Pure Magic - the Shady Dell Attic: 100+ Years of History and Mystery!

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Showing posts with label Christina Ricci. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Christina Ricci. Show all posts

Saturday, January 14, 2023

Lauren Monroe's Secret Stash

 

COLD OPEN:
CLICK TO START THE VIDEO NOW!


"The Shoop Shoop Song (It's In His Kiss)" - Cher
(Dec. 1990/Jan. 1991, highest chart pos. #33 Hot 100,
#43 Cash Box/#1 UK and five other countries,
from OST of Dec. 1990 film Mermaids)

Lauren Monroe

Kicking-off the show with the first musical gem from my Secret Stash...
that was the one and only Cher doing her updated 1990 version of
 "The Shoop Shoop Song (It's In His Kiss)." The ditty first became
popular in the spring of 1964 when R&B singer Betty Everett brushed
the top 5 on the pop chart and topped the Cash Box R&B survey with her
cover. "The Shoop Shoop Song" was first released in 1963 by soul/gospel
artist Merry Clayton. In 1990, Cher recorded the song for the soundtrack
of her movie Mermaids. Released as a single, Cher's rendition became
an international hit and her first chart-topping solo single in the UK.


In that music video you just watched promoting the film and
the record, Cher was joined by two up-and-coming young
actresses who played her daughters in Mermaids.

Winona Ryder

 The older daughter is Winona Ryder, currently starring in Stranger Things.
The younger daughter is Christina Ricci in her film debut.

Christina Ricci (left foreground)
 
 Months later, Christina delighted audiences in the role
of Wednesday Addams in The Addams Family movie.


 By the way, in case you're wondering why Cher's record charted so low in the U.S.
while topping the charts in 6 other countries, it's because the single was released in
Europe in conjunction with her album Love Hurts which included "Shoop Shoop"
as a bonus track. Stateside, the album was released without "Shoop Shoop," and it
would take nearly a decade before it became available on a Cher album in the U.S.

Hi, I'm Lauren Monroe.

Think I look like Lily Collins, daughter of the famous musician Phil Collins?
Yeah, I get that a lot... but I really don't see the resemblance.

Lily Collins
daughter of Phil Collins

I mean, as you can see (above), Lily Collins
is wearing a bright red, white and black print...

Lauren Monroe
D.A. & DJ

...whereas I... Lauren Monroe (above) am wearing solid black.

Need further convincing? Let's do that comparison again.  

Lily Collins
daughter of Phil Collins

Lily Collins is wearing a white blouse (above)...

...and once again, as even a child could see... 

Lauren Monroe
D.A. & DJ

I... Lauren Monroe... am wearing solid black.


 I hope that puts to rest the silly rumor that I am Lily Collins.
I am, in fact, Lauren Monroe, star of the 2020 thriller movie
Inheritance. In a nutshell, I'm the Manhattan district attorney
and elder daughter of Archer Monroe, patriarch of a wealthy
and powerful New York City political family. 


Poor daddy died recently and his estate was divided among the family.
Damn!  My piece of the pie was a measly one million dollars...
about as much as you could typically find in the
couch cushions at daddy's mansion.


 However, my inheritance also included a surprise...


...a secret that had remained buried for the last 30 years.


I could tell you more, much more...


 but I don't want to be a spoiler.

Lauren Monroe - D.A. & DJ 
(not Lily Collins)

I refer to my buried treasure as my Secret Stash and, coincidentally, that's
the name of my new S-P-M-M Radio series coming soon to Shady's Place.
Today I'm giving you a sneak peek at the show. As a D.A. - turned - DJ,
I'll be playing seldom heard, little known recordings by well known
artists along with seldom heard, little known recordings by obscure
artists. These great songs and filmed performances have been
kept secret far too long. My job is to bring them to your attention.


Alright, now that we have the pleasantries out of the way,
let's get back to boppin' as I spin more great but
overlooked and underappreciated tunes.


Toward the end of 1968, the American-Canadian psychedelic rock
band Steppenwolf topped the Canadian chart and had a top 3 hit
in the U.S. with "Magic Carpet Ride." In 1988, the dance duo
of Stacy "Acacia" Smith and Lisa "Jaz" Teaney released
an entirely different song with the same title. 

CLICK TO START THE VIDEO NOW!

In March of that year, the sizzling single broke into the top 5
winner's circle on the Dance chart. Here they are now...
LA's best kept secret - a hot ticket called Bardeux - 
and they want to sweep you off your feet and
take you on their type of- "Magic Carpet Ride!"


"Magic Carpet Ride" - Bardeux
(Mar. 1988, highest chart pos. #5 Hot Dance Singles,
#78 Cash Box/#81 Hot 100)


The secret's out about Loving You, Elvis Presley's second film,
released in June, 1957, and you're hearing it from me first.
The cast includes Jana Lund and Yvonne Lime,
the latter in the uncredited part of "Sally."


 In 1958, those two young actresses starred in High School Hellcats,
and Yvonne's character, Joyce Martin, is now a celebrity presenter
at Shady's Place, star of the S-P-M-M Retro Radio series
Joyce Martin's a Gold Digger.


Those Hellcats are trouble with a capital "T" - I just know it.
More fun facts: Loving You introduced actress Dolores Hart,
best known by some as one of the spring breakers in
Where The Boys Are, the 1960 coming-of-age
comedy movie that stars Connie Francis.

Dolores Hart
Actress - turned - nun

In the early 60s, Dolores, who was compared to Grace Kelly,
stunned Hollywood and her fans when she walked away from
her blossoming acting career to become a Roman Catholic
Benedictine nun. Dolores spent the next 43 years
of her life in a monastery.


Elvis Presley recorded the song "Mean Woman Blues" for the soundtrack
of Loving You. Released as a single, the song brushed the top 10 on the
R&B chart in September that year, and was also a hit on the Country
chart. In the fall of 1963, rock & roll crooner Roy Orbison
reached the top 5 with his cover of the song.

CLICK TO START THE VIDEO NOW!

Here he is at his swaggering best, Elvis "The Pelvis" Presley,
in a scene from Loving You singing-- "Mean Woman Blues!"


"Mean Woman Blues" - Elvis Presley
(Sept. 1957, highest chart pos. #11 R&B,
scene from June 1957 film Loving You)


If you're just tuning in, I'm Lauren Monroe, star of the 2020 thriller movie
Inheritance and your Hostess with the Mostest... a D.A. - turned - DJ...
bringing you a sneak preview of my Shady's Place radio series
Lauren Monroe's
Secret Stash.
 We're right in the middle of a 6-in-a-row non-stop
commercial free cruise on S-P-M-M Retro Radio.  

CLICK TO START THE VIDEO NOW!

In 1968, Simon And Garfunkel topped the chart with "Mrs. Robinson," a song from
the soundtrack of the hit Dustin Hoffman movie The Graduate.  Now meet the
secret weapons of alternative rock, Beantown's best, The Lemonheads, as
they perform their cover, a top 10 single on the Alt-chart in early 1993!


"Mrs. Robinson" - S&G cover by The Lemonheads
(Jan. 1993, highest chart perf. #8 Alternative,
#118 Bubbling Under/#16 Australia/#19 UK)


Lauren Monroe, the little girl with the really big shoe...sitting up here
in the blogcast booth on the top floor of Shady Towers and dragging
another long lost, seldom heard relic from my Secret Stash. In 1957,
prolific singer/songwriter Paul Anka turned a crush he had on an
older woman into his breakthrough hit, the chart-topper "Diana."
 You may not know that Paul released a sequel to the song
that cracked the top 40 in 1963.

CLICK TO START THE VIDEO NOW!

Here's not-so-tall Paul asking you to-- "Remember Diana."


"Remember Diana" - Paul Anka
(Apr./May 1963, highest chart pos.
#35 Cash Box/#39 Hot 100)


That wraps-up my sneak preview. Thanks for joining me. Stick around.
Coming up on the flip side of Gary Owens' news, it a solid COLD
edition of Arnie Ginsburg's Night Train Show, and I'll
be back soon with the official debut of my new series
Lauren Monroe's
Secret Stash.

"Michael - look out!"
To close the show and play us off, here comes actor
David Hasselhoff of Baywatch and Knight Rider fame.
It's a well kept secret that David is also a gifted singer with a
 long list of recording credits that includes two #1 hits in Europe.

CLICK TO START THE VIDEO NOW!

This is your last chance to Party Your Hasselhoff as David sings his
cool cover of Neil Diamond's 1969 hit "Sweet Caroline." Now this
is D.A. - turned - DJ Lauren Monroe reminding you that some
secrets are well worth sharing. See you soon!


"Sweet Caroline" - David Hasselhoff
(single from Sept. 2021 album Party Your Hasselhoff


Thursday, October 20, 2022

When All Saints Go Marching In

COLD OPEN:
CLICK TO START THE VIDEO NOW!


 "I Know Where It's At" - All Saints 
 (Sept./Oct. 1997, highest chart pos. #4 UK, 
 #1 Canada Dance/#7 Canada/#36 U.S. Hot 100

You just saw and heard All Saints, an English-Canadian
girl group formed in London in 1993... part of the
90s wave of successful British pop girl groups.


Hi, I'm Melissa Kitt, one of the stalked sorority sisters in
the 2006 slasher film Black Christmas aka Black X-Mas.


I am also one of Shady's Leading Ladies... the
Scream Queens from his favorite horror movies.


 Think I look like Dawn, the girl from Buffy? I get that a lot.


 And I'm Dana Mathis, another Scream Queen and another sorority
babe hunted by a psycho killer in the horror thriller Black X-Mas.


 Think I look like Claudia from Party of Five? I get that a lot.


Welcome to a special tribute featuring the exciting hit songs and videos of
All Saints. The act began as an all English trio known as All Saints 1.9.7.5.,
a name inspired by the birth year of members Melanie Blatt and Shaznay
Lewis. The third member of the group, Simone Rainford, left in 1996.


When Simone departed, the act was turned into a quartet (above)
with the addition of the Canadian Appleton sisters, Natalie and
Nicole, and their name was shortened to All Saints. With this
lineup, the group had a hit streak that lasted nearly ten years.


I suppose you could call us "The Heathers." I'm Heather Fitzgerald,
the third main character sorority girl trying to stay alive in Black X-Mas.


 Think I look like Michelle from 10 Cloverfield Lane


I get that a lot.


And I'm Heather, star of the cutting edge 2013
slasher movie Texas Chainsaw 3D.


 Think I look like Allison from Malevolence 2: Bereavement


I get that a lot.

All Saints scored the biggest hit of their career with the second single
from their self-titled debut album released in 1997. The song topped
the charts in the UK, Australia and New Zealand and cracked the
top 5 in the U.S. Here are All Saints and-- "Never Ever."


 "Never Ever" (US Version) - All Saints 
  (Dec. 1997/Jan. 1998, highest chart pos. #1 UK 
 #1 Australia & New Zealand/#4 U.S. Hot 100) 


I'm Scream Queen Christine Brown, a young career woman
who falls victim to a gypsy curse in Drag Me To Hell...


...the 2009 supernatural horror film co-written and directed by Sam Raimi.

 Think I look like Angela from Matchstick Men? I get that a lot.

At the start of 2001, All Saints released a dirty ditty that drew
praise from some critics and negative reviews from others.

CLICK TO START THE VIDEO NOW!

The single fell just short of the top 5 on the UK chart.
Here now are All Saints with their naughty hip hop,
P-funk and R&B song-- "All Hooked Up."


 "All Hooked Up" - All Saints 
 (Jan./Feb. 2001, highest chart pos. #7 UK/#8 Scotland & Belgium) 

I'm Sarah, the babysitter tormented by a killer clown in
the 2013 American horror anthology film All Hallows' Eve.


 Think I look like Monica Brown from Terrifier?


I get that a lot.

Following the release of "All Hooked Up," All Saints went on a five year
hiatus, made necessary by personal conflicts within the group. The girls
reunited five years later and achieved a comeback with a single that
hit #3 on the UK chart. Here again are All Saints and- "Rock Steady."
   

 "Rock Steady" - All Saints 
 (Nov./Dec. 2006, highest chart pos. #3 UK) 


Hi, I'm Rachel, a Scream Queen from Pernicious, a Thai-American
supernatural horror film released just in time for Halloween in 2014.


Think I look like Pamela from Deadly Famous?

 
I get that a lot.

In late 1998 and early '99, All Saints achieved their 5th top 10 hit in
the UK with a soulful ballad. The music video was shot in London's
famous Met Bar. Here now are All Saints with-- "War Of Nerves."


 "War Of Nerves" - All Saints 
 (Dec. 1998/Jan. 1999, highest chart pos. 
 #7 UK/#9 Scotland/#10 Netherlands) 



I'm Julia, another lead character in the 2014 spookfest Pernicious.



Think I look like of Jana Hawkes, Kevin Fisher's wife
on The Young And The Restless? I get that a lot.  


Now let's hear one of the songs our spotlight group released
early in their career when they were a trio calling themselves
All Saints 1.9.7.5. and the lineup included Simone Rainford
who sadly died young in 2013 just after her 38th birthday.
 This song that Simone and the trio recorded in the mid 90s
was released two different years and with two different titles.

CLICK TO START THE VIDEO NOW!

The song went from "If You Wanna Party (I Found Lovin')"
in 1995 to "Let's Get Started" in 1997 to coincide with the
re-launch of All Saints with the Appleton sisters. Check it out!


 "If You Want To Party (I Found Lovin')" aka 
 "Let's Get Started" - All Saints 1.9.7.5./All Saints 
 (orig. release 1995/re-released Aug. 1997) 



I'm Alex, the third Scream Queen from Pernicious.



Think I look like Nicole from Blood Lake:
Attack of the Killer Lampreys?  I get that a lot.  

 
The 2006 All Saints reunion that yielded the hit single "Rock Steady"
didn't last. Once again, the group broke-up, but got back together
in 2013. In 2016, All Saints went on their first headlining tour
in 15 years, visiting 10 British cities in support of their
comeback album Red Flag. Here's the second single
released from Red Flag-- "This Is A War."


 "This Is A War - All Saints 
 (May 2016 single from Apr. 2016 album Red Flag



Hi, I'm Ellie Myers, Scream Queen star of the 2005
Wes Craven werewolf horror/comedy movie Cursed.


Think I look like Wednesday from The Addams Family?

 
I get that a lot.

We hope you enjoyed meeting more of Shady's Leading Ladies,
the Scream Queens from his favorite horror movies.


To play us off, our featured artists, All Saints, do their hit cover of
"Lady Marmalade," originally a 1975 chart-topper by the American
R&B group Labelle. The song was also famously covered in 2001
by Christina Aguilera, Lil' Kim, Mýa, and Pink on the soundtrack
of Nicole Kidman's musical romantic drama film Moulin Rouge!

CLICK TO START THE VIDEO NOW!

The All Saints version of "Lady Marmalade" was released in 1998 as a
double A-side with "Under The Bridge." Both songs reached the top of
the chart in the UK. The music video shows the All Saints ladies joining
a bunch of party people on a floor of a New York skyscraper at night.
Now for all of the Scream Queens this is Ellie Myers saying good-
bye and reminding you that life can be a scream. See ya!


 "Lady Marmalade" - All Saints 
 (May/June/July 1998, highest chart pos. #1 UK/#2 Scotland, 
 #5 Australia, rel. as double A-side of "Under The Bridge")