Hi-de-Hi-de-Hi!!

Well, that was pretty fast work, I must say. The sage Ruprecht, he of enormous brain and foresight, was correct when he answered Friday's Puzzler.  The question was: which movie featured a cameo by the wonderful Obba Babatunde (below) as a Cab Calloway - styled bandleader?

The answer was The Notebook.
Now, I did not watch the film through choice, but after repeated viewings I grew to like bits of it. Especially the scene with Obba.

Next question: Cab Calloway was no stranger to movies - in which movie did he appear as a character named Curtis?

Puzzler: That Thing You Do!

Last time on the Puzzler: Which film contains tunes penned by none other than Tom Hanks?

Easy one for Tom fans - the answer is That Thing You Do!, a mockumentary about an Erie, PA rock combo that scores an accidental hit and rides the fame wave as long as it will allow, with stellar performances from Tom Everett Scott, the sublime Liv Tyler, Steve Zahn, Johnathon Schaech, Ethan Embry, and Tom Hanks his own self, with some lovely cameos by Jonathan Demme, Gedde Watanabe, Rita Wilson, Peter Scolari, Giovanni Ribisi, Chris Isaak, Charlize Theron, Kevin Pollak, Clint Howard, Alex Rocco, Obba Babatunde, Chris Ellis and a brief but wonderful turn by Bryan (Malcolm In the Middle, Breaking Bad) Cranston as astronaut Virgil "Gus" Grissom. I kinda like this movie a little bit. Okay, a lot. Can ya tell?

The Tom Hanks tuneage? He actually wrote three himself, Lovin' You Lots And Lots by The Norm Wooster Singers, and It's Not Far and La Senora De Dos Costas from the score. He also co-wrote Voyage Around The Moon, Mr. Downtown and Hold My Hand, Hold My Heart which appear on the soundtrack CD. Not only that but Spartacus, the drum piece that Guy plays in the studio with Dell Paxton.
Sorry the quality stinks, but I love this scene.



Okay folks - next question!

Obba Babatunde plays a small but pivotal role in That Thing You Do! as doorman/bellhop Lamarr, but in which movie did he play a bandleader bearing a striking resemblance to jazz legend Cab Calloway?

100 Records that Shook the World, #32

Born to Run (LP)

Bruce Springsteen

Springsteen's third album Born To Run  is widely considered by all and sundry to be his magnum opus. In fact Rolling Stone, a publication that ought to know what it's talking about, ranked the album at number 18 on its 500 Best Albums of All Time list.

Springsteen's breakthrough album, it peaked at number 3 on the Billboard album chart and by the year 2000 had sold six million copies. That's a lot of vinyl.

Springsteen is quoted as saying that he wanted the album to sound like 'Roy Orbison singing Bob Dylan, produced by Phil Spector.' In fact, the album took fourteen months to record due to Springsteen's inability to adequately translate the sounds in his head to band members. The title track itself took six months to finish.

But finish they did, and it was a critical and commercial success, much to Columbia Records' relief.

Enjoy.
Oh, and think you know that drummer? He's Conan O'Brien sidekick and bandleader Max Weinberg.

Copy & Paste

Well, after reading my buddy Marissa's post for today, I decided to accept the challenge she threw down. I, too, am suffering a little from the festivities of last evening, fun though they were, and therefore am finding that I can't be arsed. However, this is fun and easy and diverting, so here goes.

Thirty Ques­tions

Thirty ques­tions that require a sin­gle word answer. Not as easy as it sounds.

1. Where is your cell phone? Pocket

2. Describe your boyfriend/girlfriend? Lovely

3. Your hair? Curly

4. Your mother? Busy

5. Your father? Aylesford

6. Your favourite item? Phone

7. Your dream last night? Weird

8. Your favourite drink? Java

9. Your dream car? Electric

10. The room you are in? Lounge

11. Your ex? Bizarre

12. Your fear? Forgotten

13. What do you want to be in 10 years? Happy

14. Who did you hang out with last night? Friends

15. What you’re not? Evil

16. The last thing you did? Sat

17. What are you wear­ing? Jammies

18. Your favourite book? Many

19. The last thing you ate? Turkey

20. Your life? Interesting

21. Your mood? Upbeat

22. Your friends? Cool

23. What are you think­ing about right now? Stuff

24. Your car? None

25. What are you doing at the moment? Typing

26. Your sum­mer? Happened

27. What is on your TV? "Bolt"

28. When is the last time you laughed? Today

29. Last time you cried? Dunno

30. School? Over

If you find this in the slightest bit interesting, thanks. If not, happy new year anyway. Like I said, this is just me being lazy. Normal service will be resumed when I feel up to it.