Adam Sandler’s Hannukah Song
Posted on December 21, 2008 at 12:00 pm
Happy Hannukah!
B.J. Thomas Live
Posted on September 25, 2008 at 10:51 pm
We saw B.J. Thomas perform at the Birchmere tonight. His voice is marvel, wonderfully clear and supple. He sang all the hits, “Hooked on a Feeling,” “Rock and Roll Lullabye,” “Eyes of a New York Woman,” “Don’t Worry Baby,” “Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song,” and of course “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ On My Head,” from “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.”
I loved it when he sang my very favorite, “Mighty Clouds of Joy” — with spirit that filled the room with some mighty clouds of joy of his own. Check out his tour dates to see if you can get a ticket.
BDK interviews Oscar-winning composer Hans Zimmer
Posted on August 20, 2008 at 8:00 pm
Kevin McCarthy reviews films as “BDK” and hosts a weekly radio broadcast. Check out his interview of Hans Zimmer, whose score is one of the defining elements of the year’s biggest movie, The Dark Knight. Zimmer’s discussion of the development of the music for that film and others, including the Oscar-winning score of Gladiator is fascinating and highly entertaining as well.
Comic-Con 2008
Posted on July 23, 2008 at 6:00 pm
I’m getting ready for one of my favorite events of the year, Comic-Con in San Diego.
It began in 1970 with a few dozen comic collectors swapping comics and stories. This year, all 125,000 passes were sold out long before this evening’s opening night. I always refer to it as the Iowa caucuses of popular culture and the LA Times calls “the World’s Fair for pop-culture aficionados” and “the Super Bowl of popcorn cinema.” This is where everything that will be cool a year or two from now in comics, gaming, movies, television, and music begins. The people who buy comics are a tiny fraction of the entertainment marketplace but they are hugely influential because they are fiercely independent — they don’t wait to see if something is considered cool before making up their minds — and even more fiercely passionate — if they like something, they will get the word out. I am always touched and inspired by the way so many of the attendees are completely comfortable in their fanboy geekdom and wear it proudly, knowing that next year the people who didn’t talk to them in high school will be following whatever trends they help to determine this year. But that may be because I am such a fangirl myself. 
Everyone will be there — from Deepak Chopra with his Virgin comics line to the people who come dressed up as superheroes and movie characters and collectors of arcane memorabilia to the stars of the new Watchman movie and the scholars from universities who write about what it all means and the people behind and on screen from all the biggest upcoming movies (including “The Hobbit.” “Clone Wars,” Disney’s next big animated release “Bolt,” and “City of Ember”) and television shows. Celebrities in attendance include the Mystery Science Theater guys, Seth Green, the original voice talents from top cartoons including the original Charlie Brown kids, Tori Amos, author Dean Koontz, Bill Murray, Steve Coogan, Method Man, Matt Groening (of “The Simpsons” and “Futurama”), and Triumph the Wonder Dog.
Keep checking, because I’ll be posting about my adventures. In the meantime, check out my pictures from 2006 and 2007.
ABBA on video (with a surprise guest appearance)
Posted on July 21, 2008 at 10:00 am
“Mamma Mia” is a good reason (as if we need one) to revisit some ABBA classics featured in the movie:
Take a Chance on Me
Gimme Gimme Gimme
Money Money Money
All of ABBA’s promotional clips like these were directed by Lasse Hallström who went on to become one of Hollywood’s most critically acclaimed directors with “What’s Eating Gilbert Grape?” “Chocolat,” and “The Cider House Rules.”