The Barron Blog

Top Ten Doo Wop Songs Of All Time

Wed, 9 Dec 2009 23:36:10 -0500

Rock and Roll wouldn't be Rock and Roll without the great Doo Wop tunes of the late 1950s and early 1960s. "The Doo Wops" and other sounds came from the background singers behind the lead. These harmonies and noises were often as important as the main singer.

Again, I must stress that Doo Wop isn't old or mature music that came from crooners like Perry Como, Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin. Doo Wop was and still is young music.

Much of Doo Wop was repetitive and uninspired. It was replaced on the pop charts by music from the British invasion after 1964.

Hope you enjoy my top ten selections below from YouTube.

Pretty Little Angel Eyes/Curtis Lee
Little Darlin'/The Diamonds
I Wonder Why/Dion and The Belmonts(video above)
Who Put The Bomp?/Barry Mann
The Lion Sleeps Tonight/The Tokens
Footsteps/Steve Lawrence
Lost In The Fifties(In The Still Of The Night)/Ronnie Milsap
Blue Moon/The Marcels
Little Star/The Elegants
Sorry(I Ran All The Way Home)/The Impalas

Roll And Roll On Ed Sullivan And The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame

Thu, 3 Dec 2009 22:44:58 -0500

Yesterday, I watched great rock and roll music from "The Ed Sullivan Show" and "The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame".

Despite his geeky appearance, Ed Sullivan actually introduced most of the great rock and roll artists of the 50s and 60s. This started with Elvis Presley and ended probably with The Jackson Five.

It was good to see how many artists got a platform on the Ed Sullivan Show during the 60s. You had to get the four DVDs to view all of the performances. Unfortunately, these DVDs were being sold for $150 dollars on a particular public TV station. 15 minutes of performances were followed by 15 minutes of infomercial. Fortunately, my DVD recorder recorded only the music and not the commericals.

If you want to buy this history and fantastic music, check out Ebay.

It would have been better if the station offered a lower price for the DVDs and CDs and produced the program as an informerical.

The second program was followed by fine performances from The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The McCartney clip is featured above.

All of the musical numbers were original and interesting except for the long boring pitches of Paul Shaffer and others.

I'd like to point out that twister, Chubby Checker, rock harmony king, Neil Sedaka and first female rocker, Connie Francis aren't in The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Why? I don't know, but it lowers the reputation of this institution.

While rock and roll musicans may grow older, the music doesn't. Check out my top tunes, novelty songs, rare oldies and anti-war songs. I remember those songs like it was yesterday.

Please enjoy the above webpages for nothing. It's great that you can find so much great music on the internet.

Movie Review 132: Cinderella Man

Mon, 30 Nov 2009 15:47:32 -0500

This is a true "Rocky Story" about J.J. Braddock who came back from personal injury, negativity and poverty to win the Heavyweight Title of the World.

The despair and desperation of the 1930s were captured accurately in this tale. It wasn't a case of going the distance to earn respect like "Rocky". It was a case of providing for one's family during hard times and paying back debts including "welfare debts".

There were boxing movies that had better fight scenes than Cinderella Man, but few that had the gritty realism and inspirational drama of this one.

An excellent job was done by director Ron Howard and Russell Crowe/ Rennee Zellweger who gave fine performances as the Braddocks. Four Stars.

More reviews can be found at Rotten Tomatoes.

Movie Review 131: The New Star Trek Movie

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 16:52:58 -0500

Anyone who reads my blog frequently will know that I'm a big "Star Trek" fan. The last movie review that I did was for "Star Trek: The Final Frontier". Other memorable blogs on the same subject were "Star Trek: Generations"(My favourite ST movie) and "The Science Fiction, Star Trek Portal".

"Star Trek, The Next Generation" is my favourite series followed by Voyager, then the original series. I'm not a fan of "ST Enterprise" or "Deep Space Nine".

The best of Star Trek contains not only great story lines but unique spiritual themes that make you think. This includes virtual reality (the holodeck), alternate universes, sentient androids (i.e. Data) and powerful beings like Q.

Unfortunately, the new Star Trek isn't in the same group as the best in this series.

While there is much to like about the ST reboot (The Introduction of Kirk and Spock in particular), the story line was burdened by an old Spock who looked uncomfortable and out of place in a new ST Universe. If Spock had died heroically in the past or the future, he could have come to young Kirk and young Spock as a ghost like "Obi-Wan Kenobi". This would be passing of the torch similiar to the "ST Generations" story Line.

Most of the reviews on Star Trek have been positive. Mine is simply lukewarm. Two and a half stars.

Walking Away From Poker A Winner

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 14:44:37 -0500

The title of this blog may suggest that I'm giving up Poker, but I'm not. It's hard to walk away from a game I enjoy and that I'm reasonably good at.

Recently, I cashed my first check ($73.53) from Poker Stars for this year. It's really been an uphill battle since June when I was down $70.00. From June to November, I won my money back but I didn't make anymore.

As of today, I have slightly less that $100.00 in my account at Poker Stars. All things considered, November been a good month for me.

All this year, I've improved my poker skills by watching the pros on TV and educational websites like "Poker Tutor" and "EZine Articles".

First a foremost, I'm a winner at poker because the game doesn't control me anymore. I can play one game for the day and win or lose walk away from the online poker website.

There are many poker players who give their winnings to charities like "The African Charity Poker Tournament" pictured above.

I'll let Doyle Brunson give the last words on Poker. He sums up this game very well in the "Poker After Dark Introduction":

Making The World A Better Place

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 23:25:09 -0500

I'd like to acknowledge all those who have contributed to making this world a better place. There are millions of unsung heroes around the world who do good deeds in secret and seek no recognition for themselves. Probably, the original St. Nicholas was one of them.

There are human angels today that you may know or not know who do many good works. To begin with, the TV show, "Extreme Makeover, Home Edition" gives worthy persons a home tailored to their needs and desires.

Big stars, business men and even children have their own foundations for the poor. The late Michael Jackson is one, Oprah Winfrey, is another. The list would also include billionaire, Warren Buffet, Poker Pro, Barry Greenstein, and Hannah Taylor who started "The Lady Bug Foundation" when she was nine years old.

I also appreciate Mother's Teresa's selfless work with the poor, Muhammad Yunus's microfinancing for impoverished women and Tim Berners-Lee's development of the World Wide Web. Probably, the best tool there is in fighting ignorance and prejudice.

Most of us may not be rich or brilliant, but we can give some time, food and clothing to reputable charity organizations. We can also pray about the evils that afflict mankind and publish those prayers on a website like www.prayway.com.

There are also those who have created positive and inspirational websites. One of them is "Clarissa's Inspirational Pages". Check out the wonderful songs there.

Lots To Remember On Remembrance Day

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 22:54:03 -0500

My mother, Doreen Barron passed away three years ago on Nov/10/2006. My wife, Irene and I visited the grave at Barrie Union Cemetery earlier this week and we planted four tulips at the foot of the headstone. We left a poppy on the flower bed because my father (Edwin Barron), a World War Two veteran, is also buried there.

The above links have more information on my parents and the cemetery.

The was the first time that I've seen the Remembrance Day Ceremony in Ottawa. It was truly an international multicultural event. Prince Charles was there in a Canadian uniform. Canadian natives and visitors from other countries placed their own wreaths at the cenotaph. None of the commentators spoke during the half hour service. It was very moving with the planes flying overhead, the cannons going off and the children's choir singing in the background. Check it out on YouTube when it gets there.

While there are many who are victims of war, there are also those who are victims of disease, famine and ignorance. In remembrance of these "other wars", I placed this prayer on Prayway.com:

"On this day, I not only remember those who have given their lives for their country during wartime, but the many victims of disease, famine and ignorance.

We have fought and are fighting many wars against the evils of mankind on many fronts. I ask you to help physical and spiritual warriors who are attempting to end the scourges on humanity.

In particular, I would like to see advances against cancer that would lead to its eradication.

I would like to see job growth in the U.S. and other countries and meaningful advances in using green technology.

I would like to see the rich assist those less fortunate themselves with educational grants, green start up companies and needed health and food products."

"V" Returns To The Small Screen

Wed, 4 Nov 2009 22:06:16 -0500

"V" is probably the most realistic of alien invasion stories because it relates to alien encounters that aductees and mystics have experienced. You can checkout some of this material under Reptilians, Grays and Marcabs.

Unfortunately, "The 2009 V Series" is simply a remake of the 1983-84 TV series. I was a bit disappointed because I had hoped there would be sequel.

The original "Vs" were like friendly Nazis from outer space and most viewers just loved to hate them.

I loved the orange uniforms and the sunglasses. Those reptiles were cool.

The present "Vs" look like religious cultists with all the answers. This is ok. Many viewers seemed to like this approach. The first episode got great ratings.

I love finding science fiction that strikes close to home. The original series I give four stars. The remake three stars.

Fun Jobs In The Afterlife

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 22:07:09 -0500

A few year ago, I created a list called "The Top Ten Things You Could Do After You're Dead". I've expanded this list with the websites below that might challenge your imagination:

Perhaps, you could be a resident spook on a paranormal TV show like "Ghost Hunters", "Paranormal State" or "Rescue Mediums". Every week you would impersonate a local entity or lost soul. Having established yourself, you would move up to your own "Haunted Funhouse" in Niagara Falls or California.

You could also opened up a human exorcism company like in the movie Beetlejuice.

A very creative spirit could haunt places like "golf courses" and mysterious government projects like "Area 53".

Maybe, you could protect earth from deceptive aliens or do good deeds as a guardian angel.

In meantime, have a safe, happy Halloween.

More On Our Haliburton Vacation

Sun, 25 Oct 2009 14:28:15 -0500

Above is a view of Lake Kashagawigamog where we stayed at Wigamog Inn. This is God's Country, lots of rain forest and wildlife.

We were fortunate to capture three white tail deer on video tape eating grass outside our kitchen window.

Last week we visited "The Ethel Curry Gallery" and "Rail's End Gallery" in Haliburton. I was surprised at the quantity and quality of the artwork in the region. My personal favourites were miniature woodcarvings by local artist, Keith Rydberg.

It's an interestingfact, but the old Haliburton-Linsay railway line is a now a bike path. You can find more about it and other bike trails at www.jaggedpath.com.

If you get a chance to discover the rugged beauty of Northern and Central Ontario, please do it. This includes Ontario ghost towns as well.

The Barron Blog

<b>Top Ten Doo Wop Songs Of All Time<b>

<b>Roll And Roll On Ed Sullivan And The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame<b>

<b>Movie Review 132: Cinderella Man<b>

<b>Movie Review 131: The New Star Trek Movie<b>

<b>Walking Away From Poker A Winner<b>

<b>Making The World A Better Place<b>

<b>Lots To Remember On Remembrance Day<b>

"V" Returns To The Small Screen<b>

<b>Fun Jobs In The Afterlife<b>

<b>More On Our Haliburton Vacation<b>