Ferris Bueller's high school mascot is ....

Turns out the fictional Shermer High School mascot is a bulldog! Not very original, but that trivia question has been bugging the '80s nation for some time now.

By the way, there's a ton of Shermer High merchandise to be had at Cafepress.com. (Also the home of the Stuck in the '80s souvenir stand.)

Other famous '80s high school mascots:

RIDGEMONT HIGH: That'd be the "Wolf" -- the same mascot of Van Nuys High School, where most of the school scenes were shot for Fast Times at Ridgemont High.

HOLLYWOOD HIGH: That's where Randy and Fred go in Valley Girl. And that makes them "Sheiks."

HICKORY HIGH: In the movie Hoosiers, our little underdogs are "Huskers." Though the school the story is based on is actually Milan High, whose mascot is the "Indian."

TOPSAIL HIGH: The high school in the 1987 Jon Cryer flick Hiding Out is actually Topsail High School, located near Wilmington, N.C. So that makes "Maxwell Howser" a "Pirate."

BEACON TOWN HIGH: In Teen Wolf, Michael J. Fox was a werewolf, but more importantly, he was a "Beaver."

WESTERBERG HIGH: Hmmm, the high school in Heathers is named after Paul Westerberg of The Replacements. And that would make the mascot ... an empty beer bottle?

Still trying to figure out the high school mascots for Last American Virgin, Porky's, Lucas and any others you can dream up.

Worst horror movies of the '80s

You can spend Halloween night going out, trolling for candy and toilet-papering Sean Daly's house. Or you can do what I do. Stay home, pour a tall glass of amber-colored refreshment and queue up a truly awful horror movie.

Oh, you thought I'd say "good" horror movie? Truth be told, I don't like scary movies at all, unless there's a chance I can scam the Vegas Girlfriend into jumping into my lap during the tenser moments. Rather, I prefer schlock cinema on nights like this.

WORST 5 HORROR MOVIES OF THE '80s:

5. MAXIMUM OVERDRIVE (1986): Emilio Estevez, Pat Hingle. "Buy cheap and sell dear. It's the American way."

4. MANIAC (1980): Joe Spinell, Caroline Munro. "I told you not to go out tonight didn't I? Every time you go out this kind of thing happens."

3. SILENT NIGHT, DEADLY NIGHT (1984): Lilyan Chauvin, Gilmer McCormick. ''Mommy, you shouldn't have said that. It's naughty to say bad things about old people. Santa Claus will punish you!''

2. APRIL FOOL'S DAY (1986): Jay Baker, Deborah Foreman. "It's gotta be better than nice. It's gotta be bloody unforgettable."

1. MOTEL HELL (1980): Rory Calhoun, Paul Linke. "It takes all kinds of critters to make Farmer Vincent's fritters."

[Photo from Motel Hell]

A Munster ... err ... Jackson family reunion

The Internet is all abuzz with the latest speculation about a Jackson family reunion. 

Jermaine Jackson, 53, Jackie, 57, Tito, 55, Marlon, 51, and Randy, 47, all are aboard, according to Reuters. The current plan is to record a new album and head out on a world tour in 2009. However, the word on Michael's participation is a little more tentative. Some news outlets have him in, others have him out.

"My brothers and sisters have my full love and support, and we've certainly shared many great experiences, but at this time I have no plans to record or tour with them," Michael said a statement reported by Reuters.

Still, in other reports, his brothers say Michael will indeed play some role in the world tour. Sister Janet Jackson is planned as the opening act, says eonline.com.

[Getty Images]

Another cool costume party

Are you ready for another '80s costume party?

The Contemporaries of the Museum of Fine Arts and the Zodiac Group of the Salvador Dalí Museum are hosting El Dia De Los Muertos on Saturday, Nov. 1. The "Day of the Dead" party is at the Museum of Fine Arts, 255 Beach Drive in St. Petersburg, from 8 to 11 p.m.

Those attending are encouraged to dress their scariest '80s attire (the zombies from Thriller? George Michael from his Faith video?). Prizes will be awarded.

Live music will mix with DJ action. Mexican food and premium cocktails are planned. The event benefits both museums. Zapata's Authentic Mexican Restaurant and Tequila Bar (111 Second Avenue NE) will host an after-party.

Tickets are $30 for Zodiac Group and Contemporaries members; $40 for nonmembers. (It's an additional $10 fee for tickets at the door.) Tickets are available online here.

Last-minute '80s costume ideas

Right, like anyone has time to dramatically change their Halloween outfits at this point. Well, some of us don't even have plans to attend any parties this year (sniff), so just bookmark this blog item for next year.

This tip courtesy of the Vegas Girlfriend, who considers Halloween the most sacred of all holidays: Go as a famous '80s couple. Here are some of her suggestions:

ZACK and PAULA (An Officer and a Gentleman): Figure on needing an officer's uniform from the Navy to pull this one off. Just let the female friend wear the hat. No need to carry her around the whole party though. (Seriously. Don't.) If you want to go as a male-male couple, just go as "Zack" and "Sid." Just don't re-create the shower scene. (Seriously. Don't.)

HUNTER S. THOMPSON and LAZLO (Where the Buffalo Roam): Sure, it's been done. Most famously by myself. But it never gets old. And chances are you have the outfits in the closet already.

DREAD PIRATE ROBERTS and PRINCESS BUTTERCUP (Princess Bride): What? You don't have a pirate outfit or a tiara already? Inconceivable!

PRINCESS LILY and SATAN (Legend): No way! Nobody is stealing this one. This is my idea for next Halloween. Just give me 10 months of eating vegetarian, a personal trainer and a someone who knows how to make really great horns.

JAKE and ELWOOD BLUES (The Blues Brothers): Everyone forgets that this timeless classic was released in 1980. Some friends and I actually finished in third place back in 1984, doing Soul Man during a lip synch competition at good old Countryside High.

PRIS and ROY BATTY (Blade Runner): This is more attitude than costume. I just want to wander all around some party, going up to total strangers and saying, "Time to die!"

What other great couple costumes are we forgetting about?

Don't get me wrong: Did Chrissie play here?

Hey gang, here's a question that's been nagging Karen of Orlando. See if anyone can help her out:

Hello. I'm in the way-back machine and trying to get the date of the concert I saw at the Sun Dome in the late '80s. Might have been 1987 or 88? Chrissie Hynde and The Pretenders rocked the place, and three of us motored over from Orlando for the show.

It was one of the best live performances I've ever seen and I've seen a lot of concerts. Trouble is one of my friends who went along now claims she never saw the Pretenders at all and wasn't even with us! Anyway, I was just curious if you or anyone from the blog was there or maybe remember this show.

Chrissie made a comment about how we should all bomb Burger Kings, and I think she had to issue an apology later. I also remember how she said it was tacky but she used the chrome plate on the front of her guitar as a mirror and added more makeup, not that she needed more. Anyway, she's such a great performer, it was a great show. Any clues or recollection of it?  Anyone who might know the date?

A thousand thank-yous from Karen in O-town...

[AP photo]

Night of the Never-Ending Horror Movie List

"You wanna see something really scary?" How about the sight of a blogger regurgitating the same old tired list every Halloween?

Yep, welcome to the resurrection of our list of best horror films of the '80s.

The list was generated two years ago by reader suggestions, reviews of the movies and a little personal opinion here and there. It's not as long as our previous lists of best comedies, worst songs, best videos and worst films. But it'll still give you a great guide to picking movies to watch between now and the end of the weekend.

Excerpts from critic reviews are only included in the top 5 for this list. Critics are traditionally harsh on horror movies and their comments weren't pretty beyond the very best of the movies. I picked the "taglines" for the rest of the flicks.

Enjoy the list and remember: "You can't choose between life and death when we're dealing with what is in between."

TOP 20 HORROR FILMS OF THE '80s:

20. Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 (1986): Dennis Hooper, Caroline Williams. "After a decade of silence... The buzzz is back!"

19. C.H.U.D. (1984): Daniel Stern, John Heard. "You Won't Want To Know What It Means."

18. The Changeling (1980): George C. Scott, Jean Marsh. "Whatever you do...DON'T GO INTO THE ATTIC."

17. Hellraiser (1987): Andrew Robinson, Clare Higgins. "Demon to some. Angel to others."

16. The Evil Dead (1981): Bruce Campbell, Ellen Sandweiss. "The Ultimate Experience In Grueling Terror."

15. Fright Night (1985): Chris Sarandon, William Ragsdale. "If you love being scared, it'll be the night of your life."

14. House on Sorority Row (1983): Kate McNeil, Eileen Davidson. "Sisters in life. Sisters in death."

13. Re-Animator (1985): Jeffrey Combs, Bruce Abbott. "Herbert West Has A Very Good Head On His Shoulders... And Another One In A Dish On His Desk."

12. The Lost Boys (1987): Jason Patric, Corey Haim. "Sleep all day. Party all night. Never grow old. Never die. It's fun to be a vampire."

11. Dressed to Kill (1980): Michael Caine, Angie Dickinson. "Every Nightmare Has A Beginning ... This One Never Ends."

10. A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984): Johnny Depp, Robert Englund. "A scream that wakes you up, might be your own."

9. The Believers (1987): Martin Sheen, Helen Shaver. "They exist. Fear them."

8. Return of the Living Dead (1985): Clu Gulager, James Karen. "They're back ... They're Hungry ... And they're NOT vegetarian."

7. Prince of Darkness (1987): Donald Pleasance, Jameson Parker. "It is evil. It is real. It is awakening."

6. Christine (1983): Keith Gordon, John Stockwell. "Hell hath no Fury ... like Christine."

The top 5...

5. The Shining (1980): Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall. One critic said: "It is not just a great horror film; it is a psychological profile of how people wrestle with their unsavory pasts."

4. Night of the Creeps (1986): Jason Lively, Steve Marshall. One critic said: "Rarely is a horror comedy as much fun to watch as this movie is."

3. American Werewolf in London (1981): David Naughton, Jenny Agutter. One critic said: "It may be one of the best endings to any movie, ever."

2. The Thing (1982): Kurt Russell, Wilford Brimley. One critic said: "If you don't repeatedly drop your jaw and gape at the screen in disbelief, you might need to lay off the PCP."

1. Poltergeist (1982): Craig T. Nelson, JoBeth Williams. One critic said: "This is the movie The Amityville Horror dreamed of being."

The scariest scenes: The face-ripping scene, that dreaded clown, the bodies floating in the pool. The list goes on and on. The cast of Poltergeist was virtually unknown before the movie. And though ToBe Hooper (Texas Chainsaw Massacre) is given credit for directing it, rumor had it that writer Steven Spielberg often took control of the shooting, giving this move the quintessential 80s feel.

So there's the list. Feel free to share your darts and laurels.

Speaking of horror flicks...

We have two Halloween podcasts from previous years to choose from, if you're in the mood for a real fright. Either pick our Halloween audio commentary from earlier this month, or our shorter and livelier (i.e. more sober) podcast honoring our favorite horror flicks of the decade from a few years ago.

What the fashionable Commie-fighters wear

A new dispatch from the fence-line at Guantanamo Bay and Jeff in Cuba. Take it away, Commander:

This weekend was the annual GTMO Fall Festival.  It's a big fundraiser and also a chance to get a sneak peek at all the kids' Halloween costumes. And even though no parental influence was applied, my sixth-grader -- "Daisy in Cuba" -- chose an '80s motif for her 2008 outfit. 

I thought I'd share a photo so you can see how kids today interpret our favorite decade. It's a fairly accurate reproduction. In fact, it's a little TOO accurate. 

It's more than a little off-putting to see your daughter in the same trappings as the objects of your own adolescent desires.

Thanks, Jeff! It could have been worse. She could have dressed as "Daisy Duke!"

Finally a prom worth going to!

Time to take a short timeout from merely reading about the '80s and actually enjoy them again firsthand. The MAD Theatre of Tampa is throwing "A Totally Electric '80s Prom" on Saturday, Nov. 1.

The event is a fundraiser for the theater group and features a night of dancing, dining, drinks and even the crowning of a prom king and queen. The best part: It also has live entertainment by the official Stuck in the '80s cover band Rubix Cubed!

DRESS CODE: '80s prom attire is encouraged, but not required. However, if you show up in '80s attire, there's a good chance you'll score some cool door prizes.

SILENT AUCTION: Because it's a fundraiser, expect a wide variety of things that you can bid on, including signed souvenirs by Bucs players, a Rays jersey, gift certificates and baskets.

TICKET GIVEAWAY: Tickets are $45 for a single ticket, $40 a ticket when you buy multiple tickets. All of this includes full dinner, door prizes and entertainment. But I do have two free tickets to give away! Just e-mail me at stuckinthe80s@tampabay.com and I'll draw one name for a pair of tickets.

The prom is from 7 to 11 p.m. at the Quorum Hotel in Tampa. For tickets, call (813) 386-6173 or go to stagetix.com.

This week's podcast? 'It's purely sexual'

Finally, the identity of Vegas Girlfriend is revealed! Just take a look at this paparazzi snapshot taken of us over the weekend while the VGF was in town for a short visit.

Well, close enough.

While her name and likeness remain shrouded in mystery, our misadventures are chronicled in this week's Stuck in the '80s podcast, featuring our list of "Messed-up Date Movies of the '80s."

What's the premise? Basically, the VGF and I have come to realize that only she and I would be turned on by watching flicks like Blue Velvet and The Hunger on a first date. So we decided to share our social dysfunction with the rest of the '80s nation. Enjoy the hour-long adventure of awkwardness.

(And yes, I know the clip of Bachelor Party is screwed up. I'm trying to fix it. Where's the Maestro when I need him?)

Click here to download the show. Or click here to get all our shows for free via iTunes.

Simon Le Bon is 50!

Here's what is really depressing. It's not that Simon Le Bon turned 50 years old this week.

No, what's really depressing is that even though he's the probably the least-sought-after babe magnet in Duran Duran, even though his looks have faded far faster than his bandmates, and even though our beloved New Romantic band just put out the worst album of its career, any red-blooded English-speaking male would crawl through a mile of broken glass to trade lives with good ole Simon Le Bon.

(Come here, Simon, and finish editing this podcast and attend my 10:30 news meeting. I'd like to go sing Ordinary World in front of 100,000 screaming females in Brazil.)

TOP 5 FAVORITE SIMON LE BON PERFORMANCES:

5. FALLING DOWN: "Could I find someone out there to help me?" [Video]

4. MY ANTARCTICA: "We make love to make our heat. And we throb in my Antarctica." [Video]

3. HOLD BACK THE RAIN: "The clouds all scatter and we ride the outside lane." [Listen]

2. PLANET EARTH: "You'll see I'm right some other time." [Video]

1. THE CHAUFFEUR: "And the droning engine throbs in time with your beating heart." [Video]

[Times photo]

Back to work, Gib!

Poor John Cusack. I finally know how he feels. See you again at Thanksgiving, "Nicollette."

On a somewhat related note, my long-vanished DVD copy of The Sure Thing was unearthed over the weekend (oddly enough while looking for my still-missing copy of Woody Allen's Manhattan).

This next part is a bit embarrassing. The Sure Thing was wedged between Everything You Wanted To Know About Sex and Last American Virgin, thus confirming everyone's worst fear: Yes, I do have an entire shelf of '80s sex movies in the Spears Lair.

While I get busy here at work dealing with this weekend's podcast and preparing for next week's surprise topic, here's a quickie top 5 list.

TOP 5 LINES FROM BIT CHARACTERS IN 'THE SURE THING':

5. "I had some more fried food for lunch. I know, I know, I shouldn't have had it but I just couldn't help myself. Do you think I lack self-discipline?"

4. "Hi, I'm Gary Cooper, but not the Gary Cooper that's dead."

3. "Thoughts raced through his mind. Did she really want him? What had he done to deserve this bounty? Does God exist? Who invented liquid soap and why?"

2. "I was in Paris once with my wife... boy am I glad she's dead."

1. "I hope you appreciate the magnitude of your impending good fortune."

SIT80s ... the Facebook page!

Because you can never get enough Stuck in the '80s, there's now an official Facebook group for the podcast and blog.

Of course, everyone is invited to join. Click here to get there. It's brand new, so it's not yet populated with all the bells and whistles. But feel free to upload photos and such. We'll get this sucker moving.

If you're feeling social, you can "friend" me on Facebook as well. Just click here.

Name the '80s most overrated actors

They used to thrill us. Now they just irritate us. They act with their eyes. They phone it in. And yet, we cooed over them for 10 long years.

They're the "Most Overrated Actors of the '80s" and they haunt our dreams to this day. Just turn on cable TV and you'll find Pretty in Pink and leading contender Andrew McCarthy -- wig firmly in place, unfairly stealing Andie away from Duckie. Damn you, Andrew. Why is it that pasty-faced never-will-be thespians like yourself always end up stealing the hot redheads?

We're compiling a list of the "Most Overrated Actors" from our favorite decade, and we want your help. (Not your help, Emilio Estevez ... you've been enough trouble already.) Leave us a comment with your nominations and in a week or so, we'll roll out the full list.

In the meantime, here are today's suggestions from Vegas Girlfriend live from the Spears Lair. (Her comments verbatim, of course, between episodes of SpongeBob SquarePants.)

ANDREW McCARTHY: "Whiny. And I agree with Cathy Wos ... he acts with his eyes. I haven't seen St. Elmo's Fire in so long, and I'm pretty sure it's because of Andrew McCarthy."

KEANU REEVES: "Dude. So miscast in Dangerous Liaisons. That's just the most striking crime against humanity."

JULIA ROBERTS: "Awww, the big horse face was in Miami Vice. That's sorta cool. But I was so glad when they killed her off in Steel Magnolias."

MEL GIBSON: "Ugh. His homophobic anti-semitic comments aside, with the exception of the sex scene in Tequila Sunrise (sigh ... Spearsy, come here!), Mad Max can just go away. ... Now can we watch Buffy?"

DEMI MOORE: (No Buffy 'til we name one more!) "Fine! How about Demi, then. Her and Ashton Kutcher deserve each other. But there is that sex scene in About Last Night. (Umm ... Spearsy?)"

What actors -- male and female -- are we neglecting to skewer?

Xanadu, your neon lights will still shine

The famous Broadway success built on the ashes of an infamous '80s silver-screen flop, Xanadu has finally ended its epic run on Broadway.

The Tony Award-winning musical played 512 performances over its run at the Helen Hayes Theatre, according to PlayBill. The crappy economy gets most of the blame for making it hard for theater-going '80s fans like myself to afford play tickets.

But the good news is that it could be coming to your town soon. A national tour is in the works, PlayBill says, with a six-month stay in Chicago planned and foreign productions on the slate for London, China, Australia and the Philippines.

Is it worth seeing? Hell yeah. Times performing arts critic John Fleming caught the show on Broadway back in August, while Whoopi Goldberg was in the production, and raved about it.

Visit the official website for the latest news and dates.

Surprise. Madonna can't really direct either

I'm not Madonna-bashing today. I leave that to my good friend, Chicago Sun-Times film god Roger Ebert, who truly seems to despise her directing debut in Filth and Wisdom.

"The pop-music star's directing debut is a pointless exercise in 'shocking' behavior, involving characters in London so shallow that the most sympathetic is the lecherous Indian dentist who is supposed to be a villain, maybe," Ebert writes.

The fetish-heavy flick revolves around three males living in London during tough times. The actors aren't household names, though Ebert saves his best zingers for the crumpled celebrity in the director's chair.

"Of course films that are about sexual fetishes can be fascinating," he writes. "Remember Secretary, about S&M, or The Crying Game, about transvestism, or Kissed, about necrophilia. All very good films. But in simply observing the fact of a fetish, the old 'frisson' is gone. I mention this because Madonna still gets intrigued, I guess, simply by regarding a stripper sliding down a pole."

Maybe she should have picked up a few industry tips from estranged hubby Guy Ritchie before tossing him to the curb.

Click here to read Ebert's full review.

[AP photo]

Birthday throwdown: Kline vs. Abraham

Two significant '80s birthdays today: Kevin Kline turns 61 and F. Murray Abraham turns 69.

Both had their hits and misses during our beloved decade. Both seem to resist the celebrity spotlight. And they both still get a kick out of performing on stage rather than on the big screen.

Let's break it down and see which Oscar-winning actor deserves the bigger slice of b-day cake today.

HIGH MARK:
Kline: You may have loved him as "Harold" in 1983's The Big Chill, but Kline took home the gold statue for playing "Otto" in A Fish Called Wanda.
Abraham: You want me to say "Omar Suarez" in 1983's Scarface. But you gotta go with his Oscar-winning turn as "Antonio Salieri" in 1984's Amadeus. (The movie, not the Falco song.)
Advantage: Each actor had two signature roles here, but Kline's turn as South African newspaper publisher Donald Wood in Cry Freedom clinches it.

LOW MARK:
Kline: The obvious choice might seem to be The January Man from 1989. But that's because you forget he played "The Pirate King" in 1983's The Pirates of Penzance.
Abraham: I can honestly say the only other movie I've seen of his in the '80s was 1989's An Innocent Man (the movie, not the Billy Joel song) with Tom Selleck.
Advantage: Sorry, but Abraham actually saved Innocent Man, so he wins here.

OUTSIDE THE '80s:
Kline: So many great roles here, including Dave (1993), Chaplin (1992), The Ice Storm (1997). Only stinkers like Fierce Creatures (1997), Wild Wild West (1999) and The Pink Panther (2006) taint his legacy.
Abraham: Where do we start? As "D.A. Abe Weiss" in Bonfire of the Vanities? As the villains in the horrendous Last Action Hero or Star Trek Insurrection? Nothing tops him playing "Noah" in Muppets From Space.
Advantage: Kline, because if he ever made a Star Trek movie, he'd be cooler than Capts. Kirk and Picard combined.

INTANGIBLES:
Kline: Do I have to say it? (He's married to Phoebe Cates.)
Abraham: The "F" stands for Fahrid (though he sometimes went as "Frank").
Advantage: Sorry, Frank. Kevin wins. Also because we want to see Phoebe help blow out the birthday candles.

Get your '80s fix ... for $3 a pop

Good news for DVD addicts like myself. Just received this important bulletin from Tampa-based Stuck in the '80s correspondent Dominic Casario:

"Steve -- I was in Big Lots today looking for some cheap crap when I came across the DVD bin. Instead of the usual rotten transfers of public domain movies like Night of the Living Dead it was filled with tons of '80s movies for $3! There was a mixture of good and bad (and some very bad) movies, including a few recently mentioned on Stuck in the '80s, including:"

• Bright Lights, Big City
• Red Dawn
• The Flamingo Kid
• The Rachel Papers
• Young Doctors In Love
• Valley Girl
• Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2
• Johnny Be Good
• Beat Street

"And so many more I can't remember the titles. This was at the store on Florida and Bearss in Tampa. I don't know if this deal is available in every Big Lots, but I thought you might want to give the '80s Nation a heads up."

[Anybody up for a road trip to Big Lots today?]

Go away, Guns N' Roses ... please

Does anybody still really care about Guns N' Roses and their Chinese Democracy album? I mean, come on -- they've been putting the finishing touches on it since I worked the grill at McDonald's at Countryside Mall my junior year in high school. And yet, I'm compelled to include the news from the Associated Press:

Geffen Records has announced that the band's eagerly awaited album will be released Nov. 23 at Best Buy stores and the retail chain's Web site. "Chinese Democracy" is the first album of new Guns N' Roses material since 1991's "Use Your Illusion I" and "Use Your Illusion II."

If you think I was tough on AC/DC's Black Ice album, wait 'til I get my hands on this albatross of a project. Guns 'N Roses is going to be a trivia question answer in about another 60 days.

Another happy Journey anniversary

OCT. 22, 1981 ... Lakeland Civic Center, Lakeland, Fla.: Journey with special guests Loverboy.

This is the concert that basically started Stuck in the '80s, gang, so I celebrate it each year with the usual traditions (the wearing of a pitifully undersized jersey concert shirt, followed by the inhaling of Chicken McNuggets, a strawberry shake and a big ole bag of stink-weed).

No, no. I'm kidding on that last part (it was a chocolate shake.) JOKE! I was 14 years old, so no illegal substances were involved. Instead, what I got was Steve Perry and Co. on their Escape tour -- probably the most surreal and perfect concert experience ... at least to someone without a driver's license.

Here's my retro-review of the concert that changed everything.

GENERAL ADMISSION: In those days, if you want a front-row seat just get there early and run to the stage when the doors opened. (Send a friend to buy your concert shirt.) And yeah, there are no seats. So enjoy standing up for the next 5 hours or so.

WORKING FOR THE WEEKEND: At that point in time, we'd maybe heard one Loverboy song on the radio -- Working for the Weekend. I'm not even sure their names were on the ticket stub (which cost about $12 back then). But the boys from Canada made a quick impression. I'm pretty sure they convinced half the audience to buy a Loverboy disc within the following 48 hours.

'THIS IS MY ESCAPE:' Per tradition, Journey opened with the title cut of the new album -- Escape. Not a memorable song per se. But I still get chills hearing it today. The next song -- Line of Fire, complete with a pyrotechnic explosion instead of a gunshot at the big moment halfway through.

DON'T STOP BELIEVING: Another Journey tradition -- changing the lyrics to their signature hit to reflect whatever town they're playing that night. "Just a city boy, born and raised ... right here in Lakeland."(FYI, nobody would make the mistake of calling Lakeland an actual city.)

PRESERVED FOREVER: The Escape tour lives on, thanks to a Steve Perry-produced DVD of the tour's stop in Houston, just a mere week after the Lakeland show. Yes, I own it. (And yes, I'll be watching it again today.)

WHY I REMEMBER THE DATE: October 22 also happens to be the birthday of Momma Spearsy, who was kind enough to let me attend what would become my first concert. Every year on this date, I call her in the morning and ask if she remembers the day of the Journey concert. She merely responds: "I just remember it made you so happy." Thanks and happy birthday, Mom!

[Listen to our podcast interview with Journey bassist Ross Valory, whose fly is open in the publicity photo above]

We wanna be with him night and day

Yes, yes, I've heard it all week. Peter Frampton is not Stuck in the '80s. If you ask him, he's not stuck in the '70s either. But he's still a guitar god that we all listened to during our golden decade, right? ("And we're going to destroy Lincoln next week, all RIGHT?!??")

Ya know, I'm tired of being a Spirit Bunny for the '70s revival here. ("It bugs the heck out of Dina and me!") But here's a link to my epic interview with Frampton anyway.

And I double-dog dare you to try to get Baby I Love Your Way outta your head after hearing the show.

A 'Once in a Lifetime' live appearance

Cool news: Former Talking Heads frontman and eclectic solo artist extraordinaire David Byrne's fall 2008 is bringing him to Tampa on Dec. 12.

The tour, which touts a setlist of songs by Byrne and Brian Eno (who's NOT appearing), starts Thursday in Cleveland. The Tampa gig is set for the historic Tampa Theatre, dare I say the perfect venue for an act like Byrne. (Click here for a full list of dates.)

Yes, the setlist will include Talking Heads songs. If you want a fuller, and very creepy, explanation from Byrne himself (complete with a plastic bunny mask), click here for the tour announcement video.

And when I say "creepy," it's a term of love. You can bet I'll be trying to get Mr. Byrne on the phone for a podcast interview before the show here.

'Black Ice' brings the heat - just not enough

The old knock is that all AC/DC albums sound alike. But that's a compliment, not a curse, to the hard-rocking lads from Australia.

The band's new disc Black Ice, their first studio offering in eight years, has everything you've come to expect from AC/DC: catchy guitar riffs by Angus and Malcolm Young, pounding drums and bass by Phil Rudd and Cliff Williams, and that never-aging growling howl of singer Brian Johnson.

Is it up to the standards of Highway to Hell and Back in Black from their heyday? No, but those discs remain works of art that aren't likely to be topped anytime soon. Here are some first impressions from Black Ice:

TOP HEAVY: Welcome to the 21st century, where every new CD puts all the hits right up front. I miss the old days of gems sprinkled through side 1 and 2 of vinyl, but I'll settle for likable tunes Rock 'N Roll Train (Video) and Skies of Fire (Listen) being tracks 1 and 2 instead. Figure on those being included in the Black Ice tour setlist.

ANYTHING GOES: Listen to Anything Goes and you'll wonder, "How did a Bryan Adams song get on the disc?" No, it's a Young brothers production, but the riffs are missing and replaced with cutesy choruses and silly little chord-play. "A heavy rocking tune is playing, playing as the night rolls on. Sneaking off with the Romeo, where she goes, nobody knows." It's a pure oddity.

SAY WHAT?: Smash and Grab (listen) is a fun song for a Saturday night of power-drinking, though the lyrics are purely for decoration. "Come on in and just smash, grab and take it while you can. Smash, grab and take it. Hey hey hey yeah!"

THIS SONG IS CALLED ...: Four of 15 songs on the disc have "Rock" in the title. Aside from Rock 'N Roll Train, they're all forgettable. Rock 'N Roll Dream (listen) just puts you to sleep during its unusually long, 4:41 running time. Rocking All the Way (listen) sounds so unremarkable, it will make you think you just heard this cut two songs ago. And for some reason, She Likes Rock 'N Roll (listen) sounds like something off the KISS Destroyer album -- just add face paint, dragon boots and a rising drum platform.

ROCK AND ROOTSY: Stormy May Day surprises with some slide guitar, making it sound like a good theme song for cable Cajun vampire fest True Blood. I'd love to see this performed live and see how it evolves onstage. (Listen)

BUY OR NO BUY: If you're a big-time AC/DC fan, you probably need to own this. Plus, Wal-Mart, which has an exclusive retail lock on the album, has a killer display stand, featuring a ton of retro AC/DC concert shirts and older remastered discs by the band to promote the new disc. So you can upgrade your wardrobe and music collection at the same time.

Duran Duran loves Barack Obama

Well, at least bassist John Taylor does. I think Obama just landed the entire 35- to 45-year-old female demographic with that endorsement.

Anyone want to guess which '80s musicians might pimp for John McCain? Lately, it seems the only thing bands are saying to him is "stop using our music." Van Halen, Jackson Brown, John Mellencamp and Heart have all come out and asked the Republican candidate to stop using their songs during the campaign.

The only somewhat '80s artist I've seen on the trail for McCain is Charlie Daniels. Though Devil Went Down to Georgia makes for a creepy campaign tune.

Show me the way, Peter

Look who's calling me tomorrow for a short chat -- it's Peter Frampton! Now before all the "you're stuck in the '70s now" comments start up, lemme assure you -- Frampton belongs to EVERY one of us!

(Except you 20-something slackers -- you're not ready for Frampton yet. Just ask your parents about him, but don't be freaked out if they just give you a shy knowing smile and wink at each other.)

He's playing Clearwater's Ruth Eckerd Hall on Friday (Oct. 24) but he and I will shoot the breeze on Tuesday afternoon for a while. What will I ask him? As usual, that's partly up to you! As always, I'm taking your question ideas.

But you can be sure I'll ask about Frampton Comes Alive (best live recording ever? You tell me!), his Grammy Award win last year and, of course, his Geico commercial. (I'd love to know how much money that insurance giant blows a year on celebrity cameos. Though Peter's talk-box version rocks.)

Leave your questions below, and then pull that dusty double-set of vinyl out of the closet and queue up some Baby I Love Your Way. (You know you love it.)

[Photo by David Dobson]

'Put me in, Coach ... I'm ready to play'

Days like this, I'm glad I don't work on Mondays. That's all I'm saying.

Pick our next SIT80s podcast topic

Are you ready to do a great service to Stuck in the '80s and to Spearsy in general? Here's the deal. Next weekend, the Vegas Girlfriend makes her first-ever visit to the Tampa Bay area and the infamous Spears Lair  (remarkably similar to this scene in Joe's Apartment, but without the fancy NYC location).

There will be much frivolity, but she and I also wanted to record a podcast while she's in town. The big question: What should we talk about? ("So, umm, it's warmer here in Florida, isn't it? Umm, how's your soda?")

To be honest, we're not finding a lot of common ground. She wants to talk about Married With Children (not only did I not watch the show, but those three words strike terror into my heart). I mentioned talking about The Sure Thing ("Nick's your friend, Nick's your bud. The kind of guy who doesn't mind if you puke in his car. Nick..."). But the Vegas Girlfriend was scarred in her youth by a cross-country car trip and reliving the experience on a podcast isn't likely going to set the right tone for our first meeting since the Regeneration Tour concert weekend.

So we appeal to you: Suggest a podcast topic for us. We'd even be happy to do a call-in show ("Ask the VGF!") We'd likely record it Saturday or Sunday. You can pretty much assume Sean Daly will sit this one out: He usually reserves weekends for his Fantasy Lumberjack Camp expeditions.

New podcast ... just not sure what it's about

Are you ready for some old-school podcasting? Lots of sugar, off-color jokes and Sean Daly baring his horribly awkward asexual teen life out for the masses?

Good news -- that's basically the only appeal of this week's Stuck in the '80s podcast, which honors the Top 10 Movie Songs of the '80s.

Oh, you'll recognize the tunes alright. It's the same mess o' songs we're subjected to endlessly on those '80s FM stations that don't seem to have a music catalog deeper than a couple of compilation discs. But that's not the real genius of this week's show.

Instead, be prepared to meet another Sean sex object of the '80s -- female this time -- with a last name that's completely unpronounceable to people living outside New England. And be ready for the tender, bro-mance of love between two guys who realize they're only together for the sake of the '80s Nation.

Get a box of tissues. Then click here to download. Or click here to get all our shows for free via iTunes.

Raiders of the lost art of ranking films

Empire, the prestigious film magazine, has just published its list of the 500 greatest movies of all time. How many are in the '80s? Plenty.

So plentiful in fact that the home office assigned Miguel Duarte, the Portugal bureau chief of Stuck in the '80s, to tally up the flicks appearing in just the top 100. Feel free to go through the whole list and let us know other interesting finds and trends.

Here's the list, along with their position in the ranking:

2. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
3. Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
11. Raging Bull (1980)
20. Blade Runner (1982)
23. Back to the Future (1985)
29. Die Hard (1988)
30. Aliens (1986)
47. E.T. (1982)
48. This Is Spinal Tap (1984)
49. Evil Dead 2 (1987)
52. The Shining (1980)
60. Come and See (1985) - Russian movie
70. Stand By Me (1986)
83. Brazil (1985)
85. Blue Velvet (1986)
87. The King of Comedy (1983)
88. Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986)
90. When Harry Met Sally (1989)
91. Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (1983)
92. Once Upon a Time in America (1984)

Curious what the No. 1 movie was? The Godfather, of course. What was the last movie on the list? The 2001 remake of Ocean's Eleven. The lowest ranked '80s flick? Back to the Future Part II (No. 498). Biggest '80s injustice? I mean, aside from ranking Empire Strikes Back being so ridiculously high. That'd be ranking Full Metal Jacket (No. 457) behind Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (No. 453). To paraphrase Gunnery Sgt. Hartman: "What is your major malfunction, Empire?!?"

Click here to browse the list.

Meet one rapper who's stuck in the 80s

Jonah Sorrentino is perhaps the only Christian hip-hop artist who proudly admit he's "stuck in the '80s."

How much so? He's actually recorded a rap song called Stuck in the '80s. Click here to download and listen to his song.

"The original inspiration came from a song I did where I said, 'I think I'm stuck in the '80s, shout-out to all the fellas and the ladies,' " Sorrentino says. "I had a friend and he was like 'Man you're stuck in the '80s man!' because all I would do is keep talking to him about the '80s movies, songs, etc."

Sorrentino, who performs under the stagename kj-52, grew up in the Tampa Bay area, attending schools in Palm Harbor and Tarpon Springs before moving to Fort Myers before high school graduation.

The new single Stuck in the '80s appears on his album The Yearbook, which was re-released this week. He's planning to film a video for it at a rollerskating rink in December (and he's asked Sean Daly and me to appear in it.)

"I think the appeal of '80s now comes with the fact that it is such  a definable decade," he says. "It has such a clear image in my opinion that is much more definable than many other decades, from the music, movies, clothing, politics. Eighties babies have been clearly influenced by all aspects of it that it's impossible to shake. Plus I think the music was the bomb-diggity."

Well said, sir. But Christian rapping?

"I didn't really aim to jump into Christian hip-hop," he explains. "It was just a kind of natural outgrowth of my decision to turn my life around. The music was an natural progression of what was going on in my life."

Click here to visit kj's official Web site. The album The Yearbook is available via iTunes and in Christian bookstores.

[Publicity photo]

Top 5 underrated songs by Mr. Loaf

Everyone knows the hits from Bat Out of Hell and Bat Out of Hell II: Back Into Hell, but are those the only tasty morsels from Meat Loaf?

Those are just the appetizers, insists uber-fan Sherrie Williams of Largo. "If you go to Meat Loaf's show at Clearwater's Ruth Eckerd Hall this Friday," she says, "you may hear one or two of these gems if you hit a lucky night on the set list."

TOP 5 MOST UNDERRATED MEAT LOAF SONGS:
(Commentary by the Sher-meister herself)

5. COULDN'T HAVE SAID IT BETTER MYSELF (2003): The title track from the most recent non-Bat out of Hell studio album features frequent Meat Loaf partner Patti Russo in a bombastic duet. "I will take your body language and hold it against you tonight." [Listen]

4. TESTIFY (2003): This gospel- and blues-tinged tale of a strung-out trucker who finds redemption at a roadside revival features audio clips from the 1986 Ralph Macchio film Crossroads. That's a sure sign of quality for '80s Nation, but this song will get you on your feet even without the benefit of the Karate Kid's blessing. "Could you be the salvation 'cause I never felt like this before. And, could you lend me your hand because I'm falling back on the floor." [Listen]

3. I'D LIE FOR YOU (AND THAT'S THE TRUTH) (1995): I've always thought of this song as a lesser-known companion to the monster hit I Would Do Anything for Love (But I Won't Do That). It also features Patti Russo and is unfailingly lush, romantic and drama soaked -- everything a great Meat Loaf song should be. "I'd lie for you and that's the truth. Move mountains if you want me to. I'd walk across the fire for you. I'd walk on the wild for you. If you'd just believe in me." [Listen]

2. BAD FOR GOOD (2006): This is a Jim Steinman penned song that didn't appear on a Meat Loaf album until 2006's Bat Out of Hell III: The Monster is Loose, but it has been performed by Meat Loaf across three decades. Classic Steinman lyrics, soaring guitars -- this song is quintessential Meat Loaf. (Plus, it's my ringtone on my cell phone so that should count for something, right?) "And you think that I'll be bad for just a little while. But I know that I'll be bad for good." [Listen]

1. OUT OF THE FRYING PAN (AND INTO THE FIRE) (1993): This song is big and brash, just like Meat Loaf himself. It begins with a stuttering guitar solo, then simmers to a sensual, scorching climax. When preformed live, this song often includes pyro effects and is a highlight of the concert. It was released in 1993, but has been a staple of Meat