The Dino Lounge: Coolness Is Timeless

Happy New Year's Day From The Dino Lounge, Plus A Big Announcement

2009-12-31T08:41:00.004-05:00

Happy New Year! I hope that everybody will have a fantastic time ringing in 2010. I do hope that all of you who celebrated Christmas had a wonderful time this year.

I'm still without a cable modem. I've been doing a lot of soul searching lately, plus I've been talking to my sister. We've decided to give up the internet at our house for the time being. Money is really tight right now. It doesn't seem to be getting any better any time soon. We are giving up both our high speed internet and our digital cable service. We are just going to keep basic cable. That will save us some money every month. We are always looking for way to cut expenses.

I am putting this and my other blog on hiatus for the time being. I had been mulling doing this anyway before the situation with the cable modem arose. The modem dying just sealed it for me.

I've got a lot of things I want to try to work on in 2010. The last few years of my life have been rather rocky. Plus I will turn 40 in 2010. That's one of those milestone birthdays. There are some goals I'm setting for myself that I want to accomplish in this year.

I really want to get back into shape. I've gained a lot of weight over the last few years. When I'm stressed out, I eat a lot. I've been stressed out so much due to work and other factors. I want to start eating better and working out again.

I also want to try to find another job this year. It's not getting any better at work. I'm thankful that I've got a job when so many others are still out of work. I still would like to figure out something else to do. I'm not getting the hours or the pay I was a few years back. It's been a real struggle.

I want to work on my spiritual life as well. I'm not sure if it's because I'm getting older or what, but I've been thinking about spiritual matters a lot lately. I plan to start going to a house of worship in a few weeks. I want to work on my relationship with God. Plus it will give me a chance to be part of some community and something greater than myself.

I have so much enjoyed doing both my blogs. I've had a lot of fun. I've meet a lot of great people. I'm going to miss it. But I feel like I need to take this break for now so I can concentrate on some other areas of my life. Blogs tend to take so much time and energy. I need to focus that instead on improving my life. I'm not saying I'll never come back. I may be back in a month or it could be six months or more. I'm not sure. Thanks so much for all the support and friendship you've all given me since I starting blogging. It means the world to me. I care about you guys a lot.

I'll be able to get on the internet a few times a week at my grandmother's. I plan to keep my pages on Facebook and MySpace. For those that I'm friends with on either, we can keep in touch there. If you are on either of those and we are not friends yet, I hope that you will become my friend. I do want to stay in touch.

I hope all of you will understand what's going on. Please don't be upset with you. This is just something I need to do. My sister Stephanie is taking a break from her blog Chic Femme as well. I'm not sure how long her break will be. It could be shorter or longer than mine. She's working on getting into graduate school.

Take care. I wish you all the best in 2010. God bless you all. Cheers!

P.S. I wanted to leave you with a couple of videos. The first is of Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra doing a skit on Dino's television show for New Year's. The other one is Frank Sinatra and Liza Minnelli singing New York, New York. I hope you will enjoy both.

Merry Christmas From The Dino Lounge

2009-12-23T00:00:00.005-05:00

This photo of Humphrey Bogart & Lauren Bacall celebrating the holidays with their kid comes from my pallie Bill.

I did want to say that I hope all of you have enjoyed these last two weeks of Christmas posts here at The Dino Lounge. I had so much fun putting these together. They definitely helped put me in the holiday spirit.

The blog The Shelf started a meme to name your top 10 Christmas music performances. I was tagged by my pallie over at Retro Hound to take part in this.

I remember that MTV would show a lot of Christmas videos during the holiday season when I was a teenager. These are ten of the videos from some of the songs that I enjoyed most back then. Do any of you guys remember these songs? Which ones do you like?

I'm not going to be back as soon as I thought. My cable modem has died. I'm going to have to get another one. I don't have the money for that yet. It will be at least Monday, January 4th before I'm back up here.

I hope that all of you will have a wonderful time with your loved ones. Take good care of yourselves. God bless you all. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Paul McCartney: Wonderful Christmas Time

John Mellencamp: I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus

David Bowie & Bing Crosby: Little Drummer Boy

Hall & Oates: Jingle Bell Rock

John Lennon: Happy Christmas

Band Aid: Do They Know It's Christmas

Wham!: Last Christmas

Run-DMC: Christmas In Hollis

U2: Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)

Annie Lennox & Al Green: Put A Little Love In Your Heart

Sammy Davis Jr. Has Got The Ticket For Holiday Relief

2009-12-22T00:00:00.003-05:00

It's Sammy Claus again! Here are some Christmas ads that Sammy Davis Jr. did for Alka-Seltzer. I love seeing all the ads out there featuring celebs promoting all sorts of products. Sammy not only did print ads, but also television commercials for Alka-Seltzer. I'm posting a Christmas one he did. I hope you like the ads and commercial. Take Sammy's advice this holiday season if you aren't feeling so well. :-)

Have A Very Merry Elvis Christmas

2009-12-21T00:00:00.000-05:00

I can always remember listening to Christmas music by Elvis Presley at the home of my paternal grandparents when I was growing up. The iconic Christmas tune by Elvis has gotta be Blue Christmas. It's definitely one of my favorite songs to listen to during the holiday season. I hope you enjoy this video of the King performing this song. Plus I've included the covers of some of the Christmas albums by Elvis.

Vintage Christmas Ads For Your Viewing Pleasure

2009-12-18T00:05:00.001-05:00

Here are some various vintage Christmas ads. I've always loved vintage ads. It's really cool to see those that celebrate the holiday season. I hope you enjoy these as much as I do.

The ad above comes courtesy of my pallie Belinda.

The rest of these ads all come courtesy of my pallie Mike.

P.S. I wanted to post a clip of one of my favorite Christmas songs. This is Little Saint Nick by the Beach Boys. I love this song so much. It's very catchy. I hope you enjoy it.

I'm Dreaming Of A White Christmas

2009-12-17T00:04:00.004-05:00

White Christmas, penned by Irving Berlin, is one of my favorite Christmas songs. The most popular version by far is the classic version by Bing Crosby, which had sold millions and millions of copies throughout the years. This song always reminds me of Christmas as a child. I remember that I always wanted it to snow on Christmas back in those days. I'm posting Bing's rendition of the song, as well as several others for your enjoyment. Let me know which version you like the best.

Bing Crosby:

Dean Martin:

Dolly Parton:

Robbie Williams: This is a more comical version of the song

Celtic Woman:

IL Divo:

Rick Astley:

Andrea Bocelli:

Perry Como:

Frank & Nancy Sinatra Celebrate Christmas Together

2009-12-16T00:02:00.003-05:00

I love this photo of Frank and Nancy Sinatra together. These two make such a great looking father and daughter. Christmas is a wonderful time to spend with our families. I'd love to have these two show up at my home during the holiday season. I'd just have to figure out the perfect gift for each of them.

Here's a video somebody made featuring Nancy Sinatra singing an Italian folk carol called O Bambino.

P.S. Frank's birthday was on December 12th. He would be 94 if he was still living. Happy Belated Birthday to the Chairman of the Board. I raise a toast in his honor. Cheers!

Sean Connery Brings Jim Beam For The Holidays

2009-12-15T00:01:00.000-05:00

Sean Connery doesn't really have anywhere to spend Christmas at. He's looking for an invitation. He'll bring the Jim Bean with him. I'm sure he would be quite the guest at the holidays. Any takers?

Nothing Says Merry Christmas Like Chesterfield

2009-12-14T00:00:00.002-05:00

Chesterfield was a popular brand of cigarettes back in the 1950's/1960's. It was actually the favorite cigarette brand of Lucille Ball. There are so many really cool vintage ads for their cigarettes. Many celebrities actually did advertising for them. Whether you're a smoker or not, it is neat to see this slice of another time period. I've got a bunch of ads from them that I plan to post in the future. Here are some of the Christmas ads Chesterfield did in the past. I hope you like them.

The ad above comes courtesy of my pallie Mike.

P.S. I hadn't originally put this in the post, but I'm adding it in now. I watched an Andy Williams Christmas special on PBS yesterday, so I wanted to share a clip from it with you guys. Here's Andy singing Silent Night.

Sammy Davis Jr. Comes Bearing Gifts For Dean Martin

2009-12-11T00:05:00.000-05:00

I love these photos. Sammy Davis Jr. and Dean Martin look to be having such a wonderful time. These two really always seemed to love being around one another. They were definitely great pallies.

It would be so cool to open the door to find Sammy as Santa Claus standing there. I wonder what sort of gifts he would be bringing. What would you like Sammy Claus to bring you?

Here are some Christmas songs by Dean Martin. These are videos that people created featuring clips of Dean Martin. I hope you enjoy the songs. I love hearing Dean Martin croon Christmas tunes.

Baby It's Cold Outside: featuring Martina McBride

Let It Snow:

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer:

Jingle Bells:

I'll Be Home For Christmas:

Some Of My Favorite Christmas Album Covers

2009-12-10T00:04:00.001-05:00

These are some Christmas album covers throughout the years that I like. Many of them I posted last year at this time, but I thought I would share them again. So which do you like the best?

I thought I would end this post with a video of Nat King Cole's Christmas classic The Christmas Song.

P.S. I have some affiliate programs which are in the upper right side of my blog. If you haven't finished all your Christmas shopping, consider buying some items from any of these affiliates. I'm sure you can find something great for your loved ones and even for yourself. I get a small commission on any sales. It would be well appreciated. You can check out the affiliate programs on my other blog Sugar & Spice. Some of them are different than these. Thanks.

It's A Marshmallow World With Dean Martin & Friends

2009-12-09T00:02:00.001-05:00

One of my favorite tunes to listen to as the Christmas season rolls around each year is Marshmallow World by Dean Martin. It was recorded by Dino for his 1966 Christmas album. I really love this song. It really puts me in the holiday spirit. Here are several different video versions of the song. I hope you will watch all of them. The first one is of Dino singing solo. The second one is a duet with Frank Sinatra. The last one is a duet with Beverly Sills. Let me know which version you like the best.

P.S. Does anybody have any suggestions on how to promote my blog? I was talking to somebody about this the other day. They seemed surprised that I was curious about this subject. I guess they figured I had enough people visiting my blog and commenting. I know I get a lot of comments. I've also got a lot of people who follow my blog, plus there are a lot who are subscribed to the feed. I'm still interested to learn more about how to get more traffic to my blog. I want to build up my readership even more. Any advice at all would be well appreciated? Thanks so much.

Also, I did want to mention this. I know some other bloggers are having the same trouble. I'm having some problems with comments on my blog. It's actually on both my blogs. They are very slow to show up. I also know some people have had trouble leaving comments. Some comments never seem to appear at all. It is very irritating. I'm getting really sick of Blogger right now. I do hope you will bear with me Please continue to leave your comments. They are always well appreciated. I love hearing from you guys. Thanks so much. I did want you all to know what's been happening. Take care.

The Holiday Season Starts Now At The Dino Lounge

2009-12-08T00:01:00.001-05:00

The holiday season has arrived here at The Dino Lounge. I will be doing Christmas posts from now until Wednesday, December 23rd. That day will be my last post until Monday, December 28th. I will taking off to celebrate Christmas with my family and friends during my holiday break. I plan to post videos, photos, etc. during the next two weeks. I hope you will continue to come back to see what I'm posting next. This is a photo of Joey Heatherton and Perry Como. I assume this was on one of his Christmas specials. I'm not sure of the year though. I hope you like it. Put on some Rat Pack Christmas music, make yourself some hot chocolate, cozy up by the fire & get ready to enjoy the holidays with your pallie here at The Dino Lounge. We are going to have a very merry time together. Cheers!

This photo come courtesy of my pallie Bill.

This video is not from that special, but this is Perry Como singing It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas. This song was a big hit for Perry. I thought I would share it with you guys.

If you haven't already done so, please make sure to enter my Perricone Giveaway. You can win a free jar of Cold Plasma, which is valued at $150. You must be a resident of the United States to enter though.

Click on the above graphic to be taken to the giveaway post. Just leave a comment there if you haven't done so already to be entered. The giveaway will close on Friday, December 18th. I will soon after announce the winner. Don't delay getting your entry in. Thank you. Good luck.

The Duke Of Windsor: Royal Style, Plus My First Giveaway

2009-12-07T00:00:00.002-05:00

King Edward VIII (born June 23, 1894) abdicated the British throne after reigning for less than a year, from January 20, 1936 to December 11, 1936. He had caused an uproar both in the government and among the public when he proposed marriage to the American divorcée (she had already been married twice) Wallis Simpson. Edward decided to give up his throne so he could marry the woman he wanted. His younger brother, George VI, would be crowned as the new monarch. Edward had only served 325 days in that role. He was given the title of Duke of Windsor by his brother on March 8, 1937. Edward and Wallis were married on June 3, 1937. Wallis would be known as the Duchess of Windsor, but could not be referred to as Her Royal Highness.

The Duke of Windsor was stationed in France during World War II. He and his wife were rumored to have Nazi sympathies. Edward was eventually sent to the Bahamas as the Governor there. It was his last official government post. He went into retirement after that, spending dividing his time between Europe and the United States. The Duke and Duchess were fixtures of the high society scene for many decades. He died at the age of 77 on May 28, 1972.

This post has more to do with the style of the Duke rather than his personal life, but I did want to give some background information on him for those that don't really know anything about him. Whatever his personal weaknesses and failings might have been, the Duke of Windsor was the epitome of great classic style. He was a fashion icon for men of his era. Edward used the same tailor for decades. His wardrobe itself spanned decades became he never lost the trim figure of his youth. I think it shows that style is timeless. It's not trendy. It's ageless and can be worn throughout the years. The Duke of Windsor remains an inspiration for men today who are seeking role models in men's style.

There is a wonderful article at the New York Times from 1998 about the Duke of Windsor' style. I hope you'll check it out. Here's an excerpt from it:

The Duke practically invented comfortable clothes. As Kerry Taylor, the Sotheby's specialist who has spent seven years preparing for this sale, explained, ''He was reacting to his buttoned-up and old-fashioned childhood.''

Ms. Taylor said the Duke so disliked suspenders that he invented pants with elastic in the waist. He didn't like buttons on pants, so insisted on zippers, which were large and primitive in the 1930's. He preferred buttons on the sleeves of his jackets -- four, to be precise. He always wore cuffs on his trousers, which infuriated his father. After World War II broke out, he had his pants made in the United States because textiles were rationed in England and cuffs required extra fabric.

The Duke was also very practical. He invented safari pants that could be turned into shorts simply by rolling them up and buttoning the cuffs to button holes on the hips.

P.S. I am doing my first giveaway over at my Sugar & Spice blog. Click on Perricone Giveaway. I hope you will check it out and enter the giveaway. It runs until Friday, December 18th. You must be a resident of the United States though to enter. Thanks for your entry. Good luck.

For those who are fans of Penelope Cruz, please check out my my latest post on my Sugar & Spice blog. I'd love to hear your thoughts on the photos I posted of her. Plus if you leave a comment on that post (and are a resident of the United States), you'll receive a second entry into my giveaway. That should be some good incentive to get you to comment on that post. Thanks.

Celebrating My Birthday With Sammy Davis Jr. At The Dino Lounge

2009-12-04T00:05:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday to me! I turn 39 as of 2:05am (Eastern Standard Time) on December 4th. It's hard to believe that another year has passed on by. I'm still trying to make up my mind how I will be celebrating my birthday.

This was sent to me by a good pallie Celeste. I love Jerry Lewis in that movie. So this was extra special to me.

I wish Sammy Davis Jr. was still alive. I'd love to have him entertain me and all my pallies on my special day. That would be so cool. Cheers!

P.S. This is a clip of Sammy Davis Jr. singing I Dream A Dream. I love his version of this song. It really brought tears to my eyes. I love this man so much. He's the best!

Some Random Photos of Frank Sinatra & Friends

2009-12-03T00:03:00.005-05:00

Here are some random photos of Frank Sinatra and some of his pallies back in the late 50's to mid-60's. I hope you enjoy them. Cheers!

The Rat Pack together in action.

Dean Martin, Judy Garland & Frank Sinatra are rehearsing in Las Vegas in 1958.

Frank's sitting at his piano in his home. That's a model of his personal jet on top of the piano.

Frank's cracking up after falling out of a chair at a Miami party.

Frank's doing what he does best - perform under the spotlight.

Frank's wiping his face off with a towel.

Sammy Davis Jr. and Frank Sinatra point down at some other guy's shoe.

P.S. I hope you liked all those photos. I wanted to let you guys know about this poll, "Sinatra & Jay-Z: Two Generations Of Cool," at the website of Madison Square Garden.

Here is the promo information sent to me:

Two BIG musical legends,one BIG CITY, MSG asks: Who sang New York City's true anthem better? Frank Sinatra and Jay-Z both have recorded sensational hits declaring their love for the city that never sleeps. Sinatra's 1980's hit, "New York, New York" still lives in on people's hearts today while Jay-Z's catchy hip-hop tune, "Empire State of Mind," has become the anthem for all celebrated NY sport victories. Jay-Z claims he's "the new Sinatra" in the hit song also, but does the Hoboken-native Frankie still hold the title for the city's anthem. YOU DECIDE who the king of NY is here:

Also, be sure to tune-in on Friday, December 4th @ 10:30 PM when MSG airs two iconic performances. Leading off is Jay-Z’s Answer the Call September 11th performance, followed at 11:30 p.m. by Frank Sinatra: The Main Event, a concert which originally aired live Oct. 13, 1974.

For more info, exclusive photos, and video on Jay-Z, click here: http://www.msg.com/jay-z/

For more info and exclusive photos on Frank Sinatra click here: http://www.msg.com/sinatra/

*Also, you can purchase at the website a box-set titled: Sinatra: New York containing 70 previously unreleased songs and includes four compact discs and one DVD featuring concerts Ol’ Blue Eyes’ performed between 1955 and 1990 in venues all around the city, including Radio City Music Hall. If you purchase the box-set there, you'll receive an exclusive CD of the Main Event concert.

I hope you'll check out the website. Make sure you vote in the poll on whether Frank Sinatra or Jay-Z has the true anthem for the Big Apple. Thanks.

P.S.S. I received the Beautiful Blogger Award from the Wabi & Sabi blog. I greatly appreciate it. Thanks so much.

Something Performed By Frank Sinatra & The Beatles

2009-12-02T00:02:00.001-05:00

I'm posting here Frank's cover of the Beatles classic tune Something. Frank definitely makes the song his own. I really enjoy his take on this song. Something was actually one of Sinatra's favorite songs to perform in concert. I'm also posting the promo video that the Beatles did for this #1 hit of theirs, which was written and sung by my favorite Beatle George Harrison on their 1969 classic album Abbey Road. This is actually one of my favorite songs by the Beatles. I do wish George had been given more of an opportunity to write and sing songs for the Beatles during their time together. I hope you enjoy these two clips.

Raphael Saadiq Brings Old School Sounds To The Dino Lounge

2009-12-01T00:01:00.001-05:00

Raphael Saadiq is a musical jack of all trades. He's a singer, songwriter & producer. He's the former lead singer of the band Tony! Toni! Toné. I actually saw them in concert in the early 1990's. He was also a founding member of the short-lived group Lucy Pearl. This post has to do with his solo career. Raphael has recorded an amazing album called The Way I See It, which was released in September of 2008. I love this incredible album. I highly recommend it. If you've been aching for some old school r&b/soul, then this is the album for you. Please check out the videos I've posted below. Thanks.

Here are some of the videos from this album. I hope you enjoy them. Most of them start off with a commercial before them so I wanted to warn you about that.

Love That Girl:

Raphael Saadiq - Love That Girl (Official Music Video) - More free videos are here

100 Yard Dash:

Raphael Saadiq - 100 Yard Dash (Official Music Video) - For more funny videos, click here

Let's Take A Walk:

Raphael Saadiq - Let's Take A Walk (Official Music Video) - The funniest movie is here. Find it

Here is a performance of Never Give You Up from AOL Sessions:

Raphael Saadiq Never Give You Up AOL Music Sessions - The funniest home videos are here

Telly Savalas Is Masculine Coolness

2009-11-30T00:00:00.001-05:00

One of my favorite actors of all time is Telly Savalas. I'm been a fan of him since I was a young boy. I first remember watching him on the television series Kojak (1973-1978). My mom actually went into labor with my younger brother when we were watching an episode of the show. Telly is most remembered for that classic show of the 1970's. He would even go on to play the role again in a series of television movies during the 1980's.

Some of his other credits throughout the years are The Young Savages (1961), Birdman of Alcatraz (1962), The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965), Battle of the Bulge (1965), The Dirty Dozen (1967), etc. He also played the part of the Bond supervillain Ernst Stavro Blofeld in On Her Majesty's Secret Service in 1969. His portrayal of Blofeld is actually my favorite in the Bond franchise. Telly recorded quite a few albums. He also did some print and commercial ads over the years. He even has a connection with members of the Rat Pack because he played the villain in Cannonball Run II in 1984.

Telly always had this masculine coolness about him that I've always admired. Even as a young boy, I found myself idolizing him. There was just something about him that drew me in. I knew that this was the type of man I'd love to be more like. Telly was his own man. He was comfortable in his own skin. He's one of the first bald actors I can remember ever seeing. He also had a voice that was very memorable. It could be soothing, humorous, threatening, etc. Plus Telly definitely had a style of his own. Telly passed away from cancer at the age of 72 in 1994. He's been sorely missed ever since.

Here are a few clips of Telly for your viewing pleasure. I hope you enjoy them.

Telly's spoken word version of If:

The fight scene between Telly's Blofeld and George Lazenby's Bond in On Her Majesty's Secret Service:

Tribute video to Telly:

P.S. I do hope all my fellow Americans had a great Thanksgiving weekend. Mine was fantastic. I hate to see it come to an end. I also hope that all my international friends had a great week and weekend. I'm trying to head around to all of your blogs now. I did miss checking you guys out this week. I wish you all the best. I hope you will all have a great week as December is almost upon us.

I did want to let everybody know that I'm making some changes here at the blog. I've talked with some friends about this before I made this decision. I will more than likely not be leaving comments anymore here at my blog in response to the comments you leave.

When I was only getting a couple of comments, it was easy to leave comments here and then visit the blogs of others to leave comments there as well. Now that I'm getting a lot more comments at both my blogs, it's gotten to where it's taking so much time that I don't really have. I love doing it, but it's very time consuming. I know that a lot of people who get lots of comments don't leave responses in their own comment section, so I'm definitely not alone in this. I will be visiting each of your blogs and leaving comments there like I always have. If there's a reason to leave feedback in my own comment section, then I'll do it. Otherwise I just won't be usually doing that much anymore.

I hope you all understand. I don't think it should be a problem with anybody. I had been mulling this for quite some time, but had put it off. This is my first week of trying it out. I did want to let all of you know. I'm not sure if any of you had really been checking back to see if I leave comments in my comment section or not. That way you will know what's going on. Plus obviously this will make the amount of comments in my comment section go down, but I never wanted it to look like I was inflating my comment section with my own comments. Thank you for your support. Take care.

Bummin' Around With Dean Martin This Thanksgiving

2009-11-24T00:05:00.001-05:00

I wanted to let you guys know that this will be my last post until Monday, November 30th. I'm taking off for the Thanksgiving holiday here in the United States. I did want to leave you with this great video of Dean Martin singing Bummin' Around from Bob Hope's Pink Panther Thanksgiving Gala in 1982. I hope you enjoy it. I want to wish all my fellow Americans a wonderful Thanksgiving. Enjoy the holiday however you celebrate it. I'll be spending time with my family, watching the Macy's Parade & football, eating lots of turkey & other delicious food, etc. I hope that everybody else will have a great week and weekend. I'll be around to your blogs by Sunday. Take care. Cheers!

P.S. I'm not sure if anybody will be interested in this or not, but GQ has picked Leighton Meester, from Gossip Girl, as their Obsession of the Year. She's definitely an obsession of mine. I posted their photos of her and her new video for Somebody To Love (featuring Robin Thicke) over at my Sugar & Spice blog. I don't post that often about female stars of today, but Leighton's definitely one that I love. Please feel free to check out that post if you like. I hope you'll leave me some feedback on the post if you do take a look at it. Thanks.

Sean "Diddy" Combs: Bad Boy Style

2009-11-23T00:00:00.000-05:00

The second season of Sean "Diddy" Combs' reality series I Want To Work For Diddy has recently premiered on VH1. Combs seems to be everywhere. His Bad Boy empire stretches from music to fashion to television and beyond. Combs has his hands in a lot of different pies. He's one of the richest entertainers in the hip hop universe. I know there are a lot of people who don't like him for one reason or the other, but I don't think there's any denying that the man has great style. Combs has described his personal style as "Swagger. Timeless. Diverse." Judge for yourself.

Daniel Craig Puts A New Spin On James Bond

2009-11-20T00:05:00.005-05:00

Now it's time to come to the latest actor to play James Bond. That man is Daniel Craig. There was a lot of controversy over the hiring of Craig to play 007. Many were upset over the way that Pierce Brosnan had left the role. There was heated debate over the fact that Craig had blond hair. Also many thought he looked too rugged and was not handsome enough. The list of criticisms goes on and on.

Most of those who were not thrilled by the idea of Daniel Craig as Bond were relieved when they actually saw Casino Royale in 2006. There are still those who are not happy with his take on the role, plus the lack of gadgets and characters from the Bond universe. Craig would return to the role again in 2008's Quantum of Solace.

I'm a bigger fan of Casino Royale than Quantum of Solace. I do think there were quite a few weaknesses in the latter film. Probably an additional 20 minutes or so could have put more meat into some of the characters and the storyline. The film still was very successful. It's reported that the next Bond film starring Craig will be released in 2011. So what do you guys think of Daniel Craig as James Bond? Which Bond film of his do you like the best? Which of these theme songs do you prefer? Do you want them to return aspects of the previous films to the franchise or leave them in the past? Let me know what you think.

Casino Royale (2006):

Quantum of Solace:

Dean Martin Smooches Angie Dickinson

2009-11-19T00:04:00.001-05:00

Dean Martin and Angie Dickinson kiss each other in this photo from 1984. We can see both Sugar Ray Leonard and Sammy Davis Jr. in the background. I bet this would have been quite the event to be present at. Cheers!

Jerry Lee Lewis: The Killer Comes To The Dino Lounge

2009-11-18T00:02:00.000-05:00

Jerry Lee Lewis can light up a piano like nobody else. His fingers are like lightning hitting those piano keys. I'm a big fan of his music. Jerry Lee's music spans from rock 'n' roll to country. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986. Rolling Stone Magazine ranked the Killer #24 on their list of the 100 Greatest Artists Of All Time. Jerry Lee still performs to this day at the age of 74.

While definitely a musical talent, he's probably just as known for all the scandal he's been through over the years. He had problems with booze and drugs. He's also been married 6 times. One of those times was to a 13 year old cousin of his. That marriage pretty much ended his career in rock music back in the late 1950's.

Two of his future wives would die (one drowned in a swimming pool and the other died of a drug overdose). His early career and marriage with Myra, his 13 year old cousin/wife, was seen in the 1989 film Great Balls of Fire (starring Dennis Quaid and Winona Ryder). He's definitely lived the lifestyle of sex, drugs & rock 'n' roll. He's certainly not lived the life of a role model, but he's had some incredible music. I wanted to share some of those tunes with you. I hope you enjoy them.

Great Balls Of Fire:

Whole Lotta Shakin' Going On:

High School Confidential:

Crazy Arms:

She Even Woke Me Up To Say Goodbye:

Chantilly Lace:

The Wild One:

Breathless:

Pink Cadillac:

Dean Martin & Sharon Tate Get Close

2009-11-17T00:01:00.001-05:00

I assume this picture comes from the set of The Wrecking Crew, the 1969 Matt Helm spy flick that starred Dean Martin and Sharno Tate. These two would have made such a nice looking couple. Check out that smile on Sharon's face.

This photo comes courtesy of my pallie Bill.

I know I've posted this clip in the past, but I love this scene in the movie. I hope you enjoy it.