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Bon Jovi Forever Album Release
Bon Jovi released their 16th studio album called Forever on June 7 of 2024.
This album is very much a comeback for singer/songwriter Jon Bon Jovi because he had vocal surgery last year and wasn’t sure he could sing at all anymore.
As of this writing, he is still recovering from this surgery.
However, he and his band, which includes original members Tico Torres (drums), David Bryan (keyboards), Hugh McDonald (bass), and now Phil X (guitar), John Shanks (guitar, and also co-producer and co-songwriter), and Everett Bradley (percussion, backing vocals), were able to make this album while Jon has been recovering.
If you are a fan of everything the band have done since 2000, then you should enjoy this album.
If you just prefer their 1980s material, then stay away from it because it doesn’t sound like those songs.
Me? I’m a fan of all of their albums. Some more than others, but all nonetheless, and I definitely like this one.
It’s Jon being very much a mature singer/songwriter now (think Bruce Springsteen) and he has been this way really since the 1990s.
I think every Bon Jovi album is very much a Bon Jovi sounding album, but again, Jon has really turned into more of a Springsteen type of songwriter, and I don’t think this is a bad thing.
I do wish they still rocked like they did in the 80s and there is still some of that (Living Proof may have been able to fit on one of their 80s albums.), but also, they moved so far away from the You Give Love A Bad Name, Breakout, and In And Out Of Love type songs a long time ago.
But having said that, I still think they rock enough and Jon is an excellent songwriter so I’m good with this album.
Lots of good songs on here. In fact, I don’t think any of them are bad. Some are a bit sentimental (Kiss The Bride is about a father, he actually, giving his daughter away at her wedding, but I do think it’s a good song.) but again, Jon is great at writing these types of songs.
Then there are songs like Legendary, which is the first single, that somewhat rocks, but is also very catchy and again with heartfelt lyrics.
Living Proof, as I mentioned before, definitely rocks.
That and My First Guitar may be my favorites as of this writing. Jon actually mentions my favorite band KISS twice in this song, which I appreciate.
People’s House and Walls of Jericho are favorites too.
Hollow Man is an excellent acoustic song (think Bruce Springsteen Nebraska album era or maybe even Bob Dylan).
Really all of these songs are heartfelt and meaningful, lyrically, and Jon sings them well.
I’m glad Jon and the band were able to make this album and I hope Jon gets his voice back enough to where they can tour.
His voice does sound good on this album, and he’s already sung live a little bit, but he’s been saying he’s not yet able to sing for 2.5 hours multiple nights a week yet. And he’s not sure if he can sing that much anymore. Time will tell.
Anyway, all my best to him because he is indeed a very good singer and songwriter and has matured as both with age.
And his band has always been great.
Rock on Jon and thanks for making another solid, heartfelt album.
I also bought the album digitally on their website because it came with two bonus tracks, one of which is the song That Was Then, This Is Now, which is really good.
Again, I like the album and I’m glad Jon was able to do it.
Is it my favorite? No, but I like it. Keep making music sir!!
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Ian Gillan: The Autobiography of Deep Purple’s Singer by Ian Gillan w/David Cohen Book Review
Deep Purple singer Ian Gillan released his autobiography in the late 90s.
Called Ian Gillan: The Autobiography of Deep Purple’s Singer, he talks about his upbringing, early bands, playing Jesus for the Jesus Christ Superstar album, his stints with Deep Purple (3 stints, 3rd time was the charm, staying to this day), his solo stuff and brief time as the singer of Black Sabbath, fun, wild rock and roll road stories, and just his life basically.
It also includes some of his lyrics interspersed throughout, when talking about certain life stories, in which he wrote into song.
It’s a fun read and I highly recommend it to anyone who is a fan of his or just a fan of music, bands, and life on the road.
Like I said, this book was initially released in the late 1990s, but has reprinted a few times.
Ian is still going strong with Deep Purple, FINALLY being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, still making albums, actually releasing a new album in 2024 and still touring.
Ian Gillan is one of my favorite singers and I’ve been blessed to see him in concert 3 times as of this writing.
He’s always been great and always will be, as far as I’m concerned.
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Prison (1987) Movie Review
I’d heard about the 1987 movie Prison for awhile and was curious to see it.
It’s a movie that did not get a lot of distribution and even when it has been released on home video, it always seems to go out of print.
So, I had to pay more than I wanted to for it, but ultimately, it was worth the money.
The movie Prison is about a deceased convict who was sentenced to the electric chair for killing someone, but in fact, did not do it.
The convict was set up by a then guard, now a warden, and the warden is quite haunted by this.
Turns out, this deceased convict turns up as a ghost at this newly reopened prison, headed by this warden, and starts killing prisoners and police one by one, ultimately leading to the warden.
Sorry if I spoiled it for you, but it was released in 1987, so there.
If you like ghost stories or prison dramas/thrillers, this is the movie for you.
Starring a then unknown Viggo Mortensen (later of The Lord Of The Rings fame and other movies) and a solid supporting cast, and directed by Renny Harlin (A Nightmare on Elm Street 4, Die Hard 2, Cliffhanger and many others), I really enjoyed this movie and am glad to have found it.
Also, horror movie icon Kane Hodder (Jason in Friday the 13th Parts 7-10, the Hatchet franchise and many others) plays the ghost seen at the end and is also the stunt coordinator and a stuntman in it.
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Rita Moreno Visited My Alma Mater!!
First off, actress Rita Moreno is a National Treasure.
She is still going strong at 92 years of age.
She has won an Oscar, a Tony, two Emmy awards, a Grammy, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the National Medal of Arts, and was the first Latina woman to win the Kennedy Center Honors. That’s just some of her awards.
And of course the body of work she has done over the years: movies such as Singin’ In The Rain, The King And I, West Side Story (original and remake), Television shows such as The Electric Company, Oz, One Day at A Time, and tons of others, and in stage plays of Guys And Dolls, The Odd Couple, and so much more.
Trust me, you should go look at her list of credits. It’s amazing.
Now why am I saying all of this besides just being a fan? She came to my Alma Mater, which is Ohio University Southern Campus in Ironton, OH (which Rita called “My little “Puerto Rico”!) to speak and to raise some money for camp kids.
Her manager, who is also a member of the Rotary Club of Ironton who was one of the sponsors of this event, emceed this once in a lifetime opportunity to see and hear who I am once again calling a National Treasure.
Miss Moreno talked about growing up in Puerto Rico, then moving to New York as a very young child, getting into dancing, being discovered by a talent agent at MGM, meeting Louis B. Mayer (the founder and head of MGM), and getting a contract with them.
She talked about some of her many projects she has done, including West Side Story, The Electric Company, and even Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, in which she took her family with her to be on that show. Great stories there.
She talked about working with Mr. Norman Lear on his remake of the series One Day at a Time for four seasons and how the two of them once played a joke about her having Mr. Lear’s “love child” (Mr. Lear’s idea). Very funny story.
She talked about being present in Washington, D.C. to see Dr. Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech and how she said that was not initially going to be his speech. Great story there too.
She talked about her great mother, and about how she had some very funny ways of saying things (calling beaches “bitches”, sheets “shits” are just two examples). Very funny.
She also talked about some of her bad times in life, and how you just need to hang on and hang in there when times are bad. She also said Psychotherapy helped her a lot too.
Those are just some of the things she talked about.
And she also sang a little bit too. She sang about dreaming and it was very heartfelt and meaningful.
Rita Moreno may be a huge star, and she definitely is, but after seeing and hearing her in person, I can say she is definitely human and a great one at that.
Thank you so much Miss Moreno for gracing us in Ironton, OH with your presence, humor, and realness.
And as I’m typing this, it’s the day before the oldest Memorial Day Parade anywhere, and I heard you say you were going to be there too. I hope that even if it rains (it almost always rains during this parade) that you still have a great time and enjoy it.
And please feel free to visit Ironton, OH again someday. You are always welcome.
All the best to you always.
Thank you.
Oh and since you said you love to play Scrabble, I welcome you to come and play Scrabble with my family anytime because they play it for hours on certain occasions.
Again, thank you Miss Moreno.
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Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes Movie Review
I’ve been a fan of the Planet of the Apes franchise since I was a teenager.
I’ve loved all of them. Even the one Tim Burton made I eventually liked.
So I was really looking forward to seeing the latest one, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes.
It occurs generations after the last trilogy of movies, but still has all the ingredients of a Planet of the Apes story.
I’m not going to spoil anything here, but I will say that if you are a fan, I cannot imagine you not loving this movie.
I think it may be one of my favorites of the franchise. It is so well done. And the story is really good and the door has been left wide open for more. I’ve read that the hope is that this movie is the start of a new trilogy. We’ll see but I sure hope that is the case.
I love this movie.
In a word, it is Fantastic.
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Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga Movie Review
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga is a prequel to Mad Max: Fury Road.
This movie shows the title character Furiosa’s (played in this movie by Anya-Taylor Joy) journey from being a kid being captured by a biker horde led by Dementus (Chris Hemsworth) to being taken in to the Citadel, led by Immortan Joe (Lachy Hulme), escaping from being raped by one of Joe’s sons, then posing a mute boy, working to build a “War Rig”, learning everything she can on how to fix things and fight, with the ultimate goal of gaining revenge on Dementus, who killed her Mom, and trying to find her way home.
If you love Fury Road and all the other Mad Max movies, but especially Fury Road, you should love this movie.
I sure did.
It’s a great movie.
Once again directed and co-written by George Miller, who has made all of the Mad Max movies.
It
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Diamond Head Lightning To The Nations Album Review
Wow I should have listened to this album a long time ago but am just now getting to it in 2024.
Diamond Head, a Heavy Metal band formed in the 1970s, released their first album, Lightning To The Nations, on October 3 of 1980, and wow what a debut album!!!
The band included Sean Harris on vocals, Brian Tatler on guitar, Colin Kimberley on bass, and Duncan Scott on drums.
With this album, I dare say, they influenced a lot of bands that came after them. Most notably Metallica, who have covered at least 4 songs from this album (from their Garage Inc. covers album).
After hearing this album, I can hear the influence and I think this album is one of the blueprints for a lot of Heavy Metal bands.
Diamond Head are definitely innovators.
If you are not familiar with this band, check out their music. Especially this album.
Diamond Head are still together, although guitarist Brian Tatler is the only original member still in the band.
While not working with Diamond Head, Brian is also playing guitar for Saxon, another hugely influential, innovative Heavy Metal band.
Check out Lightning To The Nations.
HOLY COW is it amazing.
I bought the deluxe edition, so it has a lot of bonus tracks. Even a bonus disc. Check it out!!!
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Kerry King From Hell I Rise Album Review
Five years since Slayer’s “Farewell Tour”, guitarist Kerry King has released his first album under his own name.
Called From Hell I Rise, released May 17 of 2024, is very much a continuation of what he did in Slayer, but with a different group of musicians.
Wow what a group Kerry has formed here. It includes singer Mark Osegueda (Death Angel), guitarist Phil Demmel (Vio-Lence, Machine Head), drummer Paul Bostaph (Slayer, Exodus, Forbidden), and bassist Kyle Sanders (Hellyeah, Nothingface).
Kerry wrote all the songs and plays all of the rhythm guitar parts (like he mostly did in Slayer), and a lot of the lead guitar, but Phil does play quite a bit of lead guitar too.
If you are a Slayer fan, you should love this album.
It’s not a complete copy of it, but it’s close enough. And I’m fine with that because I love Slayer and I love this album.
Every song is a banger, as they say.
Mark is singing/screaming as great as he ever has, Kerry’s guitar parts are always amazing, and again, just the whole group Kerry has assembled just bring it.
I know Slayer is reuniting to do at least 3 festivals in 2024, and I’m fine with it if they do more than that, but I think Kerry has a great group here and I hope there is a lot more albums to come.
Rock on guys.
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Tom Selleck You Never Know: A Memoir Book Review
Tom Selleck has been one of my favorite actors since I was a kid.
He released his memoir called You Never Know: A Memoir on May 7 of 2024.
It is a great book.
It by no means covers everything that has happened in his life, but he focuses on certain parts of his life and career throughout the book.
He talks about trying to hang on to his basketball scholarship and deciding to take a theater class because he thought it would be an easy A.
Well, when he started taking the class, his instructor told him he could get him an agent. Tom being new at this said Oh-Kay. This agent ultimately got him some jobs but also got him an appointment with the then head of 20th Century Fox, in which he was sent to their studio system program.
Tom says in this book that his career was really an accident because he never had aspirations or dreams on being an actor. But through studying, hard work, and luck, and as he says throughout the book, laying down bricks, he became an actor and eventually a very successful one.
He talks a lot about his time starring in Magnum, PI (as he just calls it Magnum).
I love the whole book, but these parts of the book are especially a big deal for me because the show Magnum PI came along at a very tough time in my life growing up. I had moved to a new state, with all new people, and had to try and get used to that.
Magnum was the one of the few shows I watched at the time (two shows a day in reruns on two different stations) and I really clung to this show. I really needed it at the time and I will be forever grateful to Tom Selleck John Hillerman (RIP), Roger E. Mosely (RIP), Larry Manetti, Donald P. Bellisario, and everyone involved in Magnum PI. Thank you so much for all of your hard work and dedication to the 8 years that show was on the air.
Tom also talks about some of his movies, including The Sacketts and The Shadow Riders (two of my favorite movies ever), High Road To China and Lassiter (two really good movies he did while filming Magnum), Three Men and a Baby, and how he ALMOST became Indiana Jones for Raiders of the Lost Ark. Read the book to find out more.
Again, I love this book and Tom Selleck will forever be a hero to me.
I wish he would have talked about some of his other work too (Such as the movies Runaway, Her Alibi, Folks, An Innocent Man, and other. He touches on Blue Bloods some too but not a lot.) but I still love the book and I especially love all the Magnum stories.
And, thanks to Premiere Collectibles, where I purchased this book from, I was able to get a signed copy. Thank you so much for that. I’ve wanted his autograph for 30 years and now I have it.
Thank you so much.
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The Last Action Heroes: The Triumphs, Flops, and Feuds of Hollywood’s Kings of Carnage by Nick De Semlyen Book Review
The Last Action Heroes: The Triumphs, Flops, and Feuds of Hollywood’s Kings of Carnage is a great book about movie action heroes of the 70s, 80s and 90s.
Released in 2023, Nick De Semlyen has written a very good book about a few of the biggest action heroes of all time.
The action heroes included in this book are Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Chuck Norris, Jackie Chan, Dolph Lundgren, Jean Claude Van Damme, Steven Seagal, and Bruce Willis.
Each star has some of their history chronicled throughout the book, and some even overlap because some of them worked together at certain points in time.
Lots of great stories here.
If you are a fan of these stars, like I am, then I highly recommend this book.
