My Beach Boys Page of Lists

Over the past month you have been given an overload of music from The Beach Boys on this blog. In addition to the ongoing countdown (finishing up tomorrow & Friday) of my 55 favorite songs, there have been mentions of countless others. There are more than 300 songs Beach Boys songs currently on my iPod, plus I have a number of others still on CD. Fortunately for you, I cannot tell you about all of them. Fortunately for me, I can tell you about a few more here today. So without further delay, here is My Beach Boys Page of Lists!  All of these lists are composed of songs that failed to make the top 55 - but that doesn't mean I love them any less!

5 Weird Songs

1. She's Goin' Bald from the album Smiley Smile
2. Take a Load Off Your Feet from the album Surf's Up
3. "Cassius" Love vs."Sonny" Wilson from the album Shut Down Vol. 2
4. Amusement Park U.S.A. from the album Summer Days (and Summer Nights!)
5. Here Comes the Night (10+ minute disco version) from L.A. (Light Album)

More Favorite Car Songs

1. 409 from the album Little Deuce Coupe
2. This Car of Mine from the album Shut Down Vol. 2
3. Shut Down from the album Little Deuce Coupe
4. Little Honda from the album All Summer Long
5. Spirit of America from the album Little Deuce Coupe

More Favorite Surfing Songs

1. Catch a Wave from the album Surfer Girl
2. Girls On the Beach from the album All Summer Long
3. Surfin' from the album Surfin' Safari
4. Don't Back Down from the album All Summer Long
5. Hawaii from the album Surfer Girl

Instrumental Classics

1. The Nearest Faraway Place (from the album 20/20)
2. Pet Sounds (from the album of the same name)
3. Carl's Big Chance (from the album All Summer Long)
4. Summer Means New Love (from the album Summer Days & Summer Nights!)
5. Let's Go Away For Awhile (from the album Pet Sounds

More Favorite Love Songs

1. Hushabye from the album All Summer Long
2. Caroline, No from the album Pet Sounds
3. Livin' With a Heartache from the album Keepin' the Summer Alive
4. Deirdre from the album Sunflower
5. Aren't You Glad from the album Wild Honey
6. Don't Talk (Put Your Head On My Shoulder) from the album Pet Sounds
7. Baby Blue from the L.A. (Light Album)
8. Wild Honey from the album of he same name
9. Why Do Fools Fall In Love? from the album Shut Down Vol. 2
10. The Night Was So Young from the album Love You

More Great Songs from the Early Days

1. Girl Don't Tell Me from the album Summer Days (and Summer Nights!)
2. Drive-In from the album All Summer Long
3. Be True To Your School from the album Little Deuce Coupe
4. When I Grow Up To Be a Man from the album The Beach Boys Today!
5. Dance, Dance, Dance from the album Beach Boys Today!

5 Great Songs from 1985 - Present

1. Kokomo from the Cocktail movie soundtrack
2. That's Why God Made the Radio from the album of the same name
3. Still Crusin' from the (currently out of print) album of the same name
4. Getcha' Back from the album The Beach Boys
5. Beaches In Mind from the album That's Why God Made the Radio

My Favorite Solo Songs by Beach Boys

1. What You Do To Me by Carl Wilson from the album Youngblood
2. Love & Mercy by Brian Wilson from the album Brian Wilson
3. One Kind of Love by Brian Wilson from the album No Pier Pressure
4. Pacific Ocean Blue by Dennis Wilson from the album of the same name
5. Sail Away by Brian Wilson from the album No Pier Pressure

7 Obscure Delights!

1. The Trader from the album Holland
2. Vegetables from the album Smiley Smile
3. Let the Wind Blow from the album Wild Honey
4. Everyone's In Love With You from the album 15 Big Ones
5. Time To Get Alone from the album 20/20
6. We've Got Love from the album Beach Boys in Concert
7. Mountain of Love from the album Beach Boys Party!

So there you have it- a plethora of bonus tunes to get you warmed up and ready for the final two days of my countdown. I'm still taking guesses on what will be #1? Anyone? Anyone?

My Marvel Movie Musings

One week from today I will be sitting a movie theater watching Avengers: Age of Ultron- unless I have already seen it by then! Marvel Comics were a part of my life growing up and the Marvel movie universe is one that I find fascinating. Not only has the entire Avengers series captured my fancy, but so have the X-Men (Note- X3 The Last Stand is one highly underrated film!) the two Fantastic Four movies and even the original Tobey Maguire Spiderman trilogy (which had serious flaws but they were fun anyway). I have not seen either of the Spiderman reboots. I've even watched every episode of Agents of Shield on tv. So needless to say my anticipation is high for the new Avengers flick next weekend. Hulk smash!!!!

All fans have their own favorites from among the 10 Avenger related films (including Guardians of the Galaxy; while not yet connected, they will be!) thus far and I am no different. Today I share with you my rankings. It should be noted that each of these movies were originally seen on the big screen and have since received multiple viewings at home. I know these films well. And here's the way I rank them:

1. Captain America 2: The Winter Soldier
2. The Avengers
3. Iron Man
4. Guardians of the Galaxy
5. Iron Man 3
6. Captain America: The First Avenger
7. Thor
8. The Incredible Hulk
9. Thor 2: The Dark World
10. Iron Man 2

There's no need to bore you with explanations as to why they are ranked in that order, but there are a few things you should know. Iron Man is that high because if it had flopped, NONE of the rest of this would have happened. So it's important. You should know that numbers 1-8 are all movies I can watch over and over and still love, so the separation between them is very small. Thor 2 isn't bad, it just doesn't grab me quite like the others, partly because the bad guys are pretty anonymous. And Iron Man 2 just annoys me. It's entertaining but fairly pointless. If it didn't introduce Black Widow it have no purpose at all in my mind.

So there you have it. It would be great to hear you thoughts on my list. I eagerly await Antman later this summer and the next wave of films to follow Ultron. If anyone from Marvel/Disney is reading, please hear this old man's request- make a Hulk movie with Mark Ruffalo before I am too old to see it!  Thanks, and have a great Saturday, dear readers!

My Favorite Disney Animated Films

My son Will (age 19) and I watched Fantasia on blu-ray Tuesday night and were once again reminded of what a creative tour-de-force that film remains even after so many years. I also remembered just how wonderful so many of the Disney full-length animated feature films are. It was a wonderful night. 

That was followed on Wednesday morning by the announcement that they are going to make a live action version of Dumbo with Tim Burton directing. I am working on a post for next week called 7 Things I Believe (and you probably don't!), and one of those could easily be that I believe Disney needs to cease and desist with making new versions of their classic films. As my son (the one who is studying filmmaking in college) likes to say, "There is no need to make a new version of a film when the definitive version has already been made." Or in this case, Don't mess with Walt! These animated classics (and many others) will never be topped. So please, Disney- leave them alone. Here are my animated favorites, in no particular order...

1. The Jungle Book
2. Lady and the Tramp
3. The Lion King
4. Lilo and Stitch
5. Sleeping Beauty
6. Aladdin
7. Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs
8. Beauty and the Beast
9. The Hunchback of Notre Dame
10. Fantasia

If you are disappointed not to see Frozen on my list, then you just don't know me as well as you thought you did. It MIGHT make the list if I included my top 25! Enjoy your Thursday, and watch a Disney animated classic soon. You'll be amazed at how brilliant they remain.

My SNL Lists

Earlier this week (see A Very Funny Addiction) I promised my readers some lists of my favorite things from 40 years of Saturday Night Live! in preparation for the big anniversary special coming February 15th. Next Wednesday & Thursday will feature my 40 favorite moments from the 40 years, but today I give you three lists of favorites- Hosts, Recurring Characters and Weekend Update Anchors. Remember, these are not meant to be YOUR "best of" lists- they are simply my favorites. And they are in no particular order. But I would love to hear your choices too. Enjoy, and let the debates begin!

Top 10 SNL Hosts (Excluding former cast members)

1. Steve Martin
2. Justin Timberlake
3. Jennifer Aniston
4. Alec Baldwin
5. Paul Simon
6. Christopher Walken
7. Tom Hanks
8. Candice Bergen
9. Buck Henry
10. Britney Spears (Seriously- she was really good!) 

Top 40 Recurring Characters/Sketches
So this was pretty much impossible- kind of like picking out the 40 best M&Ms in a 10 pound bag. The list shows my age as well. But here we go...

1. The Blues Brothers (John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd)
2. The Barry Gibb Talk Show (Fallon, Timberlake)
3. Landshark (Chevy Chase)
4. Wayne's World (Dana Carvey, Mike Myers)
5. Master Thespian (Jon Lovitz)
6. Operaman (Adam Sandler)
7. Emily Litella (Gilda Radner)
8. Two Wild & Crazy Guys (Dan Aykroyd, Steve Martin)
9. Matt Foley, Motivational Speaker (Chris Farley)
10. Sarah Palin (Tina Fey)
11. The Bees (Original Cast)
12. Whitney Houston (Maya Rudolph)
13. The Cheerleaders (Cheri Oteri, Will Ferrell)
14. Lothar of the Hill People (Mike Myers)
15. George Bush & George W. Bush (Carvey, Ferrell)
16. Buckwheat (Eddie Murphy)
17. Church Lady (Carvey)
18. Debbie Downer (Rachel Dratch)
19. Ed Grimley (Martin Short)
20. Hans & Franz (Carvey, Kevin Nealon)
21. Roseanne Roseannadanna (Gilda)
22. Harvey Fierstein (Lovitz)
23. Nick the Lounge Singer (Bill Murray)
24. "I hate it when that happens..." (Billy Crystal, Christopher Guest )
25. The Sweeney Sisters (Jan Hooks, Nora Dunn)
26. Frank Sinatra (Joe Piscopo)
27. In the Cage with Nicolas Cage (Andy Samberg)
28. Hardball with Chris Matthews (Darrell Hammond)
29. The Coneheads (Aykroyd, Radner, Lorraine Newman)
30. It's Pat (Julia Sweeney)
31. Celebrity Jeopardy (Ferrell, Hammond, Norm McDonald)
32. The Nerds (Radner, Murray)
33. The Anal Retentive Chef/Fisherman/Whatever (Phil Hartman)
34. The Boston Teens (Fallon, Dratch)
35. The McLaughlin Group- (Carvey, Hooks, Myers, Farley)
36. The Samurai (John Belushi)
37. Homelessville/Wrapingville/Veganville (Timberlake)
38. Fernando (Crystal)
39. Stephon (Bill Hader)
40. Coffee Talk with Linda Richmond (Mike Myers)

Special mention to Toonces the Driving Cat and Mr. Bill. There are just sooooo many I had to leave out...

Top 5 Weekend Update Anchors

And these are in order, #1 being my favorite!

1. Jimmy Fallon & Tina Fey
2. Chevy Chase
3. Amy Poehler & Seth Meyers
4. Dennis Miller
5. Dan Aykroyd & Jane Curtain

That's it for today...but there's homework! I'd love to hear your favorite SNL catchphrases of all-time. Just leave a comment. Have a blessed Saturday!

10 Things I Can't Wait To Do Again at WDW

Now that I am officially settling into my new freedom and my availability for trips and such, it is really dawning on me that Walt Disney World is just a little over an hour away! Going last Sunday with the Hanbery clan to the Magic Kingdom and to eat at the Kona Cafe was a blast- but that just wet my appetite for so much more that I have been missing. And in many cases, it is literally my appetite, because about half of this list involves food! There are new adventures (New Fantasyland, updated Star Tours, Toy Story Mania, etc.) I have yet to experience for the first time, and those things excite me too. You should also know that I did Pirates of the Caribbean and Haunted Mansion last week or they would certainly be on this list. But as I gaze into the near future, here are 10 things I cannot wait to do again!

1) Walk Down Main Street After Dark- There are very few things that make me more content than walking down Main Street USA after twilight, with the park all lit up and in its full glory. There is just something about the look, the atmosphere and even the smells that take me back to a simpler place and time in my own life, and remind of how I came to love WDW in the first place. Really looking forward to taking that stroll soon...

2) The Hoop-de-doo Musical Review- I miss the music, the terrible puns, the fried chicken and the strawberry shortcake. Plus, Will has never been since he was old enough to remember it and it is right up his alley. So Pioneer Hall, here we come!

3) The Great Movie Ride- I have so many amazing memories attached to this ride, now 25 years old. We rode it the first summer the Disney/MGM Studios were open. We rode it Will was little, even as he hid from the Alien. We were trapped in the Casablanca scene for almost an hour one time listening to Bogart over and over again. At one point I pretty much had it all memorized. I'm looking forward to a refresher course.

4) Breakfast at The Cape May Cafe- This restaurant located in the lobby of Disney's Beach Club Resort offers an amazing all-you-can-eat breakfast buffet, with everything from great fresh fruit to Mickey waffles. There are characters, including our family favorite, Admiral Goofy. You can drink coffee, OJ and chocolate milk all at the same time. I mean how great is that? There are other good character breakfasts too, but this one will always be my favorite! And I love that I have been able to share it with so many of you!

5) Spaceship Earth- While I confess to never quite getting over them taking out Walter Cronkite as the narrator, there is still something magical about traveling through time inside the giant golf ball that is the symbol of Epcot. I hear they have made changes since I was last there. They'd better be good ones...

6) Ohana's- More food, this time at Disney's Polynesian Resort. Unless it has changed there are great veggies, chocolate fondue and fresh fruit for dessert and other goodies- but mostly, there is meat. Skewers of grilled meat. And it's all-you-can-eat. I have been many times in the past and never been disappointed. I look forward to testing them again.

7) Splash Mountain- I remember watching impatiently as they built it. I remember standing in huge lines in the heat of summer to ride, and riding it over and over again as midnight approached and there were no lines. I remember my first time down the big hill and the rush, the splash and the soaking that were part of it. And still are. I can't wait!

8) The Epcot Christmas Candlelight Processional- I have missed this amazing telling of the birth of Jesus so much, and when December 2014 arrives you can look for me at the American Gardens Theater along with the full orchestra, the mass choir and the celebrity narrator. Maybe I should be the celebrity narrator?!?! Except for not being a celebrity I'm perfect!

9) Night Time Shows & Fireworks- Okay, so this is a cop out, but I can't possibly choose which one I have missed the most. The Main Street Electrical Parade at the MK. Illuminations at Epcot. Fantasmic at the Hollywood Studios. And honestly any other parade or fireworks show they have to offer! I love the parks after dark!

10) The San Angel Inn- This restaurant in the Mexico pavilion at Epcot has been the site of many of a great dinner and celebration with so many friends from over the years. They may have changed the menu, but the amazing atmosphere is still the same. And there is just something wonderfully romantic about eating under the stars at a table overlooking the river- indoors. Now if they would just bring back the chocolate mousse kahlua pie...

I could go on and one. The Safari and Dinosaurs at Animal Kingdom. Norway, Canada, Imagination and Soarin' at Epcot. Muppets & Mama Melrose's at the Studios. The rest of the Magic Kingdom's mountains. But for now, this is a great list to start with. And I look forward to starting soon. Who's going with me?