Birthday Special: Top 10 Ozzy Osbourne Albums

Happy Birthday Ozzy Osbourne! The "Prince of F***ing Darkness" was born John Michael Osbourne on December 3, 1948 in Aston, Birmingham, England. The fourth of six children to a poor, working-class family, Ozzy seemed doomed to fail at an early age. A poor student, he dropped out of school at age 15 and had many odd jobs such as working in construction, plumbing, and at a slaughter house. He ended up in prison for stealing, sentenced to six weeks, he was released and given a new lease on life and decided to turn to music. He soon joined several small bands until he joined Earth with guitarist Tony Iommi, bassist Geezer Butler and drummer Bill Ward. The band soon changed their name to Black Sabbath in 1969 and changed music history forever creating a new sound which would eventually be known as heavy metal!
After several best-selling albums and world tours, tensions in the band grew as did Ozzy's alcohol and drug abuse, he was fired from the band in 1979. With the help of his now wife/manager Sharon Osbourne, he began a successful solo career and has since become known as "The Godfather of Heavy Metal". From bat-biting lunatic to reality-TV dad, Ozzy Osbourne has been a major figure in hard rock and heavy metal for over 40 years! As one of my favorite music artists I wanted to celebrate Ozzy's 63rd birthday with this list. CHERNOBOG'S BLOG Presents The Top 10 Best Ozzy Osbourne Albums: Enjoy!

#10 Scream (2010) - After the departure of guitarist and long time collaborator Zakk Wylde (Black Label Society), Ozzy had recruited up and coming guitarist Gus G. on his latest album Scream, which features songs "Let Me Hear You Scream", "Life Won't Wait", and "Let It Die".

#9 Ozzmosis (1995) - After Ozzy returned from his so called "retirement" after No More Tears, he released a somewhat different sounding and experimental album, Ozzmosis, which featured "I Just Want You", "See You On The Other Side" and "Perry Mason". Shortly after this album, Ozzy released a greatest hits album, The Ozazman Cometh (1997), which included a new song "Back On Earth" and several previously unreleased Black Sabbath demos.

#8 Down To Earth (2001) - After a seven year-long hiatus Ozzy released Down To Earth which went platinum in 2003. The album featured bassist Robert Trujillo (Suicidal Tendencies) and drummer Mike Bordin (Faith No More). It includes songs such as: "Gets Me Through", "Dreamer" and "Running Out of Time". During the tour which included the performance Live at Budokan, Ozzy recruited former Metallica bass player Jason Newstead after Trujillo joined Metallica which caused much controversy.

#7 Black Rain (2007) - After another long hiatus Ozzy and guitarist Zakk Wylde would join to record a new album, Black Rain, which includes: "Not Going Away", "I Don't Wanna Stop", "Black Rain". Unfortunately in 2009 Ozzy decided to seek a new guitar player, claiming Zakk's style was becoming too much like his own band, Black Label Society, which he had been playing on and off with since 1998. Later that year, Ozzy would perform at BlizzCon, Blizzard Entertainment's annual gaming convention and to the shock of many fans, with his new guitar player Gus G!

#6 The Ultimate Sin (1986) - Ozzy's 4th studio album featured bassist Phil Soussan and drummer Randy Castillo (died in 2002). It included the title track "The Ultimate Sin", "Killer of Giants", and the hit single "Shot in the Dark" (one of my personal favorites) which was also co-written by Soussan and unfortunately later was not re-issued due to continuing legal battles with the bass player.

Ozzy in the '80s

#5 Bark at the Moon (1983) - After the untimely death of guitarist Randy Rhoads, Ozzy recruited guitar player Jake E. Lee, formerly of Ratt, to record his third album which featured "Bark At The Moon", "Rock 'N' Roll Rebel", and "Now You See It (Now You Don't") it quickly went gold. The music video for the title track was filmed in an actual sanitarium outside of London.

#4 No Rest for the Wicked (1988) - After Jake E. Lee left Ozzy in 1987 and Ozzy continued to suffer with drug and alcohol addiction, he soon found guitarist Zakk Wylde and recorded No Rest for the Wicked which included songs like "Miracle Man", "Crazy Babies" and "Breaking All The Rules". With the following tour Ozzy reunited with Black Sabbath bassist Geezer Butler. Later they would release a live album, Just Say Ozzy in 1990.

#3 No More Tears (1991) - Considered to be one of Ozzy's most popular and most commercially successful albums, No More Tears featured the Grammy winning song "I Don't Want To Change The World" along with "Mama, I'm Coming Home", "Road To Nowhere", and the title track "No More Tears", the edited version would would see tons of radio play as well as the video on MTV. This would be the second album to feature guitarist Zakk Wylde. Also lending his songwriting talents to the album was Lemmy Kilmister of Motörhead. After touring for the album Ozzy claimed he was retiring with his "No More Tours" Tour, but he would soon return...

#2 Diary of a Madman (1981) - Ozzy's second album was released only a year after his first to keep his name and sales fresh on the Billboard charts. It featured such hits as "Over The Mountain", "Flying High Again", "You Can't Kill Rock and Roll", and "Diary of a Madman". Sadly, shortly after the album's release, guitarist Randy Rhoads was tragically killed in an accident involving a light-aircraft on March 19, 1982. His friendship with Ozzy and his musical genius will never be equaled.

#1 Blizzard of Ozz (1980) - The first and the best, Blizzard of Ozz was Ozzy Osbourne's debut solo album. Featuring guitar virtuoso Randy Rhoads, Blizzard of Ozz was originally the name of the band but they soon realized that Ozzy's name would be the driving force and with the next album left it simply as Ozzy Osbourne. Blizzard was a huge commercial success, selling over 6,000,000 copies and certified 4X Platinum. With songs like "I Don't Know", Goodbye to Romance", "Mr. Crowley", "Suicide Solution" and of course, his most famous hit: "Crazy Train", makes Blizzard the #1 Best Ozzy album that has since never been surpassed!

LINK: The Official Ozzy Osbourne Website

My photo of Ozzy at "I AM Ozzy"
booksigning in Dallas, TX, 2/27/2010
See my blog entry: An Adventure in Dissapointment 

World of Warcraft's 7th Anniversary: Top 10 Classic Dungeons

It's World of Warcaft's Seventh Anniversary! As a devoted fan and player, (although sometimes off and on) I've played through my share pf dungeons and raids. It's not always easy to find the right combination of players who can effectively deal damage, heal or tank. But, if you can cooperate with other players long enough to successfully complete a dungeon or raid without getting kicked, then you will reap the benefits including all the loot, and rare items you can carry (not to mention the XP)! Every dungeon and raid has it's own charm and unique qualities but there are a few particular ones who always give the best drops and provide the most fun! CHERNOBOG'S BLOG Presents: The Top 10 World of Warcraft Classic Dungeons...Enter Dungeon!

#10 Stormwind Stockade (20-30) - A maximum-security prison complex beneath Stormwind. When a prisoner-led revolt left Warden Thelwater incapable of managing the chaos, he left it up to the warriors and heroes of Stormwind to quell the riot of Stormwind's most wanted criminals!

#9 Wailing Caverns (15-25) - Discovered by the Night-Elf druid Naralex, the Wailing Caverns lie beneath the Northern Barrens. Once known as the Emerald Dream, the caverns once pure underground springs are now a breeding ground for the most foul and vicious creatures!

#8 Ragefire Chasm (15-21) - The chasm consists of a network of volcanic caverns which lie underneath the Orc city of Orgrimmar. Inhabited by followers of a demonic cult known as the Searing Blade, the cult seek to threaten Durotar and the forces of The Horde.

#7 Deadmines (15-21) - Once a plentiful gold mine for the Kingdom of Stormwind, now it is a base of operations for the Defias Brotherhood. Led by Vanessa VanCleef, daughter of former leader Edwin VanCleef, she leads the Defias in a plot to bring down the kingdom and to avenge her father's death!

#6 Shadowfang Keep (16-26) - Near Pyrewood Village in the Silverpine forest looms this dark fortress. Lord Vincent Godfrey has taken over this haunted castle along with several creatures of The Scourge and ghosts of the past!

#5 Scarlet Monastery (26-45) - One the center of learning and enlightenment in the Kingdom of Lorderon, with the rise of The Scourge, the monastery became a fortress for the religious fanatics known as The Scarlet Crusade. The crusaders are intolerant of all non-human races seeking to rid Azeroth of the undead plague. Their leaders, Scarlet Commander Mograine and High Inquisitor Whitemane, command a vast army of devoted zealots.

#4 Scholomance (38-48) - Beneath the keep of Caer Darrow lies a series of crypts once owned by the noble Barov family. Now the wizard Kel'Thuzad, servant of the Lich King and his Cult of the Damned have overrun the crypts and turned it into a school for necromancy!

#3  Dire Maul (36-52) - The ancient city of Eldre'Thalas now lie in ruins infested by the spectral Highborne, satyrs and ogres. As you make your way through this dungeon's three districts you will face several deadly bosses such as Zevrim Foulhoof, Prince Tortheldrin and the demonic Immo'thar!

#2 Blackrock Depths (47-60) - Beneath the Blackrock Mountains is the home of the Dark Iron dwarves and their Emperor Dagran Thaurissan. Among the vast horde of Dark Iron dwarves and fire elementals, there is also The Seven, a group of powerful Dark iron dwarf mages who protect the black forge!

#1 Blackwing Lair (60) - At the very height of Blackrock Spire dwells Nefarian, the Lord of Blackrock, and the eldest son of Deathwing! He, along with his fellow Dragonkin makes Blackwing Lair one of the most difficult raids in World of Warcraft!

11-11-11 National Metal Day: Top 11 Metal Bands

11-11-11 is National Metal Day! Because of the efforts of VH1 Classic and Facebook, Heavy Metal finally get's a day all it's own, a day to bask in all things METAL and headbang till your neck hurts! Heavy Metal has been a growing genre of music for the last 40 years and with bands like Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden and Metallica, heavy metal has become one of the most popular forms of music today. As a die hard heavy metal fan, CHERNOBOG'S BLOG proudly presents the Top 11 Metal Bands...Why 11? Because "it's one louder than 10!"



#11 Anthrax - Formed in New York City in 1981, these Thrash Metal pioneers broke new ground in speed and intensity and were also one of the first metal bands to embrace rap and hip-hop music with their collaboration with Public Enemy ("Bring the Noise"). Now part of the so-called "Big Four", being the founders of American thrash metal alongside Slayer, Megadeth and Metallica. Despite the band's numerous lineup changes, the band has recently released a new album (Worship Music) reuniting with vocalist Joey Belladona, who was with the band during the band's heyday in the 1980's. Favorite Album: Among the Living (1987)

#10 Pantera - Although these Texas headbangers started out in 1981 as part of the glam scene, as the 90's dawned, they used their speed and power to incorporate a more hardcore style into their music and became one of the biggest heavy metal bands ever! Founded in Arlington, Texas; brothers Vinnie Paul and Darrell "Dimebag" Abbott joined with bassist Rex Brown and vocalist Phil Anselmo in 1988. Unfortunately the band would soon break-up in 2003 due to the conflicts between the Abbott brothers and the always outspoken Anselmo who had gone onto producing several side projects with Down and Superjoint Ritual. The brothers would then form Damageplan in 2004, but their new found success would be short lived with the untimely death of "Dimebag" Darrell in December of 2004, when he was shot onstage in Columbus, Ohio by a deranged fan.
Favorite Album: Vulgar Display of Power (1992)

#9 Motörhead - Considered to be one of THE LOUDEST bands in the world, Motörhead was one of the originators of modern heavy metal along with the "New Wave of British Heavy Metal". Formed in 1975, they fused hard rock and punk to create a sound all of their own. Frontman Lemmy Kilmister's signature growl also made him one of the most recognizable voices in heavy metal. Although the band has been through many lineup changes over the years Lemmy has been the only consistent member and the constant driving force of the band. Their latest album The Wörld Is Yours featured a slow blues version of their classic "Ace of Spades".
Favorite Album: Ace of Spades (1980)

#8 Megadeth - When guitarist Dave Mustaine was booted out of Metallica in 1983 he founded his own band with bassist David Ellefson and brought to the world of heavy metal their own unique style of speed and intensity thrash metal laced with strong political themes. Although Megadeth has suffered through some tough times and several lineup changes including Dave Ellefson's departure from the band in 2002 and his reunion in 2009. Megadeth is included in metal's "Big Four" alongside Anthrax, Slayer, and Metallica. Their latest album Thirte3n, is Megadeth's 13th studio album.
Favorite Album: Peace Sells...But Who's Buying? (1985)

#7 Dio - Before replacing Ozzy Osbourne in Black Sabbath, Ronnie James Dio was a member in several bands during the 1970's including Elf and Rainbow. But when Dio joined Sabbath in 1979 and with the release of 1980's Heaven and Hell, it began a new chapter for the heavy metal pioneers! After his departure from Black Sabbath in 1982, Dio embarked on a successful solo career. A powerful singer, Dio is credited with creating the famous "devil horns" hand signal which would be adopted by all metal fans and sparking the "Power Metal" sub-genre of heavy metal. Dio would soon reunite with members of Black Sabbath as Heaven & Hell and performed with them until his death from stomach cancer on May 16, 2010.
Favorite Album: Holy Diver (1981)

#6 Slayer - Slayer is the most EVIL metal band of the "Big Four"...and that's how they like it! Originally named Dragonslayer, Slayer was founded in 1981 in Huntington Park, California by guitarists Kerry King and Jeff Hanneman. Bass player Tom Araya provides the screaming vocals on the soundtrack to Hell with albums such as Show No Mercy (1983), Hell Awaits (1985), Reign In Blood (1986) and South of Heaven (1988). Their most ominous named album God Hates Us All was coincidentally released on September 11th, 2001. Their latest and 10th studio album World Painted Blood was released in 2009.
Favorite Album: Reign In Blood (1986)

#5 Judas Priest - No other metal band has been so influential in both the sound, style and look of heavy metal than Judas Priest! Formed in Birmingham, England in 1969, Judas Priest began the movement which would be known as the "New Wave of British Heavy Metal" in the 1970's, after releasing albums like Sad Wings of Destiny (1976) and Hell Bent for Leather (1978), they soon earned mainstream success in the 1980's with album's such as British Steel (1980) and Screaming for Vengeance (1982). Vocalist Rob Halford joined the band in 1974, bringing his signature high-pitched, operatic, vocal stylings to their evolving sound thus earning him the moniker of "Metal God"! His trademark style of dress including leather, whips and chains would become a heavy metal tradition despite it's origins with Halford's sexual orientation. Even though Halford left the band in 1991 to pursue other projects, Halford reunited with Judas Priest in 2003 and continues to tour all over the world bringing metal to the masses!
Favorite Album: Screaming For Vengeance (1982)

#4 Iron Maiden - As part of the "New Wave of British Heavy Metal" Iron Maiden began in London in 1975 with bassist and songwriter Steve Harris. Although the band started out with several singers including Paul Di'Anno on their first two albums: Iron Maiden (1980) and Killers (1981) it wasn't until singer Bruce Dickinson joined the band in 1982 that the band achieved major success with gold and platinum albums such as The Number of the Beast (1982) and Powerslave (1983). Although Dickinson left the band in 1993, he rejoined in 1999 sparking a new era for the band with the album Brave New World (2000). Iron Maiden's most recent album, The Final Frontier (2010) earned them a Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance for "El Dorado".
Favorite Album: The Number of the Beast (1982)

James Hetfield of Metallica

#3 Metallica - Founded in 1981 in San Francisco, California by guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, Metallica's unique form of thrash metal took the world by storm with their heaviness and speed. From their meager, independent beginnings to world-wide, mainstream success Metallica has been constantly evolving both in style and sound. Through many changes (Load and ReLoad), trials (Napster) and tribulations, and bass players (i.e. Ron McGovney, Cliff Burton (R.I.P.), Jason Newstead and now Robert Trujillo), Metallica has grown into THE most popular heavy metal band today!  Their latest album Death Magnetic (2008) went double platinum and their latest collaboration project with singer-songwriter Lou Reed called Lulu (http://www.loureedmetallica.com/) was released on November 1st, 2011. Recently, Metallica has been on tour around the world with other bands of the "Big Four" including Megadeth, Slayer and Anthrax. Metallica was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2009.
Favorite Album: Master of Puppets (1984)

#2 Ozzy Osbourne - After he was fired from Black Sabbath in 1979, Ozzy, with the help of his then manager/now wife Sharon, began a successful solo career which earned him the title of the "Godfather of Heavy Metal" and the "Prince of Darkness". Along with virtuoso guitarist Randy Rhoads, Ozzy rose to the top with the release of Blizzard of Ozz (1980) and Diary of the Madman (1981). Despite the untimely death of Randy Rhoads, Ozzy continued to make heavy metal history throughout the 1980's and 1990's alongside talented guitar players such as Jake E. Lee, Zakk Wylde with albums such as Bark at the Moon (1983), The Ultimate Sin (1986) and No More Tears (1991) and now with Ozzy's current guitarist Gus G. on his latest album Scream (2010).
Favorite Album: Blizzard of Ozz (1980)

Black Sabbath

 

#1 Black Sabbath - Originally named Earth, the band who would soon become Black Sabbath are the originators of Heavy Metal! Formed in 1968 in Birmingham, England by guitarist Tony Iommi, bassist Geezer Butler, drummer Bill Ward, and singer Ozzy Osbourne; with their bluesy, down-tuned sound and doom-and-gloom style Black Sabbath single-handedly created a new form of hard rock. With their debut album simply titled Black Sabbath (1970), followed by Paranoid (1970), Black Sabbath gave birth to heavy metal. Later with multiple platinum albums such as Master of Reality (1971) and Sabbath, Bloody Sabbath (1973), the band would receive world-wide fame and later earning the title of The "Greatest Metal Band of All Time" and also inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2006. Through their multiple line-up changes which ould include vocalist Ozzy Osbourne, Ronnie James Dio and others, guitarist Tony Iommi Favorite Album: Paranoid (1970)

HAPPY HALLOWEEN Top 10 Scariest TV Shows

Happy Halloween!!! While television shows in the late 1950's and 60's like the original "The Twilight Zone" (1959-1964) and "The Outer Limits" (1963-1965) paved the way for shows like "Dark Shadows" (1966-1971) and "Kolchak: the Nightstalker" (1974-1975) in the 70's . They would soon give rise to even more horror and Sci-Fi TV shows in the 80's and 90's. Since I grew up watching many of these shows, this Halloween Chernobog's Blog looks back at some of the scariest modern TV shows in the last 30 years and present my list of the Top 10 Scariest Modern TV Shows. Enjoy!

#10 Freddy's Nightmares (1988-1990) - A short lived TV series based on the ORIGINAL "Nightmare on Elm Street" films starring Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund). A horror anthology hosted by Freddy himself, the show was somewhat disappointing to many fans, playing on the more campy side of Freddy's character making him into more of a Cryptkeeper type. While the show had a few memorable episodes with early appearances by now major stars such as Brad Pitt, Freddy's Nightmares are now more like a bad dream you can't quite remember after waking up. Favorite Episode: "The Art of Death", 3/12/1989 - A cartoonist's creation called The Phantom comes to life!

#9 Friday the 13th: The Series (1987-1990) - While loosely based on the "Friday the 13th" film series the show had nothing to do with hockey-masked killer Jason Voorhies. The show revolved around two young owners of an antique store (which they inherit from their uncle) who try to recover cursed items from their store. While the show lasted for three seasons there were several episodes with decent stories and interesting plots revolving around these various cursed items.
Favorite Episode: "Tales of the Undead", 11/25/1988 - A comic book monster comes to life and kills a shopkeeper!

#8 Tales from the Darkside (1983-1988) - "Tales from the Darkside" was a horror anthology series very reminiscent of "The Twilight Zone" with a little "Tales from the Crypt"-like story structure that would always end with a twist! The show lasted for four seasons and even sparked a major movie in 1990, which featured three stories and starred actors such as Steve Buscemi and Christian Slater!
Favorite Episode: "The Word Processor of the Gods", 11/25/1984 - A struggling writer's computer has the power to grant wishes!

#7 Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997-2003) - While having very little to do with the 1992 movie starring Kristy Swanson and Luke Perry, Buffy The Vampire Slayer, the TV series became an increasingly popular show during the late 1990's and sparked the career of actress Sarah Michelle Gellar. The show was an ingenious combination of occult action and teenage drama from the mind of creator Joss Whedon. The show also spawned a spin-off in 1999 with Angel, a vampire cursed with a soul, (1999-2004) starring David Boreanaz (Bones).
Favorite Episode: "Halloween", 10/25/1997 - Buffy and her friends buy costumes and a cursed costume shop where they turn into whatever they are wearing!

#6 Millennium (1996-1999) - F.B.I. profiler Frank Black (Lance Henriksen) has the ability to see inside the mind of serial killers. He joins the Millennium group, a team of former law enforcement officers who believe crime is increasing as the millennium approaches. This was the second show from "X-Files" creator Chris Carter, although the show did not last as long as it's predecessor (only 3 seasons) it was an interesting and often suspenseful show with a highly original concept...that is, until Y2K didn't happen!
Favorite Episode: "Somehow, Satan Got Behind Me", 5/1/1998 - Four demons trade stories at a donut shop of how they corrupt human souls.

#5 The X-Files (1993-2002) - F.B.I. Agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovney) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) search for the truth as they investigate strange murders, monsters, alien abductions and government cover-ups! Created by Chris Carter, The X-Files became a pop-culture phenomenon in the 1990's and spawned two major films including X-Files: Fight the Future (1997) and The X-Files: I Want to Believe (2008).
Favorite Episode: "The Host", 11/23/1994 - When a body is found in the sewers Mulder and Scully investigate and discover the killer is a Fluke-Man!
http://www.xfiles.com/

#4 Masters of Horror (2005-2007) - Anchor Bay and Starz produced two seasons of hour-long horror anthologies directed by some of the best names in horror from John Carpenter, Tobe Hooper, Mick Garris and Stuart Gordon. Some of the most original and horrifying stories came from this short-lived series which would quickly be released to DVD for many more to enjoy and be horrified!
Favorite Episode: "The Black Cat", 1/19/2007 - Based on the tale by Edgar Allan Poe, directed by Stuart Gordon (Reanimator, Dagon) and starring Jeffrey Combs (Reanimator) as Poe himself!
http://www.mastersofhorror.net/ 

#3 The Walking Dead (2010-Current) - Based on the graphic novel by Robert Kirkman, the series premiered on AMC on Halloween 2010 and has since become one of the most popular and most terrifying TV show ever. Sherrif Rick Grimes has to find and protect his family as they try to survive a zombie outbreak!
Favorite Episode: "Guts", 11/7/2010 - As Rick and the others try to escape Atlanta, they try to blend in with the "Walkers" and cover themselves in gore.
http://www.amctv.com/shows/the-walking-dead

#2 Supernatural (2005-Current) - Sam (Jared Padelecki) and Dean (Jensen Ackles) Winchester hunt monsters, ghosts, vampires, demons and rogue angels! They have both been to Hell and back (literally!) and even prevented the apocalypse!
Favorite Episode: "Nightshifter", 1/25/2007 - Sam & Dean search for a shape-shifter in a bank with the aid of Ronald (Chris Gauthier), a paranoid conspiracy-theorist, when they become surrounded by a SWAT team!
http://www.cwtv.com/shows/supernatural

#1 Tales from the Crypt (1989-1996) - Based on the 1950's EC horror comic books published by Bill Gaines, Tales from the Crypt aired on HBO in 1989 and soon became immensely popular spawning a children's animated series: Tales from the Cryptkeeper (1993), and two major movies including Demon Knight (1995) and Bordello of Blood (1996)! The horrific host of the show was the Cryptkeeper, an animatronic puppet based on the comic book storyteller, voiced by John Kassir. After seven scary seasons the show featured some of the most talented Hollywood directors and producers such as Robert Zemekis and Richard Donner; and actors including Arnold Schwarzenegger, Joe Pesci, Demi Moore, Michael J. Fox, Malcolm McDowell, John Rhys Davies, Whoopi Goldberg, Dan Aykroyd, Christopher Reeve, Kirk and Eric Douglass AND Tom Hanks just to name a few!
Favorite Episode: "The Secret", 7/31/1990 - A rambunctious orphan is adopted by a rich, childless couple who spoil him and turn out to be vampires, but the jokes on them because the kid is a werewolf!
http://www.warnervideo.com/talesfromthecryptdvd/

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!



TOP 10 WORST MOVIE REMAKES

MOVIE REMAKES! It seems lately, that if a movie is over 20 years old, it automatically gets thrown into the proverbial Hollywood laundry pile to be remade. Far be it for Hollywood to remake any truly classic movie such as Citizen Kane (1941), Casablanca (1942) or Gone with the Wind (1939), although I'm sure they've thought about it. While most remakes, particularly in the horror/sci-fi genre are usually awful, there have been a few successes (i.e. Zack Snyder's Dawn of the Dead (2004) and Rob Zombie's Halloween (2007)). It seems that lately the average number of movie remakes have been increasing, particularly in the last few years with all of the franchise remakes and reboots. The latest atrocity to this long list of movie remakes is of course The Thing (2011). This movie has an interesting past, this latest version is actually a remake of a remake! No joke, the original film titled The Thing (from Another World) (1951) was a 1950's black-and-white, Cold-War/Sci-Fi paranoia film starring James Arness as "The Thing" and produced by Howard Hawks. The movie was masterfully remade in as simply The Thing in 1982 by horror master John Carpenter (Halloween (1978) starring Kurt Russell (Escape from New York (1981). While this latest version is technically considered to be a prequel, taking place before the events of the 1982 version, that claim makes no sense since the title the same? While there have been many remakes over the years there are ten that come to mind that fall completely short of it's original intention of outdoing the original and fail miserably...here are the Top 10 "Worst" Movie Remakes:

#10 House of Wax (2005) - The original film titled Mystery of the Wax Museum was released in 1933 and starred Lionel Atwill and Fay Wray (King Kong (1933). When a famous London sculptor (Atwill) is horribly burned in a fire, he disappears, only to reappear in New York City with a new wax museum where he uses stolen corpses for his wax exhibits. When it was remade as House of Wax in 1953 starring Vincent Price, it was filmed in 3-D and used the same premise. Them in 2005, it was remade into a mediocre teen horror movie featuring now Supernatural TV star Jared Padalecki and Paris Hilton (of all people!?). The movie was drastically changed into a story about two twin boys, one horribly deformed, who create a bizarre wax museum (and town) encasing victims (alive or dead) in wax!

#9 The Haunting (1999) Based on the classic tale by Shirley Jackson, the original 1963 Robert Wise classic is a masterpiece of subtle suspense and psychological terror. Unfortunately, the 1999 remake directed by Jan de Bont and starring Liam Neesons and Catherine Zeta Jones is a travesty relying on cheap CGI effects and a convoluted storyline.

#8 Night of the Living Dead (1990) - While George Romero's 1968 zombie classic is considered to be one of the best and well-known modern horror classic, special effects artist Tom Savini decided to direct a remake of it in 1990. Not only did they change the fate of the major characters but the ending as well! What we're they thinking?
#7 King Kong (2005) - The original King Kong (1933) is a classic adventure featuring one of the first uses of stop-motion animation. After the success of the "Lord of the Rings" Trilogy, director Peter Jackson endeavored to remake this classic film using state-of-the-art motion capture (played Andy Serkis (Gollum) and CGI effects, what resulted was a really convoluted and really LONG movie! Despite Jackson's ambitious vision, the remake got mixed reviews and moderate success. But not for Jack Black...
#6 The Omen (2006) - The Omen is one of the scariest modern horror films of all time. Released in 1976 following the same vein of religious terror like The Exorcist (1973), The Omen is about a child who will become the Antichrist! Liev Shrieber and Julia Stiles starred in this pathetic remake, which was released almost 30 years to the day and fittingly on 6/6/06. Unfortunately, the inauspicious release date didn't help the fact that the movie was awful.

#5 Planet of the Apes (2001) - Tim Burton, known for his fantastically dark films, would be the LAST person in the word to direct a remake, however, his  2001 remake of the 1968 classic Sci-Fi film turned out to be an embarrassing, big-budget, flop! In this so-called "re-imagining" of the Apes film, Mark Wahlberg is definitely NO Charlton Heston! Despite the impressive ape-make-up effects but lacking in story and substance.

#4 Clash of the Titans (2010) - The original 1981 mythological epic is a fantasy classic, however following Sam Worthington's fame in Avatar (2009), director Louis Leterier turned Perseus into a ungrateful, angst-ridden, jerk bent on revenge! Liam Neeson as Zeus is so over-the-top with his blindingly, flashy armor costume. The movie takes the original story of heroism and love and shoves it up the Kraken's ass!

#3 I Am Legend (2007) - While Richard Matheson's original vampire novel I Am Legend has been adapted into movies before including The Last Man on Earth (1964) starring Vincent Price and The Omega Man (1971) starring Charlton Heston, when director Francis Lawrence wanted to bring new life to Matheson's story he actually used the title of the story for the movie (what a concept!). Starring Will Smith, I Am Legend is downright boring. Watching Will Smith (and his dog) all by himself most of the movie, surrounded by terrible CGI vampires is exhausting! Even the campy, 70's exploitation Charlton Heston version is more entertaining than Smith's! They should've called it something else rather than ruin the original story.

#2 War of the Worlds (2005) - H.G Well's timeless Sci-Fi novel was first adapted into film in the 1953 classic Byron Haksin film. When it was announced that visionary director Steven Spielberg was set to direct a remake in 2005 audiences were highly anticipating this epic special effects laden blockbuster! It even stars Tom Cruise and a young Dakota Fanning, however the whole movie is a huge disappointment. While most moviegoers think Spielberg can do no wrong, we are reminded of flops such as The Lost World (2002) and Minority Report (1997), you can't win them all!

#1 Psycho (1998) - Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho (1960) is a monumental suspense classic! Based on the novel by Robert Bloch, Hitchcock literally created the slasher-movie genre. Of all the classic films that you would think would never be remade...BUT in 1998, director Gus van Sant (Good Will Hunting (1997)) decided to produce a shot-for-shot remake of Psycho, starring Vince Vaughn as the cross-gender confused killer, Norman Bates. What was he thinking? This movie shouldn't even be allowed to exist! It was a box office flop earning only a little over $20 million dollars but with a budget of $25 million. This is quite possibly THE worst movie remake of all time!

MUSIC REVIEW: MISFITS - THE DEVIL'S RAIN

THE MISFITS are back! This week saw the release of The Devil's Rain, the first full-length Misfits album in almost a decade! The band's current lineup includes Jerry Only on bass and vocals, Dez Cadena (formerly of Black Flag) on guitars and Eric "Chupacabra" Arce on drums. Produced by Ed Stasium, The Devil's Rain consists of 16 tracks including re-recorded versions of "Land of the Dead" and "Twilight of the Dead", singles previously released in 2009. Other tracks incorporate the Misfits' signature horror/sci-fi themes with songs like "The Black Hole", "The Mummy's Hand", "Dark Shadows", "Jack the Ripper", "Ghost of Frankenstein" and "Death Ray". The album features artwork by Arthur Suydam (Marvel: Zombies) and the album title is based on the 1975 movie starring William Shatner and Ernest Borgnine. The new album is available in a Limited Deluxe Edition with a Glow-in-the-Dark poster inside. A special promotion for this album includes a special limited-time coupon offer from Best Buy! If you're a longtime fan of the Misfits or just now discovering this phenomenal horror punk band, The Devil's Rain is an amazing album and just in time for Halloween!

Formed in 1977 by Glenn Danzig and Jerry Only at the dawn of the American punk music scene, the Misfits' unique style and imagery were based on horror and sci-fi B-movies. Although the band originally broke up in 1983, they later reformed in 1995 despite legal battles with Danzig, who went on to form Samhain and then Danzig. The Misfits enjoyed a short-lived revival from 1995-2001 with Jerry Only on bass, Michale Graves on vocals, Doyle Wolfgang von Frankenstein on guitars, and Dr. Chud on drums. During that time they released two full albums including American Psycho (1997) and Famous Monsters (1999). Recent releases include compilation albums Cuts from the Crypt (2001) and Project: 1950 (2003). While the Misfits lineup has changed many times over the years including musicians such as John Cafiero, Robo, and even Marky Ramone; Jerry Only has been the only consistent member. Since the band's 30th anniversary the latest version of the Misfits shows promise in the hopes that the Misfits will be able to continue rocking on despite their rocky past!

"The Devil's Rain" is the judgment of all others who stand before us, like a prophecy. The old B-movie was an influence to some of the lyrics, but the song itself is as if the heavens opened and swallowed our enemies. They have...and a new “rain” of terror begins"
- Jerry Only

LINKS
MisfitsRecords.com

Special Concert Review: The Planets: An HD Odyssey

As most of you know, I am a big fan of heavy metal music but I also enjoy classical music and neither Ft.Worth nor I are not without a little culture. Both heavy metal and classical music share some of the same heavy themes and power with pieces such as Night on Bald Mountain by Modest Moussorgsky and of course The Planets by Gustav Holst. Last night, I experienced a very special concert (which I almost missed because of my health) at the Bass Performance Hall in Fort Worth, Texas: The Planets: An HD Odyssey performed by the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Associate Conductor Andrés Franco and also featuring a performance by the TCU Chorale. To begin the concert, the symphony performed the Star-Spangled Banner and then the 1812, Overture solonelle Op. 49 by Tchaikovsky, a surprising but fitting and impressive prelude to The Planets. This particular performance was accompanied by a visual presentation on a movie screen above the symphony featuring HD images of the actual planets of our solar system taken from satellite photos and The Hubble Telescope. Before the music began there was a short, documentary-style interview session featuring several prominent scientists and astronomers from institutes such as the Jet Propulsion Lab.

Ironically, although the performance features images of the actual planets, the theme of The Planets has more to do with their Roman mythological counterparts than the actual planets. The performance began with the most popular and recognizable of pieces from The Planets: "Mars, the Bringer of War". Mars is a very powerful and bellicose piece that incorporates images of battle and destruction, however while the planet Mars itself has a very barren, rocky terrain which has sparked the imagination of astronomers and Sci-Fi writers for years. Also on the screen, were images from the Mars Rover Mission in 2004. Next was "Venus, the Bringer of Peace", a very slow and light piece which reflects the mysterious surface of the planet accompanied by very colorful images. Then came "Mercury, the Winged Messenger", a very light and playful piece which hardly compliments the actual planet as it appears very grey and resembles our moon. "Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity" is probably the next best-known piece from The Planets and is quite possibly the most uplifting and triumphant with a very Western-themed sound. The images of it's gaseous surface and particularly it's great red spot are wondrous. Next came "Saturn, the Bringer of Old Age", a piece that starts out very slow and grows very ominous. The images of Saturn's rings were especially impressive. Next was "Uranus, the Magician", while starting out very playful and lively, the piece ends very somber and foreboding. The striking blue color of the planet complimented the piece very well. The last piece of The Planets is "Neptune, the Mystic", another haunting and mysterious piece which featured the marvelous voices of the TCU Chorale towards the end. The performance was a success and very special experience which earned a standing ovation for the conductor and the symphony. This concert was originally performed by the Houston Symphony and is also available on DVD and Blu-ray. 

   

"Every artist ought to pray that he may not be a 'success.' If he's a failure he stands a good chance on concentrating upon the best work of which he's capable." - Gustav Holst, 1925