I caught a bit of GoldenEye over the weekend and was reminded of how much the 007 franchise was just going through the motions even long before Pierce Brosnan's arrival.  Casino Royale went a long way toward restoring the vitality and enjoyment of watching James Bond, and it looks as if Quantum of Solace will continue that positive direction. Don't believe me?  Just watch the newest trailer: See what I mean?  That shot of Bond falling through the glass ceiling at the 1:24 mark ... Read on, Daddy-O

Steely Dan consistently suffered from some of the ugliest artwork of the '70s, but pulled it together for their 1977 hit album, Aja.  This brilliantly simple image belied the alluringly complex music contained within. The songs on Aja (pronounced Asia) have been dissected and examined countless times over the last 30 years, so I'm giving this great artwork its due.  According to Wikipedia, the name Aja belonged to the Korean wife of Donald Fagen's friend's brother.  I'm not sure if that's true but ... Read on, Daddy-O

The buzz behind Metallica's new album, Death Magnetic, continues to build prior to its September 12 worldwide release.  This is easily the most hyped Metallica released since, well, St. Anger.  The stream represents 60% of the final 10-song product, an unexpected amount of accessibility for the band.  Here's what you'll hear when you visit their site: "The Day That Never Comes" - Decent for the first 4 minutes, then it gets much better.  And hey, a Kirk Hammett solo! "My Apocalypse" - Pretty kickass ... Read on, Daddy-O

It's been awhile since my first installment, so I'm back to revisit some movies that - good or bad - were integral parts of my pop culture education as a growing young man.  And coincidentally, this batch is all comedies. Club Paradise - Long before Robin Williams sullied his reputation in sub-par movies like Jack, RV, and License to Wed, he was sullying it with sub-par movies like 1986's Club Paradise.  I caught this on cable the other day for the first time ... Read on, Daddy-O

Congratulations Okalahoma City!  Your new NBA franchise, the Thunder (née Seattle SuperSonics), is now the proud owner of one of the crappiest and most unimaginative logos in professional sports. Oh.  My.  God.  If that logo doesn't scream "Banged out by a student at a local community college's graphic design program" I don't know what does.  Reading the press release announcing the franchise's new name and logo/colors is laughable.  Here's my favorite part: With a nickname denoting energy and power, a classic-look logo, and the ... Read on, Daddy-O

I'll admit it - I was pretty sure that SMiLE represented the last creative gasp of Brian Wilson, and that with its completion the book was effectively closed on one of pop's most creative and troubled minds.  But here comes That Lucky Old Sun, showing me just how wrong I was.  Now in his mid 60s, Wilson still seems to be capable of writing and arranging music with the creativity and vitality of a musician half his age. That's not to say That ... Read on, Daddy-O

I try to keep things light around here, and therefore relatively free of politics.  But this is simply too rich to pass up.  It's a video of vice presidential candidate and current Governor of Alaska, Sarah Palin, delivering a speech to the Wasilla Assembly of God (her one-time church). According to the video uploader, the speech was delivered about three months ago, so it's not a long-lost nugget from Palin's past like the video of her as a young sportscaster or the pictures ... Read on, Daddy-O

Before he released the juggernaut So album in the '80s, before he became one of the West's great World Music ambassadors, and before he emerged as a humanitarian and all-around do-gooder, Peter Gabriel was just a guy trying to find his own musical direction after leaving Genesis. The first step on that path was Gabriel's self-titled debut, released in February 1977.  It's a fascinating document of a uniquely talented artist willing to try anything - even barbershop - to differentiate his work from ... Read on, Daddy-O

Here's just one piece of the endless tidal wave of Hannah Montana-branded garbage currently filling store shelves (snapped a pic of this "tin" at a local Walgreens): And here's the late Cesar Romero as the Joker: Read on, Daddy-O

While the signs have changed many times over the years, Times Square is just as identifiable today as it was in 1952.  Of course what seems to have changed is the sheer volume of lights - this image looks positively subdued compared to the garish displays of consumerism seen in the Square today, but I imagine it was still pretty impressive back then. There's some businesses I can't make out, but others are hard to miss.  The ones I can get are: Chevrolet (dead ... Read on, Daddy-O