Movie Scratches: Nut-- Survivor-- Osage-- Frankenstein

Movie Scratches: A dog's look at current movies. //// #9. NUT JOB-- 1-31-- FOX LAKE $6-- Big ol' park, not enough food, bad ol' raccoon, Surly saves the day. //// #10. LONE SURVIVOR-- 1-31-- FOX LAKE $6-- Let's see how many times we can roll down the mountainside. How much action and beating can one guy take? //// #11. AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY-- 2-4-- FOX LAKE $6-- Probably one of the most dysfunctional and potty-mouthed families you'll ever see //// #12. I FRANKENSTEIN-- 2-4-- FOX LAKE $6-- A demon's worst nightmare. //// Noisy Popcorn Eaters. Chomp, Chomp, Chomp!! --RoadDog

Top Ten Mardi Gras Oldies-- Part 2

#6. BIG CHIEF--PT. 2-- Professor Longhair. The "Fess" is a New Orleans legend. This was originally an instrumental, but Earl King added vocals. //// #7. DO WHATCHA WANNA-- PT. 3-- Rebirth Brass Band. Not an oldies cut, per se, from the mid-90s, but "emblematic of the city's rich brass-band traditions." //// #8. THEY ALL ASK FOR YOU-- Meters. One of three items on this list from the 1970s "homegrown funk period." //// #9. MARDI GRAS MAMBO-- Hawkettes. High school group which later mutated into the Neville Brothers. You know, "Down in New orleans where the blues was born, it takes a cool cat to blow a horn." //// #10. SECOND LINE-- Stop, Inc. Great march-dance for a Mardi Gras parade (If you're actually in a parade, you're first line. If you are drunk and dancing behind a float, you're in the second line, in case you're wonderin'.) //// Good Stuff. --RoadDog

Mardi Gras IV-- Part 2

The rest of the Mardi Gras IV cassette tape: COCONUT MILK-- Bo Dollis & the Wild Magnolias // WOOGIE BOOGIE-- George Parker, Jr. // CAN'T STRAIGHTEN UP YOUR MIND-- Chuck Carlos // OH SWEETNESS-- Snooks Eaglin // BREAKAWAY-- Irma Thomas //// ALLOUS A TEPATATE-- Balfa Toujous // PERE ET GAROON-- John Delafose // YOU USED TO CALL ME-- C.J. Chernier // EVERYTHING ON THE HOG-- Nathan //// JOHNNY BILLY GOAT-- Boozoos Chavis // WATCH THE DOG-- John Delafose // SUGAR BEE-- Boozoo Chavis. //// Some Mighty Good Louisiana Music If I Do Say So. --RoadDog

JSS: Gas Gouge-- Snow-- Snow Problems

JSS-- Just Some Stuff. //// 1. GAS GOUGE-- Filled up the Dakota today before the next round of Gas Gouge kicks in. On Jan. 14th, I paid $3.23 a gallon; Feb. 11th, $3.50 and today $3.74. We are definitely in the Pre-Pre Summer Driving SeasonGas Gouge!!! That's a 47 cent increase in less than two months. Sad, but in two weeks, $3.74 will look "cheap." 2. SNOW-- We received 6 inches Saturday, two inches yesterday and 5 inches today. That's 13 inches in five days. Getting real tired of the stuff. 3. SNOW PROBLEMS-- Cleaning the snow off the truck quite often these days. I've learned to wait to see if the garage door stays down as it so often encounters snow when closing and comes back up. Last Friday, I almost backed into a vehicle coming down the street that I didn't see because the snow was piled so high. It is getting frightening at intersections as you can't see too well because of piled snow. /// Enough, Already. --RoadDog

Top Ten Mardi Gras Oldies-- Part 1

From About.com Oldies Music by Robert Fontenot. //// 1. GO TO THE MARDI GRAS-- Professor Longhair. The King of All Mardi Gras songs and a breathtaking piano intro.. //// HEY POCKY WAY-- Meters. Strongest of several Mardi Gras classics. //// 3. STREET PARADE-- Earl King Captures the loose feel of Second Line better than any other song. //// 4. CARNIVAL TIME-- Al Johnson. His one and only hit, but he still bills himself as Al "Carnival Time" Johnson. Listen to it and you'll know why. //// 5. JOCK-A-MO-- Sugar Boy Crawford and His Cane Cutters. Most of you know it as "Iko, Iko" but what the song originally sounded like when it was "Raw Fifties R&B." //// Five More Tomorrow. --RoadDog

Mardi Gras in My Other Blogs

Yesterday and today, I posted Mardi Gras items in my RoadDog's RoadLog Blog, Tattooed On Your Soul World War II Blog, Cooter's History Thing and Not So Forgotten: War of 1812 Blog. //// In Case You've Not Had Enough. -- RoadDog

Mardi Gras IV: Music to Celebrate

Back when i was deejaying, I made several cassette tapes of some great New Orleans/Louisiana music suitable for Mardi Gras. I'm listening to Mardi Gras IV right now. Songs on it: NO CITY LIKE NEW ORLEANS-- Earl King // SOMETHING YOU GOT-- Earl King // DADDY DADDY DADDY-- Carol Fran Clarence // WHOLE LOTTA LOVIN'-- Fessa Longhair // SWANEE RIVER ROCK-- Snooks Eaglin //// CHERIE PETIT MONDE-- Balfa Toujous // NEW ORLEANS BEAT--Steve Riley // HOT TAMALE BABY-- Marcia Ball // ZYDECO LA LOUISIANNE-- Buckwheat Zydeco //// VALSE BEBE-- Beausoleil // I'M HERE-- Clifton Chernier // SATURDAY NIGHT SPECIAL-- Louisiana Playboys // TOUS LES TEMPS ON TEMPS-- Lynn August. //// And That's Just Half the Cassette Tape. --RoadDog

Coping With the Winter, But Still Having a Good Time

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 28TH-- Ten at Ten: 1967. Breakfast at K.C.'s Cabin in Spring Grove (buy one get one free. We became the first paying cusromers to the new Donovan's in Twin Lakes after three weeks remodeling and were quite impressed. //// SATURDAY, MARCH 1ST-- Cleared two inches of snow off the driveway and sidewalk in the morning. Enjoyed listening to Wendy Rice do her Saturday Morning Flashback Show to 1969. Went to the Fox Lake Business Expo at Grant High School and then enjoyed Mitch Edwards and Second Chance at the Legion from 3:30 to 8. Snowed all afternoon and accumulated another four inches. //// SUNDAY, MARCH 2ND--Bob Stroud's Rock and Roll Roots show (60s-70s music). Cleared the snow off the driveway and sidewalk. Turned cold (it's either snow or cold all the time these days). Then went to All Sports in McCullom Lake for some of the best pizza around (and a $5 special w/ 75 cent toppings: pineapple, black olives and Canadian bacon and piled high, garbage-style. Then Sons of the American Legion meeting at the Legion in Fox Lake. //// MONDAY, MARCH 3RD: Played NTN at J's in Ingleside and enjoyed half price pizza. We had four Top twenty rankings, including a #1!!! //// Really Need Spring, Though, But Coping. --RoadDog

Get Your Mardi Gras Music on Chicago's WXRT

Tonight, at 9 PM, CST, tune into Chicago's Finest Mardi Gras station, WXRT, 93.1 FM for Tom Marker's Bluesbreakers Show, featurinmg the music of New Orleans and Mardi Gras. It's called Lundi Gras, for Monday. It will also have New Orleans blues, Dixieland, Second-Line, Cajun and Zydeco. //// Then, tomorrow, XRT will be featuring a whole lot of Mardi Gras music all day. //// And, it streams at www.wxrt.com. //// I Smell Jambalaya!! --RoadDog

It's Official: We Have a Three Gallon Winter

I had to go outside twice Saturday to clear off the driveway. Friday night/Saturday morning, we received 2 inches of snow and then it snowed another 4 inches from 1 PM to 8 PM. //// I had to crack open my third gallon of the gas/2-stroke mixture for the snowblower. That is a new record. Usually, I go through just one gallon in a season. And this is considering that I often just shovel the light snow and low accumulations. //// I see this is Chicago's 4th biggest snowfall winters with some 80 inches. And, it seems like so much more since so little snow has melted because of the cold. We go through cold-snow-cold-snow cycles. ///// Right now, we're in the cold with temps in McHenry at -5 degrees and 0 degrees here in Spring Grove. High today at 15, tomorrow 20 degrees and Wednesday 22 degrees. //// But, balmy 30s the next two days. //// And, there Was a Time I'd be Considering 30s in March as Real Cold!! Not Any More. --RoadDog

Pre-Pre Summer Driving Season Gas Gouge Underway!!!!

We've already had the Pre-Pre-Pre-Pre and Pre-Pre-Pre Summer Driving Season Gas Gouges (since January), and as of this last week, the Pre-Pre Summer Driving Season Gas Gouge struck with a vengeance around here (northeast Illinois near the Wisconsin state line). //// Gas in Fox Lake, Illinois, is now $3.76 (a jump of 26 cents). Gas at the rip-off Marathon here in Spring Grove and at Rock Corner are at $3.80. //// Why did it go up? //// The GRBs at Big Oil don't say, but really don't need to because of all the politicians in pocket. I was looking at a local magazine with jokes and one was that the recession is so bad that Exxon-Mobil had to lay off twenty politicians. I laughed through my tears. //// Of course, in a few weeks, we'll have the infamous Pre-Summer Driving Season Gas Gouge when price of gas will jump over the $4 mark (with a lot of stations hanging at the $3.99.9 price so people won't know they're charging $4.) //// Making Money All the Time With B.O. --RoadDog

As Usual, Bad Academy Picks for Me (3 of 7)

But, in my defense, I didn't seetwo of the movies which had three winners. //// Winner (my pick): BEST PICTURE: 12 Years a Slave (American Hustle) //// BEST ACTOR: Matthew McConaughy-- Dallas Buyers Club (Chiwetel Ejiofor) //// BEST ACTRESS Cate Blanchette-- Blue Jasmine (Meryl Streep) //// BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Jared Leto-- Dallas Buyers Club (Brandon Cooper) //// BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Lupita Nyong'o //// BEST ANIMATED: Frozen //// BEST DIRECTOR: Alfonso Cuaron. //// That's My Excuse, Anyway. --RoadDog

Let the Big Dogs Out!

From the Feb. 17, 2014, Yahoo! Shine "10 Monstrous Dog Breeds" by Pet360.com. //// These are some mighty big dogs. Just watch out for slobber, especially with the St. Bernards: 1. Irish Wolfhound // 2. Saint Bernard // 3. Mastiff // 4. Newfoundland // 5. Great Dane //// 6. Great Pyrenees // 7. Leonberger // 8. Bernese Mountain Dog // 9. Greater Swiss Mountain Dog // 10. Black Russian Terrier //// Bow-Wow, Lick. --RoadDog

A Whole Bunch (of Songs) from 1969-- Part 2

SHE CAME IN THROUGH THE BATHROOM WINDOW-- Joe Cocker
GIVE ME SHELTER-- Rolling Stones
TIME OF THE SEASON-- Zombies

CAN'T FIND MY WAY HOME-- Blind Faith
EVERYDAY PEOPLE-- Sly & the Family Stone
ST. STEVENS-- Grateful Dead

I'M FREE-- Who
TRY-- Janis Joplin
IT'S YOUR THING-- Isley Brothers

HIGHWAY 61-- Bob Dylan
HOT SUMMER DAY-- It's a Beautiful Day
RAMBLE ON-- Led Zeppelin

STONE FREE-- Jimi Hendrix
TIME IS TIGHT-- Booker T. & M.G.s
BADGE-- Cream

PEOPLE GOT TO BE FREE-- Rascals
BORN ON THE BAYOU-- CCR
VOLUNTEERS OF AMERICA-- Jefferson Airplane

GRAZING IN THE GRASS-- Friends of Distinction
MIDNIGHT RAMBLER-- Allman Brothers
THE THRILL IS GONE-- B.B. King

GIVE PEACE A CHANCE-- John Lennon.

 Brought Back Some Memories. --RoadDog

My Academy Award Picks

Best Picture: American Hustle

Best Director: Steve McQueen -- 12 Years a Slave

Best Actor: Chiwetel Ejiofor-- 12 Years a Slave

Best Actress: Meryl Streep-- August: Osage County

Best Supporting Actor: Bradley Cooper-- American Hustle

Best Supporting Actress: Julia Roberts-- August: Osage County

Best Animated Feature: Frozen.

I Might Even Get One of These Right. --RoadDog

Well, At Least I Saw Some of the Nominated Movies

With the Academy Awards taking place tomorrow, these are some categories I saw at the theater.

BEST PICTURE: American Hustle, Captain Phillips, Gravity, 12 Years a Slave, The Wolf of Wall Street.

BEST DIRECTOR: David O. Russell (American Hustle), Alfonso Cuarion (Gravity), Steve McQueen (12 Years a Slave), Martin Scorcese (The Wolf of Wall Street)

BEST ACTOR: Christian Bale (American Hustle), Leonardi DiCaprio (The Wolf of Wall Street), Chiwetel Ejiofor (12 Years a Slave)

BEST ACTRESS: Amy Adams (American Hustle) Sandra Bullock (Gravity), Meryl Streep (August: Osage County)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Barkhad Abdi (Captain Phillips), Bradley Cooper (American Hustle), Michael Fassbender (12 years a Slave), Jonah Hill (The Wolf of Wall Street)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Jennifer Lawrence (American Hustle), Lupita Nyong'o (12 Years a Slave), Julia Roberts (August: Osage County)

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE: The Croods, Despicable Me 2, Frozen.

Spending Too Much Time At the Movies-- RoadDog

A Whole Bunch (of Songs) From 1969-- Part 1: "Good Times, Bad Times"

This morning, Wendy Rice is doing her WXRT, 93.1 FM, Saturday Morning Flashback Show to the year 1968, when I graduated from Palatine High School and started freshman year at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb.

Not only does she play the music, but you get a lot of information from the year.

Songs played the first two hours:

UP ON CRIPPLE CREEK-- Band
MAMA TOLD ME NOT TO COME-- Randy Newman   He wrote the song, but Three Dog Night had the big hit with it.
GREEN RIVER-- CCR

GIVE ME GIVE ME GOOD LOVIN'-- Crazy Elephant
ROOM TO MOVE-- John Mayall
SUITE: JUDY BLUE EYES-- CSN

THAT'S THE WAY LOVE IS-- Marvin Gaye
GOOD TIME, BAD TIMES-- Led Zeppelin
PEACHES IN REGALIA-- Frank Zappa

JINGO-- Santana
GOLDEN SLUMBER MEDLEY-- Beatles
VICTORIA-- Kinks

MEDICATED GOO-- Traffic
CRIMSON & CLOVER-- Tommy James & the Shondells
CINNAMON GIRL-- Neil Young

SPACE COWBOY-- Steve Miller Band
OH WELL-- Fleetwood Mac   The original line up.
SOMETHING IN THE AIR-- Thunderclap Newman.

"It's Getting to the Point...." --RoadDog

Ten From 1967: "Purple Haze"

Yesterday, Bob Stroud played Ten Great Songs from One Great Year, 1967, on his Ten at Ten show on Chicago's WDRV, the Drive:

GET TOGETHER-- Youngbloods
COLD SWEAT-- James Brown
I'M A MAN-- Spencer Davis Group

BEND ME, SHAPE ME-- American Breed
KNIGHTS IN WHITE SATIN--Moody Blues
PEOPLE ARE STRANGE-- Doors
PURPLE HAZE-- Jimi Hendrix

FOR WHAT IT'S WORTH-- Buffalo Springfield
RUBY TUESDAY--Rolling Stones
THERE'S A KIND OF A HUSH-- Herman's Hermits.

My Pick, "For What It's Worth." --RoadDog