Top 5 country movies (a.k.a. 'Just read a book')
American Idol ... country music ... network TV watching. These are terms not thrown around very often on Stuck in the '80s and for good reason. (We don't like these things!)
But tonight, I'm stuck babysitting Sean Daly's Pop Life American Idol Chat and Shame-a-thon where those who have less of a social life than hibernating meerkats congregate to ridicule people who are far more talented than ourselves. (Me? I only watch because I'm sure one day Paula Abdul is gonna pass out on live TV and I don't want to miss it.)
And of course, it's Grand Ole Opry Week at Idol. Not something fun like Red Dawn Week or Max von Sydow Week. The whole thing stinks like Rhinestone, a movie so bad that Stallone and Parton still have visible scars from having their acting careers yanked away without anesthesia.
So please do me a favor and drop by the live chat, which starts at 9 p.m. Eastern time. We can talk '80s stuff even ... I promise!! In the meantime, here's a list to get you in the mood.
TOP 5 COUNTRY MOVIES OF THE '80s:
5. RHINESTONE (1984): "All right, we'll go to your place and you can show me your organ. But I'm warning you, it'd best be having music coming out of it."
4. MURPHY'S ROMANCE (1985): "You're a feisty old booger, aren't ya."
3. TENDER MERCIES (1983): "I don't trust happiness. I never did, I never will."
2. COAL MINER'S DAUGHTER (1980): "Are you so dadburn ignorant you don't know what horny means?"
1. URBAN COWBOY (1980): "My legs are sweatin', momma."
Relive the music, movies and culture of the greatest decade ever with Times online editor Steve Spears. A teen during the decade, Steve is obsessed with everything from Duran Duran to Journey, John Hughes to John Cusack, and parachute pants to Reaganomics.
E-mail Steve Spears:
I spent a lot of time in Gilley's, where they filmed Urban Cowboy, in the 80s not long after the film was shot there. My sister had impulsively married one of the resident singers there - Steve Michaels. Place was pretty freaky for a 15 year old from the UK!
Posted by: Jono | March 21, 2009 at 03:02 PM
Murphy's Romance was a movie I used to recommend a lot when I worked at a video rental place back in 1986. That and Better Off Dead. Anything to keep people from asking about my missing copy of Back to the Future.
Posted by: Spears | March 19, 2009 at 01:56 PM
I love Murphy's Romance. James Gardner is such a gentleman and it's such a nice story.
Posted by: Spiky Sandy | March 19, 2009 at 11:49 AM
"...where those who have less of a social life than hibernating meerkats congregate to ridicule people who are far more talented than ourselves"
Exactly what are you trying to say, Steve?
Posted by: Marissa | March 18, 2009 at 06:47 PM