Life is what happens when you are making other plans~ John Lennon
An eye for an eye will make the whole world blind~Gandhi
The time is always right to do what is right~ Martin Luther King Jr.


Wednesday, January 7, 2026

More People I'd Want to Read About

Have you ever wanted to read about certain people? Certain musicians, actors, actresses or other people because you find them fascinating? I know a lot of people in the entertainment industry are probably private people. They spend their whole day in the limelight, and the last thing that they would want is to have people invading their privacy, which is completely understandable. I respect that. But there are some people who just look like they would be an interesting person to read about

People fascinate me. It interests me to learn about what inspired a person to take up a certain career or hobby, how they met their significant other, what hobbies they have in their spare time. Which is probably why I have so many biographies / autobiographies on my bookshelf

Michael Imperioli

-For those who may know who this is, he was an actor on the television program The Sopranos. He played a character named Christopher Moltisanti, a nephew of main character Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini). He was also on the original Law & Order, playing a Brooklyn detective named Nick Falco, who is brought in to temporarily replace Det. Ed Green (Jesse Martin), who was shot in the line of duty. This actor looks like an interesting person to read about. It'd be interesting to learn what inspired him to pursue a career in acting, how he met his wife, what he felt about some of the roles he's done over the years

Rick Savage

-He's the bass player for Def Leppard. It would be interesting to read about what inspired him to pursue music as a career. What inspired him to pursue the bass guitar specifically, how he met his wife, what his years with Def Leppard are like from his point of view

Steve Harris

-He's the bass player, founding member and primary songwriter for Iron Maiden. Considering some of the songs he's written over the years, to say he is ignorant would be a vast understatement. He's a highly intelligent man. You have to be highly intelligent to write some of the songs he's written. It would be interesting to learn what inspired him to pursue music, what he likes to do in his spare time, his time and experiences with the various ups and downs of Iron Maiden from his point of view, how he became interested in playing football (soccer)

Sean Connery

-Known best for his role as 007, James Bond, Sean Connery would be interesting to read about. Learning about his life growing up in Scotland, the various jobs he held over the years, how he got into acting, what he felt about some of the roles he's been in over the years. He would be very interesting to read about

Timothy Dalton

-He's a rather private man, very protective of his private life it's been said. It would be interesting to read what inspired him to take up, of all careers, a career as an actor, a career that involves being in the public eye

Glenn Tipton

-He's known for being one of the guitarists in Judas Priest. It's been said that he and fellow guitarist K.K. Downing had a very rough relationship. K.K. felt that Glenn was a showoff, that he would drink heavily before concerts and mess up lines. While Glenn claims he never did any of that. He might have had a few drinks before a show, but that never messed up his playing. It would be interesting to read about what inspired Glenn to take up the guitar, how he met his wife, his ongoing battle with Parkinson's Disease, his years with Judas Priest from his point of view

Kate Winslet

-She's one of my favorite actresses. It would be interesting to read about her life growing up, what inspired her to pursue acting, what she thought about some of the films she's been in over the years, how she met her husband, etc.

Roger Glover

-The bassist for Deep Purple and, at one time, for Rainbow, I'm sure he has quite a story or two to tell working with "The Man in Black" himself, Ritchie Blackmore. I think Roger would be an interesting man to read about. Read about what inspired him to take up, of all things, a bass guitar. His point of view on his years with Deep Purple and Rainbow, how he met his wife. Overall, he just looks like a really interesting person. He seems like a generally kind, down to earth man

-It turns out he is actually working on a memoir. That would be interesting to read

Dave Murray

-One of the lead guitarists of British metal band Iron Maiden, he would be an interesting man to read about. To read about what his life was like growing up, his years in Iron Maiden from his point of view, the ups and downs with the band, how he met his wife, some of the songs he's written for Iron Maiden. He just seems like such a down to earth man, so humble and yet so shy all at the same time

Monday, January 5, 2026

January Birthdays

It's January! Time to say Happy Birthday!

Jenson Button

-Birth Name: Jenson Alexander Lyons Button

-DOB: 1/19/1980

-Where: Frome, United Kingdon

-He raced in Formula 1 from 2000-2017

Regina King

-Birth Name: Regina Renee King

-DOB: 1/15/1971

-Where: Los Angeles, California

-Her mother, Gloria, was a special education teacher while her father, Thomas, was an electrician

Dolly Parton

-Birth Name: Dolly Rebecca Parton

-DOB: 1/19/1946

-Where: Pittman Center, Tennessee

-She has over 50 albums credited to her name

Elijah Wood

-Birth Name: Elijah Jordan Wood

-DOB: 1/28/1981

-Where: Cedar Rapids, Iowa

-His parents ran a deli shop, which they sold to fund their move to California

Lewis Hamilton

-Birth Name: Lewis Carl Davidson Hamilton

-DOB: 1/7/1985

-Where: Stevenage, United Kingdom

-Has has been open about his ADHD and dyslexia

Karun Chandhok

-DOB: 1/19/1984

-Where: Chennai, India

-He competed for the Mahindra Racing team in Formula E and Hispania Racing in 2010 for Formula One

Sergio Perez

-Birth Name: Sergio Michel Perez Mendoza

-DOB: 1/26/1990

-Where: Guadalajara, Mexico

-He won six Grand Prix across at least 14 seasons of Formula One

Peter Steele

-Birth Name: Petrus Thomas Ratajczyk

-DOB: 1/4/1962

-Where: Red Hook, New York

-DOD: 4/14/2010

-Where: Scranton, Pennsylvania

-He was known for his slightly vampiric look and being self conscious about his 6'8'' height, especially when photos were involved. He requested the photo to be taken in such a way that not make his height obvious

Janick Gers

-Birth Name: Janick Robert Gers

-DOB: 1/27/1957

-Where: Hartlepool, England

-His father was Polish and his mother was English

Ian Hill

-Birth Name: Ian Frank Hill

-DOB: 1/20/1951

-Where: West Bromwich, England

-One of the founding members of Judas Priest

Richie Faulkner

-Birth Name: Richard Ian Faulkner

-DOB: 1/1/1980

-Where: London, England

-He played guitar for Lauren Harris prior to joining Judas Priest

Rod Stewart

-Birth Name: Roderick David Stewart

-DOB: 1/10/1945

-Where: Highgate, London, England

-He was the singer for The Faces prior to going solo

David Bowie

-Birth Name: David Robert Jones

-DOB: 1/8/1947

-Where: Brixton, London, England

-DOD: 1/10/2016

-Where: New York City, New York

-He had different personas, representing different eras of his music, such as The Thin White Duke, Ziggy Stardust

James May

-Birth Name: James Daniel May

-DOB: 1/16/1963

-Where: Bristol, England

-He can successfully play the piano, flute and saxophone

Kate Middleton

-DOB: 1/9/1982

-Where: Reading, United Kingdom

-She's a strong advocate for mental health, early childhood development and sports

Phil Collins

-Birth Name: Philip David Charles Collins

-DOB: 1/30/1951

-Where: Chiswick, London, England

-He started playing drums at age 5

Malcolm Young

-Birth Name: Malcolm Mitchell Young

-DOB: 1/6/1953

-Where: Glasgow, Scotland

-DOD: 11/18/2017

-Where: Sydney, Australia

-His brother George Young died four weeks after Malcolm

Friday, December 26, 2025

Tulsa King (2022-)

This relatively new TV show stars Sylvester Stallone as a former New York mafioso exiled from New York and force to set up shop in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The show is still up and running, which is why it says 2022- up top

Summary

-After serving a 25 year prison sentence, Dwight "The General" Manfredi, a Mafia capo, is exiled to Tulsa, Oklahoma







Cast

-Sylvester Stallone: Dwight "The General" Manfredi

-Martin Starr: Bodhi

-Jay Will: Tyson Mitchell

-Garrett Hedlund: Mitch Keller

-Dana Delany: Margaret Devereaux

-Chris Caldovino: Dennis "Goodie" Carangi

-McKenna Quigley Harrington: Grace

-Vincent Piazza: Vince Antonacci

-Annabella Sciorra: Joanne Manfredi

-Dashiell Connery: Clint

-Tatiana Zappardino: Tina Manfredi

-Frank Grillo: Bill Bevilaqua

-Dominick Lombardozzi: Charles "Chickie" Invernizzi

-Ritchie Coster: Caolan Waltrip

-Scarlet Rose Stallone: Spencer

Did You Know?

-This is Sylvester Stallone's first lead role in a television series

-Out of all the filming locations he's ever been to, Sylvester Stallone described Tulsa, Oklahoma, with the dusty weather, the temperatures hovering between 103 degrees-111 degrees, as being "By-far, the roughest" filming location he's ever experienced

-Ritchie Coster kept speaking in what he described as his character's terrible Irish accent for fear of losing it if he stopped speaking

-Dwight's nickname is Cinque Stelle, which is five stars in Italian. It also means Five Star General, the rank of the man who gave him his name, Dwight D. Eisenhower

-The character Spencer is played by Sylvester Stallone's real life daughter Scarlet Rose Stallone

-Most of the series was filmed in Oklahoma City, not Tulsa

-Ironically, Chris Caldovino and Vincent Piazza appeared in another TV show about mobsters. Boardwalk Empire on HBO. Chris played Tonino Luciano and Vincent played "Lucky" Luciano

Chris Caldovino

Vincent Piazza

-Vincent Piazza, Max Casella and Annabella Sciorra also appeared together on the HBO TV show The Sopranos. Vincent Piazza played a character named Hernan O'Brien. Max Casella played a character named Benny Fazio. Annabella Sciorra played a character named Gloria Trillo, a Mercedes car dealership employee and mistress of Tony Soprano

Vincent Piazza, The Sopranos

Max Casella, The Sopranos

Annabella Sciorra, The Sopranos

-This series helped Annabella Sciorra get her career back on track after it was revealed that Harvey Weinstein tried to destroy her career because she refused to sleep with him

Friday, December 12, 2025

Rainbow Albums Ranked

When Ritchie Blackmore left Deep Purple, he took his guitar and passion for guitar-driven music with him. He founded a band named after the iconic bar in Los Angeles, the Rainbow. He decided to name the band Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow initially, but after one album, changed it to simply Rainbow. They were a successful hard rock band in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. But, with all the changes in lineup, many couldn't keep up with who was in the band. The people at Ultimate Classic Rock came up with a list, ranking worst to best, the albums of Rainbow

You might see me put my opinion on each one, as it would probably differ from the opinions of the people at Ultimate Classic Rock. I firmly believe that while some feel certain albums are good, others might think otherwise. It's all down to personal preference or opinion

1. Rising (1976)

-Their second album, it still featured vocalist Ronnie James Dio. Now there was drummer Cozy Powell and bassist Jimmy Bain. This album was recorded seemingly as quickly as possible, the band did not overthink the songs. They just went in and recorded them as is. This album is almost as close to Deep Purple as you can. It's a mix of hard rock, with softer songs. The lineup on this album didn't last long, as would be a trademark of the band Rainbow-constantly shifting lineups

-I personally like this album. "Starstruck" is my favorite. Sadly, I know all of the words. Every time it comes on in my car, I turn it up and sing it word for word. Overall, the album is very good

2. Long Live Rock 'n' Roll (1978)

-Their third album and last one with vocalist Ronnie James Dio, there is not much difference between this and Rising. Bassist Bob Daisley came in along with keyboardist David Stone midway through recording. The things that make this album successful are the truly impressive yet symphonic guitar solos from Ritchie combined with Ronnie's powerful vocals

-This is another one of my favorites. "Kill the King" has a ridiculously good guitar solo. It shows just how good Ritchie is on his guitar. The whole album is good, every song good. This is one of my most favorite albums of the band. Not only that, but I love the artwork. I laugh a little when looking at it because, as usual, Ritchie has this annoyed look on his face, almost like he does not know how to smile

3. Down to Earth (1979) 

-This album reunited Ritchie with his former Deep Purple band mate Roger Glover on bass. On vocals is vocalist Graham Bonnet. This album was the fourth album for Rainbow and a move towards more streamlined rock, geared towards getting on the radio. This is considered to the only all British lineup for the band

-I like this one too. "All Night Long" has that really good hard rock sound to it. It starts off with an aggressive guitar sound that sure gets your attention. The video for it is a bit goofy, but then again, it's the 1970s. It's still a good video for a good song. The video is worth a look and you'll get a chuckle if you notice Ritchie's eyes are almost constantly diverting to where the blonde dancer is. Overall, I like this album too

4. Stranger in Us All (1995)

-This was the last album for the band. Instead of being a band record, it, more or less, turned into a Blackmore solo record. The lineup on this album were all new. This album failed to chart, and because of one song on the album, that had a slightly medieval sound to it, it planted the seed for the next major project for Blackmore. A medieval band called Blackmore's Night, with his wife Candace Isralow-Blackmore

-This album is okay. It's not really one of my favorites. There are a few good songs here, but not enough to warrant buying on a CD

5. Straight Between the Eyes (1982)

-This became the highest charting album for the band in the US. The single "Stone Cold" was the only US Top 40 hit for the band. David Rosenthal came in to play keyboards to replace Don Airey. This album provided the type of rock music that audiences wanted in the 1980s

-This is one of my favorites. "Death Alley Driver" is a good song. So is "Stone Cold." I like this album a lot

6. Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow (1975)

-This was done while Ritchie was still part of Deep Purple. This debut album was initially created as a collaboration with Ronnie James Dio and the members of his band, a New York-based outfit called Elf. The lineup on this album didn't last long, as would be a consistent pattern with Blackmore. By the time this album was released nine months later, almost everyone was gone, except for Ronnie and Ritchie. The songs are good, but they sound as if they are unfocused, as if they are just trying things to see if they can or will stick. "Man on the Silver Mountain" is a good one

-I like this album. It has that iconic 1970s sound, kind of distorted sound, goofy lyrics and melodies, but overall good. It just sounds like something that was written in the 1970s. "Man on the Silver Mountain" is a good song. For laughs, there's "Black Sheep of the Family." "Catch the Rainbow" is absolutely gorgeous. It's such a beautiful song and allows Ronnie to show what he can truly do with those powerful vocals

7. Bent Out of Shape (1983)

-This is the seventh album released by Rainbow. It was also their final album with vocalist Joe Lynn Turner and bassist Roger Glover. It was said to be "unremarkable" and "another attempt to crack the elusive US market." Many feel more or less it's okay, but nothing to write home about

-I like this one. Not only are the songs good, but it's the album that introduced me to Rainbow. So it has that additional sentimentality to it for me. "Fire Dance" is a great song. I like "Street of Dreams." This song is really good. The video is almost stereotypically 80s, but still good. The album has a lot of good songs.

8. Difficult to Cure (1981)

-The fifth album for the band, this is Joe Lynn Turner's debut on vocals. They also gained a new drummer named Bobby Rondinelli after Cozy Powell left the band. Blackmore had one goal in mind-make the group accessible to charts, make music that will go on charts and get the attention of potential new fans. This inspired the single "I Surrender." This pop song was written by Russ Ballard. Many of the songs had that shiny 80s production sound and as a result, this album became their highest charting album in all of the UK

-This album is good. My favorite song is "Can't Happen Here." I love that song when it comes on in my car. The album has all good songs, but "Can't Happen Here" is my top favorite from this album