The Quick 2010 Fandom Meme

“If St Elsewhere exists only within Tommy Westphall’s mind, then so does every other series set within the same fictional sphere.”

Since I’ve found myself unable to create any Best Of for the year, I guess I’ll force myself to do this meme from Sunday Stealing instead. Only requires one response per question required.

1. Your main fandom of the year: tossup between the perennial Beatles and visiting the folks at ABC Wednesday.

2. Your favorite Film this year: The King’s Speech, though I was mighty fond of Toy Story 3. And BTW, I went with my wife, not my daughter; the conveyor belt scene would have freaked her out, I’m guessing.

3. Your favorite Book read this year: well, haven’t read it as such, but I am thoroughly picking out stories and descriptions from Finishing the Hat by Stephen Sondheim.

4. Your favorite Album or Song this year: probably National Ransom by Elvis Costello.

5. Your favorite meme site of the year: other than ABC Wednesday, that’d be Rock ‘n’ Roll Fridays, I guess.

6. Your Fandom that you haven’t tried Yet, but want to: not applicable

7. Your best new Fandom Discovery of the Year: also n/a

8. Your biggest Fandom Disappointment of the Year: too many 3-D movies that don’t warrant the technology, and the added ticket price. Ken Levine talked about this recently, and Roger Ebert is virulently anti-3D.

9. Your TV Boyfriend of the year: n/a

10. Your TV Girlfriend of the year: I suppose it’s Lauren Graham, whose presence in the show Parenthood got me to watch it occasionally.

11. Your most Missed Old Fandom: don’t know if I miss it as much as it has nostalgic resonance, but a lot of online fandom was stuff that USED to happen by mail. I did a little of that re the BEATLES maybe 20 years ago.

12. Your Biggest Anticipations of the New Year: that 3-D movies as a selling point will crash and burn.

13. Your favorite post (of yours) of the year: difficult to choose. Probably an ABC Wednesday post. I’ll pick L is for Loving Day because it generated lots of comments.

14.Your favorite new blog (to you) of the year: Peripheral Perceptions. Don’t always agree with Lisa, but I do respect her opinion.

15.Your favorite new website of the year: Well, it’s new to me – Tommy Westphall’s Mind: “If St Elsewhere exists only within Tommy Westphall’s mind, then so does every other series set within the same fictional sphere.”

16. Your favorite news story of the year: the Chilean miners’ rescue.

17. Your favorite actor of the year: Colin Firth. I liked him in the last two movies I’ve seen him in, The King’s Speech and A Single Man.

18. Your favorite drama TV show of the year: Based on the time from recording to the time I watch it, it must be The Closer.

19. Your favorite comedy TV Show this year: Using the same criterion, Modern Family.

20. Your favorite cartoon of the year: Pearls Before Swine newspaper strip.

Beatles Island Songs, 123-114

At least it’s less self-important than Within You, Without You on Sgt. Pepper.



JEOPARDY! answers-
LICENSE PLATES $300: A car with plate #LMW 28IF on this Beatles album cover furthered rumors that Paul was dead
GOLDEN OLDIES $200: It’s easy to grasp the fact that this Beatles song was their 1st to go to #1 in the U.S.
ROCK ‘N ROLL $200: Beatles song about purchasing affection that was 1st to hit #1 in U.S. & Britain at same time

The Beatles Complete on Ukulele

The rules of engagement

123 Dizzy Miss Lizzy from Help! (UK), Beatles VI (US). Another Larry Williams tune, well covered by Lennon.
122 I’ll Cry Instead from A Hard Day’s Night (UK, US), Something New (US). “I’m gonna have myself a way/hey”? But I loved it.
121 Here, There, and Everywhere from Revolver. Pretty McCartney.
120 Julia from the white album. Lennon lost his mother twice, once when she abandoned him when he was five, and again at 17, when she died. It is a gentle portent to the more primal screams of Plastic Ono Band’s Mother.
119 It Won’t Be Long from With the Beatles (UK), Meet the Beatles (US). Good use of “yeah”.
118 Love You To from Revolver. Harrison got three songs on the album, and while this is the least of the three, at least it’s less self-important than Within You, Without You on Sgt. Pepper.
117 When I Get Home from A Hard Day’s Night (UK), Something New (US). Muscular tune from Lennon.
116 Let It Be from Let It Be. Yet another overplayed McCartney song, though a fine one.
115 Don’t Bother Me from With the Beatles (UK), Meet the Beatles (US). Harrison’s first writing credit in the canon, and it spoke to a theme in his life.
114 Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown) from Rubber Soul. A very nice Lennon song, mysterious, the first song with sitar, and all that, and slightly overplayed in my time.

JEOPARDY! questions-
What is Abbey Road?
What is “I Want To Hold Your Hand”?
What is “Can’t Buy Me Love”?

Beatles Island Songs, 133-124

The verse and chorus don’t really fit together very well, and somehow, that’s endearing.



JEOPARDY! answers-
BILLBOARD NO.1 HITMAKERS: In May 1964 this New Orleans native was 62 years old when he bumped the Beatles’ “Can’t Buy Me Love” from the No. 1 spot
BEATLES SONGS: The title of this Beatles song is a Yoruba phrase that means “life goes on”
THE BEATLES: Fittingly, the cover of this Beatles album shows the Fab Four engaging in a semaphore message
Questions below.

The rules of engagement

133 Slow Down, EP release (UK), Something New (US). Larry Williams’s cover adeptly done by Lennon.
132 In My Life from Rubber Soul. Another song that should rank higher except that I just burned out on it. Jaquandor, who is a relatively new Beatles convert, wrote a nice piece on the song, which is all true.
131 Martha My Dear from the white album. My first girlfriend in high school was named Martha, probably when the album came out. Yes, I know it’s about McCartney’s sheepdog.
130 Mother Nature’s Son from the white album. Pretty McCartney song.
129 The Fool on the Hill from Magical Mystery Tour. Especially like the instrumental bridge of this McCartney song.
128 Wait from Rubber Soul. Pretty ordinary song, considering it’s on a great album, but the Lennon and McCartney vocal byplay elevates it.
127 Sun King from Abbey Road. Lennon’s nonsense lyrics at the end are a hoot.
126 Hold Me Tight from With the Beatles (UK), Meet the Beatles (US). A driving McCartney tune.
125 I’ll Follow the Sun from Beatles for Sale (UK), Beatles ’65 (US). I always thought this was a pretty McCartney song, with occasional tight harmonies.
124 Baby, You’re a Rich Man from Magical Mystery Tour. Probably the least well-known song on the album, originally the B-side to All You Need Is Love. The verse and chorus don’t really fit together very well, and somehow, that’s endearing.

BeatlesNews.com– 24 Hours A Day, Eight Days A Week…

JEOPARDY! questions:
Who was Louis Armstrong?
What is Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da?
What is Help?

Beatles Island Songs, 143-134

From Nike ads to “The Royal Tenenbaums,” the moments that defiled and celebrated the Fab Four.



JEOPARDY Answers of the day-
BEATLES MUSIC: Chauffeur Alf Bicknell was the inspiration for this 1965 song
BEATLES TUNES: It’s the Beatles’ only U.S. No. 1 hit single whose title is the name of an actual place.
Questions at the end

The rules of engagement

143 Michelle from Rubber Soul. Pretty song, and in French, no less, but desperately overplayed in the day. The name became a Top 10 name for US girls from 1966 through 1980.
142 Rocky Raccoon from the white album. A cheeky McCartney folk song, enjoyable enough.
141 I’ve Got a Feeling from Let It Be. I like the fact that this was really a McCartney/Lennon song, even at that late date.
140 You Like Me Too Much from Help! (UK), Beatles VI. Like the saloonish intro to this Harrison song.
139 Everybody’s Got Something to Hide Except Me and My Monkey from the white album. I was in college playing charades. My fellow players had gotten Hide Me and Monkey, so I knew they were NEVER going to get the answer. I hear a bit of Yankee Doodle, of all things, in the guitar riff.
138 What Goes On from Rubber Soul (UK), Yesterday and Today (US). The first record to credit Starkey in the writing credits, with Lennon/McCartney. Like the three-part harmony.
137 This Boy from B-side of I Want To Hold Your Hand (UK), Meet the Beatles (US). Nice Lennon vocals with McCartney and Harrison harmony.
136 The Inner Light, B-side of Lady Madonna. Harrison stole the lyrics, I believe, from some Taoist text. First Harrison song on a single.
135 Yes It Is, B-side of Ticket to Ride (UK), Beatles VI (US). More Lennon, with McCartney and Harrison vocals.
134 Thank You Girl, B-side of From Me to You (UK), The Beatles’ Second Album (US). especially like the drumming and harmonica at the end.

Beatlesnumber9, a “Super Beatles Fan Site”
The Beatles in pop culture: Triumphs and tragedies Slide show: From Nike ads to “The Royal Tenenbaums,” the moments that defiled and celebrated the Fab Four

JEOPARDY Questions
What is Ticket to Ride?
What is Penny Lane? (Incidentally, Strawberry Fields Forever only got to Number 8 in the US)

Beatles Island Songs, 153-144

Recommended: DM’s Beatles site.

JEOPARDY Answer of the day – POP MUSIC: Take 2 letters off a Beatles song title & you get this title of Paul McCartney’s 2002 live CD of his American tour. (Question is below.)

The rules of engagement

153 From Me to You. This song wasn’t on any album I owned until the Past Masters Volume 1 CD! Fine song, actually, but I just plain forget about its existence.
152 Within You Without You from Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. An interesting, if ultimately slightly pedantic theological treatise from Harrison.
151 Please Mr. Postman from With the Beatles (UK), The Beatles’ Second Album (US). A song orginally by the Motown group the Marvelettes; this is a competent cover from John, but not better than the original.
150 The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill from the white album. A very funny Lennon song, particular the falsetto. Not sure what it means, but that’s all right.
149 Ask Me Why from Please Please Me (UK), Introducing the Beatles/The Early Beatles (US). Like the Latin feel of the Lennon song. Also the double meaning of the word “please”.
148 The Night Before from Help! Just saw the movie last year for the first time in decades, a quadruple feature with A Hard Day’s Night, Yellow Submarine, and Let It Be. Lots of good music in Help!, but this is a lesser tune by McCartney.
147 Matchbox from an EP (UK), Something New (US). Ringo does a credible version of this Carl Perkins song.
146 Another Girl from Help! DITTO the 148 info.
145 Chains from Please Please Me (US), Introducing the Beatles/The Early Beatles (US). A Goffin/King song performed by a girl group called the Cookies. I like this Harrison version.
144 One After 909 from Let It Be. I didn’t realize until the Anthology albums that this was an old Lennon and McCartney song from their early days never released before. A rather jaunty piece, actually.

DM’s Beatles site, with:
– Comprehensive UK and US discographies with album covers, additional information, reviews, and comments.
– Complete song index with the lyrics. Different takes, demo and live versions, unreleased songs, and songs for others.
– Detailed history day by day, with pictures, links to albums, interviews.
– More than a thousand pictures of the Beatles, people close to them, magazine covers.
– Various information on the Beatles, their films, interviews, concerts, bootlegs.
– Popular discussion forum where you can meet Beatles fans from all over the World

JEOPARDY Question – What is ‘Back in the U.S.’?

Ramblin' with Roger
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