There are a couple new more recent movies out that we should take a look at today. Both with A-List stars.

News Of The World   (Theaters and on some streaming platforms  - $$)

This has been out a few weeks with Tom Hanks. This is Hanks as we have never seen him, in a Western of sorts, but this is not typical of the genre. It is far more than simply a Western.  I always give props to flicks that have an original story and this one does.

Hanks plays a character in post Civil War America about 1870, who goes from town to town in Texas and reads the newspapers from other parts of the young country. People pay him to hear the news who can't get it, and he roams alone doing this. Clearly the Civil War has taken a heavy toll on him and he finds himself alone.  He then meets up with a young girl (Helena Zengel -who is great)  who has been raised by Native Americans, who is NOT Native American. She too is alone in the world as the stagecoach she was riding in was robbed and she was left for dead.  These two head out on an adventure to get her back home, but it's not an easy world, or easy country.  And she speaks no English.

As interesting as this is, NOTW is slow at times and that's too bad. Hanks is great and does not look out of place in a place he has not been before.  Our supporting cast is fine and the idea is very original, but beware, this movie hits some dead zones, all leading to a finish you more than likely will see coming.  But it is good to see Hanks in a role and movie setting you have not before.

NOTW -  Points for Hanks, the idea and Zengel.  It's good, could have been great.

The Little Things  (Theaters and HBO Max) 

Denzel Washington to me is always mandatory movie watching and this one the surface looks really good.  And the shame here is, with three Oscar Winners in this, it should have been great! But it's not.

Washington plays a cop in California that clearly has a checkered past and has moved into rural law enforcement.  He ends up running a police errand back into the big city, and finds himself in the middle of a big time, big city case, as he's sort of asked to tag along with younger cops. In the same department he worked in years ago.  It was hard for me to tag along with that whole premise, and it didn't get a lot better.  The movie is supposed to make you wonder what his deal really is, and you can if you wish. I was just trying to stay awake.  BUT - the opening 10 minutes of this are really terrific!  Fact, very compelling.

The cast is great, but even there, there are problems. Jared Leto is AMAZING as this very strange, but well defined suspect, and his performance really helps to save the day. He is the movies best thing outside of
Washingtons presence and not by a little.  Rami Melik is as a young, tough cop, and the writing is weak and he doesn't really have a strong character to bring to life.  He can't be the powerful presence he can be on screen, because of bad writing and a movie that looks for a direction. This too has some dead zones, and drags along as well.

I love Denzel but I will not be catching this one again, and that's a shame. A good cast, but a movie that disappoints.

I am so glad to see Blake Shelton back recording really great songs again.  Taking nothing away from the rest of his long career, the past couple of years I feel have been among his best.

God's Country is a song that a whole lot of artists would have loved to have, but it's a song that had to be earned and it needed a seasoned artist to give it the real believe-ability it has.  Written by Hardy, and sung by Blake it was the perfect musical union. I loved that song halfway through my first listen to it, and I don't think I was alone in that. His follow ups with Gwen have been fun, happy, and easy listen too, and that has really been needed given our surroundings the past 9 months.

God's Country - What An Anthem!

His new song, Minimum Wage does the same thing for me as God's Country.  I loved it before it was over the first time I heard it.  We all know there are some who have an issue with some of this song, and that's OK. But that's another talk, for another time, in another place.

This is the Blake I really like.  Confident and singing songs that have strong musical vertebrae. I am not adverse to a Blake ballad, but I feel there were too many in too short of a time a ways back. This is what I feel he does best. Singing songs that have a real backbone with a blazing arrangement makes this song jump out of the radio and let you know right away that one of our biggest stars is getting ready to sing a big song. It's almost impossible not to listen to it once it starts.

We have always been an artist driven format, and that's great.  Seems we are in a trend lately where the songs are the star and that's OK, because you gotta start with a good song.  But when we are at our best is when we marry up one of our biggest stars with a song many others would love to have, now we've got a real hit.  When it begins, you know a big star is going to be singing a big song, you can just feel it.

If you have not heard it yet, here you go!

Song Of The Week - Last Week! We Were Rich / Runaway June

Wynn's Weekend Watch -     A Star Is Born  -  Worth a Second Look 

Box Office #1 – The Marksman  (Much of it filmed in Northeast Ohio) - $2 Million  

IT Chapter 3 - Is coming in September.  (Story)

Netflix - Says Bridgerton is their biggest series to date  (Story)

Godzilla / Kong - The FULL trailer is out! (HBO Max March 26^th)

Beetlejuice Director - Tim Burton may cast Johnny Depp in the film's sequel  (Story)

It's NEW - A live-action Harry Potter TV series is in the works at HBO Max.  (Story)

Greys Anatomy - Will NOT return now till March 11  (Story)

Ralph Maccio – Beat out Charlie Sheen, Robert Downey Jr and Nick Cage for the original Karate Kid movie (Story)

If You Love Ellen - Word is her show may end when her contract expires - And Kelly Clarksons show may fill that slot. (Story)

Lori Loughlin's - Husband, Mossimo, has been denied an early release from prison. (Story)

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

Also check out this weeks other articles in case you missed them

Hank Aaron - Defining Great!

SONG OF THE WEEK - We Were Rich!

WYNN - IN THE KITCHEN - Who Knew!

Michelle asked about a group I hadn't thought about in a long time, The Forester Sisters.  I played all their songs on the radio over the 6 years or so they had.  Yes, they were four actual sisters from Lookout Mountain, Georgia. And even though they had some real nice success, like the old saying goes, timing is everything.  Outside of the music, they were the only womens "group" in country.

First Hit Song  -  Listeners Loved It!

First off, I love sibling harmony.  There is something about 4 part harmony blending together when everyone involved has the same DNA, and theirs was terrific. It was slick, tight and just flat out great!  They, and a group that came later, Mulberry Lane (4 sisters too from Omaha, Nebraska with power harmonies) had about the best I have ever heard.  ( Mulberry Lane - Worth a listen if you like harmonies). The Foresters broke in the summer of 1985 and had a run till about 1991. In that time they had 15 songs in the top 10, and 5 number ones.  They also earned a ton of award nominations and won a couple of Grammy's. 

First Number One - And A Great Song! 

Their first big hit, (That's What You Do) When You're In Love, was a nice harmonious song that was catchy, very fresh, and listeners loved it.  In the mid 80's, we were still playing the Oak Ridge Boys and the Statler Brothers as current artists, but there was no 4 part harmony women equivalent until them.  But they soon zoomed past both of those male acts with big number ones like, I Fell In Love Again Last Night, Just In Case, and Mama's Never Seen Those Eyes, all off their debut album, with the last three going number one. They hit the concert trail with some big stars like Alabama and they were on their way.

Just In Case - Very Big Song

Over the next few years they had some great songs, including Sincerely, (If you love harmonies listen below) You Again, and a nice duet with the Bellamy Brothers, Too Much Is Not Enough, that went number one.  Sincerely won another Grammy and things were on track.  But the truth is, as talented as they were, and as good as the success was, Country was changing so drastically during their run they, as much as any act were affected by the new direction, and none of it was in their control.

Sincerely - Perfect Group For This Remake - Grammy Winner  - A McGuire Sisters Staple

We were pivoting traditional shortly after thier arrival, and fans were asking a lot more from their newer stars for the first time ever. Videos were now a country thing, fans were moved by newer acts that had a different outward and fashion style than previous eras.  Stage shows were no longer "stand and play,"  and the joke telling on stage shtick was out.  Conway Twitty, Kenny Rogers and George Jones were being replaced by Alan Jackson, George Strait, Garth, Clint and others with a younger sound and stage shows full of fire. The Hat Acts were here, it was a new day.

Duet With The Bellamy Brothers  #1

Fans were getting younger, Urban Cowboy had faded, as the days of a rudderless format of sort of pop, sort of country crossover songs were over.  Song styles were changing too, with new and more daring subject matters. The new young traditionalists were here, male, female and new groups, and it seemed to strike a big blow to the 4 part harmony acts.

The Forester Sisters went on and recorded long after their initial run and had some success including a very big song called, Men, which got them another Grammy nomination, and it was a very popular song.  They have been compared to The Judds, and The Whites of the same era, and even to The Mandrell Sisters of the late 70's and early 80's.  I feel they even had a feel similar to the Andrew Sisters of WWII fame, or the McGuire Sisters that followed them.  I loved hearing them sing together and during the 1980's as they and The Judds really carried the torch for women's groups on the country charts.

This Too Was a #1

I personally liked their sound very much, and I thought they were really good for country.  Much of their music was written by big Nashville songwriters of the era, and touring with Alabama, George Jones and Ricky Skaggs at the time was huge, as they were among the giants of the mid decade, so clearly the Foresters caught the attention of everyone.  But as they were coming in, country was changing so fast there going to be some casualties.  4 part vocal groups were among them.  And I would argue that until Little Big Town, they have had a rough time ever since.

Men - This Was A Very Popular Song!

Okay, I'm not an amazing cook, but I know a few things and can hold my own. Living alone a great deal of my adult life made it mandatory I learn to cook.  I also learned a ton from a couple of actual Chef's in my life from early jobs I had.,  One, I worked at a place called The Pewter Mug as a 17 year old and learned a ton from Chef Jimmy, later in the hotel-biz from Chef Kitchen.  (yes, that was his name).

But I learned a trick over the weekend, that I never knew.  Tried it and it works! Give this a go! 

Trick To Browning Ground Meat!

I'm sure you heard that baseball great Henry Aaron died late last week at 86. What a life he led in every regard.

Legend

When Cardinal great Bob Gibson died a few months ago, I wrote about him and I contend he may be the greatest "overall player" to play in the Major Leagues, and I stand by that.  (link To That Story)  But without ANY question Hank Aaron is greatest hitter to ever play and may always be so.  This is not a "good old days"  post, or "back in the day" post. That argument is lazy, close minded, dismissive and rude.  Aaron is as relevant today as any day, in fact maybe more so.  We are so bombarded by ESPN and other networks on what is great. To THEM all really good contemporary players are "great" or "huge" or the other words to glorify today's modern athlete.  In some cases they are spot on correct. But not near as many as they are trying to convince you so you'll watch, as they perch up way too many.

Hank Aaron was great, and that's not subjective.  45 years after retiring (4 years before ESPN) his numbers are still insane.  Just Google about any batting or hitting stat and you'll see him at the top or near the top of about any list. And keep in mind the Modern Era of  Baseball is well over 100 years old.  As unreal as this is, take away ALL of his 755 home runs, and he still over 3,000 hits!  Simply incredible. He won every award there is to win, he won a World Series, and in the end taught us all what sportsmanship is all about. He competed in an era where the league was smaller and far more competitive, the ball parks were bigger, the pitching mound was taller the pitching pool was far more fierce and aggressive. Those statements are not opinion, they are facts.  It is possible if Aaron would have played in today's era, he may have hit 1,000 home runs with the larger league, diluted pitching, first class accommodations and team resources, smaller stadiums, incredibly small strike zones, the pitchers fear of pitching inside and umpires reluctance to let them do so, plus MLB's love affair with the home run.

Aaron also faced in incredible amount of terrible behavior from fans and just people in many cities during the teeth of the Civil Rights Movement.  He got death threats when he was chasing down Babe Ruth's Home Run Record that he eventually did pass. And when a highly questionable Barry Bonds a generation or two later passed his all time mark, Aaron remained Aaron.  I feel most baseball fans still hold Aaron's record as the real record.

Aaron too was a different kind of guy. On the night he broke Ruth's record on National TV, he did it and simply ran the bases like it was a home run in any part of his career. He was class, grace, and outwardly humble, you see Aaron knew he was great because of what he could do  - and did on the field, The math backs him up. Most of today's "greats"  try to convince us of their greatness by their antics and branding. Yes, it's a new day and has been for a long, long time as the game evolves endlessly and that's a good thing for fans.  But I have a real good idea, go out and get your name on the same page as Aaron in the record books in anything and you can qualify as great.  It's really that easy.  No wait, that's how hard it really is. Because they don't.

Breaking Ruth's Record

Honestly, there are some really good players in today's MLB, there is no doubt about that. We all have our favorites and there are some that with the right career direction could be all time greats.  Example, I feel Derek Jeter was great, and the best post season player in history.  Yes, I saw Aaron play near the end of his career. I saw him break the home run record of TV too. If I was choosing all time team, he would be on it. My outfield would be him, Willie Mays, and Ken Griffey Jr.  Not because they were my favorites, but because their numbers are simply staggering.

Great has been diluted down so much over the years that it has became a word used in everyday conversation, when in fact "good" or "very good"  would probably suffice.  And one of the reasons is, people like Henry Aaron.  His ability was so incredible at his chosen field, it's impossible to duplicate. He and others have from various era's and sports have put the bar so high, it's almost impossible reach, even with every single advantage (legal and not) the current MLB and other pro leagues players have.

And just because Henry Aaron has passed away doesn't mean he defined great, but he continues -  to define -  great!  In every avenue there is.

Every once in a while a song comes out that really talks to listeners.  In Country many do, and that's the real beauty of our format.  It also can be a small curse too, as many times the songs are way too honest for some to face, so they return to superficial music that is not near as real.

The new group, Runaway June I feel really has the right idea, and I am a fan!  I loved their first single, Buy My Own Drinks.  It was a great sounding song that had a real edge.  I thought the song sounded great on the air, and I enjoyed the overall feel of that song, as it was a very strong debut single.  It successfully walked the fine line of not alienating anyone, with its tone and story line. Very well done.

First Hit Single

But their current song is really powerful and is talking to a lot of people directly.  We Were Rich is a fantastic written song that takes us all back to our childhoods, and remembers simpler times.  In that regard this song is right on time.  It also honors the heroic efforts of our parents who in many cases did all they could to give us the best childhood they possibly could, even if they didn't have very much to give us.  It also makes us happy as adults that we probably enjoyed those days way more than we thought at the time. Many times, time is needed to understand that.

WE WERE RICH -

My beautiful Windy, who grew in Youngstown, says every time I play that song it makes her tear up, as it grabs her heart as it takes her back in time to her childhood.  I have heard that from tons of listeners and our text line has a lot of great things to say about that song too.  I love everything about that song, and I love the direction they seem to be going. 

If you have not taken the time to really listen to it, take a few now.  This song is terrific.  What a great start for Runaway June.  Great song choices, slick, and tight harmonies, and really nice arrangements. I think they are really on to something!  Runaway June is very refreshing.

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Wynn's Weekend Watch -  20 Years Ago This Week  #1

Box Office – The Marksman / The Croods

#1 Last Year This Date - Bad Boys For Life

All 5 seasons - Of The Muppet Show start streaming on Disney+ on February 19th!  (Story)

NOPE - There will not be a Bridesmaids  2  (Story)

Godzilla VS. King Kong - The previews are out this week

A Julia Child - TV series is coming to HBO Max. (Story)

Top Two Westerns - Of all time #2 Unforgiven -  1992 and The Searchers -  1956 (List)

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

Jen asked me if I have told Tracy Byrd's story yet as he was her favorite in the 1990's.  Good time to do it. He was a star that had a very interesting story.  Legend says he recorded a Hank Williams SR. song at a recording studio at a local mall in the early 90's, that led to a talent contest with a Nashville record label.

Byrd had a nice career through the 90's that had some gigantic success.  From what I remember when he had a big hit - he had a BIG hit.  But one thing is for sure, he found fans and a few of his songs became anthems for that particular year, and some for the entire decade. He was in that same group as Mark Chesnutt, Doug Stone, Joe Diffie, Clay Walker and others, that showed up during country's biggest decade, with the biggest stars ever hogging a lot of the spotlight. But much of his music would be big in any era.

Holdin' Heaven - First Number One!

Byrd was from Texas, and he was traditional country make no mistake. His first album had two misfires with the first two singles, then a song called Holdin' Heaven was released as the third single and it went #1, and that song took the album to gold status. It was a nice little song that was catchy and was easy to remember with a slick video that not only captured the era beautifully but helped define it. It set the stage for the next album that became a huge success.  It also showcased how likable his voice was.  Byrd had a great look, with a big Texas hat, and the trendy Country wear of the era.  He looked like Texas, and fans ate it up.

Watermelon Crawl  -  Was a Gigantic Hit!

No Ordinary Man came out in 1994 and Byrd became an instant contender.  The four singles off of it were big songs, with great charting and popular success.  Lifestyles Of The Rich And Famous, and The First Step were cool songs, but the other two were huge.  Watermelon Crawl was a sensation.  It was a big hit on the radio, it was in the dance halls, it had its own line dance, and it was played by every local band on earth, (still is) listeners LOVED it.  It became one of those anthems of the decade.  And so did the last single, Keeper Of The Stars.  It was an enormous hit, and became a staple at weddings everywhere in the country.  Funny, they didn't plan to have that be a single, but Byrd wanted it to be as it was popular at his live shows. It is still one of the most requested older songs at most stations. The album was multi-platinum and hugely popular.

Keeper Of The Stars - Biggest Wedding Song Of The 1990's

The next couple years were good to Byrd, great songs like Love Lessons, (which is song I l love) Heaven In My Womans Eyes, and the old Johnny Paycheck song, Don't Take Her She's All I Got were good radio songs. And those albums were successful and Byrd was now a regular on the charts.  But the next album, I'm From The Country hit in 1997.  The title song to me, is one of the signature songs of the 1990's.  It only went to #3, but I can't think of a single artist that wouldn't have LOVED to have that song.  But it ended up where it should have.  That song was recorded as most of that album was already done, it changed the albums name, and direction. That song is as much of an anthem as any song of the late 1990's. 

One Of The Anthems Of The Decade....

Byrd flew high for a few of more years with varying levels of success, There were record label changes, some more hits, greatest hit albums and other projects.  But country was pivoting again in the early 2000's, as styles were changing musically and in image. But Byrd had a great run for a number of years.  His voice was recognizable, as were a bunch of his songs. Some of his songs were absolutely influential to many young artists coming up. Funny, when we emcee concerts at Blossom, Country Fest, or The Q, and the music is playing well before the show, I hear Tracy Byrd music as much as any. 

Love Lessons - A Great Country Love Song

As big of a star as he was, I wonder in another era, without Garth, Alan, Clint, Toby, George and Shania, how huge would some of these other stars be? We will never know, but I do know this.  Throughout the 1990's, I'm sure there were times the giants of the era had song envy from Byrd. He recorded some songs everybody wished they had. He contended well, and gave us some monstrous songs of country's biggest decade. And that alone is proof, he left his own mark as much as anyone.

I have been sharing stories of my mom from time to time. She is 93 now, and in good physical condition, but her memory is really not good and getting worse all the time. She has great, qualified 24 hour care at her house now and we are thank thankful for that.  I know many of you have gone through the same situation we are, that's the reason I share this.

Windy and I visited her a few days ago, and had a nice time with her. My mom among other things was a college professor, an actress, and a darn good artist.  She designed and built a huge room addition to her home years ago that was an art studio, (She did it at 75). She then designed another room addition that is now a suite in her home she when she was 78!  She has done hundreds of paintings there, and painted furniture too.  She has had her work on display at many area restaurants and coffee houses.  She has sold a bunch, and has sold a lot of the painted furniture as well.  She is remarkably talented, well she's been doing it for about 75 years.

We asked her if she could do a small painting project for us, make a small sign we had in mind for our home. She said she would and we were thrilled.  But we found out later, that she just can't do it anymore, and that is a tough one to swallow.  Her brain just can't do this incredible thing she was gifted with.  She has not admitted it, but we know. There is a project that she was doing in her studio that has been stopped of restoring the old wooden front door from 1947 from her 168 year old home.  And the small sign, the attempts, well, not good. 

This Table Is In Our House - But she has far larger and more elaborate pieces than this!

I'm not so sure it bothers her, in fact I'm not so sure she remembers the great work she has done for decades.  But we all do. All of us in our family and countless other friends and family have her work in our houses.  Her work is in the Berea Historical Society, Baldwin Wallace University buildings, and the Lakewood Board of Education, where she attended school in the 1930's and 1940's. And even though it may seemingly not bother her, it's not easy to watch.  Such talent.

She Was 91 When This Was Taken  - She was still doing amazing artwork still

We all know how this will play out as we are all big boys and girls here.  But it seemed no matter how old she was, or whatever was going on with her, she always had her art. We never thought she could forget the unforgettable. I'm just thankful we all have some in our homes to enjoy for generations to come.