The comic book I am most excited to read this week is... BETA RAY BILL #1 (W) Daniel Warren Johnson (A) Daniel Warren Johnson (CA) Chase Conley FROM THE PAGES OF DONNY CATES' THOR AND SPINNING OUT OF THE EVENTS OF KING IN BLACK! The second-most famous wielder of Mjolnir. The right-hand man to the god of Thunder. And now, a warrior without his best weapon. Beta Ray Bill is tired of playing second fiddle to Thor - and with Bill's famous hammer, Stormbreaker, recently destroyed at the new All-Father's hands, tensions are higher than ever. The Korbinite must strike out in search of a new weapon...and a new destiny. Assuming he can first defeat a Knullified Fin Fang Foom! Writer/artist Daniel Warren Johnson (Extremity, Murder Falcon) and colorist Mike Spicer take Beta Ray Bill on a journey beyond the shadow of a god! Plus: This oversize first issue contains an exclusive conversation between Johnson and Beta Ray Bill's creator, the legendary Walter Simonson! SRP: $4.99 Synopsis Provided By: PreviewsWorld.com
Throw on your dopest oversized white suit and dance until the mornin' light as we take you back to the 80's! Without further ado, here is the 20 Years Before 2000 THROWBACK JAM OF THE WEEK!!
Artist: DeBarge Song: Rhythm Of The Night Album: Rhythm Of The Night (1985) Peak Billboard Hot 100 Position: 3 Bonus Fun Fact: This song was featured on the soundtrack for the films "The Last Dragon" in 1985 and "Ghostbusters: Answer The Call" in 2016!
This week I posted Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam's classic "Lost In Emotion" to this site as the 20 years Before 2000 Jam of the week! I was a big fan of Lisa Lisa back in the day. I remember when "Head To Toe" would come on the radio while me and my siblings were doing our Saturday chores around the house. I would rock out and be jumping off the furniture while I listened to the sultry sound of Lisa Lisa's voice and the dynamic grooves of Cult Jam. This all got me wondering...Whatever Happened To Lisa Lisa?
Before we get to that, let's take a quick look at how Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam became stars in the 80's & 90's music scene. Cult Jam was brought together in the early 80's by Producers/Actors/Singers Full Force of House Party fame. The group consisted of Lisa Lisa Velez, Alex Moseley (guitar/bass) and Mike Hughes (drums/keyboard). Their debut single "I Wonder If I Take You Home" was released in 1983 to Europe without much fanfare.
It wasn't until almost a year later that the single would see some club play in the US and the popularity grew. This lead to the full length album "Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam with Full Force" being released in 1985. The album featured the Top 40 hits "Can You Feel The Beat" and "All Cried Out". The album eventually went platinum.
The follow up album "Spanish Fly" was released in 1987 and was the peak of the group's success. This album contained the #1 chart topping hits "Lost In Emotion" and my favorite of their songs, "Head To Toe". This album also went platinum.
Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam would release 2 more albums, 1989's "Straight To The Sky" and 1991's "Straight Outta Hell's Kitchen" which would be the group's final album as they disbanded later that year. So whatever happened to Lisa Lisa after the split? Let's find out!
Like most singers, after her group broke up Lisa Lisa went solo and released her first album "LL77" in 1994. This album included the singles "When I Fell In Love" and "Skip To My Lu". She followed up that effort almost 15 years later with the release of the full length album "Life 'n Love". The notable single from that album would be "Can't Wait" which featured rapper Pitbull.
These albums failed to reach the levels of success Lisa Lisa had with Cult Jam, but in between projects she discovered another talent...acting!
Lisa Lisa took on a recurring role as Gloria Elana Morales in the Nickelodeon show "Taina". Lisa's character was the mother of the title character. The show lasted 26 episodes over 2 seasons. The show did win an ALMA (American Latino Media Arts) Award in 2002 for "Outstanding Children's Television Programming". In 2003, Lisa Lisa appeared on an episode of "Law & Order" as Lucy Mireles in the episode "Smoke".
Last I heard Lisa Lisa had started her own footwear line and had signed with Snoop Dogg's Entertainment Company "Uncle Snoop's Army". Before COVID, she was still touring with other singers from the era and hopefully afterward we will see her hit the stage again! I would love to see her perform live!!!
The comic book I am most excited to read this week is...
HARLEY QUINN #1
(W) Stephanie Nicole Phillips (A) Riley Rossmo
Ahem! You better read this closely, ’cause we’ve got a red-hot relaunch on our hands here—and I should know! Harley Quinn here to let everyone know that I got a brand-new monthly series here with a brand-new status quo. I’m coming back to Gotham City to make up for the sins of my past and help the city recover from “The Joker War”! But there’s no welcoming committee waiting for me, your favorite Maid of Mischief! And between you and me, some real creeps are working to keep the city broken. We can’t let that happen, can we? Rising-star writer Stephanie Phillips, my new partner in crime, takes me into a bold new era with her partner in artistic crime Riley Rossmo, who I gotta say designed a real nice new costume for me. You’re not gonna wanna miss this one, folks!
Throw on your largest earrings and head to the carnival as we take you back to the 80's! Without further ado, here is the 20 Years Before 2000 THROWBACK JAM OF THE WEEK!!
Artist: Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam Song: Lost In Emotion Album: Spanish Fly (1987) Peak Billboard Hot 100 Position: 1 Bonus Fun Fact: This song not only made it to #1 on the "Billboard Hot 100" chart, but also made it to the top on the "Billboard Hot Black Singles" and "US Hot Crossover 30" charts in '87!
This past Sunday was kind of overcast and cold where I lived, so my 8 year old daughter suggested that we have a triple feature of Bill & Ted movies! We had already seen them before, but we hadn't watched "Face The Music" since it came out this past summer at the drive in. Watching these movies back to back to back was really fun and everyone had a most EXCELLENT time, but after the movies, I found myself digging online about the history of these films and discovered some sweet trivial tidbits that I would like to share with you most triumphant readers. I was gonna do 69, but that would be too many, so here are 10 facts about Bill & Ted!!!
1. The original phone booth from Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure was given away as a prize in a Nintendo Power Magazine! The magazine hosted a contest to help promote the arrival of the "Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure" video game by LJN. The winner was Kenneth Grayson. He had the booth installed in his room and Nintendo Power paid to have the booth installed with a working phone! They even paid the family's phone bill for an entire year! Truly a most excellent prize! I wonder where it is now?
2. The original idea for Bill & Ted came from a 1983 UCLA improv class where Ed Solomon and Chris Matheson played Bill & Ted, who were 2 high school students who knew nothing about history. Even though they knew nothing about history, that didn't stop them from attempting to talk about it with their friend Bob. Thankfully for us, the person who played Bob lost interest in the skit and we were left with the dynamic duo of Bill & Ted!
3. Bill & Ted's creators, Ed Solomon & Chris Matheson have cameos in each Bill & Ted movie. In "Excellent Adventure" they are the Ziggy Piggy guys, in "Bogus Journey" they are Missy's friends at her séance and in "Face The Music" they are demons in Hell!
4. Clarence Clemons from Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band was one of the 3 Most Important People In The World in Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure! He also acted on television on the shows Diff'rent Strokes, Jake and the Fatman and the Simpsons! Unfortunately this world class saxophonist & Rock and Roll Hall of Famer passed away in 2011 due to complications from a stroke.
5. Bill & Ted had a 1990 cartoon that brought back Alex Winter (Bill), Keanu Reeves (Ted) & George Carlin (Rufus) for the first 13 episode season! In 1991 the second season of the series changed production companies and voice actors & lasted only 8 episodes before being cancelled. The voice actor change was due to a new Bill & Ted live action show being produced by FOX. The creators of the show thought it would make sense to put the tv actors in the roll as Bill & Ted for continuity between the programs.
6. Bill & Ted had their own short lived live action TV show! In 1992 someone at FOX thought it would be a good idea to create a show based on a beloved movie. They would replace the actors and keep the budget low. This mostly despised program ran for 7 episodes and 1 unaired pilot. As a plus, the show did have Diedrich Bader in an episode and Lisa Wilcox of "Nightmare On Elm Street 4" fame played Missy!
7. Joss Ackland told the BBC he regretted being in "Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey" and said he only performed the role of De Nomolos because of a bet. Makes me wonder what he did to be in that strange Pet Shop Boys video for "Always On My Mind"? Extra Trivia: De Nomolos is producer Ed Solomon's name backwards!
8. The Princesses were played by different actresses in each of the Bill & Ted movies. In Excellent Adventure they were played by Kimberley LaBelle & Diane Franklin, in Bogus Journey by Sarah Trigger & Anette Azcuy and in Face The Music by Jayma Mays & Erinn Hayes.
9. "God Gave Rock And Roll To You II" by KISS was a reworked cover of the song "God Gave Rock And Roll To You" released by Brittish band Argent in 1973! The KISS version was released as a single from the "Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey" soundtrack in 1991 and was included on KISS's 1992 album "Revenge".
10. Bill & Ted have had several comic book series based on their adventures like "Bill & Ted Go To Hell", "Bill & Ted Save the World" and most recently "Bill & Ted Are Doomed" from Dark Horse comics. Their first official comic book appearance was in the Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure adaptation from DC comics in 1989! Now that we know all that, go learn how to turn George Washington's head into a mushroom.
I hope you enjoyed this little peak into some of the lesser known corners of the Bill & Ted Universe. Below you can see Keanu Reeves & Alex Winter in their audition for Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure. Remember to be excellent to each other and ...PARTY ON DUDES!!!!
The comic book I am most excited to read this week is... TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES #115
(W) Sophie Campbell (A/CA) Sophie Campbell
It's the biggest battle of the year as Bebop and Rocksteady take on Tokka and Rahzar! Meanwhile, Jennika needs to finish forming her band if the future is to be saved. Who she picks as lead singer will surprise you!
