When 2007 met 2008

It's that night again. New Year's Eve. A night that's overrated second only to senior prom -- or the first night of your first marriage. (Did both yours end in the dry heaves too?)

At least you probably don't have to rent a tux or buy a gown tonight. Although a limo or taxi will seem like money well spent after your earlier strategy of "If Steve can drink Wild Turkey, so can I" goes horribly awry.

There's only one 80s movie that I can think of that truly encompasses all the emotions of  New Year's Eve. Thankfully, it's the 1989 classic "When Harry Met Sally."

And because it's a romantic-comedy, the guys out there might tempted to rent to tonight to watch with their significant others. Don't do it! First, no female is going to be happy with a "TV date" on New Year's Eve. Second, well, I have a whole list, of course...

TOP 5 REASONS GUYS BETTER NOT TO WATCH "WHEN HARRY MET SALLY" WITH A FEMALE:

5. New York. A great city to watch in a movie. But now she'll want to know why you haven't taken her there for a shopping vacation yet. (Doesn't that question answer itself?)

4. High maintenance or low maintenance? Meg Ryan is high maintenance, and now you-know-who wants to know which one you think she is. (Hint: If she's asking this question in the first place, she's high maintenance. Otherwise, she wouldn't care.)

3. Harry's sense of humor. Billy Crystal scored easily one of the best comedic roles of the 80s. And laughing at half his lines -- "No, you pretty much want to nail them too" -- will have you ringing in the New Year on the sofa with a blanket and pillow.

2. The whole romantic comedy genre. This movie is a diamond in the rough. Enjoy it and then go back to watching "Last American Virgin" or "Victory." Show too much enjoyment and suddenly "Sleepless in Seattle" and "You Got Mail" are coming to a DVD player near you. Let's just not go there today.

1. Sex. The whole "Men can't be friends with women without wanting to have sex with them" line is a trap. The biggest bear-trap ever unleashed on the big screen. Never, ever tell a female if you agree with this or not. Instead, repeat after me: "It's just a movie, Honey. Now let's check the score of the game."

Live chat: Feeling sorta lizardy today

Another Sunday of boring NFL games and hangover nursing (I feel like the gung-ho iguana from The Last Starfighter), so you know what that means: Live chat with the Stuck in the 80s gang.

We got started at 3pm eastern time on Saturday, and it looks like the die-hards finally called it quits about 11 a.m. after writing more than 600 comments. Wow.

Next time, I promise more advance notice on our chats. But keep your eyes open, because we'll do them often -- especially when it's time to debut a new podcast episode!

Getting sentimental about Night Ranger

I've been doing a crash-course this week on Night Ranger and their 80s catalog. The band plays Clearwater's Ruth Eckerd Hall on Jan. 19 (with Dennis DeYoung), and if all goes according to plan, I'll get a chance to introduce them on stage.

Likewise, podcast co-host Sean Daly and I are going to interview NR's Jack Blades (coolest name for a musician -- ever) for a show that would air before the concert.

So I downloaded their greatest hits CD on iTunes. And of course, "Sister Christian" is there -- basking in all its overplayed glory. But would that tune even make my top 5 list of Night Ranger tunes? No, not even close.

TOP 5 NIGHT RANGER TUNES OF THE 80s:

5. Don't Tell Me You Love Me: "I love the way that you shoot to kill me."

4. Rock in America: "She's goin' out she's gonna party tonight. She's gonna shake and make it last all night."

3. Sing Me Away: "What do you see when you look in the mirror? I see a face from the past, it's so clear."

2. Sentimental Street: "Saw you dancing out at Madame Wong's Two. You did those same two steps that I taught you back in June."

1. When You Close Your Eyes: "Angel come closer to me. I need a soul to bleed on."

Just missed the cut: Sister Christian, Rumors in the Air, Four in the Morning, Secret of My Success.

You know, come to think of it, I can't get enough of "Secret of my Success." A real guilty-pleasure, thanks to the movie with Michael J. Fox. (His best work of the 80s? No way. But it's no "Light of Day" either.)

So am I missing out on some sublime Night Ranger tune I've left off my list. And what questions would you fire off to Jack Blades?

Share a birthday beer with Ted Danson

Ted Danson, everyone's favorite barkeep, turns 60 years old today. (His hairpiece turns 25.)

It'd be super-easy to sing his "Cheers" praises. (Favorite rambling Sam Malone line: "To me, our relationship makes perfect sense. You want me to propose to you, I propose to you. You say no, I say fine, I never wanna see you again. You drive me nuts telling me you want me to propose again, I do, you turn me down. Next thing I know I'm in a court of law where I've got to propose to you or go to jail. It's the classic American love story.")

But let's try something more difficult: Pointing out the best movies Danson made in the 80s. (Crickets, crickets.)

Truth be told, our man Ted had a pretty decent career in the big screen, though even some of his die-hard fans have forgotten the titles. He's still cranking out the movies, with two in the bag already for 2008 ("The Human Contract" and "Mad Money.") But until we see those, try out today's top 5 list.

TOP 5 TEN DANSON MOVIES OF THE 80s:

5. A FINE MESS (1986): "She can't whistle while she works so she hums."

4. THREE MEN & A BABY (1987): "I'll bring you guys something back from Turkey. Maybe a drumstick."

3. CREEPSHOW (1982): "You can't shoot us dead, Richard ... because we're already dead!"

2. BODY HEAT (1981): "I've been living vicariously off of you for years. You shut up on me now, all I have is my wife."

1. COUSINS (1989): "Maria, would you dance with me?... Then, how about spending the rest of your life with me?"

I know, I know. "Cousins" is an odd pick for the top Danson movie. At times, it seems largely unwatchable, except for the parts with Lloyd Bridges and the wedding scene where the groom and pregnant bride are sharing their first dance -- to a U2 song. But it's also the only movie where you see much of Teddy. And anytime you get to sleep with Isabella Rossellini, well, that should count for something.

These shoulda been contenders

While compiling our list of New Year's Eve songs, one thing struck me: Why weren't more of these songs bigger hits?

No, not Sean Daly and Stephanie Hayes' picks! They went for the no-brainer tunes (and I'm still amazed that some of you out there like "Kiss" by Prince. Detestable song. And totally not a dance tune, which is it's only redeeming quality.) But songs like "The Walls Came Down" by The Call. I guess that band wasn't MTV-ready like some of the bigger names of the decade.

So here's the idea. Let's build our own list: Songs that should have been bigger hits in the 80s.

Obviously, there are some small qualifications we should agree to. Like, the song HAS TO BE BE FROM THE 80s! Also, while it's OK to have been a marginal hit, obviously anything too high in the charts is a hit already. Just trust your instinct and start leaving comments with your picks. Here are some of mine.

STEVE'S LIST OF SHOULDA-BEEN 80s HITS:

"We Close Our Eyes" (Oingo Boingo): Not my favorite song from one of my favorite bands, but easily the most radio-friendly of the bunch. Listen. ("I looked death in the face last night. I saw him in a mirror. And he simply smiled. He told me not to worry. He told me just to take my time.")

"Don't Let's Start" or "She's An Angel" (They Might Be Giants): One poppy and one not-so-poppy pick from the two Johns, possible the most under-appreciated act of the 80s.

"Straight to Hell" (The Clash): One of the most perfect songs from the "Combat Rock" album. ("Lemme tell ya 'bout your blood, bamboo kid. It aint Coca-cola ... it's rice.") Overshadowed by "Rock the Casbah" and "Should I Stay or Should I Go?"

"Ghost Dancing" (Simple Minds): It charted only in the UK, and still well below other tunes on the "Once Upon a Time" album. Listen to a live version though. Brilliant. ("If these old city walls should crash, amid the rubble you'd find us breathing.")

"Bittersweet" or "Like Wow - Wipeout" (Hoodoo Gurus): Two great cuts from the damn-nearperfect "Mars Needs Guitars" album. If you don't own that disc from '85, you're letting the best of life pass you by. ("Tears so bittersweet fill my eyes whenever we meet.")

Share your list and tune back in soon for a compiled and ranked list as well as a podcast.

'Where'd you get that jacket?'

Ah, Stu Nahan. We loved you, even though I wonder how many fans out there know it was your voice they heard in our favorite movies.

Nahan died this week at 81 in his home in Los Angeles. The former minor-league hockey played turned sports broadcaster is best known to us for playing a TV commentator in every Rocky movie ("What ... is ... keeping ... Rocky ... up?!?") but also for similar roles in "Private Benjamin," "CHiPs," "Baywatch" and many more projects.

But alas, to me, he'll always be remembered for Jeff Spicoli's dream sequence in "Fast Times at Ridgemont High."

Some old songs for a new year

The burden of Christmas is over so it's time to concentrate on the bigger issues: Specifically, how to ruin another New Year's Eve.

We all can't stay home and watch "Better Off Dead" over and over again while drinking Southern Comfort slushies. Though one more year of that, and I break the existing world record for being a wuss. (Even "Lane Meyer" feels bad for me.)

Our latest Stuck in the 80s podcast is here to help. In it, we offer up our Ultimate New Year's Eve Playlist, including songs submitted by live callers. What song gets our nod for top pick to play come midnight? You'll have to download the show to find out. Or click here to subscribe to all our shows for free on iTunes.

(Are you even going to remember midnight? Or will be you cleaning up the mess left over after I drink all those rum-and-coke slammers?)

A little trivia for you: The countdown you hear at the start of the show is actually from New Year's Eve in 1984. Let no one say I don't go all-out on the details.

A special thanks to all those who called in during our "live podcast" to chat with us. I know a lot of people had a hard time getting through. Next time we'll try it on a weekend. You just need to help me get that lazy, hungover Sean Daly off the sofa and into the studio on his day off.

Other highlights from this week's show:

• Guest co-host Stephanie Hayes joins the cast to help balance out the content -- and to defend her woeful performance in our recent blog battle over holiday songs.
• New music and movie quote challenges.
• No seriously sad stories from me. That's gotta be worth something.

Drop us a comment and let us know what you thought of the show.

'Ahhh, Thailand': The zen of Volunteers

Tom Hanks is making the publicity rounds again, pimping his new movie "Charlie Wilson's War." (How can you hate a movie that takes place in the 80s?)

Still, I prefer "80s Tom" over his work these days. I need the younger smart-ass, firing away with the zingers and quips. I prefer co-stars like John Candy ("Splash") and Adrian Zmed ("Bachelor Party") to the horse-mouthed Julia Roberts and the creepy Philip Seymour Hoffman.

In fact, I'll go as far as to say one of Hank's lesser-thought-of films -- "Volunteers" -- is actually a real sweet slice of 80s pie. (My 80s podcast co-host Sean Daly -- who has certain Hanks-esque qualities --  disagrees about "Volunteers." Then again, he's a pinhead.)

ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT 80s CULTURE, YOU CAN LEARN FROM "VOLUNTEERS":

"It's not that I can't help these people. It's just I don't want to."

"We must all do what we must do, for if we do not, then what we must do does not get done."

"Let's face it: you're afraid and you have a damn good reason to be. Albert Speer once said, 'Fear is victory's fuel!' Oh, you spend a few years with me, pal, and we are going to turn that fear into high octane."

"Germs make you sick. That is why we give medicine to help kill you."

"That's right, Lawrence Bournes III; rich American."

Crazy for Swayze: One-hit wonders in '87

The Stuck in the 80s podcast crew has recovered from its holiday coma and is ready to hit the studio again. The next subject we'll tackle: the one-hit wonders of 1987.

(Yes, that means we finally have to confront Patrick Swayze's crime against humanity -- "She's Like The Wind.")

But here's the bigger dilemma: The further we get into the 80s, the more unfamiliar I'm getting with some of these tunes. I feel a disturbance in the force here, as if the schlocky and hellish bubblegum pop of the 90s is reaching back in time and exerting unnecessary and unwanted influence on my beloved 80s music.

Here's a list of potential songs to choose from for this show:

• Swing Out Sister -- "Breakout"
• Wa Wa Nee -- "Sugar Free"
• Patrick Swayze & Wendy Fraser -- "She's Like the Wind"
• The System -- "Don't Disturb this Groove"
• T'Pau -- "Heart and Soul"
• Buster Poindexter -- "Hot, Hot, Hot"
• Pseudo Echo -- "Funkytown"
• Kane Gang -- "Motortown"
• Living in a Box -- "Living in a Box"
• Jon Astley -- "Jane's Getting Serious"
• Bourgeois Tagg -- "I Don't Mind At All"
• Club Nouveau -- "Lean on Me"
• Company B -- "Fascinated"
• Breakfast Club -- "Right on Track"
• Jimmy Davis & Junction -- "Kick the Wall"
• Hipsway -- "The Honeythief"

We'll pick about 7 or 8 songs to feature in the show. Anyone have any favorites? Better yet, anyone have a great story associated with one of the songs? If so, leave us a comment or fire away an e-mail for use in our Reader Mailbag segment.

'Bells were ringing out for Christmas Day'

A rare and brilliant 1988 St. Patrick's Day performance of "Fairytale of New York" by the Pogues, featuring the late, great Kirsty MacColl. The song reached No. 2 on the British charts back in '87.

Family and friends of MacColl, still upset of the handling of her death in Mexico in 2000, had told the media earlier this month that they hoped the song would finish the holiday season in the coveted "Christmas No. 1" spot in Britain as a way of honoring the singer.

Indeed, BBC reports that "Fairytale of New York" has finished on top of the charts this year (the fifth year in a row). Other 80s tunes in the top 5 include "Last Christmas" by Wham! at No. 3 and then both versions of "Do They Know It's Christmas?" by Band Aid 20 and Band Aid at 4 and 5.

In addition, Pogues frontman Shane MacGowan celebrates his 50th birthday today. He told the BBC his credits his lifestyle for surviving so long: "Smoking, drinking, partying -- that's why I've stayed alive as long as I have."