In this song, The Human League takes on themes of human infidelity and forgiveness. The video was filmed in London and it was stylized to present the band with a constant blue hue, as if they were being viewed through water.
Andy Morohan has been a busy commercial and music video director from the 80s onward. He’s directed videos for everyone from Kim Wilde, Orchestral Maneuvers in the Dark, Pet Shop Boys, to Guns N’ Roses, Aerosmith, Bon Jovi, and Meat Loaf. Looking over his list of credits, it is hard not to wonder what it was like going from the The Human League and George Michael to Axl Rose and Slash.
I just read that actor Henry Silva died on September 14th. He was 95 years old.
Henry Silva appeared in many movies, usually playing gangsters and assassins. He started his film career in the 50s and was still active up until at least 2012. He worked with everyone from Marlon Brando to Frank Sinatra to Charles Bronson and Robert Redford. Speaking for myself, I will always remember him as the heroin-addicted Billy Score, one of the most frightening villains of all time, in Sharky’s Machine.
(If you haven’t seen Sharky’s Machine before, don’t worry. Despite getting shot several times, Bernie Casey does survive and even makes a joke about how he’s going to have to get a new suit.)
Welcome to Retro Television Reviews, a new feature where we review some of our favorite and least favorite shows of the past! On Fridays, I will be reviewing One World, which ran on NBC from 1998 to 2001. The entire show is currently streaming on Tubi!
The Cast of One World
When last we checked in with Miami’s favorite foster family, Jane was apologizing for trying to steal a watch for her foster father’s birthday. It was a sweet moment. Let’s see if the show continued to build on that momentum.
Because you know what? We’re living in one world….
Episode 1.5 “Community Service”
(directed by Chuck Vinson, originally aired on October 10th, 1998)
“This party blows!” Jane declares, “There’s no fights! Nothing’s been broken! No one’s fallen off the roof!”
Yes, the Blake children are throwing a party because their foster parents are out for the night. Unfortunately, the music gets too loud so the police come by and issue them a citation for disturbing the peace. The Blake parents convince the judge to give their children community service. “Community service is for punks!” Jane declares.
Marci, Jane, Neal, and Ben end up volunteering at the hospital, where they learn how to help the sick. Neal and Ben both fall in love with a doctor who, shockingly, doesn’t want much to do with teenagers who are doing court-mandated community service. Marci nearly kills a patient when she sells him a hot dog, nachos, and a cigar. Jane bonds with an initially hostile boy her age who is terminally ill. This episode would have been super depressing if not for the fact that the hospital set was obviously the same one that was used in Saved By The Bell when Zach had to have knee surgery.
Fortunately, the B-plot was more fun. Sui had to bake a cake for a class but, unfortunately, Mrs. Blake was stuck in bed with the flu. So, Mr. Blake had to help Sui with the baking and yes, it was a disaster. I laughed because I knew Sui’s struggle. Baking isn’t as easy as the commercials make it seem. Plus, Sui’s the coolest member of the family.
At the end of the show, Neal and Ben ended up delivering a baby in a stalled elevator and Jane takes the dying kid to the Warehouse so that he can experience “Miami’s hottest under 21 club.”
Episode 1.6 “The 12 Steps To Ben”
(directed by Chuck Vinson, originally aired on October 17th, 1998)
I guess Jane’s new boyfriend died after the end of the fifth episode because the sixth episode finds her in love with her new stepbrother, Ben. Unfortunately for Jane, Ben has a new girlfriend, Alex (Jordana Spiro). Unfortunately for Ben, Alex is an alcoholic. Unfortunately for Alex, Ben is a recovering alcoholic and he tricks her into going to an AA meeting. In other words, the Saturday night date is now assumed. That’s the first sign of a committed relationship. They’re as good as married now!
Every TNBC show always had at least a few episodes that centered around drinking. Unfortunately, they always made it looks like everyone was having too much fun whenever they were drunk so I imagine they probably inspired most of their viewers to think, “I can’t wait until I can try that!”
Since the main plot was pretty heavy, the B-plot featured Marci and Sui selling candy bars and …. getting arrested. These kids sure did get arrested a lot.
Wow, those two episodes were kind of heavy. Will One World ever lighten up? We’ll find out next week!
In the year 2000, Renee Zellweger was not only starring in movies and working her way to eventually winning two Oscars. She was also apparently spying on her neighbor across the street.
Did it not occur to this guy to get curtains for his bathroom? And also, how loudly is he singing that Renee can hear all of the lyrics to I Want You Want Me? If Renee can hear him from across the street, I can only imagine what it must be like to live right next door to the guy.
That said, I do think this is kind of a cute commercial. The guy is adorable in his dorky way and I’d probably watch him too. But I don’t think he and Renee are ever going to get together because it might kind of creep him out to know that she’s been watching him in the shower for all this time. To be honest, this commercial feels more like a Sandra Bullock movie than a vehicle for Renee Zellweger.
And what exactly does any of this have to do with Diet Coke?
As some of our regular readers undoubtedly know, I am involved in a few weekly live tweets on twitter. I host #FridayNightFlix every Friday, I co-host #ScarySocial on Saturday, and I am one of the five hosts of #MondayActionMovie! Every week, we get together. We watch a movie. We tweet our way through it.
Tonight, at 10 pm et, I will be hosting #FridayNightFlix! The movie? 1989’s Road House!
The name is Dalton! Everyone thought that Dalton would be bigger but he’s the second best bouncer in the world and if anything happens to Wade Garrett, he’ll be the absolute best. He’s a legend but can he clean up the wildest bar in Missouri? Will Ben Gazzara convince him to switch sides? Will Doc convince him to give peace a chance? And will Tinker ever get over his fear of polar bears? Just remember, pain don’t hurt. Be nice until it’s time not to be nice. And always check the boots for blades.
If you want to join us this Friday, just hop onto twitter, start the movie at 10 pm et, and use the #FridayNightFlix hashtag! I’ll be there tweeting and I imagine some other members of the TSL Crew will be there as well. It’s a friendly group and welcoming of newcomers so don’t be shy.
This is NOT a drill! This Friday, we have got …. DALTON! Join us as we watch 1989's ROAD HOUSE! The film is available on Prime, Netflix, and Paramount Plus and we start at 10 pm et on Friday! pic.twitter.com/JheJ2l1O5e
How is Steve Perry going to get over his heartbreak with so many people in his apartment? There weren’t many singers in the late 70s and early 80s who did as good a job singing about emotional angst as Steve Perry and in this video, he’s at his angstiest. Not even the sight of the other members of Journey falling outside of his window can bring him out of his funk. Eventually, even the other members of the band get sick of hearing about his problems and walk out on him. What is left for Steve to do than to break out some awkward dance moves?
After the Fall was included on Journey’s 1983 album Frontiers and it was the band’s 11th top 40 and their ninth top 25 single. It was also included on the soundtrack of Risky Business.
Welcome to Retro Television Reviews, a feature where we review some of our favorite and least favorite shows of the past! On Thursdays, I will be reviewing City Guys, which ran on NBC from 1997 to 2001. The entire show is currently streaming on Tubi!
C. I. T. Y. These guys, the neat guys, are smart and street-wise….
Episode 1.5 “The Dance”
(Directed by Frank Bonner, Aired on October 4th, 1997)
L-Train is back!
(For the record, Wikipedia swears that the character was named L-Train. IMDb says it was El-Train. I’ll probably switch back and forth as I review this show.)
Last seen threatening to kill Jamal and Chris at the end of the first episode, EL-Train returns in The Dance. If he was the school bully in the first episode, this episode presents us with the L-Train who would be present for the rest of the series. This EL-Train is a dim-witted but well-intentioned and dedicated to trying to turn his life around. Steven Daniel’s portrayal of L-Train was one of the (few) highlights of City Guys and El-Train was really the only character on the show who had any depth. The best of the show’s occasional “serious” episodes were the ones where he was tempted to return to his old lifestyle of being the school bully.
In this episode, El-Train asks Cassidy to the school dance and she accepts. “Awwww!” the audience says. However, El-Train wanting to date Cassidy is only one of my subplots revolving around Manny High’s fall dance.
Al wants to DJ. Dawn wants the dance to be a success. Ms. Noble wants to get through the night without there being any drama like at the last school dance. (What happened at the last dance is never really described, which is odd. It makes the viewer wonder if maybe someone fell off the roof of the school or something. Did I mention that all of the school’s dances are held on the roof?) And Chris wants to go to the dance with Kaisha who just happens to be Jamal’s sister!
(Cue the audience: “Woooo!”)
But wait a minute, this seems familiar. Remember, on Saved By The Bell, when it was suddenly revealed that Slater had a sister who no one had ever previously talked about? Zach took her out on a date and Slater got upset about it, for much the same reason that Jamal gets upset at Chris. And didn‘t Saved By The Bell have an episode where Mr. Belding was worried about holding a school dance after something happened at the previous one? And didn’t Screech somehow always end up as the DJ?
My point is that there’s really nothing original to be found in this episode but it’s still better than the four episodes that came before it. Kaisha wisely rejects both Chris and Jamal, telling them that they’re both controlling jerks. (“Yay!” says the audience.) Chris and Jamal realize how much they have in common and share a very uncomfortable laugh. Ms. Noble demands that Chris and Jamal dance with her. (“Woooo!’ the audience says.) For the first time, during this episode, the cast really seems to click. As Jamal and Chris, Wesley Jonathan and Scott Whyte finally seem to have adapted to each other’s rhythms. Jamal is called out for being overprotective. Chris gets called out for lacking ambition. Neither one is in the right. This is probably about as nuanced as one could ever hope for an episode of City Guys to get.
Episode 1.6 “The Communication Gap”
(Directed by Frank Bonner, originally aired on October 11, 1997)
After starting a food fight at the cafeteria, Chris and Jamal are in trouble once again! Ms. Noble calls their fathers. Jamal’s father (well-played by Ivory Ocean) shows up and proves himself to be a firm but loving disciplinarian. Chris’s father sends his personal assistant.
Somehow, this leads to Chris living with Jamal and his father while Chris’s father is away on business. To pay for his room and board, Chris ends up working at the diner that’s owned by Jamal’s father. Unfortunately, because they’re so eager to see the new Jim Carrey film, Chris and Jamal leave work early and get in trouble. Seeing how Jamal and his father handle things, Chris is inspired to fix his relationship with his own father. (“Awwwww!” say the audience.)
This episode was …. actually, it was okay. Ivory Ocean gave a really good performance was Jamal’s father and the show actually took some time to consider why Chris has all of the issues with trust that he has. It was a little weird to see everyone getting so excited over a Jim Carrey movie but then I reminded myself the episode was made before Jim married Jenny McCarthy and went all anti-vaxx.
So, that’s two good episodes of City Guys in a row! Could the show be turning a corner? We shall see next week!
Supposedly, this is a video that MTV initially rejected, feeling that it would be too intense and sordid to appeal to its audience. In the end, the only reason MTV relented was due to the intervention of David Geffen, who convinced the channel to play the song once at five in the morning. No sooner had the video aired than the station started to get calls from viewers who wanted to see it again. Just as the song would become one of Guns N’ Roses’s signature songs, the video became one of MTV’s signature videos.
This is yet another video that was directed by Nigel Dick. The video follows a young Axl Rose, as he gets off the bus in Los Angeles and finds himself in the jungle. Interestingly, the members of the band appear as an assortment of drug dealers and other lowlifes, all of whom are trying to corrupt Axl. It’s been said that the video actually follows the real life dynamic of the group as Axl, despite his reputation, stayed away from the heavy drug use that the rest of the band happily indulged in,
The video has been called a combination of Midnight Cowboy, The Man Who Fell To Earth, and A Clockwork Orange. That sounds right to me.
Through the Shattered Lens 