One Hit Wonders of the 90s (Part 38)

Hello, dear reader. I have a favour to ask you. The original post begins after all of the asterisks, if you want to skip this.

Now that the One Hit Wonders of the 90s series is over, I'm not going to be doing my weekly revisiting of all these posts (I had to do that to add the new post to the bottom). Thus, I won't be able to catch any broken picture links or deleted videos any more. Yet I want these posts to be as good as possible.

Please, if you happen upon one of these posts, or if you take a walk through a whole bunch of them, let me know if you find anything that doesn't work. You can leave a comment, or you can send me a message using that handy "Contact Me" page linked above.

Also, feel free to let me know what you think of the post or any of the videos!

Thank you.

**************************

Happy Halloween, everybody!!!

Yes, that time of ghouls and goblins, werewolves and witches (Disclaimer: no denigration of Wiccans or other "witches" is intended, inferred, implied, or any other "i" word that will keep the lawyers and ACLU off of my back).

Where was I?

Oh yeah.

It's Halloween!

Yes, that time of skeletons and zombies, jack-o-lanterns and vampires (Disclaimer: no denigration of residents of Transylvania, relatives of the real Count Dracula, or any other people with hematophagy is intended, inferred, implied, or any other "i" word that will keep the lawyers and ACLU off of my back).

Where was I?

Oh yeah.

It's Hallow....ah, screw it.

It's this week's edition of the One Hit Wonders of the 90s! *looks around for any lawyer types*

You know, I'm doing this post and I realize something. I say "Self," (because I always start talking to myself by addressing myself), "I'm hungry."

And then I get something to eat.

Now I'm ready to go!

As usual, you can find the list of one-hit wonders I'm taking this from here. Do you think if I glare at you, it will make you not look?

Yeah, that should do it.

Here we go!

1) Vengaboys: "We Like to Party" (#26)



This music was pretty popular in the late 90s, used in lots of different venues. So it's surprising the song itself only hit #26.

It really does start to make you feel upbeat, doesn't it?

Vengaboys? Those are some of the hottest "boys" I've ever seen! Wooo!

You know, when my car breaks down, I get out and dance, too. I'm surprised these impromptu dance sessions don't break out in more rest areas around the country. It would sure make for a break in the long drives each summer!

The Vengaboys were simply huge in Europe, but this is the only song that hit the Top 40. That's kind of too bad, as their blend of Europop and....um, Europop (that's like the blend of races at a Vanilla Ice concert, I guess) is actually quite fun. It lifted my spirits, at least!

Wonder if they'd raise this woman's spirits.

Well, it might take more than this...

2) Jordan Knight: "Give it to You" (#10)



Yay, Vevo!!!!

Oh no! It's a New Kid!!!! *gag* Who let this guy in here?

I see you can get the singer out of the boy band, but you can't get the boy band out of the singer. If he's going to produce the exact same crap as a solo artist as he does with the New Kids, why go solo? Even down to the "Damn! I'm handsome!" attitude.

It's all the same. And it's all vomit-inducing.

I mean, it's no liver and ice cream. But, you know, it's close and all.

3) Everlast: "What It's Like" (#13)



Wow! It's Nickelback before they were popular!!! Except, you know, a solo artist and all.

Actually, this is a pretty good song, and quite poignant if you listen to the words, even if the imagery in the video is as subtle as a nuclear blast.

Still, it's a nice little song about remembering that, as bad as you have it, somebody else has it worse.

(Disclaimer: may not apply if you're married to Marilyn Manson)

4) Fatboy Slim: "Praise You" (#36)



Believe it or not, this is the official video, directed by Spike Jonz. It's a fake dance troupe.

What this has to do with the song? I have no clue.

So we'll just ignore it.

The song itself? I think I could even play the piano on this song once I had it memorized. Ok, that would take a *lot* of memorization, but you get my point.

Still, the sentiment is pretty good, isn't it? We've been together a long time, so I should praise you, shouldn't I? Give you the kudos that you deserve.

This just makes me realize that I have neglected you, dear reader (and yes, that is single digits, I'm sure). I have definitely neglected you! I have taken you for granted, and I want to make up for it.

How does a trip to Australia sound? Yeah? You'd like that? Well, just let me know when you've raised the money and I'll definitely give you the honour of going with you.

You can't beat a deal like that.

Anyway, while this song is good, I had completely forgotten that this was Fatboy Slim. Here's probably his most famous video, though I guess the song never actually did anything (or he wouldn't be a one-hit wonder, would he?).



Who can forget *that*? Especially with the awesome Christopher Walken in it? He definitely looks like he had a lot of fun doing it. This video is widely cited as the best music video of all time. I think it's certainly up there.

5) Dave Hollister: "My Favorite Girl" (#39)


Dave Hollister : My favorite girl
Uploaded by BLACKMUSICS. - Explore more music videos.

"Why the hell you keep paging me?" Yeah, this is definitely the 90s. When was the last time somebody was actually *paged*?

That's funny. She doesn't look like Glenn Close. (Let's see how many people get that reference)

This is actually quite a chilling song, especially if you keep a certain movie in mind. It's rather tame by those standards, but even so, the words just knife right into you, making you feel like you walked into the kitchen to a boiling rabbit (is that enough hints?).

Of course, the woman in the song has nothing on this woman:

No, wait. Sorry about that. That was the last woman I dated when I told her that I was a Star Wars fan.

I meant this woman.

But even so, the woman in the song is pretty creepy.

6) Steve Wariner: "Two Teardrops" (#30)



(You're not missing anything except for the ending music after the rather abrupt cut)

Another country music crossover. Not sure why this song hit the charts and none others did, but there you go.

Ok, I admit. This is a sweet song, but I'm listening to this and I'm covered with syrup! And yes, I'm Canadian, so that syrup is maple, but that's not the point! Never mind the physics of the song, it just strikes me as written with the intention of making people cry, like a lot of country songs that I used to listen to. And I admit, they often did made me cry. But I felt so manipulated afterwards.

Maybe I'm just cranky.

But I'll get out of it.

7) Chante Moore: "Chante's Got a Man" (#10)



Yay! Way to lord it over the other girls, there, Chante! You sound so pleased with yourself too.

Still, the message in the song is pretty good. You're worthy and should wait for the right man to come along for you. Don't settle. Sorry that your man is an asshole. Oh, and I'd better get home to *my* man for some good lovin'.

I'm just sayin'...

Or maybe that's not what she means?

Ladies, please tell me. When you're in discussions about men in general (or your worthless excuses for husbands/boyfriends), do you break out in song when you start arguing?

Because that would actually be pretty cool.

I'm getting mixed messages from this song, actually.

The cool one: Men aren't all the same, and there are some good ones out there.

The bad one: I'm conceited enough that I'm going to keep on telling you about my guy while you wallow in misery with yours.

Which one is the true one?

That's about as hard to fathom as the answer to this question:



(side note: Why is there a naked kid on a Saturday morning cartoon commercial? Just wondering.)

And there you have it! This week's one-hit wonders, and no rap to be seen! I think we might be safe.

But I will definitely keep a look-out. Don't want any of those scary rap artists to come trick-or-treating to your door and breaking out into song (or whatever you want to call it).

Oh look, here's one now!

Go away, you scallywags!!!!

That being said, I do have to head off to set up for Halloween. Have to make sure we keep those kids off of our lawns and all that.



And now I have to go wipe my face off.



One-Hit Wonders of the 90s
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7
Part 8
Part 9
Part 10
Part 11
Part 12
Part 13
Part 14
Part 15
Part 16
Part 17
Part 18
Part 19
Part 20
Part 21
Part 22
Part 23
Part 24
Part 25
Part 26
Part 27
Part 28
Part 29
Part 30
Part 31
Part 32
Part 33
Part 34
Part 35
Part 36
Part 37
Part 38
Part 39
Part 40

Facebook Nostalgia

So last night, I got into a nostalgic mood, and this was the result. As I said in that post, one of the things I do late at night when I'm all alone is get a bit nostalgic.

I posted a brief status update on Facebook about writing late at night. And got a quick response from an old high school friend that I've been FB friends with for a while now.

And it hit me.

You know, this Facebook thing is actually pretty cool.

Yeah, I understand all of the "why would you want people you went to high school with to find you? If I wanted to be 'friends' with them, I would have stayed in touch with them! Or them with me" comments. Or even the "all of the people I went to high school with that I'm not still in touch with are losers anyway" ones.

And yes, there are people who you meet up with on Facebook and then realize "you know, we don't really have that much in common and I'm just not that interested in keeping up on your life." I've been dropped by a few high school friends, I assume for that reason (I don't follow up), but I can honestly say I've never dropped anybody that way.

Maybe I'm the different one. Maybe it's the fact that I *wasn't* that social in high school that makes me want to rekindle some of that. Not much, obviously, as we're in far-flung areas of the world. But just a touch, that window into our lives that we provide those we welcome into our Facebook neighbourhood.

That little bit of interaction that stems from comments made on our status updates, or our pictures, or whatever. Playing some of the Facebook games with them, that sort of thing.

I saw that "like" last night on my status update, and I felt a little bit of a kindred spirit. Two people, thousands of miles away from each other, and over 20 years since we last saw each other, just having that little touch of companionship, that shared experience, and I felt a small rush of good feelings, not just toward her, but just in general. Another small stitch added to that social fabric of my life; one that I don't always realize is there until it springs up at me unexpectedly.

Another example was New Year's Eve 2009-10. I was up by myself again, just looking at stuff on the computer: reading blogs, discussion forums, whatever. I decided to do something I rarely do and see who was "online" on Facebook Chat. It was 1:30 in the morning for me, and I saw another high school friend on there, one who also currently lives in the Midwest, so it was 3:30 for her.

On any chat service, I rarely initiate one just because I don't want to intrude (yes, that is my failing, and I admit to it). But something just made me click on her name and wish her a happy new year. We chatted for about 5-10 minutes and it was really nice. I again felt that expanding of my social fabric, a rush of contact with another person I haven't seen for 20 years.

Most of these high school friends on my FB friends list, I will never actually see again, unless I manage to make it to a reunion (I wouldn't be averse to a mini-reunion of a few people, sometime when I'm home, of course). And I will probably never consider them close friends in the sense that I don't think they would help me hide a body, but it's enough to know they're out there. That they remember me (unless they've got so many people on their FB friends list that they might not even remember accepting the request), that they see a small fraction of my life and I see the same of theirs. That we do interact occasionally, even if it's just a comment on some aspect of their life that they decided to put down on their page.

Yes, it's a bit overly nostalgic as well, and it's very possible that they don't feel the same way. We're not all wired that way, and maybe I'm too sentimental for my own good sometimes.

But does that make it wrong?

Nighttime Brains

For some reason, my brain just seem to love the night. Do you find that your brain starts to get more active the later it gets? Sometimes, my brain is lying in wait for me to try and go to sleep, and then it springs on top of me with thoughts, images, or "hey, what do you think you should do about those bagels that are rotting in the fridge?" questions. Or "Hey, wouldn't it be cool if you appeared on the Talk Radar podcast? Do you think it would go like this?" Meanwhile, I'm trying desperately to shut it up so I can get some sleep.

Some of our best thinking is done at night, the later the better.

Unless there are alcoholic beverages involved, though in some cases that makes the brain go into overload and it's just the content that spews out of it that probably shouldn't be repeated.

But anyway...

I find I do my best writing when it's late at night, the wife has gone to bed so I'm sitting basically alone in the dark, with the New Age music channel going on our TV's digital music channel (that may surprise some of you who missed the one music post I did on my music tastes mixed in with the 508 other posts on this blog). Sometimes I get introspective and the words just flow out of my head like a water cooler if you try to take a full jug off of it.

It's almost like my mind was buttoned up or something.

Hmmmmmm

But I can't just write anything at these times. I can occasionally force myself to write a review, or if I happen to be reading something interesting on a news site or something, I might be able to post about that.

No, my brain is not wired that way.

Instead, I start thinking (always a dangerous thing). I think about friends. I think about love. I think about the past, the future, or the present.

I think about inspiration, like my friend Dawn's post from the other day, In This Moment, where she talks about an inspiring quote, and then goes on for a long time about daily inspirations, how her brain works (maybe that's what inspired this post?), and other really fascinating stuff. I say "long" above, but that's only after I look at the post itself. While reading it, I sit entranced, and it doesn't feel long at all. I wish I could make a long post like that which didn't sound like I was rambling.

Or Lisa, the "Smiling Widow" who wrote the quote that's under my masthead above, and who writes the "Widow Lady" blog. A woman who's been through so much, has blogged about it and shared with her readers with the hope that it will help those going through a similar circumstance, yet who can also provide us with such funny stuff as today's post. And I wonder how I would get through something similar.

What-ifs seem to also invade the brain late at night. Most of them are something that I know will never happen, but they still come upon me. Sometimes they're worth blogging about, sometimes they're not. Sometimes they're not even worth thinking about, but try telling that to my brain.

It's stubborn and doesn't listen.

It's also late at night when the dreams come. Not the sleeping dreams, which I can never remember but often seem to wake me up disconcertingly. I'm talking about the dreams of the future, of what might be, or might never be.

Dreams that, with a little work, might come true. It's the work part, in the cold light of day where the dreams don't reside but where the reality of what it would take to make those dreams come true lurks instead, that seems so daunting. I imagine the results of something but am not willing to do what it takes to get to that result. Of course nothing happens, no matter what Rhonda Byrne says.

And so the dreams lay unclaimed. But that doesn't stop my nighttime brain from visualizing them again the next night.

It's that nighttime brain that's responsible for this post.

And look, rambling!

(Note: This blog was finished at 11:00 pm last night, but I'm scheduling it to post this morning because, let's face it, only a few people will read it if it posts this late at night. But it *is* the product of my nighttime brain, and hopefully I won't regret it by the time it posts)

Comic Jumper - Jumping from comic to comic

I wasn't sure about the new XBLA (Xbox Live Arcade) game, Comic Jumper, put out by Twisted Pixel. A quick download of the trail version, however, quickly put that uneasiness to rest. It was funny, had some good side-scrolling action, and gave me that old-style arcade game feel (except updated).

Twelve hundred Microsoft Points for this? That doesn't seem too bad. I quickly plunked down the credit card (ok, I just hit "purchase points" on the Xbox Live, but let me take a little creative license) and bought it.

Now that I'm finished with it, I'm of two minds. I'm glad I bought it, but I think if I had to do it over again, I would wait until it comes down in price or hits the "Xbox Live Deals of the Week" bin.

Let's get the story out of the way first.

You play as Captain Smiley, hero of your own comic book.

Except that everything's going wrong, interest in your comic has waned to the point of non-existence, and you've been cancelled. In order to build up the funds for a resurgence, you have to guest start in a few other comics to rekindle your popularity. Sounds simple, eh? That big star on your chest is Star, your wise-cracking sidekick who happens to have a man-crush on your arch-nemesis, Brad. He also doesn't think much of Smiley, often making sarcastic remarks. Your assistant, Gerda, gets you your jobs and basically alerts you when you're losing health during the game (it gets annoying after a while, as you'll see below).

You end up adventuring through three issues each of three different comics: a fantasy-based one, a Silver Age 60's era comic, and Manga!. Thus, you essentially have nine levels after the intro level. Then you have one final level to get through, making ten in all.

Let's start with the good.

The humour, while crude at times, is often hilarious. One of my favourite lines, uttered by Brad, I'm using in my sig in the forums: "If I wanted any crap from you, I'd squeeze your head." That surprised me the first time I heard it, and the wife and I just burst out laughing. While crude, there really isn't any bad language, with the worst being a couple "asses." The humour has a little innuendo as well, but a large part of it is making fun of the genre Smiley is adventuring through. What's even funnier is the conceit that Twisted Pixel is actually helping Smiley do this, and there are live-action shots of the Twisted Pixel guys interacting with Smiley. You can purchase an item that will have the Twisted Pixel guys remove all the enemies from the screen when you hit the "Y" button, for instance.

The game will constantly keep you amused, making fun of everything from the misogyny of Silver Age comics to the warlord that you're supposedly helping in the fantasy setting. Named Nanoc, he coincidentally speaks in an Austrian accent.

It is a coincidence, right?

The gameplay itself is basically side-scrolling shooting, with a few scenes of side-scrolling fisticuffs, a couple of "hit the right button at the right time" sequences, and some sequences where the enemies are in front of you popping up and you have to move your aiming reticule to shoot them. All pretty good, right?

Actually, it is.

And frustrating as hell, too.

The difficulty level in Comic Jumper is through the roof, and for a couple of reasons.

First, your gun is vastly underpowered. Enemies take tons of shots to kill, for the most part, and when you're getting swarmed, that can make for some tense moments. Natives are running at you in droves, vultures are flying as your hanging from a walkway, Bradbots are flying and running at you, shooting at you. You'll get hit a lot, and eventually die. This is why Gerda's health warnings get annoying: they happen all the time!

Which is fine, as you slowly make your way through the levels, getting to checkpoints with almost no health, so you can try it out before dying and restarting at that point with full health.

Sadly, there are places in the game where the checkpoints are *really* unforgiving. You get through a really tough sequence, having died multiple times, and you think "ok, I won't have to repeat that again" when you get to a boss battle.

But no. You die during the boss battle and have to repeat all of that AGAIN.

A few times, I wanted to hurl my controller through the TV, if I hadn't just bought the darned thing.

(one of the bosses in the Manga comics)

That being said, you do learn the patterns, just like any old-style platformer/side-scroller, so you do it again and again and again, getting a bit further each time, as you remember where the enemies are coming from and what you have to do to defeat them.

Which brings up one final frustration, and maybe this just means I'm jaded from "modern" gaming.

Yes, there is no "save" function. Once you're in an issue, you're in it until you're done with that comic and back at your base. No matter how much progress you've made in it. Got stuck on a boss battle and you have to go to bed?

Tough. You quit now, you have to go through the entire issue again. You can stay up all night if you have to.

Thankfully, none of them are *that* difficult. But do make sure you've got time to finish the level, or you might as well not waste your time. This is not a game that you pick up for a few minutes of quick gaming while you're waiting for the wife to get dressed.

You can purchase upgrades that will boost your weapon damage, health, and punch power. You can also purchase collectibles that you can then look at (comics, audio files, video clips, models, etc). These are interesting looks into the behind the scenes stuff of the game, including promotional artwork and interviews with the designers/voice actors. Buying this stuff will add a small percentage increase per item to the money you earn in missions and challenges, which does make them useful.

You can even get an achievement for buying everything there. Too bad Twisted Pixel made it so cumbersome to buy this stuff, making you choose everything one at a time, with a 3-5 second animation for each one. Doesn't sound like much, does it? But when you have 160 audio files, 25 comics, 25 models, and lots of other stuff, that can take a *long* time.

Don't let the complaints get you down, though. I loved a lot of the touches in the game, like the black & white Manga where you side-scroll from right to left, the art palettes in each genre that perfectly match what they're going for, and many of the jokes. Yeah, some are groaners, but others are simply hilarious.

If you like side-scrolling shooters, comics, and crude humour, you might want to consider getting this game. If you only like two of those three, wait until it becomes a Deal of the Week or something, but you should still get it.

It's a lot of fun, though finger-grindingly frustrating at times.

*postcript: Also, if you're a fan of Twisted Pixel's "Splosion Man," you can "purchase" a couple new levels for the game with the money you earn as Captain Smiley! That might make it worth it just for that. If I had that game, that is.

One Hit Wonders of the 90s (Part 37)

Hello, dear reader. I have a favour to ask you. The original post begins after all of the asterisks, if you want to skip this.

Now that the One Hit Wonders of the 90s series is over, I'm not going to be doing my weekly revisiting of all these posts (I had to do that to add the new post to the bottom). Thus, I won't be able to catch any broken picture links or deleted videos any more. Yet I want these posts to be as good as possible.

Please, if you happen upon one of these posts, or if you take a walk through a whole bunch of them, let me know if you find anything that doesn't work. You can leave a comment, or you can send me a message using that handy "Contact Me" page linked above.

Also, feel free to let me know what you think of the post or any of the videos!

Thank you.

**************************

We all need distractions in our life, but some of them are worse than others. For example, I was going to start this post 20 minutes ago, but as I was getting all my tabs open (this page, last week's page, the one-hit wonders list, Youtube, Google), I got sucked into watching Youtube videos.

Mainly Zoe, because I'm addicted to Australian accents. It's kind of like heroin addiction, except without the needles.

Oh, and I guess without the bad effects on your body as well, though it does depend on who you're watching. I mean, you could be watching these guys.



So if any of you Aussies would like to call me...

Anyway, where was I? Oh yeah, it's time for this week's one-hit wonders of the 90s post! That hive of hilarity, that bevy of boisterousness, and the analog of alliteration that is the one-hit wonders. You think this guy's funny?

He don't have anything on me.

Of course, I also live in a world overrun by these:

So take it for what it's worth.

We're in the stretch drive of the 90s, heading into 1999 with full speed and no brakes! Everybody get your head inside the window.

As usual, you can find the list here.

And here we go!

1) Shawn Mullins: "Lullaby" (#7)



Yay, Vevo!!!!

This guy sounds like a more mellow Jack Nicholson, doesn't he?

Or is that just me?

She doesn't look to be in the mood for a lullaby, actually. Besides, there's all that booze around to help her sleep! She doesn't need a song from a long-haired, grizzled singer like that.

Though maybe she's into that kind of thing. I don't know.

Los Angeles is "kind of like Nashville, with a tan." I love that line.

Anyway, I actually really do like the song, and the video is quite poignant as well (and it goes with the song!). Mullins does have an interesting voice and the lyrics are very good.

It's just...it's not a lullaby, is it?

Mrs. Canada says, 10 points off for bad word usage.

2) Eagle-Eye Cherry: "Save Tonight" (#5)



Yay, Vevo!!!!

Ok, I said that I was pretty much removed from the pop music scene around this time, but then I get two songs in a row I've heard before! We did sometimes have MuchMoreMusic on as background noise at night, so I think I heard these songs there.

But I digress...

Did he just steal that piece of fruit!!!! Hey, buddy! You eat it, you buy it! No, you can't give it back.

Or,um, you can just consume the store owner like some 50s bad SF movie and then you can have everything for free!

Wow, I'm losing my train of thought here.

Is it just me, or is that one of the most inept robbers ever? Good thing the clerk is too busy singing, or I think he could take him with that meat cleaver.

Ok, I think Eagle-Eye Cherry is taking over the world. This is getting spooky.

Two songs in a row that I also rather like. This one's got a good beat and I can dance to it. I'll give it a 9.

Sorry, I was channeling this for a second.

Incidentally, Eagle-Eye is the son of jazz singer Don Cherry. When I first saw that name, even knowing they're two different people, I couldn't help thinking of this.

Though I would guess the singer is better-dressed.

3) New Radicals: "You Get What You Give" (#36)



Yay, Vevo!!!!

I love this song!!!!

And I *hate* this video. It starts out all kind of cool and everything, but then it turns into some kind of young radical (HA! See what I did there) mall terrorist incident, where they go after the bourgeoisie and start putting them in cages and stuff. Let the animals free! And lock up the guys in suits and ties.

Oh yeah. These people don't know how the fast-food wage slaves live, so let's make them become one and treat them badly!

The song's really nice, too. Live from your heart. You get out of life what you put into it. Express yourself. Yeah, ok, there's a bit of anti-corporatism in the song, but it's pretty mild compared to the rest of the stuff that's actually good in it.

This is wonderful!

So why shit on that message with this horrible video that basically says that anarchy is ok?

Ugh, sorry for the serious rant there. Time to lighten up.



4) Mark Chesnutt: "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" (#17)



(no video for the song)

Chesnutt takes Aerosmith's hit and hits the Top 40 with it! He's a big country star, but this is his only Pop Top 40 song in his career (hence the "one-hit wonder" tag).

It's not bad, but he's no Steven Tyler.



Though his dress sense is probably better, he can't beat Tyler in the lip department.

5) Jesse Powell: "You" (#10)



Ok, why'd she look pissed off when she gave the guy her number? Is it a challenge? "If you still call me after I glare at you like that, then it must be love."

Both the song and video are cheesy beyond belief, but at least their hearts are in the right places. It's a really sweet love song, and I can see it become "our song" to millions of couples all over the world.

In fact, maybe that's the plan. Jesse plans on taking over the world. Mind control through love!

And then he'll have his love-controlled minions attack! It will be chaos in the streets.

Or, then again, maybe not. Where are my pills?

6) Joey McIntyre: "Stay the Same" (#10)



Yay, Vevo!!!!

This song is inspiring me!!!

It's inspiring me to hurl, that is.

Ok, it's not bad, in fact it's very sweet (though dogs must have trouble living next to him when he hits those high notes). It's got a very nice message about being yourself, and I guess I should be thankful he's not caging any corporate peons in the video, but c'mon.

I'm getting the sugar sickies, and I haven't had my ice cream yet.

DON'T RUIN MY ICE CREAM, JOEY!!!!

All right, all right. There's nothing wrong with the song. I'm just cranky.

Those kids wouldn't get off my lawn.

7) B*witched: "C'est La Vie" (#9)



Ok, so this isn't a remake of the 80s song? Good to know.

Aren't they a little young for "I'll show you mine if you show me yours?"

What's that? Oh, they're only *acting* that young.

Why does this group remind me of a cross between the Backstreet Boys and the neighborhood "Moms" organization?

This song is just silly fun (I guess). I guess moms have to cut loose occasionally too.

Though most of them don't inflict that on the rest of us.

Ok, here's a better one.



And you know what? They're Irish, and they're pretty damned hot, too.

Yes, it's typical pop junk, but at least it doesn't give that uncomfortable feeling of lusting after a best friend's mom or something.

Not that I'm familiar with that sensation, of course...

And there you have it! Week one in 1999. Three more weeks to go. Will your humble blogger be up to the pressure of finishing these on time? It's getting harder and harder as time goes on, but the inertia keeps things going round and round and round.

What's even better is that we've resisted the rap invasion!!! So let's all celebrate.

But now it's time to begin the day. In fact, I have a speech I have to make.



These new-fangled contraptions. Who can keep them straight?



One-Hit Wonders of the 90s
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7
Part 8
Part 9
Part 10
Part 11
Part 12
Part 13
Part 14
Part 15
Part 16
Part 17
Part 18
Part 19
Part 20
Part 21
Part 22
Part 23
Part 24
Part 25
Part 26
Part 27
Part 28
Part 29
Part 30
Part 31
Part 32
Part 33
Part 34
Part 35
Part 36
Part 37
Part 38
Part 39
Part 40

Update: Pennsylvania school settles webcam "spying" case

Some of you may remember this case from back in February, where a Pennsylvania school district was sued for spying on its students via webcam.

To refresh your memory, the school gave out laptops to its 2300 students, but neglected to tell them that the webcam in the laptop could be remotely activated by the school, supposedly only when the laptop was reported stolen or lost. A student was seen popping what appeared to be pills in his bedroom, and was suspended, even though it turned out to be Mike & Ikes candy.

According to the Education Tech news blog (and I'm sure reported elsewhere as well), the school district has settled the class-action lawsuit for $610,000.

That's $610,000 that's coming out of your pockets, those of you who live in the school district. Apparently, the insurance company won't cover it because the school district hired lawyers without consulting with it first, violating their policy.

Way to go! This just adds to the stupidity of the officials' actions.

I think the Education Tech blog does overstate the case a little bit, though.

"Protecting school-owned computer equipment just got trickier. Here’s why:" the blog starts, before the rest of the blog indicates how stupid this really was.

But I don't think this makes the protection of school property any trickier.

First, all it would take is a notice in the contract (or whatever the parents/students sign) indicating very prominently that something like this might happen. It should clearly declare the circumstances for when the webcam would be activated.

Secondly, and most importantly, they should make sure that this only happens when they're reported lost. I haven't seen anything in any article I've read (and yes, I may have missed it, so please point one out to me if you have one) that said this laptop was reported missing. It was sitting right there on the kid's desk, for Christ's sake!

So why was the webcam activated?

Whatever the case, I'm glad this invasion of privacy has been punished, and I'm just sad for the residents of the area who are footing the bill because of the incompetence of the school officials.

First, for this happening in the first place. But then to not check with the insurance company before hiring a lawyer?

Didn't somebody in the administration read the policy before acting?

Should Journalists Engage on Twitter?

One of the cool things about Twitter is the back and forth that can develop between parties, short and punchy discussions about various issues. It can also be a valuable way for companies or organizations to respond to public input and inquiries.

Journalists on Twitter can have it tough sometimes, but most of them do a wonderful job of mixing the personal and the professional.

But is there a grey area when it comes to responding to the public regarding stuff that you've reported or written?

The Washington Post seems to think so.

According to Mashable the other day, the Post has told its journalists not to engage the public on Twitter, especially in answering any critics of their work.

It all started with a "controversial guest article online called 'Christian Compassion Requires the Truth About Harms of Sexuality,' by Tony Perkins."

The article was about the large number of recent teenage suicides that occurred after the teens were being bullied for being gay. It talked about homosexuality as a "mental condition" and stuff like that. GLAAD got into the picture, responding on Twitter and on its web site, criticizing the article. One of the Post editors attempted to defend the article by saying it was attempting to address "both sides" of the issue, and GLAAD responded with a tweet saying that there are not two sides to the teen suicide issue.

Shortly after this, a memo went out stating that Post reporters should not be responding to their critics on Twitter, or really to anybody, via their Post accounts.

This sentence in the memo (reprinted on the Mashable article) is especially striking:

"Even as we encourage everyone in the newsroom to embrace social media and relevant tools, it is absolutely vital to remember that the purpose of these Post branded accounts is to use them as a platform to promote news, bring in user generated content and increase audience engagement with Post content."

How exactly are you "increasing audience engagement with Post content" if you're not allowed to interact with people about it? Sure, you can say "thank you!" if somebody says "hey, what a cool article!" But how many people actually do that? Most responses to a post will be in a questioning or criticizing mode.

Vadim Lavrusik, the Mashable writer, puts it beautifully:

"Sure, it makes sense that they should rein in who manages the Washington Post-branded Twitter account, as that could be seen as an “official” response of the company and not an individual. But putting a stop on engagement and conversation regarding Post stories from journalists will only distance those reporters from the very community they are a part of. Perhaps a clarification to “speak on behalf of the Post,” could clear up what is okay for journalists to engage in dialogue. But it is also likely that some journalists will now avoid it altogether. There also seems to be a disconnect in what journalists are encouraged to increase audience engagement with Post content, and not the journalists themselves."

I'm not advocating that journalists get into wild debates on Twitter about their articles; there's something to be said for letting an article speak for itself. But I think the Post is taking this to the opposite extreme.

If all you want is to advertise your content, then remove your journalists from Twitter completely and just set up an auto-feed. Let boredom ensue.

But if you want your audience to be engaged with your content, then let your reporters be engaged too! Enough of this one-way street, or as Lavrusik says, "It only reaffirms the old model of “we publish and you listen,” and a model that had a disconnect from the news process and the former audience."

Then again, maybe the higher-ups don't want this because they're worried the inherent left-wing bias will come out if there's too much engagement. ("Oh, you did not just go there, did you?" - The Peanut Gallery)

Anyway, I'd love to know what you think. Should journalists talk about their articles on Twitter, especially if somebody criticizes them? Or should they just shut up and let their work speak for itself?

Arcade Gaming Shrine - an excellent song about old-school video games

Regular readers of this blog know that I'm a big fan of Dan Americh, even since he's gone to the dark side over at Activision.

One of his side projects, just for fun, is Palette-Swap Ninja, something he does with a friend of his, Jude Sutton. Taking actual songs and creating video game songs out of them, with both Jude and him playing the instruments and Dan singing.

Here's the wonderful song Halo (All I Play-Oh), which I include here because it seems appropriate with Reach just having come out (sung to the tune of the Red Hot Chili Peppers' "Snow (Hey Oh)"):



One thing I love about this is that they always try and keep not only the cadence, but also the rhymes themselves consistent with the original song. The "Viva Pinata" song is based on the old Pina Colada song ("If you like pina coladas, getting caught in the rain...")

But the reason for this post is because they just released a video for their latest song, "Arcade Gaming Shrine."

This song speaks to any old-time gamer, with so many blasts from the past that I almost cried with nostalgia.

Ok, I didn't almost cry, but I *did* relive some old video game memories. Everything from Elevator Action to Pac-Man, Defender, Zaxxon, you name it, it's in there.

Us old farts probably will get the most out of it, but it's a good song even for those youngun's out there.



What kind of video game memories does it bring back for any of my high school friends? (Yeah, like they're reading this LOL)

Here's the page on the Palette-Swap Ninja site where they talk about how the video was filmed. A lot of the people dancing in the background (as well as featured in a shot or two) are from one of my favourite video game podcasts, "Talk Radar".

It's a treat, and I hope you old-time gamers, like me, love it as much as I do.

One Hit Wonders of the 90s (Part 36)

Hello, dear reader. I have a favour to ask you. The original post begins after all of the asterisks, if you want to skip this.

Now that the One Hit Wonders of the 90s series is over, I'm not going to be doing my weekly revisiting of all these posts (I had to do that to add the new post to the bottom). Thus, I won't be able to catch any broken picture links or deleted videos any more. Yet I want these posts to be as good as possible.

Please, if you happen upon one of these posts, or if you take a walk through a whole bunch of them, let me know if you find anything that doesn't work. You can leave a comment, or you can send me a message using that handy "Contact Me" page linked above.

Also, feel free to let me know what you think of the post or any of the videos!

Thank you.

**************************

It's Sunday again, and there are things I would rather be doing than spending 2 hours writing a funny ("HA!!! Funny? Now *that's* funny!" - The Peanut Gallery) post about one-hit wonders.

You know, things like this:

But, I know that you like this, so I am persevering! (That guy totally deserves it, though, so I may have to go take care of that later).

Yes, it's this week's edition of the one-hit wonders of the 90s. We're concluding 1998 this time, a special year for me. It was the year that my chronic rash finally cleared up.

Oh! And it was also the year I got married. Can't forget that.

As usual, you can find the list I'm taking these from here. I'm not even going to bother telling you not to go. I'll just let you know that if you *do* go, something special might be waiting for you.

Oh, sorry. That was me before the back-waxing.

I mean this.

Here we go!

1) Harvey Danger: "Flagpole Sitta" (#38)


Harvey Danger - Flagpole Sitta
Uploaded by FabCure. - Music videos, artist interviews, concerts and more.

You know, when a song has "sitta" in the title, I immediately think of rap.

Thankfully, that was a wrong assumption today!

Instead, we get a nerdy-looking white guy. Big difference!

"Only stupid people are breeding?" That's actually a funny line.

What a weird song, though. "I'm not sick, but I'm not well." Now I see where Matchbox 20 got the idea for "Unwell."

I'm just kidding, Rob! Please don't sue.

Anyway, this is kind of an enjoyable song if you like a loud, obnoxious rock track (and really, who doesn't?). The video's pretty silly, the lyrics are *really* silly, but I can see why this became popular on the college scene. Looking at their history, it's sad that so many corporate problems got in the way of the release of their music, as they look like they would be a lot of fun in concert.

But at least they're immortalized on a small blog's list of one-hit wonders, so they can always treasure that at least.

2) Jennifer Paige: "Crush" (#3)



This song made it to #3, and I never heard it. Yes, my removal from the pop scene was complete.

Maybe it's just me, but if the song is about a "crush," shouldn't the video have lots of shots of her pining over a guy? Not her super-happy in a relationship with the guy with the hot chest?

Oh, wait a minute! She's got a crush on her friend's boyfriend. I get it! Ok, so why is she touching the guy so much ("It's just a little crush, every time we touch..."). And is it just me, or is there a shortage of meaningful looks between the two of them in the video? Lots of shots of her with her boyfriend, and her friend with the guy she's got a crush on, but the only meaningful glance is at the end?

I see bad things happening here. It's probably best that she got her feelings out in a mega-hit song so that nobody would be the wiser.

The song? Oh, it's actually pretty good. Paige has a good voice and the music is good as well. It's not something I'm a huge fan of, but I did like listening to it.

It didn't do this to me, at least.

No, that was last night's pizza.

3) Tatyana Ali: "Daydreamin'" (#6)



Oh no! Sugar rush!!!!!

Ugh, then a rap sneaks in. My intelligence level just plummeted.

It helps that she's hot, though.

This just sounds like a sweet song, in that kind of fun, teenage way (and she was 19 when this song came out). At least she doesn't appear to be another actress who decided to try and sing. It sounds like she was an actress/singer who just broke into acting before breaking into singing (and then going right back again).

There's really not much more to say about the song. Take out the rap, and you've got something decent.

Maybe I'm just in a good mood today.

4) Pressha: "Splackavellie" (#27)



Yay, an ode to casual sex! With no strings attached. No wonder this song was so popular. *cough*

This comment on the Youtube page made me laugh: "haha his haircut looks like a helmet with a chinstrap lol" It does!

"He ain't your boyfriend. He ain't your husband. Just somebody you can call when your body needs a fix"

WTF?

Is this normal? Ladies, please tell me. Do you have to have three guys? (Boyfriend, husband, and "splackavellie?") I don't know if there's enough of us to go around!

That being said, if you ever do need one...

I'm here for ya.

5) The Brian Setzer Orchestra: "Jump, Jive, and Wail" (#23)



Yay, Vevo!!!

Man, I love this song. I was so excited when I saw that this would be on today's list. Setzer brings back that old-school music that I just love.

Though I don't think they ever dressed like that! I think I'm getting the vapors.

I'd better wake up or I'm going to miss the song.

I just have three words to say.

"This is awesome."

That is all.

Here's a bonus track for you. Sorry for the poor video quality, but the song's great.



6) TQ: "Westside" (#12)



Yeah, these two hits go well right next to each other, don't they?

This is actually a pretty good song about a guy's childhoood in the ghetto (yes, those gaps you hear in the song are swear words or the N-word, couldn't find a full version that had a video).

Despite that, the song is kind of powerful as a man reflects back to Compton and the "westside".

Of course, it's also an ode to the rap culture (the Tupac memorial at the end, etc), but I guess you can't have everything.

7) Everything: "Hooch" (#34)



Can't find a video for this song.

I kind of like the music, but the song itself doesn't really do too much for me. It's like particle physics: I try and try to "get" it, but I just bounce off of it.

This song doesn't mean anything, and I guess it's not supposed to. It's just supposed to be a cool song to dance to and listen to when you're in a bad mood. Of course, it does nothing to actually *lighten* my mood, but maybe that's just me.

Still, nothing wrong with the song at all. Just a feeling of massive indifference.

Ok, I don't know if I'm *that* indifferent.

8) Ty Herndon: "It Must Be Love" (#38)



Damn it! Another song I can't find a video for.

Herndon is, of course, a big country star, but this is his only crossover hit, apparently. Not sure why. It's not like it was in a movie or something.

Don't you love it when the singer actually talks to the background singers in the song? Isn't that special?

Anyway, it's a typical country love song hit. No better, no worse than any other one. It's kind of catchy if you like that sort of thing, and does take me back to the few years that I did listen to country music.

But I got better...

So we close out 1998 with a bit of a twang! First time we've done that before, I think. We're heading into the final year of the decade. The Millenium's approaching, and the biggest party we've ever seen. Will 1999 be a fitting conclusion?

Or will it be a massive fail?

We'll soon find out!

But I'm off to start my day. It consists of football and hockey, but first, I've got something to do.



Wow, I'm glad there weren't any cameras around when I did that.



One-Hit Wonders of the 90s
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7
Part 8
Part 9
Part 10
Part 11
Part 12
Part 13
Part 14
Part 15
Part 16
Part 17
Part 18
Part 19
Part 20
Part 21
Part 22
Part 23
Part 24
Part 25
Part 26
Part 27
Part 28
Part 29
Part 30
Part 31
Part 32
Part 33
Part 34
Part 35
Part 36
Part 37
Part 38
Part 39
Part 40

In-game advertising. Hate it? Or REALLY HATE it?

Activision's Bobby Kotick has been taken to task (Ok, that's putting it mildly) for a lot of the things he's said. It's funny how nobody ever broadcasts the things he says that most gamers actually agree with.

One of those statements is in regard to in-game advertising.

I was catching up on the One of Swords podcast (Dan Americh's Activision podcast), and in one of the episodes, he mentioned this when talking about Kotick's statements at a Merrill Lynch event back in September. While this statement was endlessly talked about:

""Bungie are a very unusual company. They're probably the last remaining high quality independent developer."

This statement wasn't really talked about much:

"There was a time where we thought advertising and sponsorship was a big opportunity, but what we realized is our customers are paying $60 for a game or paying a monthly subscription fee and they don't really want to be barraged with sponsorship or advertising," Kotick explained.

"So being very respectful of our audiences, unless it's something that's really authentic and will enhance the game experience, we're generally not going to include something in the game. There may be future opportunities where you might offer a consumer an advertiser-supported experience so they wouldn't have to pay for it. 

"But as long as our audience is paying $60 for a game or a subscription fee I think we're going to limit the amount of advertising or sponsorship incorporated into a game."

I would have thought that would be bigger news.

See, I *hate* in-game advertising, even as I realize that in this day and age it may be hard to get around it. I really disliked the blatant Verizon and Energizer advertisements in Alan Wake, though I do understand the need for it (the "Can you hear me now" joke was a bit over the top, though).

That being said, I don't mind it if it's in context, partially because I also don't like the way films and games get around not using product names.

Have you ever noticed some movies that didn't sell in-movie advertising to a company, where the family is sitting around a table drinking "Cola" rather than Pepsi or Coke? Or at a bar where they're drinking "beer" rather than a brand of beer? Or, in movies and TV shows, I really hate those soda machines that just say "COLA" or "SODA" on them, rather than being Coke or Pepsi. I find that distracting too. It's just a needless reminder that this isn't the real world, which can harm the immersion I like to feel in the story.

I also don't like "fake" ads, like those used in some sports games. That just pulls me out of my suspension of disbelief too, as I no longer feel like I'm playing as the Steelers or as the Iowa State Cyclones in the real world.

Wow, I sure am picky, aren't I? So what do I want in regards to advertising in games?

1) I want in-context ads

If you're playing a skateboarding game, I would expect ads for skateboarding stuff, or stuff that is inherent to the skateboarder culture (since I'm not in that culture, I have no examples). Or I would expect to see beer advertising, as well as other advertising, at sports venues.   Considering how often you're using batteries in the game, I guess Energizer was fine for Alan Wake, but this brings me to my next point...

2) Don't throw it in my face

I really hate it when, in a movie or game, the camera suddenly does a close-up on a product, so that the brand name of the product is prominently displayed for 3 seconds or so, before moving on. Can you make it any more obvious?

Or maybe a cop standing over a dead body says to his partner "I'm going to call this in on my Nokia SC-2000 Smartphone that has everything from a 2000 mega-pixel camera to a holographic projector! Hey, why don't you check his pockets while I'm doing this?"

Background advertising, where you can clearly see the Apple logo on the computer (but the camera isn't intently staring at it) is great! I don't mind that at all. But don't make it so obvious that the viewer/gamer just rolls the eyes.

3) Don't overdo it

This can be context-sensitive too. Sports venues have a *lot* of advertising, so it might be a little more understandable in a sports game. But don't have 5-10 different sponsors for your 10-hour game, throwing blatant product placement at me right and left. I want to enjoy your game, or watch your movie. I don't want to have my head reeling because of all the advertisements being thrust upon me at once.

Did you ever see the movie Wayne's World?

They did a wonderful parody of the overpowering product placement in movies that was taking place at the time, all while getting that same product placement in the movie!

 

 

If you're going to do it, why not have fun with it?

I realize that this is all pie-in-the-sky stuff, and that I will never be totally satisfied. In-game advertising is here to stay.

But I love that somebody as powerful as Bobby Kotick has come out against its overuse.

Ummmm, on second thought, can we get another advocate please?

Thank you.

One Hit Wonders of the 90s (Part 35)

Hello, dear reader. I have a favour to ask you. The original post begins after all of the asterisks, if you want to skip this.

Now that the One Hit Wonders of the 90s series is over, I'm not going to be doing my weekly revisiting of all these posts (I had to do that to add the new post to the bottom). Thus, I won't be able to catch any broken picture links or deleted videos any more. Yet I want these posts to be as good as possible.

Please, if you happen upon one of these posts, or if you take a walk through a whole bunch of them, let me know if you find anything that doesn't work. You can leave a comment, or you can send me a message using that handy "Contact Me" page linked above.

Also, feel free to let me know what you think of the post or any of the videos!

Thank you.

**************************

You know what upsets me?

Yes, the fact that while I have used gallons of Axe body spray, I have yet to be swarmed by nubile young ladies definitely upsets me.

I want my thousands of dollars back.

But that's not what I'm talking about.

No, what upsets me is what some of these artists in my one-hit wonders posts would think of me if they read what I say about them.

I mean, sure, Loreena McKennitt would love what I said about her last week. But what about that guy from the Verve? Would he want to pound my lights out for saying he was an asshole? (Though, *technically*, I just said he was being an asshole in the video).

In fact, I did get together with him last week and we talked things out. He made his points, I said his song sucked but that I still loved him anyway, and then dessert came.

And then he ate a dwarf!

I thought that was kind of uncalled for. So I ducked out on him and left him with the cheque.

Hey, he shouldn't have suggested I have the Prime Rib.

But I digress.

It's time for this week's edition of the one-hit wonders of the 90s! Yes, you thought it would never come. You can stop holding your breath now.

Don't do that again! I can't afford to lose any readers.

As usual, you can find the list I'm taking these from here. And I don't even care if you go look or not. I'm beyond caring.

Hey, how'd that get in here! I've been hacked!

Oh well. I'll deal with it later.

Here we go!

1) Playa: "Cheers 2 U" (#38)



(Yay, Vevo!!!!)

Yes, Internet-speak was taking over in the 90s. Good to see Playa taking advantage of that!

I gotta get me one of those pink hats! I think I would look snazzy in one of them.

Did he need that much champagne to get her to sleep with him? I hope they had a party with it after the video shoot. Otherwise, what a waste!

The song's kinda cheesy, but it's nothing too bad. An attempt at some serious soul music that just sounds kind of squishy instead. It's very typical of the genre.

Maybe that's why it didn't catch on (and barely cracked the charts).

Either that, or maybe kids were just out playing that Summer and didn't really care about some guy's ode to a woman being charitable enough to actually be seen with him.

That might have been it too.

2) Link: "Whatcha Gone Do?" (#23)


Link . Whatcha Gone Do .1998
Uploaded by capitainfunkk. - News videos from around the world.

Ok, this isn't really that bad of a song. But better than sex? Ummmm, no, I don't think so.

Wow, funny I should mention sex there! I don't know why that would occur to me right at this moment.

It's weird how things just occur to you at times, for no reason.

This song actually made it on the radio? All I can gather is that the generic population either couldn't understand the words, or had no idea what they actually meant. Now, if you'll excuse me, it's time to beat off...I mean, beat the cat...wait, I mean, oh, hell, let's just go on to the next one...

3) Imajin (featuring Keith Murray): "Shorty (You Keep Playin' With My Mind)" (#25)



Is that kid old enough to be calling a girl "hot?" "Please get naughty with me?" Aren't these women a little too old for them? Well, most of them, there seems to be an older guy in there too.

Ok, I'm seriously confused now.

The song? Oh, it's kind of fun, in a toe-tapping, not wanting to think way. Unfortunately, I find myself thinking about things too much while watching the video, which kind of robs the enjoyment out of it.

Sort of like this guy does.

Ok, now I'm hungry.

4) Nicole (featuring Mocha): "Make it Hot" (#5)



Was just about to make a rap joke, when singing broke out! Colour me grateful.

I actually like this song, though the video leaves something to be desired. Is that what they call dancing?

No, THIS is dancing.



I do like the song, but the rapping part takes away so much from it. I hate it when artists reference themselves and other artists/collaborators in a song (the Timbaland references, Nicole Wray, etc).

On another front, the song does seem rather two-dimensional at times.

Ha! See what I did there?

Aw, never mind.

5) Five: "When the Lights Go Out" (#10)



(Yay, Vevo!!!!)

Oh no!!! New Kids wannabes!!!!!!

You know, when the lights go out, baby...let's go bowling!!!

I like the bowling motif, actually. It's got everything you need for innuendo. It's got a ball, an alley, it's just missing something...can't think of what it is.

Oh yeah, that.

So, in essence, this song really sucks. And then the guy breaks into a short rap, making it even worse.

Oy, vey.

6) Cleopatra: "Cleopatra's Theme" (#26)



Ok, I just don't know what to say.

I guess it's good that they know their name, at least. And they can spell it, too! That's actually good to know in this day and age.

7) Semisonic: "Closing Time" (#11)



(Yay, Vevo!!!!)

Wow, one I've heard! Kind of. I at least have some vague memory of this song.

I actually like this song, too. And I love the split-screen in the video, though there's no logic to it whatsoever, at least until the end. It would have been more effective if it had been more seamless.

But how can you beat a lyric like this?

"Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end."

Whoa. That's deep, man.

8) Big Punisher: "Still Not a Player" (#24)



And we end on a rap note. Fun!

I do love the beeper on the helicopter, though.

Just be glad I didn't post the explicit version of the song (you'll notice lots of gaps in the lyrics in this video).

Double ugh.

And there you have it! One more week left in 1998, before we move on to the last year of the decade! I'm feeling a little nostalgic for 1990, actually. I'm going to miss the 90s when I'm done. *sniff*

There are now *5* weeks left in the countdown, before the Millennial explosion. Prepare yourself.

Or, you know, don't.

But now it's time to start the day. After I make an announcement.


Présentatrice TV s'énerve sur le public en live [Clash TV]
Uploaded by ParlonsTV. - News videos from around the world.

Guess who forgot to take their happy pills today?



One-Hit Wonders of the 90s
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7
Part 8
Part 9
Part 10
Part 11
Part 12
Part 13
Part 14
Part 15
Part 16
Part 17
Part 18
Part 19
Part 20
Part 21
Part 22
Part 23
Part 24
Part 25
Part 26
Part 27
Part 28
Part 29
Part 30
Part 31
Part 32
Part 33
Part 34
Part 35
Part 36
Part 37
Part 38
Part 39
Part 40