Remember songs from the 80’s like “We Are The World” and “Don’t They Know It’s Christmas?”

There was another one too, but it had a metal twist.  Ronnie James Dio and other Dio members put together their own charity project called “Hear N’ Aid,” but it kind of fizzled.

The result was the song “Stars,” featuring members of Mötley Crüe, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Quiet Riot, Twisted Sister, Blue Öyster Cult and even Spinal Tap. The group also enlisted Ted Nugent and Yngvie Malmsteen to record the track and put out an album, Stars, featuring live cuts by Kiss, Rush, Dio and more.

Because of contract problems, the song and album was released late and never made the transition to CD.

That is until now.  Ronnie’s widow Wendy Dio is re-releasing Stars as part of an effort to honor Dio’s memory and raise funds for the “Stand Up And Shout” Cancer Fund.

Jeesh. It’s 7 rockin’ minutes long.

There’s a new poll out today that says we’re so worried that no one can pull us out of the current economic crisis, that we’re thinking about which former President could help us.

Keep in mind, these people are no longer alive, but we would like to bring back.  Zombie presidents?  Let’s hope it doesn’t go that far. Here’s what the 60 Minutes/Variety Poll said:

36 % said they wanted the Ronald Reagan to lead America out of the economic crisis

29 % picked Roosevelt

14% picked Thomas Jefferson

8% picked Roosevelt’s successor Harry Truman

1% chose William Henry Harrison, who was inaugurated in March 1841 and died one month later.

For me, I’d choose a President that never dies to fill the role.  That would be a president from the movies. Here’s some good choices:

Robin Williams as Theodore Roosevelt from Night At The Museum – Quite bronze and fearless.

Harrison Ford as President James Marshall in Air Force One - He’ll punch ya in the face.

Morgan Freeman as President Tom Beck in Deep Impact – Com’mon.  It’s Morgan Freeman.

Harry Shearer as President Arnold Schwarzenegger in The Simpsons Movie – He’ll terminate high interest rates.

I couldn’t have said it better.

“Being the richest man in the cemetery doesn’t matter to me … Going to bed at night saying we’ve done something wonderful… that’s what matters to me.” [The Wall Street Journal, May 25, 1993]

“Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don’t settle.” [Stanford commencement speech, June 2005]

“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.” [Stanford commencement speech, June 2005]

The Lucas Cates Band at the 2011 MAMAs. Photo courtesy of Teri Barr.

It has to be a good feeling to use your talent, whatever that may be, to do something good.  That’s what Madison-based The Lucas Cates Band is doing tonight in Bismark, North Dakota.

You’ve probably heard about the devastating floods that have hit Minot, North Dakota in the past two weeks.  Of the 11,000 residents that were evacuated, some are returning to find their homes still under 10 feet of water.  There’s the physical damage to their homes and there’s the emotional damage knowing that some of the homes are destroyed.

For the band, this is something personal.

For Bassist Mark Noxon, this was home.  Noxon has close relatives in Minot.   The neighborhood where his mother grew up and his aunt, uncle and cousins still live, was one of the hardest hit areas.  Mark spent many of his summers there.

To lend a hand the band rearranged it’s tour and quickly set up a benefit show tonight in Bismark.  They’re donating the door charge on top of an

Noxon's neighborhood in Minot, ND after the June floods.

extra donation from the band to the Red Cross and the rebuilding effort.  Since the show is a bit out of range for most of us in Madison, you can make a donation to the North Dakota Chapter of the Red Cross to help out.

Noxon says the show is for taking a break from the floods and having some fun for the night.  You can listen to our interview with Noxon here:

Interview with Mark Noxon of The Lucas Cates Band

The Lucas Cates Band won six awards at the 2011 Madison Area Music Association awards, more than any other band.

To celebrate Father’s Day, we’ve compiled a list of TV’s best and worst dads. While these dads are completely fictitious, these men have had a heavy influence on the way Americans approach fatherhood. We’ve got representatives from the “aw shucks” 1950s dad to the bumbling idiot dad of the 21st Century.

TV’s Best Dads

Andy Taylor- The Andy Griffith Show
As a single dad, Sheriff Taylor did a fantastic job raising his son Opie. In every episode, Sheriff Andy taught his son and the rest of America one important lesson- do the right thing.

Not only did Andy teach little Opie important life lessons, he also made sure to spend plenty of time with him on fishin’ trips.

Homer Simpson- The Simpsons
I originally put Homer on the worst TV dad list because he’s a perfect example of television’s  bumbling idiot dad.

Sure, he is a poor example of physical health. Sure, he constantly abuses Bart through strangulation. But at the end of the day, the man would do anything for his kids. One of my favorite examples of this was when Homer, unbeknownst to Bart, acted like a robot so Bart could win the Robot war competition. In the process, Homer got bludgeoned and poked with sharp metal objects. Ah, the abiding and hilarious love of a father.

Hank Hill- King of the Hill
Hank Hill may just sell propane and propane accessories, but he’s the best damn propane seller in Heimlich County. Hank does a fantastic job of teaching his son Bobby the meaning of hard work, dedication, loyalty to friends and family, the importance of Dallas Cowboys football and Texas pride, and of course, the stupidity of political correctness.

Yeah, Bobby is awkward, and sometimes Hank is overly concerned about Bobby being a sissy, but he’s always there when Bobby needs him.

Steve Douglas- My Three Sons
My Three Sons was one of many dad sitcoms from the 1950s and 60s based around a widowed father raising their kids. Steve Douglas was an aeronautical engineer trying to raise three sons first in the Midwest and then in Los Angeles, California.

The show ran for 12 years and during that time, America saw Steve’s three sons move out, go to college, and get married. Raising well adjusted and successful family men definitely makes you a great dad.

Ward Cleaver- Leave It To Beaver
Ward Cleaver embodies the stereotypical 1950s dad. Ward might have been idealized, but that doesn’t mean men shouldn’t be inspired to be the kind of father he was. Ward Clever was a businessman that took his job as seriously as his family. Even when frustrated, the man hardly raised his voice.

He read Mark Twain to his sons. When he did give bad advice, (like telling the Beaver to get in a fight with a girl) Ward would admit his mistake and teach his sons a lesson in the process.

Dr. Heathcliff Huxtable- The Cosby Show
Cliff Huxtable was able to manage raising five kids while being a successful doctor. On top of that, he amassed the most awesome sweater collection in the history of TV fatherdom. Dr. Huxtable’s advice to his children was always based on common sense mixed with a wisecrack.

Dr. Huxtable taught his children that personal responsibility is the key to success in life. For example, even though his son, Theo, had dyslexia, Dr. Huxtable still expected him to excel in life and not use his learning disorder as an excuse.

Mike Brady- The Brady Bunch
Mike Brady, a widower, was faced with the challenge of integrating his three sons with another woman’s brood of three girls. He handled the situation by being both a strict disciplinarian and an empathetic guy. He had a home office/studio in his house so he could work part of the time at home, and even when he went to his real office, he came home around the time the kids returned from school.

He won “Father of the Year” on the show after Marcia submitted an essay in his praise to a newspaper. While clearly a stellar dad, Mike gets docked for abandoning his man haircut for a curly perm, and pulling a no-show for Greg’s high school graduation

Howard Cunningham- Happy Days
Mr. Cunningham (or “Mr. C.” as the Fonz lovingly called him) was not only the dad to Richie and Joanie Cunningham, but he also acted as a father figure for the Fonz (who Mr. C let move into the family garage), Ralph Malph, and Potsie.

He always laid down the law in his house. He was never his kids’ friend, but was always their loving authority figure. Although he loses points for not losing any sleep when his son Chuck disappeared in the second season, in general, Mr. C was a great dad.

Worst TV’s Dads

Tony Soprano- The Sopranos
Sure, Tony was able to provide for his family as a “garbage man,” but other than that, the guy was a lousy father. It’s tough to be raised by a professional criminal who knocks off people, including your boyfriend, with little remorse.

Tony cheated on his wife and had a strained relationship with his children. As a result, his kids suffered from some serious emotional issues.

Al Bundy- Married With Children
Al Bundy had no redeeming qualities. He was loser who wished he could go back to his high school days when he was a football star. Sitting on the couch with his hand in his pants, he doled out criticism to his family with apathetic aplomb.

He was stuck in a dead end job as a shoe salesman, and couldn’t even excel in that capacity. He was up to his ears in debt. His relationship with his kids was poor and his attitude toward women, including his wife, was deplorable. If you want a lesson on how not to be a man, watch Married with Children.

Archie Bunker- All in the Family
All in the Family was a critically acclaimed show that broke boundaries in regards to race, religion, and gender all thanks to Archie Bunker, the most bigoted old man in television history. Archie pretty much spent his entire time sitting in his living room chair spouting off racial epithets and calling his son-in-law “Meathead.”

While Archie started to soften up as the series progressed, he was still pretty much a racist jackass.

Peter Griffin- Family Guy
Peter Griffin is a lousy father. He makes fun of Chris, pays no attention to Stewie, and treats Meg like crap. His selling of Meg to pay off a debt at the local drug store is a perfect example of his failure as a dad. A father that sells his daughter into slavery deserves to be hit across the face with the baseball bat.

Of course, if that happened to Peter, it would be hilarious. And probably involve some kind of wacky TV sitcom flashback.

Gob Bluth- Arrested Development
Gob (pronounced like the Biblical character Job) works as a part-time magician and beauty contest judge. He was formally a male stripper, working as one of the “Hot Cops.” During one of Gob’s many one night stands during high school, he unknowingly fathered Steve Holt. Gob doesn’t find out that he’s Steve’s dad until Steve is a senior in high school.

Gob doesn’t know how to deal with this new found responsibility and Steve is surely disappointed that his long lost dad scoots about town on a Segway. On the upside, his magic show set to the tune of Europe’s ” The Final Countdown” is gold.

Jack Bauer-24
Sure, having a terrorist fighting bad ass for a father would be really cool in many ways. But his passion for his job has enormously detrimental effects on his family. Bauer’s job is to save American lives, but this puts the lives of his family at risk.

His own life is always in danger, he’s never at home, his wife Teri is killed, his daughter Kim is kidnapped several times, and her relationship with her dad is understandably strained.

Ray Barone- Everybody Loves Raymond
Ray is a good natured and funny guy, but definitely falls into the “incompetent man-child” stereotype currently dominating the airwaves. He’s not good at communicating, and cracks a joke instead of dealing with things seriously. He’s still tied to his mom’s apron strings and can’t confront her.

He’s not sure how to relate to her since she’s a girl and so buys her gifts to solve her problems or makes his wife deal with it.

It was like watching Die Hard 88,000 times.

Michael Scott leaves The Office tonight.  If you ask me, the show is losing steam and this should have happened last season.

In any case, it was a good ride (that’s what she said.)  Here’s some of our favorite moments.

All I can say is thank you American Idol voters. Thank you for voting Paul off this week.

I don’t think I could stand Paul McDonald’s whipsy dancing around and voice that sounded like a hybrid between Kenny Loggins and Jason Mraz.

Don’t even get me started on his weekly wardrobe malfunctions.  Was his grandmother dressing him or what.

In any case, the Idol fans who voted proved that they’re not all girl haters.

Paul doesn’t qualify, but even with a beard, he just was not the manly–man type.

Sorry to do this to you again:

I think it was an attempt at an early April Fool’s Day joke.

On Twitter yesterday, this was one of the trending topics:

That got me wondering what was the dealio?   Turns out it was just an internet hoax.  He’s just fine, but lets celebrate with some Jackie Chan fun.

Here’s a clip from Tim & Eric Awesome Show: Great Job that fits the bill.

Don’t try this at home.

Well, not at this particular moment.

Some new research shows that 51% of Americans now have a Facebook account.

Does that mean the remaining 49% are your parents and grandparents?  Not necessarily.  The survey says the fastest growing segment of the population that’s joining Facebook is people 35+.

Prepare yourself. For you, that means your parents and grandparents will be calling you and asking how to post a photo on the Facebook, then reset their password for the internets.

Charlie Sheen is making the rounds without a publicist which can only mean 1 thing…complete awesomeness for all of us!

Check out what he had to say about healing really, really fast and regrets on CNN with Piers Morgan:

Top 5 Charlie Sheen Quotes (so far):

5. “I am battle-tested bayonets, bro.”
4. “I’m so tired of pretending my life isn’t perfect and bitching and just winning every second and I’m not perfect and bitchin’.”
3. “There are parts of me that are Dennis Hopper.”
2. “I’m not fair game. I’m not a soft target. It’s over. There’s a new sheriff in town. And he has an army of assassins.”
1. “The only thing I’m addicted to right now is winning.”