The Lovely Steph Leann and I do love our Sunday School Life Connection class at Valleydale Church (an sbc fellowship), as some of our favorite people are in there. When the "Young Marrieds" started in 2005, we had only 6 or 7 couples--ourselves, The Hawbakers, The Barnetts, The Watkins, The Shaws, maybe one or two couples I can't think of, a couple named Frank and Amanda Hanson, and another couple who weren't married, but engaged to be so within a few months (I think they subsequently broke up, but that's neither here nor there--they, and the Hansons, didn't return after a few weeks).
None of us had kids, and the majority of the couples in the class now either weren't even married at the time (in fact, Willis & Meredith Watkins were getting married later that spring), weren't members of the church, weren't even residents of the state, or some or all three.
From January of 2005, our class has exploded in size. Yes, its been 7 years and alot can happen in 7 years, but we started out being taught by The Robinsons, then Jason & Emmy Turnbow--the class blew up in size a few years later, and ended up splitting because it was just to flippin' big. The Lovely Steph Leann and I helped lead the charge into the great unknown of starting a new class out of the old class... and here we are.
Now, we are about 25 couples strong--and we are one of those lucky, blessed classes that at least 17 or 18 of those couples are really active. And we have enough kids in this group now to supply an entire Chinese gymnastics squad. And they are young enough too.
There is a three teacher rotation in our class at the time, which works pretty well... Big RyRy (Ryan Sherman), Tebershaw (Tebe Shaw) and winner of 2 BET Soul Choice Awards for his latest Moody Gazette Best Selling book "I Can't Even Walk (without you holding my hand)", JustFish, aka Justin Fisher. So far? Its worked out great... kinda like a Matthew-Mark-Luke thing, where you have three different personalities, three different styles and three different perspectives all on the same subject, this being the promotion and furthering of the Kingdom of Christ and its Scriptures.
Why just spill this info, seemingly random? Because I do a newsletter every week for our class called, funnily enough, The ShawFiSherman Times--and its become fairly popular at this point, full of important infomation, dates, events, birthdays and anniversaries, plus usually some thoughts on whatever at the end.
And, because I'll probably start posting some of those, I didn't want to have to explain all of this stuff everytime I mention our Life Connection class and its workings... so there's the scoop.
For Day Nine of The Summer of Blogging, because its late and I'm tired and I'm wiped out and I didn't want to miss a day of writing but I still wanted to post... here is a random email of encouragment I wrote on September 7th, 2001... its for anyone in a spiritual funk. Myself included. Just being honest. I keep forgetting prayer works.
"Feeling Funky"
If you are on a spiritual high right now, on top of the world, feeling like you could take on Hell with God and a water pistol (its possible... remember, with Christ I can do ALL things...), then this Encouragement Mail is not necessarily for you... come back and read it when that high comes down a little. Or, just delete it, if you are one of the lucky few who stay on a mountain all the time...
For the rest of you, those of you in a spiritual funk, as I feel sometimes, more often than not, I'm speaking your language. Heard a song yesterday I was giving to someone as an encouragement, and God turned up the speakers on my heart so I could listen to it... so I wanted to share it with you.
Got a witness not too stable, wouldn't get me very far
Got one hand on the table, one in the cookie jar...
You ever feel like this? Look at your life, and think "Geez, if I wasn't a Christian, and looked at someone who lived just like me, I wouldn't be very excited about becoming a Christian." One hand on the table, one hand in the cookie jar? One side of your life open to the public, on a perfect spiritual display... and the other hidden from view, where no one sees what you say, do, think... no one but God.
Got sins that need eviction, from a temple that’s a wreck
Got chains of contradiction hanging around my neck
Those sins that just won't stinkin' go away! You keep fighting them and fighting them, and when you think the battle is won, you lose again! A scene I can imagine in Hell's conference room, where they are assigning demons to people:
Demon 1: Boy, I hope I get that d$ assignment!
Demon 2: Really? I would think that a non-Christian would be easier... I mean, that Dave guy is like, big in church and stuff. Isn't that hard?
Demon 1: Naw, man, I had d$ last summer, cushiest job I ever had. You just sit back, he messes it up on his own!
Demon 2: Really?
Demon 1: Yeah, every now and then after that Bible Study I have to step in and try and cause problems, sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't, but most of the time, I don't even have to do anything! He just screws up bad enough on his own! (Pause) Crapola! They gave me Emmy Turnbow duty! I hate that shift! Now, I actually gotta do some work!!
Feel the bitter winds grow colder, they are dancing with my pride
Got a chip on my shoulder bigger than a mountainside
Pride. Sheesh. That feeling of presumption that everything is simply peachy in my spiritual walk. That feeling that says, "Aw, gee, you went to church! You read the Bible... just last week! You're in good shape!" That chip, be it pride, selfishness, lust, presumption, disrespect, disbelief... doesn't have to be bigger than a mountainside... it can be the size of a pretzel, and still do some major damage in your life. Are ya feeling me?
And these claws of human nature hold me tight within their grasp
I'm not worthy of forgiveness but I just had to ask...
I feel like this many times. I picture myself just bound by ropes, with little sins written all over them... not the sins we would consider big... just a bunch of little ones, that combined, are more powerful and hold tighter than any of the bigger fallacies I could do. And no, I'm not worthy of forgiveness... and sometimes I ask like that. "God... I'm a dork, I know it... but please forgive me." Sometimes, I almost expect him to say, "You know, Dave, we've been through this... and this time, I'm not going to forget about it." Even though you know he never would... you think, "If I were Him, I sure would." Good thing you aren't Him, huh?
When I've all but killed the fire, and my soul's in desperate need
But I wallow in the mire of complacency
Complacency... ooh, big one. Spelled out... You know you need the nourishment that God and His Word can give you... and yet you just roll around where you are, with no motivation to move.
I want to taste the fruit I'm missing, and yet I feast only the bread
My desire's alive and kickin', but my drive is dead
There is so much out there that God is waiting to give to you and me! But we don't take it! Instead of all the wonderful fruits of love, mercy, grace, power he has for use, we sit on the steps munching on stale WonderBread (not even the Iron Kids kind!), wondering why our meals don't taste better! And my desire to follow God, to know God, to want God is always alive and kicking... but my drive never does anything about it!
You bear the weight of condemnation cleansing with the blood of truth
But! There is always a big But! Jesus... took all of this. Put it on his shoulders, had it driven through his hands and feet, had it poked in his side, had it forced upon his head in the form of a crown of thorns...
So with my humble acclamation, I want to give myself to You
After reading all this... if you think to yourself, "You know, d$, I just don't know where you are coming from... I'm not feeling you here, man," then you can stop now. But if you are thinking, "You know, that’s my life in a nutshell, that’s where I feel like I am..." then there is something you can do about it.
I go down... I go down, down, down... I go down on my knees
Thats right, folks. It’s called prayer. "But, I've done that! It’s not working!" I look at it this way... out of all the people in the world, there are probably only 1/10 of them that pray to God, ever. And out of those, I'd guess only 1/10 of them actually do it on a regular basis... with 6 billion people on earth, and only 1/20th of them talking to Him, do you honestly think that God is going to ignore someone who is praying to Him? He loves that stuff! Maybe you should skip the official prayers of "Oh, holy God, forgive my transgressions, and I lift my soul to thee that thou will fill me with thy grace and..." Now, don't get me wrong, that’s fine and all... if you mean it... but sometimes, you gotta get a little more plain-languaged with God, and talk to him like you would talk to anyone else...
Feed my hunger, slave my thirst for a spiritual rebirth
Light my darkness, move in me
"God... I'm messed up. I know of all these things I want to do, I know of all the ways I want to show you that I love you... but I just ain't doing it. It’s not a matter of not having time, cause I can make the time. It’s not a matter that I doubt you, because I fully believe in you. I just need you to come down here and get me moving, God." I'll have you know I prayed that prayer not more than two hours ago, before I even thought about writing this.
Make me more than what You see
And there's the tag line. "God... I know with you, I can be so much more than what I am now. Make it so. Please." And the scary part is... He will. That’s a promise.
As I go down on my knees...
Moral of the story... if you are feeling funky, like described above, the total spiritual overhaul begins with a word to God. If your car is broke, just leaving it in the driveway ain't gonna fix it... you gotta make the move to take somewhere and they'll take care of the rest, the hard part. Same thing with Him.
Oh, by the way... do you sometimes feel like this:
"I am told that God lives in me, and yet the reality of darkness... is so great that nothing touches my soul... Where I try to raise my thoughts to heaven, there is such convicting emptiness that those very thoughts return like knives... Love... it brings nothing. In my soul, I can't tell you how dark it is... I feel like refusing God."
Sounds harsh, doesn't it? Well, this is an excerpt from some letters written in the 50s and 60s, found in Kolkata (formerly Calcutta). The author? Mother Teresa. Yes, that one. See, you aren't the only one that feels funky from time to time.
70... Facebook DeFriended
Sometimes, you just want to be narcissistic. Sometimes you get on Facebook and you notice that you have 2 less friends than you had yesterday. And then, another day later, you gain a friend. Could it be that people have dropped you? Could it be that people deleted their account, then recovered their accounts? If you delete your account, can you recover that account again?
Either way, Facebook Defriended will take care of your narcissistic needs. Buy the app for a buck, and you can hook it up to your account. Then go into Facebook Defriended, and it will tell you your friend list activity over the last few days... who dropped you, who added you and so on.
Why do I need this? I don't. Its a ridiculous app meant to only feed my ego and fuel my wonder of why someone would drop someone as awesome as I am (I say that with a smile and a wink), but still, I check it a couple of times per week. Because I'm me.
69... "Love the Way You Lie"
Overall, I'm not a fan of Eminem. I respect what he does, and his mastery of wordplay and how he sings/raps, because if you just listen to how he does what he does, he's amazing. What he actually says, however, is quite alarming and discouraging, because he has a ton of pent up anger and aggression in his lyrics, many times towards his own ex-wife.
Sometimes, though, he does get one out there that really makes me smile, one that I really enjoy. "Without Me" was one a decade ago, while "Lose Yourself" is one that everyone likes. And in 2010, a collaboration with Rhianna led to "Love the Way You Lie", which has this infectious, memorable opening riff--"Just gonna stand there and watch me burn... that's alright... I like the way it hurts..."
And the video, starring Megan Fox and Dominic Monaghan (Charlie from LOST), is just awesome.
Note... Eminem is not a clean guy, so please don't take this as an endorsement of his music. As in, if you go and download this song, at least the explicit version, and are offended by the language, then don't blame me. Listen at your own risk. The album version of this song is not Emmy Turnbow Safe.
68... Danno Gets a Reboot
I was never a fan of "Hawaii Five-O" in its original inception, not because it wasn't a good show, but because when it when it came on in 1968, I was a few years away from life. When it ended in 1980, I was five. When I saw re-runs in syndication, I barely remembered it.
So, when CBS decided to reboot the television show for the 2010-2011 television season, I had low expectations for the show. Truth in advertising, I have low expectations for many shows when they premiere, because networks now rarely give most shows a chance to catch on... both Seinfeld and Cheers were low rated when they first appeared, but after catching on, they were awarded further seasons, and both went on to become television classics.
The Lovely Steph Leann and I chose three shows to watch this time around, trying to watch them week by week via DVR, and those would be "No Ordinary Family", "The Event" and "Hawaii Five-O". All three shows were good, but to me, "Hawaii Five-O" was exceptional. It was funny, it was well written, and the cast is well placed. Alex O'Loughlin and Scott Caan lead, with Daniel Dae Kim (Jin from LOST, and its hard to see him as anything beyond that) and Grace Park, and it also stars, of course, the Hawaiian coast line, the volcanoes and the culture.
Well, we stopped watching all three show on DVR, just because we got too far behind... and I'm quite alright with that for now, because "The Event" and "No Ordinary Family" are gone. The former is in EW's "Danger Zone" and the latter is just scrubbed (which is sad, because it was also a good show). However, "Hawaii Five-O" made the cut... and we'll put it in a category with "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" and "Grey's Anatomy"... watch it on DVD and get through a season in a few days.
67... The Fury Goes Crazy
Anyone who reads this blog for longer than a few days will know I'm a big Stephen King fan. And in the early 80s, there was a "Quad-fecta" of novels that I really, really enjoy. "Firestarter", "Cujo", "Pet Semetary" and "Christine", about a car, a '58 Plymouth Fury with a mind of its own, and evil side, one that cannot be stopped and is raging with jealousy and anger.
Arnie Cunningham is a loser in high school, best friends with Dennis, who happens to be kinda cool, and important enough at school to keep Arnie from getting beat up daily. This, however, begins to change when Arnie "meets" Christine, a rusty old 1958 red and white Plymouth Fury sitting in a junk yard. The car has many secrets, a horrible, evil past and slowly begins to change Arnie's life--for the worse, especially when Leigh Cabot, this beautiful chick who moves into town, goes out with him... enraging the car. Yep, I said that and meant it.
The book is a quick read, its well written and though not overly frightening, has its creepy moments. I do remember when I was a kid, having just seen the movie when it premiered on network television, walking home from a football game (we lived two blocks from the high school) and being creeped out at 10 at night because some old truck was sitting on the side of the road, staring at me. I kept waiting for the headlights to pop on.
Good book.
66... We Figure Out The Tip
I've got over 140 apps on my iPhone, with games and weather and news and email and interweb capabilities and so on, but one of my favorites, one of most useful apps I have ever purchased is one called "The Tipulator".
Its quite simple. You type in the amount of your bill, say $32.89. It will automatically tell you your tip amount, then give you a total. If you have good service, and want to leave 15%, then it will tell you that you should leave $4.93, and you should pay $37.82. They give really good service? You can adjust your percentage from 15% all the way up to 50% (which must be incredible service). If you wanted to leave 18%, then The Handy Dandy Tipulator will tell you your tip is $5.92. Poor service, but you still want to leave a tip? You can knock it down to 13%, which is $4.60. Or 1%, which is 33 cents.
Other settings include the ability to round your tip up or down to the nearest dollar, or your total amount to the nearest dollar, you can split the check from 2 people to 50. I have mine set to round the total amount to the nearest dollar, with the tip set at 15% or more. The price is a mere 99 cents, and I would definitely recommend it if you ever eat out.
65... Denzel Carries The Word
When movies come out in January, they are usually considered "throw away movies", that is, movies that are dumped into the post-holiday season when most people aren't going to the theaters because they spent too much money during the Christmas season.
But every now and then, they dump a movie into January that turns out to be darn good. I give you "The Book of Eli". Denzel is the title character, wandering on a mission through a post-apocalyptic United States carrying what, at that time, is a very valuable and rare artifact--a King James Bible.
This is part of my review on the film:
We see right away that Eli is not a guy to be messed with... he's got somewhere to be, and he's headed that way. And when people try to stop him, he stops them from trying to stop him in the most convincing "don't bother me" way possible. Trouble comes when he drifts through a town and its discovered by the town's "ruler", Carnagie (played by Gary Oldman, who excels in this type of role), that Eli is carrying with him last copy of the Bible.
The film is bleak in color, as many of the movies with this setting are, and language pervades throughout. The sexual moments are very few, with only a couple of allusions to it, mostly within the context of the town's danger. Violence is also heavy in this film, so expect lots of knives and gunshots and big armored vehicles. All that is to say that this movie is NOT for kids. I dare say its not Emmy Turnbow safe, but at the same time, I think Emmy Turnbow would like this movie--at least, an edited version that might come on the USA Network in June of 2012 or something.
64... Norah Gets a Duet
Norah Jones is only for certain tastes, because the argument is that "all her stuff sounds alike"... and yeah, thats kinda true. But if you like that sound, you'll love this album. In her career, she's done several solo albums and has also done lots of work as a part of other bands like The Little Willies, or projects with other artists, like Ryan Adams or Willie Nelson.
Released in November of 2010, "...Featuring" is a compilation CD of Norah Jones and. Norah Jones and... the Foo Fighters. Norah Jones and... Ray Charles. Herbie Hancock. Q-Tip from a Tribe Called ?uest. And several, several others.
My favorite tracks on the CD are a cover of "More Than This" with Charlie Hunter, a cover of the 80s rock song, and a "Take Off Your Cool" with OutKast, as featured on the OutKast album "The Speakerboxxx/The Love Below".
And if you think I wanted to mention OutKast's album "The Speakerboxxx/The Love Below" because I wanted to seem a slight bit cooler, then... you may be right.
63... Bruno Loves His Woman
Bruno Mars has had quiet a year... among many of the hits he's helped pen, Cee Lo's "Forget You" was a massive hit, as was Flo Rida's "Right Round", and had a couple of hits of his own, including "Grenade" and my 63rd Coolest Thing of 2010, "Just the Way You Are".
Its a fun little song about loving a woman just... well, just like she is. She's perfect. He tells her that, "when I see your face, there's not a thing that I would change, cause you're amazing, just the way you are."
And in interviews, I liked the idea that he doesn't try to go too deep, he just simply says, "I'm a big fan of songs like Joe Cocker's 'You Are So Beautiful' and Eric Clapton's 'Wonderful Tonight' - songs that go straight to the point. You know, there's no mind-boggling lyrics or twists in the story - they just come directly from the heart. And to me 'Just The Way You Are' is one of those songs. There's nothing mind-blowing about it. I'm just telling a woman she looks beautiful the way she IS - and, let's be honest, what woman doesn't wanna hear those lyrics?"
62... The Candlelight Processional
One of our several trips to Walt Disney World found us there in December, actually getting a chance to spend a little time with one of my best friends, Melanie, and her family, that being Chris Z (the hubs), and the kids, Special K, Jay Z and The Zach Attack. And because it was Christmas time, The Lovely Steph Leann was very adamant that we see The Candlelight Processional.
What is it? Well, at Epcot, its a special Christmas presentation featuring a choir, awesome Christmas music and a reading of the Christmas story--yes, the one from The Bible--by a celebrity. The small amphitheater, near the American Pavilion, was decorated beautifully, with bright reds and greens all around, and at least a hundred poinsettias adorning the stage and spaces between choirs.
The choir itself consists of mostly Cast Members who auditioned, and
local talents, as well as the orchestra
The Lovely Steph Leann saw The Candlelight Processional in 2009, and just missed Steven Curtis Chapman and ended up witn Anika Noni Rose, voice of Tiana from "The Princess & the Frog"... and this year? We still missed Steven Curtis Chapman. He was reading later in the month, but our reader was none other than Ariel herself, Jodi Benson, who I believe is a Christ Follower.
After the choirs filed in, they sang a few Christmas hymns, then Jodi took the stage. Over the next thirty minutes, music was interspersed with reading from Matthew, and at the end, she spoke briefly on the birth and eventual death of Christ. And yes, this was all at Walt Disney World, a magical place, but still quiet secular.
Jodi Benson reads the Christmas Story. We almost had Susan Lucci,
but they moved her around and gave us Jodi, and I was cool with that.
61... "Kick-A**"
Here's what I had to say in June of 2006:
Okay... so, for every reason I shouldn't, I thought this movie was hilarious. Absolutely hilarious. Its title that I feel very uncomfortable saying (and don’t, especially on a website that I like to keep PG), its got the same language you’d find in equally as funny movies like “Superbad”, its got comic-book style violence that still produces blood spatter like crazy, and it’s got a bunch of teenagers trying to get some. There is no redeeming quality to this movie.
Let's be clear here... this movie is NOT for children. As a Christ-Follower, this movie is a prime example of the topic of "what do you place in front of your eyes?", which is another conversation for another day. I've tried to give you the rundown on the film as best I can, so now its up to you as to whether to see it. Cindy Jo is probably not going to see this film. Hurricane Rhett might go out tonight and catch it.
Its a yearly tradition to have a theme where our 10-12 Idol contestants (the tradition tends to rear its lyrical head early in the Finals shows) sing songs from the years of their birth. Its been interesting to note that, while watching American Idol over these some odd 9 years or so (we neglected to watch Kelly Clarkson's win in the first season), the "year of birth" has been getting later and later. That is to say that early on, Songs From your Birth Year featured stuff from you know, 1979, 1982 or maybe for those really young, 1986...
Now? Songs from 1979 wouldn't qualify because it would put the Idol contestant at 31 or so, about 3 years over the age limit. Tonight? We have a song from 1995 make our auditions. Nineteen. Ninety. Five. That's a full two years after I graduated high school, and depending on exactly when the song was released, it would have found me as a sophomore or junior at Troy State University (Go Trojans!)
Because of a project I'm working on on Wednesday nights now--details coming soon--my Idol recap shows will mostly appear on Thursdays now, and I'll stick the results on the tail end of it. All that said...
THIS
IS AMERICAN IDOL
Ah, its a beautiful day here at The Cabana... the Plantation Shutters are opened, the door shutters are wide open, the sunlight is pouring in, and the television is adjusted just ever so slightly so the glare is minimal! Seacrusty reminds us that last week, ProActiv Spokeschick Ashthon Jones was given her walking papers, so Week Two of The Finals begins now.
Songs from your birth year, and this will give us people in our mid-30s a great indication of how old we exactly are...
And tonight, we begin in 1984, with Naboo Agrabahao, and videos of her parents show us that even they are wearing traditional African garb, complete with head wrap. Tonight, Naboo is taking on Tina Turner's "What's Love Got to Do With It", which at the time, when I was 9, I thought the song was kinda dumb. Years, decades later, my tastes a little more appreciative and refined, the song is quite a masterpiece.
Tell you what, though.. I wouldn't use the word "master" to describe the "piece" that Naboo's song is tonight. Its terrible, and I don't say that only because I'm not a fan... it sounds awful. Like, she would sound better if she were reading it with style.. awful.
Crazy Creepy Uncle Stevie calls it... beautiful? What? What? J-Lo builds her up first, but tells her that she's pitchy--even drawing some boos from the audience. Randy the Dawg says the same thing.
Thankfully, though, this might be what gets her kicked off the show. Unless the judges save her. A-freakin'-gin.
Next, back to 1984 again, Idol's version of Bradley Cooper, Pauly Mac, is singing Sir Elton John's "I Guess Thats Why They Call It the Blues", and this should be interesting. I love this guy's voice, but it just doesn't fit this song. Wasn't there a Rod Stewart song in 1984 that he could have taken on? Maybe "Some Guys Have All The Luck" or "Infatuation"? Just a thought. Truly, though, he does sound good, revealing that he does have a sinus thing going on.
J-Lo says, "I feel you... you sounded good!". Randy the Dawg doesn't give him a pass because Pauly Mac "because you have a cold, because singers have to deal with that.." but compares him to Ray LaMontigue, which is not bad. Cool Uncle Steven Tyler says, "Your a cool dude in a loose mood..."
And now, 1995... Thiamegia was born. Like, if I had started early, I could have been her dad. In 1995, I think I was with Julie Haynes. That's funny...
Where was I? Okay, she's singing another ballad? Really? "Colors of the Wind", from Pocohontas, the Vanessa Williams version... not only do I not like the original, I don't like that movie, and its my least favorite Vanessa Williams song by a mile. I dig Vanessa, but give me "Save the Best for Last" or the funky "Running Back to You", but not this one.
I just fast forwarded through it. I'm sure she was fine. Randy the Dawg said it was just "okay". And he says it was boring, and to stop singing ballads. Uncle Stevie says it was good, but wonders if that's who Thiamegia thinks she is. J-Lo says to work on her vibratto. Whatever. It was crap.
Let's take it back to the late 80s now with The Straight Adam Lambert. His birth year? 1989. I was in 9th grade, maybe 10th, and the biggest band dork ever. Ever. And watching his video interviews, I can see his Asberger's or Tourette's coming out--his eyes twitch repeatedly. Like he's squinting in the sun, but he's doing it over and over.
"I'll Be There For You" by Bon Jovi is the song, and I hate that I didn't get to see this with The Lovely Steph Leann, because she might have been a puddle on the floor. She LOVES her some Bon Jovi, and truly, this song was the favorite song of every chick I knew in 1989--from my classmate Tonya Windham to the hot senior Sandy Wright--Bon Jovi was the love of anyone and everyone who was the female gender. And even some male genders (I was going to toss a name in here, but I'll refrain, James Rodgers. Oh come on, we were all wondering.)
As for The Straight Adam Lambert, not bad. Not great, but not bad. The song itself is what, 34 minutes long, with 11 minutes of guitar intro, so I guess its hard to pick up a good 90 seconds to go with. Uncle Steven Tyler says, "What? 1989? I have sandwiches under my bed older than you! Don't get too poppy on me!" And The Straight Adam Lambert smiles back, "I'm saving Aerosmith for the Finale!" That's awesome.
1989 was a good year for Aerosmith too, with the album "Pump" still going strong, with "Janie's Got a Gun", "Love in an Elevator" (which I'd be shocked to hear on Idol, because that song is so not Emmy Turnbow safe) and the rock on, broken hearted balled "What It Takes", that I still know every word to by heart.
J-Lo thought he was great, as did Randy the Dawg. I concur.
Seacrusty asks a loaded question... "What Whitney song will Haley Reinhart perform?" Wow, Haley.. taking on 1990 Whitney Houston. She's singing one of my three favorite Whitney songs, "I'm Your Baby Tonight". I mean, this song is funky and cool and awesome and rockin and soulful and so on... so Haley, tread lightly. This is WHITNEY. Pre-crack Whitney, which means awesome Whitney.
Okay, so Haley isn't...
Well, she's not...
Okay, so she's singing okay, good enough I guess, but she's...
...um...
Fine. She's not black enough. There, I said it. This isn't a racial statement, but to sing this type of Whitney song, you have to have soul. Haley has a lot going for her, great smile and great voice, but soul? No. None.
J-Lo starts the feedback, and I know its going to be bad.. "Hey... you look beautiful tonight..." She beats around the bush in telling Haley that this was not the song for her. Seacrusty comes out and helps her wipe a little stray lipstick off of Haley's chick. How random is this?
------------------------------
So, I would love to continue the reviews and the witty banter, giving you the full report, but unfortunately, here's what just happened... I finished Idol and the post... I was working on links, pictures and a video, and while I was jamming to said video, I noticed it stopped halfway through. Lost connection. Now, sometimes this does happen... but here, at The Cabana, its happened more and more. I've been around and around with AT&T already, and they sent someone out here today to replace our cheap, piece of crap modem with a wireless one.. and it worked. While the computer was sitting by the modem, while the guy was here. Sort of like taking your car into the shop--the noises stop when Joe Goodyear is looking at it, right?
So, I get this page that says, "Your internet connection has been broken"... and then ten seconds later, it says "Hey, we fixed it! Just close your browser and you'll be up and running on the interweb, pancho!" So, naturally, because I'm an idiot who doesn't think--ask The Lovely Steph Leann, ask any of The Deuce Guys, ask Melanie--I just closed it and re-opened it, expecting to find what had been saved to be there.
Of course, it wasn't. So, you will not get to read my whole thoughts on Peepee Tuscany, Stefano Italiano, Deep Voiced Scotty, America's Darlin' Lauren Alaina, The Soulful Jacob Lusk, Casey A, K-Rod, nor will you get to read the lead-up to me saying, "If I were a lesbian, this would be my anthem." So, I'll just do what I did last week, give you the quick one line to those that my reporting didn't save.
Peepee Tuscany... Favorite of the night. Brilliant Whitney. Safe
Stefano Italiano... This kid is growing on me, and he sounded great. Safe
America's Darlin' Lauren Alaina... She did well, but nothing flashy. Safe.
The Soulful Jacob Lusk... Judges loved him, but I thought he was terrible. Safe tonight, though.
Casey A... I've heard him better, but his risky take on Nirvana was old. Safe.
K-Rod. Horrid. Horrid. In danger.
Deep Voiced Scotty... He did his thing, and he did it well. Safe.
Also safe is The Straight Adam Lambert... I think Pauly Mac and Thiamegia are borderline, and Neoxmia Agrahbah and, unfortunately Haley, are in danger.
Results tonight!
Whatev! Results NOW!!!
The good thing about Idol Results shows is that I can fast forward, alot. Tonight, we won't hear musical performances from The Black Eyed Peas and Lee DeWyze, and we won't see a new Ford music video, and we won't see a group performance... we will see 12 people squirm in their seats until the Couch of Anxiety becomes the Couch of Safety, and we'll see 3 people head to the Silver Stools of Failure. And one goes home. And unless is Niagra Fallsagogo, the judges won't save 'em.
THIS IS AMERICAN
IDOL RESULTS!!
Seacrusty follows Randy the Dawg, Crazy Creepy Uncle Stevie and Jennifer Lopez out, and its another exciting show!
We do get an update on the American Red Cross drive from last night... if you text REDCROSS to 90999, it will send $10 for Japan relief. Say what you want about Idol, they do alot of compassionate work for our world. Go Idol.
Aaaaand.... I just cut out about 10 minutes of show by fast forwarding through the Group Song, the commercials and the Ford Video. I love the power of DVR. Seacrusty instructs everyone to look under their seats in the audience, and the audience each finds a copy of the 10th Anniversary Idol Compilation, the best from the last 10 years of Idol.
Cute little video montage of the Idols discussing their talents, their pets, their accents, their desires to learn foriegn languages, and Thiamegia takes a fun shot at America's Darlin' Lauren Alaina's twang.
Back to the stage, Seacrusty says, "Dim the lights", and an Irish song comes on, the stage goes green, and apparently, that wasn't supposed to happen, cause Seacrusty makes a joke about the stage director tossin' back the brew, and then calls for the "Tension... dim the lights please."
Up first, Casey A, The Soulful Jacob Lusk and America's Darlin' Lauren Alaina go to the center of the stage. I would imagine they will all be sitting on the Couch of Safety in a few seconds. Smart, though, go ahead and get the front runners out of the way. Seacrusty tells The Soulful Jacob Lusk he is safe.
Now, America's Darlin' Lauren Alaina, and Seacrusty sends her back to The Couch of Safety. And finally, Casey A... and predictably, Seacrusty sends him back to The Couch of Safety.
Seacrusty, you faker! But you didn't fool me this time! I'm on to your tomfoolery!
Now... Haley Reinhart and Pauly Mac... this will be a little harder. I can expect Haley to take a Silver Stool of Failure, though Seacrusty may pull a "you are both in the bottom three!" on us. You know that Seacrusty! Pauly Mac has the whitest teeth I think I've seen on this show, and this kid cannot stop smiling. Great thing, actually.
Seacrusty says one is safe, the other is in the bottom three... and its Haley, like I expected. Pauly Mac will be around next week, as he takes his place on The Couch of Safety, meanwhile Haley forces a grin from the Silver Stools of Failure.
Fast forwarded through two commercial breaks, sandwiched around an American Idol Winner Lee DeWyze performance that I didn't hear at all.
Next is Deep Voiced Scotty, Peepee Tuscany and The Straight Adam Lambert, and I'm guessing Seacrusty will do another all-three-are-safe trickeration.
Deep Voiced Scotty is safe. Peepee Tuscany is safe. And The Straight Adam Lambert, as long as he keeps performing at least decently, doesn't have to worry much until they get down to about 7 or 8. And... he's safe.
Told you! I'm on to your shenanigans, Ryan Seacrusty!
Now... Stefano Italiano and Naimey Aquafina are up. And I predict Stefano Italiano heads to The Couch of Safety, and Nameya heads to The Silver Stools of Failure. Am I right? Yup. (and I typed "yup" as Seacrusty said "After the nationwide vote..." and before he said "Stefano is safe")
Now, K-Rod and Thiamegia. K-Rod, bottom three easily. She was dreadful. And the judges are on crack if they said she was better than last week... she did that Selena song, but her cover of Taylor Dayne probably made Taylor Dayne want to kill herself. Wouldn't shock me if Thiamegia was in the Bottom Three, because her song "Color of the Wind" was sooooo boooorrinnnggg... one is safe, the other is not. After the nationwide vote... Thiamegia is safe.
Do I know this show or do I know this show? I'm wise to your strategery, Seacrusty. The Bottom Three, Haley, Neoxmea and K-Rod...
I fast forwarded through the commercials and was going to go through The Black Eyed Peas, but caught sight of Fergie in her white dress... okay, she fascinates me. She's sexy, yet borderline skanky.
Alright, enough of that. Fast forward through the song, and commercials.
Seacrusty is going to send one of the Bottom Three to the Couch of Safety... and that person is... Noxema. Curse it all! We can't get rid of her! She's like acne that just won't stinkin' go away! Well, let's get rid of K-Rod at least... Seacrusty says, "The person in danger of leaving us tonight is... K-Rod."
Now, Seacrusty might as well have said, "Since neither one of you are named Naimey or Casey A, the person who WILL leave us tonight, because the judges aren't going to save either of you, is..."
With tears in her eyes, she sings Mariah's "Hero" (which I fast forwarded through), and the judges deliberate to tell her no. Randy the Dawg tells her its not unanimous, but they aren't going to use the save on K-Rod.
If you are reading this on Facebook, you may want to just click over to Clouds In My Coffee, since this post has a ton of videos and photos you might not see on FB...
It took a while to get going, but I knew I'd get there eventually... this blog started in 2005, and at the end of the year, I did The 100 Coolest Things of 2005, all in one single post. Right after 2006 ended, I broke up the list into ten installments, then the next year, did 2007's list, onto 2008's list, then 2009's list, and now here we are, the sixth time I've looked upon the previous year and gave you what I believe to be my favorite things of 2010.
What means "cool", asks you? Just simply, its cool. Its fun. Be it a song, a movie, a TV show... something I really liked. Maybe its a place to eat, one that I visited over and over during the year. And sometimes its a person or a couple or a group... someone who had an impact, someone that I just adore or cherish or love dearly. And its things that I discovered in 2010... thusly, as much as we love Steven and Calah Ray, they won't make this list, because they were in the Top Ten Coolest Things of 2009... and though they continue to be cool, they make way for new things, people and stuff. There is even a few books and movies that came out prior to 2010, but I discovered them (or in one case, "re"discovered them) and thusly, here they are.
Well, let's get going, shall we? Without further ado, here are the 100 Coolest Things of 2010
100... Alabama Wins the National Title
Okay, okay... yes I rib the Tide Nation, because yes, they've won multiple titles, and whether they can legitimately claim 13 national titles (which I think is a stretch) or they actually won their 7th or 8th title (more likely, methinks), the fact remains, that in this modern day and age, winning a national title in college football is a huge, huge thing.
And they did it by beating none other than the college powerhouse known as The University of Texas by a closer-than-the-score-indicates score of 37-21. Their star QB, Colt McCoy, went down early... but I think they would have prevailed anyway. Because the difference in a team like Texas, and Alabama, at least in the 2009 season, is that Texas has a star player--McCoy. Alabama had Ingram... and Jones... and McElroy... and a host of others that, even in the loss of one, would keep the team going. And lest we forget, the game was really, really good.
99... Queen Latifah Gets Her Man
I'll be honest... like The Lovely Steph Leann, I like the movies I like. That means simply, sometimes a stupid movie is something I find hilarious (see "Employee of the Month" or "Deuce Bigalo: Male Gigolo") and supposedly incredible films are snooze-inducing or terrible (see "The English Patient"... or better yet, don't). And sometimes a lame movie is where I find the most enjoyment.
And that brings us to "Just Wright", starring Queen Latifah and rapper Common. This was ridiculed in the press, its got a less than 50% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and let's face it, the movie was badly acted and poorly written. And yet, I found myself enjoying the heck out of it.
Here's part of what I wrote on June 10th, 2010:
Anyway, the final reason I liked this film is simply... its clean. Very, very little language (a few "damns" and I think one "bull****"), no violence at all, other than aggressive play on the basketball court, and as far as sexual situations, there's one single scene where you know Leslie and Scott did the deed, but its the next morning and they are lying in bed looking at each other, completely covered by sheets. I can deem this movie completely Emmy Turnbow Safe. Its a good first date movie.
By no means spend $20 on this film, unless you are in fact on a date. At best, catch a matinee, wait for the $1 theater, or get the DVD or watch it online this summer when it will probably come out. For now, The Lovely Steph Leann will be stocking up on Common CDs.
98... The Miz Claims the Title
Hey, I'm a wrasslin' fan, and I admit it. I ain't scurred.
And one of my favorites is The Miz. If you can believe it, his real name is Michael Mizanin, and he was a cast member of MTV's The Real World: New York in 2001, and then the subsequent Real World/Road Rules Challenge.
What's also interesting is watching the evolution of The Miz in the WWE... he started more of a joke, and looking like it was possible he'd never be more than a jobber or a C-lister. But over the last year, in large part due to a huge push, but also due to his committment and ability, The Miz has hit the big time, and is one of the headliners now.
And this year, he won the WWE Championship by cashing in his Money in the Bank Briefcase, beating a worn down and exhausted Randy Orton, right after Randy Orton has successfully defended the title against Wade Barrett of The Nexus, and after he won, he yelled out of one of my favorite catchphrases...
"I'M THE MIZ.... AAANNNDDD IIIIII'M AWESOOOOOMMMEEEE!!!!""
Hey, I'm a wrasslin' fan, and I admit it. I ain't scurred.
97... Lotso Huggin' Bear Comes Home
The Lovely Steph Leann went out of town on business, which took her to the coast and ended up with her at a Disney Store. And she came back with a random surprise.
How awesome is this?
96... SMU Pays Their Players
To celebrate 30 years, ESPN has been showcasing what they call "30 for 30"... that would be 30 documentaries, each made by a different noted director, each with their own creative control, and each telling a sports story that sometimes is famous--and sometimes is not.
To me, the "30 for 30" has been amazing over the last year, be it the controversial games from The U of Miami in the 80s or the "where were you when" aura of OJ's White Bronco... but in my mind, the best was saved for last. "Pony Exce$$" tells the fabled story of Southern Methodist University Mustangs football which, back in the early 80s, was a national powerhouse, including posting a 45-5-1 record from 1980 to 84.
Hall of Famer Eric Dickerson and Craig James joined Charles Waggoner to form "The Pony Express", leading SMU to a share of the national title in 1981. All was not on the up-n-up, however, in Mustang land, as it was revealed in 1986 that for a few years previous, players were being paid from an under the table slush fund, allegations that were put on SMU after they were already on probation.
The NCAA had the power to use "the death penalty", which means barring a school from fielding a football team for a determined amount of time. They had never used it... until they used it on Southern Methodist. It devastated the school and the community, and SMU essentially never recovered. In fact, it took over 20 years for the school to reach a bowl game again--a win over Nevada in The Hawai'i Bowl--and it only had a single winning season in that span up until their bowl season.
Another fallout from the decision is the thought that the NCAA will likely never use "the death penalty" again on a school because of the catastrophic effects of the decision.
All of this can be learned in "Pony Exce$$", a fascinating documentary completely worth the two hours it takes to watch it. Look it up, DVR it, and enjoy the step back into college football history.
95... Big Al Makes An Appearance
So The Lovely Steph Leann and I are at The Magic Kingdom late last year, and are enjoying the Magic Hours, that is, late night in the park. We are walking past Liberty Square into Frontierland, and headed to Pirates over in Adventureland, so we take that little cut through to get back there, and also to use the restroom.
We go in our respective bathrooms, and being a boy, I naturally finish first--amazing how much time can be saved by standing. Anyway, I got out first, and who did I immediately spot standing by a tree? Big Al.
No, Roll Tiders, not that elephant from Tuscaloosa. Its actually none other than my favorite Country Bear from the Jamboree of the same name. And in all the trips I've ever been to Disney World, I've never, ever seen Big Al. And in all the trips The Lovely Steph Leann has been to Disney World, which is about a half-dozen more than me, she has never seen Big Al.
I race over and say, "Hey Big Al!" He turns around, waves and gives me a hug. I text The Lovely Steph Leann and say "GET OUT HERE". I try and stall, and ask the friendly Cast Member if she will take my picture with Big Al. Of course she agrees, so I get my picture taken. Finally, I spot The Lovely Steph Leann emerging from The Lovely Ladies Room, and she's looking around for me. I call out, "The Lovely Steph Leann! Over here!" She turns and sees me, does a "there you are" wave with her hands, and starts ambling over.
"Hurry!" I yell at her, and she looks confused... and then she sees Big Al. Her face brightens, she says, "Oh! It's Big Al!" She races over, and we both get our picture with Big Al. He waves, we smile, the camera snaps and Big Al is on his way.
And it left me with a memory that was one of the coolest things of the year.
94... Hurricane Rhett Falls in Love
I gotta be careful where I tread... "The Other Guys" is a funny movie. It's not in my Top Ten of the Year, nor is it the funniest movie I saw in 2010. Its not nearly the best movie I saw, nor is it a movie that I own. But according to Hurricane Rhett, it doesn't get much funnier than Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg teaming up as mismatched cops (I know, new concept, right?!) trying to catch some bad guys.
Really, the plot is not all that important... what is important is that this movie has a literally a murder's row of people I love to see in a movie... The Rock, who I have a man crush on... Samuel L. Jackson... Michael Keaton... Rob Riggle... and an incredibly priceless cameo by Derek Jeter.
This was also the film that helped me figure out what it is about Will Ferrell that everyone enjoys... he makes everyone better. He makes everyone funnier than he is. I think back to "Anchorman", and though Ron Burghandy is funny, Brick Tamblin, Champ Kind and Brian Fantana are funnier, feeding off of Ferrell. In "Old School", Frank the Tank is funny, but Bernard and the Frat guys are funnier. And taking "Talladega Nights", yes, Ricky Bobby is great. But Reese Bobby is better, Jean Girard is snarkier and Cal Naughton? Cal is priceless. Oh, and Assistant Susan is smokin' hot. Just sayin.
And in "The Other Guys", Det. Allan Gamble is funny. But feeding off of Ferrell, Det. Hoitz (Wahlberg) is funnier, as are Danson and Highsmith and Rob Riggle's Det. Martin is absolutely hysterical, as is Damon Wayans Jr's Det. Fosse...
What was my point again? Well, whatever. Anyway, The Lovely Steph Leann and I saw this movie with Hurrican Rhett and his wife Amarylis By Morning (up from san antone), and THAT is the best way to see a movie... with friends that like and laugh at the same kind of movie you do. We probably would have enjoyed it well enough, but perhaps not as much as we did with the Barnetts in tow.
So the 94th coolest thing of 2010 is not "The Other Guys", its watching "The Other Guys" with good friends.
93... Jamie Makes a Post "Happy Harper Stories" is a blog that I check out about once a week or so, written by a young lady who goes to Valleydale Baptist Church (an sbc fellowship, natch), and its a fun little blog about the Christ-Following life, a Christian family and so on. But one day, she decided to write a little blog called "Biblical Submission and Worship in the Bedroom", and it was excellent.
I've shared this on the blog already, and linked to her blog while I posted by own on a very similar subject, which you can read it--"Sex Love God and Gifts"--by clicking here and can also read the first paragraph of her post.
Just wanted to mention it again before it gets lost in her blog and in mine, like so many excellent posts do in blogs that are updated a few times a week.
92... Amy Adams (whom I'm in love with) Goes to Ireland
To clear up a misconception, just because a movie has Amy Adams, whom I'm in love with, in it does not make it a good movie. Sometimes she can be in crap, just like anyone else. I watched a movie called "The Last Run" starring Fred Savage, aka Kevin Arnold, and though it said "Amy Adams, whom I'm in love with" as one of the main credits, she was only featured minimally. And, not that this has anything to do with her screen time or lack thereof, the movie was one of the worst films I've ever seen in my entire life. I mean, bad. Like, bad bad. Not so bad its good, but so bad its bad bad.
To be real honest, "Psycho Beach Party" and "Cruel Intentions 2" weren't much better, and perhaps it was "Junebug" that gave her the chance to make better movie choices... either way, like any Hollywood star, even amongst tons of success, there are those "paycheck movies" (see, Cage, Nicolas, post-Leaving Las Vegas), and the movie at #92, "Leap Year", is probably in that catagory for Amy Adams, whom I'm in love with.
"Leap Year" simply tells the story of Anna Brady, a socialite who is itching to be hitching to her boyfriend Jeremy... when he has a "surprise for her", and it turns out to be something like earrings and not a ring-ring, Anna is sad. When Jeremy goes to Ireland, Anna decides that she is going to find him, partaking of an old Irish tradition that states on a Leap Year day, February 29th, a woman may propose to a man.
But on her way to Dublin, she gets derailed in the Irish countryside by bad weather, she meets a guy she can't stand that agrees to take her to Dublin and... well, let's be honest, we aren't watching "Schindler's List" here, we all know where this is going... okay, to be fair, we knew where "Schindler's List" was going to, but thats not my point. My point is, this isn't a movie you over-analyze. I could tell you that Anna ends up dumping Jeremy for the Irish guy at the end, and I would not be spoiling this film for you, because you know this the moment the new guy takes the stage.
I must say, though, another star of this film besides Amy Adams, whom I'm in love with, and Matthew Goode is probably none other than the Irish Countryside. The views are spectacular, the scenery is marvelous and the cameras always make sure you see a field blowing in the wind, or the cliffs with the water crashing against them, or so on and so forth.
Its a fun movie that you don't have to think about... you just let yourself have a good time with it, and if you are like me, just stare at Amy Adams when she's onscreen. Cause she's beautiful. And I'm in love with her.
91... RDJ Wears the Suit (again)
There have been been few turnarounds in Hollywood that have been as huge, as monumental and as successful at the career of Robert Downey Junior. He's gone from prison, drug use and a life spiraling into an overdose that was directing him onto a list with Heath Ledger or Brittany Murphy in the gone-too-soon department... into one amazing actor who is finally making some good choices. Okay, okay, "The Soloist" notwithstanding... there's "Sherlock Holmes", there's "Due Date", there's "Tropic Thunder"... and of course, there's Iron Man.
And in 2010, there was Iron Man 2. And I thought it was just splendid, if I do say so myself. Here's what I wrote about it in June after seeing it:
...I was thrilled. The opening sequence, the introduction to The Stark Expo, Whiplash [Mickey Rourke] shows up and lashing his whips, bad accent and hair and all, Sam Rockwell being awesome like he always is, Iron Man fighting, and don't think I didn't notice the similarities between Stark's dad's plans for a futuristic community and Disney's old Epcot plan... in fact, there's a song over the ending credits called "Tomorrow Today", and it was written by the famed Sherman Brothers, the same guys who wrote "There's a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow" for the Carousel of Progress at Walt Disney World, amongest other great Disney classics.
Speaking of the ending credits, stay til the very end. Its worth it.
And there is our first ten...
Coming up... Bosses go undercover... Helen Mirren gets violent... and later, my night eating Lebenese...
Sometimes our church, Valleydale Church (an sbc fellowship), has some bad ideas. Sometimes they throw some things out there, and we all sit back and say, "Wow. That didn't work, did it?"
And then again, sometimes our church, Valleydale Church (an sbc fellowship), has some great ideas. Some ideas, that when put forth are just knocked out of the ballpark. And FAN Day was one of them...
FAN stands for "Friends And Neighbors" Day, where we could invite... well, our friends and neighbors... to come out to our church, Valleydale Church (an sbc fellowship), get to know us, get to know our pastor, and see what we have to offer... namely, Jesus, but there's more too.
Siran Stacy spoke at our church. He's a former star for the University of Alabama--incidentally, they have 13 national championships, just in case you didn't know--in the years '89 to '91, and hails from Geneva, Alabama, which is 8 miles from my own home in Samson, Alabama.
In late 2007, he was driving a van with his wife and kids, and was struck by a drunk driver. The drunk driver was killed, as was Stacy's wife, and four of his five children. Stacy and his daughter Shelley survived, after both spent time in a coma.
When Siran Stacy hit that stage, you knew Jesus was up in this hizzy. I mean, Siran brought it. Let's be clear, I like Calvin Kelly... he's been my pastor for 12 years, really the only true pastor I've ever known--mine own church history is another blog for another day--but every now and then, a little color on our stage is great. Maybe once a month or two, toss up some Antjuan Marsh, or let's catch Voddie Bochum as he's coming through town...
Anyway, Siran was a dynamic speaker, preaching on how God dealt with Ezekiel in the Old Testament, and relating it to how he dealt with his own losses.
And afterwards, we all went out to our tailgate parties. Each Sunday School Life Connection had a little parcel of the parking lot, and each was responsible for grilling and serving up their own food, putting out their own chairs and tables, and making it as tailgatey as possible.
I told one of the higher ups in our church, Valleydale Church (an sbc fellowship), that next year we need to present a trophy to the best tailgate presentation, maybe keep that trophy in the church with class names engraved on it year after year. And of course, I only say that because of what we had....
We had Justin Fisher, about seven grills, a bunch of experienced grillers grilling on those grills, banana pudding, some little chocolate brownie balls that I had about fourteen of, all 9 of Chad & Amanda Campbell's kids, a tent, cornhole, Willis in a green The U shirt, an RV and Heather Whitley. We win.
Here are some pictures from FAN Day.
Here is Mr. Steven Ray's Day and Mrs. Steven Ray's Mom, helping set up the big, fat buffet of cholesterol, sugar and high fructose corn syrup, along with the ribs and lettuce. We rule.
Sitting and waiting to eat, The Freckled (re)Becca. Her beau, Bobowen, is around here somewhere.
Jonathan Taylor, preparing the roast beast, the roast beast for the Valleydale Church
(an sbc fellowship) Tailgate feast.
The Lovely Steph Leann and our friend Heather, who's husband is away this weekend on drill and keeping our
country safe. U-S-A! U-S-A!
Tootie Watkins, with his gloves on, cooking up some burgers, while others, including
Steven Ray, gnaws on some ribs
I'm sure that the pastors and leaders of the church stopped by several booths, but we had a ton of people who
aren't in our own Life Connection class stop by ours. Again, this lends to the assumption that we, in fact, had
the best set up. I will say there was a circus tent that had a "JESUS FOR HEISMAN" sign, but in order to one-up
them, we went out and got Alissa Thornell. We win again.
When Justin Fisher rolls down the halls of Valleydale Church (an sbc fellowship), little Will Fisher will run
out to meet him, and he will yell, and I quote, "Daddy! Daddy! Daddy! Daddy! Daddy! Daddy!" I can only
hope that Campbell Isaiah will dig his dad as much as Will Fisher digs his old man. Little Will puts his hand
on Daddy JustFish's chair, and this is how they roll.
Calah Ray, correctly pronounced Cah-lah Rah, shows the excitement, yet exhaustion of the day
Jon Taylor and Heather Whitley view the food options, while again, Steven Ray looks on in the background. I
think he was searching out the camera.
Emmy Turnbow, making a Not Emmy Turnbow Safe Face of Disapproval at her maler half, Jason
If you are on Facebook, you can search me up and look at all the pictures from FAN Day... I'm keeping them available for "Everyone" to see for a few days, then I'll take 'em down to "Friends Only" viewing. Then you'll have to be my friend to see them... Membership has its privileges.
And we are back... I'll fire up this DVR and discuss the rest of the Top 100 Greatest Songs of the 1990s, as ranked by Vh1! Along the way I'll share some memories, some stories and maybe you have some of your own...
Keep in mind, I don't know who is on this list... everytime you read about a new song, I have just found out what that song was, and don't know what the next one is...
Read The Greatest Songs of 90s, Part I with Songs 100 to 48
47. "Good Vibrations" by Marky Mark & the Funky Bunch
I guess I heard somewhere that Mark Wahlberg doesn't like to discuss his "Marky Mark" days... and part of me can understand why. I mean, he's a white guy rapper, something that until Eminem, would get you lumped in with Vanilla Ice, Snow and the like.
But another part of me wants him to be doggone proud of this ditty. "Good Vibrations" isn't bad, its not even so-bad-its-good, its just a good, good song. And most girls I knew loved them some Marky Mark when he did underwear ads and did this video. He didn't actually wear a shirt from 1994 to 1998, I believe.
I came across this video in iTunes, and let me tell ya, I didn't think--I bought. Immediately.
I've made this point before, but really? If
you've ever seen Mutt Lange, you'll know
that Shania, left, is the best he'll ever do
and the chick on the right is more his type.
46. "Your Still the One" by Shania Twain.
Oh mah gawsh... this song was everywhere. You couldn't get away from this song. But for every bit of eye candy that Marky Mark was to the ladies, Shania is the boys.
Its funny, though, to hear Shania talk about this song and her hubby Mutt Lange, as this show was done in 2007-ish. This was, of course, Mutt so stupidly traded in his Ferrari for a used 70s Pinto.
45. "Only Wanna Be With You" by Hootie & the Blowfish
HOOOOOOOOTTTIIIIEEEE ROOOOOOCCCKKKKSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!
But when Darius Rucker says, "Ain't Bobby so cool?", who is Bobby? Never got that.
44. "Killing Me Softy" by The Fugees
Pras, Wyclef Jean and Lauryn Hill... The Fugees. And for everything the original was, this song is not. The original, while classic, is so freakin' slow... the update by The Fugees made it cool. Made it relevant. Made if fun.
Sang this song in karaoke back in the early 2000s or something. Actually, I didn't sing it, Alexandra Milner did. We were at Common Ground back in the day, doing a karaoke night, and Alex and I hopped on this stage... and she sang it beautiful. I did the "one time time"... and then the "two time time" part. Cause I wanted to help.
43. "My Lovin' (your never gonna get it)" by En Vogue
Who just started singing "oh your never gonna get it, no your never gonna get it" as soon as this song came on the television? The Lovely Steph Leann, that's who, not even looking up from her laptop.
This was pre-Destiny's Child, and early-to-mid 90s. There was an abundance of chick groups that came out about the same time, including En Vogue, but also Jade (don't walk away boy, my love won't hurt you, no no!) and my favorite, Sisters With Voices, aka, SWV (can't explain why your loving makes me weak...)
42. "Shine" by Collective Soul
From the album "Hints, Allegations and Things Left Unsaid", an album that I couldn't afford to buy in 1994, but I ended buying in like, 2004, because I felt like I should own it.
This song is also awesome, with a great chorus, and lots and lots of "YEAH!"s. Da da da dada YEAH! Da dada dada da da YEAH!"
It is a great song, but my favorite Collective Soul song? "Heavy". Man oh man is that song great to drive with.
41. "Two Princes" by The Spin Doctors
My memory of this song will forever and ever be linked to that karaoke bar on the fifth deck of that cruise ship during my senior cruise... there were like, six of us up there, and that group probably included Chris McCall and Tonya Windham, but I know for a fact that Tammy Thomas was up there.
(L-R) Tonya, Chad, Tammy, Yours Truly and Chris. This
would be a good guess as to who was singing that night.
By the way, don't hate on the Spin Doctors. Trippy sound, goofy hat of that lead singer guy, he had an awesome voice... and how much fun is this song to sing? Even now! The Lovely Steph Leann stopped singing En Vogue and immediately picked up this song.
Favorite Spin Doctors songs?
4) "Little Miss Can't Be Wrong"... what a great "get out my face, woman" song.
3) "You Let Your Heart Go To Fast"... lead cut from their second album
2) "Two Princes"... Carnival cruises!
1) "Jimmy Olsen's Blues". Man I love that tune.
Just just just go ahead now.
40. "I Wanna Sex You Up" by Color Me Badd
Okay, so this song came from the film "New Jack City", not on The Dave100, but probably could be listed in The Dave200, if there was such a thing. There were actually two versions to this song, the album version and the radio version.
Usually, I'm an album-version guy... the album typically has the extra verse, or the bridge or the extra whatever, whereas the radio version is typically edited for content and length. However, in this case, its almost as if they are two different tunes who have the same riffs and rhythm... and I prefer the "come inside take of your coat I'll make you feel at home" radio edit much better.
Two more quick observations: first, lead singer Brian Abrams got really big, and second. this song is, no matter the edit, not Emmy Turnbow Safe. No joke.
39. "Iris" by The Goo Goo Dolls
So, I've never seen the movie "City of Angels" that this song came from. This song is good, though, every once in a while, but not all the time. Give me "Slide" or "Black Balloon".... but I will tell you "Dizzy Up the Girl" is an awesome CD. Go get it.
38. "Genie in a Bottle" by Christina Aguilera
So, when you are 24 years old, and this 17 year old is singing, and rolling around like she does in this video, you feel kind of skeevy. And I did. Cause she was pretty hot.
Steph Nipp, back in the day, asked me about the lyrics "gotta rub the right way", and I told her "oh, its like, you know, when you rub someone the right way, or wrong way? Like, she wants the guy to be good to her, and treat her right." Steph Nipp says, "Oh, that makes sense." And everytime I heard her tell someone that particular nugget, I would laugh internally, and sometimes quietly, externally. I love Snipp.
37. "Good Riddance (time of your life)" by Green Day
So, Green Day, one of the most overrated band in the history of the world.
36. "Gonna Make You Sweat" by C&C Music Factory
Totally did this song in high school band, and that crazy part on the sax was sooooooo much fun to play.
And I know every stinkin' word to this song. I mean, this video is like a workout, cause people are dancing and jumping all over the place, you had the chick singing the "Sweat! Sweeeaaaat! Let the music take control, let the rhythm move you..." (though the skinny chick was a front--the real singer of that was one of the big sistas from The Weather Girls, and she sued), you had that awesome sax in the middle and Freedom Williams singing the rhymes that told you he was a just a squirrel trying to get a nut to move yo' butt to the dance floor so yo' whats up, hands in the air, e'rbody over here e'rbody over there..."
35. "Wonderwall" by Oasis
Talk about a song I love to sing... Today is gonna be the day that their gonna throw it back to you... I don't believe that anybody feels the way I do about you now...
Its like a good Beatles song. This, with "Champagne Supernova", but especially this, is just about as close to a perfect rock song as you can get.
Chick named Reanna in children's theater Pied Pipers used to walk aroung singing "Wonder Bra". Kind of annoying, but at the same time amusing.
34. "Semi-Charmed Life" by Third Eye Blind
So this song is actually about hard core drugs and gettin' it on. The lyrics are so dirty. But its proof that people don't pay much attention to the lyrics, because its so catchy and this song was pretty big for about eight months. But I usually turn it when it comes on. Not a huge fan.
33. "Wannabe" by Spice Girls
This exchange just happened:
Me: Oh wow
The Lovely Steph Leann: You knew this had to be on here
Me: Oh, I like the Spice Girls. I dig this song.
The Lovely Steph Leann: OMG, I LOOOOOVE the Spice Girls
Ten, twelve years later, its kinda funny seeing where they all ended up, but back in the late 90s, you couldn't get away from Spice Girl. I was always a Baby Spice guy myself.
We just spent the next five minutes coming up with the titles of the other two Spice hits.... "Two Become One" and my favorite, "Say You'll Be There" (she sang along to both when I dug 'em up on my iTunes)
32. "No Diggity" by Blackstreet featuring Dr. Dre
Dude. No Diggity was dope. Back when Dre and rap was fun and cool, when Hip Hop was going from innocent to a little edgy, this song is just awesome.
Not sure what "diggity" means. It might mean "no doubt", as in "no diggity, no doubt".
Play on, play out.
31. "Creep" by Radiohead
There were two versions of this song, the "so very special" and "so effin' special" version. As in, "I wish I was special. So very/effin special". Because I'm an album purist, I like the second one. I have this cassingle upstairs.
I won a tape from a radio station once, called "Kid A." And after listening to it a few times, I can honestly say, Radiohead is a band I never got.
30. "Tearin' Up My Heart" by N*Sync
So, the boy bands returned in 98, after a seven year hiatus with the loss of New Kids on the Block.
Remember when Justin Timberlake was this frosted tipped little kid? And out of like, all the boy banders in all the boy bands, something like 19 of them, JT is the only who made it out. Its not cool to like any of them... except JT. Its cool to like JT.
And I'm sure JC Chasez is sitting at home, playing "Blowing Me Up (with her love)", wondering what went wrong and why not him.
No, of course I don't have "Ice Ice Baby"
on Cassette Single. Why would I need
the cassingle when I have this entire
album on tape?
29. "Ice Ice Baby" by Vanilla Ice
I could spend an entire column, like 4,000 words on this song. I don't even know where to begin with this song, other than, I love it and am not ashamed.
28. "Livin' la Vida Loco" by Ricky Martin
I got nothing. That sound you hear is the Unintentional Comedy Scale exploding into small, loco pieces.
27. "Mr. Jones" by The Counting Crows
First, lets be clear... Adam Duritz. Ladies, is he hot? Seriously? Cause he got with like, fourteen different 90s hot chicks from Jennifer Aniston to Courtney Cox.
Secondly, who is Mr. Jones?
26. "My Name Is" by Eminem
I remember hearing this song for the first time as I was coming to my apartment in 1999. It was odd, it was laughable, and it was creative. Some years later, he busted out with my favorite Eminem tune, "Without Me" which is absolutely brilliant.
Love him, hate him, he is so talented. What he can rap, the words he spits out are amazing... not the content, but just his tone.
25. "Black Hole Sun" by Soundgarden
This was a cool song, but this video was just creepy with the stretchy smiley face thing going on. Everyone's smiles get all weird and distorted and strange.
24. "Jump Around" by House of Pain
Dude... from the very first note, this song rocks. Like, this song is awesome. Everyone jumps to this song. And my favorite lyric, though its terrible, is "I'll serve yo' --- like John McEnroe, if yo' girl steps up, I'm smackin' da ho'"... This makes me want to go and hear this song right now. This would be in my Top Ten songs of the 90s.
23. "Whatta Man" by Salt n Pepa featuring En Vogue
What a great song. Seriously. Why is it that there are so many songs out there that are all about how bad your man is, and he cheated and he's a jerk and all that... but here's a song that celebrates how much she loves her man.
I'd like to think that The Lovely Steph Leann, were she a R&B rap artist, would sing this song to me. "d$, you so crazy... I think I wanna have yo' baby..."
22. "Loser" by Beck
Does anyone even know what this song means? No you don't. Don't try. Don't even try to explain. I made it a point to learn every word to this song at one time, and loved to sing it... and would hear it often on cassingle.
If there was a way to do playcounts with cassettes, surely this would have a huge count from back in the day.
21. "My Heart Will Go On" by Celine Dion
Oh, there go the flutes. From one of my favorite movies of all time, 9th on The Dave100, near, far, wherever you are, you couldn't NOT hear this song. And seriously, were it not for the fact that I have heard this song about 8,000,003 times, I would still love it. However, its still a great song. And before Celine married Rob Reiner and decided to lose 188 pounds, she was so awesome. I mean, really. I would put her next to pre-crack Whitney and pre-skank Mariah, easily.
The Lovely Steph Leann: Oh, I cried at this song.
20. "Mmm Bop" by Hanson
You laugh right now, but dont even joke. You freakin' loved this song. You sang this song. You bought it, you own it, and when it came on, you turn it up, even if you only can sing the "Mmm Bop" part.
Hanson is a band that got the shaft--they make great pop rock music, played their own instruments, wrote their own songs, and were defined by that one single song.
19. "Sabotage" by The Beastie Boys
There are fewer songs that, combined with the video, are as cool as this song. This song is loud, this song is boisterous, this song had this funky, hard edge, goofy sound... and it ROCKS. Put this is your cars CD player, preluded by "B.O.B." by OutKast and followed by "Machinehead" by Bush, and you can make it from Birmingham to the beach in about 90 minutes.
18. "Enter Sandman" by Metallica
"The national anthem of headbangers" was what one guy said on the show, and I agree. And when lead singer Triple H James Hetfield, its a song that really... kinda punishes you.
Hush little baby don't say a word, and don't mind that noise you heard.
Indeed.
17. "Say My Name" by Destiny's Child
Back when it wasn't just Beyonce, but Beyonce and three, yes three, other chicks. Hey, say my name you love me in front of other people. And somehow, they sang 73 words in the span of 4 seconds, so much so that Eminem would be proud.
And for the record, I love me some Kelly Rowland--she's my favorite D'Child.
16. "U Can't Touch This" by MC Hammer
That phrase, "U Can't Touch This", tossed in with "2 Legit 2 Quit" will forever be a part of our lexicon. Lorelei Addison and Campbell Isaiah will be saying these phrases and not even knowing what they mean...
...oh no, forget that... they'll be hearing them some MC Hammer.
Its Hammer go Hammer MC Hammer yo Hammer and the rest can go and play, Can't Touch This!
15. "Under the Bridge" by The Red Hot Chili Peppers
When this song popped up, The Lovely Steph Leann looked up and said, "ah!" I asked her if she liked this song, and she nodded feverishly, "I Love this song."
And why not? Its a great song. I remember this video where Anthony Keidis, in black and white, long hair flying, running as fast as he could towards the camera, looking all buff and intense. It was cool.
14. "Vision of Love" by Mariah Carey
Totally had this poster on my college dorm room wall
Sigh.
I miss pre-skank Mariah.
Anyone under 21, stop what you are doing, go to iTunes and download three songs: Emotion, Dreamlover and this song. And listen to them for an education. THIS is how you sing. THIS is how you entice. THIS is how you are FREAKIN AWESOME.
I would love love love love to see her in concert. I mean, one of my top five most desired concert experiences.
13. "Nuthin' But a G Thang" by Dr. Dre introducing Snoop Doggy Dogg
In the late 80s, rap was killin, ghetto, hood, shooting, the plight of black people, the plight of poor people, the man holding us down...
When G Thang came out, it all changed. Rap suddenly didn't have to be a social commentary, it could be just something fun, laid back, smokin' a blunt, drankin' a fo'ty, ridin' in yo' bouncing hyrdrolic low rider,
12. "You Oughta Know" by Alanis Morissette
How fantastic is this song? How fantastic is this whole "Jagged Little Pill" album? I remember hearing this song for the first time, I hopped in my car, drove around the corner from Willow Terrace to across the street to On Cue Records and Tapes, and paid $15.98 for it. Didn't have it, probably bounced the check, but it was worth it.
She's a little mellow now, and released an acoustic version of this whole album a few years back--and it was good, but it wasnt great. It wasn't great because she wasn't angry anymore. I love Angry Alanis.
11. "Jeremy" by Pearl Jam
Remember me telling you about sitting at home, listening to Open House Party on Saturday nights? This is where I learned about Pearl Jam and heard "Jeremy" for the first time. And I owned the tape and would play it in my car at school I daresay before anyone knew who was Eddie Vedder even was.
I remember doing some painting work for my boss at The Wright Place restaurant at his home, painting some metal beams for a barn that he was building. And with my jambox, I had this tape blaring loud and proud. Back then, kiddies, you got about five songs, then you had to flip the tape over.
10. "Nothing Compares 2 U" by Sinead O'Connor
I cannot tell you how awesome this song is. I mean, seriously. This will be another song that Lorelei Addison will hear as a very young little girl.
The video is so amazing, as she's starting at the camera, tears streaming down her eyes. Its on my list of the Saddest Songs Ever. That countdown is due for a re-do, and "Nothing Compares 2 U" might rank a little higher.
And this is on my current rotation of songs that I sing while I'm making drinks at Starbucks.
9. "Losing My Religion" by REM
I've never been a huge REM fan, but this song was captivating. That's me in the corner. That's me in the spotlight, losing my religion. I do believe that not too long ago, Michael Stipe surprised no one when admitting he was gay, he admitted that this song was his struggle with being an Other.
We used to make fun of REM, saying that REM stood for Rear End Men. Turns out I wasn't too far from being right.
8. "Waterfalls" by TLC
For all the songs that The Lovely Steph Leann liked on this countdown, I daresay there aren't many songs she hates more than this one. I like the song itself, but usually only hear it when I'm listening to a playlist that includes my favorite music from that Troy State era.
7. "...Baby One More Time" by Britney Spears
Let's be honest. Back in 1998, you liked this song. Don't tell me you didn't. You had no idea that K-Fed, bald heads, kissing Madonna, that VMA snake, Chaotic, slutsville, rehab, two children, bad music, that Vegas marriage was coming. All you knew at that time was that this song was awesome, it was catchy, the album was fun, and speaking as a guy, we loved it.
6. "Baby Got Back" by Sir Mixalot
I LIKE BIG BUTTS AND I CANNOT LIE is a line that forever will go down in the "First Lines to a Song" Hall of Fame. I mean, you can't even say the words "Oh My Gah Becky, look at her butt" without someone laughing, or continuing the line or quoting the song. Seriously.
This is song is so engrained in our pop culture, it will be one of the songs on this list that will last for decades, maybe a generation. I don't know if Campbell Isaiah will be exposed to Mixalot at an early age, but it seems to be a good song to sing to babies. On Friends, Rachel sang it to her kid to calm her down, and when I was visiting my best mate Wookiee, I was holding their daughter Abby Grace and when AG got a little grumpy, I started to whisper "I like big butts and I cannot lie. You other brothers can't deny..." and like magic, AG quieted.
5. "Vogue" by Madonna
Eh.
4. "I Will Always Love You" by Whitney Houston
From a favorite film, 51st on The Dave100, its pre-crack Whitney at the top of her career. As this song started, I just put my head back on the recliner, looked at The Lovely Steph Leann and just sighed, "This song... is just so great."
A few drug hits and a Bobby Brown later, she can't hit those notes like she used to. But while you are on iTunes downloading those Mariah songs, make sure you get "How Will I Know", "Saving All My Love For You", "I'm Your Baby Tonight" (radio edit) and this song. Go now.
3. "I Want It That Way" by The Backstreet Boys
The Lovely Steph Leann just piped up "This is the BEST!!!"
So one night, Mikey Nipp and I were going to a party somewhere. We walked to the door and he turned to me, said "I'm going to have the entire room singing Backstreet in ten minutes. Just watch this."
He walked in, quietly singing to himself, "you are... my fire... my one... desire..." and sure enough, within ten minutes every girl, and some guys, in the room were singing to themselves "I want it that way" and "you are... my fire..." and so on. It was hilarious.
2. "One" by U2
When "Achtung Baby" came out, I really dug "Mysterious Ways", which turned out to be my favorite U2 song of all time.
But I'll just be honest with ya here... this is my absolute least favorite U2 song out there. When this comes on the radio, I end up just turning it. There. I said it.
1. "Smells Like Teen Spirit" by Nirvana
When we were about three songs from the end, I said, "Smells Like Teen Spirit" is probably number one." And I was right.
I was the first kid in my high school to own "Nevermind" with the naked baby on the front cover of the tape. And this song was played a whole heckuva lot in my car. Kurt Cobain is perhaps not as amazing as people remember him to be (who is, really) but he deserves alot of credit for, along with Pearl Jam, bringing the new grunge alternative sound to the forefront, inspiring rock music like never before, and making all those kids around me who felt Metallica and Alice in Chains were a little too loud have some hope in rock.
And then, when Weird Al Yankovic came out with "Smells Like Nirvana", I was laughing so hard I literally ran off of the road while driving down the highway in Enterprise, Alabama.
