I had heard his songs before on the radio, but when I first became a fan of his and obsessed with his music was after:
Not only does Robbie Hart (Adam Sandler) gush over him:
But he has the best bit part:
This got me interested in listening to him more..and more is exactly what I did.
And one of my favorites (beside Rebel Yell), is the song Dancing With Myself. The song was written by Billy Idol and Tony James for their group, Generation X, after they visited a Tokyo Dance Club and witnessed people preferring to dance with their images in the mirror, rather than with each other. It didn’t do very well and the band later broke up.
In 1981, Billy Idol, as a solo artist, made a few changes and rereleased it. It quickly grew popular and remains one of his most loved songs to date.
I think the reason the song does so well is first the music as it makes you want to dance
And secondly the personal connection. Most people don’t feel like they dance very well.
And it isn’t fun when you are rejected because of your lack of talents in that area.
And there is something so freeing about dancing by yourself. You know no one will judge you, you are free to do whatever dance move you want, to whatever song you want.
Well there’s nothing to lose
And there’s nothing to prove
It just makes you feel great!
I’m great
Like this song.
Plus you gotta love this ’80s music video. Oh Billy, only you could pull off an outfit like that and bleach blonde hair.
On the floor of Tokyo
Or down in London town to go, go
With the record selection
And the mirror’s reflection
I’m dancing with myselfWhen there’s no-one else in sight
In the crowded lonely night
Well I wait so long
For my love vibration
And I’m dancing with myself
Oh dancing with myself
Oh dancing with myself
Well there’s nothing to lose
And there’s nothing to prove
I’ll be dancing with myself
If I looked all over the world
And there’s every type of girl
But your empty eyes
Seem to pass me by
Leave me dancing with myself
So let’s sink another drink
‘Cause it’ll give me time to think
If I had the chance
I’d ask the world to dance
And I’ll be dancing with myself
Oh dancing with myself
Oh dancing with myself
Well there’s nothing to lose
And there’s nothing to prove
I’ll be dancing with myself
If I looked all over the world
And there’s every type of girl
But your empty eyes
Seem to pass me by
Leave me dancing with myself
So let’s sink another drink
‘Cause it’ll give me time to think
If I had the chance
I’d ask the world to dance
And I’ll be dancing with myself
Oh dancing with myself
Oh dancing with myself
If I had the chance
I’d ask the world to dance
If I had the chance
I’d ask the world to dance
If I had the chance
I’d ask the world to dance
[Scat]
Dancing with myself
Dancing with myself
Dancing with myself
Dancing with myself
If I looked all over the world
And there’s every type of girl
But your empty eyes
Seem to pass me by
Leave me dancing with myself
So let’s sink another drink
‘Cause it’ll give me time to think
If I had the chance
I’d ask the world to dance
And I’ll be dancing with myself
Oh dancing with myself
Oh dancing with myself
If I had the chance
I’d ask the world to dance
If I had the chance
I’d ask the world to dance
If I had the chance
I’d ask the world to dance
I had never seen this movie before, but I knew that Brittany Murphy’s character in Little Black Book was obsessed with it.
I had also heard it had all these awards and people loved it. So when my friend and I spotted it on Netflix she and I watched it.
I thought it was okay, not spectacular but not horrible; and was surprised at the amount of awards it had won. But it did have a moment I thought was pretty romantic.
Tess (Melanie Griffith) is a secretary who dreams of becoming more, but finds that her Staten Island backgrounds stalls her from any promotion.
She also has a boyfriend that will never move things forward and is cheating on her.
After being sexually harassed by her bosses and ending her employment by getting revenge, she finds herself at the end of the line. Her last job for a female employer, and if she doesn’t make this stick she is out of New York.
Katherine Parker (Sigourney Weaver) is new to the company and takes Tess under her wing teaching her about proper presentation, the right way to speak, etc. Tess sees Katherine as her mentor and shares a great idea with her.
Katherine breaks her leg while skiing and is going to be out of the office for months. She sends Tess to do a few errands, and Tess finds out that Katherine stole her idea and was planning to pass it off as her own. This betrayal coupled with finding out about her boyfriend’s cheating on her, causes her to become so furious she decides that she is going to take over the deal herself.
Don’t mess with me!
She cuts her hair, borrows Katherine’s home, clothes, etc. She then approaches Jack Trainer (Harrison Ford) herself to get the deal rolling. The Harrison Ford scenes are the best: especially when he changes his shirt. 🙂
Aw!
The two start getting really close when things become super complicated!
Not good
Katherine comes home early, it turn out that her sometimes boyfriend is Jack, Tess’ cover is starting to crack, and Katherine tries to steal back the credit for the idea.
Most Romantic Moment:
**Spoiler Warning**
So the most romantic moment for me comes at the very end of the film. Katherine tried to steal back the credit and Jack; with Tess coming in and proving the idea was hers, that she is intelligent, and pulling of this amazing deal for the company.
Yay!!!
Tess is rehired for the company, (as Katherine fired when she tried to discredit her), and is extremely nervous for her first day back as she doesn’t know what to expect and is afraid of messing up again.
Jack prepares her lunch, hands it to her, and encourages her as she goes off.
How sweet is that?
Aw!
Especially when you compare him to her previous boyfriend. He just leached off of her, never took her out, never encouraged her, and the only thing he ever gave her was lingerie (really a gift for himself).
What jerks
Jack is the complete opposite as he supports her, comforts her, and calms her down; taking care of the tiny details so she could just focus on her duties.
So I haven’t gotten to it yet, but I am a big fan of Raising Hope. I love the characters, the storyline, and just find it fun and hilarious. I especially love the ’80s references.
I LOVE the ’80s
Why did it last only four seasons?
Why?
So the show is about James Bon Jovi “Jimmy” Chance is in his early twenties and a slacker. He left school before graduating, works for his dad, and spends most of his time getting drunk with his friends.
About life.
His mom and dad, Burt and Virginia, had him when they were 15 and have made a lot of mistakes over the years in raising him as they have no clue in what they are doing. All live with Virginia’s grandmother, Maw Maw, in her house. Maw Maw suffers from dementia and they have to care for her as she swings in and out.
Everything changes when Jimmy has a one night stand that turns out to be a serial killer. Before they give her the death penalty, she gives birth to a daughter, this little girl being given to Jimmy to raise.
What?!
So now they all band together to try and raise this girl, when three of the adults have no clue and one is not in her right mind.
Throw in some other great characters: Sabrina, rich girl trying to “make it on her own” grocery cleck; Barney, the dorky but heart of gold store manager; Frank, a strange coworker; an evil cousin, Delilah; and more.
Will Jimmy be able to raise her right? Or will he make the same mistakes as his parents?
Most Romantic Moment: I Love Watching You Succeed
So the moment I have chosen comes near the end of the series, Jimmy has married Sabrina and moved out of the grandmother’s home with Hope into Sabrina’s house.
Virginia has been promoted and doing extremely well as shift manager at work. So well that she has a huge pay increase.
The increase is so much that they have decided that Burt can quit his job and go do what his passion is, the only problem? He doesn’t know what his passion is. He goes off to try and be a bounty hunter, but eventually decides on continuing his lawn business, even though it doesn’t make a lot of money.
So the romantic moment? I’m coming to that. Now Virgina and Burt may not be the perfect parents, but they are an amazing couple. The way they just love and care for each other, it was so hard to pick a moment.
But I think the one that shows their relationship the best has to be at the end of the episode. Everyone has told Virginia that she is hurting Burt’s ego in being the money maker. After hearing that she tries to remedy it, but in the end Burt tells her that it doesn’t matter to him. He doesn’t care if she makes more or less, he only cares that she succeeds.
Aw!
He only cares about her happiness. How romantic and so sweet.
My friend found this film months ago on Youtube and thought it was just hilarious. She knew I loved ’80s films and horror and sent the link to me. Unfortunately, the video had been taken down.
However, the other day a friend of hers found a copy of it, so we were able to watch it. Now this film is a horror-comedy, Com-Ror, but at the same time being a parody of those teen films from the ’50s, like I Was a Teenage Werewolf, etc.
Originally the screen writer wanted Michael J. Fox to star in the film, but the director, Samuel Goldwyn Jr. thought he wouldn’t be able to carry a theatrical film of this scale.
By the time this film came out, Fox had already starred in Teen Wolf and Back to the Future, both making far more money then this film and cementing Fox’s stardom.
But we aren’t here to talk about those films, we are going to talk about this one.
The Countess (Lauren Hutton) is nearing her 400th birthday. In her mansion resides: one from early 18th century England, a french sailor, a confederate from the Civil War, her butler and chauffeur from the 1880s, a WWI pilot, a 1960s flower child, and a set of twins. Every so many years she needs virgin blood to keep her young and beautiful. Three times and the one she has bitten will become a vampire too. That time has come again, but she and her minions are having trouble finding a virgin in 1985 Hollywood.
Countess: How many days left till Halloween, Sebastian?
Sebastian: Oh, a little more than a week, Countess. I told you not to worry.
Countess: Not to worry? How amusing. But then you’re not the one who needs to have the virgin blood of a young man not once, but three times before All Hallows Eve. Not to worry? Being a vampire in the 20th century is a nightmare!
She ponders on what to do, but Sebastian reassures her, they will find a virgin.
So we are introduce to 18-year-old Mark Kendell (Jim Carrey) and his girlfriend Robin, who live near Hollywood, CA. Mark really wants to have sex, but Robin isn’t ready to do it yet. She wants to wait. Mark is feeling extremely frustrated as he feels as if he is only one who is a virgin.
I mean come on dude, your best buds haven’t had sex yet and neither has your girlfriend. That’s four right there and there are probably a lot more.
Anyways, so Mark goes to see his friends at the burger joint they work, and these two dudes are quite the crew. One believes he is God’s gift to women and continuously uses the stupidest line to try and pick up women, thinking it will work.
Russ: Hi. I’m Russ, and I’m a Sagittarius. I enjoy surfing, candlelit dinners, and Tolstoy. Listen: I’m a mature person and you’re a mature person, so why don’t we just skip all the bullshit, get rid of our inhibitions, and DO what we really wanna DO?
The other, Jamie, is Eeyore in human form; always pessimistic and believing the sky is falling.
So he goes to his friends and complains about the relationship, Russ telling him that Robin is never going to do it and he should just move on.
What a jerk
Russ then suggests they go find some women to loose their virginity to. They decide to head out to Hollywood and see if they can find some. When I think of Jim Carrey in Hollywood, one film comes to mind…
But I digress, so the group heads to a club called Phone a Date. You pick a table, phone one of the other tables by the numbers assigned to them, and ask to come on over. It actually is kind of a cute idea.
As long as the person on the other end isn’t a serial killer or creep.
So boys try it out: with Russ first getting a transvestite, then getting rejected, and finally someone calling Mark over. By this time the boys are extremely hammered, having consumed 4 beers each. When Mark walks over, the woman is the Countess.
She gives him champagne and starts coming on to him, but Mark isn’t really interested in going home with her. He pretty much is out of it, actually. Meanwhile, his friends have two older ladies who are interested in them. They start talking and having fun, when one of the ladies’ husband comes, yells at the boys, and then starts shooting the club up.
Mark freaks out, and the Countess convinces him to come with her, taking him up to her mansion. Meanwhile, the guy is arrested and the friends are taken off too.
Back at the house, the Countess gives Mark even more champagne. She goes upstairs to get ready, and comes back prepared to feast!
After he is bitten, Mark passes out. The next day he is awakened by Sebastian and the Countess. Mark leaves and promises that he will call and the two can meet up again sometime, but has no real plans to see her anymore. He has a girlfriend, and he is happy to finally lost his virginity.
But he feels really weird. He starts eating raw meat, even though he’s only loved well-done food. He also can’t remember a thing that’s happened.
His friends ask him what happened and he tells them in the crowded quad, right where his girlfriend is.
She of course become angry with him for cheating on her and breaks up with him.
Robin Pierce: Oh Mark, I can’t believe you’re going to throw away our relationship on a one-night stand with a chauffeur and a butler and a slut who eats buttons! But you did. You really did! [takes ring off her finger] You can have your d*** ring back!
Mark Kendall: What am I supposed to do with it?
Robin Pierce: Use your imagination!
Mark’s weird behavior continues as he wants to sleep in trunks, looks pale, wears sunglasses all the time, and just acts vampireish.
He starts having these strange dreams where the Countess is in, but he doesn’t want her. He doesn’t call her like he said he would but tries to get back with Robin.
Robin accepts his apology and everything is all right again.
That night Mark and his friends head downtown. Russ and Jamie try again to pick up on women, but it doesn’t turn out well. Russ hits on a dominatrix and Jamie…well I don’t know what he said but it sure wasn’t good.
Mark goes to Robin’s work and picks out some clothes to try on, black of course.
Black is best
While he is in the dressing room, who should appear but the Countess. Mark tries to get rid of her as he isn’t interested, but she won’t take no for an answer. She bites him again. This film actually reminds me of Fatal Attraction, as the morals of both stories: Don’t cheat in a relationship and don’t try to have a one night stand.
So Mark passes out and Robin takes him home. The next day he is acting even stranger. He looks more like a Vampire, can barely tolerate light, wears only black, drinks blood, etc. Then when he tries to sell some ice-cream, he…
Mark becomes extremely worried, and goes to the nearby Catholic Church to ask for help. Unfortunately, a drunkard steps into the confessional and tell him he’s screwed.
Mark is continuously haunted by the Countess and starts to really become frightened with the idea that he might become a vampire.
I really liked the dream sequence as it was reminiscent of Dracula (1931).
Soon it will be Halloween but as it falls on a weekend, they are having a pre-Halloween party.
Mark and Robin were supposed to go as Jack and Jill, but Mark couldn’t get the costume so he dressed like he normally does. But everyone thinks he is a vampire.
While Robin and Mark are dancing, the Countess comes in and tries to control Mark into going with her. But Robin doesn’t like people messing with her man.
And this resorts in one of the best scenes, a dance-off.
Afterwards, Mark has a bit of a freakout and takes off, Robin chasing after him. She tries to calm him down. His reflection disappears and Mark tells Robin everything. Robin is weirded out, but when she doesn’t see his reflections, she starts to believe it. So she heads out to do some research.
She finds out that in order to know if he has been bitten by a female vampire, all you need to do is check the inner thigh for a bite mark. So of course she asks Mark and finds out that yes, he has been bit.
Majorly
Instead she asks his friends to find out for her, to look at him. They don’t want to but she guilt trips them into doing it, telling them that if they are really his friends they would look.
Why not ask?
So they ask Mark.
Majorly
Instead they try to look at him in the shower, resulting…well I guess I didn’t have to say it, you know it won’t turn out well.
Mark Kendall: What was that scene in the shower all about?
Russ: That’s the thanks I get for trying to help out a friend?
Mark Kendall: Oh you’re a big help, thanks a lot. Did it ever occur to you guys that maybe you could’ve asked me?
Jamie: Oh my God!
The way Jamie says that reminds me of Arnold in Troll 2.
So they see Robin in the parking lot when she is abducted by the Countess and her gang. You see tonight is Halloween and the Countess needs the third bite or she will revert to showing her true age. Mark is worried about something happening to Robin so he heads over there, aided by Jamie and Russ.
When they get there they find Robin tied up and let her out, but the whole thing…
The vampires capture them and take them upstairs, where they get ready to get the last bite and turn Mark into a vampire. Mark doesn’t want to:
The Countess starts trying to control him, but Robin isn’t going to lose her man. She jumps in the middle with a cross, the friends grabbing fire, and they free him.
[Van Helsing reaches out for his crucifix as Dracula looms toward him] Count Dracula: More wolfbane? Van Helsing: More effective than wolfbane, Count. Count Dracula: Indeed. [Dracula lunges towards Van Helsing. Van Helsing holds up the crucifix. Dracula snarls and turns away. Van Helsing, in triumph, puts away the crucifix]
Then the chase is on!
In the end there is only one thing left to do to save Mark.
All, besides the vampires, are happy. Mark scored, Jamie scored, Russ scored, Robin scored.
I really enjoyed this film and I thought it was pretty hilarious, although having Hocus Pocus level anti-virginity theme. But a lot of fun to watch and sure to be a fun film to watch this season.
So as I mentioned in a previous post that this is my birthday month, my friend and I had a party (as are birthdays fall near each other), and what better theme than to go back to the ’80s.
Yep we had a Pac-Man and Ms. Pac-Man cake…
An ’80s trivia game…
I dressed up in my Halloween costume, as a Ghostbuster
While my friend was a rocker
And we all had a totally awesome time. Man I miss the ’80s.