Aside from "The Simpsons", there's nothing on network television that I make a point of watching. Sure, the wife likes "24" and "Lost", but there's just something about network TV that rubs me the wrong way. It just lacks that "special something".
So I hear about a new summer show on NBC called "Hit Me Baby One More Time". The premise is that bands who were popular in the 80s but fell out of the public eye come back, sing one of their old hits, then do a rendition of a modern song. The audience then picks the best of the lot, and the winning band has money donated to a charity in their name.
Being a child of the 80s, I feel compelled to see this show. However, I just know it's going to suck.
So the show starts, and the first thing I see is a huge crowd.........of people no older than 25. And no fatties. Or ugly people. So the people "voting" were never around when these bands were big, and heaven forbid NBC show somebody weighing more than 175 pounds enjoying music.
The next thing I see is the host, some 25-ish guy....with an English accent. 'Cause you know, you can't have a music related show on network television these days without an English host. I'm surprised his name wasn't Simon as well.
They had 5 bands on last night, two of which I wanted to see....Loverboy and A Flock of Seagulls. Loverboy was first, and it looks like they had all of the surviving original band members (one died in a boating accident some time back). They looked old, and sounded like shit. Weren't even in the right key. I am saddened.
A Flock of Seagulls was third. The host announces them, and the "band" appears on stage. Of the 5 original band members, ONE is there....the rest are nameless fill-ins hired just for this show. This is not A Flock of Seagulls...it's ONLY THE SINGER. DO NOT TAUNT ME WITH 'A FLOCK OF SEAGULLS' WHEN ALL YOU HAVE IS ONE SEAGULL! What a load of crap. In any case, they/he/whatever sounded like shit too. And he went bald...what irony!
We bugged out after about 20 minutes (it's an hour long show). The wife was so taken aback by the horrid music that she wanted to hear the originals, so we listed to that instead.
VH1 had a series on a year or two back called "Bands Reunited" where they reunited WHOLE bands from the 80s for a concert. This is nothing than a cheap discount network version of it. And I'll also wager that NBC was paid by record labels to have the modern songs sung, just to get them some exposure.
Summary: It sucked long, and it sucked hard. My dislike for network television has been reinvigorated to hitherto unimaginable levels.
Rating: 0 out of 5
Hit Me Baby One More Time
Moderators: AArdvark, Ice Cream Jonsey
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chris
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nessman
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Re: Hit Me Baby One More Time
I saw the same thing ("Bands United" on VH1) and they managed to get the original Flock of Seagulls lineup to reunite. IIRC from that show, the singer/keyboard guy has been touring as a Flock of Seagulls all along, but with a fill-in band - and no one from the original lineup.chris wrote:VH1 had a series on a year or two back called "Bands Reunited" where they reunited WHOLE bands from the 80s for a concert. This is nothing than a cheap discount network version of it. And I'll also wager that NBC was paid by record labels to have the modern songs sung, just to get them some exposure.
They even showed a 1/2 hour version when they couldn't get a band to reunite (Extreme I think?).
The web page for this show on NBC's website does have that feel of "this is an awful show" written all over it with zany lines such as:
The live audience was excited to see their favorite bands back on stage! Host Vernon Kay wasted no time in introducing the first performers, Loverboy. Mike Reno didn't have on his signature red leather pants, but still managed to rock the house with "Working for the Weekend."
Awful.
Is there any other way to suck?Summary: It sucked long, and it sucked hard.
If the First Amendment will protect a scumbag like me, it will protect all of you. - Larry Flynt
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nessman
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AArdvark
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Which is WHY I wrote it in the first place. Sarcasm. Think teh funny! Replacement band members for Flock of Seagulls....maybe they can get Debbie Harry to front for The Plasmatics or smething. Maybe they can get her to sing Blondie tunes or something. Either way I don't watch the show and probably never will. I won't even go to Bryan Adams and Def Leppard at FF. Just because they play 80's songs on stupid radio* dosen't mean the artists should still go out and perform them.
*I swear I have listened to 'Marguaritaville' every working day for the last ten years because it's played on the BUZZ constantly. It's killing me slowly like alcohol poisioning of the ears.
THE
DIE PARROTHEAD,
DIE
AARDVARK
*I swear I have listened to 'Marguaritaville' every working day for the last ten years because it's played on the BUZZ constantly. It's killing me slowly like alcohol poisioning of the ears.
THE
DIE PARROTHEAD,
DIE
AARDVARK
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pinback
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AArdvark
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Yes, Jimy Buffet is good. I agree with you. WHAT I DO NOT AGREE WITH IS HAVING TO LISTEN TO THE SAME GODDAM SONG EVERY DAY FOR THE REST OF MY WORKING CAREER.
What I have a problem with is the radio station(s) that have a core playlist of fifty songs and believe that these songs should be played over and over again until the station hard drive burns out. Marguaritaville is a good song. When it is repeated every day for a decade is when I have an issue. I wonder sometimes if I have heard it more times than JB has played it.
THE
WASTING AWAY
AARDVARK
What I have a problem with is the radio station(s) that have a core playlist of fifty songs and believe that these songs should be played over and over again until the station hard drive burns out. Marguaritaville is a good song. When it is repeated every day for a decade is when I have an issue. I wonder sometimes if I have heard it more times than JB has played it.
THE
WASTING AWAY
AARDVARK
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chris
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I stopped listening to terrestrial radio a few years ago....between the repetitiveness and the 30 minutes of commercials every hour, I couldn't take it anymore. Jesus, I had 6 presets in my car, and I could routinely switch between them and find commercials playing on ALL of them.AArdvark wrote:What I have a problem with is the radio station(s) that have a core playlist of fifty songs and believe that these songs should be played over and over again until the station hard drive burns out. Marguaritaville is a good song. When it is repeated every day for a decade is when I have an issue. I wonder sometimes if I have heard it more times than JB has played it.
Got me an iPod, loaded it up with tunes, and now listen to that in the car (and when I'm working around the house). I also download Stern every evening and listen to it the next day at my leisure. Life is good.
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AArdvark
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I long for the day when I am able to use a personal radio/cd player/mp3 player.. anything!! at work. It's a safety thing. The whole problem stems from the fact that some other machinists need that radio background noise and just leave the buzz playing all day.
Not loud, mind you, but I can still hear it. The commercials drive me batshit and the songs are the same ones they played yesterday..and the day before..and the day before...
commercial breaks for the buzz are about twenty minutes after the hour and twenty minutes to the hour and either just before or after the hour on average. so that's twelve commercials every twenty minutes. OK I go now and throw myself in the river, this is depressing
THE
ON PINNACLE HILL
WITH A ROCKET LAUNCHER
AARDVARK
Not loud, mind you, but I can still hear it. The commercials drive me batshit and the songs are the same ones they played yesterday..and the day before..and the day before...
commercial breaks for the buzz are about twenty minutes after the hour and twenty minutes to the hour and either just before or after the hour on average. so that's twelve commercials every twenty minutes. OK I go now and throw myself in the river, this is depressing
THE
ON PINNACLE HILL
WITH A ROCKET LAUNCHER
AARDVARK
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Lysander
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AArdvark
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bruce
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I have had a Pomegranate Manhattan (not bad) and a Vowel Cocktail (meh) while waiting for Jason to get here.
Then at PF Chang's I had a Mai Tai (eh) and a Poolside (ick). And then when I got back here while playing Burnout 3 and Halo I had one of my Mai Tais (yum) and, goddamnit, I'm still not drunk.
Bruce
Then at PF Chang's I had a Mai Tai (eh) and a Poolside (ick). And then when I got back here while playing Burnout 3 and Halo I had one of my Mai Tais (yum) and, goddamnit, I'm still not drunk.
Bruce
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nessman
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