance's formula...let's do 5 songs and call it a night.
We Are The Jockeys from The Simpsons (14) - This is the WORST Simpsons song EVER from the WORST Simpsons episode EVER! Don't believe me...just ask Comic Book Guy who made more than a few references to this very fact in the episode.
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Runaway by Bon Jovi (158)- This is the song that started it all and for that I am grateful. I have memories of young pigtailed Millie running around with her pink and purple Pocket Rocker, singing this song over and over again. I drove my dad crazy with this song, though in reality he probably never should have bought it for me in the first place since I couldn't have been more than 6 or 7 at the time. I miss my Pocket Rocker. I tried for months to find one on Ebay but no luck so I quit when I realized that it wouldn't be the same without Bon Jovi to play on it Anyway...The good thing about Runaway being the first hit for Bon Jovi is that they always play it concert which is awesome. I always get chills as soon as David starts banging the opening notes on his keyboard. You know...David looks like the dude who played Merry in Lord of the Rings.
We Are The Jockeys from The Simpsons (14) - This is the WORST Simpsons song EVER from the WORST Simpsons episode EVER! Don't believe me...just ask Comic Book Guy who made more than a few references to this very fact in the episode. Runaway by Bon Jovi (158)- This is the song that started it all and for that I am grateful. I have memories of young pigtailed Millie running around with her pink and purple Pocket Rocker, singing this song over and over again. I drove my dad crazy with this song, though in reality he probably never should have bought it for me in the first place since I couldn't have been more than 6 or 7 at the time. I miss my Pocket Rocker. I tried for months to find one on Ebay but no luck so I quit when I realized that it wouldn't be the same without Bon Jovi to play on it Anyway...The good thing about Runaway being the first hit for Bon Jovi is that they always play it concert which is awesome. I always get chills as soon as David starts banging the opening notes on his keyboard. You know...David looks like the dude who played Merry in Lord of the Rings. 
Kinda
Mamma Mia! from Mamma Mia! (106) - How in the world did I leave this song off of my tribute to musicals? This is one of the most fun songs in the world to sing...especially while cleaning or stuck in traffic. Even better...they are making it into a movie this summer.
A Little Respect by Erasure (196) - This song is one of those songs that you cannot get out of your head. I always think of Scrubs whenever I hear it because the entire cast sang a line of it in one episode.
New by No Doubt (45) - How odd that I have heard this song twice today? I really liked this song when it first came out on the GO! Soundtrack. I thought I understood the song...but I really didn't. I heard what she was singing about, but never really had felt it. Since this is the last song of the post, I'll add a few of my favorite lines in for your pleasure. The opening line is awesome because it states from the beginning what the song is all about but the best line of the song has to be: "My normal hesitation is gone and I really gravitate to your will." Wow. Check out lyrics on this one. It is one of the best No Doubt songs.Tomorrow is another day and another post...it will be better I promise. Assuming I get some sleep tonight.
Best Rock Solo Performance:
Best Female Pop Performance:
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Do You Really Want To Hurt Me - 2 versions: Culture Club (3) and The Violent Femmes (3). Clearly I am not that fond of either version so let's just write this one off as a draw as well.
Girl You'll Be A Woman Soon - 2 versions: Neil Diamond (103) and Urge Overkill (16). Silly Urge Overkill to even try to take on The Man. No One is better than Neil. There is no point in trying to discuss it further.
The Glory of Love - 3 versions: Peter Cetera (60), New Found Glory (12), and The Lettermen (34). Do you have any idea how long and hard of a battle it was to get the Peter Cetera version on my iPod. I couldn't find that damn thing anywhere, as it is the one song by Peter that is not offered on iTunes. Had I found it sooner, I assure you that it would have a much higher playcount. I love this song and love to hear him sing it. No it is not just because of its ties to The Karate Kid saga...but that doesn't hurt.
Just Like Heaven - 5 versions: Soft Cell (77), Goldfinger (32), Rockabye Baby (28), Blatant Finger (19), and Dinosaur Jr. (12). This is another song that I absolutely love. I love the punk twist that a few of these bands have added but the original is the best. This song will always make me think of the bowling alley on Eubank and Candleria. If you know where I am talking about, you probably remember why.
Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now - 2 versions: Starship (67) and The Starting Line (32). I guess I am just a sucker for movie themes. I have always wanted to sing this song as a karoake duet...but I have yet to find a partner to sing it with me. Both versions are good...but once again the original is better.
Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) - 3 versions: MIKA (34), The Eurythmics (20), and Marilyn Manson (14). Have I mentioned that I LOVE MIKA? The man is fabulous and his version totally kicks ass!
Time After Time - 7 versions: Eva Cassidy (184), INOJ (78), Sugar Ray (64), Quietdrive (53), Cyndi Lauper (40), Paul Anaka (20), and Sarge (18). First let me admit that this song is not good enough to warrant having it on my iPod so many times. This blog is really making me wish that in the future I will think a little more before I click "Buy Song". Part of me wants to make Paul Anaka the winner as it is the most unexpected and unusual version of the song but clearly I really enjoy the Eva Cassidy version. Part of it is because it too is on the Smallville soundtrack but the main reason is because it sends chills down my spine when I hear it. You can hear the emotion and her voice and believe what she is singing. I know how it feels to be "laying in the bed again and hearing the clock tick and think of you."
Under Pressure - 3 versions: My Chemical Romance/The Used (34), David Bowie/Queen (23) and Keane (14). I am not sure why Keane felt the need to cover this song but it isn't bad. The original is good because it is the original but I tend to prefer MCR/TU version. That is the little punk rocker in me talking though.
Going back to Star Wars III, as much as it pains me to talk badly about my beloved Star Wars story...there are a few parts in this movie that I just don't get. Who in the hell thought that Samuel L Jackson was the right choice for Mace Windu? I honestly can't think of worse display of acting as when Anakin tells him that he thinks that Chancellor Palpatine is a Sith Lord. The dumbfounded look that Mace gives him before he painfully spits out "A Sith Lord?". That was the best take? For shame Mr. Lucas. Moving on. Obi Wan's saber skills were laughable in damn near every fight that we see up until the end battle with Anakin. In the previous battles, he got his ass whooped very early and needed saving by Anakin or Yoda. Yet he somehow managed to keep up with and eventually get the best of Anakin? Sorry but I have to wave the bullshit flag on this one. And then...I don't understand how if Obi Wan loved Anakin so much, why in the hell did he leave him there to suffer? I mean, if someone that I cared about had just lost all but one limb and was on fire I don't think that I would just walk away. No wait...jack his lightsaber and then just walk away. What kind of mercy is that? Finally...how is it that none of the Jedi Knights saw the attack coming? Okay so it was supposedly a big secret but once the killing started, how is that only Yoda felt it? It seriously makes you question if the dark side wasn't the way to go. Because even in the end, it was the dark side that destroyed The Emperor unless you want to believe that Darth Vader completely abandoned it at the last minute. It is a nice thought but not likely. Good did not overcome evil...evil destroyed evil.
There is only one good thing about football season being over...and that is the fact that I am no longer being brainwashed into thinking that I need to buy a truck. I must have watched 200 truck commercials during the playoffs and they actually had me comparing the Dodge Dakota, the Chevy Colorado, and the Honda Ridgeline...though now I have no idea why. I just got a new car this year for goodness sake. Anyway...this made me think about all of the other commericals that I am seeing too much of and how thankfully that has had the opposite effect of the truck commercials. I don't care that that some crazy lady on Nip/Tuck wants to look like a cat. I really don't care that Sarah Conner has her own chronicles. I especially don't care that Comedy Central is going to be showing Amercian Pie: The Naked Mile tomorrow night. And above all...I really don't care that FX is about to start another season of Dirt because it is a shitty show to begin with. Oh well.
In spite of my recent break from music...I feel as though I reached a major milestone with my iPod. I now have two songs that have been played 300+ times. Out of a list of 3003 songs, that is a pretty major accomplishment by geek standards. So let's close by giving them their own moment in the spotlight.
(You Want To) Make A Memory by Bon Jovi - So the fact that one of the most played songs on my iPod is from Bon Jovi should come as no surprise but the fact that makes this really significant (at least to me) is that this song is less than year old. My obsession with Bon Jovi aside...this is another song that I listen to because I like the feelings and thoughts that come along with it. I think that I have said it before, but the sheer romantic nature of this song is that it doesn't lie and promise forever. It sings about a moment. I have come to fully appreciate what it means to make a memory and I know that to make a memory is to steal a piece of time.
Actually, I have no desire to go into a recap of the amazing game that was the Superbowl, since it has been talked to death already. I will say that with the exception of the last quarter, the entire thing was fairly boring. Not even Tom Petty was a great as he could have been. The commercials were sorely disappointing. In fact, there was only one commercial worth tracking down on YouTube. But boy was it worth it. The Peyton Manning cameo at the end was a nice touch. 
Down to You - When this movie first came out I had a date to go see it. Luck would have it that I never made it out of the bar to walk to the theater and missed it. I am glad because it would not have been worth whatever I would have paid to see it. It has Freddie Prinze Jr, Julia Stiles, Zak Orth and Selma Blair as porn stars, Ashton Kutcher, and brief cameos by "The Fonz". There was one funny part of the entire movie and that is when Freddie's character imagines that he is getting ripped by the guys on The Man Show. It is supposed to be your average love conquers all story but it sucked. The lowest point...when Freddie makes friends with a spider. Seriously...a spider named Owen.
The Colony - So this is a less creepy version of The Village from the 90s. It stars John Ritter and that is the only reason that I watched it. It has all the elements of a 90s thriller, most scary being the bad clothes. The plot is entirely predictable and anti-climatic. The worst part of it was that as I sat through the damn thing I kept thinking "What are they complaining about?" Maybe it is the republican in me but I didn't not see what the problem was. I mean, so you have to give up a few freedoms such as being able to paint your house blue in order to have your kids go to a great school and live in a community without any crime. Is that really a big sacrifice for safety and security? Whatever. Not worth watching.
The Business of Strangers - Also starring Julia Stiles which isn't surprising. So I just don't get this movie. I couldn't stop watching it because I really wanted to figure it out. By the end I still didn't get it and felt kind of dirty for having watched it. Did she have a crush on Stockard Channing's character? Where they both crazy or was Stockard just spending the day in looney land? Either way, there didn't seem to be a point to this movie. It seemed to be going for a shock factor but it wasn't really shocking. I think that the common feeling for me during this movie was "Huh??".
Disturbing Behavior - This is probably the most main stream movie that I have watched during my stay on the couch. It has a young Katie Holmes playing an outcast teen opposite James Marsden, who is clearly getting better with age. At least this one was somewhat entertaining. The plot was full of holes but whatever. It wasn't that bad. It really makes me sad because I think that Katie once had a lot of potential to be great. No matter what roles she takes now, she will never be seen as anything more than Tom's wife. But hey, if she is happy...
The Astronaut's Wife - This movie was a blantant rip off of Rosemary's Baby except instead of father being satan it was some alien. Charlize looked insanely beautiful as always but that is the best that can be said about her in this role. Johnny Depp...well it was not his best role either but he never looked better. Is it wrong of me that I once again did not see what the big deal was? She had an incredibly loving, devoted, and sexy husband with a beautiful home and good life. So the babies that you are carrying are half alien...it could be worse. At least they were half human. I don't know. I just didn't feel that terribly for her. There is a scene in which Johnny is giving her a bath and all I could think was that if any man ever did that for me I wouldn't care if he was half alien or half satan. It would be nice to be loved like that.
So in midst of such terrible movies...one might wonder how I kept from going crazy. Well, there was always TV shows and I have found that I am never more than a couple hours away from an episode of Scrubs, Law and Order, and/or that 70s Show. The other reason was that I have been blessed with a few phone calls and memories that made me smile. And not that average "hey this is cool smile" but the kind that you feel from your head to toes and everywhere in between. Oh and there was the pain meds, which made me feel pretty good no matter what crap I happened to be watching.
