DALY TV: Braving Universal's Rip Ride Rockit

ABC Action News' John Thomas did a great job producing this segment -- especially when he mocks me...and mocks me. I'll have you know I rode that godforsaken roller coaster twice, front and back. That guy only went on once! (By the way, shout-out to my new friend Eugene, who worked the cameras and gets a cameo here.) My profanity-dripped review of the Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit runs in Thursday's newspaper. But because I love you guys, I'll post it right here on Pop Life a little later. WATCH THIS.

CARE FOR A DOUBLE SHOT OF DALY TV? While John and I were at Universal, we also shot a riff on the Beatles reissues. At the very least, it has a cheap Culture Club joke. HERE'S THAT BIT.

The Beatles: Revolution 9/9/9

Welcome to 9/9/9: The number of the Beatles! Today is 24 hours of Fab-ulosity. But you have so many questions. You're totally overwhelmed by all things John, Paul, George and Ringo, aren't you? Should you buy the the remastered albums in delicious stereo or badass mono? How cool is The Beatles: Rock Band video game? What's with the Apple announcement today? And is Satan really a Beatles fan? All of your answers -- plus a cool new playlist -- can be found RIGHT HERE!

Beatles Blowout: Who's your fave Fab?

Next Wednesday -- aka 9/9/9 -- the Beatles will re-invade the colonies and all points elsewhere. Not one, but two gorgeous box sets will be released, one collecting all the remastered stereo albums (plus docs, extensive liners and more), the other box dedicated to the original mono recordings (if stereo sounds like moving separate parts, mono is more like the Fabs beating the hell outta you in one thumping assault). The stereo albums will also be available individually.

But wait, there's more: Have you heard of a little thing called Beatles: Rock Band? That also gets launched to the masses (including, hopefully, one of my neighbors). Here's a sneak peek of what should be the best-selling video game of the year.

And there could be even more: Apple has scheduled a press conference for Wednesday, leading to speculation that Beatles songs will finally be made available on iTunes. (But to be honest, they're not going to sound as good as the new reissues. That said, I like the idea of all these young'uns discovering the boys for the first time.)

We'll have full Beatlemania next week. But for now, we'd like to hear about your passions for John, Paul, George and Ringo:

FAVE BEATLE?

FAVE BEATLES SONG?

FAVE BEATLES ALBUM?

Tell us your likes and dislikes, and we'll compile 'em and print 'em up somewhere. Have fun!

You call him Jim, I call him Yim: MMJ's James pays 'Tribute To' George Harrison

Yim Yames
Album: Tribute To (ATO)
In stores: Now
Passing it on: Jim James is the loopy lead singer of Louisville psychedelicists My Morning Jacket. On this solo jaunt, he performs under the name Yim Yames, which is either really trippy or really stupid, I can't decide. Nevertheless, James/Yames can sing for sure, a reverb-heavy high lonesome that's as vulnerable as cracked glass. This EP is a six-song tribute to the late George Harrison; it was recorded on an 8-track reel-to-reel in 2001 and covers four cuts from the Quiet One's All Things Must Pass, plus two Beatles songs. Yames overdubbed a few effects, but for the most part, it's quiet, spare, mesmerizing.
Reminds us of: Yames' version of My Sweet Lord is bare bones yet hopeful, and you can't help thinking the deity he's singing to is the man who wrote the song.
Download this: Behind That Locked Door
Grade: A

The Swine Flu Playlist!!! (or how Kid Lulu's school got pig poked)

Got the dreaded call this afternoon: Kid Lulu's school is awash in the swine flu! Lil' Miss Daly has a low-grade fever but is in good spirits; her baby sis Mai-Mai seems swine-free and actually had the wiles and audacity to steal my beer at dinner and toddle away with it.

Lu and I will be spending Tuesday at home together; I'm sensing an I Was a Teenage Robot marathon. The strain at her school seems to last about 24 hours and just makes you feel yucky.

However, we still could use the power of a positive playlist! So let's hear some chatter out there for The Swine Flu Playlist:

Piggies -- the Beatles
Pork 'n' Beans -- Weezer
Sick of Myself -- Matthew Sweet
Fever -- Peggy Lee
Sick Day -- Fountains of Wayne
Spider Pig -- Hans Zimmer (WATCH)

Podcast! Best facial hair of 1984 (or horrible hits from Michael McDonald, James Ingram, Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson & more)

When I look back on my 39 years, wondering how I got from there to here, I'm pretty sure I can pinpoint the moment that decided everything: taking Holy Communion to the groovin' sounds of Yah Mo B There. It wasn't that my Sunday School (aka CCD) was overly progressive --although it was held in Westford Academy, the high school in my Massachusetts hometown. Instead, I think those crazy Catholics were more concerned with keeping 800 fidgety preteens entertained. So as Father Cronin & Co. dished out the body of Christ, the sound system in the school's gym cranked out that infamous duet from Michael McDonald and James Ingram. (Also in the Sunday rotation: Bette Midler's The Rose.) There we were, mouths open for the wafer, butts wagging to the sexy Yah Mo beat. It explains everything.

So it's with guilty heart that I present this week's Stuck in the '80s podcast: Horrible Hits of 1984. Alas, McDonald & Ingram make the list. You'll also get some Michael Jackson, and I feel crummy about that, too. All that said, this is a wild, madcap 'cast. Let me know what you think. ENJOY THE SHOW!

  

Fowl Play: Best of the Bird Bands!

With supergroup Chickenfoot squawking up a storm, our hungry minds developed a taste for other poultry-inspired bands. Here’s our controversial cluckdown, from Chicks to Eagles...to Wings.

10) The Partridge Family I think I love you, Shirley Jones.

9) The Ravyns Charm City rockers “raised on the radio.”

8) A Flock of Seagulls Definitive band — and ’do — of the ’80s.

7) The Black Crowes Robinson bros think they should be higher.

6) The Yardbirds Clapton, Beck and Page — ’nuff said.

5) Dixie Chicks Liked ’em better killing Earl than drilling Bush.

4) Counting Crows Definitive band — and dreads — of the ’90s.

3) The Byrds Jingle-jangle Dylan thieves still sound great.

2) The Eagles Definitive band — and Don Henley gigantic ’fro — of the ’70s.

1) Wings Paul’s post-Beatles bird calling is criminally underrated. “Well, the rain exploded with a mighty crash as we fell into the sun.” Total bliss.

Others that just miss the cut: The Orioles, Eagles of Death Metal, the Jawhawks, the O'Jays, the Housemartins 

The Beatles: Rock Band! Here's the new trailer (and final reason for me to buy a Nintendo Wii)

Video Games | The Beatles: Rock Band | E3 09: Debut Trailer

XBox 360 | Playstation 3 | Nintendo Wii

The Cavern Club. The Ed Sullivan Show. Shea Stadium. How beautiful, and careful, and dazzling, does the The Beatles: Rock Band look? Holy cripes! The game is released Sept. 9 (9/9/9), and will be available in Nintendo Wii, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 formats. I haven't owned a vid console since the N64 in the '90s. (Loooved Goldeneye.) But that could change. Sure, it's only a trailer, but I'm digging the attention to detail: Paul's bass (and Get Back beard), Ringo's hunch, the Walrus!!! Plus all that love for George. What are you hard-core gamers hearing about this?