How about some happy music for your Thursday, a classic from a jazz vocal group of the early 1960s: Lambert, Hendricks & Ross.

It's called Sermonette, and I grew up hearing it by the great Earl Grant, but couldn't find that on YouTube. But I did find these cats, and I dig their Americana-fused jazz vibe.

Anyway, cool tune.

In a remake of Barry White's "Never, Never Gonna Give You Up," jazz guitarist and Norman, Okla. legend Wayman Tisdale teams up with ...

TOBY KEITH?

Sorry, I like it. Toby's baritone is soulful, albeit not perfect, a sound that might be the audio equivalent of having to listen Wayman play country. However, I have been an unapologetic fan of Toby's, musically. He's an original and has always had a strong sense of musicality and open-mindedness when it comes to his choices.

This is not great, but it is surprisingly good.

This is cool, and it comes courtesy of WBAL.com.

Baltimore Ravens fans got treated to a big-screen, in-stadium look at Michael Phelps' quest for No. 8. It was during a preseason football game, and while the stadium was barely filled, it was loud.

To me, it reinforces why it's really pathetic that any American athlete deigned to compete for another country. Nobody loves you like your own. Again, this is cool.

And, you'd better believe that I'm pulling for the American basketball team. They square off against Australia at 7 a.m. CDT. Even more than for the Redeem Team, I'm pulling for our baseball team, which will likely have to beat Japan and Cuba to win gold.

There are some people I wonder how they ever made it into the music business. But there are others so damned talented that I cannot possibly help but ooze with jealousy.

Jason Mraz is one such cat. This guy is sick. He's a terrific guitarist. He's got a terrific voice. He's a brilliant writer, having penned one of the five best songs this decade ("The Remedy"), and his musical sensibilities are a mix between John Mayer and early Michael Jackson.

Seriously. If anything I ever do musically made it anywhere beyond Norman, Okla., USA, I'm looking this guy up. Jason is among the two or three most talented newly discovered musicians from this entire decade.

Here's a video for his tune "Make It Mine." If you can't like this, I just don't know what to say about your musical tastes. Sorry.

Does it matter which presidential candidate's musical tastes align most closely with yours? If so, surely you saw this Blender article outlining the Top 10 favorite songs of Barack Obama and John McCain.

McCain's favorite song in the world is ABBA's "Dancing Queen," making me think the magazine had inadvertently phoned the office of Sen. Larry Craig. Nonetheless, I likes me some ABBA, so I won't give him any crap.

Barack's favorite was the Fugees' "Ready or Not," which brings into questions his musical tastes, period. Not a fan of that song, and I much preferred Lauryn Hill solo, such as her take on the song "Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You."

Among the surprises in the Top 10 were how eclectic Barack's choices were, clearly trying to position himself as the musical progressive. To me, that's not a surprise. It's almost calculated.

Nevertheless, McCain's taste is better.

His No. 2 is Roy Orbison's "Blue Bayou," and his No. 4 is Merle Haggard's "If We Make It Through December," which is a brilliant song. Seriously, this is one of the great American songs of the past 50 years.

Barack's list features some Nina Simone, which is excellent, and some Rolling Stones, which is always a solid choice. However, my favorite song on his list is from Kanye West, "Touch The Sky."

In all, Barack's list is a tad "cooler," but McCain's list is surprisingly quality and classic. Edge goes to the senator from Arizona.

Wrote a new song this week, a little tune dedicated to the state of fear in which society is steeped. Heck, it was a good excuse to roll off some cool jazz riffs.

Hope you enjoy. It's called "Windows."

Lyrics below:

CHORUS:
Stay away from windows
Lock up all your doors
Abandon all appointments
Forget about all them chores

Stay away from windows
Be afraid of what you see
We're livin' in an era
Of high anxiety


BRIDGE:
I fear for judgment day
'Cause judgment gonna come my way
I fear my government
'Cause me they don't represent

I fear the food I eat
It got bugs and shit I don't need
I fear my kitchen sink
Ain't no water there that I can drink


CHORUS:
Stay away from windows
Lock up all your doors
Abandon all appointments
Forget about all them chores

Stay away from windows
Be afraid of what you see
We're livin' in an era
Of high anxiety

Those of you who know me know that I love baseball. I'll watch any baseball. I'll watch Pirates-Padres, Royals-Mariners, anything. I particularly enjoy watching the New York Yankees (for their history), the San Francisco Giants (for the setting) and the L.A. Dodgers (for Vin Scully).

However, my team is the Texas Rangers.

Typically, I don't get so bold as to make grand predictions about the Rangers. They've never won a playoff series and have only won one playoff game. Heck, it's been nine years since they last went to the playoffs.

But if you're looking for a team to pull off what the Colorado Rockies did last year, look no further than Arlington, Texas. I'll give you five reasons why.

1. Believe it or not, pitching. Have you seen the likes of Scott Feldman, Luis Mendoza and Matt Harrison this season, particularly the past week or so? I'm not a stats geek, but our starting pitchers have gotten us into the 6th and 7th innings of virtually every game, meaning the team has a chance to win every night.

Remember, Jeff Francis wasn't exactly a five-time Cy Young winner for Colorado as he led them into the postseason last year.

2. Terrific GM work. I know the book is not in on Jon Daniels, but how sweet has that trade with Boston been? To think: The li'l ol' Rangers took the BoSox to the cleaners when Texas traded Eric Gagne and got David Murphy (among others). And, I loved the fact that Daniels stood pat with this club, saying that he "likes our guys."

Believe me, I'm all for a fire sale when need be, but the more I see the core of this team, the more I believe Daniels was right on the money.

3. Youngsters producing. Those pitchers. Murphy. Crush Davis. Ian Kinsler. Perhaps we owe a bit more credit to manager Ron Washington and his coaches, but they've really gotten a lot out of guys who came from nowhere, many of them under 27.

4. Comeback wins. Just this week alone, I've seen the Rangers come back from 3-0, 4-0 and 6-0, including Monday night's wonderful walk-off grand slam from Marlon Byrd. Geez, I'd love to post Josh Lewin's call from that, but MLB is so stingy when it comes to embedding video. The point is this: Texas isn't panicking no matter how far they're down, and this bodes well for teams in the second half of the season.

5. Josh Hamilton. Not only will he be the MVP of Major League Baseball this season, he's also the best story in the game since Sammy and Mark back in 1998. What's crazy is that this club has not been carried by Josh all season. He's one peg that fits very nicely into this puzzle.

However, his trip to the Home Run Derby at Yankee Stadium this summer is already legendary. My point here is this: We have major, major good karma, I suspect, from the baseball gods for having this guy on our team. Alas, watch. This video is incredible.

Feel free to scoff at my notion that Texas could be a contender the next several weeks. However, I'll freely admit: I don't just think Texas could be a "contender."

They are a contender. Right now.

And, I have a gut hunch, a baseball/sports intuition that tells me Rangers fans should start scooping up tickets and making plans around first pitches because these last 48 games and beyond could be the stuff of memories.

It's the same hunch I had about Colorado last year, well before their run.

Coincidence? Could be. But it doesn't change the fact that if you're a Texas Rangers fan and you haven't been caught up to what's going on with this team, you need to wake up and plan on making first pitch tonight at 7:05 p.m. versus the Yanks. Whether it be on TV, the Web or in person.

Go Rangers.

Listen to this song, and tell me what year you think it was released.

1974? Wrong.

1977? Wrong again.

How about 2007, from singer-songwriter Josh Rouse from his CD called "Country Mouse, City House," which I have been listening to tonight. What a mellow, cool, sophisticated CD.

Thing is: All of Josh's music is this good. I discovered the guy when he released "1972," and I have been a devoted fan since. If you love the 1970s. If you love the singer-songwriter thing. If you love musical and poetic simplicity ... then you have to start checking this guy out.

BTW, this tune reminds me HIGHLY of 1970s-era George Harrison. Love it. And, please, once you've picked up your first couple Josh Rouse CDs, you're basically obligated to come back here and thank me.

It's funny where you hear great new music. I heard this band for the first time in a liquor store down the road from my house.

The guy at the counter informed me these cats are called The Hold Steady, but based on the first listen as I was buying a bucket full of Bass Ale and Guinness Draught, I thought it was Bob Mould being backed up by the E Street Band. Most of the guys in the band come from Minnesota, but the band is based in Brooklyn.

Seriously, you're either going to love vocalist Craig Finn or despise him. Count me among those who are already won over, however. And the song that won me over is brand new, a track called "Sequestered In Memphis" from a CD called "Stay Positive."

Like many of the band's songs, "Sequestered in Memphis" is a bar tale. In fact, The Hold Steady is a quintessential bar band, kind of a frat band for an older set, perhaps. Check out the first verse and chorus:

It started when we were dancin’
It got heavy when we got to the bathroom.
We didn’t go back to her place,
We went to some place where she cat-sits.
She said, “I know I look tired, but everything’s fried, here in Memphis.”

Man, they want to know exactly which bathroom…
Dude, does it make any difference? It can’t be important…

Yeah, sure, I’ll tell my story, again…

In bar-light, she looked all right;
In daylight, she looked desperate
That’s all right, I was desperate, too
I’m getting pretty sick of this interview.
Subpoenaed in Texas, sequestered in Memphis
Subpoenaed in Texas, sequestered in Memphis

***

I love, love, love the line in the first verse where Finn sings that they didn't go back to her place, "we went to some place where she cat-sits."

C'mon, guys. You know like I do what he's saying: She's crazy.

The rest of "Stay Positive" has not attached itself to me like this song has. However, I'm on my third listen, and at least a couple of the tracks are starting to come around. Reviews of the CD garnered a score of 85 on Metacritic, which is a damned good score. Furthermore, this track is so good, I'm willing to go out of my way to learn more about these guys.

Very interesting sound. Wonderful 1970s-influenced E Street Band-like instrumentation. And brilliant, funny lyrics. They would be great for a college town.

Funny, but I live in one. Now, check out the video from their live performance of "Sequestered In Memphis" three weeks ago on Letterman.

Chicago newspaper reports indicate that comedian Bernie Mac is in very critical condition right now with pneumonia, the same situation Christian Brando was in earlier this year. Too bad.

Bernie Mac is one of the comedy greats of this generation, and his show on FOX was highly underrated. This bit below is his famous "my sister's kids" routine from The Kings Of Comedy, probably the best comedy movie or among the best of my lifetime.

This routine is highly UNSAFE for work. But it's very funny.

Love to introduce you to music you might never have heard before, and I've got several introductions to make this week. This first band is very eclectic and very British and dark and happy all at the same time.

They're called Johnny Flynn & The Sussex Wit, and the song is called "Tickle Me Pink" with these lyrics for its chorus:

"Pray for the people inside your head
for they won't be there when you're dead
muffled out and pushed back down
pushed back through the leafy ground"

It's hard not to tap your foot to this one. I've listened to the first five or six tracks from Flynn's 2008 CD, called "A Larum," and I have to say: It's great.

Sights and sounds from Norman, Okla., at 10:08 p.m. Thursday:

A gray mustang driving down Lindsey with no headlights on. The lights going off at Chicken Express, just east of 12th Street. A countrified worker at KFC talking down to a man of Hispanic descent in the drive-thru. Me leaving that particular drive-thru because that guy was a prick.

I have got to quit eating out at night. However, there is nothing I am inspired to eat right now. Tonight, I wanted a salad, but Jason's Deli closes at 9. I don't want to buy the ingredients for a salad because it's more cost effective to get the salad at Jason's, and my ingredients would go to waste unless I ate a salad every night for the next week, which I would not do.

I settled on Taco Bell. Not good.

For lunch, I'm typically a Subway guy. However, my Subway in northwest Oklahoma City is the slowest sandwich shop on the planet. They'll have six people manning the line, and it still takes 45 minutes for me to get in and out.

Unfortunately, they're nice, and I like them. Or I've grown to like them. They appear to be moving efficiently as possible, but I would suggest that Subway as a whole is a concept that should be altered a bit.

First, the concept of a "sandwich artist" is a waste of time. Not only is it an extra set of dirty hands touching my food, it's unnecessary labor and a time-suck. I SAY put a vegetable bar in the middle of the restaurant and let folks have at it.

My concept of the way Subway 2.0 would be built is that folks would stand in line for the sole purpose of getting their bread, meat and cheese. The customer would get this and then take it to the dressing station to deal with themselves, and that includes toasting.

Quizno's was brilliant for introducing toasted sandwiches to the American landscape if for no other reason than it threw Subway off its game. Fact is that Subway is still the most healthful fast-food option in existence. However, Quizno's dictated to the market how these subs would be done, and frankly Quizno's has always been better with the toasted sub.

However, as Subway has grown in popularity, its game has thrown itself off. Lunchtime eaters walk into shops with 13 orders apiece because they're picking a 6-incher up for everybody in their office. And, those of us buying one have to wait in line while "sandwich artists" take forever making a sandwich we could dress ourselves.

This isn't even my biggest pet peeve with Subway right now. See, some franchises have spinach, while others don't, a product of the salmonella (or whatever) scare of a couple years ago. However, this was an excuse by some store owners to save a little cash.

Fact is that iceberg lettuce has no more nutritional value than toilet paper. While it does add a welcomed crunch to most any sandwich, it's actually kind of important for Subway's rep that spinach be available everywhere. Personally, I like to deck my sandwiches out with cucumbers, carrots, spinach and banana peppers.

Still, while I can't do a salad every night of the week, I can eat Subway pretty much everyday for lunch. And, I'd like to see the chain thrive and succeed. But it's time for an overhaul, Subway 2.0 if you will

Here's a random video of some guy making a Subway sandwich in 35 seconds. I can guarantee you first-hand that this didn't happen in NW OKC:

In response to my statements in a previous post and otherwise that I sort of felt like a m-o-r-o-n for not having pursued solo live music before the age of 37, I got some curious commisseration. Per an e-mail communication.

She had recently talked with another about our same age and noted that it was only now that she felt comfortable pursuing what she wanted to pursue without caring what other people thought.

Personally, I know that 10 years ago I spent way too much time giving a crap about what other people thought. And, 20 years ago, I was too dumb to have any inclination toward this type of inward contemplation. In fact, if I had any wisdom at all in my late teens, I would have studied history and people a bit harder instead of journalism per se.

If you'll just read good writing and pay attention, college will teach you how to write. You don't need a journalism degree to learn that, not by any stretch. But, you have to know how to write if for no other reason than to be accepted by those of us who do know. We'll talk about you endlessly.

During lunch on Saturday with a friend, he noted the show "Mad Men" on AMC and the general dissatisfied nature of white guys in their 30s. Personally, I can't speak to any collective emotions within other races or ethnicities. I just know that pasty white men taken on a dissatisfied, grumpy vibe by the time 35 comes around.

However, I recall an acquaintence, the wife of another acquaintence, who is a relative of a very good friend, saying that she's enjoying things at 44 more than she ever had before. Way better than 34 and triply more than 24.

It leads me to believe that 35 to 50 are the peak years. Not for the purpose of getting rich or becoming famous or for doing things that make your parents proud. These are the peak years for earning wrinkles, which are kind of like the markers of character and why old people look so interesting.

And to a certain extent this concept has me more mentally rebellious than I might have been at 18, ready to roll with the flow, have more fun and be more creative. The dark side of this from the perspective of potential is in the fact that I had to blow 20 years to get here.

Take Tom Waits. Now, here's a guy who knew what he was from Day 1, yet it wasn't what the pseudo-stars of today would call "branding," even though it technically is. But with Waits, his characters and machinations and styles and sounds are all natural. Enjoy this video from a 1976 episode of the Mike Douglas Show, in which he sings "Eggs and Sausages" before smoking cigarettes and conversing with Mike on stage for about five minutes.

All this talk of devil's three ways and lucky pierre's in my last post is likely to ensure I'll never be vice president or even get another steady job.

However, it did remind me of another reason I love Norman, or specifically why I love where I live in Norman. I'm close to the bars, and although I'm not nearly as proficient with the ladies as Barney, this video did come to mind.

A conversation I had with a guy at work tonight reminded me how damned small this world is. This person knows people you know, and you know people they know, and in Oklahoma, it's far too small. That's why my "advice" for youngsters just getting out of college nowadays is to be nice to everybody, unless it's time not to be nice. Roadhouse reference.

You never know who knows who. I'll be at the grocery store, and the barista will be slower than Stephen Hawking at a swim meet, and I have to remind myself that she could be a patron at my next gig or the daughter of my boss or the lucky pierre later that weekend.

It's just not wise to piss people off unnecessarily.

Hence the question last night about accepting the shots. I don't to offend the patron, and I enjoy having a good time. But experienced musicians one and all will tell you that drunkenness is not cool at gigs. Now, I wasn't intoxicated by any means, but I realized that the "piano guy" at "piano bars" is going to have to deal with this sooner or later.

As the summer winds down, and as I near birthday No. 38, I typically think about plans for the next year. Part of those plans include this blog, and while it's been focused on reality television the past year, it certainly hasn't been because it's a passion of mine. There are a few shows I enjoyed and some I enjoyed making fun of, but I wanted to see how much traffic I could build doing this.

I think it's run its course, and if you don't mind -- I think my plan for ryanwelton.com for the next year is to shoot from the hip. Like in this post. Focus some on music, but mostly shoot from the hip. Ramblings. Nothing terribly focused.

There is a site I'll be developing, a blog site, next week while I'm on vacation. And I'm excited about it. It is a simple experiment in hyperlocal blogging, and there won't be a heck of a lot of lap-over between the two sites, but there could be some.

I had considered retiring ryanwelton.com in lieu of the other site, but I decided against it in the name of evolution. In 25 years, it could be fun to see the map, the outline if you will of this site's travels.

Also, some of you had inquired about my next gig. As soon as I hear from Othello's, I'll be spreading the word like wildfire. I'm hoping to play some OU-football weekends for sure. Should be great crowds. But I'll post that info right here.

And if any of you know of bars, lounges, etc., with pianos in them, let me know. As soon as my Othello's schedule is in place, I'll be contacting a number of other venues in Oklahoma City, Stillwater, Tulsa and Dallas. Heck, I might even look to some of the casinos across the state. Surely, they have li'l watering holes with a piano and a mic at the side.

I don't want to poo poo my generation, musically. However, the 1980s really don't do much for me -- not now.

Oh, back in the day, I was convinced the decade was super underrated. And while the early half of the 1980s was pretty solid, it had little to do with mainstream pop. The "angry young man" movement combined with new wave, the second British invasion and even touches of urban cowboy music made 1980-83 really interesting.

But 1988?

Wow, not a good year for music.

However, I've reviewed Billboard's Hot 100 countdown and put together what I think are the 10 best songs from 1988. Not the songs as I liked them then, no. This is a look back at the music from the year 1988 with a ranking of how I like those songs today.

10. The Valley Road - Bruce Hornsby

Bruce always had great lyrics and Earthy, jazzy progressions, but I am not a fan of Hornsby's use of electronic drums.

9. Devil Inside - INXS

The Aussie band's best single was its first, "The One Thing" from 1983.

8. Man In The Mirror - Michael Jackson

I think I liked this a lot more as a teen. Now, I'm not sure I can stomach it, but thankfully Tuck Andress rescued it. One of the best guitarists of the 1980s. Or of any time.

7. Piano In The Dark - Brenda Russell

Honestly, Brenda has had 100 better songs than this, and this one is a classic of the decade. Brenda is one of the best R&B, adult contemporary songwriters in history. If you were aware of her catalog, you'd be like: She wrote that? She wrote this?

6. Don't Worry Be Happy - Bobby McFerrin

Make fun if you'd like, but McFerrin is an American treasure. He's a master jazz vocalist who got a ton of exposure in 1988 with a novelty song. He's one of a handful of artists I'd pay $200 to see live. His concert series with Chick Corea was phenomenal on CD. Check out this version of "Blackbird."

5. Wishing Well - Terence Trent d'Arby

Song was ahead of its time, and so was Terence's ego. He always thought way more of himself than anybody else. Good voice though.

4. Sweet Child O' Mine - Guns N' Roses

In retrospect, Guns & Roses is a fairly underappreciated band critically.

3. Nite & Day - Al B. Sure

Like it more today than I did 20 years ago. It's smooth.

2. Time & Tide - Basia

Not sure that this was exactly 1988, but I can't leave it off the list. In retrospect, I'm pretty surprised Basia didn't have a bigger career.

1. Fast Car - Tracy Chapman



I never would have said this 20 years ago. However, this is by a mile, a monster mile, the best song from 1988. Great words. Great musicality. Great soul. Stands the test of time. And what's amazing is that this song was so adult for an entire musical generation that prided itself on its collective lack of seriousness. Somebody needs to remake this song.

While we'll be working long and hard to post videos to the site from house goings-on this season, we'll also comb YouTube for existing videos relating to the show. And, tonight, I found a handful of videos featuring vignettes of sorts from some of the houseguests.

So, let's call this "Get To Know Your Houseguests" time. Enjoy!

Jerry

Jessie & Michelle

Brian

Libra

Memphis

Steven

Angie

April

In less than 24 hours, partnerships will be dissolved on So You Think You Can Dance? We'll have our Top 10.

Picking that group won't be difficult. It appears as if Comfort and Thayne are clear-cut choices to leave the competition Thursday night. During their two performances on Wednesday, a hip-hop number to Ne-Yo's "Can We Chill?" and a contemporary piece to George Michael's "A Different Corner," they were roundly criticized for not connecting with the audience.

Challenging Comfort for a role as "she who is eliminated come Thursday" is Jessica, who was unfairly dissed by guest host Mia Michaels tonight. In Jessica and Will Wingfield's first performance of the evening, they killed on a Tyce DiOrio contemporary piece to a song called "Silence."

It was gritty, organic, erotic -- and Jessica got high marks. Not that she's going to win SYTYCD this season, but she wasn't deserving of Michaels' comments after their second performance, a quick step to "Bandstand Boogie" from Barry Manilow.

Michaels said: "Will, you look tired. Tired of carrying Jessica."

Ouch.

We have a pair of extremes happening with this couple. First, there is a sort of "Will worship" so far thus season, and while the Debbie Allen protege is very good, I'm not sure he is a God just yet. Second, Jessica has been pretty good the past couple of weeks.

Twitch and Kherington faced some unusually strong criticism this week, particularly after a Jean-Marc Genereaux tango. Based on both performances, the first of which was a "crump" piece," I think Twitchington very well might be in the Bottom 3 this week.

Courtney and Gev were again the little-couple-who-could with a pair of very good but not great performances. I prefered the first on the strength of its "fabulosity," as I think Michaels noted. In that, they danced a cha-cha to Rihanna's hit "Please Don't Stop The Music."

By a mile though, the best routine of the night came from Joshua and Katee, a Bollywood number from Nakul Dev Mahajan, the first of its kind on SYTYCD I do believe. To be fair, Jessica and Will's contemporary piece was equal to this routine, but the final dance of the night, to "Dhoon Taana" from the movie Om Shanti Om was surprisingly entertaining and stunningly soulful.

"It's amazing how similar to hip-hop it is," Nigel Lythgoe said.

Lythgoe went on to credit the show for including Indian cultural dance as part of the program, noting that he wished "the world would come together with dance rather than what we're doing at the moment."

Amen. And amen. Although I think Lythgoe might take a bit of heat for that comment. I hope not; there's truth in what he spoke regardless of one's political affiliation.

Now, get your Bollywood on:

When Amy Winehouse took the American music scene by storm, we should have known it would have started a trend. But don't tell Duffy she's merely a knock off of the oft-troubled princess of modern soul.

Fact is Duffy isn't much like Amy at all.

Within the realm of musical comparatives, the twentysomething Welsh blonde is way more like a Dusty Springfield or a Lulu. Within the spectrum of behavior, Duffy and Amy are again not close. At least so far.

However, critically, they're on par. Rolling Stone gave Duffy's "Rockferry" four out of five stars. Given that RS can be rather stingy with a high mark, it was quite the impressive feat for a woman who, right now, is Britain's biggest pop seller of the year.

Bigger than Coldplay. Again, at least so far.

A big reason for Duffy's success commercially is her hit single, "Mercy." It sounds like a musical cousin to something Amy would have done, and that likely bought Duffy some airplay here in the States.

Mercy - Duffy

But the big reason that "Mercy" won't be it for Duffy is that "Rockferry" is one of those CDs that sets a mood. "Mercy" is by a mile the most commercial track on the album, and most of the songs are brooding, gray, distinctly British tracks rendering images of 1960s blue-eyed female soul.

Tracks like "Rockferry," "Stepping Stone," "Hanging On Too Long" and "Syrup & Honey" are most certainly derivative of the aforementioned 1960s icons. However, Duffy generally does them proud, even if "Syrup & Honey" is in fact nearly too syrupy to bear.

Personally, I loved Track No. 2, called "Warwick Avenue," and I particularly loved the video:

That track brings to mind collaborations between Burt Bacharach and Dionne Warwick.

My favorite song on the entire CD though -- and you have to get the album to get this track -- is a bonus track called "Save It For Your Prayers." It's just Duffy and a piano, and the beauty of this piano is that it sounds like a piano that might be in your house instead of a studio. It's nice and gritty.

Save It For Your Prayers - Duffy

Perhaps the only downside to Duffy's emergence in 2008 is that she will be compared to Amy Winehouse. And in that contest, nearly any female will lose musically.

However, Duffy is a shoo-in for 2008 Best New Artist. And while "Rockferry" is an impressive CD in terms of the gray, 1960s-ish mood it sets, it's also impressive in that it is not derivative of Amy Winehouse.

That separation might please Duffy the most.

Would you believe the great Stevie Nicks just turned 60 last month?

We're getting old.

For today's Top 5, I thought I'd countdown my favorite Stevie songs. Besides her distinctive voice, Nicks brought a distinctive look to the 1980s. Heck, there were legions of folks who truly believed Stevie was a witch.

This of course was complete nonsense. Nicks most certainly battled her share of demons, in the form of addiction, but she can be counted among the survivors.

Now, my favorite bit of trivia I gleaned from various Web sites about Stevie is that there was allegedly a punk song back in the late 1970s called "Sit On My Face, Stevie Nicks." What a brilliant title.

5. Rhiannon (w/ Fleetwood Mac)

Notes: Did you know that Fleetwood Mac actually started out way more bluesy than what they turned out to be. Mick Fleetwood then hired Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie to join the group, and voila ...

4. If Anyone Falls

Notes: A massively underrated song of the early 1980s, I preferred this to all but one of Stevie's solo efforts.

3. Stop Draggin' My Heart Around (w/ Tom Petty)

Notes: Stevie and Tom later scored a hit with a remake of the 1960s song "Needles and Pins."

2. Edge Of Seventeen

Notes: One of the truly great guitar riffs of all time, it was sampled by Destiny's Child a few years back on "Bootylicious."

1. Gypsy (w/ Fleetwood Mac)

Notes: Perhaps it's merely sentimentalism, but this track has always defined Stevie to me. It's mellow, groovy and timeless.

We now know who the houseguests are .. but what do we really know?

CBS introduces the BB10 houseguests ...

My initial impression of the Big Brother 10 cast is one of elation because I sense a tremendous summer forthcoming. None of these people know each other. We have a wide, wide variety of age groups represented, including a 75-year-old and a 53-year-old, which rocks.

We've got die-hard conservatives and liberals.

We've got a gay bull rider and a woman suffering from extreme OCD.

Big Brother producer Allison Grodner says that BB10 is a back-to-basics season, and I think many of us dissatisfied with BB9 welcome this. Grodner did say that there is a twist of sorts playing out before the houseguests even enter the house.

Wonder what THAT could be?

The story before the story, before the show gets under way if you will, is Gerry MacDonald. Some stories have his name spelled with a 'J,' but the Associated Press has it with a 'G,' so I'm guessing it's Gerry. But this 75-year-old guy is a huge fan of the show and has watched every season.

He has gotten into very good physical shape so that he can care for his wife, who was recently diagnosed with Parkinson's. He's a Korean War vet.

During this morning's introductions on The Early Show, he said, "CBS will get their money's worth."

Do you find yourself already rooting for this guy? I do.

Alas, it really is too early.

Here are a few BB links to keep you busy:

Angie Packs 9 Cartons Of Cigs

Meet the 'Big Brother 10' Cast

TV Guide Ventures Inside Big Brother House

As always, for more BB10 coverage -- check me out on the best Big Brother fan site on the Web: big-brother-blog.com.

Think I might have just seen the greatest Wimbledon final ever.

Rafa Nadal topped Roger Federer, proving once and for all that Superman is human. The match lasted until well past dusk in England and was about one or two games from having to be suspended until Monday -- before the Spaniard won the fifth set 9-7.

The rivalry between Federer and Nadal has become legendary, the best individual rivalry I can think of since Bird and Magic in the 1980s, at least among rivalries that were such for positive reasons.

Back in the 1960s, we had Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain, and in the 1970s, we had Ali and Frazier. But what are the best individual rivalries of the past 20 years or so?

That is ... besides Federer and Nadal ... (winning game from 2007 Wimbledon final):

Larry Bird and Magic Johnson are the standard bearers for positive, spirited competition -- unmatched in terms of rivalry.

Darrell Waltrip and Dale Earnhardt were mega rivals in the 1980s, and it often got ugly:

Sometimes rivals are best measured by our obligation as viewers to watch whenever they appear together. The rivalry between Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield was pretty one-sided in truth (in favor of Evander), but a Tyson-Holyfield bout was the event of the late 1990s. And craziness was usually sure to happen:

Love to search for obscure videos and old music on YouTube, and tonight I found these delights from the 1980s.

Agnetha Faltskog - "Shame"


An obscure song to Americans from a member of Abba. Her one big hit here in the States was called "Can't Shake Loose," but this was always my favorite.

The Dream Academy - "Life In A Northern Town"


Incredibly underrated, this tune inches up each passing year closer to the echelon of "classic." Production wise, this song always seemed to be a bit dated.

Rupert Holmes - "Him"


Incredibly dorky dude, which I can appreciate given my dorkdom, but what a terrific writer.

Fleetwood Mac - "Gypsy"


This IS a classic, hands down.

Journey - "Girl Can't Help It"


American Idol's Randy Jackson makes several appearances in this one.