It's National Duran Duran Appreciation Day ... what? no card?!?

Duran Duran fans, you took today off from work, right? You better have, because National Duran Duran Appreciation Day only comes once a year.

The genesis of the holiday is totally unclear -- and why August 10 is the chosen day is a total mystery -- but even Entertainment Weekly recognizes it.

I just hope the band spends the day locked inside a studio, coming up with an album that washes the bad taste of Red Carpet Massacre out of our mouths.

Don't get me wrong, I absolutely am devoted to Duran Duran ... 100 percent. But I long ago gave up trying to figure out what any of their songs are about.

TOP 5 GIBBERISH LYRICS BY DURAN DURAN:

5. UNION OF THE SNAKE: "The union of the snake is on the climb. It's gonna race, it's gonna break, 
gonna move up to the borderline." [Video]

4. NIGHT BOAT: "Shadows all through me shudder away echo me echo me. Am I alone or is the river alive cause it echos me, echos me, echos me." [Video]

3. PLANET EARTH: "I heard you making patterns rhyme, like some new romantic looking for the TV sound." [Video]

2. A VIEW TO A KILL: "A sacred why? A mystery gaping inside. The weekends why?" [Video]

1. THE REFLEX: "Every little thing the reflex does leaves you answered with a question mark." [Video]

[AP photo]

Duran Duran finds magic on West Coast tour

When last we left Duran Duran, Simon, John, Nick and Roger were skulking away from the public view, playing down a disastrous album and sitting out on any tours for 2009. But things change, my friends. Always do.

Duran Duran won rave reviews for a series of shows last week in California, where the boys went back to the old hits, playing hits from the early albums, deep album cuts from the middle of their career and largely ignoring the disasters of Red Carpet Massacre.

"The band is one of those groups that actually sound better live than they do on the albums," the San Jose Mercury News said in its review of DD's show at the Mountain Winery in Saratoga. "Part of it, of course, is that it's very hard to re-create through a home stereo system what John Taylor's bass lines feel like when they drive into your abdomen with all the force he can generate through his tall stack of Peavy bass cabinets. And part of it is just the excitement of seeing all these guys really working to play the music, which is very precise, very well rehearsed."

In San Francisco, "Duran Duran - featuring four of its original members plus three backing players - thundered through nearly two hours of hits and could have easily filled two more," the Chronicle reported. "There were some deep album cuts, B-sides and much-dreaded newer tracks along the way, but mainly it was an all-guns-blazing tribute to more than 30 years of giving the charts a much-needed dose of slap-bass, sex and tight white trousers."

Meanwhile, the Mirror newspaper in the U.K. said the band was back to their old "Wild Boys" selves during a show at the Lovebox Weekender - where they demanded five separate dressing rooms ... "because their families came along with them."

"Simon Le Bon arrived on stage shouting: 'What's my name you cockney motherf******' at the crowd," the Mirror reports. Explaining the outburst, Simon told reporters, "I've been trying to get down with the kids, and I think it's going pretty well. I'm having the best time."

Meanwhile, word has it the new album will be out in early 2010. Let's hope the recent shows are a sign that the boys are finally back. (You thought I'd say "hungry like the wolf" again, right? How no-no-notoriously bad would that cliche have been?)

What's the biggest Duran Duran earworm?

Duran Duran is the undisputed king of the New Romantic movement in the '80s, but every once in a while, their songs can burrow a little too deep into the brain.

Like this one -- Careless Memories -- from back in 1981, which has been swimming around my head for a week or so. Which video do you prefer: The anime one above from their live DVD reunion show in London or the original video?

What I really want to know is: Which Duran Duran song is the biggest earworm to you? And why? And should Duran Duran even be considered an earworm?

Enjoy the haunting memories.

Truly bizarre summer shows: Gary Numan, Blondie, Sugarhill Gang and more

Looking for some unique summer tours? There are plenty of odd pairings this year:

DURAN DURAN ... and GARY NUMAN: The U.S. may have given up on Numan after his hit Cars, but he has remained a legend back in the U.K. So much so that Numan has joined Duran Duran for the Lovebox Festival in London on July 19. Now we just wish they'd bring this same lineup over the pond for a quickie tour.

PAT BENATAR ... and BLONDIE: Probably not as odd as it sounds, but consider that one act (Blondie) is in the Rock Hall of Fame and the other (Benatar) is playing a free show after a Tampa Bay Rays game on June 27.

A FLOCK OF SEAGULLS ... and THE SUGARHILL GANG: Yes, I Ran and Rapper's Delight in the same night. Only if you live in Ireland, where the pair are joining ABC, Madness and Echo and the Bunnymen at the Electric Picnic Festival.

MEANWHILE ... Cyndi Lauper has just canceled her summer European tour, reportedly because she has a new movie project. Ah yes, because 1988's Vibes was sooo successful. One performance is guaranteed though: Lauper performs this Wednesday on the American Idol finale.

5 bands that belong in Rock's Hall of Fame

Kiss, Genesis, Duran Duran, Rush and Neil Diamond. What do they all have in common? They're music visionaries AND they're not in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Examiner.com's Mike Raymond has named those acts as his "why the hell are they not in the hall" list. They'd all get my vote too, if the hall bothered to ask. Truth be told, I don't think I'd take the time to set foot in the Cleveland-based museum until they figured out how to justify how Madonna gets in before any of those five bands listed above.

Meanwhile, Raymond's readers had their own suggestions for must-inductions to the hall: Roxy Music, Depeche Mode, New Order, The Zombies, Kraftwerk and more.

You can find the full list of hall inductees here. What other '80s bands are missing? (Keep in mind, to be nominated, 25 years must have passed since a band's first recording.)

[AP photo]

Duran Duran ditches Timbaland!

Duran Duran has come to their senses and is running -- nay, fleeing! -- from the evil grip of Timbaland and Justin Timberlake. Hopefully this puts the final nail in the coffin from hell known as their Red Carpet Massacre album.

Simon Le Bon confirms on his official "Simon Le Blog" that the band is now back in the studio and working with Nick Hodgson, drummer and songwriter with the Kaiser Chiefs.

"OK, you’ve guessed it, we’re moving in a different direction with these guys than the one one we were on with Timbaland and Justin T," Simon writes. "It feels very good I have to say. MODERN ENGLISH ROCK is what it’s all about for us."

Us too, Simon! Thank you, thank you, thank you. (Now please bring Andy Taylor back too.)

"We have had such an inspired session so far. In the 5 days we’ve worked there, we have seen the nuts of 8 new songs starting to grow on our tree," he continues. "It’s a daunting enough for me to know where to start if I’m honest. But I’m sure these are going to turn out great."

Simon also confirms there's a new addition to the Le Bon family: Meet Luigi the dog. "Yes, I’m talking about the first bit of 'testo' in the house since me. Yes, his balls are dropping. Yes, he pisses in the hall and up the chair legs now ... he’s my little poo machine."

[AP photo]

Spandau Ballet sold out in 20 minutes

You dare doubt the amazing drawing power of Spandau Ballet? The newly reformed New Romantic powerhouse of the early '80s just sold out their first show at London's O2 Arena in a mere 20 minutes.

"There's been a phenomenal response to the tour going on sale this morning and even more special that our hometown gig has sold out and we are adding an extra date," the band's Gary Kemp told NME.com. The second date is set for Oct. 21.

Meanwhile, their old rivals, Duran Duran, have announced they won't sit 2009 on the bench after all. They are back in the studio and plan a small slate of live dates, including a stop at the historic Edinburgh Castle this summer.

"We are currently in the studio, working on new music, so are only going to be doing a handful of special dates this year," Simon Le Bon told the Edinburgh Evening News. "When the offer to play in this historic location presented itself, we were all keen to make it happen."

[Getty Images]

Last-second gift idea: Duran Duran on DVD

Waiting 'til the last possible second to buy a gift for an '80s fan? The solution is here: Get the new Classic Albums: Rio on DVD.

Why? Because nobody who loves the '80s can live without another Duran Duran disc. (Plus, it will help erase the memory of Red Carpet Massacre, though I'm beginning to finally appreciate a couple tracks from that album.)

Classic Albums: Rio tells the story behind the making the 1982 album, including the details of the writing and recording of the big hits and the genesis of its landmark music videos. Plenty of interviews are offered up, including those with Simon Le Bon, Nick Rhodes, John Taylor and Roger Taylor as well as director Russell Mulcahy, former manager Paul Berrow and Bob Geldof.

Live performances and music videos round out the DVD, which was released in November. Amazon.com is selling it for $13.99 and delivery is possible by Christmas day.

Other cool Duran Duran DVDs (that you should own) include:

• Sing Blue Silver: The story behind their Seven and the Ragged Tiger tour.
• Duran Duran - Live from London: Their 2005 reunion show.
• Arena - The Movie/Making of Arena: Their live performance movie from the Ragged Tiger tour.

Duran Duran goes old school in Montreal

Stuck in the 80s Montreal correspondent Peter Ryan caught Duran Duran live in his hometown this week. Here's his review:

Duran Duran stole the show at a sold-out performance in Montreal's Metropolis concert venue on Dec. 10. Following a surprisingly-strong opening by Your Vegas, the lads from Birmingham exploded on the stage with a Red Carpet Massacre tune, The Valley. 

But it was the second number -- Planet Earth -- that truly set the crowd alight. From there on, old faves like A View to a Kill, Hungry Like the Wolf, The Reflex and a superb cover of White Lines kept the party going for two hours (which remarkably seemed like 30 minutes, it was that good). Finishing with Wild Boys and encoring with Girls on Film and Rio made the show complete. 

The boys outdid themselves, and Simon also showed a remarkable proficiency in French. Eagle eyes spotted Le Bon's spouse Yasmin in the audience, grooving the hits, while the rest of the audience relished at truly being Stuck in the 80s!

[AP photo]

Duran Duran rolls out Red Carpet again

Duran Duran's seemingly never-ending Red Carpet Massacre tour is going to last a little longer. The band will race through parts of North America again, starting Dec. 4 in Tulsa, Okla.

Sadly, none of the nine additional dates brings the band to Florida or the Tampa Bay area. Other tour stops include Columbus, Ohio, Houston, Biloxi and Atlantic City. Click here for a full list of dates.

The tour supporting their new album now has stretched out 14 months. Frontman Simon Le Bon recently told PollStar.com that for Duran Duran, longer tours are now a matter of economics -- and geography.

"There are a lot more places to go; the world's gotten a lot bigger as far as touring is concerned," Simon told PollStar. "When we started off, we played England mostly, America, Canada and Europe - a bit of Europe, but not all of it. You couldn't play shows in Italy or Portugal, because there was no way you were going to get your money out of there. ... And all of these places now are really great. There are great crowds there and people who want to see the band. And it works for us; it's logistically possible to put a tour on and go to those places and come out of it looking good."

Click here to read the full Q&A on PollStar's site.

[Getty Images]