Flashback: April 5, 2003

 Hello again everyone. I didn't really feel like posting an entry today or this week for that matter. The news, what little actual news we get nowadays, is nothing but brain drain, and the news we should be getting but is being hid from us by mainstream media is infuriating, or sad. But I thought I would give a brief respite from the "all Trump all the time" news cycle, and give you the top 40 songs on this date twenty years ago, according to Radio & Records Magazine:

40. Losing Grip by Avril Lavinge. After three singles that reached #1 to start her career, this one feel short of even reaching the top ten, peaking at #17.

39. Breathe by Blu Cantrell. Believe it or not, "Hit 'em Up Style" was not her only top 40 hit, as this song hovered around #40 for quite a while during the first half of 2003.

38. Landslide by The Dixie Chicks. Thier only pop hit, a remake of the Fleetwood Mac classic. Oh, and if I was from Texas (which I thankfully am not), I'd be ashamed of George W. Bush too.

37. Can't Nobody by Kelly Rowland

36. Blowin' Me Up With Her Love by JC Chasez. Dude went solo right about the same time as fellow 'NSync (and Mickey Mouse Club) member Justin Timberlake, though not quite as successful.

35. Misunderstood by Bon Jovi. Yes, the band had a top 40 hit this late into its career.

34. Dumb Girls by Lucy Woodward. I didn't know that MTG and Lauren Boebert would have a song just for them, twenty years ahead of its time.

33. Sick Of Being Lonely by Field Mob. Same, Field Mob. Same.

32. '03 Bonnie and Clyde by Jay-Z f/Beyonce. Yes, they've been together for twenty years already. We're all getting old.

31. Bring Me To Life by Evanescence. This one's a classic from this year.

30. Tell Me by Smilez and Southstar. I believe this outfit hailed from Orlando (checks Wiki, they were). Only noteworthy song by them.

29. I Drove All Night by Celine Dion. This was Celine's remake of the Cyndi Lauper classic from 1989. 

28. I'd Do Anything by Simple Plan

27. Unwell by Matchbox Twenty. Kinda describes most people in 2023...

26. Hell Yeah by Ginuwine

25. Stuck by Stacie Orrico. As I recall, FLZ in Tampa refused to play this because (in my opinion) of a stupid policy that they apparently had that no song that did not begin with a musical introduction (such as this one) could be played on air. I hated that station as well as many others that were under the ClearChannel/iHateMedia umbrella, but that's another story.

24. Running by No Doubt

23. The Anthem by Good Charlotte. This contains one of my all-time favorite lyrics: "Shake it once that's fine. Shake it twice that's okay. Shake it three times, you're playing with yourself again."

22. Cry Me A River by Justin Timberlake. Speaking of FLZ, one DJ who would be ultimately fired from that station (because the top dog there couldn't take a joke, classless or not) HATED playing the end of this particular song (which I thought was the best part).

21. Damaged by TLC. Sadly, their last chart hit, coming after the death of Lisa Lopes.

20. Fighter by Christina Aguilera. I didn't really care for her "Dirrty" period tbh.

19. Girl All The Bad Guys Want by Bowling For Soup. Sound like the story of my life, to this very day.

18. Sing For The Moment by Eminem. His take on the Aerosmith classic "Dream On."

17. Don't Mess With My Man by Nivea. no, this wasn't named after the facial care product of the same name. In fact, the singer's actual name was Nivea. 

16. All The Things She Said by T.a.T.u. Russia's only foray into American pop music to this day, and I still have a bit of a crush on Lena Katina. 

...she is a redhead after all...

15. Superman by Eminem. Absolutely loved this track.

14. Beautiful by Christina Aguilera

13. Bump Bump Bump by B2K and P. Diddy. I guess they were supposed to be the 2000s version of Boys II Men, but that group didn't last very long.

12. If You're Not The One by Daniel Beddingfield. I thought I found the one, until some dude named Mike swiped her away before I had the chance...I'm still bitter about that by the way.

11. Miss You by Aaliyah. Another star that was extinguished prematurely...

10. Gossip Folks by Missy Elliott. This song sampled "Double Dutch Bus" by Frankie Smith.

  9. Ignition by R. Kelly. How interesting (and somewhat creepy) that this artist is almost next to Aaliyah on this chart. After all, didn't he marry her when she was just 15?

  8. Rock Your Body by Justin Timberlake. He sings, "gonna have you naked at the end of this song," and unfortuantely for Janet Jackson, he literally did that following February. 

 

  7. I'm With You by Avril Lavigne. Of the three songs that I mentioned earlier to reach number one, I think this may have been my favorite.

  6. Picture by Sheryl Crow and (name redacted). No, I'm not giving Robert Ritchie credit for this song, after he wasted a bunch of perfectly good Bud Light on social media the other day. Fricking MAGA loon...

  5. Mesmerize by Ja Rule f/Ashanti. I remember that these two performed at halftime of that year's NFC Championship Game between the Bucs and Eagles in Philly, and were booed off the field. Then again, EVERYONE gets booed in Philly. 

  4. Angel by Angela Perez. A song that has been largely forgotten, by an artist who has been largely forgotten.

  3. All I Have by Jennifer Lopez f/ LL Cool J

  2. When I'm Gone by Three Doors Down. I think the only reason this song was widely popular was because we were at war with Iraq at the time, thanks to faulty intelligence. Remember when Colin Powell went to the UN and claimed Iraq had WMDs? Well, to this day, I think it was actually Syria that had them. At least we got Saddam Hussein though...

 and the number one song this week twenty years ago was...

 1. In Da Club by 50 Cent. Go shorty, it's ya birthday. Geez I could've sang this to Samantha a couple of weeks ago.

 So. that was a look back at 2003, a year marked by war, a Super Bowl triumph for my Bucs, andthe start of the post punk era in music. Time to watch the never ending Trump slurp fest on the news networks now. God help me...

More to come

CT

Best Week...EVER??

Hello again everyone. Remember when VH-1 was still kind of a music channel some twenty years ago, and wasn't all bad reality TV and a modern version of "The $1.98 Beauty Show" (which my late mother loved for some reason)? Around the middle of the 00's, sandwiched somewhere among such shows as "I Love The 80s" and "Behind The Music" was a show called "Best Week Ever," which was a weekly summation of events in pop culture with one individual being deemed (somewhat facetiously) as having the "best week ever."

Well, let's take a look at Florida's very own Bum-Ass Governor, better known to everyone as Ron DeSantis. Earlier this week, DeSantis had a major egg, make that THREE eggs (in the shape of Mickey Mouse) on his face. DeSantis, of course, controversially eliminated the Reedy Creek Improvement District, which doesn't pay taxes to the state however does provide the necessary roads, infrastructure, etc. that taxpayers would normally be on the hook for otherwise. He eliminated the members of the board and lined up his new "bored" with his five biggest campaign contributors. Well, on my birthday (February 8), the day before the Floriduh Legislature met in a special session to hand the RCID to BAG, the RCID played the ultimate Uno Reverse Card. 

Under the agreement – quietly approved on February 8 as Florida lawmakers met in special session to hand DeSantis control of the Reedy Creek Improvement District – Disney would maintain control over much of its vast footprint in Central Florida for 30 years and, in some cases, the board can’t take significant action without first getting approval from the company.

How long will this last exactly? A lot longer than 30 years. So yes, I suppose the British Royal Family is of some use after all. 

Ron does a bamboozle

But WAIT...THERE'S MORE!!

As everyone knows already by now, DeSantis's chief political rival for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination, yeah, THAT guy, was indicted yesterday for hush money payments to Stormy Daniels. Never have I ever rooted for a p0rn star so badly in my life. Anyway, DeSantis said yesterday that he would not assist in giving Trump up to police in NYC, although it's required by law in the Constitution. 

So, let me get this straight, BAG wants to run for president, where he is sworn to uphold and protect the Constitution, but he won't follow the Constitution in this particular instance. Sorry BAG, but that's not how things work. So, another Disney shaped egg is heading your way. Hey, BAG, why don't I allow one of Florida's own to tell you what we all think:

Ron DeSantis, you're having the "BEST WEEK EVER!!" 

More to come

CT

CT

A Special Birthday Flashback

 Hello again, everyone, but especially to my dear friend (and object of my desire) Samantha. She turns "dirty thirty" today! And although I'll be unable to celebrate it with her (thanks to a flurry of events that have not gone in my favor; what else is new?), I told her that I would create this blog entry on her behalf. So, without further ado, here were the Top 40 songs on this day 30 years ago according to Billboard Magazine.

Happy Birthday!!

40. Nothin' My Love Can't Fix by Joey Lawrence. Today, on a very special "Blossom..." Seriiously, remember GenX'ers when Joey Lawrence was a fixture on "Give Me A Break!" then wound up starring with Mayim Bialik on "Blossom?" Well around the time that "Blossom aired, Lawrence had a relatively successful music career. Didn't really last, but "WHOA!"

39. Bad Girl by Madonna. If you listen to the chorus of this song, it kinda reminds me of Samantha,,,before last July. Now she's engaged and isn't so much of a bad girl anymore...or IS SHE?

38. It Was A Good Day by Ice Cube. As is today.

37. In The Still Of The Night by Boyz II Men. This was from a TV Movie about the life of the Jacksons, yes, THOSE Jacksons. Didn't see it, because I was too busy with schoolwork studying nuclear power.

36. Rump Shaker by Wreckx-N-Effect. All I wanna do is zoom a zoom, zoom, zoom and a boom boom!

35. If I Ever Lose My Faith In You by Sting

34. Rhythm Is A Dancer by Snap. An iconic song from this era that in my opinion doesn't get enough love.

33. Man On The Moon by R.E.M. Now Andy did you hear about this one? Speaking of which the Andy that the song refers to is Andy Kaufman, who is posthumously being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame this spring.

32. If I Ever Fall In Love by Shai. If memory serves me correct, this is the only song that charted in the last forty years to be completely a capella. If not, please let me know.

31. Saving Forever For You by Shanice. Ugh, a "90210" track.

30. Hat 2 Da Back by TLC. I honestly don't remember this song.

29. Sweet Thing by Mary J. Blige

28. Angel by Jon Secada

27. Heal The World by Michael Jackson

26. Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat) by Digable Planets. I think this got played at the old Edge nightclub in Orlando back in those days.

25. Love Is by Vanessa Williams & Brian McKnight. Another "90210" song. I didn't know this at the time but McKnight was from Orlando.

24. Get Away by Bobby Brown

23. I'm So Into You by SWV. And I am, still.

22. Ditty by Paperboy. I'll have to give this a listen, as I didn't hear it back in the day, nor did chart on Radio & Records top 40.

21. Here We Go Again by Portrait

20. 7 by Prince and the New Power Generation

19. That's What Love Can Do by Boy Krazy. If you want to know how whacked the music scene was around this time frame, THIS was Radio & Records number 1 song that week. 

18. Forever In Love by Kenny G

17. Cat's In The Cradle by Ugly Kid Joe. I think the version by Harry Chapin was better, but that's just me.

16. The Right Kind Of Love by Jeremy Jordan. The THIRD song from "90210" to make it on here. Guess that's how much of a pop culture phenomenon that show was.

15. Two Princes by Spin Doctors. In a way, I can somewhat relate to this song...

14. I Got A Man by Positive K "But your man ain't me." Another song I can relate to.

13. Comforter by Shai. This was some serious baby-making music back in the day.

12. Hip Hop Hooray by Naughty By Nature. Hip hop hoorayyyy, oooooo, ayyyyyy, oooooo, ayyyyy, oooooh...

11. I Will Always Love You by Whitney Houston. This stayed at number one for like, forever. Got Dolly a lot of run too since she co-wrote as well as sang the original version in the 1970's.

10. Bed Of Roses by Bon Jovi. As I sleep on a bed of nails...

  9. I Have Nothing by Whitney Houston

  8. Mr. Wendal by Arrested Development

  7. Don't Walk Away by Jade. I remember seeing th music video for this song, and was mesmerized at the time. Hey, I was 19!

  6. Ordinary World by Duran Duran. For as much as an 80's establishment that this band was, this was arguably their biggest hit.

  5. I'm Every Woman by Whitney Houston. How about that, three songs in the top eleven for Whitney, which in that timeframe was something that hadn't been done since I want to say the Beatles in the 1960's. Of course, Taylor Swift wound up sweeping the entire Top Ten late last year.

  4. A Whole New World by Peabo Bryson & Regina Belle. "I can show you the world..." Oh, tell Nicki Minaj that this is what Peabo Bryson is known for.

  3. Freak Me by Silk. Another baby making tune.

  2. Nuthin' But A "G" Thang by Dr. Dre. Love this song, brings back memories.

...and the number one song on this date 30 years ago was...

  1. Informer by Snow. Other than "a licky boom-boom down," I don't think I quite undestand every word of this song. For all I know, it goes, "Informer, iihihpghiuwghppblah, a licky boom-boom down!"

So there was your top songs on the day that Samantha was born. Sam, if you're reading this, I'm sorry I can't celebrate with you (in large part to my insufferable siblings) but I know you're going to have a wonderful and wild time. Enjoy your day! 😘

 

As for the rest of you, I'll have more to come, as usual.

CT

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St. Patrick's Day Flashback

Okay, this is a little late because of basketball and napping, but hello again everyone, except for Virginia, Arizona, and especially Purdue. Seriously, what the hell was that?! Now everyone's bracket is busted, and Gene Keady is ripping out what little hair is left on his head. Anyway, it was St. Patrick's Day. Unfortunately, I didn't get to partake in any shenanigans because I'm waiting on the sloths at Social Security to act on the transfer of my representative from my late sister to my other sister. They were SUPPOSED to receive the necessary paperwork this past Monday, but I guess the sloth is having difficulty crossing the street as usual. So, instead of enjoying a Proper No. 12 Irish Apple, I'm stuck with Coca-Cola Zero. 

However, that isn't stopping me from writing this blog. Heck, if I was drunk, this probably would have been delayed by ANOTHER couple of days, then it would look as if I had more delays than that 3D printed rocket that was supposed to launch last week. So anyway, this week I decided to back in time to before 9/11, but only by a few months. We're going back this week to 2001, which I think is just the third flashback I've done from this millennium. Hard to belive that it's been more than two decades since the millennium turned, but here we are. Anyway, these were the Top 40 songs for this week in 2001 according to Radio & Records Magazine, with some personal anecdotes thrown in there:

40. Yellow by Coldplay. True story, I was almost involved with a woman who would nickname me "yellow" because I would answer the phone (usually when I was trying to sleep because I worked nights) in a manner that sounded like I was saying yellow. Thankfully, I have nothing to do with her anymore.

39. Loser by Three Doors Down. Ouch. You would think since I have rotten luck in the relationship department, this would be a song about me. You would be wrong, but I can't say the same about Jerry Smith.

38. Broken Promises by Tonya Mitchell. One hit wonder, as she faded into Bolivia after this track. I never really experienced a broken promise per se; I never even had a promise period!

37. I Wish by * ***** (name redacted). Uggggh.

36. Too Little Too Late by Barenaked Ladies. Hold up, I'm sensing a recurrong theme here and I don't really like it. Next...

35. Baby Come Over by Samantha Mumba. Unfortunately, Samantha isn't talking to me (though I wish she did, but that's another story). Seriously though, there were two versions of this song, one of which was absolutely unlistenable because it sounded as if she was Mr. Mouth drooling for chips. I used to have that game as a kid...

34. One More Time by Daft Punk. Their first chart hit in America. The video for it I thought was kinda annoying because it was some wacked-out anime version of the Partridge family.

33. The Call by Backstreet Boys. Nope, never got one from the woman I was trying to see back then.

32. Thank You For Loving Me by Bon Jovi. When it finally happens, I'll probably say this. I said say it, not sing it.

31. Ride Wit Me by Nelly. His follow-up to "Country Grammar" which got heavy airplay on Tampa Bay's (S)Hit Music Channel, 93.3 FLZ.

30. Ooh, It's Kinda Crazy by SoulDecision

29. Hemorrhage (In My Hands) by Fuel. I honestly don't know why Casey Kasem never mentioned the word "Hemorrhage" when introducing this song on his countdown. I guess the evangelicals would have been up in arms over it...

28. Stutter by Joe feat. ******* (name redacted). This one featured an artist who was convicted of rape and is currently serving time.

27. I Hope You Dance by Lee Ann Womack. For I guess obvious reasons, I can't find the pop mix of this song on Spotify, and remember, I loathe country music.

26. Southside by Moby f/Gwen Stefani. Another mis that I cannot find on Spotify, as only the solo version is available. Good track though.

25. Best I Ever Had (Gray Sky Morning) by Vertical Horizon

24. I'm Like A Bird by Nelly Furtado. Remember a few years ago when AJ Hawk and Aaron Rodgers had that State Farm spot that featured this song? Fortunately for Ms. Furtado, she collaborated with Timbaland several years later and now this song isn't the only thing she's known for.

23. Survivor by Destiny's Child. As popular as the TV show "Survivor" was back then, I feel there was a missed opportunity by CBS to incorporate this track into their program. Then again, there probably would have been lots of legal hoops to jump through in order to feature it on there...

22. Breathless by The Corrs. Well would you look at that, an Irish band on the countdown on St. Patrick's Day!

21. It Wasn't Me by Shaggy. Seriously, it wasn't me I've never cheated. You can't cheat when you've never really been with someone. 

20. Hanging By A Moment by Lifehouse. This song seemed to be hanging by a string for more than just a moment back in 2001...by the way, if I ever got married, not that I believe in sappy wedding songs, but I would...nope, don't say it Chris, you never know who might be reading this...

19. You Make Me Sick by P!nk. I can think of a few people that make me sick, one of them ironically enough is from Philadelphia, which is where P!nk is from (kinda).

18. Follow Me by Uncle Kracker

17. Free by Mya

16. Ms. Jackson by Outkast. Ooooh, I am for reeealll! Their first chart hit although their previous release from Stankonia ("Bombs Over Baghdad") got tons of airplay on MTV. Speaking of which, did they know something we didn't back then? 

Hmmm...on the next "Coast to Coast AM" with Art Bell...

15. No More (Baby I'ma Do Right) by 3LW. Another one hit wonder from back around the turn of the millennium.

14. All For You by Janet. Before she was sexually assaulted by Justin Timberlake at Super Bowl XXXVIII the "Wardrobe Malfunction," Janet (I guess nobody was nasty enough because she dropped her surname at this point) still had a more than respectable career. Wonder what would have happened had that fateful event in Houston not had happened.

13. If You're Gone by Matchbox Twenty. I wonder what people would think if I'M gone...not that I would do anything because I wouldn't. 

By the way, if you or someone you really care about is really going through it emotionally or mentally, please dial 988. Thank you.

12. He Loves U Not by Dream. You know, there were a lot of acts (like this one) that are around my age that came from around this time frame, who had a hit or two then disappeared. Much like Tonya Mitchell and 3LW who I mentioned earlier. Not much staying power for most of these acts...

11. Never Had A Dream Come True by S Club 7. Here is yet another act that falls in that category I just mentioned. Wait (checks notes), I hear they're still around??

10. Around The World (La La La La La) by ATC. Yet another such group, but this one was from Germany.

  9. Thank You by Dido. And Dido would like to thank Eminem for making this song so popular.

  8. Nobody Wants To Be Lonely by Ricky Martin and Christina Aguilera. I loved this tune, and it's a damned shame it didn't chart higher. Or that those two (to my knowledge) didn't have another collaboration together.

  7. Don't Tell Me by Madonna. Yes, she was still a thing in 2001.

  6. Jaded by Aerosmith. Their last real chart hit. Although Steven Tyler would still be relevant thanks to his appearance as a judge on "American Idol" when it was still on Fox, even if now he kinda resembles the younger of my sisters.

  5. Crazy by K-Ci and JoJo

  4. Butterfly by Crazy Town

  3. Love Don't Cost A Thing by Jennifer Lopez. Oh REALLY?! I guess you haven't visited Tampa Bay much, have you Jenny? Because the impression that I get is that to gain someone's love you can't be a (figuratively) broke veteran...

  2. Again by Lenny Kravitz. This song is still relevant to this very day, "I wonder if I'll ever see you again..."

...and the number one song this week in 2001 was...

  1. Angel by Shaggy f/Rayvon. Nice update of Juice Newton's 1981 hit, which was a remake of a 1967 song by Merilee Rush. Yes, I'm still looking for my angel. 

*background* "WELL IF YOU WOULDN'T LOOK SO MUCH, YOU'D ACTUALLY FIND ONE!!"

Pfffft. I barely get noticed as it is, how else can I put myself out there???

Anyway, I've finally finished with this week's blog entry, now to surf some more before I take a nap for a couple of hours and do it all again. Until next time...

More to come...

CT

Bracket-Tyner-Gy

 Hello everyone, and welcome to March Madness. One of favorite times of the year has arrived, not only do I have a birthday (and maybe a second) I have to try to celebrate before the end of the month, and along with the start of baseball season, but Tournament time is what I usually have lived for since I was a wee Bony Scribe.

This year however, as well as the past few years to be honest, I haven't paid too much attention to college basketball. Focusing on a local hockey team that's been tearing it up for about a decade, as well as middle age and the consumption of Fireball every once in a while, will do that to a man. Anyway, I thought I would give my thoughts on the Tournament, as well as some of the schools who are (and aren't) dancing.

First, let's start with the schools that aren't playing, starting with the biggest surprise and to my chagrin the school I root for in college basketball, North Carolina. They began the season ranked number one but spent the season underwhelming and wound up with a 20-13 record to miss the Tournament. They had a stretch of four straight losses, as well as another stretch (during conference play) where they lost four of five. An ACC quarterfinal loss to Virginia all but sealed their fate. Most embarrassing of all, they pulled an Eric Cartman and said, "screw you guys, I'm going home!" to the NCAA when they were invited to participate in the NIT. Last year they had a 14-point lead in the National Title game, but an injury to Armando Bacot (and an ill-timed Simply Safe commercial featuring the Property Douchebros) spelled their demise. Now for us Carolina fans, we may be looking at the second coming of the Matt Doherty error.

Another school who isn't dancing is UNCW, who lost for the second straight year in the Colonial Conference Final. Last year, they won the CBI Tournament, but they won't get to defend their title this year. UCF, didn't quite have an exceptional season in the American Conference, but got an NIT bid against Florida (how did they make it?) Wednesday night in Gainesville. One school I'm more than happy not to make the big dance is Rutgers. Seriously, fuck Rutgers. I'm still angry about them beating USF in football in 2007 (and knocking them from #2), and you know who the coach was then (and now)? Greg Fucking Schiano, who almost single handedly ran the Bucs into the ground during the early 10's, so I have no love for the Scarlet Knights. (UPDATE: they lost their first round NIT game to Hofstra, so I guess it served them right!). Another school I would be upset about missing the tournament (because I'm an ACC homer) but isn't, is Clemson. Maybe it's the fact that their coach, Brad Brownell, resembles a bit like our stupid-ass governor of Florida. Or it could be that when he was at UNCW, he orchestrated in my opinion the biggest choke job in the history of March Madness. But that's just me.

As for schools that did make it, kudos go out to Florida Atlantic, who won Conference USA this year and could make noise in this year's tourney. Also, Miami and Jim Larranaga, who won the regular season ACC Title. Those are the only two Florida schools to make it. As for North Carolina, there's Duke, NC State, and UNC Asheville. 

Speaking of Duke, they get to go to the Mouse of House for the weekend, first up a match with Televangelism University, better known as Oral Roberts. Seriously, wasn't Oral Roberts the dude who once proclaimed that if he didn't receive $100 million, he would be struck down by God? Oh, it was $8 million, but damn you Florida Man for making it happen, because I kinda wanted to see if would actually happen. Regardless, is there anything more annoying than big religion? You hear about big pharma, big tech, big media, et al all the time. Why don't we hear about big religion? To me, it's just a big of a racket as the ones I just mentioned. Don't believe me? Look no further than the Jim and Tammy Faye scandal but I digress. From a basketball standpoint, ORU upset Ohio State and Florida a couple of years ago, and almost upset Arkansas to nearly reach the Elite 8, now THAT would have been a work of God. This year though, Duke is peaking at just the right time. So, I don't think about the dreaded 5-12 upset here. The winner of that game faces the winner of Tennessee and Louisiana. The other two games In Orlando feature San Diego State and Charleston (who as a 12-seed actually make some noise in this tournament), and Virginia and Furman, who hasn't made the tournament since before I started school!

Looking the overall bracket, I'm kind of surprised that most of the "heritage" programs are seeded so lowly, or didn't make the tournament overall. The top seed overall is Alabama. Yes, Alabama. A football school. The other 1-seeds aren't necessarily newcomers though, in Purdue, Kansas, and Houston. But Virginia is the top ACC seed as a 4-seed in the South, I already mentioned Duke, and Kentucky is surprisingly low as a 6-seed. Must've been a down year for them. Pitt and NC State barely made it in the tournament, as the Wolfpack got one of the last four byes, while Pitt (who won their first-round game tonight) was one of the last four in. Jeez, was the ACC that "mid," as MJF would say this season? Villanova and the aforementioned Tar Heels didn't make the Tournament, no Michigan either. But Indiana had a resurgence, and UCLA could make another run to the Final Four in Houston.

So, who's winning the whole thing? It's anyone's guess to be honest. I may as well put up a sheet with 68 logos on it, throw it a dartboard, and pick the winner that way, but I have no dartboard, or darts for that matter, and if I did, they'd probably get confiscated anyway. Anyway, I'm going with Arizona, Duke, Houston, and Gonzaga as my Final Four, with Houston winning it all. A major feather in the cap for Robeson County and native son Kelvin Sampson, who's the head coach of the Cougars. Also, not only is the Final Four being held at Reliant Field, it's the last Final Four for Jim Nantz, who is a native of Houston and an alum of Houston University. Now wouldn't that be something?

Enjoy the games everyone!

CT

I'm Back...With A Flashback

 Hello again everyone, except you, Ron DeSantis. Seriously, he's amongst my most despised people on Earth right now. More so than...I won't mention it here. Anyway, it's been a minute (actually almost a month) since I wrote in this blog and published it. I had written some of another one, explaining what has happened in the past month, but my heart just wasn't into it. Anyway, here's a Reader's Digest condensed version. I had a birthday, celebrated a little, had a sister die, and was seriously let down on Valentine's Day...AGAIN. I'll probably go into detail more when the time is right, but I'm still processing and trying to heal. 

So tonight, I thought I would do something different; in past blog posts, I would do a Top-40 flashback for the particular week on which it was written. Well for this one, and possibly subsequent posts similar to this one, I thought I would forego the date aspect of it and just throw one out there at random. Also, as some of you may know, I am recreating Billboard's Hot 100 charts and adding a points system based on how high a particular song charted and its length. Well, I am up to 1985 on that, and one the songs was "Dare Me" by the Pointer Sisters.

Now remember "American Top 40?" It's still around today, hosted by Ryan Seacrest, but in the 1980's, it was hosted by the legendary late Casey Kasem, and was based back then off the Billboard Hot 100. Many of us knew Casey as a kind man who when we listened to him, made us feel good, and sometimes human. Whether it was his countdown show or his voiceovers as Shaggy on Scooby-Doo or Robin (of Batman & Robin) from the Superfriends on Saturday morning cartoons, or his annual appearances on the Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon. He always knew how to tug at our heartstrings.

 

However, there was one occasion that Casey's dark side came out and the rest of the world eventually found out about it. In September of 1985, Kasem had a complete meltdown when attempting to read a long-distance dedication (a staple of his show) from a truck driver in Ohio (NOT Florida) to his dead dog. It happened to be set for broadcast right after the song "Dare Me," which of course was catchy and upbeat. The dedication incidentally was "Shannon," a ballad from the 70s which I have no recollection of ever hearing. Freaking ponderous, man.

With that said, here were the Top 40 songs according to Billboard Magazine for the week of September 14, 1985 with some personal anecdotes sprinkled in with it:

40. Spanish Eddie by Laura Branigan. This song could have been ahead of its time for one reason. The first line of the chorus goes, "The night Spanish Eddie cashed it in..." It got me to thinking, what if the late wrestler Eddie Guerrero (who is of Hispanic descent) lived long enough to participate in a "Money in the Bank" ladder match and wound up winning and eventually cashed in that briefcase at a later date? Wouldn't that have been something?

39. If You Love Somebody Set Them Free by Sting. His first solo effort since disbanding The Police, which was LONG before "defunding the police" became a left-wing talking point.

38. Mystery Lady by Billy Ocean

37. Do You Want Crying by Katrina and the Waves. Given the past two weeks? No.

36. I'm Goin' Down by Bruce Springsteen

35. The Way You Do The Things You Do (medley) by Daryl Hall and John Oates

34. No Lookin' Back by Michael McDonald

33. Lovin' Every Minute Of It by Loverboy. True story, the very first concert I attended was Loverboy at the Virginia Beach Music Festival back in 1997. America was also there, but you had to pay to see that one, whereas you didn't with Loverboy.

32. I Got You Babe by UB40. Chrissie Hynde of The Pretenders actually dueted with the group, but according to Billboard's website, isn't credited.

31. Part-Time Lover by Stevie Wonder. In my seventh-grade year, I was in band and the first song for our annual spring concert that year was this one.

30. What About Love? by Heart. Yeah, what about it? Mine never seems to get reciprocated. Even after a heartfelt letter to someone special. 

29. Every Step Of The Way by John Waite

28. C-I-T-Y by John Cafferty and the Beaver Brown Band

27. Fortress Around Your Heart by Sting. Going back to what I wrote for #30, I guess my heart is a freaking citadel.

26. Life In One Day by Howard Jones. I low-key kinda like this song.

25. Dancing In The Street by David Bowie and Mick Jagger. Did you ever see the video for this? Guys, get a room, geez...

24. There Must Be An Angel by Eurythmics

23. Never Surrender by Corey Hart. No, I don't plan on surrendering anytime soon...

22. Shout by Tears For Fears. Another favorite of mine.

21. Shame by The Motels

20. Cry by Godley & Creme. I think I only heard this song in its entirety once, and it wasn't on radio. Back when "American Bandstand" was still a thing, they played the video for this song. I hated it. First, the song is cringeworthy enough (especially the face-melter at the end), but the video? Ugh. It was nothing but a bunch of people crying. As a teeny-tiny bony scribe, I used to be fascinated with people crying. Not after watching the video for this song. No way...

19. Lonely Ol' Night by John Mellencamp. The only type of night I've ever really known.

18. Saving All My Love For You by Whitney Houston. I slow danced the end of this song to my one-time middle school crush. It was the only opportunity I had to do so for she relocated to a different school not long afterwards. Just my luck.

17. Take On Me by a-ha. Everytime I hear this song, I immediately think of a Vine (remember those?) I saw put to the intro to this song.

16. Smokin' In The Boys Room by Motley Crue. Some kid named Jerry from my middle school used to sing along to this song, but he added his own lyrics to it. I didn't know what in the world he was talking about until many years later. Ah the joys of being raised in a very conservative, pseudo-evangelic family (and town).

15. Oh Sheila by Ready For The World. I know of two Shielas, one was a teacher in the little podunk town I just spoke of, and the other was a classmate who I wish I got to know better. The former was arguably the best-looking teacher in our town, which isn't saying much other than there was absolutely no chance of a Mary Kay LeTourneau situation happening in our school...

14. Dress You Up by Madonna. Indulge me for a moment, while I melt inside...

13. Dare Me by The Pointer Sisters. Now we arrive at the basis for this flashback. Is Don on the phone? And where arre the picture I was supposed to get last week?! Ponderous, man. Now on with our countdown. Keep your feet on the ground and keep reaching for the stars.

12. You're Only Human (Second Wind) by Billy Joel

11. Summer of '69 by Bryan Adams. I'm still waiting for my summer of '69 (IYKYK).

10. Invincible by Pat Benatar. Also featured on several YTMND memes.

  9. Pop Life by Prince

  8. Freedom by Wham! Remember in 1985 when Wham! toured China? Four years later Tiananmen Square happened and any hopes of Chinese freedom flew out the door.

  7. Freeway Of Love by Aretha Franklin. I remember when Real Radio 104.1 in Orlando was starting out in the summer of '93. They would play this song almost hourly on the weekends when they weren't airing lame talk radio.

  6. Don't Lose My Number by Phil Collins. If I had a dollar for every time in my life someone had lost my number, I'd probably still be up the creek without a paddle.

  5. The Power Of Love by Huey Lewis & The News

  4. Cherish by Kool and the Gang

  3. Money For Nothing by Dire Straits. Good luck hearing the full unedited version of this song in 2023...even on Spotify

  2. We Don't Need Another Hero by Tina Turner

and the number one song the week of the Dead Dog Dedication was...

  1. St. Elmo's Fire (Man In Motion) by John Parr. He had this hit and then faded into Bolivia as Mike Tyson would put it. He just dipped.

Well, I FINALLY got through another blog post. I hope to finish the one I had started within the next couple of weeks. I have a lot of things that need to get done, but for now, take care.

More To Come

CT

 

Brief Update To The Last Post

 Good morning, everyone, with a couple of notable exceptions (I won't mention their names, some of you may know who I'm referring to). In my last entry, on the fifth paragraph, I briefly provided my thoughts on would win the NFC and AFC Championship games later this afternoon. I had mentioned that Philadelphia and Cincinnati would advance. Well, after certain events over the course of the last, oh 48 hours, I have to make a change of sorts to one of those picks. What those events that took place is nobody's business, but I will say that I'm now rooting for Cincinnati NO MATTER WHO WINS the NFC Championship. So, who am I picking in the NFC game? I'll let this GIF of Ace Ventura explain it for you:

Imagine being a New York Yankees fan back in 1986 watching that year's World Series (between the hated Boston Red Sox and the equally annoying New York Mets). It's kind of like that. If Philly does win, we're at least guaranteed a Super Bowl matchup that we haven't seen before. If the Niners win, well, as legendary hockey announcer Mike Lange would say, "(we've) seen that fish before." Hopefully though, Cincinnati wins the whole thing, and as Forrest Gump would say, "That's all I got to say about that."

Enjoy the football fest, everyone. 

More to come

CTBS