No longer living on a prayer? You can live on Richie Sambora Way

Welcome to Woodbridge, N.J., the new home of Richie Sambora Way.

Bon Jovi's lead guitarist was honored in his old hometown with his own street name on Tuesday as a thank-you for Sambora's contributions to the town. Click here to read more. Or better yet, just click here and rock out to the song VH1 named the greatest song of the '80s (even if you totally disagree, which I do!)

[AP photo]

Coolest desk ever: Han Solo encased in carbonite

As long as we're walking down Star Wars memory lane -- the evil of the Jabba cake; the fantasy-turned-reality of a Tauntaun sleeping bag; the splendor of two nearly naked Princess Leias -- the Force compels me to show everyone the greatest desk ever constructed.

The Han Solo Encased In Carbonite Desk! 

Don't look for it an Ikea or Target near you. The desk was a custom job designed and assembled by Tom Spina and Richard Riley of Tom Spina Designs, a New York-based company specializing in the creation of furniture art and the restoration of original movie props. 

According to Tom Spina, the Han Solo desk was fabricated for the home theater/office of Mark Hall, lead singer of the Casting Crowns. It took two months to build. Spina wouldn't divulge the exact cost that Hall paid, but said similar pieces usually fetch between $5,000 and $10,000.

"This was made to be a one-of-a-kind piece and that our preference is always to make unique pieces that suit the clients' needs, space and interests," Spina said via e-mail.

Check out other pop culture icons -- turned into furniture -- at Spina's official Web site.

No pudding pops for Cosby this time: Top 10 celebrity computer ads of the '80s

What do William Shatner, John Cleese, Kevin Costner and Bill Cosby have in common? They all were computer pitchmen in the '80s. Find out what other unusual names pimped electronics on TV and in print in this fantastic list of the 10 best celebrity computer ads of the 1980s. (Videos included!)

One more reason to love Cosby: I too owned a TI-994A computer back in the early '80s. No hard drive, no floppy drive, an old color TV set as a monitor. But nice, springy action on that keyboard. Ah, the good ole days.

[Smilie to Pop Candy and AdFreak]

Toni Basil, Oingo Boingo, Pet Shop Boys: Name the top earworms of the '80s

Oh Mickey, you're so fine, you so fine that I want to pull a fork out the drawer and stab my eardrum repeatedly until this damn song leaves my head! Toni Basil, you owe me for one emergency visit to the otologist. Report to the Spears Lair immediately ... and bring the cheerleader costume with you.

Those dreaded earworms of the '80s. Songs we loved that just won't leave our craniums once we start humming them. You know, it turns out there are actual scientific reasons behind this phenomenon.

The Baltimore Sun has a killer article that explains it all: "We learn by repetition, so music is full of recurring rhythms, lyrics and motifs," the writer says. "And that's why, when we hear a few bars of a familiar song, we mentally lunge in to fill the gap - whether we want to or not."

The article quotes experts, scientists, neurologists, but I still find it hard to understand why I can't stop singing "Su-su-su-superstar" every time Falco's Rock Me Amadeus (great song, no matter what you say) comes on the radio. 

So here's our task this lovely Monday morning (here in Florida anyway, where the weather is warm, and so it the comradeship): Name the top 10 earworms of the '80s. We'll use your suggestions for a reader-generated podcast. One that you won't want to hear, but biologically you will be forced to. Sorry.

Here are five that would make my personal list.

MONSTER OF LOVE (Sparks): It plays a pivotal role in my personal fave '80s flick Valley Girl. But I dare you to not sing along after hearing it just once. [PG-13 video here.]

WEST END GIRLS (Pet Shop Boys): Not even CLOSE to be the best song by Britain's top-selling duo of all time. And not the biggest earmworm by PSB. I'd pick Go West for that honor, but it was released in 1992. Still, I can't stop saying (not singing) "West End Girls" in that wonderfully nasally Neil Tennant voice at least a half times a day. [Original video]

ONE OF OUR SUBMARINES (Thomas Dolby): "Bye, bye empire. Bye, bye." I love Dolby the way other folks here love Devo. And this is easily one of my top 3 songs by Dolby. And once I figured out the lyrics (about Thomas' uncle, actually, who was lost in a sub accident), it achieved earworm status. [Video]

GREY MATTER (Oingo Boingo): Not as much of a threat to appear on the radio, but it's sprinkled throughout my iPod. I miss Danny Elfman and the boys. Always the best beats and lyrics. "They say you're stupid, that you're too young to vote, that you'll swallow anything that they shove down your throat." [Live performance]

FUNKY COLD MEDINA (Tone Loc): It barely sneaks into the '80s, having been released in 1989. "And it goes a little something like this. Hit it." [Video]

Okay. Name your faves, and then hold on loosely for an upcoming podcast. (No fair using .38 Special!)

Rod Stewart's 'Missing You' ... wait! what?!?

Missing You is one of those songs you can't hear enough. John Waite gets a lifetime pass in my book for this tune. But I'm not sure what to think of Rod Stewart's cover version, which I discovered accidentally today on YouTube.

Stewart recorded it for his 2006 covers album Still The Same ... Great Rock Classics of Our Time. But it lacks the gut-shredding angst that Waite inserts into his version. (And yes, I also am a fanatic for his duet version with Alison Krauss, even though it takes on more of a love-song attitude.)

So here's my theory: Rod Stewart should not be allowed to record any more cover albums until he produces another half dozen albums of original work. That'll keep the Young Turk busy for a while. Am I wrong?

Simply Red? Mr. Mister? Wham!?! Help pick the Horrible Hits of 1986

Now that our glorious Carl Weathers podcast is in the books, we're turning our attention to the next installment of our "horrible hits" franchise. The year we're up to? 1986.

I know what you're thinking: "Oh, we're past the early '80s, this must be easier now." No! No again, I tell you. And that's why we want your input.

Help us name the horrible hits of 1986. Here's how you do it. Click here to see a list of the top 100 songs of the year. Any of these songs qualify. Why? Because they must be a "hit" to be a horrible hit. (No fair just picking the B-side or some Ratt single.) Then leave us a comment below. Feel free to add your justification.

Remember, these are songs that maybe we liked in 1986, but we can't really stand now. Oh hell, maybe you hated them back them too.

Here are five that would make my personal list:

That's What Friends Are For (Dionne Warwick, Elton John, and Gladys Knight): Maybe I liked it the first 200 times I heard it. Sadly it took just a week for FM radio to get to that mark.

Kyrie (Mr. Mister): I'm just not a fan of the band, though I know some people continue to swoon over their hits. Somebody explain why!

Greatest Love of All (Whitney Houston): Poor Whitney. Just can't catch a break. I see a whole new world of opportunity though waiting for her ... as the new K-Tel Records spokeswoman.

I'm Your Man (Wham!): Was this the last hit by George and Andrew? Lord I hope so.

Holding Back the Years (Simply Red): Brings back bad memories of an excellent Mexican restaurant on Duval Street in Key West. Fantastic food, but they were playing the box set (if one exists) of Simply Red. Simply excruciating.

Add your picks below. Don't blame me though if the earworms of the '80s ruin your weekend.

Carl Weathers wants YOU ... to listen to his interview on Stuck in the '80s

If you wonder what Carl Weathers' most memorable moment was in the Rocky franchise, just look up above. It was in in Rocky 4. Click here and listen to find out why. Or click here to get all our shows for free via iTunes.

Dueling Christmas movie marathons: 'A Christmas Story' vs. 'Dirty Dancing'

The Christmas morning tradition of opening up big gift boxes full of roller skates, parachute pants and Atari games has long since been retired. But if you want to have a totally tubular holiday, all you need do it turn on the television.

And this Christmas, you actually have an interesting choice of two movie marathons: TBS's 24 straight hours of A Christmas Story (beginning Christmas Eve). Or 12 straight hours of Dirty Dancing on the TV Guide Network, starting at noon Dec. 25.

Dirty Dancing for Christmas? Somewhere, in the great beyond, even the late Patrick Swayze is shaking his head in wonderment. And while it's nice to have a choice between two '80s classics, I'm not sure how Dirty Dancing's abortion storyline and will play in front of the family that afternoon. 

My suggestion: Set the kids up in front of one TV turned to TBS and let them discover the joys of Ralphie. Let the moms gather in another room to get all teary for Johnny Castle and Baby. Men, follow me to the den. I have Scrooged and Christmas Vacation on DVD.

Super Mario Bros. theme song ... as played by a death metal band

Normally things from the '80s don't get better in the remake process. But the castle theme from Super Mario Bros. -- composed in 1985 -- did need an update. Thanks to death-thrashers Nylithia, we have one.

We think Princess Toadstool would make a worthy groupie too.

[Head bob to The Daily What]

People's sexiest men alive ... in the '80s

People magazine today dubbed Johnny Depp (21 Jump Street!) as its "Sexiest Man Alive" for 2009. That's all well and good, but we're stuck in the '80s.

So who did People dub as the sexiest men alive in the '80s? I can give you half the list, since the magazine began the annual coronation in 1985 with none other than Mad Max!

MEL GIBSON (1985): Remember when Mad Mel just made great movies? Beyond Thunderdome! Tequila Sunrise! Lethal Weapon! We even get teary at The Bounty. Still, Mel told People back in '85 he felt uneasy as a celebrity, saying, "It's all happening too fast."

MARK HARMON (1986): We'd like to say it was for Summer School, but the former UCLA quarterback-turned actor didn't do that flick until 1987. Instead, he caught attention in '86 for his work on St. Elsewhere and Moonlighting. He still burns up the small screen today on NCIS.

HARRY HAMLIN (1987): Forget L.A Law -- to us Hamlin will always be Perseus in Clash of the Titans. (Okay, okay. We were addicted to L.A. Law too.) "Certainly when I look in the mirror, I don't get turned on,'' he told People in '87. ''It's not something I spend a lot of time considering."

JOHN F. KENNEDY JR. (1988): Yes, once upon a time, you could actually make People's list without being an actor. Imagine that. JFK Jr. was just 27 when he landed on People's list. At the time, People chose to quote model Audra Avizienis, who had dated the JFK's son, "He has this quiet sadness. There's something pensive and sad about him." Indeed, it all ended in sadness on July 16, 1999.

SEAN CONNERY (1989): Hey, James Bond, what are you prepared to do?!? Give us a break. Connery was sooo much cooler as Jimmy Malone in The Untouchables, always ready to bring a gun to a knife fight. In '89, Connery was almost 60 years old. People quoted his memorable reaction: "For once, I'm speechless. It'll all be downhill from here!''

See the covers from every year here.

Jabba the Hutt as a cake? It'll take more than Jedi powers to stomach this

This cake-maker is my kind of scum: fearless and inventive.

[Wave of the light saber to Pop Candy, Walyou and Geekstir]

Have mercy, 'Full House' fans! John Stamos finally on Hollywood Walk of Fame

John Stamos finally can get a full night's sleep; the co-star of Full House has his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The ceremony took place Monday.

Wait! Maybe he got the star for playing Blackie on General Hospital. Dr. Tony Gates on ER maybe? No matter.

"John's mother and sisters were in attendance as he dedicated the star to his father who died in 2001," Examiner.com reports. "Stamos graciously thanked all of his 'heroes' for coming out to support him at the ceremony including members of The Beach Boys and Jack Klugman, who he called 'one of the greatest actors of our generation.' "

If you want to see Stamos these days, head to Broadway, where's co-starring in Bye Bye Birdie with Gina Gershon. Better hurry though. The reviews aren't great. (We still love ya, Uncle Jesse!)

[Getty Images photo]

Happy birthday, Louie: Danny DeVito turns 65

Danny DeVito is one of the lucky ones. Still going strong decades after he first caught people's attention as Martini in 1975's One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, DeVito was a god in the '80s. And even today, he continues to amaze on TV's It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.

Sure, Danny's taken some good-natured lumps lately after at least one less-than-alert interview. (Is there a law against "talking under the influence of Lemoncello?") But we forgive him, because like Dudley Moore in Arthur, it's so damn funny. (Even though my dad once cautioned me to never laugh at comedies based on alcohol abuse. I think that was the same night we both split our spleens wide open watching Animal House. But I digress.)

BTW, my ultimate guilty pleasure DeVito flick? It's actually the 1984 made-for-cable movie called The Ratings Game, in which DeVito plays a trucking magnate who wants to get into the TV sitcom business. It was the first movie commissioned by Showtime and first movie DeVito would direct (and the one where he met future wife Rhea Perlman, I believe.)

DeVito hits a big birthday milestone today, turning 65 years old. If he doesn't celebrate with an ice-cold bottle of the sweet, yellow hooch, I'll be crushed.

TOP 5 DANNY DEVITO ROLES OF THE '80s:

4. OWEN (Throw Momma From The Train): "At least meet her. Maybe she'd be someone you'd like to kill."

4. RALPH (Romancing the Stone): "Uh, odio, er... ah... americanos, uh... I spit on 'em, ptuh! I hate americanos, they're scumo! Scum!"

3. VIC DE SALVO (The Ratings Game): "I didn't make a move on you for four days. If that isn't love, I don't know what is."

2. SAM STONE (Ruthless People): "Muffy, meet Adolph. Adolph, EAT MUFFY!"

1. LOUIE DE PALMA (Taxi): "Whenever I hear the word 'marriage,' I say, 'Check, please!' "

Must-see flicks outside the '80s: Get Shorty, Hoffa, L.A. Confidential, The Rainmaker

MTV 'Remote Control' host Ken Ober dies

Sad news from MTV: Longtime Remote Control host Ken Ober has died. He was 52. The cause of his death is not yet known.

Starting in 1987, Ober hosted five seasons of Remote Control, a quiz show that tested contestants' pop-culture knowledge. The show was seemingly set in Ober's home basement, with contestants sitting on La-Z-Boy chairs -- food and drinks in front of them -- as they answered Ober's questions.

Ober's manager, Lee Kernis, told the New York Times that Ober was found dead on Sunday. "He said that Mr. Ober was last heard from on Saturday night, when he spoke to a friend and complained of a headache and flu-like symptoms," the Times says. "Mr. Ober told the friend that he was going to take something and would see a doctor as soon as possible."

Adam Sandler, Denis Leary and Colin Quinn also co-starred on Remote Control over the years.

[Getty Images photo]

It's Urgent: Foreigner to play Ruth Eckerd Hall on Jan. 15

Sorry about the headline. Another earworm for a Monday. But it's important news so I went with the obvious song-title cliche: Foreigner is set to play Clearwater's Ruth Eckerd Hall on Jan. 15.

Eddie Money is the special guest. (About time. It's been maybe a year since we last saw Eddie. He doesn't write. He doesn't call.)

Foreigner's gig looks like it's part of a short, weather-friendly winter tour by the band. Click here to check for dates closer to you.

Tickets go on sale Friday, Nov. 20. Prices are $85.00, $59.50 and $49.50, but that's a small price to hear Foreigner's classics live. And of course that means the obligatory top 5 list. 

TOP 5 HIGHEST CHARTING FOREIGNER SONGS:

5. URGENT (1981): "I'm not looking for a love that will last. I know what I need and I need it fast."

4. HOT BLOODED (1978): "Now it's up to you, we can make a secret rendezvous. Just me and you, I'll show you lovin' like you never knew."

3. DOUBLE VISION (1978): "My mind is racing, but my body's in the lead."

2. WAITING FOR A GIRL LIKE YOU (1981): "It feels so right, so warm and true. I need to know if you feel it too."

1. I WANT TO KNOW WHAT LOVE IS (1984): "In my life there's been heartache and pain. I don't know if I can face it again."

Gift ideas for '80s fans: A holiday album from Pet Shop Boys

Pet Shop Boys will release a Christmas-themed album on Dec. 14 entitled -- big surprise here -- Christmas.

Contactmusic.com says the album will have five tracks -- including some originals and some covers. RemembertheEighties.com says the lead single will be called It Doesn’t Often Snow At Christmas. One cover song will be the Madness classic My Girl.

Meanwhile, Pet Shop Boys can celebrate another milestone this holiday season. According to Billboard.com, PSB has their 10th No. 1 hit among duos or groups on dance/club chats with Did You See Me Coming? That's top among any act. Depeche Mode is second with eight chart-toppers.

Here are Pet Shop Boy's No. 1 tunes:.

1986: West End Girls
1988: What Have I Done to Deserve This (with Dusty Springfield)
1993: Can You Forgive Her?
1993: Go West
1996: Before
1997: To Step Aside
1999: New York City Boy
2001: Break 4 Love (Peter Rauhofer + Pet Shop Boys = the Collaboration)
2009: Love Etc.
2009: Did You See Me Coming?

Monday earworm: Time to get 'Naughty Naughty' one last time

John Parr's Naughty Naughty: brilliantly subtle satire on the complicated sexual themes of decades gone by? Or justa fun song to sing in the shower before a long Friday night of swilling Natty Light?

Parr's first big hit (and uncomfortable MTV video) was one of the Top 10 Guilty Pleasure Songs of the '80s. And for good reason. The hair, the chorus, the Shakespearean lyrics. (Click here to read our full list. Or click here to listen to the Guilty Pleasures podcast.)

Parr, meanwhile, is still out there, doing the whole rock thing in front of fans who would never call his music a guilty pleasure.

A People's Court birthday: Judge Wapner turns 90!

Looking back, why did any of us watch The People's Court? Give it credit though for perhaps being the first reality show of any kind. At least the very first courtroom reality show.

The People's Court began in 1981 and run to 1993 -- more than 2,000 episodes.

Everyone had their favorite "characters." There's the announcer Jack Harrell. Legal consultant Harvey Levin. Courtroom reporter Doug Llewelyn. My favorite, Rusty the bailiff.

But we can't let today pass without recognizing our favorite judge. Joseph Wapner was a WW2 veteran, University of Southern California law school grad and even reportedly briefly dated Lana Turner. He served as a judge in L.A. for 20 years before being tapped as the original star of The People's Court. Afterward, he went to Animal Planet for Judge Wapner's Animal Court. (Sorry I missed that one.)

Though he's retired from any full-time TV jobs, you can still see Judge Wapner on the tube from time to time, making cameos on other reality shows and as a pitchman. And today, he turns 90 years old.

Happy birthday, Judge Wapner. We sentence you to 24 hours of cake, cards and candles. Case dismissed.