This week there was quite the buzz about the so-called hologram performance of Michael Jackson to his (also so-called) new song, “Slave to the Rhythm,” which performed at the Billboard Music Awards. Continue reading
Category Archives: Required Viewing
YouTube has everything: Haynes Furniture commercials
Before moving to Connecticut in 1993, I was born and raised for the first 11 years of my life in Tidewater, Virginia. Here in Connecticut, we grew up knowing Bob of Bob’s Discount Furniture and his crazy mix of catchphrases, talking and dancing furniture and low-budget advertisements, but it of course was incredibly effective, given how much the company’s grown over the years. Virginia’s equivalent is Haynes. Continue reading
Maya Rudolph’s triumphant variety special
Yesterday, Maya Rudolph got to live a dream of hers and take a shot at rebooting the variety show with “The Maya Rudolph Show.” The show felt very much like a classic old variety show, complete with cameos, special guests and songs about pretty much nothing. Continue reading
Katy Perry’s very happy ‘Birthday’
One of Michael Jackson’s hallmarks was elaborate and exciting music videos that weren’t just about illustrating the song. At a time when Jackson is posthumously making a new mark, Katy Perry, a pop superstar herself, seems to be taking up the mantle by creating elaborate videos, although hers are done with some knowing humor. Continue reading
The brilliance of Wile E. Coyote
It must be an incredibly fun job to write for characters like Wile E. Coyote and coming up with ever more complex and inventive ways to abuse the poor character. Continue reading
YouTube has everything: Clue’s 1+2+2+1
A quickie for Thursday: One of my favorite movie moments perhaps ever, featuring Tim Curry and Lesley Ann Warren in one of the most over-aired movies to ever show on Comedy Central, “Clue.” Continue reading
They’ll be there for you: Windows 95 Video Guide
Earlier this year, I posted an item about the classic Windows XP background image and its history. But here’s a baffling marriage of two iconic sitcom stars and an iconic operating system: the Windows 95 Video Guide. Continue reading
Required viewing: The Ross Sisters’ ‘Solid Potato Salid’
Acrobatics are always impressive when seen, but a video circulating Facebook has an extreme example of it featuring a trio of teenagers, The Ross Sisters, who put on an incredible show in a movie from the 1940s, “Broadway Rhythm.” Continue reading
YouTube has everything: The Voyage of the Mimi
For many of us who grew up in the ’80s and ’90s, we got our first taste of Ben Affleck as a child actor in this educational series that was shown in middle school science classes across the country. Continue reading
YouTube has everything: Fleetwood Mac documentary
I previously shared my giddiness about the “Rumors”-era Fleetwood Mac line-up finally reuniting in full and touring. It’s sparked a round of music sales of the act, and people are definitely paying attention as the group begins recording music and preparing to tour. Yet for almost 20 years Christine McVie wasn’t part of the act, and in 2003 “Say You Will,” the most recent studio album by the four other group members, was released. Continue reading