Ellen Foley

January 11th, 2012 Posted in Music
No Comments

I’ve always loved Ellen Foley. Most people don’t know the name but once they hear that she sang the female part on Meatloaf’s “Paradise by the Dashboard Light” they remember her. Sadly, though, they think she’s the singer that appeared on Meatloaf’s music video for the song but that was Karla Devito who lip synced to Ellen’s powerful voice. It should have helped launch Ellen’s career and it did lead to her critically acclaimed solo album “Night Out” but sales were not great despite praise from Rolling Stone magazine a cult following. I really liked her solo efforts too but for whatever reason she never really made it big commercially but everyone agrees that she was a great singer and a dynamic performer. Checkout the songs below. She also did a stint on the popular TV series Night Court but it was only one season.
As for her personal life, Ellen dated Mick Jones from the clash at their peak and this ill-fated relationship was the inspiration to one of their biggest hits, “Should I Stay or Should I Go” which covered their tumultuous times.
Here’s her Facebook page

Here’s the most popular song she did. Meatload’s Paradise by the Dashboard Light. Such a shame that Ellen didn’t get to perform in the popular music video which featured Karla DeVito instead.

Another popular collaboration was with Ian Hunter on his big hit “We Gotta Get Out of This Place”

Here’s a live version with Ian Hunter

Stupid Girl from The Kenny Everette Video Show

Stupid Girl

We Belong to the Night

What’s a Matter Baby

Shattered Palace (Sons of Europe)

Another version of Shattered Palace. Ellen was never more beautiful here

From a TV special called 3 Girls 3, here Ellen sings the Eagles’ New Kid in Town.

Ellen performing the song written about her in recent times. “Should I Stay or Should I Go”

Share
Read More

Silent Running

January 9th, 2012 Posted in Life
No Comments


SILENT RUNNING is a wonderful science fiction film that was released 40 years in 1972. It was directed by Douglas Trumbull who was the special visual effects master for 2001: A Space Odyssey, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Star Trek:The Movie, and other sci-fi classics.

This story has Bruce Dern and some others tending to the last vegetation of the rain forest in giant domes in outer space. They have robots on board to help them named Hewey, Dewey and Louie who resemble R2D2. Eventually, Dern learns that they are supposed to destroy this remaining forest and head back home but he does not agree with the orders and tries to protect it.

Joan Baez sang a couple of songs including the title track and the wonderful song used at the end “Rejoice in the Sun”.
Here’s the finale (Spoiler Alert) which I believe makes the movie so memorable. I still get chills and feel moved when I see this.
The notion of the last remnants of planet Earth’s rain forest floating through space forever with only robots as the gardeners is an emotional concept. Reminds me of how I felt at the end of A.I. (Artificial Intelligence) and realizing how brief our sojourn is here on Earth.

Here’s the theatrical trailer

Bruce Dern talks about Silent Running and how it found an audience many years after leaving the theaters.

Share
,
Read More

The Social Kitchen

January 7th, 2012 Posted in Technology
No Comments

The future kitchen will have appliances that follow one another like we do on social networks…SmartToasters and Multi-TouchFridges communicate with digital pantries to keep things in stock and even place orders with local grocers. Recipe apps query the DigitalPantry and adjusts the shopping list accordingly. Some of these things are already here but there isn’t a universal platform where they can all communicate with one another yet. The digital language hasn’t been established yet but it’s coming much like Ethernet and Token Ring from years ago. The HomeNetwork could tie it all together… not just inside the home but also with the outside world such as the grocery store.

1967

Share
Read More

Remembering Donna Reed

December 26th, 2011 Posted in Movies
No Comments

I watch my favorite movie “It’s a Wonderful Life” every Christmas. One of my favorite things about the movie is Donna Reed who was absolutely beautiful. She went on to win an Oscar in 1953 for her work in “From Here to Eternity” and then starred in her own TV series called “The Donna Reed Show”. Sadly, she passed away too young at age 64 due to pancreatic cancer in 1986. Here are some videos about Donna Reed.

News of her passing with highlights from her career

The amazing phone scene from “It’s a Wonderful Life” which they did in one take!

The lasso the moon scene from “It’s a Wonderful Life”

Donna speaks at Frank Capra’s tribute at AFI

Donna Biography

Share
Read More

Christopher Hitchens

December 16th, 2011 Posted in Writing
No Comments


We just lost one of the best writers and most brilliant minds with the passing of Christopher Hitchens (age 62). He succumbed to cancer after a year and a half battle. He continued to write and share his thoughts on life and ultimately, death. Here’s a tribute from Vanity Fair. Here’s Christopher’s final piece: Trial of the Will

Here’s an amazing appearance he made at Google to discuss his book: God is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything”
No matter how deeply religious you are, you must admit that Mr. Hitchens does present much food for thought. While the premise of philosophy is unsettling to all believers, it’s worth pondering. It will either make you more faithful or lead you to another truth and path in life. He was a gifted writer and a talented thinker. His entertaining, charming and provocative spirit is already missed.

Share
, ,
Read More

Lorraine Hansberry

November 27th, 2011 Posted in Writing
No Comments


I’ve always been a big fan of Lorraine Hansberry who died much too young at the age of 34 in 1965. She is best known for writing “A Raisin in the Sun” which is a powerful story about a black family moving into a white neighborhood. The play was hugely successful as was the movie starring a young Sidney Portier. While I can never claim to understand what African-Americans experienced in such a situation, I can say that I have an idea of what it must have been like as I grew up in a family considered as foreigners who didn’t belong. Our mom cleaned homes as she learned english and how to drive while raising four boys by herself in a strange new land. Still, no matter how bad we had it on the streets of Newark, I know it was far worse for African-Americans dealing with wide-spread racism everywhere they went. What an incredible story Lorraine forced America and the world to see and feel. I am sure it helped in some way with the movement that was evolving across the land.

I remember how sad I felt when I learned how young this talented voice was when she died. Only 34! What a tragedy as we were all robbed of countless new stories. Still, I am so grateful that she did have her moment in the sun. She did share her gift with the world and it will last forever.

I think she was not only talented but also so brilliant and beautiful too. Her good friend Nina Simone wrote a song about her called “Young, Gifted and Black”. Before there was Maya Angelou or Alice Walker or Oprah there was Lorraine Hansberry who blazed a path for them. Her light did not flame long but what a bright flame it was.

Here’s a good mini-documentary about Lorraine Hansbury.

Here’s the tribute written for Lorraine by her friend Nina Simone who’s played it for decades in her honor

Here’s an amazing scene from a raisin in the sun where Sidney Portier and his mom have an argument.

Share
,
Read More

Limitless

November 24th, 2011 Posted in Movies
No Comments

Few movies ever live up to the hype and expectations these days but I really liked “LIMITLESS” starring Bradley Cooper. It’s centered around a man who takes this new pill that helps him turn his life around by making him more “clear”.
While I don’t like the message that we need some narcotic to change our fate and destiny, I did like the story and the way the movie was shot and edited as well as the music.

This movie reminded me a little of Wall Street with Robert De Niro as Gordon Gekko and Cooper as Sheen… it also made me think of another favorite movie of mine, PHENOMENON (1996) which starred John Travolta whose life turned around when he became “Clear” and ultra intelligent, but it wasn’t via drugs.

Here’s the trailer for a refresher

The opening sequence with zoom fractals

Favorite sequence

Share
,
Read More

Mischief Night

October 30th, 2011 Posted in Life
No Comments

Growing up on the mean streets of Newark, NJ we loved the night before Halloween even more than Halloween itself. That night is known as Mischief Night (some call it Hell Night but we liked the term Mischief because that’s what it was all about).
The most important element for that evening were eggs…yes, as many as we could get too. Many an egg were thrown through the years.

I’ll never forget the cold night when I got whacked in the skull with an egg hurled from a long distance in the pitch black. It made such a horrific sound as it smashed into the side of my head and splattered all over my hear. OK that wasn’t a fond memory but it’s there..part of my yute. So is getting chased by the cops after hurling eggs with some friends. We never got caught but it was close a few times.

Some of my friends liked soaping up car windows but I thought it was lame. Others liked to TP homes and trees…but again, not my bag.
I always think of this night and smile as I remember the bonding we guys did as we ventured into the night. Of course, now that I’m a dad I cringe to think of my kids ever doing what we did…still, they are good memories to me.

Share
Read More

I Didn’t Know

October 19th, 2011 Posted in Music
No Comments

The old adage is so true. We don’t know what we need, want, or love until it’s gone.
I love this song by Alex (not Adam!) Lambert from American Idol. He only made the top 12 because he was just too nervous in front of a live audience but he sure has come a long way. Check him out in this wonderful video as he performs all over the world including in the middle of Times Square.
Love his voice…sounds familiar but I can’t remember who..perhaps a little bit like Curtis Stigers? In any event, I think the kid has a bright future.

“I Didn’t Know”
Verse:
I thought I knew
But this just doesn’t feel right without you
I tried so hard to push away your heart when I should’ve let it through
I miss your voice
Anything else that I hear is just noise
Cause you changed my world, should’ve seen it girl, but I didn’t know

Chorus:
I didn’t know who you were ’til you were gone
I didn’t know you’d be so special to me
I didn’t know, didn’t know myself
I didn’t know all the love I felt for you
So baby please don’t go, I didn’t know

Verse:
I was convinced
That I could go through one day without your kiss
I never felt the way you made me melt
Oh since I touched your lips

Chorus:
I didn’t know who you were ’til you were gone
I didn’t know you’d be so special to me
I didn’t know, didn’t know myself
I didn’t know all the love I felt for you
So baby please don’t go, I didn’t know

Bridge:
Na na na na na na na na I didn’t know
Na na na na na na na na I didn’t know that I could fall so deep in love
I wanna be there when the morning sun comes up
Can you forgive me this time, baby please
I thought I knew, but this just doesn’t feel right without you

Chorus:
I didn’t know who you were ’til you were gone
I didn’t know you’d be so special to me
I didn’t know, didn’t know myself
I didn’t know all the love I felt for you
Please don’t let me go, so baby please don’t go

Outro:
I didn’t know, didn’t know, how beautiful, didn’t know
Didn’t know, I didn’t know, didn’t know

Share
,
Read More

Apple Products Ahead of its Time

October 16th, 2011 Posted in Technology
No Comments

Not everything Steve Jobs or Apple touched turned to gold. Here are a slew of products that were either too ahead of its time or just weren’t good enough. Some never even got released. In any event, every failure contributes to success in some way. If you look closely, you’ll see features and options that inspired future products that did become massively successful (i.e. iPod, iPhone, iPad)

Apple PowerCD and QuickTake

Apple Newton

Apple Newton eMate 300 was introduced March 7, 1997 for US$800 and was discontinued along with the Apple Newton product line and its operating system on February 27, 1998.

Apple prototypes that never saw the light of day

As you might have noticed, almost all of these excellent videos (except for the Apple Newton video) were done by MattsMacintosh. I highly recommend subscribing to his YouTube channel here: http://www.youtube.com/user/MattsMacintosh. Here’s his twitter account: @MattsMacintosh

He does cover successful Apple products too. For example, here’s his unboxing video for his Apple MacBook Air.

Here’s his latest work for the iPhone 4S

Share
Read More
Older Entries
Newer Entries