Star Wars As It Was...And Ever Shall Be

Let us take just a moment, as the new Disney/Fox company decides to slow down their new Star Wars development pipeline so we don't get movies about Yoda's weekly support group or Boba Fett's toenail gazing, to remember just a small part of what made the original trilogy so great. We still have one more left to wrap the current timeline, so let's hope it's somewhat of an improvement. Kind of like the Edmonton Oilers hockey team, who used to celebrate scoring goals with at least part of this music over the Coliseum speakers.


But...where are my manners? Here is the trailer for The Rise Of Skywalker:






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RIP Burt Reynolds

This is an example of how to conduct a respectful interview with a legendary actor while promoting his latest (and sadly last) work. And it is wonderful that Burt Reynolds and his director Adam Rifkin
seemed to form a true bond of friendship while making The Last Movie Star. Let's watch the trailer:





I have not seen The Last Movie Star yet, in large part because it does not seem to be available at the usual spots in Canada, whether on DVD, BluRay or streaming. Puzzling to say the least, for what seems to be a very affecting film and performance from Reynolds.

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Michael Reads E.T.

I found the 32-minute E.T. Storybook Album, ripped from very well-cared-for vinyl. There was no one better at expressing wonder and emotion than Michael Jackson. He was the perfect choice to capture Steven Spielberg's equally wondrous and family-friendly cinematic vision in this very special narrative fashion.

Thanks and kudos to vinylcoverscom!

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No Heartlight Song For E.T?

I have always wondered why Heartlight was not included on the soundtrack to 1982's E.T.

It seems tailor-made for it, lyrically speaking.

"Gonna take a ride across the moon"? I mean come on!

And lest we forget, E.T. actually had a heartlight.

In fact, let us remember, or see for the first time. Whatever suits. Let's hear it for 35 mm film!





Perhaps Universal Pictures, and by extension MCA Records, was afraid that CBS would sue for breach of contract. If you consider that a wild theory, check out this very rare Michael Jackson cut, Someone In The Dark, recorded for an E.T. read-along LP record, which Jackson also narrated:



Jackson was a CBS artist, and according to Wikipedia, and he began recording the E.T. album in June 1982, at the same time as he began work on Thriller. Both albums were produced by Quincy Jones using the same writers and engineers (with Q even helping to pen the read-along narration). MCA had very strict orders not to release the E.T. album until after Thriller dropped on November 7. Displaying monumental arrogance, MCA decided to release it on the very same day. Understandably CBS filed a cease-and-desist order, effectively erasing it from the marketplace, despite MCA's attempt to try to sell it on TV in 1984, which is how I became aware of it:




Too bad, because it was a wonderful and groundbreaking album for its time, using dialogue and music from the film. I heard it because the Edmonton Public Library had a copy.

And too bad about Heartlight too. But Neil Diamond was also a CBS artist.

So maybe he saw all the hubbub and hedged his bets.

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Happy New Year Flashback

A Happy New Year from 1979...hard to believe it's forty years ago!

And it was at about that time, in our family home, that I asked my uncle Remi, because I was a  curious soul at age 8:

"You mean 1979's gonna go away forever? And we won't see it again?"

"No Michel, we won't", said he.

But he also said not to worry, because 1980 was gonna be great!

And it was! The whole decade in fact!

Happy New Year everyone!




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Bruce Springsteen Jams Two Chuck Berry Classics

The Boss jamming a Chuck Berry tune with his E Street Band in Germany in 2013....









....and jamming with Chuck at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland in 1995.


Happy Sunday everyone!




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Saturday Morning Retro Fun: The Great TV Bliss Out!

Wow, it's sure fun remembering this stuff! Saturday morning TV (well OK, the commercials between the shows) that was fun AND educational. I know that if I think back real hard, the School House Rock bits were where my sister and I learned the basic concepts of multiculturalism that are endemic to all of North America and the world, if we think about it. And the joys of reading and career planning? Can't get better than that for inspiring a generation!

And yes minnenials and earlier, the digital age we now take for granted did have a start. And it was around 1985 or so, as shown by the One Minute Computer Course. I wonder what a similar public service announcement  about the Internet, smartphones, texting and Facebook might look like.

I sure hope all the writers, animators and singers who worked on these commercials and PSAs have some inkling of the inspiring effect they had on youth culture back then. I salute you all!

OK, enough blah blah from me. Time to just bliss out and have fun remembering!

Happy Saturday everyone!

And thanks for the memories 80sCommercialVault!


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