Don Johnson, wife celebrate new baby

Former Miami Vice and Nash Bridges star Don Johnson has a new baby boy, his third child with wife Kelley, it was announced Sunday.

The baby, who hasn't been named yet (Sonny anyone?), was born in an L.A. hospital Saturday morning. According to his publicist, Johnson described himself as "over the moon times six."

Over the barrel times six: Johnson was in the news again last week after he was forced to pay out $14.5-million to avoid foreclosure on his Woody Creek, Colo., estate. It seems two of Johnson's companies failed to make good on a $10.5-million loan.

Miami Vice podcast: Our podcast tribute to Miami Vice is online. Click here to download it. Remember you can always find the Stuck in the 80s podcast on iTunes.

Stone falls from tree

Of all the things that we figured would do in the legendary Keith Richards, a palm tree didn't make the top 10 list. But the Rolling Stones guitarist has been hospitalized in Auckland with a concussion after falling out of a palm tree in Fiji. Which, of course, brings up this question:

What was Keith Richards doing high up in a palm tree? Or better yet. How did 62-year-old Keith Richards climb up a palm tree?

Sorry, no answer to those two questions yet. But media around the world are waking up from their Friday night hangovers and spreading word of the accident. Richards was vacationing in Fiji -- reportedly at the exclusive Wakaya Club -- with his wife after the band's recent gigs Down Under. Their next show isn't until the end of May in Barcelona, Spain, so hopes are Richards will recover with time to spare.

Cancel this musical before you jinx the 80s

There have always been signs that the spirit of the 80s had been warped, manhandled and diluted beyond all recognition. Exhibit A: Madonna speaks with a fake British accent; Tom Cruise picks fights with the media; Tony Danza is a talk-show host.

But now they've crossed yet another line in my 80s sandbox: The movie "The Wedding Singer" is the latest musical to hit Broadway. (To paraphrase our first reaction: Broadway "equals puke equals smelly mess equals nobody likes you!")

Yes, the 1998 classic movie with Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore that made us all fall back in the love with the 80s is now a stage production. It opened Thursday night at New York's Al Hirschfeld Theatre -- minus Adam and Drew and probably a whole lot more that made the story such a great movie.

The Washington Post's review of the show isn't too kind, which is understandable, but then the critic takes a shot at our beloved decade, calling it "the not particularly evocative period in which the musical takes place."

What?!? Blasphemy! What's not to love about the 80s?

"Although the show mercifully sidesteps the Challenger disaster and Iran-contra, it does reacquaint us with the styling of mullets, the exhibitionism of Madonna and the shoes of Imelda Marcos."

Yeah, you betcha! Now we're sitting in gravy. What's the problem? Ohhhh, poor angry Washington Post. Have a Bartles & Jaymes and chill out. (You're just sore that we're nearly a better blogging newspaper than you.)

In the meantime, what are we 80s fans left to think of when it comes to pimping our beloved movie and decade on Broadway? Well, as Sandler says in the movie, "Hey, psycho -- we're not gonna discuss this, OK, it's over. Please get out of my Van Halen t-shirt before you jinx the band and they break up."

Hey pal, a podcast to remember

Our latest Stuck in the 80s podcast is now online. And this episode is historic. Why? Because it features the final performance of St. Pete Times television critic Chase Squires, who's heading west to Colorado for a new job at the end of today. Chase's love for the 80s is surpassed possibly only by my own, and the Stuck in the 80s gang is devastated by his impending absence.

But before he left, Chase sat down with me for an hour and helped record one of the best podcasts we've done to date. To honor him, we chose his favorite 80s topic: Miami Vice. So download the podcast and enjoy:

-- Chase's dead-on, Marlboro-throated imitations of Don Johnson.

-- Some great clips from the show, including the guest appearance by Glenn Frey.

-- Some of the tunes that made Miami Vice the revolutionary force it was for TV.

-- News about the upcoming movie version of Miami Vice, starring Colin Farrell and Jamie Foxx.

-- Chase's sad, tearful rendition of "Rocky Mountain High."

We're hoping Chase returns as a guest star once we get our telephone recording operations up and running. In the meantime, you can also enjoy two other episodes that featured Chase: TV in the 80s and Ferris Bueller. When you hear those, you'll wonder why we didn't have him with us every week.

Take care, Chase. Watch out for mountain lions and keep your eye on the trail. (And queue the John Denver music one last time.)

The world's first guitar playing super hero

He may not be a child of the 80s, but there isn't a red-blooded, rock-n-roll lovin' soul who grew up during the decade who doesn't know his name: Ace Frehley, KISS's "spaceman" and birthday boy today (55).

Born Paul Daniel Frehley, Ace was a founding member of KISS before departing the band in 1982 for a solo career. He's credited with designing the band's double lightning bolt logo and wrote or co-wrote several of the band's hits (including Cold Gin) during the early years -- even though he rarely sang lead vocals. One song he did sing was "Shock Me," which ironically was inspired by being nearly electrocuted during a show in nearby Lakeland, Fla. In 1978, when KISS members decided to each record a solo album, Ace's -- featuring the hit "New York Groove" -- was the biggest success.

Ace left the band in '82 and recorded several solo projects -- Frehley's Comet (1987), Second Sighting (1988)and Trouble Walkin' (1989) -- but rejoined KISS again in 1996 for the band's big reunion tour. (He and best-bud Peter Criss left again a few years later after the farewell tour seemed to never end.)

These days, he pops up in the papers from time to time for various appearances. He's appearing in VH1's Classic Rock n' Roll Charity Poker Tournament in June, and he's rumored to be putting the finishing touches on a new solo album.

The best of both worlds

Van Halen or Van Hagar? Rock fans, sound off. Our Stuck in the 80s cohort, Sean Daly, already polled his pop music followers on this question, but now it's time for the only votes that matter: the 80s crowd.

So tell us: Which Van Halen do you prefer -- the one with pretty boy David Lee Roth or tequila-crazed Sammy Hagar? Both have their hits and misses. For every epic "Runnin' With The Devil" or "Cradle Will Rock" by Roth, there's a pathetic "Pretty Woman" and "Dancing In the Streets." Sammy diluted his "Right Now" with "Why Can't This Be Love."

In a few weeks, we'll do a podcast featuring both versions of the band and feature your comments.

Personally, not to sit on the fence, but I enjoy both versions. Tie me up and force me to enjoy an umbrella drink, and I'll confess that it's hard to beat early Van Halen. Their debut album is - dare I say - classic. Too bad Roth got freaky later on, and tortured us with his lame solo efforts ("California Girls" is a roughly equivalent to a war crime).

  Both Sammy and Diamond Dave in the news...

By now, every knows Roth recently was fired as the radio replacement for Howard Stern. Did anyone think he'd really succeed in that job? Who wants to follow up a legend? Give him credit for taking on a no-win scenario like that. At least he got his name back in the papers.

Meanwhile, Sammy recently told Billboard.com that he won't tour again with Van Halen, mainly because of differences with Eddie Van Halen. "There were nights I didn't know what song Eddie was playing," Hagar said. "There were times I wanted to kill that guy for what he was playing. I would have left that tour in the middle of it if it wasn't for the professional aspect. He's never going to see my ass again unless he goes and gets himself some help."

Eddie's history with alcohol, coupled with the end of his marriage with Valerie Bertinelli, has certainly detoured one of America's greatest rock bands.

Cheers, Eddie. Here's our list of Top 5 favorite Van Halen albums:
5. 5150: Best of Both Worlds
4. Fair Warning: So This Is Love, Unchained
3. Women and Children First: And the Cradle Will Rock, Everybody Wants Some, Take Your Whiskey Home.
2. 1984: Jump, Panama, Hot for the Teacher.
1. Van Halen I: Runnin' With the Devil, Eruption, You Really Got Me.

Twenty years later, the prom still stinks

Does Kevin Bacon look happy? Of course not. You know why? He's going to prom! Everyone a year or more removed from high school realizes this one universal truth: The prom is the most overrated night of your life.

You never look great in that expensive dress or tux. Your stylist is going to massacre your hair the day before. The music will be awful. Your date will be a bore and will refuse to dance. And whatever sort of treat you have planned for after the prom ... forget it. Somehow it will all fall apart, you'll end up home alone and wonder what all the hype was about in the first place.

Blame it all on the movies. For most of our formulative years, we were bombarded by Hollywood with romantic images of this dance. It was practically a guarantee: We'd fall in love, get a dream date, be whisked away in a stretch limo, get elected prom king or queen, and all lose our virginity. (For my prom, the only thing I accomplished was the limo.)

Did you have a favorite movie about prom? Here are ours from the 80s:

Valley Girl: Randy (Nic Cage) loses Julie, only to plot a way to steal her back at the prom. For some reason, Josie Cotton is the chosen entertainment (How many proms feature the song "Johnny, Are You Queer?"). But it works, and they steal Tommy's limo and head off to the Valley Sheraton. Queue the Modern English song, and roll the credits. Fairytale grade: A-plus. Reality grade: C-minus.

Pretty in Pink: The John Hughes movie would immortalize OMD's song "If You Leave" as the de facto prom song of the late 80s. Andie (Molly Ringwald) makes her own prom dress, even though her date Blane ("That's not a name, that's a major appliance!") dumps her before the dance. Duckie saves the day but loses the girl when sad-sack Blane goes for the pity points ("I always believed in you. I just never believed in me"), creating the most unsatisfactory ending of any Hughes film. Fairytale grade: B-plus. Reality grade: D-minus.

Just One of the Guys: Terry (Joyce Griffith) switches schools and gender to prove that her school newspaper article is worthy of an award. She invites her female best friend to prom and then flashes her breasts to the guy she really loves. Strangely enough, only her brother -- wearing the obligatory tux t-shirt -- gets lucky. Fairytale grade: D-plus. Reality grade: B.

Footloose: For our heroes Ren, Willard and Ariel, it's not technically a prom, just a dance at the end of the school year. (That's a "prom" for everyone not living in Bomont ... or even neighboring Basen). But all the ingredients are here for the perfect prom movie: the strangely colored tuxes, unattractive dresses, awkard pinning of the corsage, the cheesey decorations and, of course, a fight outside the dance hall. Someone just explain how all these people suddenly learn their dance moves between "Almost Paradise" and the Kenny Loggin's title tune. Fairytale grade: B. Reality grade: A-minus. (Because no prom deserves an A-plus)

Which prom movies did we miss? Which ones are most and least realistic?

An 80s fan's only Vice

Ready to relive the glory days of Miami Vice? Admit it, everyone was a fan of the show - whether they admitted it or not. (Except myself, I insist. I didn't even start watching the show until Season 1 came out on DVD. Now, yes, I'm hooked -- 20 years too late).

This week's Stuck in the 80s podcast honors the legacy of Vice, Sonny Crockett and Rico Tubbs. With the expert guidance of St. Pete Times TV critic Chase Squires, we'll talk about the show's painful birth, its sudden explosion in fame, the fashion and its enduring legacy. Throw in some catchy music (I still can't get over Philip Michael Thomas lip-syncing "Who's Watching Me" at a strip club during the show's 2-hour pilot) and challenging trivia questions and -- voila -- instant podcast classic.

Try these questions for starters:

1. Sonny Crockett (Don Johnson) was a former college football player before he became a cop. What school did he play for, and why didn't he pursue a pro football career?

2. Edward James Olmos joined the cast as Lt. Castillo in the middle of the first season. What was the name of the previous lieutenant and what happened to him?

3. What kind of car did Crockett drive?

4. What were the undercover aliases for Crockett and Tubbs?

5. In the 2004 movie EuroTrip, Miami Vice is "the No. 1 new show" in what country?

Welcome back to the headlines, Georgie

George Michael is back in the news. Back on tour. Back to feuding with Elton John. Back to boring the rest of the civilized world.

First the tour... Michael's new tour -- dubbed 25 Live -- is his first in 15 years. He'll cover all 25 years of making music, including -- gasp -- the Wham! years. (Side question: What's worse -- "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" or "I Want Your Sex"?)

The tour begins in Madrid on Sept. 27 then heads to England. Is the demand still there? You bet. According to one European website, tickets sold out in two hours. No official word yet on whether George-mania reaches U.S. shores. The tour supports a new greatest hits album, to be released soon, which will contain four new songs.

The tour also probably supports Michael's rising legal bills. The star was arrested in February after police found him slumped over the wheel of his car with drugs in his possession.

Michael recently took a shot at his  long-time tormenter, Elton John, who issued a statement back in 2004 that Michael appeared to be in "a strange place" in his life. Michael told the media the statement has fed the media's desire to cast him in a dark light.

Meanwhile, back on planet Earth, Michael this week also announced plans to marry his long-time partner, Kenny Goss, on their 10-year anniversary. Intentionally following in the matrimonial footsteps of Mr. Crocodile Rock? Let tongues wag at will.

Meanwhile, we give Stuck in the 80s Top 5 Concerts We'd Rather See This Summer Than George Michael:
5. Echo and the Bunnymen: Which one's Echo? Are those the Bunnymen? Just enjoy. (Tour dates)
4. Elton John: Boy, you know that just steams George's bean to hear that. (Tour dates)
3. Journey: No Steve Perry, but they're touring with Def Leppard. (Tour dates)
2. Thomas Dolby: His one-man show is winning raves. (Tour dates)
1. They Might Be Giants: Frankly, you should see the two Johns every time they come to a venue near you. (Tour dates)

So you might ask, would we choose a George Michael show over any other big tours this summer? Sure thing! Here's our list of shows we don't want to see -- period. Start with Madonna, proceed to Bruce Springsteen, add Guns N' Roses and Bryan Adams. Don't forget Cinderella and Poison!

The evil of Hardy Jenns

We lavish praise on the collected works of John Hughes but usually fail to give one particular movie and one teen villain the proper kudos: Some Kind of Wonderful and "Hardy Jenns," played by today's birthday boy Craig Sheffer (46).

Sheffer got his start on TV's One Life to Live, but made the transition to film in 1985's "That Was Then ... This Is Now." But his role as in 1987's Some Kind of Wonderful had to be the breakthrough role. Playing the snobby, cheating boyfriend of Lea Thompson and tormenter to Eric Stoltz, Sheffer is the perfect -- albeit stereotypical -- Hughes villain: smart, good-looking, rich and lechorous. And why do all John Hughes' bad boys have strange names? Hardy? Stef in Pretty in Pink? (OK, just those two.) Pals in the 80s and beyond, Stolz and Sheffer would team up again years later in 1994's Sleep With Me.

Of course, two of Sheffer's best roles would come outside the 80s -- college QB/alcoholic Joe Kane in 1993's The Program ("All I want is a place at the table!") and fly fisherman/writer Norman Maclean in 1992's A River Runs Through It. But for some pure guilty pleasure, hit the video store and enjoy Sheffer's 80s gems.

Top 5 Craig Sheffer movies:
5. Sleep With Me (1994)
4. Fire With Fire (1986)
3. The Program (1993)
2. A River Runs Through It (1991)
1. Some Kind of Wonderful (1987)

Do You Feel Like He Does? (Yes, only younger)

Peter Frampton is 56 today, and while he's not a child of the 80s per se, he's certainly an idol of the decade. His 1976 opus Frampton Comes Alive was the standard bearer of all concert albums to come afterward.

His "talking guitar" -- the centerpiece of the 14-minute-long "Do You Feel Like We Do" -- has been celebrated on episodes of the Simpsons and Family Guy. "Baby, I Love Your Way" was a cruel barb in the movie "Reality Bites." Wow. What else does the guy have to live for now?

Though born British, Frampton became a U.S. citizen after the Sept. 11 attacks and campaigned for John Kerry in the last presidential election. These days, he's touring with Styx in support of his latest album, "Now."

A birthday present for Mr. Frampton. A rare Top 10 list. The Stuck in the 80s list of best concert albums:
10. Journey Captured
9. Simon & Garfunkel Live in Central Park
8. Queen's Live at Wembley
7. Cheap Trick at Budokan
6. AC/DC's If You Want Blood, You Got It
5. Bruce Springsteen's Live 1975-1985
4. Kiss's Alive and Alive II
3. Frampton Comes Alive
2. Talking Head's Stop Making Sense
1. U2's Under a Blood Red Sky

Back to school for Star Trek

A plan to bring Star Trek back to the big screen has been kicked into warp speed, say Hollywood insiders. Paramount Studios, which produced the movie and TV versions of Trek, has tapped J.J. Abrams, the genius behind Lost and Alias, to guide the Enterprise back into action.

Sci-fi fans are Trek-less now for the first time in 20 years with the recent demise of the "Enterprise" series (which followed more successful "Next Generation," "Deep Space Nine" and "Voyager" series). It's been four years since the last movie version -- Star Trek: Nemesis, a shallow attempt to continue a big-screen franchise that had flourished since the Star Trek: The Motion Picture back in 1979.

The latest movie would be set long before the reigns of either Capt. Kirk or Capt. Picard. In Star Wars prequel fashion, the movie would take place at Starfleet Academy, where a young James Kirk and Mr. Spock are just trying to pass Intro to Temporal Physics and score dates with the green hotties from Orion.

So what two young stars will Hollywood anoint to play the lead roles. You need a testosterone-wild hack for Kirk, and an emotionless dead-pan for Spock.

I got it!

Leonardo DiCaprio and Freddie Prinze Jr.!

Get ready for music combustion

Episode #37 of Stuck in the 80s is now online. Click here to download it and listen. We're honoring the one-hit wonders from the year 1980. A strange year in music as disco and punk were dying, synth rock was born and easy listening tunes were still all over the radio.

You'll enjoy some of the long-forgotten gems from 1980, including Steal Away, Into the Night, Turning Japanese and more. Plus, you get the great stories that go along with the hits:

-- Hear why Steve still gets clammy when anyone mentions Sugar Hill Gang around him. (Just send him a copy of the Eagles' Long Run and he'll be fine.)

-- Listen as Rick Gershman explains what "Turning Japanese" really means.

-- Find out which Tampa Bay high school canned their dancing team after they dressed like a group of sleazy punk rockers during a suggestive Devo performance at a pep rally.

-- Enter this week's Name that 80s tune and win a TBT baseball cap.

What do we have in store for next week? Grab your white linen jacket, bright t-shirts and shades and leave the socks at home. It's Miami Vice time.

Hollywood's pretty boys share a birthday

Crispin Glover and Clint Howard. The C&C Boys. Sounds catchy. Two of the freakier looking actors in the biz celebrate birthdays today. But Crispin (42) and Clint (47) have more in common than just date of birth.

Both starred in several classic 80s flicks (Crispin in Back to the Future and At Close Range; Clint in Night Shift, Cocoon, Gung Ho -- and frankly any other movie directed by his famous brother). Crispin even broke into acting with a guest spot on Happy Days (which - yeah - co-starred Ron Howard).

And let's face it: Neither one is likely to break into People Magazine's list of most beautiful people. (But Hollywood has always been about talent -- not looks -- right?) Actually, both Ron and Clint Howard landed on one publication's recent list of 100 Unsexiest Men. (Ron was actually ranked No. 21 with Clint at No. 22).

Both of their best work was outside the 80s. Crispin stole the show during The Doors, playing Andy Warhol. And Clint's opus has to be his underappreciated non-comic role as Sy Liebergot in Apollo 13.

Let's put looks and decades aside and cherish their best quotes:
Crispin: "Lorraine, my density has popped me to you." (Back to the Future)
Clint: "Gene, the Odyssey is dying. From my chair here, this is the last option." (Apollo 13)
Crispin: "Somebody gave me this telephone... I think it was Edie... yeah it was Edie... and she said I could talk to God with it, but uh... I don't have anything to say... so here." (The Doors)
Clint: "I am not what you would call a handsome man. The good Lord chose not to bless me with... with charm, athletic ability... or a fully functional brain." (Waterboy)

Don't Stop Til You Get Enough? (We've had enough)

Here are the words we all didn't want to hear... No, not Tom Cruise is marrying your daughter. Even worse. Ready?

Michael Jackson is back in the studio. (We assume they don't mean studio apartment, which is about all the bankrupt King of Pop should be able to afford by now.)

Seriously, Forbes magazine reports that Jackson has inked a deal with a label owned by the son of Bahrain's king. A new album could be released by late 2007. Safe to say, MJ could use the income. Financial problems caused His Royal Weirdness to shutter his infamous child-care service (aka Neverland Ranch) back in March. And he hasn't scored a significant hit since 1995's You Are Not Alone. (And by the way, YES he is now.)

Must we do a top 5 list for Mr. Jackson? OK. Reluctantly (but with a certain smirk nonetheless)....

Top 5 Fiascos in Michael Jackson's Career (ahem ... so far):
5. Hair catches fire during filming of Pepsi commercial in 1984.
4. Multiple rhinoplasties leave his face looking like the Crypt Keeper.
3. Settles child abuse allegations out of court for $20-million in 1994.
2. Dangles infant son over Berlin hotel balcony in 2002.
1. Charged but acquitted of sexual abuse of a child in 2005.

So what do you think? Will you buy MJ's new album? At what point did our Mr. Jackson jump the shark?

Tom, you're not funny

Attention, Planet Earth. Tom Cruise finally has a new baby girl. (No, not the one he's engaged to. A newborn.) Now we can all get back to our normal, boring lives without minute-to-minute reports of Scientology birthing practices, daily ultrasound updates and the nutritious value of eating the baby's placenta.

Uh, yeah, Cruise thought it'd be funny to joke to GQ magazine that he'd like to eat his baby's placenta. "I'm gonna eat the placenta," he's quoted as saying during an interview. "I thought that would be good. Very nutritious. I'm gonna eat the cord and the placenta right there."

Cruise later explained he was kidding in an interview with ABC's Diane Sawyer, but when the majority of the world thinks you're a nut-job, it's bad to have an awkward sense of humor.

Tom and Katie Holmes' new daughter, Suri (meaning 'princess' or 'red rose'), was born Tuesday afternoon and weighed 7 pounds and 7 ounces. No other details, including whether Katie obeyed the silent birthing practices of Scientology, were made available. (Does anybody really want to hear more anyway?)

Favorite one-hit wonder of 1980?

When you think of the mega-artists of the 80s, here are some names that do not come to mind: Robbie Dupree, Benny Mardones, Lipps Inc., The Vapors. That's because they're the one-hit wonders of 1980.

This week's Stuck in the 80s podcast takes a closer look at the forgotten hits of the year 1980 and we want your opinion. Which of these artists recorded your favorite forgotten hit of 1980? (Some tunes were recorded in '79 but still charted in 1980). (Click here to listen to the podcast)

Your choices:

Rapper's Delight, Sugar Hill Gang: "I gotta bang bang the boogie to the boogie say up jump the boogie to the bang bang boogie, let's rock, you don't stop."

Funky Town, Lipps Inc.: "Gotta make a move to a town that's right for me."

Into the Night, Benny Mardones: "I can't measure my love. There's nothing to compare it to."

Steal Away, Robbie Dupree: "I caught you glancin' my way. And I know what you're after"

Pop Musik, M: "Singing in the subway. Shuffle with a shoe shine. Fix me a molotov. I'm on the headline."

Turning Japanese, The Vapors: " I asked the doctor to take your picture. So I can look at you from inside as well."

Video Killed the Radio Star, The Buggles: " And now we meet in an abandoned studio. We hear the playback and it seems so long ago."

(Hard decision, I know. You gotta balance the New Wave fun of the Vapors and Buggles with the slow mellow goodness of Benny and Robbie. Or go old school with the Sugar Hill Gang and Lipps Inc.)

Springsteen plans folk tour for U.S.

The Boss is planning to go back on the road this summer. Bruce Springsteen has announced a 23-date tour of the U.S. for the summer in support of his latest album -- We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions. A 17-member ensemble group called -- voila! -- the Seeger Sessions Band -- will back him up instead of the famed E-Street Band. (Wife Patti Scialfa did make the cut.)

No definitive word on whether Springsteen will deviate from the classic folk feel of his album to relive any of his more-popular hits of the past. Safe bet? Probably not often enough.

The tour begins April 20 with four dates in Asbury Park, NJ, and includes a stop at the New Orleans Jazz Fest. That show is the furthest south the Boss is coming. (For local fans, no Florida stops are planned.) Click here for a list of show dates.

U2's "One" is No. 1 for lyrics

A poll of 13,000 music fans has crowned a line from U2's song "One" as Britain's all-time favorite lyric.

The line is "One life, with each other ... sisters, brother."

In second place was The Smiths' lyric from "How Soon is Now" that reads: "So you go on, and you stand on your own. And you leave on your own."

Nirvana's signature hit "Smells Like Teen Spirit" came in third with its line: "I feel stupid and contagious. Here we are now. Entertain us." Bob Marley's "Redemption Song" had the No. 4 lyric: "Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery. None but ourselves can free our minds. Have no fear for atomic energy, 'cause none of them can stop the time."

What do you think? Is that really the best lyric of the rock era? Or even the best U2 lyric? Personally, I prefer "Free at last, they took your life. They could not take your pride" from Pride (In The Name of Love).

Do you come from a land down under?

We're looking for some 80s fans from the land where women glow and men plunder. (Can't you hear, can't you hear the thunder?)

Calling out to our Aussie fans! We're doing a podcast on Men At Work soon and we need your help. E-mail us at stuckinthe80s@tampabay.com (or leave us a comment with your e-mail address).

Contact us now or we'll keep quoting that song to you. Over and over again. Like a never-ending Madonna marathon on the local radio station. (Queue the beginning of "Like A Prayer" in your head...) If you contact us, we promise never to send any more boy bands to tour in your hemisphere. Deal?

Meanwhile, for those of us in the rest of the world, here's some feedback and suggestions via e-mail from last week. Keep them coming. We answer all our e-mail or your money back!

From Kim in St. Pete: "Good job on the Asia Podcast! Good job from John Sharp too! I'm a HUGE Asia fan, from the beginning in  1982 and have loved them for the whole route, thru lineup changes and breakups. All of it."

From Dax in Santa Monica, Calif.: "Just wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed your Asia podcast. As a huge fan, and a native of Tarpon Springs, and now living in LA working with the band, your Podcast was a good trip."

From Gene in San Diego: "How about a podcast about the 8o's phenomenon of  hanging out at the mall or break-dancing?"

From Patrick in Dublin, Ireland: "Greetings from Dublin, Ireland.  I love the podcasts. How about a podcast on the Boss - pre and post Born in the USA. Keep up the good work and best wishes to Gina."

From Colin in Tokyo, Japan: "The podcast is great! I particularly like when you guys go off on a tangent and talk about your adventures back in the 80. They truly were a silly and innocent time that I miss dearly. Life was so much more mysterious without the Internet!"

Candles blown out on teen movie sequel?

It's been a while now since the last rumors circulated of a sequel for 16 Candles. Last we heard, a TV movie -- 32 Candles -- was planned to update fans on the lives of Samantha Baker, Jake Ryan, Farmer Ted and Long Duk Dong.

The 1984 flick starred Molly Ringwald and Anthony Michael Hall (along with smaller parts played by John and Joan Cusack). Speculation centered that USA Network, which airs Hall's Dead Zone series, was poised to produce and air the sequel. However, none of the original cast has commented on the project in years now. It's probably safe to say the project is dead for good.

Director/writer John Hughes has largely avoided sequels to movies produced during his glory days, the exceptions being Home Alone and Beethoven. The two writers originally attached to the sequel -- Keith Merryman and David A. Newman -- are now working on a sequel to How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days.

Speaking of Ringwald, the former teen queen returns to TV for a guest role in "Medium." The NBC series stars Patricia Arquette. Ringwald, who started her career in TV in 1979 as a cast member of Facts of Life, last appeared on TV in 2002. The show airs May 1.

So are we all happy that there won't be a 32 Candles? If you had to make a sequel to a John Hughes teen flick, which one would you choose?

"Sometimes you're Better Off Dead"

That headline sounds insensitive, and that's why back in 1985 it was canned by the studio execs when reviewing the promotional materials for the film Better Off Dead. (It was changed to "Relax, you're never Better Off Dead." What wimps.)

This week's Stuck in the 80s podcast on Better Off Dead is now online! Download it now. And stop putting it off -- just subscribe to us via iTunes and your life will be complete.

Here's some trivia about the movie that 80s addicts love so much:
-- John Cusack, who starred in the film, hated this movie and considers it one of his worst performances. (He also hates One Crazy Summer, which like Better Off Dead was directed by Savage Steve Holland.)
-- Impersonator Rich Little provides the voice of the Asian brothers who talk like Howard Cosell. (Little also does the Barney Rubble voice later in the movie.)
-- Diane Franklin, who plays Monique, might be best known as "Karen" in Last American Virgin. She also appears as the step-mom in How I Got Into College, the 1989 movie directed by Holland, and as a princess in 1989's Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure.
-- Amanda Wyss, who plays fickle girlfriend Beth, also played the first victim of Freddy Krueger in Nightmare on Elm Street. She also plays Judge Reinhold's girlfriend Lisa in Fast Times at Ridgemont High.
-- The math teacher is played by the late Vincent Schiavelli, who played Mr. Vargas in Fast Times.
-- The cartoons that Cusack draws in both Better Off Dead and One Crazy Summer are actually drawn by director Savage Steve Holland.
-- Elizabeth Daily, a.k.a E. G. Daily, who co-starred in Valley Girl, plays herself in Better Off Dead, singing the title song at the school dance, which happened to take place on the same set as the school dance in 16 Candles.
-- Dan Schneider, who plays nasal-spray-addicted Ricky, later played one of the students on the 80s TV series "Head of the Class."
-- Better Off Dead is given tribute in two separate episodes of South Park, largely because creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone are reportedly huge fans of the movie.
-- The network TV version of the film excludes three scenes: Charles DeMar snorting jello, Cusack with the Q-tips, and Badger with the women in his room.

One last unbelievable piece of trivia. The Camaro that Cusack and Franklin fix up in the movie is now owned by a rabid fan of the movie. It took years of phone calls and crawling through DMV records. Get the whole story at the website -- ta-dah! -- www.betteroffdeadcamaro.com.

Gordon Gekko lives!

When it comes to making sequels of classic 80s movies, greed -- for lack of a better term -- is good. Greed is right. Greed clarifies.

Word in Hollywood is that Michael Douglas is ready to sign on to a sequel of Wall Street, the 1987 Oliver Stone epic on insider trading that earned Douglas an Oscar.

Douglas traditionally has avoided doing sequels. Passing on Basic Instinct 2 was a stroke of genius, but he did make the mistake of following up Romancing the Stone with the disappointing Jewel of the Nile. Returning to his role as the morally bankrupt corporate raider Gekko, however, might be hard to refuse.

"I’m always nervous of making sequels," Douglas told IESB.net. "We’re having some discussions on Wall Street. Oliver Stone’s producer is working on a remake of that and we’ll see how the script is."

Here are 5 Michael Douglas films that are sequel-worthy:
5. Wonder Boys: "I'm still trying to figure out how to tell the Chancellor I murdered her husband's dog."
4. The Game: "I'm pulling back the curtain. I want to meet the wizard."
3. The American President: "I'm calling the organization of the United Brotherhood of It's None of Your Damn Business."
2. Fatal Attraction: "I'll pity you. I'll pity you because you're sick."
1. Wall Street: "It's all about bucks, kid. The rest is conversation."

George Stone? What's your REAL name?

Andy Garcia turns the big Five-O today. Think Hawaii Five-O because some of Garcia's best work, especially in the 80s, is playing a cop. Untouchables, The Mean Season, Black Rain. (It'd be years later until he's gain notoriety as a villain in The Godfather Part III and Ocean's Eleven.)

Born Andres Arturo Garcia Menendez in Cuba to a wealthy family, Garcia moved to Miami after Fidel Castro gained power. Getting seriously ill his senior year in high school derailed a promising basketball career and turned Garcia toward the acting profession. His breakthrough role came as "George Stone" in 1987's The Untouchables. Director Brian DePalma wanted to cast the young star as one of Al Capone's henchmen, but Garcia pushed for the heroic role as a crack shot who hid his Italian heritage to get a job on the predominantly Irish police force in Chicago.

For his 1990 role as Vincent Mancini in Godfather Part III, Garcia had to beat out more established actors including Val Kilmer, Alec Baldwin and Charlie Sheen. His work earned him an Oscar nomination.

Five memorable Andy Garcia quotes:
Untouchables: "Much better than you, you stinking Irish pig."
8 Million Ways to Die: "Sometimes in the course of doing business, it becomes necessary to remind people that they bleed when they die."
Black Rain: "What is this, a conspiracy to ruin my evening?"
Godfather Part III: "I am your son. Command me in all things."
Ocean's Eleven: "All right, you proved your point. You broke into my vault. Congratulations, you're a dead man."

The terrorists have won: 80s fashion is back

It's official. Eighties fashion has returned. Just when you dumped the last of your skinny ties, velour shirts, parachute pants and Jordache jeans, the apocalypse is upon us.

As much as we LOVE the 80s, we're too happy with our faded shirts, loose jeans and comfy footwear to readjust to clothing from 20 years ago. But according to the fashion gurus, we have no choice.

Retailers are stocking skinny jeans and leg warmers. A fashion show at Indiana University featured 80s designs. Sephora cosmetics stores are stocking lip glosses named after famous 80s couples (Do you prefer Ferris and Sloane or Baby and Johnny? We're not making this up!) Bright eyeshades are back in vogue. Black-and-white-striped shirts are on racks. Can "Frankie Say" t-shirts be far behind?

"The clean and wholesome side of the '80s we've already explored," Gregg Andrews, fashion director at Nordstroms, told the Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune. "Now we're going to the more rock-inspired, more decadent -- that whole new-wave look."

Guess you better go find those skinny ties and Vans.

Better Off Dead: "A study in moppishness"

Mention the movie Better Off Dead, and my mind returns to the summer of 1986 when I worked as a sales clerk at a small video store in Tampa Bay. It was a small store, so I usually worked alone and rented out maybe 30 or 40 videos in a given day.

That summer, Back to the Future was the top rented movie. Our store had only two copies to rent. Unfortunately, I "lent" a copy out free to the pizza store next door in order to get free lunch one day -- one tape equaled one medium pie -- and didn't see the tape again for a month. So instead of making excuses for our lack of inventory, I instead offered up "Better Off Dead" -- an odd comedy featuring John Cusack as he recovers from the loss of a girlfriend with the help of a drug-crazed friend, creepy neighbors and an exchange student from France.

"It's so good," I promised customers, "that if you don't like it, you don't have to pay for it." Never once did anyone ask for a refund.

Side story: One day, the former football coach of my rival high school came in. Not expecting to be recognized, he asked me for a recommendation for a good porn tape. I can't print the name of the film I suggested, but imagine his surprise when I addressed him as "Coach (insert last name here)" when showing it to him. He rented it anyway, and became a good customer that summer. Among his non x-rated rentals, Better Off Dead was his favorite too.

So back to the movie in question....

Pop quiz: Yes or no ... Is "Better Off Dead" the best John Cusack movie of the 80s? Or is it just the most quotable? Is his character Lane Meyer more lovable than his Lloyd Dobbler character in Say Anything or his "Gib" from The Sure Thing?

What makes "Better Off Dead" such itself a classic? The direction by Savage Steve Holland? He also directed "One Crazy Summer" with Cusack, but few people attach much love to that.

Help us answer these questions as we tackle the great and almighty "Better Off Dead" in this week's Stuck in the 80s podcast.

World's hottest would-be librarian

Paulina Porizkova, the 80s supermodel turned actress turned rock star's wife, turns 41 today. To 80s addicts, she's best know for her modeling work in the Sports Illustrated swimsuit editions and for marrying Cars lead singer Ric Ocasek.

The Czech-born Porizkova met Ocasek in 1984 on the set of the video for the Cars ballad "Drive," which was directed by actor Timothy Hutton. They married in 1989.

Aside from her modeling career, she starred in several films during the 80s, including the notoriously hideous "Her Alibi" with Tom Selleck. She reportedly turned down an offer to be a "Bond girl" in the 007 flick "Goldeneye."

Playboy magazine, which featured her as a cover model but not in any nude photos, once quoted Paula as saying, "My boyfriend thinks I lost my true calling to be a librarian."

He'll be a Pirate Twin again

One of our favorite 80s artists is making the return trek to the front row of public consciousness. Thomas Dolby is back. Making music. Making news.

First the news. Proof again that the web is all-powerful, Dolby used his blog this week to complain that Mr. Britney Spears -- Kevin Federline -- sampled one of Dolby's songs without permission. Federline's tune "America's Most Hated" (how ironically true) had a snippet of Mobb Deep's "Got It Twisted," which in return samples 1983's "She Blinded Me With Science." Blasphemy! I feel bad I have to even name both these people in the same blog item. K-Fed has since removed the song from his MySpace page (which appears to be his preferred publishing platform -- just as it is with the 14-year-olds who play in a garage band down the street from me.)

Dolby quit the music biz back in 1990 to start a technology provider company (sorta like how I quit the music biz to be a journalist, only he was actually notable in those endeavors.) But our old friend is dipping his toes back in with a tour of club shows that begins next week in Southern California.

His one-man shows won't be supporting any new album, so expect a slew of his classic hits -- punctuated by his never-ending love of technology. "I use a combination of current equipment and I've always collected vintage equipment," Dolby told Livedaily.com. "Some of that I've had retrofitted so it will control my computer. I tend to build my songs up in layers. I play a bass line then a drum part. I'll sing my song at the top."

Here is Stuck in the 80s' top 5 songs from the five-time Grammy winner:
5. Windpower: "Switch off the mind and let the heart decide"
4. Hyperactive: " I can reach into your homes, like an itch in your headphones."
3. She Blinded Me With Science: "Good heavens Miss Sakamoto - you're beautiful!"
2. One of Our Submarines: "The Winter Boys are freezing in their spam time"
1. Europa and The Pirate Twins: "Paste her pictures on my windowsill, but that's not quite the same ... it isn't, is it?"

You decide this week's podcast topic

After 35 podcast episodes of Stuck in the 80s, we've probed everything from Ferris to Asia. From Madonna to Valley Girl. Politics to fashion. Now we want to know what you want to hear.

Give us your suggestions for this week's 80s podcast topic. It can be a movie you really loved. Or a band that you saw a half dozen times in concert. Or something in between like "Best ballads by a hair band" or "Dead Kennedys vs. the Dead Milkmen." After 35 shows, we've only scratched the surface of the 80s. There's so much left to say. (Check the list to the right of all our episodes if you want to make sure we haven't covered it.)

The bottom line is we're giving you the cordless microphone. Drop us a comment. We'll follow along with your suggestions, and if we don't choose it this week - don't sweat it - your topic could be a future podcast.

Let the good times roll.

Let's get retroactive again!

Are you into the more obscure hits from a-Ha, The Cult, Dead or Alive and Aztec Camera? Good, because they're all featured on the fifth volume of Retro:Active, a must-own series of CDs of rare and remixed tunes from the 80s.

Volume 5 is due out April 18, and this one has some classic tunes including remixes of I've Been Losing You (a-Ha), Pretty in Pink (Psychedelic Furs) and Love Games (Love & Rockets).

You can buy the first four collections on amazon.com. The feature more tunes by 80s luminaries including Howard Jones, The Human League, Yaz, INXS, Duran Duran and many more.

And now for the not-so-classic

Two of the 80s most notorious hair bands are celebrating their 20th anniversary this year. Cinderella and Poison are marking the occasion this summer with a joint tour (presumably meaning they're playing together, and not referring to the substance necessary to actually have been a fan of glam-metal.)

Both bands also are releasing compilation albums to promote on tour. Poison's "20 Years of Rock" hit stores earlier this week. Cinderella's "Gold" is due out at the end of the month.

The tour is sponsored by VH1 Classic (which is also sponsoring the Journey/Def Leppard double bill this summer) and is targeting outdoor amphitheaters. Their Tampa Bay appearance is Aug. 19 at the St. Pete Times Forum.

Speaking of VH1...

The cable music channel said today it will air its first VH1 Rock Honors in May. Seemingly similar (and unnecessarily duplicative) of the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame, the VH1 Rock Honors will induct Kiss, Queen, Def Leppard and Judas Priest as its first class of legendary bands.

Stay far far away, Madonna

The Material-turned-Kabbalah Girl has just announced the tour dates and cities for her Confession Tour -- and thankfully Tampa Bay isn't on Madonna's list.

I'm serious. Sure, we all loved her in the 80s -- the music and attitude was fresh. Every album had a Beatle-esque feeling of renewal and revolution. That was then. Nowadays, making out with Britney Spears is her preferred way to get noticed. (Pop quiz: What song was she singing during that stunt? Does anyone remember?) Haven't we all had enough of her by now?

While Australia is so mad she's blowing them off on this tour that they've started a petition to bring her down under, I'm going to start a petition to keep her away from my town for good. (Bring back Men At Work, Aussies, and we'll give you Madonna -- straight-up deal.)

Have I lost my mind? I don't think so. I've got my reasons.

1. The music is subpar. Have you really enjoyed anything Madonna has recorded in the last 10 years? Her latest offering -- Confessions on a Dance Floor -- sounds like the soundtrack to a porn movie or a series of bad ring dials on the obnoxious coworker's cell phone.