NEW MUSIC: GIORGIO MORODER FT. KYLIE MINOGUE - RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW

Legendary producer Giorogio Moroder (Donna Summer, Irene Cara, Blondie) is coming back with a new album this year called 74 is the New 24. Clever. The first single from that upcoming project is a dico-fied ditty with none other than Kylie Minogue herself. Who better to sing on a dance track than one of the sexiest modern day disco divas? It's a tasty confection that will have you shaking your groove thing. Take a listen to Right Here, Right Now and try not to move to it. You can get the song on iTunes. There's no release date yet for 74 is the New 24.

THE WEEK IN REVIEW

Another week is gone. Hope it was a good one for everyone. I had my yearly checkup today and it sucked balls. I hate going to the doctor, but I love talking to you rockstars. SOOOOOOOOO…….here are the top stories of the week:

Miley and Katy staged a kiss made out at Miley's concert.

RuPaul's Drag Race starts a SIXening new season and RuPaul drops a new video that is twerk-tastic, y'all!!

Robin Thicke and Paula Patton un-blur their lines.

One of the greatest albums of all time. Take it in and dance, bitches!!!

THROWBACK THURSDAY: FLASHDANCE SOUNDTRACK

What a feelin'!!!!! 1983 was a stellar year for music all around, but if you ask me -- and you didn't -- I would have to say the year was stolen by the soundtrack to a little film I like to call Flashdance. Well, the reason I like to call it that is because it was the name of the film, so..... ANYHOOZERS! Flashdance, and  its star Jennifer Beals, were a phenomenon. It changed the way movies were made, the way soundtracks were marketed to sell a film and was the first film to use MTV as a major marketing tool. Giorgio Moroder (and supervisor Phil Ramone) compiled a veritable who's who of the music industry and put together an unforgettable soundtrack with two #1 singles on its tracklisting. Flashdance....What a Feeling by Irene Cara is arguably the best dance song of the 80s or any other era. It shot to #1 on the Hot 100 on May 28, 1983 and stayed there for six weeks, garnering both a Golden Globe and an Oscar for Best Original Song. Maniac by Michael Sembello was released as the second single and hit #1 on September 10, 1983 and spent two weeks at the top spot. Maniac was also nominated for Best Original Song at the Academy Awards that year. Though no other singles were released from the album for various reasons, several songs enjoyed airplay on MTV with promotional videos, like Donna Summer's Romeo, and the soundtrack itself was nominated for a Grammy for Album of the Year and won one for Best Album of Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or Television Special. It went on to sell over 6 million copies in the US. Other top artists of the time who appeared on the album were Kim Carnes, Laura Branigan and Joe Esposito. I would say the highlight of the album for me -- and what else matters -- are Shandi's He's a Dream and Karen Kamon's Manhunt (which is the third video below and it will blow your mind). Those songs ROCK!!! And DO NOT get me started on Cynthia Rhodes who is the goddess of 80s dance movies (see Staying Alive and Dirty Dancing). Seriously, Flashdance is one of my favorite movies of all time and one of the MAIN reasons I became a dancer. The movie and the soundtrack are sexy, flashy and made for the MTV generation. Watch and listen below to some of the cutting edge sounds from 1983's #1 soundtrack, Flashdance.

SOUNDTRACK DAY!!

I thought I'd give you a glimpse into my world by listing my top 5 favorite soundtracks of all time. These are based solely on the merits of how much I personally enjoyed them, so if you don't agree that's okay. You're 100% wrong, but that's okay. ha. Anyway, just a little trip down memory lane for me and hopefully for you! Some of my fondest memories are attached to these movies and their music. Here we go. Oh, and yes, they're all from the 70s an 80s. DUH!

5. Saturday Night Fever - I mean, HELLO! This album is a freakin' masterpiece and defines an entire decade of music. The incomparable Bee Gees put together a soundtrack that perfectly captured the sexy, gritty disco era and produced unforgettable songs in the process. The title track, More Than a Woman, If I Can't Have You, How Deep is Your Love are all classics. It doesn't even matter that I can only understand about five words of Night Fever, it's still one of my favorite songs of all time. Watch the video for the song and try not to shake that ass!


4. 9 1/2 Weeks - Arguably the sexiest movie of the 80s, especially since it was basically one long sex scene, 9 1/2 Weeks also had an amazing soundtrack that went along with it!! Though not has hugely successful as other 80s soundtracks, it did spawn the hit by Duran Duran member John Taylor, I Do What I Do. But more importantly, the whole album was great! Contributions by Eurythmics, Devo, Corey Hart (Eurasian Eyes, my fave), Dalbello and Luba all unimaginably great, and of course the gem of them all, You Can Leave Your Hat On by Joe Cocker which Kim Basinger does her strip tease to. Hot!! Watch the NSFW VIDEO below and check out this album if you never have.


3. Footloose - DANCE!!! Footloose was undeniably a phenomenon when it came out. Everybody had seen it and everybody had the soundtrack. Hit after hit after hit, including two #1 song, Footloose and Let's Hear It For The Boy, flooded the radio for months. Of course, every song was a hit to me, especially Bonnie Tyler's Holding Out for a Hero and Dancing in the Sheets by Shalamar. You all know a song from Footloose. Here is the INCREDIBLY 80s video for Holding Out for a Hero for you to enjoy/laugh at. But the song is amazy!!


2. Flashdance - Another film that completely changed the way I thought about music and movies. Flashdance was like watching a really long music video, and I LOVED it. Still obsessed with Jennifer Beales to this day, as a matter of fact. From the smash, Academy Award winning title track by Irene Cara to the #1 hit Maniac, Flashdance's sountrack was chock full of energy and electronic goodness. Find a better group of songs than Manhunt, Imagination and Romeo. I dare you. Here is the video for Flashdance...What a Feelin' by Irene Cara. Amazing.


1. Purple Rain - If you don't like Purple Rain, you don't like MUSIC!! Prince & the Revolution let loose a masterpiece that was, is and always will be my favorite movie sountrack of all time. The album stayed at #1 for 24 weeks and spawned the moster hits When Doves Cry, Let's Go Crazy, the title track, Take Me With U and the glorious I Would Die 4 U. Every song is amazing and complex and done in only a way Prince can do. It won an Academy Award for Best Original Song Score. It's regarded as one of the best albums of all time. Here is the final scene from Purple Rain with I Would Die 4 U & Baby, I'm a Star. Wow. That's all I can say. Wow. Enjoy.

Prince - I would die 4 U/ Baby I'm a Star from mark Daley on Vimeo.

DIVA DAY: IRENE CARA, CYNDI LAUPER

Oooooh, I lived for these two. I danced around, twirling and rubbing my thighs a la Jennifer Beals to Irene Cara's Flashdance.. What a Feeling for a solid year. No joke. I was obsessed. Poor management lead to a woefully short career for Irene who, by any standard, should have become a mega-star. Her voice, acting and charisma were top notch. I have listened to her album What a Feeling about 3 million times and counting. Love her! Anyone who reads my blog know how I feel about Cyndi Lauper. She is truly one of the most unique talents in the music business and such an inspiration for a generation of artists. There is no stopping her even today as she shows range with each album. Here are two of my fave divas for you: Irene Cara (Why Me) and Cyndi Lauper (She Bop).

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, IRENE CARA!!

Before I fell in love with Cyndi Lauper or Madonna or Janet, but after Olivia Newton-John, there was Irene Cara. Oh, she of Fame/Flashdance superstardom!! My little heart would beat to the songs coming from her mouth. Irene turns 48 today. Grammy and Oscar winner, Irene has been out of the limelight for a few years, but her place in my heart holds firm. Enjoy some Irene!!!