A to Z Challenge (Adalind to Alexis to Alice to Astridto Zari to Ziva to Zoe) Volume 1: Keep On Dancin'

 Welcome to Game 1  

 of the Shady's Place 

 A to Z Challenge! 

 (Adalind to Alexis to Alice to Astrid to Zari to Ziva to Zoe) 

The celebrity players who compete in my version of the popular April blog hop

are favorite characters from popular TV series. Taking turns and working through

the alphabet from A to Z... the contestants play songs by artists whose names

correspond to the letters. A player scores 10 points for picking a valid artist

and 10 bonus points if the song title or artist name contains a number.

There are other ways to gather bonus points, and the rules will be

 revealed as we go along. There are 7 players and 7 songs...

affording each player an equal chance to score points.

 As you might expect, the player with the most

points at the end of the round wins.

 (Please... no wagering.) 

 MEET THE PLAYERS: 

 Adalind Schade 

...a witch-like Wesen called a Hexenbiest on

the fantasy police drama TV series Grimm. 

 Alexis Wright 

...personal assistant on Gypsy, the psychological

thriller Netflix series that stars Naomi Watts. 

 Alice Charles 

...Payton Hobart's girlfriend on the Netflix

comedy drama TV series The Politician. 

 Astrid Sloan 

...Payton's rival on The Politician. 

 Zari Tomaz 

... (above left) a time travelling superhero

on The CW series Legends of Tomorrow. 

 Ziva David 

... a special agent on the action

police procedural TV series NCIS. 

 Zoe Baker 

... Beth Pearson's cousin and Kevin's girlfriend

on the family drama TV series This Is Us.


 Alrighty then, now that you've 

 met the players, let's all take the 

 A to Z Challenge! 

Grimm's beasty beauty Adalind Schade is first at bat with the letter "A." 

Adalind Schade -Grimm: 

"A" is for Are & Be Soul Family... 

an Italian trio featuring vocals by Greta Bragoni. I rack up 10 points

in the game for picking a valid "A" artist plus 20 bonus points because

the "Are" in their name stands for a different letter, "R," and the "Be" in

their name stands for the letter "B" forming "R&B." Watch and listen

as Are & Be Soul Family performs their cool cover of Wild Cherry's

chart-topping 1976 hit-- "Play That Funky Music!" 

"Play That Funky Music"  - Wild Cherry cover

by Are & Be Soul Family (Nov. 2018)

Alexis Wright -

Gypsy:

"B" is for Black Box...

another group from Italy.

I collect 20 points because

there are two "B's" in the

artist's name. I am about

to play the band's best

known recording, the

Italo house dance single

"Ride On Tme." The song

spent six weeks at #1 on

the UK chart and was the

best selling single of

1989 in that country.  

"Ride On Time" - Black Box

(Aug./Sept. 1989, highest

chart pos. #1 UK)

Alice Charles - The Politician:

"C" is for Chicago aka Chicago Transit Authority...

 

and I get 20 bonus points for playing a song that has two numbers

in the title. Written by Robett Lamm, Chicago's principal song scribe,

this was the band's first single. Released in 1969, "Questions 67 and 68"

refers to a relationship Lamm had with a woman in 1967 and 1968. 

"Questions 67 And 68" - Chicago

(Aug. 1969, highest chart pos. #71 Hot 100/#83 Cash Box - 

Oct./Nov. 1971, highest chart pos. #13 Cash Box/#24 Hot 100) 

Astrid Sloan - The Politician:

"D" is for "Damian," Michael Damian... 

the actor and musician who joined the cast of the hit TV daytime drama

 The Young and the Restless in 1980 in the role of teenage rock star

Danny Romalotti. In 1989, Damian gained a chart-topping hit

 with a cover of "Rock On," written and originally recorded

by English singer David Essex. Damn! Only 10 points

for me in this round, but a great song and video!

"Rock On" - Michael Damian

(Apr./May 1989, highest chart pos. #1 Hot 100 & Cash Box) 

Zari Tomaz (Tarazi )-

Legends of Tomorrow:

"E" is for "Everly" as in Everly Brothers...

and I move into a tie for the lead with Alice thanks to a 30 point power play

of my own. The artist's name, The Everly Brothers, begins with "E" and both

words in the title of the song also start with "E." Here are Phil & Don with

"Ebony Eyes," their top 10 tearjerker from early 1961, the A song on

a double-sider that includes another big hit "Walk Right Back." 

"Ebony Eyes" - The Everly Brothers

(Feb./Mar. 1961, highest chart pos. #8 Hot 100 & Cash Box)

Ziva David - NCIS

I'm gonna have a hard time matching

those clever plays by Alice and Zari.

I'm drawing a blank. No-wait, I got one!

 

"F" is for Fabsisters...

the soulful vocal duo from the UK that the

Sense 8 cast introduced in Shady's 2020 salute

to diversity. In that post, sisters Lola & Folake

covered Sam Cooke. Now watch and listen as

they cover Doris Troy's hit "Just One Look,"

a song successfully covered by The Hollies.

"Just One Look" - Doris Troy/The Hollies

cover by The Fabsisters (Aug. 2015)

Zoe Baker -

This Is Us:

Only 10 points for Ziva on

that Fabsisters play, and I can

double her score with this one.

"G" is for Gary's Gang...

and I collect 20 points because

both words in the name of the

artist start with a "G." Most

popular in the late 70s, the

Queens, NY, disco group

 Gary's Gang topped the

dance chart in the U.S.

and made the top 10 in

the UK with their best

known hit, and this is

it- "Keep on Dancin'." 

"Keep on Dancin'" - Gary's Gang

(Apr. 1979, highest chart pos. #1 U.S. Dance, #8 UK,

#15 R&B/#33 Cash Box/#41 Hot 100) 

 SCORECARD 

  ADALIND: 30 

     ALEXIS: 20 

       ALICE: 30 

    ASTRID: 10 

        ZARI: 30 

        ZIVA: 10 

         ZOE: 20 

 Thanks for joining us for this year's 

 A to Z Challenge! 

 (Adalind to Alexis to Alice to Astrid to Zari to Ziva to Zoe) 

 We'll all be back to play again next April! 

Adalind Schade

(Nick brings out the beast in her.)

Whodunit?... with Nick and Audrey Spitz!

This is how you make an entrance, baby!

Hi there, folks! Think we look like Jennifer Aniston
and Adam Sandler? Yeah, we get that a lot.

Actually, we're Nick and Audrey Spitz, stars of

the hit Netflix original movie Murder Mystery.

As you can see, we're having a blast playing detective, examining

clues and trying to figure out who did the dastardly deed -

Miss Scarlett, Colonel Mustard or Mrs. Peacock.

While we try to solve our case we'd like to bust your brain with a friendly game

of Whodunit. Here's how it works. We'll give you the titles of 7 hit records

along with some additional clues. See if you can tell us Whodunit -

who is the artist, group or band that recorded the song?

If you're ready to play, let's put the pedal to the metal and find out if

you've got what it takes to be a first class dick.  No offense intended.

Would it have been better if I used the term gumshoe?

RECORD #1:

The song "Turn Around, Look At Me"

was first recorded in 1961 by country

crooner Glen Campbell. Covers were

released by the Lettermen and by the

Bee Gees, but the most successful

version of all was released in 1968

by the Pittsburgh vocal group also

known for doing "You're The One,"

"Five O'Clock World" and a cover

of the Bobby Helms hit of the

50s, "My Special Angel."

WHODUNIT?

RECORD #2:

In 1979 this English power pop/new wave singer, songwriter and musician

scored a hit with "Cruel To Be Kind," a single that made a run at the

top 10 on the record charts on both sides of the pond.

WHODUNIT?

RECORD #3:

Originally released August 26, 1964, on the B side of "Ride The Wild Surf,"

the song "The Anaheim, Azusa And Cucamonga Sewing Circle, Book Review

And Timing Association," one of the longest titles in pop chart history,

climbed halfway up the Cash Box chart.

WHODUNIT?

RECORD #4:

In March of 1982, "Pac-Man Fever," a novelty single about the classic

video game Pac-Man, peaked in the top 10 and went on to sell

2.5 million copies. It is ranked number 98 on VH1's list of

The 100 Greatest One Hit Wonders of the 80s.

WHODUNIT?

RECORD #5:

Named after a tropical cocktail, this 80s girl trio from Holland broke through

on an international scale in 1985 when two of their disco soul singles,
"Body And Soul" and "History," made the top 10 on the UK chart.
The latter also reached the top 3 on the U.S. Dance chart.

WHODUNIT?

RECORD #6:

This actor and comedian was a frequent host on Saturday Night Live

and joined the regular cast in the mid 80s. His most famous recurring

sketch was a parody of an Argentine-American actor Fernando Lamas

whose catchphrase was "You look... mahvelous!" In 1985 the comic

released the single "You Look Marvelous" along with a music video

in which he does a spot-on imitation of Lamas. The record was a

minor hit in the U.S. and reached the top 20 in Canada.

WHODUNIT?

RECORD #7:

For decades he played the role of Danny Romalotti, Cricket's soul mate

on the hit soap opera The Young and the Restless. He was rock star on

the program and he was also a rocker in real life. In 1989 he topped

the U.S. chart with a cover of "Rock On," originally recorded

in 1973 by English singer David Essex.

WHODUNIT?

SCROLL DOWN TO FIND OUT WHODUNIT!

RECORD #1:

In 1968, the stalker song "Turn Around, Look At Me" was a top 10 hit

on Billboard and a top 5 hit on Cash Box for the Pittsburgh vocal group

 THE VOGUES 

"Turn Around, Look At Me" - The Vogues

(July/Aug. 1968, highest chart pos. #4 Cash Box/#7 Hot 100)

RECORD #2:

In the fall of 1979, the power pop single "Cruel To Be Kind"

was a hit in the U.S. and the UK for English recording artist

 NICK LOWE 

"Cruel to Be Kind" Nick Lowe

(Sept./Oct. 1979, highest chart pos. #12 Hot 100 & Cash Box)

RECORD #3:

In 1964, "The Anaheim, Azusa And Cucamonga Sewing Circle,

Book Review And Timing Association," a song with one of the longest

titles in chart history, was a B side minor hit for the surf rock duo

 JAN AND DEAN 

"The Anaheim, Azusa And Cucamonga Sewing Circle,

Book Review And Timing Association" - Jan And Dean

(Oct. 1964, highest chart pos. #50 Cash Box/#77 Hot 100)

RECORD #4:

"Pac-Man Fever," a novelty number that cashed-in on the video game

craze of the early 80s, reached the top 10 for the one-hit-wonder duo

 BUCKNER & GARCIA 

"Pac-Man Fever" - Buckner & Garcia

(Feb./Mar. 1982, highest chart pos. #7 Cash Box/#9 Hot 100)

RECORD #5:

In 1985, "History," a club single that made the top 40 on the U.S. R&B chart

and was a top 3 hit on the Dance survey, was recorded by the Dutch

girl group named after a cocktail. They called themselves

 MAI TAI 

"History" - Mai Tai
(July 1985, highest chart pos. #109 Bubbling Under,

#37 R&B/#3 U.S. Dance, #8 UK)

RECORD #6:

The comic actor who impersonated Latin playboy Fernando Lamas

in SNL sketches and on the music video "You Look Marvelous" is

 BILLY CRYSTAL 

"You Look Marvelous" - Billy Crystal

(Aug./Sept. 1985, highest chart pos. #58 Hot 100/#60 Cash Box)

RECORD #7:

Rock star Danny Romalotti, Cricket Blair's long time love interest on Y&R,

had a chart-topping single for realsies in 1989 with "Rock On." His name is

 MICHAEL DAMIAN 

"Rock On" Michael Damian

(May, June 1989, highest chart pos. #1 Hot 100 & Cash Box)

Okay let's find out how well you did on the quiz.

Use the scoring system below to determine

your music detective I.Q.

ALL 7 CORRECT

Holy moly, if you correctly named all 7 artists, you're a super sleuth!

You will be inducted into the Music Detective Hall of Fame

and the Whodunit Record Book.

6 CORRECT

BOOM! No shame whatsoever. I spy a budding private eye. You put the

Mike Hammer down. Charlie Chan - U Da Man. Way to go, Columbo!

5 CORRECT

Nice try, Sherlock! You're a middling, mediocre Magnum, P.I.

Looks like Popeye Doyle could use a little oil. You're no

Dick Tracy and you sure as hell aren't Cagney & Lacey!

3 OR 4 CORRECT

What the hay, at least you gave it your best shot (and failed).
Nancy Drew sure ain't you! Philip Trent got up and went.
Adrian Monk got no spunk. Inspector Clouseau's
got a long way to go!

1 OR 2 CORRECT

No! Not good! Bad! Face it. You're a defective detective!

Boston Blackie? Not exactly! Bulldog Drummond's got fleas!

Philip Marlowe set the bar low!

0 (GOOSE EGG, NONE) CORRECT

TIMBER! You flunked the course! Sam Spade fell asleep in the shade.

Holy dumbed-down Barney Fife, Batman! Peter Gunn ain't got none.

Nero Wolfe's been outfoxed. Kojak? NO, Jack!

Shhhhhh! We need you to keep this on the down low because we're still

working our Murder Mystery, but you'll be happy to know that we'll be

back soon to play another exciting game of Whodunit? Stick around!