All Time High: Bond in the 80s

There's something amiss this movie season. Anyone else feel the void? We need a chain-smoking British agent to take down all the world's evil-doers -- while wearing an Armani tuxedo and sipping a vodka martini ... shaken, not stirred.

Say what you like about Pierce Brosnan's turn as Agent 007, but naturally I still yearn for the simpler days of James Bond. Give me a really catchy theme song, an aging action star in the lead role and some cheesy dialog, and I'm ready to run out and tackle Blofeld, Kristatos, Kamal Khan and Max Zorin all on my own.

We'll have to wait until November 2008 to see the latest 007 installment -- "Quantum of Solace" (trailer) -- although I'm not sure I can handle another beating like Daniel Craig took at the end of "Casino Royale." (And I'm betting he can't either.) So until then...

RANKING THE BOND FLICKS OF THE 80s:

6. A VIEW TO A KILL (1985): Aside from the Duran Duran theme song and Christopher Walken as the villain, put the final flick by Roger Moore at the bottom of the list -- perhaps all-time.

5. NEVER SAY NEVER AGAIN (1983): Sean Connery's comeback is not considered a Bond "franchise" flick, but with Kim Basinger and Max von Sydow, it's very watchable.

4. OCTOPUSSY (1983): Note quite an "All Time High," as Rita Coolidge sings in the opening credits, but Maud Adams has our attention as the jewel-smuggling circus owner and proprietor of a female-only island.

3. LICENSE TO KILL (1989): Bond fans blast Timothy Dalton's two-film turn as 007, but I loved the guy -- surly, unliked by his fellow agents and still years away from torturing us in "Beautician and the Beast." Plus, this one's filmed in Key West and involves the return of American agent "Felix Leiter." Add in Wayne Newton as the hilariously sleazy "Professor Joe Butcher," and it's a contender for the top spot.

2. THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS (1987): Dalton's first appearance as Bond takes viewers to Gibraltar, Bratislava, England, Austria, Tangier and Afghanistan. When was the last time a Bond movie took you to so many locales? Then hand over the theme song duties to a-ha and cast future Bond ally Joe Don Baker as the villain. I find it hard to rank this flick as only second-best.

1. FOR YOUR EYES ONLY (1981): Perhaps a Bond film at its more formulaic, which suits me just fine. A classically haunting theme song by Sheena Easton, the stunningly beautiful Carole Bouquet as "Melina," who seeks to avenge her parents death (then skinny dip with Bond through the closing credits). "Fiddler on the Roof's" Topol as nut-chomping ally "Milos." And, in the clinching casting move in Bond history, "Ice Castle's" Lynn-Holly Johnson as the young ice skating nymphet. She's for your eyes only too (but rest easy -- she was well over 18 when she played the role of "Bibi.")

Sunday's chat: Earworms of the 80s

Poor B.A. He has a bad case of the "80s earworm" -- where a song drills its insanely catchy lyrics deep into the head of an innocent music fan.

The whole irony is that the best cure for an earworm is simply humming the theme to "The A-Team." (Special thanks to former podcast co-host Cathy Wos for revealing that important knowledge to Stuck in the 80s fans.)

Sunday's chat topics: Earworms of the 80s -- which songs do you find impossible to get out of your head? (Me? It's "Living in a Box" and "Mr. Roboto" ... "I'm not a hero! I'm not a savior! Forget what you know! I'm just a man whose circumstances went beyond his control!")

Also: We chatted about the much-contested list of Best John Cusack Movies, this week's podcast and the upcoming Vegas trip!

Thanks to everyone who turned up for the chat. Remember, we'll take next Sunday off.

Reliving 80s Night at Tropicana Field

Ever wonder what some of our long-time fans look like? Well, here's Sweet Lou Grilli and his wife Barbara with me at Tropicana Field for 80s Night.

Lou reportedly has 15,000 songs on his iPod, and has listened to every Stuck in the 80s podcast since Episode #1 nearly three years ago. He was one of a handful of fans who won free tickets to that night's Tampa Bay Rays game in our podcast giveaway.

Speaking of podcasts, the latest episode is now online. The topic: Sean Daly and I revisit 80s Night at Tropicana Field.

But there's so much more, including Sean's retelling of his first visit to the "Spears Lair." And the ultimate 80s trivia challenge. The first five people to send in all five correct answers win a tampabay.com baseball cap. So far, nobody has sent in the correct five answers. So don't give up!

Click here to download the show, or click here to get all our shows for free via iTunes. Leave us some feedback and let us know how we're doing.

SUNDAY CHAT: Yes, we're chatting tonight about 9 p.m. The subject: Earworms of the 80s. Stay tuned for the official blog post.

Official John Cusack Appreciation Day!

It's June 28 ... you know what that means, right? It's John Cusack's birthday! His 42nd this time around.

Am I going too far out on the limb by declaring our man Cusack the patron saint of '80s movies? Would it be exaggerating to call him the dream boyfriend of any female who drew a breath of teenage air in our beloved decade? Is there even one male out there who didn't learn how to shotgun a beer by watching "Gib" demonstrate it in "The Sure Thing?"

(Can it be wrong that I took the whole day off from work to sit at home and watch all his movies back to back, chronologically and autobiographically?)

No, no, (burp) and hell no.

But on this occasion, let's go one step farther. Let's blow out the '80s constraints on today's list and finally dare to be great. Something truly worthy of 42 birthdays.

TOP 42 FILMS OF JOHN CUSACK:

42. City Hall (1996)
41. Serendipity (2001)
40. Floundering (1994)
39. Money for Nothing (1993)
38. Map of the Human Heart (1993)
37. Roadside Prophets (1992)
36. Elvis Stories (1989)
35. The Road to Wellville (1994)
34. Identity (2003)
33. Bob Roberts (1992)
32. Shadows and Fog (1992)
31. Con Air (1997)
30. The Thin Red Line (1998)
29. America's Sweethearts (2001)
28. Must Love Dogs (2005)
27. Bullets Over Broadway (1994) 
26. Runaway Jury (2003) 
25. Martian Child (2007)
24. Broadcast News (1987)
23. Stand by Me (1986)
22. The Journey of Natty Gann (1985)
21. The Jack Bull (1999)
20. Fat Man and Little Boy (1989)
19. The Ice Harvest (2005)
18. Sixteen Candles (1984)
17. Class (1983)
16. Hot Pursuit (1987)
15. Pushing Tin (1999)
14. One Crazy Summer (1986)
13. 1408 (2007)
12. Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (1997)
11. Being John Malkovich (1999)
10. The Grifters (1990)
9. Max (2002)
8. Tapeheads (1988)
7. Grosse Pointe Blank (1997)
6. Eight Men Out (1988)
5. True Colors (1991)
4. The Sure Thing (1985)
3. Say Anything (1989)
2. Better Off Dead (1985)
1. High Fidelity (2000)

Mystic Pizza's secret ingredient

Everyone has a theory on what makes 1988's "Mystic Pizza" a memorable flick from our decade.

The first really good look at Julia Roberts maybe? Our man Vincent D'Onofrio as as the rejected fisherman, one year away his epic performance as "Private Pyle" in "Full Metal Jacket"? The always intoxicating Lili Taylor, just a year before her best flick, "Say Anything?" ("That'll never be me, that'll never be me. That'll never be, never be me. No, no, no!")

All good guesses, but you're missing the true genius -- the eternal innocence and beauty of Annabeth Gish.

(Well, Annabeth and whatever they put in the pizza sauce. Because I every time I see the movie, I end up ordering $50 worth of delivery from Pizza Hut.)

I'm not the only person obsessed with Annabeth. There's an entire website devoted to her every breath on this planet -- All Things Annabeth. About time the Internet did something for the public good ... aside from this blog, of course.

What is Annabeth up to these days? Still acting, of course. She appeared in TV's "West Wing" in 2003, playing the oldest eldest daughter of President Bartlet. In 2006, she appeared in "The Celestine Prophecy" and Showtime's "Brotherhood."

In 2009, maybe as the role of the next "Mrs. Stuck in the 80s?" She's just gotta dump that stunt-man husband of hers. While I wait patiently...

TOP 5 MEMORABLE ROLES OF ANNABETH GISH:

5. SLC PUNK (1998): Hey, it's about a punk named Stevo. So I'm on the right track.

4. WYATT EARP (1994): She dies. Hope I didn't give anything away.

3. SHAG (1989): "It isn't a bone at all, it's a muscle." 

2. HIDING OUT (1987): "Crying ... over you..."

1. MYSTIC PIZZA (1988): As Yale-bound "Kat" -- the world's sexiest babysitter and planetarium guide -- she turns every red-blooded male into an Ivy League fan and astrology junkie. I'm still seeing stars.

Nothing 'Foolish' about this feat

Where were you 20 years ago this week? Deborah Gibson was busy celebrating her first-ever No. 1 single -- and her high school graduation.

Yep, on June 26, 1988, Deborah Gibson (only "Debbie" to her non-friends she told us during our podcast interview) was walking across a graduation stage, just 24 hours after "Foolish Beat" hit the top of the charts, making her the youngest person to date to write, produce and perform a No. 1 hit.

(What were co-host Sean Daly and I doing on that same date? Probably competing head-to-head in a gordita-eating contest, thus assuring that 20 years later, neither of us has a chance on being Deborah's date to her high school reunion.)

Finally old enough to be your father figure

George Michael has enjoyed a hell of a year.

His public persona was rehabilitated via constantly clever cameos on TV's "Eli Stone." His new CD "Twenty Five" -- celebrating his 25 years in the music biz -- is selling well. He made a guest appearance on the "American Idol" finale, singing "Praying For Time." And his first tour of the U.S. in approximately 300 years finally kicked off last week in California. (He stops in Tampa Bay on Aug. 2.)

So what is left for George to wish for when blowing out the candles today for his 45th birthday? (Maybe a better plastic surgeon? More reasonable rates on legal insurance? A 24-hour bail bondsman located near the London's McDonalds drive-through?)

I'd say George Michael is one of the biggest feel-good stories of 2008 -- for an 80s star or anybody really.

[AP photo]

25 years later, The Fixx still reaching

In the 80s, it wasn't unusual to see bands that enjoyed great success in their own countries but gained little appreciation overseas. But the reversal was quite rare. Just look at The Fixx.

In the early 80s, the London-born new wave band took their music to MTV, building a huge fan base and catalog of hits that charted higher in the U.S. and Canada than back home. Their 1983 album -- "Reach the Beach" -- would prove to be their opus, hitting No. 8 on the album charts and featuring their signature hit, "One Thing Leads to Another."

"Reach the Beach" should have ranked higher, but hey, it was 1983. Michael Jackson's "Thriller" and The Police's "Synchronicity" ruled for much of the year (not to mention runs by Quiet Riot, Lionel Richie and even the soundtrack to "Flashdance.")

These days, with founding members Cy Curnin and Adam Woods still on board, The Fixx tours on, celebrating the 25th anniversary of "Reach the Beach" this year. Rumor has it another album is in the works for next year as well. The band plays St. Petersburg's Jannus Landing on Friday, June 27. (Check their official website to find a date near you.) Need five good reasons to catch them live?

Sounds like the old R.E.M. is back

R.E.M. is nowhere near to plotting a tour through North America yet, but fans here might like to know the band's weekend gig in Atlanta earned gushing praise from the hometown press.

"They rocked hard, folks. Forget that mostly bland period between the excellent 'New Adventures in Hi-Fi' album and the 'comeback' blast of 'Accelerate'," wrote David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "If they were in danger of slipping from relevance for many younger rock fans ... then they have certainly stepped forward with this album and this tour and answered any skeptics and critics, at least any who are actually paying attention and listening to the music."

The band tore through 28 songs during the show, throwing in a handful of older classics to mix with the requisite new offerings. R.E.M. now heads back to Europe to continue their world tour. (Click here for dates.) Guess the rest of us will sit here patiently and contemplate what we're missing.

Here's the full set list, according to REMring.com:

• These Days
• Living Well Is the Best Revenge
• So Fast, So Numb
• What's The Frequency, Kenneth?
• Time After Time
• Driver 8
• Man Sized Wreath
• Walk Unafraid
• Hollow Man
• Ignoreland
• Houston
• Electrolite
• (Don't Go Back to) Rockville
• Auctioneer (Another Engine)
• Harborcoat
• The One I Love
• I've Been High
• Let Me In
• Bad Day
• Horse To Water
• Orange Crush
• I'm Gonna DJ

Encores:

• Supernatural Superserious
• Losing My Religion
• Pretty Persuasion
• Nightswimming
• Fall On Me
• Man on the Moon

[AP photo from NYC concert]

"Another suburban family morning..."

Now that The Police are about to wrap up their reunion tour and call it quits again, who out there needs a fix of the good stuff?

Today, Amazon.com has a deal that not even our trio of morose Englishmen can turn down. For $1.99, you can download the entire Synchronicity album. Click here to see the details.

(Sadly, you can't omit "Mother" and "Miss Gradenko" from the automatic download.)

If you haven't heard our Stuck in the 80s podcast tribute to this landmark 80s album, click here to download the show.