Bonyscribe's Random Top 40 Flashback, Volume 1

 Hello again everyone. Today, I thought I would do my normal flashback feature on this blog but with a bit of a twist. Instead of dispensing a certain year on the week that a particular blog entry is published, I decided to switch things up and select a random date. Why? Because to keep things fresh and to give my D20 dice more of a workout. No, I don't play D & D (and I never have), but I had thought that a 20-sided die was cool ever since I was a teenager, so I got a dice set from wish a few years ago.

Anyhow I rolled said dice, and the D-20 landed on ten, then I rolled a regular die, and it landed on even (1980-1999). Then I rolled a D-12 die, it landed on three (March). Finally, I rolled the regular die again, and it landed on one meaning I would be using the first week. So, today's flashback is from the first week of March 1989. I thought about rolling the regular die again to see which chart I would use (Billboard or R/R or combined), but I skipped it and decided to go with a combined chart for that particular week. Keep in mind, back then Billboard's Hot 100 chart was based on sales while R/R was based on airplay lists submitted to them by radio station managers throughout the nation.

I use a points system based on chart position and longevity on the chart, kind of like music meets the old NASCAR points system, I have to write another blog someday and review said process for that points system and find a way to pin it on my blogger page or any other of my social media pages. I know I wrote it in the early days of this blog (before Covid), but I didn't really want to look through all the entries to find it. Writing this can be time-consuming enough as it is. 

So, without further ado, here were the top 40 songs based on data from Billboard and Radio and Records magazines for the week ending March 4, 1989. There were five songs that missed the cut as 45 songs reached the Top 40 of both charts that week, those were Funky Cold Medina by Tone Loc (39 R/R), Room To Move by Animotion (38 R/R), Angel of Harlem by U2 (38 BB), The Last Mile by Cinderella (36 BB), and Second Chance by 38 Special (35 R/R). Tiebreakers are broken by higher chart position followed by weeks on the chart)

40. All This Time by Tiffany (39 BB--7 points). As I recall, this was Tiffany's final chart hit, but she's still very active in the nostalgia music scene touring across the world.

39. Heaven Help Me by Deon Estus (34 R/R--7 points). I know he was one of the backup singers for the late George Michael, who actually helped back him with this track, but I don't really know what happened to him after this came out.

38. Feels So Good by Van Hagar Halen (33 R/R--8 points)

37. She Won't Talk To Me by Luther Vandross (40 BB, 31 R/R--11 points). Story of my life, buddy. Though not so much now.

36. When The Children Cry by White Lion (34 BB--12 points). They disappeared after this song was released. I guess we were left "wait"ing for more. That's a bad pun. I don't expect you to get it unless you're GenX like myself.

35. I Wanna Have Some Fun by SAMANTHA Fox (33 BB--13 points). I'll assume you know why Samantha is capitalized. Anyway, this was the last of her three big hits in America, and like Tiffany, she's very active on the nostalgia circuit.

34. Your Mama Don't Dance by Poison (37 BB, 28 R/R--17 points)

33. Cryin' by Vixen (35 BB, 29 R/R--18 points). The only band (to my knowledge) that was a female hard rock/hair metal band from that era. Of note, Richard Marx co-wrote their other hit, "Edge of a Broken Heart."

32. Walking Away from Information Society (22 BB, 40 R/R--24 points). As I recall this band had a fixation with Spock from the original "Star Trek" series. 

31. You Got It by Roy Orbison (29 BB, 26 R/R--27 points). Orbison tragically passed away the previous December at the age of 52. He had been working at the time as part of the supergroup The Traveling Wilburys

30. When I'm With You by Sheriff (24 BB, 38 R/R--27 points). Song which was first released six years earlier but somehow found new life at the start of 1989.

29. Superwoman by Karyn White (32 BB, 22 R/R--28 points)

28. More Than You Know by Martika (31 BB, 21 R/R--32 points). Debut hit from the Cuban emigrant, who would later score with "Toy Soldiers" that summer. Her hit after that was a remake of Carole King's "I Feel The Earth Move," which appeared destined to be at least a top ten hit but was victimized by rotten timing; the Loma Prieta earthquake which affected that year's World Series happened as that song was gaining popularity.

27. She Drives Me Crazy by Fine Young Cannibals (30 BB, 20 R/R--32 points)

26. Dial My Heart by The Boys (19 BB, 37 R/R--33 points)

25. The Love In Your Eyes by Eddie Money (27 BB, 23 R/R--34 points)

24. Stand by R.E.M. (28 BB, 19 R/R--35 points). The video of this song kind of freaked me out. Remember those three students that were detained for crossing into Iran a few years ago, and do you recall the video package showing those students doing a hideous dance? That "dance" reminded me of that video, and oh, my opinion speaking here, I think those students should have been detained not for crossing into Iran, but that dance performance. It was that bad.

23. Walk The Dinosaur by Was Not Was (26 BB, 16 R/R--42 points). I seem to recall a long time ago, I want to say maybe 20 years ago, that I was watching (I think) "Pop Up Video" on VH-1 back before it became lame reality TV, and it stated that the song had a very dark meaning. Like the end of the world was going to happening.

22. Born To Be My Baby by Bon Jovi (15 BB, 30 R/R--46 points). I remember recording this on tape back when I was in high school on WJMX radio out of Florence, SC.

21. Dreamin' by Vanessa Williams (20 BB, 17 R/R--47 points)

20. I Beg Your Pardon by Kon Kan (18 BB, 18 R/R--50 points). I don't know if "The Jukebox From Hell" exists anymore on certain radio shows, but if I had a radio program, as well as that segment, I would submit this song as one such entry.

19. Respect by Erasure (14 BB, 24 R/R--51 points)

18. Just Because by Anita Baker (23 BB, 14 R/R--52 points)

17. She Wants To Dance With Me by Rick Astley (11 BB, 32 R/R--53 points). I haven't danced in a long time.

16. The Look by Roxette (25 BB, 10 R/R--56 points)

15. You're Not Alone by Chicago (21 BB, 11 R/R--61 points). Yes, the band Chicago was still a thing back in 1989, without Peter Cetera.

14. What I Am by Edie Brickell & New Bohemians (7 BB, 25 R/R--78 points)

13. Don't Tell Me Lies by Breathe (16 BB, 8 R/R--79 points). That should be a prerequisite for any woman I may want to date. So, if you're reading this...

12. Girl You Know It's True by Phony Baloney Milli Vanilli (12 BB, 9 R/R--83 points). Remember the nostalgia circuit I was mentioning earlier? Well, I saw a photo on Facebook with Tiffany alongside Fab Morvan, the surviving member of Milli Vanilli. My question: he is actually singing the songs now, right? 

11. Eternal Flame by The Bangles (17 BB, 6 R/R--86 points). From what I recall by watching "Behind The Music" they HATED that song and part of the reason they split apart not too long afterwards, but they're back together now.

10. Wild Thing by Tone Loc (6 BB, 27 R/R--86 points). This song was on both charts longer than "Eternal Flame" (9 vs 4/5) so this wins the tiebreaker. 

  9. Surrender To Me by Ann Wilson & Robin Zander (9 BB, 13 R/R--87 points). Zander I understand has called the Tampa Bay area home for quite a while now, and I think him and the other members of Cheap Trick still get together.

  8. My Heart Can't Tell You No by Rod Stewart (13 BB, 5 R/R--106 points)

  7. Paradise City by Guns N' Roses (10 BB, 4 R/R--127 points)

  6. The Lover In Me by Sheena Easton (2 BB, 15 R/R--138 points). The fact that this song made it number TWO on one of the charts surprises me. I thought it was top five for sure, but TWO?

  5. Straight Up by Paula Abdul (3 BB, 12 R/R--139 points). Thus began my adolescent crush on Paula.

  4. You Got It (The Right Stuff) by New Kids on the Block (5 BB, 7 R/R--140 points). Many great things have come from Boston, Paul Revere, Dunkin' Donuts, Gillette, Sean McDonough, and this group. And speaking of things coming from Boston...

  3. Roni by Bobby Brown (8 BB, 3 R/R--144 points). How easy it is to forget that New Edition formed in Boston.

  2. The Living Years by Mike + The Mechanics (4 BB, 2 R/R--187 points). I hated this song, and I imagine that this only gets played on the equally revolting Delilah program. This entry by the way was not sponsored by Tragic 94.9, all Delilah, all the frigging time. If you've ever lived in Tampa, you know what I'm referring to.

  1. Lost In Your Eyes by Debbie Gibson (1 BB, 1 R/R--262 points). A unanimous number one, which is something I should research from 1980 to 2006 when Radio and Records magazine got bought out by Billboard and vanished into Bolivia as Mike Tyson once said years ago.

And there it is, the first volume of my random Top 40 flashback, which is a welcome relief from the disaster that is current events and news as well as the recent play of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Now I'm off to dispose of a dead squirrel that somehow got dropped beside my driveway by some bird of prey. Hey, at least it wasn't a cat along US 74 in North Carolina. Take care!

Bonyscribe

Top 100 of 1994 and a Personal Note

 Good evening, except for you Megyn Kelly, you sick f**k. Haven't been very active on this here blog lately. That isn't because I've had nothing to talk about, but I haven't felt like doing much writing lately. Like I've said in previous entries, I've been a bit too depressed to write anything. This time it's a combination of what's been going on in the news, which is depressing enough to begin with, and not being able to see my love interest for almost a month. I hate it. Plus, the holidays are coming, which aren't what they used to be now that there's just the two sisters and I left...for now. I did have a somewhat good evening, minus one detail. Five of the teams that I root for won, and while the autumn chill has descended upon the Tampa Bay area, the weather hasn't been bad (except for last week, when it was colder than a well digger's a$$), so I thought I would submit this entry.

Tonight, I'm going to give you my Top 100 songs of 1994 based on data compiled by both Radio & Records Magazine and Billboard Magazine. So, without further ado, away we go.

100. Anything by SWV
  99. Loser by Beck
  98. At Your Best (You Are Love) by Aaliyah
  97. Mr. Vain by Culture Beat
  96. Dreams by Gabrielle
  95. I Wanna Be Down by Brandy
  94. The Way She Loves Me by Richard Marx
  93. Stroke You Up by Changing Faces
  92. I Miss You by Aaron Hall
  91. Something's Always Wrong by Toad the Wet Sprocket

A few things of note here, both 100 and 95 appeared on Billboard, but not R&R during 1994 (although Brandy did appear briefly on there the next year), the only two songs in this list that accomplished that feat. Also, Stroke You Up was backed by R. Kelly, who controversially was seeing Aaliyah at the time, who was only 14. But according to Megyn Kelly, it shouldn't be a big deal. Megyn...

  90. Never Lie by Immature
  89. Never Keeping Secrets by Babyface
  88. Misled by Celine Dion
  87. Circle Of Life by Elton John
  86. Beautiful In My Eyes by Joshua Kadison
  85. Basket Case by Green Day
  84. Interstate Love Song by Stone Temple Pilots
  83. Far Behind by Candlebox
  82. Rock & Roll Dreams Come Through by Meat Loaf
  81. You Better Wait by Steve Perry

In this group of ten, we have the breakout hit by Green Day, a song that my former roommate had a fixation for (Far Behind), and Steve Perry with a comeback hit of sorts that kinda ties into recent headlines, and someone I mentioned before on this entry.

  80. Sukiyaki by 4PM
  79. Understanding by Xscape
  78. Allison Road by Gin Blossoms
  77. Black Hole Sun by Soundgarden
  76. Lucky One by Amy Grant
  75. Groove Thang by Zhane
  74. Mary Jane's Last Dance by Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
  73. Love Sneakin' Up On You by Bonnie Raitt
  72. Regulate by Warren G. & Nate Dogg
  71. You Gotta Be by Des'ree

Among this group is a fantastic hip-hop track that could've been the song of that summer, Last Dance, which featured Kim Basinger in the video (and I didn't know Mary Jane was code at the time, I was 20), and You Gotta Be, which lasted on the charts about as long as the Energizer Bunny did.

  70. Round Here by Counting Crows
  69. Turn The Beat Around by Gloria Estefan
  68. You Want This by Janet Jackson
  67. Stay by Eternal
  66. Everyday by Phil Collins
  65. I Can See Clearly Now by Jimmy Cliff
  64. Living In Danger by Ace of Base
  63. What's The Frequency, Kenneth? by R.E.M. 
  62. Fantastic Voyage by Coolio
  61. Linger by The Cranberries

Every time I see the song "What's the frequency, Kenneth?" I'm reminded of a former shipmate onboard the Eisenhower that had the first name of Ken, although I never got to use that line when asking what the frequency of the generators on our ship were (it was always set at a certain frequency).

  60. Can We Talk by Tevin Campbell
  59. Amazing by Aerosmith
  58. Choose by Color Me Badd
  57. Again by Janet Jackson
  56. I'll Take You There by General Public
  55. Here Comes The Hotstepper by Ini Kamoze
  54. Cantaloop (Flip Fantasia) by Us3
  53. Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm by Crash Test Dummies
  52. All That She Wants by Ace of Base
  51. Said I Loved You...But I Lied by Michael Bolton

Numbers 55-53 were noteworthy because they were from artists that were genuinely one-hit wonders. Neither of those three were really heard from again after their respective songs.

  50. Streets Of Philadelphia by Bruce Springsteen
  49. Until I Fall Away by Gin Blossoms
  48. Prayer For The Dying by Seal
  47. I'll Stand By You by Pretenders
  46. Always by Erasure
  45. Endless Love by Luther Vandross & Mariah Carey
  44. Bump N' Grind by R. Kelly
  43. I'm Ready by Tevin Campbell
  42. Back & Forth by Aaliyah
  41. Because The Night by 10,000 Maniacs

I had mentioned earlier about the controversy between R. Kelly and Aaliyah. Well if it weren't for Tevin Campbell, they would actually be together on this list. Eww.

  40. I'm The Only One by Melissa Etheridge
  39. December 1963 (Oh What A Night) by The Four Seasons
  38. Crazy by Aerosmith
  37. Found Out About You by Gin Blossoms
  36. On Bended Knee by Boyz II Men
  35. Shoop by Salt-N-Pepa
  34. Always by Bon Jovi
  33. Please Forgive Me by Bryan Adams
  32. 100% Pure Love by Crystal Waters
  31. Return To Innocence by Enigma

December 1963 wasn't actually the track that first appeared in the mid-70's; it was a remix by Ben Liebrand that got significant airplay thanks in part to John Garabedian's "Open House Party" back in the day. I don't know if that program exists anymore, last I checked it was being run by the former evening DJ at WFLZ radio in Tampa. Yuck.

  30. All For Love by Bryan Adams, Rod Stewart, & Sting
  29. Anytime You Need A Friend by Mariah Carey
  28. So Much In Love by All-4-One
  27. Anytime, Anyplace by Janet Jackson
  26. Now And Forever by Richard Marx
  25. Because Of Love by Janet Jackson
  24. Secret by Madonna
  23. Come To My Window by Melissa Etheridge
  22. Hero by Mariah Carey
  21. Whatta Man by Salt-N-Pepa w/En Vogue

"Secret" by Madonna was off her CD Bedtime Stories, which is noteworthy because a female shipmate (who I had one of my first...uh, relations with while driving around Norfolk) played the cassette in the car I had at the time, a 1985 grey Mercury Grand Marquis. Oh, by the way, she was a redhead.

  20. Shine by Collective Soul
  19. Breathe Again by Toni Braxton
  18. Another Night by Real McCoy
  17. The Most Beautiful Girl In The World by Prince
  16. Can You Feel The Love Tonight by Elton John
  15. When Can I See You by Babyface
  14. You Mean The World To Me by Toni Braxton
  13. If You Go by Jon Secada
  12. Without You by Mariah Carey
  11. The Power Of Love by Celine Dion

songs 17-11 seem like a list of songs that would be played during one of those Long-Distance Dedications that the late Casey Kasem used to do on his countdown shows way back when. Speaking of which, here is the most beautiful girl (woman) in the world to me:

  10. Baby I Love Your Way by Big Mountain

    9. Wild Night by John Mellencamp w/ Me'chelle Ndegeocello

    8. All I Wanna Do by Sheryl Crow

    7. Mr. Jones by Counting Crows

    6. I'll Remember by Madonna

    5. I Swear by All-4-One

    4. I'll Make Love To You by Boyz II Men

    3. Stay (I Missed You) by Lisa Loeb & Nine Stories

    2. Don't Turn Around by Ace of Base

    1. The Sign by Ace of Base

Finally, we come to the top of the list. It was a consensus number one for the year, as The Sign (by a hefty margin) nabbed the top spot on both Billboard and R/R. In fact, eight of the Top Ten I tabulated from Billboard made the Top Ten, while nine came from Radio and Records. Interestingly, "Baby I Love Your Way" failed to make the Top Ten in either Billboard or R/R (14th and 11th respectively) but reached #10 when combining the data. 

Anyway, before I go, I wanted to express my dismay on what's going on back in North Carolina. President Trump this week has sent his ICE goons to both Raleigh and Charlotte in an "immigration crackdown" of those areas. I sure as heck don't like it and neither do the majority of folks that live up there. I guess he wants another distraction from The Epstein Files, which will be released this week. Heck, if what has been going around TikTok the last 24 hours is true, he'll start a war with Venezuela. Stay tuned. And F*** ICE.

Bonyscribe

 

 

 

Taco? No, Chicken S***

 Good evening to all except for Dave Portnoy. You've heard of the term TACO to define Trump always chickening out on his outrageous tariffs. Well tonight, Senate Democrats said, "Hold my cerveza." Not even one week after Democrats scored a resounding victory in races throughout the nation, a handful of Senate Democrats caved and voted to reopen the government, putting many people on the ACA at risk of having their premiums skyrocketing and giving our s***bag in chief his own resounding victory, unless the House sacks up and votes it down. This has been a rough day all around with the Bucs and Tragic losing, as well as seeing Doofus on my TV screen during the Washington-Detroit game today (where he was mercilessly booed). I have to deep cleanse my TV from the stench coming from his appearance. You know what really sucks, I now have to play his double jerk-off dance. FML.

Shoot me now (no, not really)

Bonyscribe

Out of Friggin' Control...

 Hi everyone. Is it just me, or has our President lost all control? Seriously, this weekend he threw a temper tantrum over an advertisement that aired on FOX (of all networks) during the World Series. What was that ad? It was snippets of a radio address made by President Ronald Reagan in 1987 concerning the dangers of the only other thing that President Trump does well (other than throw fits on Truth (Anti)Social), and that's imposing tariffs.

 

still shot from said radio address.

Let's see how Trump responded, shall we?

First of all, what is his obsession with fake media? It wasn't fake at all. Hell, I saw that speech on videotape on social media channels this past week. Now the Reagan Foundation on Twitter is coming to Trump's defense, sort of:

So, the Reagan Foundation says that the ad misrepresents his comments from 38 years ago. Well, duh, it was a more than minute speech that the Province of Ontario had only a minute for, of course some parts of said speech are going to be cut out. Don't you know how advertising on television works? SMH.

Oh, and speaking of the World Series, Trump may or may not have posted this, likely the latter, but as unhinged as he sometimes gets, he may have...

from X

Now I seriously doubt that the DOJ is investigating MLB, but after the events of the past week, they should continue to investigate the NBA. And Dems and the Mafia? Pffft. Like I said, he more likely than not didn't write this.

BUT, it appears he may be getting ready to go to war with Venezuela, and maybe Colombia. Not good folks, so all I can say is stay tuned. In the words of Edward R. Murrow, good night and good luck.

BonyScribe

Ugggghhhh...Monday Night Thoughts

 Good morning, I guess. It's 1:07am right now as I'm typing this, and I have plenty of Coke Zero Sugar in my system, so I may as well get some writing done, and humor you with some random thoughts.

The "No Kings" march was a resounding success nationwide. Seven million participants and only two arrests that we are aware of. Pretty good for the so-called "violent left." No, they're not violent President Trump, they (like me) just don't like your ass. 

Speaking of Trump, you know that "peace deal" he brokered between Gaza and Israel? The media led you to believe it was the single greatest accomplishment in either of his two terms as president. Well, so much for that. But hey, at least if he isn't allegedly tearing up our republic, he is tearing up the White House. 😬 

Getty Images

Tonight felt off for some reason. The Bucs crapped the bed against the Lions. I mean, it was kinda expected since the Lions got jobbed last Sunday night at Kansas City (they had to please Taylor Swift I guess) and were pretty pissed online, but I thought the Bucs would have a little better effort. Oh, and to add injury to insult, Mike Evans broke his collarbone and may be done for the season. I think me breaking out the Doug Martin jersey had something to do with it. RIP Muscle Hamster.

Remember back in March when I said the Dodgers would cake walk through MLB and win the World Series? Well, they're four wins away from successfully repeating, much to the chagrin of everyone not rooting for them. Their opponent? The Toronto Blue Jays. A surprise from the American League in what has been a season full of surprises. Heck, look what I wrote for my picks this year:

AL East: Orioles
AL Central: Guardians
AL West: Rangers
WC 1: Yankees
WC 2: Astros
WC 3: Royals
Pennant: Rangers

NL East: Mets
NL Central: Cubs*
NL West: Dodgers

WC 1: Phillies*
WC 2: Barves
WC 3: Padres

Pennant: Dodgers

Outside of the Yankees and Guardians, I completely whiffed on the American League, and the Guardians only won the division thanks to an unbelievable comeback (and a generational collapse by the Tigers). In the National League, I got the Dodgers and Padres sort of right since they captured a Wild Card spot. The Phillies won the division, and the Cubs won a wild card spot. I thought the Rays would finish 83-79; they wound up below .500. Oh well...

Anyway, back to the Blue Jays, congratulations to them and their fans (except one who can't keep to its own business on social media). And to Don Mattingly, who finally gets to go to a World Series after forty-two years in baseball...

CBS Sports on Facebook

One thing that I dislike about my life is that I can't go out at nighttime. Seriously, because my sisters will have major anxiety if I do and that they're elderly. The three of us have to stick together because that's all that's left in our family. And we're surviving so far. 

Speaking of which, the mother of my daughter followed me on TikTok. I don't post much on there; I just repost mainly underreported news and sometimes humorous cat videos. But interesting that she's following me all of a sudden. 

80s music hits different when you haven't heard it in a while, and especially after you've heard snippets of the 6, 7 songs that are popular these days. See what I did there?

Call me cynical, but I don't have a bunch of high hopes for the Lightning this year. Vasilevskiy just isn't the same netminder that he was five or six years ago, and the defensive core is suspect and aging. I think the time for a franchise rebuild may be sooner than all of us thought.

You know, flipping the bird at the numerous commercials for Morgan & Morgan as well as the number of Trump stories I have to hear on Fox 13 gets exhausting after a while, but that's my protest. Which begs the question: Why didn't I go to the No Kings March? Well, I saw on Facebook that there was a decent turnout in Brooksville, but as for Spring Hill I can only guesstimate what it was like here. In fact, here's what I thought it looked like:

Seriously, with as many Trump bootlickers that live around where I do, I wouldn't be surprised if the "No Kings" march in Spring Hill was actually a counterprotest in support of MAGA. Yuck.

I have to go get some sleep. I have a VA Appointment tomorrow then lunch with the sisters. I hope to have more later this week. Until then, have a good one.

Bonyscribe

What Are We Doing Here??

 Okay, so I haven't posted on here for a couple of weeks, but today something happened that I just couldn't resist not talking about. Our President, who ran on the platform of "America First," decided today that he would allow the military to use an airbase in Idaho. Except it wasn't our military, it was the Qatari military. America first my ass.

Was this in return for the gift that Qatar gave President Trump? Who knows, but it sure reeks of quid pro quo. This was a country that somehow rigged the voting to gain the FIFA 2022 World Cup and is allegedly bankrolling Hamas, and now we're rewarding their troops with the use of the Mountain Home Air Base.

Meanwhile, Trump brags to his rich friends on the golf course about the government shutdown while throwing a hissy fit that he didn't get the Nobel Peace Prize. What a piece of human waste...

Release the files already...

Bonyscribe

"Crapture" At Scamelot, Plus More...

 Hello again everyone, except the cultaholics over at Sinclair Broadcasting. Yeah, keep pounding your right-wing views on everyone (and guess what? The hyperlink on Twitter does not work, thanks a little Hulk Hogan). Your little stunt for Jimmy Kimmel to get his show back on air in the ABC stations you own is nothing more than extravagant extortion attempt. Anyway, Tuesday the rapture was allegedly supposed to happen...again. And just like in 1988 and 2012 and every other time it was supposed to happen, it didn't happen...again. 2016 may have seemed like the rapture, when everyone notable seemingly died, but in my estimation, it was our Creator calling certain ones home because it knew what was going to happen from 2017 and beyond; the rise of Scamelot.

Another event that happened on Tuesday was President Trump speaking at the UN General Assembly, which was a shitshow in and of itself, but what made it more so was that his teleprompter took a dirt nap in the middle of his speech, and before that, the escalator he and Melania were taking suddenly stopped as they were entering it. This led to the "world's most powerful man-baby" throwing a glorified hissy-fit about the whole ordeal, wanting an investigation into the whole matter even going as far as calling it sabotage. Fox Faux News even called (sarcastically) called for the UN to be bombed.

Turned out it was one of his staffers accidentally hitting a safety switch that stopped the escalator, and that his own White House staff was operating the teleprompter that went kaput in the middle of his speech. Which has me thinking, was the escalator incident a visual metaphor for the rapture that was supposed to happen on Tuesday? Furthermore, if it was Trump's WH staff behind the two faux pas, were they low-key just trolling him? After all, his presidency (more so his first term, but it also applies to the current one) seems like a bad SNL skit. As a song from last year said, get me off this ride.

NFL Week 4

Last week on my NFL picks, I went 10-6, putting me at 33-15 this year as of Thursday Night. I already made my pick for the game between Seattle and Arizona across various social media platforms earlier today, so let's see how I do this week:

Minnesota over Pittsburgh
Philadelphia over Tampa Bay (Eagles are due in Tampa and the Bucs are banged up)
Washington over Atlanta
LA Chargers over NY Giants
Buffalo over New Orleans
Houston over Tennessee
Detroit over Cleveland (more on this in a moment)
New England over Carolina
LA Rams over Indianapolis
San Francisco over Jacksonville
Taylor Swift over Baltimore
Chicago over Las Vegas
Green Bay over Dallas
NY Jets over Miami
Denver over Cincinnati

Some other thoughts

Cal Raleigh is a monster, but he won't win MVP. Aaron Judge is the better all-around player. 

Detroit's football team will probably win Sunday against Cleveland, but their baseball team is on the verge of completing a generational choke job to the same city. 

Make sure your alarm clocks are ready for Green Day on Thursday.

Speaking of which, Mariah's beginning to thaw. Great.

Hockey season is here; they skate for realsies in a couple of weeks. GO BOLTS!

I haven't done a flashback in a long while, and I think only one this year. Might need to do something about that.

All eyes may be on the coast of the Carolinas early next week, as the storm that may be named Imelda approaches. Too bad we can't throw a shoe at it to make it disappear. 

Halloween is nearing, and I'm excited for it.

Speaking of Halloween, separated at birth: Lara Loomer and Momo

I also can't wait to see my favorite person again...

Have a great weekend, peeps!

Bonyscribe

Week 3 NFL Plus Random Thoughts

 Greetings from the Free Fascist State of Florida. I'm beginning to hate it here; this feels like 1983 all over again. I wound up leaving Florida though later that year, and DeSantis is bye-bye from Jai Alai after next year, so I better not say anymore (don't want to jinx it). 

Last week was a very good one in terms of my NFL picks. I went 13-3 (only misses were Pittsburgh, KC, and Minnesota) to give me a two-week total of 23-9. On the college side, I was reminded once again as to why I don't go to Hard Rock Bet to pick games. I went 3-4 though I got the Georgia Tech pick right. Don't think I'll do college picks this week, even though there is one game I will have eyes on (UNC at UCF), though I might not watch it since it's on Fox.

For this week I have the following:

Buffalo over Miami
Tampa Bay over NY Jets (barely)
Philadelphia over LA Rams
Green Bay over Cleveland
Washington over Las Vegas
Atlanta over Carolina
Cincinnati over Minnesota (how did Nantz/Romo get that assignment?)
Pittsburgh over New England
Jacksonville over Houston
Indianapolis over Tennessee
LA Chargers over Denver
Seattle over New Orleans
Dallas over Chicago
Arizona over San Francisco
Kansas City over NY Giants
Baltimore over Detroit

And now, allow me to say a few more words surrounding the Charlie Kirk assassination: XXXXXX XXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXX. XXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXX XX XXXXXXXX. XXXXXXXXX XXXXXX XXXX XXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXX. XX XXXXXXX XXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX XX XX.

Seriously, didn't that sound stupid? I guess free speech is no longer allowed in the US unless it falls in line with the narrative of the controlling political party, which in my opinion is what the right-wing has been trying to do in this country since 9/11. Long story which I'll get into one day, but let me ask you this first: how does a struggling formerly drug-addicted talk radio host in Tampa of all places get launched into superstardom and national prominence?

There used to be a segment on Kimmel's show (and I didn't watch it that often) where he would randomly add bleeps to whatever a person was saying on tape. I think it was called Unnecessary Censorship. I think this latest stunt by ABC and Nexstar (who want to complete a merger with Tegna) would qualify as such. Come to think of it, this was sort of the same thing CBS did with Stephen Colbert. All in all, this sucks.

Meanwhile, in England, let's check in on our "Dear Leader:"

Hoo boy...

Bonyscribe

Somewhat Hot And Bothered Week 2 Picks

 Good afternoon, everyone. But definitely not Tyler Robinson. As you're probably aware by now, he's the individual behind the assassination of Charlie Kirk. Enough about that because I'm sure there are plenty of tweets/Facebook posts/blogs/podcasts/misinformation concerning all that.

Anyway, after a wild end to Week One, we are onto Week Two of the NFL season. So far, I'm 11-6 including last night's game which I touched on briefly on Wednesday night. This week I hope to do better and try to improve on a rather mediocre opening week. Tampa is playing Monday night in Houston as part of an ESPN Doubleheader, plus we have a Super Bowl matchup on our hands. Looking at 506sports, the games in the markets I care about the most appear to be okay, except for two: Orlando gets Jacksonville at Cincinnati and Lumberton, NC gets Seattle at Pittsburgh (despite every surrounding market receiving NY Giants at Dallas).

Here's what I see going down this week, and remember to take these with a grain of salt:

Buffalo over NY Jets
LA Rams over Tennessee
New England over Miami
Baltimore over Cleveland
Cincinnati over Jacksonville
Dallas over NY Giants
Detroit over Chicago
Pittsburgh over Seattle
San Francisco over New Orleans
Indianapolis over Denver 😮
Arizona over Carolina
Taylor Swift (KC) over Philadelphia (ugh)
Minnesota over Atlanta
Tampa Bay over Houston
LA Chargers over Las Vegas

Last week I scored big time on picking USF to cover at Florida. Not only did they cover, but they won outright, and now many Gator fans are wanting Billy Napier's head on a stick to be paraded throughout Gainesville (not really, but you sense their anger). This week, I think USF will cover again at Miami, but I don't think they'll pull off the upset, unless Mario Cristobal does something stupid. Oh, and Thom Brennaman is calling the game for the CW as Castellanos hits a drive into left field and that'll be a home run. Seriously, I don't know if he's calling an FSU game this season since their QB is named Castellanos, but wouldn't that be a hoot if it is indeed the case?

Some selected college picks:

LSU over Florida by at least 30
Tennessee over Georgia
Alabama over Wisconsin
Georgia Tech over Clemson (!)
Coastal Carolina to cover against East Carolina (+8.5)
South Florida to cover at Miami (+17.5)
South Carolina over Vanderbilt

Personal note here, had to put up with having no AC the last three days at Chateau de Scribe. Compressor on the unit blew up Monday night after a bizarre power surge. But all is good now, and I'm not so hot and bothered...for now.

Have a good weekend everyone.

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How I Did and Enough Already

 Good morning, everyone. I had a few thoughts I wanted to write about on this solemn anniversary, but breaking news yesterday afternoon has put those plans on hold for now. 

To tie up my picks from last week, I went 10-6. Not bad but disappointing because I could've easily been 13-3. As for tonight's game I have Green Bay over Washington. The rest of the week's games will be out on Friday.

As many of you are well aware by now, Charlie Kirk was senselessly murdered at a rally in Orem, Utah yesterday afternoon. Did I like him? Not really, since he's an avid supporter of Donald Trump and the MAGA movement. But he was a husband, a father of two young kids, and a diehard Chicago Cubs fan. And even though he was on the far right, he at least encouraged the free exchange of ideas, which is more than some right-leaning talking heads do...talking to YOU Marc Levin.

As of midnight (the time of this writing) a suspect has not been found, although on one video posted to social media, an individual that appeared to be dressed in black could be seen running from the roof of a nearby building. No word to my knowledge as to what bullet was used and what weapon, although the fatal shot was fired from a distance of approximately 500 feet, which is slightly further than the bullet fired from the would-be Trump assassin in the summer of last year in Butler, Pennsylvania. Now this of course is speculative, but a shot from that range appears to be that of a sniper or a sharpshooter.

The right, of course, is calling Kirk a martyr as a result, and some on the right are already calling for retribution.

First of all, stop. As I said already, we do not know who is responsible for this. Second, this attitude of "if you're not for us, you're against us" is not helpful like at all. The main culprit of that interestingly enough is the news media here in the US. Yesterday morning, I posted on Facebook mocking the coverage on cable news channels.

Seriously, this grandstanding on both sides has to end. What happened to "just the facts, ma'am/man?" This toxic behavior has been going around for at least two decades, and interestingly enough, I could pinpoint it to what happened 24 years ago this morning, but I'll write about that another time. There are a lot of YouTube videos I have to watch and make up my mind about first. But this attitude of retribution has to come to an end. More people are going to die as a result, and we won't have an America left if it continues.

Never forget.

Bonyscribe.

Week One Picks, For S***s and Giggles

 Hello again, everyone. Well, I said in my last post that I wasn't going to make weekly picks for football season, but here we are on the eve of the NFL season. Three things to remember as I write this. One, if you're going to place a bet on any games, college or pro, please do so responsibly. Two, for the love of all that is holy DO NOT take what I'm about to write as the gospel. Yes, I am a sports fan, but I am by no means an expert on anything, and what I usually write, for better or worse, winds up being wrong anyway. And three, there is NO SUCH THING as a sure bet. A classic example is the 2007 Michigan-Appalachian State game in the Big House, where nobody gave App State a snowball's chance in hell to win, and look what happened.

Once again this season, 506sports has announcer listings and maps to see what game you'll get on your television depending on your location. So, without further ado, here's what I think for this week:

Philadelphia over Dallas
Kansas City over LA Chargers in Sao Paolo
Atlanta over Tampa Bay (I hope I'm wrong)
Washington over NY Giants
Cincinnati over Cleveland
Jacksonville over Carolina
Pittsburgh over NY Jets
Miami over Indianapolis
New England over Las Vegas
Arizona over New Orleans
Green Bay over Detroit
LA Rams over Houston
San Francisco over Seattle
Denver over Tennessee
Baltimore over Buffalo
Chicago over Minnesota

Bonus college pick:

USF to cover at Florida (-17.5).

Football season is here. Enjoy everyone!

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Some Random Labor Day Thoughts

 Hello again, everyone. Except you, Ron DeSantis. Happy Labor Day everyone. You know, it wasn't that long ago where this holiday meant that regular TV programming on one channel in wherever city you live would be hijacked for 22 hours or so to run the Jerry Lewis Labor Day Telethon. He's gone now, and the telethon left well before he did. You can google it if you want. Anyway, college football is almost done for the week, and except for one result, it was pretty good. One game remains, and that's the TCU Horned Frogs facing off against Bill Belichick and the North Carolina Tarheels. I'll definitely be watching...

Too bad tomorrow is Labor Day, because there is a lot of excitement for me personally this week, and I'll have to put it off a day (bank's closed). However, it should be a fantastic week; I get to see my woman, and the NFL kicks off on Thursday when the Eagles host the Cowboys. Will I do my weekly picks this year? I doubt it. As you may have been able to tell I haven't been too active on this platform lately, I can't really put a finger on the exact reason other than I just haven't felt like it, which is not to say that I haven't wanted to because there's a litany of things I wanted to talk about, some of them will be in this entry, but I digress. Anyway, my Super Bowl pick once again will be Baltimore over Philadelphia. I was going to pick Tampa Bay over the LA Chargers, but after giving it some thought, I changed it. I don't think I'm going to pick division winners this year either. All I can hope for is that finally the Chiefs miss the AFC Title game, in fact it would be great if they went under .500. That unfortunately won't happen. Stand by to be annoyed to death with nonstop camera shots of Taylor Swift, and now State Farm ads with the equally nauseating Meghan Trainor. Blyat. Like a good neighbor, stay over there.

Speaking of things that are annoying, I've noticed something a disturbing trend on YouTube lately. Videos that have a list of certain subjects with a quick explanation of how or why that particular subject became so infamous. Informative? Yes (here's one example). But what annoys me is it's seemingly lazy on the part of the particular content creator. Like go into detail. You don't have to go into the detail that say RealLifeLore does, but for Heaven's sake put a little effort into your product why don't you?

Another trope that is getting tired that I've seen is advertisements for game-playing apps on your phone where the "boss" of a certain company is throwing a literal hissy fit because his "customers" aren't downloading his app from a reputable source. Usually these ads are reserved for "money-making" apps (which I discussed a little about in an earlier post), but this one was for Vita Mahjong. An app that to my knowledge doesn't pay diddly squat for game play (unless another legitimate game playing app includes it). All in all it seems a little sus to me.

Here, have some eye candy:

The most beautiful woman on Earth.

Now onto other things of note:

Weekend At Bernie's?

Anyone and everyone this weekend was speculating left and right about the health of President Trump since he didn't make any noticeable appearances over the weekend nor as I can tell hold "many many meetings" (remember that phrase from his last administration?) Some people on the far left, not on air mind you, even went as far as to speculate that he kicked the bucket. No, he's alive and tweeting...or truthing...or whatever he calls it on Truth Social. As far as I'm concerned, this apparently was his relaxing at one of his golf courses over the weekend:

Seriously though, despite rampant speculation and misinformation (which seems to be the norm in 2025) he is still in office, and we haven't seen any of the propaganda channels (formerly news networks) break into regular programming with crocodile tears announcing his demise...yet. Although when it does happen, I'd imagine it would look something like this:

Only except instead of Peppermint Patty displaying performance activism shown here, it will be Fox and Fiends sobbing over their Cheerios. 

By the way, I know that the Minneapolis church shooting was hideous and tragic, as well as gut wrenching, but Psaki, you're a professional, at least you're supposed to be, when doing your job. This may sound heartless on my part, but act like it.

Outright National Champions at Last

This weekend Georgia Tech battle Colorado at Boulder in what could be a battle of sorts between the two schools that shared college football's national championship in 1990. Georgia Tech outlasted Colorado 27-20, so that means that GEORGIA TECH ARE YOUR 1990 OUTRIGHT NATIONAL CHAMPIONS!! According to me. Hell, if UCF can claim a natty eight years ago, I can claim that Georgia Tech should've won the outright title in 1990, and this game backs that up. Besides, Colorado won a game on a fifth down that year. Case closed.

Speaking of College Football, mad respect and props to Lee Corso on his retirement. He went six-for-six on his picks last week, which included FSU's upset win over Alabama.

Cracker Barrel of Laughs

One subject I was going to write about last month was Cracker Barrel's attempt at rebranding, which was ultimately rescinded. There were many memes created from the new logo (many of which can be found here), and maybe I'll still share some of my favorites on here. About the remodeling though I don't like it from what I've seen. It doesn't have that old rustic country store feel and looks more like a Temu version of Bonefish Grill. Get rid of the white paint and brig the old look back.

Well, I've run out of things to talk about, I would talk about Swift getting engaged to Kelce but honestly who gives a rat's ass? Because I certainly don't. Found out that I have to postpone my date with my love for a couple of more days. Dammit. In any case, this should be a great week. I'll post again sometime before Thursday...I hope. Until then, later.

Bonyscribe

I Think I Found Me A Cheerleader...But Not That One

 Hello everyone. Football season is here, and while the regular season is just a few days away, we already have controversy in the pro ranks. Does it involve any rule changes? No. Does it involve more teams in the CFB playoff? No. Does it involve Taylor Swift? Lol, no. You know what it does involve? Cheerleaders.

You read that right. Cheerleaders. But more so who's being added to cheerleading squads of certain teams more than anything. You see this week, the Minnesota Vikings announced that they were adding males to the cheerleading squad. I'm not going to hyperlink the story; you can google it if you want. Let's just say there was plenty of outrage to go around.

When I was little, I thought that cheerleaders could only be female. But then I was told at same early age that males could be cheerleaders to by some girl who was slightly older than I am. And as it turned out, as I was watching college football for the very first time, they were right. The males would shout into their megaphones and hoist the females high into the air using incredible strength and coordination. Coed cheerleading is a rather athletic sport at the college level. 

Then you go to the pro ranks, and the cheerleaders are nothing more than a glorified dance squad used primarily as eye candy to the majority of spectators in attendance. But then someone in Australia (as I was watching a cricket tournament) a few years ago went, "you know, why don't we add males into our dance squads to make things more inclusive." That's how Pandora's Box was opened.

The LA Rams and the Bucs were the first to incorporate male dancers into their squads, and now the Vikings are one of THIRTEEN teams to have male cheerleaders. Except they aren't cheerleaders. Instead of hoisting females into the air or shouting into megaphones, they are sashaying and shontae-ing around like a bunch of Solid Gold Dancer rejects. Folks, I usually don't agree with the right on a lot of things, but as a football fan, the outrage here is warranted somewhat. Guys do not wave pompoms. Period. 

This could lead to a dangerous slope in my opinion as far as telecasts of games and advertising is concerned. Soon, you could watch NFL Doubleheaders on the Logo cable network, followed by a marathon of "Rupaul's Drag Race." Steve Bartelstein could host the pregame show with analysis from Stephon from SNL, Johnny Weir, and the one dude from "Modern Family." 

Seriously, this is nothing more than left-wing propaganda to appease that sector of society. I know the NFL isn't what it used to be but quit trying to turn the NFL into Campbell's Stars on Ice. I'm already jaded enough with professional sports as it is.

Now THIS is a cheerleading squad.

Bonyscribe

This Is CBS...Or Is This BS?

Hello again, everyone. Remember back in the day when the Columbia Broadcasting System, better known to you and me as CBS, was considered the Tiffany of networks? Yeah, good times. Well, the past couple of weeks have demonstrated how far that corporation, as well as most of "legacy media," has fallen. 

The stars of CBS in happier times...

As many of you are well aware by now, CBS pulled the plug on a 32-year-old franchise recently when they decided to cancel the wildly popular "Late Show" with Stephen Colbert. All of this stemming from President Trump being majorly butt hurt over a technique done many times by networks over the years, an edit to an interview. This one just happened to be one of Kamala Harris, the former VP who Trump "beat" in November's presidential election. Trump sued claiming CBS was trying to influence the election, and CBS and Paramount, hoping to acquire Skydance, capitulated. As a result, or "financial decision," Colbert and the Late Show was canned. 

Fast forward to the very next week. Trey Parker and Matt Stone, the creators of "South Park," signed a $1.5 billion deal to have 50 episodes over five years on their streaming service (Paramount+), and immediately mocked the Paramount's settlement with Trump in the most "South Park" way possible. 

Now I don't watch Colbert (I did watch Letterman), nor have I seen South Park in years (since their movie came out years ago), but I've seen bits and pieces of both shows over the years. Colbert is pretty much an answer to the talk radio format (mostly conservative), and very left-leaning politically. I guess Gutfieldless on Fox "News" Channel would be considered their polar opposite. The bits I saw from South Park's premiere last week were something I can't describe without being graphically vulgar (which begs the question, how can South Park keep getting away with this?). Trump gets absolutely skewered in this episode, which was all satirical (which answers my previously parenthesized question). 

But in my opinion, the loss of Colbert sets a disturbing precedent. If he can go, who's to say that other late-night talk shows aren't safe from the corporate axe, and could this mean the death of late-night television as we've known it for generations? I mean, we've been in a 24/7 news cycle for about a decade now, and morning shows are starting at 4am. Back when I was a kid, some TV stations didn't air programming until 6am. But the 1980s and 90s were a different time. All I can say is instead of hearing "this is...CBS" which I would hear as a kid between network programs, it will be only a matter of time before we're all saying to ourselves, this is BS.

 

Oh, we're still waiting for the Epstein files...

Bonyscribe

Mixed Emotions...

 "You're not the only one, with mixed emotions..."--The Rolling Stones, 1989.

Good morning, everyone. This week has been a rollercoaster of emotions for most everyone between the ages of 45-60, or the GenX generation. I mean life in and of itself is a rollercoaster, but this week, man. 

For me personally, I've experienced the highest of highs on a personal level; when the youngest child of your love interest (who you've never met before) runs up and gives you a hug, you know that you are a hero in someone's life. That made me week, especially since my own daughter when she was younger didn't give me a hug when I left Virginia to go back to Florida. So, I felt rather special.

And I've felt the lowest of lows along with everyone else, and man was it low. Three legends we grew up with gone in one week. As Ginger the GenX DJ (go give her a follow on TikTok) so duly pointed out in her latest post on Facebook, we (GenX) are not okay, but we will be. She also mentioned in said post that these (deaths) come in threes. However, there were more than three, because in addition to Malcolm Jamal Warner, Ozzy Osbourne, and Hulk Hogan, who are the focus of this blog entry, we also lost Chuck Mangione, Connie Francis, Anne Burrel, and one of the founding members of the band Golden Earring ("Radar Love", "Twilight Zone"). 

This gives me flashbacks to 2016, when it seemed like everybody that we grew up admiring back then died as well. Prince, David Bowie, Carrie Fisher, just to name a few. But this week really hit home, especially as a fan of rock music and pro wrestling.

First, we start off with Malcolm Jamal Warner, who many of us remember from his role as Theo Huxtable on "The Cosby Show." Warner tragically drowned in Costa Rica early this week at the age of 54. I didn't regularly watch Cosby, but I remember two scenes that stick out. One being the argument that Theo had with Cliff Huxtable in which Cliff told Theo, "I brought you into this world, and I can take you out!" and the one scene where Cliff gets pelted with snowballs as he's about the enter his house much to the delight of Theo and his friend (I don't remember his name).

Then there's Ozzy. We all know he was on his last legs to begin with, but it doesn't make the pain of his loss any less. His actual goodbye to us was his charity concert in his hometown of Birmingham, England at the stadium of his favorite soccer club (Aston Villa) and was that ever emotional. I've had "Mama, I'm Coming Home" playing in my head all week. Growing up in the predominantly Christian south (at the time), I originally thought as a kid that Ozzy's music was for the devil, and I avoided it at all costs, but as I grew older and much less naive, I started to appreciate his music more and more. His TV show "The Osbournes" showed his as a family man and launched him into the mainstream in my mind. There isn't enough that can be said about Ozzy, because words alone would not do him any justice. His death is about as hard-hitting to the music industry as those of Elvis, Michael Jackson, and John Lennon, and it leaves a gaping hole in pop culture.

Speaking of leaving a gaping hole in pop culture, let me tell ya something brother! Hulk Hogan suddenly passed yesterday in Clearwater at the age of 71. It was he more than anything that helped put Tampa Bay on the map being that he called this area home for most of his life. Much like Ozzy, words cannot merely express how important he was in his particular field of work. Ozzy helped shape heavy metal, Hulk helped shape professional wrestling. He helped launch wrestling into the mainstream of American society. From WWE to his role as Thunderlips in Rocky III to his reality show "Hogan Knows Best," Hogan was a consummate professional. Plus, he was a huge fan of the Bucs, Rays, and Lightning. The last decade of his life however was shrouded in controversy and a fall from grace of sorts. However, he turned his life around in the past 12 months and, polarizing as he may have been recently, will leave an indelible mark in the realm of sports entertainment.

Two other things happened this week that sort of tie in together, and that's Paramount's sudden cancellation of Stephen Colbert and the premier of South Park. I'm going to have to write a separate post concerning those two, but oh is the right going cuckoo for cocoa puffs about it. In short, make it make sense, CBS.

But that's for my next entry. I may also do a flashback entry as well sometime over the weekend since I'm not going anywhere. Until then, take care.

Bonyscribe