Stuck in the ʼ80s

Star Wars prank: This is not the elevator you're looking for

Star Wars pranks never get old. Here's a simple one, showing a Jedi prankster using The Force to keep the elevator doors from closing.

Thanks to Whitney at Pop Candy for the tip.

Remember that 'other' song from the 'Flashdance' soundtrack? ... Me neither

The Flashdance soundtrack was one of the most successful of the ‘80s selling more than 20 million copies worldwide and spawning two number hits in 1983 with Irene Cara’s Flashdance … What a Feeling and Michael Sembello’s Maniac. Lesser known is smooth stylings of Joe Esposito’s Lady, Lady, Lady.

Despite never being released as a single, Lady, Lady, Lady made it to No. 86 on the singles charts on the strength of radio airplay alone. We offer you two choices to view Lady, Lady, Lady. There are numerous fan-made Youtube videos that take some of the best moments of Flashdance to cue them to Lady, Lady, Lady as shown in this fine montage clip. However, Esposito did make an official video of Lady, Lady, Lady – but be warned – it is one of the most awkward attempts at a music video in the ‘80s (and that’s saying a lot).

Little known is that Esposito recorded the original version of Flashdance … What A Feeling, but the song was rerecorded by Irene Cara after the producers thought the song should be sung from the female perspective. …

Nina Blackwood dishes on fellow VJs, John Waite and current state of MTV: 'I think it sucks!'

In a quartet in which each personality was reaching for the brightest corner of the spotlight, original MTV veejay Nina Blackwood might have stolen the show in the new tell-all book, VJ: The Unplugged Adventures of MTV's First Wave. In the book, Nina details her many celebrity would-be suitors (John Taylor! Joe Cocker!) and the startling fact that her relationship with one of the biggest '80s solo stars inspired a hit record we all know by heart.

Nina joined the Stuck in the '80s podcast crew for a 40-minute chat last week. Click here to download the show (and find out how to win an autographed copy of the MTV book). Here are some highlights from the interview.

So how was the book tour?

Of course it's always great when the four of us get together. It was very, very intense in that there was more hoopla going on than we were actually at MTV. I think on some levels, especially for Martha, Mark and myself, I felt a deeper bond with us. Alan, I kept telling him to shut up! ... We're like brothers and sisters. The love is still there."

So Alan is the chatty one now? …

Monday lost and found: Joe Esposito 'You're the Best'

It's summer movie season and that means you and I can be found down at the local cineplex watching all the blockbusters. Or maybe not. I must confess to only patronizing the theatres a few times in recent years as I prefer the comforts of home for my movie watching.

However, in celebration of the summer movie season, Lost and Found will spend this week spotlighting music from '80s movies. We will feature songs from blockbusters and movies that you haven’t seen in 30 years, but in true Lost and Found fashion, we will focus on lesser known songs that while are a big part of the movie, never became No. 1 singles like Footloose.

1984’s The Karate Kid is one of the most beloved movies of the ‘80s. One of the centerpieces of The Karate Kid is the montage tournament sequence where Ralph Macchio works his way up the tournament ladder to reach a showdown with the members of the evil Cobra Kai. The following clip shows the montage in all its glory and features Joe Esposito’s You’re the Best.

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Never found in the '80s: 'My Life in the Bush of Ghosts'

This is a slight departure from my profiling of artists never found in the 80s. Today I’m focusing on one particular effort by Brian Eno and David Byrne: the brilliant 1981 album My Life in the Bush of Ghosts.

David Byrne was certainly found in the 80s through his band Talking Heads, who don’t qualify for this series because they have had a couple of songs crack the American Top 40. Brian Eno was part of Roxy Music who had charting success in the '70s, so maybe they could be included. However, I would argue that if people paid attention to record producers Brian Eno would have been found in the '80s through his production work. He did produce U2’s The Joshua Tree after all.

While not the first to use sampling, Eno and Byrne pioneered the use of a sampled voice as the lead vocal for the songs. The samples include a talk radio host, a politician, a couple preachers, and an exorcist. Combining those samples with a funky, World music sound and percussion made with found objects, Eno and Byrne created this excellent and influential album. …

Kneel before Zod: 5 things you didn't know about Superman's worst enemy

Terence Stamp was perfect as Zod, Superman's most impressive villain, his hatred forged by his exile from Krypton at the hands of Jor-El. Stamp's cool demeanor still gives me chills when I rewatch Superman I and Superman II these days, as we prepare for the Man of Steel contemporary version of Zod, now played by Michael Shannon.

But how well do you really know Zod? Here are five things I learned about him today.

1. COMIC BOOK ORIGIN: In the original comic books and novels, Gen. Zod's full name was Dru-Zod -- the song of a former head of the Kryptonian Council -- and he was in control of the military forces of Krypton. He was sentenced to 40 years in the Phantom Zone (also depicted in Superman II) after he created an army of robotic duplicates of himself in an attempt to control the planet. In the comic book, it's Superboy who frees him when his sentence is up.

2. THERE ARE MANY ZODS: I'm no comics fan, so it's hard to keep track. But there are more Zods than unemployed Daily Planet journalists out there. There's even a Russian version, the son of two cosmonauts. …

Fathers Day lost and found: Adrian Belew 'Oh Daddy!'

While Adrian Belew has been honored in 2009 in the SIT80’s blog before by guest blogger Douglas "The General" Arthur for his contributions to '80s recordings, it is only fitting that on Father’s Day Weekend we add 1989’s Oh Daddy to the Lost and Found catalog.

Oh Daddy is a fun father-daughter duet in which his Adrian’s daughter, Audie, questions when, if ever, her dad will get that elusive hit single. With art imitating life, Oh Daddy did hit the charts, but only made it to No. 58, leaving Audie to keep wondering when her dad will hit the big time.

If you want to see what Audie looks like now, she’s out there on Facebook still rooting for her dad. Adrian is still making wonderful weird noises with his guitar.

See first photo of Rob Lowe as JFK in new National Geographic movie

Rob Lowe can do pretty much whatever Rob Lowe wants to do. Play a hockey god in Youngblood. Channel a  womanizing post-college drifter in St. Elmo's Fire. Pull off possibly his best work as a White House communications staffer in The West Wing. Hell, even dress up as Jesus for a Halloween party in Class. But playing President John F. Kennedy? Hell. I'm betting he'll be great.

Natiuonal Geographic has released the first photo of Lowe as JFK for the upcoming NatGeo network movie Killing Kennedy. The film is due to debut in November on the 50th anniversary of Kennedy's death. The actor is tweeting about the filming of the movie on his official Twitter page. ("Just saw @ginnygoodwin as Jackie Kennedy in the sad and awful blood-stained dress. Extremely emotional.")

TOP 5 UNDERRATED ROB LOWE MOVIES OF THE '80s:

5. OXFORD BLUES (1984): Chances are you didn't know this was a remake of 1938's A Yank at Oxford.

4. THE OUTSIDERS (1983): Lowe's big-screen debut. He originally auditioned for a role as a "soc."

3. ABOUT LAST NIGHT (1986): Lowe almost got to appear (presumably) naked in a bathtub with Phoebe Cates, who auditioned for the role of Debbie (which went to Demi Moore.) …

Was Michael Penn's 'No Myth' the last great single of the '80s?

At the end of 1989, Michael Penn released his album March and the single No Myth. While the single did not start ascending up the charts until January of 1990, it still was born in the ‘80s, thus begging the question, "Was No Myth the last great single of the ‘80s?"

Filled with great lines like “What if I was Romeo in black jeans and what if I was Heathcliffe, it’s no myth” (to clarify, Penn is talking about Heathcliffe from the novel Wuthering Heights, not the cartoon cat), No Myth peaked at No. 13 on the charts.

Stepping outside of the shadows of his acting brothers Sean and Chris, Michael Penn dispelled any questions about his musical prowess by carving out a full musical career including scoring movies like 1995’s Boogie Nights, in which he plays a small part as the engineer who records Dirk Diggler singing You Got The Touch.

In 1997, Penn married Til Tuesday’s Aimee Mann and continues to let his voice carry.

Lionel Richie's fall U.S. tour includes one stop in Florida

Admit it: You still jump to your feet when Lionel Richie's Dancing on the Ceiling comes on the radio. Richie was a hit machine in the '80s with 13 Top 10 tunes during our decade. Imagine how tough it would be for Lionel to squeeze them all into one concert performance. Well, prepare to see the master try that very thing.

Richie has just announced a fall tour of the United States and is promising to make each performance a night of hits.

"I’m so lucky to have the collection of songs that I can play for my fans, it becomes a giant sing-along most nights," Richie tells PollStar. "People always ask me, 'what are you going to sing tonight, Lionel?' and I always laugh and reply, 'What are YOU going to sing tonight?'."

Personally, I vote for Say You, Say Me from White Nights (it was buried in the closing credits), but in order to sing along, I'll have to travel to Hollywood, Fla., for his only stop in the Sunshine State. Here's the full list of dates from PollStar,

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Bob Saget revisits his 'Full House' home from the '80s

I didn't watch much Full House in the '80s. I was already 20 years old by the time it went on the air in 1987, and when I see photos of its star Bob Saget today, I think more about his role in The Aristocrats than any family sit-com.

But I can certainly appreciate why fans loved the combination of Saget, John Stamos and Dave Coulier ... and the creepy Olsen twins ... so I get a kick out of this photo of Saget visiting the set of the Full House "house" in San Francisco and then tweeting this pic.

"It was creepy! Because cars were going by, and I was like I gotta get out of here!" he told Us Magazine. "If I'm standing in front of that house ... some poor lady lives there and it's a well-known house now. People go there and see it like it's a cool thing. It's nice that it's not a negative memory. It's a home-cooked meal memory."

TOP 5 REPEATED LINES FROM FULL HOUSE:

5."Whatever.'"

4. "You got it, dude."

3. "Have mercy!"

2. "You're in big trouble, Mister."

1. "Talk to me..."

It's still your freedom of choice: Is Devo lost or found?

It’s 2013 and the sad, but true, fact is that many so called ‘80s music fans only know Devo for Whip It.

Long touted by many of the SIT80s faithful, including Douglas "The General" Arthur, Devo christened the ‘80s in fine fashion with their 1980 album Freedom of Choice. The album spawned four singles, including Devo’s only Top 40 hit, the iconic Whip It. The title cut, Freedom of Choice, only made it as far as No. 104 on the singles chart.

The band from Kent State University started off their career as performance artists, so its no surprise that Devo’s videos were wonderfully weird as exhibited by seemless flow of skateboarding, aliens, donuts and the Roman Empire in the video for Freedom of Choice.

Devo is still very active releasing records and promoting the Duty Now way of life. You can support the Devo cause by visiting their website to buy standard Devo gear like the Energy Dome, Yellow Suit or Action Figures.

Ghostbusters 3? No, but we'll settle for 'Ghostbusters: The Documentary'

If I never write another blog item updating the status of a third Ghostbusters movie, that's fine by me. Sorry, Dan Aykroyd, but I think this franchise that is best left buried. In the meantime, however, we have Spook Central, an upcoming documentary about Ghostbusters, to keep us entertained.

Slashfilm.com says little is known of this movie, but predicts that 2014 would make for a nice target, with that being the 30th anniversary of Ghostbusters.

Tuesday lost and found: Real Life 'Catch Me I'm Falling'

Australia’s Real Life has endeared itself to radio stations with its hit Send Me An Angel that hit the Top 40 twice (!) in 1983 and 1989. Less remembered is Catch Me I’m Falling, their follow-up single that reached No. 40 in the spring of 1984.

The last activity of Real Life was in 2009 when the released an album of ’80s covers including the millionth remix of Send Me An Angel.

5 reasons the newest Star Trek flick doesn't measure up to 'Wrath of Khan'

Star Trek: Into Darkness owes a lot of its greatness to the '80s and specifically Stark Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. But is it superior? Hardly.

I can't believe I waited nearly a month to see it in theaters AND still managed not to discover any of the plot line. So on Saturday, I sat in a nearly empty theater to see it on an IMAX screen and in 3D. Twenty minutes into it, I was fighting to stay awake. Why? Read on, but before that if you haven't seen the movie yet, there are spoilers below.

5 REASONS STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS DISAPPOINTS:

1. NO ATTITUDE: The new Khan - Benedict Cumberbatch - is an exceptional actor. As TV's Sherlock Holmes, Cumberbatch knows no equal. But the character of Khan, as we grew to love him in the original series and the 1982 movie, had a degree of haughtiness that either J.J. Abrams decided to ignore or Cumberbatch decided to abandon.

2. THOSE STUPID CAPS: Never before in Star Fleet history has anyone wore a military cap. And yet, during Into Darkness, those stupid caps are trotted out a dozen times. I know this sounds like a ludicrous quibble, but I can't burn the image of Spock's pointy ears nearly lifting his headgear out of place.
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