Nothing but a Heartache is a Pop and Northern Soul hit originally released on the Deram Records label in November 1968 by South Carolina trio The Flirtations. The song was produced by Wayne Bickerton and co-written by Bickerton and Tony Waddington, who were later responsible for the 1970s successes of The Rubettes.
Nothing But a Heartache reached the Top 40 in both the Netherlands (#33) and in the U.S., where it spent two weeks at #34 in late May 1969 during what was then considered a lengthy 14-week run on Billboard’s Hot 100 – especially for a hit that did not reach the top 30. The single also reached #31 on Cash Box and #25 on Record World charts.
In late April 1969, Nothing but a Heartache reached #3 in Boston on WRKO-AM. In Canada it reached #31 and in Australia it charted at #97. Two promotional videos—one in color and one in black-and-white—were filmed for the song. The colour video was shot at Tintern Abbey in Wales.
Sahara is a 1983 British-American adventure drama film directed by Andrew McLaglen and starring Brooke Shields, Lambert Wilson, Horst Buchholz, John Rhys-Davies and John Mills. The original music score was composed by Ennio Morricone.
Intent on winning a competition in place of her distinguished late father, beautiful young heiress Dale (Shields) takes on the guise of a man and competes in his spot, embarking on a car race that crosses the unforgiving Sahara desert.
The film was supposedly inspired by the then British Prime Minister’s son, Mark Thatcher, who became lost in North Africa in 1982 during an auto rally. It also came about due to the box office success of Raiders of the Lost Ark and Menahem Golan’s fondness for the Rudolph Valentino film The Sheik (1921).[3]
In May 1982 it was announced Guy Hamilton would direct Brooke Shields in Sahara with a $15 million budget. It was one of the biggest budgeted films from Cannon Films.
Finding the male lead took over a year. The film was meant to come out in December 1983. The release was delayed until February 1984. “We couldn’t get the theatres we wanted at Christmas so the decision was to wait,” said an MGM/UA spokesman. Other reports said the decision to push back a release were made after poor previews. It was released only in the West Coast states. “We decided to open it in half the country to see what we had,” said MGM. It made $550,848 on 344 theaters on the West Coast – a per screen average of only $1,601. The Chicago Tribune called the film “a dog.” It ended up making $1.2 million.
At the 1984 Razzies, Brooke Shields was nominated for Worst Actress and won Worst Supporting Actor as “Brooke Shields (with a moustache)”, making her the first and only actress to win this award.
The Seeds of Love is the third studio album by British pop rock band Tears for Fears, released on September 25, 1989 by Fontana Records. It retained the band’s epic sound while incorporating influences ranging from jazz and soul to Beatlesque pop. Its lengthy production and scrapped recording sessions cost over £1 million. The album spanned the title hit single Sowing the Seeds of Love, as well as Woman in Chains, and Advice for the Young at Heart, both of which reached the top 40 in several countries.
Recording sessions for the album began in late 1986 with producers Clive Langer and Alan Winstanley, but Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith were unhappy with the results and so the recordings were scrapped in early 1987. Chris Hughes (who had produced both the previous Tears for Fears albums) was then brought back into the fold, but again conflicts arose over the direction of the new material. Orzabal in particular had grown weary of composing and playing music using machines and sequencers, as the majority of Tears for Fears’ music had been up to that point, and was striving for something more organic and a different way of working.
The song Sowing the Seeds of Love was written in June 1987, the same week as the UK general election in which Margaret Thatcher and the Conservative Party won a third consecutive term in office (reflected in the lyric “Politician granny with your high ideals, have you no idea how the majority feels?”). Hughes and longtime TFF keyboardist Ian Stanley both left the project later in 1987 citing “creative differences,” though their contributions to the track remained on the final album. After two failed attempts to make the album, the band opted to produce it themselves, assisted by engineer Dave Bascombe. Also in 1987, Orzabal and Smith flew over to the U.S. to track down a hotel lounge pianist/vocalist named Oleta Adams, whom they had seen playing in Kansas City during their 1985 American tour. Hoping she could add to the organic feel by bringing a soulful warmth to their music, they invited Adams to work with them on their new album. Adams would ultimately perform on three tracks (Woman in Chains, Badman’s Song and Standing on the Corner of the Third World), and a solo recording contract was also offered to her by the band’s record company Fontana.
Recording recommenced in early 1988 and lasted until the summer of 1989. Featuring an assortment of respected session players including drummers Manu Katché and Simon Phillips, bassist Pino Palladino, and a guest appearance by Phil Collins on drums, much of the album was recorded as jam sessions featuring different performances of the music and then edited down later. Some of the tracks, particularly Badman’s Song, were recorded several times in a variety of musical styles including, according to Holland, versions of the song that were reminiscent of Barry White, Little Feat and Steely Dan before settling on the jazz/gospel version that is on the finished album. Co-producer Dave Bascombe commented that the final version of the song was almost nothing like the original demo because it had gone through so many changes. The track Swords and Knives was originally written for the 1986 film Sid and Nancy (about the relationship between Sid Vicious and Nancy Spungen), but was rejected by the filmmakers for not being “punk” enough.
Due to the starry cast of session players and lengthy production process, including the scrapped earlier recordings, the album reportedly cost £1 million to make (by comparison, Songs from the Big Chair cost approximately £70,000). The final mix of the album was completed at London’s Mayfair Studios in July 1989. Frustrations during the making of the album had also given rise to tensions between Orzabal and Smith, Orzabal having become something of an intricate perfectionist and Smith preoccupied with living a jet set lifestyle rather than focusing on the album (Smith’s first marriage had also ended in divorce during the making of the album). At one point, Orzabal considered calling the album Famous Last Words (the title of the album’s final track), commenting “it may well turn out to be our last album.” Indeed, the duo did not make any further recordings together for over a decade.
The Seeds of Love was an international success, entering the UK Albums Chart at number one, and top ten in other countries including the U.S. It has been certified Gold or Platinum in several territories including the United Kingdom, the United States, France, Germany, Canada, and the Netherlands. Despite its success, personal tensions during recording led to band members Curt Smith and Roland Orzabal splitting up at the conclusion of their 1990 world tour, with Orzabal remaining as the band’s sole official member until the two reunited in the early 2000s.
In October 2020, the remastered reissue of The Seeds of Love was released in several formats including a super deluxe edition, with B-sides, remixes, and a 5.1 surround sound mix.
Sowing the Seeds of Love was a worldwide hit, topping the Canadian RPM Top Singles chart and reaching the top ten in Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom and on the European Hot 100. In the United States, it reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #1 on both the Modern Rock Tracks chart and the Cash Box Top 100.
Woman in Chains was the second single and has been described as a “feminist anthem.” It was an international success, reaching the top 40 in several countries, including the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, France, and the Netherlands. The studio cut features Phil Collins on drums. “Tears for Fears just wanted me to do that big drum thing from ‘In the Air Tonight,'” Collins recalled. “‘We want you to come in here in a big way.'” The song prominently features vocals by Adams, who went on to achieve a successful solo career. It was re-released in 1992 – with a different B-side and now credited to “Tears For Fears featuring Oleta Adams” – to capitalize on the singer’s solo success and to promote the Tears for Fears compilation Tears Roll Down (Greatest Hits 82-92).
Advice for the Young at Heart was written by Roland Orzabal and keyboardist/singer Nicky Holland. The lead vocal was sung by Curt Smith (the only track on the whole The Seeds of Love album that he sang lead vocals on). The single only reached #89 in the US Billboard 100 but was a top 40 hit in the UK (#36), France (#31), Canada (#25) and The Netherlands (#22), and a top 20 hit in Ireland (#15). In 1992, when Tears for Fears released Tears Roll Down (Greatest Hits 82–92), Advice for the Young at Heart was re-released in Brazil.
Famous Last Words was released by the record company without the band’s involvement as the fourth and final single from the album in 1990 and peaked at #83 in the UK. The single was released on various formats including 7″ and 12″ vinyl, a limited edition 12″ vinyl picture disc (only 10,000 copies were pressed, and each copy is numbered), and a limited edition CD-Single (only 5000 copies were pressed, and each copy is numbered). A promo video was made for the single; this consisted mainly of performance footage from the Going To California live video overdubbed with the studio version of the song and additional video imagery added. When performed live in 1990, the band would often segue from Famous Last Words into a rendition of When The Saints Go Marching In.
Based on the popular game Time’s Up!, Time’s Up: Title Recall challenges players to guess the titles of books, films, songs, and more. Players try to get their teammates to guess the same set of titles over three rounds. In each round, one member of a team tries to get their teammates to guess as many titles as possible in 30 seconds. In round 1, almost any kind of clue is allowed. In round 2, no more than one word can be used in each clue (but unlimited sounds and gestures are permitted.) In round 3, no words are allowed at all.
Paantu is a centuries-old festival that takes place on the island of Miyakojima, Okinawa three times in the year, though the largest takes place in October. During the festival, three men dressed as paantu—evil spirits covered from head to toe with mud and foliage—are given the task of driving out demons and cleansing the island of bad luck. The festival has these men run around the island chasing children and adults alike by throwing mud at them. It is believed that being touched by a paantu will bring good fortune for the coming year, though the scene of children crying (and some adults shouting) is not rare either.
This year’s Paantu festival was slated for sometime in early October. Dates are rarely confirmed until a few weeks before the event. So check back with Japanese tourism sites often in September and early October.
It Takes Two is a song by New York hip hop duo Rob Base and DJ E-Z Rock that became a Top 40 hit single and was later certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Since its release in 1988, the song has been covered and sampled by several recording artists.”There are many critics and listeners who claim that It Takes Two is the greatest hip-hop single ever cut,” noted Music critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine of All Music Guide. “It’s hard to disagree with them.” In 2021, it was listed at No. 116 on Rolling Stone‘s “Top 500 Best Songs of All Time.”
The song was produced by Rob Base, DJ E-Z Rock, and William Hamilton and built around the “Woo! Yeah!” sample from Lyn Collins’ 1972 song Think (About It). The introduction of the song is spoken over a sample of Galactic Force Band’s 1978 tune, Spacedust. At one point Base appears to be informing us that he “can’t stand sex.” In fact he is referring to “sess,” a slang term for dope. Whilst Rob Base (real name Robert Ginyard), does the rapping, DJ E-Z Rock (real name Rodney “Skip” Bryce) mans the turntable.
Michael Madsen’s son Hudson has died from a suspected suicide in Hawaii, authorities have confirmed. The 26-year-old was found dead from an apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound on the island of Oahu.
Hudson was the godson of legendary movie director Quentin Tarantino, according to IMDb. Father Michael, 64, and Quentin, 58, are longtime collaborators who have worked together on classic films such as Reservoir Dogs and Kill Bill Vol.1 and Kill Bill Vol. 2.
Madsen joined the Army in April 2016 and had one deployment to Afghanistan from August 2018 to January 2019 while stationed at Fort Carson, Colorado. Madsen was an Infantryman serving as a team leader with 2nd Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division at Schofield Barracks.
“Sgt. Madsen was a dedicated Soldier and leader,” said Lt. Col. Michael Haith, commander of 2nd Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment. “We grieve Hudson’s passing, and extend our heartfelt condolences to his family. Our thoughts and prayers are with them during this difficult time.”
He had been awarded multiple medals and decorations including the Army Commendation Medal, the Army Achievement Medal with ‘Combat’ device; Army Good Conduct Medal; Army Service Ribbon; Overseas Service Ribbon; and the NATO Medal. He has received the Army Commendation Medal posthumously.
A spokeswoman for the Department of the Medical Examiner in Honolulu said: “I can confirm Hudson Lee Madsen, died by a gunshot wound to the head in a suspected suicide on the island of Oahu.”
According to his Facebook profile, Hudson lived in Wahiawa, Hawaii, with his wife Carlie. Earlier this month, Carlie wrote on social media to praise “amazing husband” Hudson for helping her as she went through surgery. “He’s also been amazing in helping with my recovery and I’m just so thankful!”
The Madsen family’s offical statement: “We are heartbroken and overwhelmed with grief and pain at the loss of Hudson. His memory and light will be remembered by all who knew and loved him.”
Sophie’s Choice is a 1979 novel by American author William Styron. It concerns the relationships among three people sharing a boarding-house in Brooklyn: Stingo, a young aspiring writer from the South, Jewish scientist Nathan Landau, and his lover Sophie, a Polish-Catholic survivor of the German Nazi concentration camps, whom Stingo befriends.
Sophie’s Choice won the US National Book Award for Fiction in 1980. The novel was the basis of a 1982 film of the same name. It was controversial for the way in which it framed Styron’s personal views regarding the Holocaust.
Poetic in its execution, and epic in its emotional sweep, Sophie’s Choice explores the good and evil of humanity through Stingo’s burgeoning worldliness, Nathan’s volatile personality, and Sophie’s tragic past. Mixing elements from Styron’s own experience with themes of the Holocaust and the history of slavery in the American South, the novel is a profound and haunting human drama, representing Styron at the pinnacle of his literary brilliance.
Sophie’s Choice generated significant controversy at time of its publication.It was banned by the South African government in November 1979 for being a sexually explicit work. It was censored in the Soviet Union, and banned in Communist Poland for “its unflinching portrait of Polish anti-Semitism.” Sophie’s Choice has been banned in some high schools in the United States. For instance, the book was pulled from the La Mirada High School Library in California by the Norwalk-La Mirada High School District in 2002 because of a parent’s complaint about its sexual content. However, a year after students protested and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) sent a letter to the school district requesting that the district reverse its actions, students were again given access to the book in the school library.
In 2002, Styron received the Auschwitz Jewish Center Foundation’s Witness to Justice Award.
For a bona fide candy controversy, look no further than Bubble Beepers. Another must-have for kids of the 1990s (yes, gum was big then), the neon-colored sticks of gum came in a container shaped like a beeper — another of the decade’s big trends.
It was the packaging that was an issue for many people, including a former DEA agent who was quoted in the Philadelphia Daily News in 1992 as saying, “What if it’s misinterpreted, and this kid goes through someone’s turf wearing that beeper, and they misinterpret that beeper? It could possibly cause someone to lose their life or get hurt…To me, it’s similar to carrying a toy gun. If it looks real, you may have to pay the consequences.”
Amnesia (stylized as Amne$ia) is an American television game show that aired on Fridays at 8:00 PM ET on NBC, after debuting on February 22, 2008 at 9:00 PM ET after 1 vs. 100. Contestants win money by answering questions about their own lives. The program was produced by Mark Burnett, producer of other shows like Survivor, The Apprentice, and Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?, and was hosted by comedian Dennis Miller. Contestants were able to win up to $250,000.
Round 1: You In 60 Seconds
Instead of standard welcome intros, Amnesia began with a speed round. The contestant had 60 seconds to answer seven questions, winning $1,000 for each correct answer, for a maximum of $7,000. There was no penalty for wrong answers, and the money won in this round was the contestant’s to keep.
Rounds 2–4
In the next three rounds, the contestant was sent to a soundproof booth and a loved one was asked about various events they have shared with the player. The contestant then returned and was asked questions. Occasionally, in lieu of a question, the contestant had to complete a stunt to be credited with a correct answer (such as trying to place the names of five obscure body parts on a dummy within 30 seconds); a frequent stunt was a blindfolded taste test of a familiar family recipe, with three imitation dishes. A total of seven questions were played throughout those rounds, and the maximum possible total was $75,000.
Round 5: Total Amnesia
Risk was a factor in this round, so the player was given the option to stop or proceed before each question in this round.
If they chose to proceed, a question was chosen by picking one of their supporters, each holding an envelope that contained a question about their relationship. The contestant did not need to have the full value of a question in their bank in order to attempt it (e.g., a player with $5,000 was allowed to attempt the $100,000 question).
A correct answer to a question in that round added money to the player’s bank, but a wrong answer subtracted that amount. Before each question the player had the option to stop and take the money already won, but if at any time the bank fell to $0, the game ended and the player left with whatever they won in round 1.
If the player answered all 10 questions in the main game and all seven questions in the speed round, the player won a maximum total of $250,000.