The 1980s R&B group Atlantic Starr had several songs that charted on R&B charts. Releasing 13 albums over a sixteen-year stint, the group was created in 1976 in White Plains, New York. Throughout the 70s and 80s, Atlantic Starr released several hits, but their crossover success to the pop charts didn’t occur until the late 80s with their release of the single “Secret Lovers.” Following that, in 1989, their song “Always” jumped to #1 on the pop charts, solidifying their pop success. Although the group changed band members over the years, they managed to develop a huge fan base and create memorable music that will continue to live on.
Check out the playlist and see if you remember any of their songs, if you’ve never heard of Atlantic Starr, enjoy!!
Instead of a film review today, I want to introduce you to Crank Yankers. Have any of you heard of or watched it before?? It used to come on Comedy Central and sometimes it would have me in tears. It's a show that re-enacts prank calls, using puppets; all of the calls are real. This show is hilarious!! I used to watch it when it was on TV, but I recently found it on hulu.com (which is one of my new favorite sites) and I subscribed to the episodes. I think I find Crank Yankers so funny because I am guilty of one or two prank calls in my day. Come on, I'm sure some of you, if not all, are guilty too. Ha ha ha!!
Adam Carolla, Jimmy Kimmel, and Daniel Kellison are the producers of Crank Yankers. It premiered in 2002 on Comedy Central and ran for 4 seasons. The prank calls are made by the show's regulars, as well as celebrity guests; some of the regulars are Tracy Morgan, Kevin Nealson, Sarah Silverman, Biz Markie, and Wanda Sykes. David Alan Grier, Dave Chappelle, Drew Carey, Sharon Osbourne, Denis Leary, Jeff Goldblum, Dane Cook and Seth Green are just a few of celebrity names that have taken part on the show.
It's Friday, take a few moments to start your weekend off with a few laughs. I've provided two episodes below to get you started. Check it out, but be careful, some of you may hate it, but others may become addicted. If you do, visit hulu.com and subscribe to the episodes. Enjoy!!
Season 3: Episode 18-Tracy Morgan and Jimmy Kimmel
Season 2: Episode 23-Jamie Kennedy and David Alan Grier
Today's "Quote of the Day" is dedicated to one of my long time friends. She will be getting married this coming Saturday, August 8th, and I will be taking part in her wedding as a bridesmaid. Wishing you the best, Tish!!! Love ya!!
"Love doesn't make the world go round. Love is what makes the ride worthwhile."
Definition: 1. of or relating to the pachyderms 2. thick, thickened; callous, insensitive Example: During the trial, an innocent man was attacked by the media for a crime he did not commit. I'm sure he developed a pachydermatous layer of self-protection, given all of the ridicule he suffered until his innocence was proven. Feel free to use this word in a sentence in the comment area or offer your own W.O.D. to be featured as the W.O.D.
This past Saturday morning I had the radio on while I was getting dressed. I was tuned into WHUR (96.3 FM), which is a station in the Maryland/DC area. I believe the show is called “Weekend Review” and part of the show is an artist spotlight; all of the artists featured are local. I had the pleasure of being introduced to an artist that goes by the name Joy Dion.
When I initially turned on the radio, I immediately began grooving to her cut called “I Think I.” I thought to myself, “who is this?” Mentally I was trying to match her voice to all the songs that clog my head, but I came up empty. So I continued listening and towards the end of the show, there was a short Q & A, where Joy mentioned how she got started, how much she loves music and her website info. Of course I made a mental note of her site, and all I have to say is her album or at least some of her tracks should be in your ipod or blaring from your speakers!! Joy has a young, fresh sound. Her debut album (independent release, might I add) is entitled Joy and Pain. Putting pen to pad, Joy wrote and arranged every song on the album, taking us on a journey through her life experiences, as well as opening the door to her imagination.
Originally from Detroit, now residing in the DC area, Joy has been writing and singing professionally for about 9 years. She began singing in her church choir at age 4 and has hasn’t stopped since. Her skills were enhanced when she attended the Detroit High School for Fine and Performing Arts. Joy has worked with many notable producers during her 9-year stint, including Red Spyda (known for his work with 50 cents and DJ Whoo), Face, Al West and more.
Joy’s voice, lyrics, and underlying musical arrangements are infectious. Take a few moments to listen to her tracks and visit her sites. I’ve said it plenty of times, the best artists are found roaming “the underground.”
Hello to all my blog buddies. I apologize for not having the usual "Old School Saturday" post up today. I've been quite busy, so here's the "haps." Next weekend I will be in a wedding; the bride is a long time friend of mine; we went to elementary school through college together, she asked me to be a bridesmaid, and of course I accepted. So I have been running errands all day in preparation for that.
Also, I'm starting a new blog project, aimed at making me some $$ and growing it into a successful business venture; I'll keep you all in the loop as it gets closer to being complete. This means that a lot of my time will be dedicated to planning and executing, so my normal post schedule may be thrown off a little, but I'm going to try keeping it as consistent as possible. I'm sure I may miss a post here and there, but I appreciate all of your support since the launch of Homebody Blogger and I hope you all continue visiting and leaving your comments. As usual, I will continue visiting your blogs and leaving my two cents.
With that said, enjoy your weekend and stop by for "Musical Monday."
Every now and then, you will run across a film about love; one that does not sugarcoat love or smother you with it. Keith Gordon’s Waking The Dead is just that. It poses the question, “is love really enough,” but, with a psychological twist.
Trying to steer away from telling you too much, in the opening scene of Waking The Dead, Fielding Pierce (Billy Crudup) is watching a news broadcast and finds out the love of his life, Sarah Williams (Jennifer Connelly), has been killed in a car-bombing that targeted Chilean activists (she was tagging along with them). The question is, did Sarah really die? From this point on, the film flashes back and forth, during the 70s and 80s, giving us insight into their relationship; how they met, after her death, moments before she left with the activists, their relationship difficulties, their happy moments …We watch as Fielding tries coping with her death, which is turning him into a “mad man.” At a certain point, he thinks he sees her in a crowd, then he gets a phone call from her, then she appears at his house. Is this all real?? Is his mind playing tricks on him?? Is he really going “mad?”
Now, let me give you a little background on the characters. Fielding Pierce is a young, ambition law student, aspiring to become a politician. Sarah is an idealist, kind of a wanna-be activist; she’s lefter-than-left when it comes to her ideals. Both are strong-willed individuals with varying political views, powerful goals, and ideals of what’s right and wrong, which dramatically clash. This again, evokes the question, is love really enough? Does love conquer all?
That’s all I’m going to give you, now click "play."
My take? I really enjoyed this film. It was not the “run of the mill” love story about two people. It actually talks about LOVE in general. Scene by scene, the plot gets better. I think Billy Crudup did an excellent job, as well as Jennifer Connelly. I thought they played their characters perfect, in that they were believable.
GRADE: B-
Click here to watch the trailer or watch Waking The Dead in full-length, click play below.
Recently I met a person of interest. We're still getting to know one another, so you know how those conversations go...a bunch of question asking. So, the questions posed to me were, "what's one short-term goal you have?" and "what's one long-term goal you have?" I answered, of course. Now, with that said, when I saw the quote below, it reminded of the conversation.
"If we all did the things we are capable of, we would astound ourselves." --Thomas Edison
Hil St. Soul is one of the hottest underground groups on the neo-soul/jazz scene. This group offers a sound fusion of classic soul, smooth jazz, R&B, and neo-soul. One half of the group is the face, the voice, and in my opinion, the "Soul," UK diva, (Hil)ary Mwelwa; the other half is songwriter/producer, Victor Redwood Sawyer. Since 2000, the group has been on fire, releasing five albums to date. Their first album, Soul Organic (2000), dazzled Europe and took the music scene by storm. Hil’s popularly known sultry cover of Aretha Franklin’s “Until You Come Back to Me” led to the group crossing the Atlantic. With much success, Soul Organic was named on various critics’ top ten lists and Hil St. Soul was said to be a group to watch. And I have.
Other successful albums have followed over the years, Copasetic And Cool (2002-it was the group’s first album to top the US R&B charts), Soulidified (2006), Black Rose (2008), and Released (2009). All of the albums thus far have strengthened Hil St. Soul’s fan base, as well as displayed solid songwriting and diverse rhythms.
I often say it, and I’m going to say it again, the best music is found in the underground scene. Check out the playlist and get a taste of Hil St. Soul. Enjoy!!
I know you’ve all heard the song “Rapper’s Delight,” which is the well-known hip-hop single by The Sugarhill Gang; it was a multi-platinum seller in 1980 and the first hip-hop single recorded to become a Top 40 hit. The Sugarhill Gang consist(s)ed of 3 MCs from Englewood, New Jersey, Wonder Mike, Big Bank Hank, and Master Gee. Sylvia Robinson, a producer and indie label owner, assembled the crew in the late 70s. She, along with her husband, also founded Sugar Hill Records.
Although The Gang recorded six albums and released other songs, some of which were minor hits, none of them reached the success of “Rapper’s Delight” (the foundation of the song was the instrumental sample of the song "Good Times" by Chic). It was #36 on the US pop chart and #4 on the US r&b chart in 1979.
Take some time to check out The Sugarhill Gang tracks I’ve put together for you. Go ahead, listen to it. It will be a great start to your Saturday morning. Enjoy!!
**This playlist on has 30 sec tracks, to listen to my full-length playlist, click here.
The 2008 indie film In Search Of was written and directed by Zeke Zelker. It was screened in New York and in London in October 2008 during the London Film Festival, where it was one of two winners of the From Here to Awesome Film Festival. In November 2008, the film made its theatrical debut in Allentown, PA.
Just as the indie film I reviewed last week, The Other America, the cinematography is raw and gritty. It was shot in Allentown, PA and the Lehigh Valley during the course of a year, on both S16mm and 35mm film. In addition, various cameras were used including the Krasnogorsk camera.
In Search Of is a film that is about sex, the repercussions of actions, manipulation, love, deceit, revenge, attraction, pressure, ego, wealth and all other things that fall in between. We’re shown how decisions can force bad situations on the people involved. Zelker examines the lives of 10 characters that use sex to get what they want out of life. Andy (Keith Nobbs) is a high school football player who is a victim of peer pressure from his teammates. Lauren (Tracy Toth) is cheating on her husband with her “soulmate.” Lauren’s son Jack (Michael Rady) seems to use sex as power, manipulating everyone in his path with his wealth. Dave (Jack Barley) is struggling, trying to keep up a certain lifestyle standard that his girlfriend is accustomed to, so he starts a business that may or may not have been the wisest thing to do.
I actually enjoyed this film as well. The plot was decent and entertaining, and for the most part believable. You know at least one of the characters in the film; they’re your co-worker, a friend, or a family member. I think Zelker could have had fewer characters to make the plot a bit more cohesive. Plus having less characters would have made it easier to spend more time cultivating and completing some of the storylines. Don’t get me wrong, I think he did a great job, but he slightly loses track of a few whose stories might have been interesting. Overall, In Search Of is a good watch. Check out the full-length film below (via hulu.com). Enjoy!!!
Hello and welcome to my cyber residence! Why don't you "sit a spell?" While here in my atmosphere, you will be exposed to my latest unsigned artist finds (I am a total music lover), my daily rants and raves, visual artists (I must say, I have a pretty good eye. At least in my opinion.) things I stumble upon and my personal movie reviews (I'm a self-proclaimed movie critic). I have thousands of interests, so you never know what I may be chatting about.
Homebody Followers
To Homebody readers & visitors
I hope you all enjoy my posts. I welcome you all to leave your feedback, suggestions, and comments. If you are an artists of any kind and would like to have your work featured or if you are interested in interviewing with Homebody Blogger, please do not hesitate to contact me. I am always looking for new and undiscovered talent. Thanks for stopping by and I look forward to hearing from you.
**A Note from the Editor: Music files, artwork and photographs displayed on this site are the property of the artists who created them. We make a point to link back to the sources we use or cite where we get our information from. Any material can be removed at the artist request.
photo courtesy of onlinetalent.com
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