Box Office Results - Dune  -  41 Million

New This Week - Antlers / Last Night In Soho / A Mouthful Of Air

Dune – Sequel plans announced this week (Story)

The People's Choice - Nominations are out and F9 leads the list with eight  (Story)

Buzz Lightyear Origins - Movie on the way and the teaser trailer is out. Stars -  Chris Evans

This Weekend – Check out my Country Music Memory Lane   (link)

This week I thought I would put in one place my series on three pivotal years in Country Music over my career of over 40 years in Country.   These three years to me, are the ones that are extremely instrumental in getting us to the top of the musical food chain.

They also contributed to us being perceived and loved in a different way than ever before.  There have been many great years and important years since but these three were the years of real change.  We are still enjoying the fruits that were grown in these three years.

ENJOY - Thank you for reading and listening!

1981

1986

1989

The next two weeks for the Browns are very important to them and for the teams they are playing.  We travel to Cincy NEXT week to play Burrows Bengals, but first we must deal with steel as we play the Pittsburgh at home.  This is a big game, bigger than most between these two teams.

I heard some local sports radio guy say this yesterday.  "The Steelers, they're done,...done...the Browns should really worry about the Bengals."  And I've heard others say it too on the local and national level.  That attitude worries me.  Not that they say it, of course they can say what they wish, it's their career and credibility. But the fact is, the Steelers will be done, when the Browns say they are done.  The Steelers future, both immediate and longer term is in the Browns hands this week, and later in the season.  We can finish them off for the year with two wins against them.

The Steelers are clearly not the Steelers of old, now they just  - are old. But, they are still well coached and will still come to town where there are used to winning and getting their season back on track.  I've said it before and I'll say it now, the Browns are going nowhere until they start beating the Steelers twice a season, and this is a home game and a must win. There is no other option. If you win, you go to Cincy next week and play for first place at the midway point. You lose and you go back to the drawing board and wonder how you can recover from it.

That's not dramatic, it's fact. Plus, you can make the point that it's a new day, and you are the team to beat in this division. You can also show the Steelers that Ben is probably really done.  He's won here so much, it has been a given. If you win, that's three in a row against them going back to last season and post season, and the Steelers more than likely begin a new process of moving in a new direction.  You've got a chance to knock them out, so do it.

Remember those talking heads I was talking about earlier?  They also were talking about how we would beat the Chargers, and Cardinals, and blow out the Vikings this season, we were gonna be 15-2, 14-3. Well, that was ridiculous then  - and now.  And today with the Chiefs at 3-4, our loss to them looks pretty bad.  That's why this game is so important, and next week too. You can play yourself back into it and send messages at the same time. That second point is a big part of the NFL, you have to show divisional teams that you are better and are going to beat them again the next time.

As a fan I am hoping the Browns take care of the Steelers this week and continue the shift of power in this division. But don't be fooled, the Steelers are coming to town ready to play and we have a ton of injuries.  I have been concerned about these games with them for months, because proud franchises don't go quietly, you have to beat them. This is no gimme.  They will be loose, with nothing to lose.  I will believe the Steelers stink, when they acutally do.

The Browns also have to start beating teams that are good.  Sunday would be nice step forward and get us ready for the next step. We will need to score some real points I feel and that could be a challenge. We may, and we should win this game, but it will take a great effort, as Mike Tomlin is coming here to win.  Beat them and you may also help the Steelers move on to what's next for them.  In short, show Big Ben the door.

Prove the sports media right this time.

Go Browns!

Some Of My Recent Browns Articles

Reality Check

Time To Look Within

Love eggs?  I do, so lets dig in and see what this is all about!\

This simply looks incredible!

EGGS

You learn something new everyday, at least on a good day you do.  Here's one.  Alaska has a place so far - west - it's actually - east. 

And is the Eastern Most part of the United States

Read The And Amaze Your Friends

Box Office Results - Halloween Kills (50 Million)

New This Week - Dune / Rons Gone Wrong / Then Electrical Life Of Louis Wain

Hollywood Says – Movies for the forseeable future movies released to theaters will focus evenn more on young people content.

This Week - The new Batman trailer was out, introducing Robert Pattinson as Batman

Ozark season 4 - You'll be watching it on Netflix January 21st

Mel Gibson - Has signed on to star in the John Wick prequel series

Harrison Ford's - Indiana Jones 5 has been pushed back another year, to June 30th, 2023.

Netflix - Squid Games is NOW the most watched show – Highly violent game from Korea (out 3 weeks)

This Weekend – Check out my Country Music Memory Lane (link)

Last week I wrote about 1986 and how it was central in our transition in the 1980's as we marched towards 1989.  1989 was of course the huge historical year in country that shifted the balance of musical power directly to us well into the 90's.  BUT there was one more year that was the genesis of change to country, and that year was 1981.  These three years gave us the success we have today.

1981 is not 1986 or 1989 commercially or economically for us.  But musically, it was the match that lit the flame on the country music candle and gave us a glimpse of what "could be"  if Nashville was open to it and if fans were for patient for it. It wasn't easy as there were newer artists and the older stars starting to duke it out, but seismic change seldom is easy.  But in my view and in my memory, 1981 was absolutely necessary, and in the end exceedingly important.

Eddie Rabbitt - 1981  - Pop Country Legend

There were basically three sets of artists in country then as I remember it.  There were the radio popular Urban Cowboy acts like Johnny Lee, Mickey Gilley, Kenny Rogers, Anne Murray, Ed Bruce, Eddie Rabbitt, Dolly, T.G. Shepard and others.  They were recording good music that tended to be more poppy in nature and not as country as some would like, but it was the successful trend at the time. And in fairness, it got us noticed by many new fans, but was not overly loved by traditional fans. And all phases have a shelf life, just like Bro-Country did more recently.

Urban Cowboy Legend And Anthem  - 1980

There were the very established icons too, Conway, Waylon, Willie, Tammy Wynette, Merle, George Jones, Loretta, Don Williams and many others.  They were caught between their roots and giving in to the UC sound.  They had tons of fans no doubt, but because of time they were not going to bring us a lot of new or younger fans that we wanted and needed.  Many held on to their roots and that served them well. But as great as they were, there was a ceiling on where they could take us going forward.

The Great Conway - An Example Of The Icons Looking For A Niche  - With The Osmonds - 1983

Then there was a new generation that was outside of the other two.  They were younger, different, more marketable, and the brand of country they were recording was more country, but not completely void of the current style.  Alabama, George Strait, Ricky Skaggs, Reba, Earl Thomas Conley, John Anderson, Hank Jr. and others.  They were going to lay the initial groundwork for the rest of the decade. It was country, but had more thump, and all of these artists would become highly influential for the next wave, as they were brave enough to start it.

Alabama 1981 - They Helped Change A Lot Of Things

Alabama was enormously popular and showed us where we could go as they were everywhere. They sold millions of albums, tickets and dominated the charts.  Strait was instantly loved for his deep country style musically and in his terrific image. He shot to the top of the popularity charts incredibly fast and stayed there for 30 years.  Skaggs was very country and those wanting that deep, deep sound found him and loved him.  Reba was new and different as she was unapologetically country from Oklahoma and highly relatable and likable. 

George Strait - 1981  Became An Instant Star With This Debut Song

ETC was a new sound with terrific songs and deep albums that many younger fans instantly loved as his sound was a bit more daring and bigger. Hank Jr., had been around a good long while, but The Pressure Is On  album (his 33rd)  in my view reinvented him and gave us a country anthem, Country Boy Can Survive, and set his career on a newer path for the rest of the decade that fans loved. His success was incredible with a ton of highly imaginative songs.  And Anderson was just flat out the polar opposite to Urban Cowboy.

Ricky Skaggs - 1981 - Left No Doubt He Was Country - First Of His 10 #1's in 5 years

This was the class that became the basis and the influence to what was next.  They did it even being highly limited by the era itself as there was no internet, not really any TV exposure except for Alabama, no YouTube, almost no videos, not much of anything to showcase these stars.  Just the radio, heck in many areas no country music on FM radio, (just AM)  and when fans found us, they found them.  The stations I was working for were playing all three kinds of acts.  There was some real contrasts in styles and sounds, we were inconsistent. And fans were hot and cold with the format and country in general.  I felt that because we had no clear singular direction.

Reba 1981 - She Broke Through Big Time - Very Country

There was a tug of war going on, and I always felt that the new wave would emerge as the new way to go. And in the long run it did but it wasn't easy as change never is.  It would be a few more years before Randy Travis in 1986 and others really solidified the new younger wave.  The world changed too with more far more platforms for artists to get real exposure including the advent of country music videos and a more universal acceptance of country music in general.  Then by the end of the decade a new course was set and we've never looked back.

Earl Thomas Conley -1981 Highly Influential Album And Song - First of 20 #1's

The Class Of 1981 was extraordinarily important in the eventual boom in country music.  Their real gift was their terrific music and influence on the artists that were to come. Someone has to cut the path that others will eventually travel and that's what they did. Just as they walked down the road grated by Conway, Merle, Tammy, Loretta, Cash and Jones. They also were the class that found a whole new kind of listener and fan that viewed country differently than previous.  That we weren't some twangy, stereotypical silly format, and that we were talented, marketable and ready for mainstream attention.

John Anderson -  Extremely Influential To The Traditionalists On The Way

There was a streamlining of artists successes too.  Many of the UC acts slowly faded as did the rest of those who hung their hat on the pop country rack as we moved to a more traditional country sound.  Plus the clock picked up speed on many of the older acts that had dominated the radio for many years.  This was the start of the movement, and as in any movement there are casualties and those who come out on top.  Even though they may not have known it in at that moment, this group became the inspiration and influence for so many stars ahead. 

Hank Jr. - 1981  - A Country Anthem Still -  For A Couple Of Generations

Just as the amazing artists before them -  were theirs.  That's how country is and has always been, and more than likely -  always will be.

Well it seems the Browns and the rest of us got a reality check this weekend.  The Browns were completely humiliated in their own building 37-14 and it wasn't that close.  There is trouble in Brownsland right now.

Yes, there are plenty of injuries and that sucks and hurts.  There have been a bevy of bad referee calls the past couple weeks, but we are not alone there, as officiating in the NFL right now is unprofessional, amateurish, and eyebrow raising to say the least. Official's bloated egos still think they are there to help decide outcomes of games, but they are not. If that's what you want, suit up and play, but take off the zebra stripes. It's a league wide propblem, and the league won't do ANYTHING at all until it destroys a season like the Cowboys, Rams, Chiefs or Packers.  Quite frankly, it's a joke.

But the Browns problems don't just lie there in the above.  Their defense stinks in almost every regard. From the 4th quarter of the Charger game till halftime of Sunday's game, they gave up points I think on 9 straight drives.  They gave up 26 in the 4th quarter alone of the Charger game and 49 in those three quarters mentioned. Whatever is the problem, they better get it fixed now or the season will be lost quickly.   It's sad, and teams have NO FEAR of our defense.  They don't punt against the Browns much, they just go for it on 4th down - and get it.  They have no respect for the Browns.  They can't stop anyone and they don't force turnovers.  The opposing teams should leave the punter on the bus.

The offense can't close out games, or answer scoring drives against good teams when they need to.  You would think scoring 42 and 29 in road games would be enough to win, but I guess not.  And those are the teams they need to beat if we are going anywhere. And I'd trade OBJ so fast it would break land speed records.  He can certainly catch the ball, but there is something very wrong with him on the field here. There is too much evidence now, we are better without him.  He needs to go and let us return to life without him. And we need to get healthy.

Handsome devil Kevin Stefanski needs to adjust and grow up too. Start taking early game points when your team has earned them. Reward the offense, the team and the fans with field goals when they are there early. Save the 4th down nonsense for late in the game when you need to do it.  Yesterday, it was THE major turning point in the game. It would have answered the Cardinals touchdown drive and restored some order.  He blew it, and the momentum stayed with the Cardinals, who scored another TD and the game was in real jeopardy.  All self-inflicted three weeks in a row.  Wake up! Enough with the "smartest guy in the room stuff."  Reward your team with points.

I love the Browns and the week 6 Browns I am sad to say, are not very good.  I am starting to think that maybe we are just not as good as we think we are.  Long season still, get healthy, play better, grow up and maybe things can be different like late last year.

Boy, do sports media people look silly. All the off season talk about how we may go 17-0 or 15-2, or some hideous prediction and who's gonna "possibly" beat us. One long running promo on the air said 17-0 was "in play."  Its the NFl, undefeated is never really in play.  I laughed at it then, and now.  All this is contributing to the runaway hype this team is enduring, and that doesn't help a young team or coach either. Let's get a hold of ourselves. Even my far more realistic 12-5 take (then) is optimistic and looks in peril itself now and will fall by the way side.

What has to happen is this.  Get healthy, hang on and somehow get to about 5-5 and then make a run if you can, that's sort of what the Bucs did last year.  Play better, prepare better, and coach better.  Understand you are better than this, but we are not elite yet.  Take points when they are given to you, understand you are good enough to compete every week, then do so. And start beating the good teams, because right now we can't  - and don't

Less analytics, more common sense, and accept that bad breaks and bad calls are going be a part of any NFL game and recover from it.  And start this week by not squatting on the 50 yard line and laying a big, stinky, gassy, sulphuric egg on Thursday Night Football and BEAT the Bronco's to go to 4-3. Then some order will be restored.

Go Browns!

Other Browns Articles I've Written

Time To Look Within

Playing The Chiefs Each Week

Get Off The Field

When I walk my Husky Juneau every morning very early, we are always very aware that skunks could be out.  The idea of getting "skunked" is always on my mind as that is a nightmare.

But skunks aren't the only things that stink and when there's a bad stink afoot, sometimes we need to know how to de-stink something

So here we go!

How To Get The Stink Out!

Box Office Results - James Bond: No Time To Die   (56 Million)

New This Week -   Halloween Kills (Also On Peacock)  /  The Last Duel

A Movie - About Walt Disney and his journey to build the California theme park Disneyland is in the works, Disney Plus.  (Story) 

Monday – There could be 60,000 workers walk off the job in Hollywood if a new contract isn't agreed on (Story)

Netflix - Squid Games is NOW the most watched show – Highly violent game from Korea (out 3 weeks) 

Netflix - Has renewed You, for a fourth season ahead of Friday's debut of Season 3.  (Story) 

Mark Harmon - Is leaving NCIS after portraying Gibbs for 18 seasons. (Story) 

This Weekend – Check out my Country Music Memory Lane (link)