Scandal was a band from New York City that existed in the early 1980s. Their lead singer was Patty Smyth, and their lead songwriter was band member Zack Smith.

The CD "Patty Smyth - Greatest Hits Featuring Scandal" contains 6 songs from Scandal, and 10 songs from Patty Smyth as a solo artist.

Scandal started out as a post-punk new-wave pop band, and that aspect of their career is represented on this CD by the song "Goodbye To You." The song was originally released as a single, and also appeared on the 5 song EP "Scandal." That EP went on to become the biggest selling EP in the entire history of Colmbia Records.

I had the pleasure of seeing and hearing the video for "Goodbye To You" probably over 100 times on MTV during late 1982 and early 1983. In this song and video, Patty Smyth is the very epitome of a cool 80s new wave chick. In this song, she has a certain attitude, which is just oozing with spunk and sassiness, that just drives me wild. This is what being genuinely sexy is all about. It's about being in control of your life, and about being in charge, and about not taking any junk from anybody. To me, this song and video, more than any other, is what defined early MTV for me.

In the song "Goodbye To You," Patty is breaking up with her boyfriend/lover. She's glad to do it. She's glad to be rid of him. She's taking control of her life. She is in charge. In this song, Patty's voice has a spunk and spirit and attitude that has never been eqalled or bettered by any singer in any song ever. This is my #1 favorite song of all time. And this CD is the best sounding release to have this song. Patty's attitude - her spirit, her passion, her spunk, her sassiness - ooooh, it just makes me melt when I hear it. I cannot say enough good things about this song.

"Love's Got A Line On You" is the other song on here from the "Scandal" EP. This song is a very beautiful, haunting ballad, with lyrics that are very personal and intimate.

In 1984, Scandal released their only full lenth LP, which was called "Warrior." At this time, the record company was trying to move the band into the area of so-called "arena rock," with somewhat mixed results. This CD contains 4 songs from that album

The song "The Warrior" is certainly a very good feminist rock song where the singer makes it very clear that she is in control of her life. However, it lacks the new-wave spirit that made the group's earlier work so good. "Beat Of A Heart" is a pretty good rock song from that album. "Say What You Will" is a very pretty ballad, and does a great job of highlighting Smyth's lovely voice.

However, for me, the best song on this CD from the "Warrior" album is "Hands Tied." Smyth sings with a pain and hurt that seems very real and genuine. The song is very lovely. When she sings the lyrics, "Just remember, each time you squeeze her hand, you crush my heart," I can really sympathize with her.

Ultiamtely, though, my response to much of the "Warrior" album was this: Patty Smyth has a truly great voice, but she needs better material to be able to fully utilize that powerful, gorgeous voice.

Fortunately, her solo career gave her exactly that, and this CD contains many excellent solo songs that let her use her voice to its true potential.

"Sometimes Love Just Ain't Enough" is a very beautiful ballad. Patty's voice soars here, and it is just so lovely and wonderful.

"Wish I Were You" and "Canival Lights" are two very moving songs.

"I Should Be Laughing" and "Dowtown Train" both allow Patty to use and show off her voice very well.

But my favorite solo song here is "Heartache Heard Around The World." This song contains a lot of the same attitude, spirit, and sassiness that made "Goodbye To You" such a great song. When she sings the lyrics, "I Want To Be A Rock And Roll Girl," it just drives me wild.

In summary, "Patty Smyth - Greatest Hits Featuring Scandal" is a wonderful CD with some very lovely and beautiful songs. I highly, strongly, and enthusiastically recommend it.

The Waitresses were a post-punk new-wave band that existed during the early to mid 1980s. None of their original studio albums has ever been released on CD. However, the 15 song compilation CD "The Best Of The Waitresses" is an excellent representation of what the band was all about.

Every one of these songs contains a certain amount of sarcasm and sense of humor. This band was about attitude more than anything else. For listeners who "get it," listening to the Waitresses is a pure pleasure.

The music on this CD is about as good as any music of the 1980s ever got. The playful attitude of singer Patty Donahue, combined with her wise-donkey vocal smirks make this a very fun record to listen to. Combine that with her confidence, and her need and ability to be in control of her life, and you have exactly what 1980s feminism is all about. Donahue is never a victim. Instead, she is in charge - she is in contorl of her life. She makes the decisions.

I don't know if there's much point in me listing any of the individual songs, because every song here is great, and the CD flows exceptionally well from the very beginning to the very end.

Ultimately, when it comes down to it, this is a fantastic CD.

On the surface, "Drop Dead Fred" is a comedy. And as a comedy, it's a great one. Rik Mayall, of course, if very funny. Phoebe Cates displays a genuine talent for physical comedy in several scenes - at the restaurant, at the classical music concert, and at the wine tasting party. And I just LOVE the scream that Cates lets out when Fred scares her while she's standing in front of the mirror wiping the makeup off of her face. Carrie Fisher is also very funny as a super-rigid super-serious lawyer.

However, at it's heart, this movie is a drama with some very serious issues and some very serious messages. Ultimately, this movie is about standing up for yourself. It's about taking control of your life. It's about standing up to defend yourself from the people who are tormenting you. Anyone who's ever been bullied stands to benefit from seeing this film. It really is a good form of therapy. You'll know that you're not alone. You'll know that there are other people who know how you feel. And that's one of the reaons why I love this movie so much.

Of course another reaosn I love this movie is Phoebe Cates. Her characer here is so sweet and wonderful. How can any guy see this movie and not think he's in love with her? And honestly, I think she's a better actress when she keeps her clothes on, as she does here. Throughout the course of the movie, Cates displays just about every emotion that there is. She's truly a great actress.

Kudos also go to Ashley Peldon, who does a remarkable job as the child version of Elizabeth. Tim Matheson does a perfect job portraying the jerk husband. Marsha Mason is fantastic as the evil mother. All the other actors do their jobs very well. Every role is cast perfectly.

Every scene in the movie is necessary. Nothing is wasted. Every line of dialogue counts. The flashbacks to childdhood are integrated perfectly into the rest of the movie.

There are some interesting camera angles here that I've never seen before. For example, in the flashback to where the mudpie gets made in the dining room, young Elizabeth is sitting on the chair, shaky and scared because her mother had just yelled at her. While the camera is focused on her, the camera pans 90 degrees, and then her face lights up with a smile and she says, "Hi Fred!" I've never seen that particular kind of camera shot before. I also like the way, later on when grown up Elizabeth is making the salad, the camera is *under* the pepper grinder. And during the end of the dream sequence towards the end of the movie, the various lighting and camera angles suggest a play that is being performed live on a stage.

The low budget cheesy special effects give a nice, old fashioned touch to the film. For example, the cheap physical effects of gears and other things that are shown when Velcro Head's head explodes simply would not have had the same charm if it had been done in expensive CGI.

The movie is timeless. The only real clue to when the movie takes place is that in the flashback to the breakfast scene, young Elizabeth's father is reading a newspaper with the heading about the first man on the moon.

The best part of the movie, in my opinion, is the dream sequence, and everything that comes afterwards. The last 25 minutes of this movie are what really elevate it to what it is. This is the part that really moves me the most. Of course, in order to understand it, you need to see the entire movie. And that's a good thing, because the entire movie is worth watching.

This is a movie for anyone who remembers what it's like to be a child, and for anyone who has a sense of fun and a love of life, and for anyone who's ever been hurt because of bullying. This movie has a big heart, a big sense of fun, a big sense of humor, and a big love of life.

Magnum P.I. is my favorite TV show of all time. I will gladly purchase all 8 seasons on DVD if they are released. Season 1 aired during the 1980-1981 TV season, and consisted of the 2 hour pilot, plus 16 regular 1 hour episodes.

Season 1 is a great introductory season. However, it's also one of my least favorite seasons. That's not to say it's a bad season, because it's not. However, season 1 doesn't have any of the truly outstanding episodes of future seasons, such as "Memories Are Forever" (season 2), "Did You See The Sunrise?" (Season 3), "Home From The Sea" (season 4), "Echoes Of The Mind" (season 5), "Limbo" (season 7), and "Unfinished Business" (season 8). Thus, I'm giving season 1 a 4 star rating.

The episodes from season 1 are:

"Don't Eat The Snow In Hawaii" - This is the 2 hour pilot. "Don't look at the dogs. Work the lock. Work the lock. Don't look at the dogs. Oh! You looked at the dogs." This is a great introduction to the series. However, if you really want to recruit new fans, I recommend you show them the season 4 episode "Home From The Sea."

"China Doll" - This is a good action/adventure story.

"Thank Heavan For Little Girls And Big Ones Too." Magnum gets hired by 5 little girls. Not one of my personal favorite episodes.

"No Need To Know." - This is my favorite episode from season 1. Alfred Hitchcock said that having a bomb go off isn't suspenseful. What is suspensful is knowing that there's a bomb that's about to go off. The last several minutes of this show are Hitchcock all the way.

"Skin Deep" - This is the episode where Magnum seems to think, "Well, as long as she's dead, I might as well eat the food in her refrigerator." And I love Higgins's graphic descriptions of the effects that a gunshot wound has on the human body when fired from various distances. This is one of the better episodes from season 1.

"Never Again Never Again" - Magnum realizes that "Kessler is a Jew." Yes. And later he would become Doc Ibold. Good episode from this season.

"The Ugliest Dog In Hawaii" - Actually, the dog looks fine to me. But this episode if just too formulaic.

"Missing In Action" - A mysterious plot involving the military doesn't save this relatively boring episode.

"Lest We Forget" - Another routine episode with too much forumla.

"The Curse Of The King Kamehameha Club" - Since the Club plays such a big role in the series, why not give it its own episode?

"Thicker Than Blood" - Magnum and T.C. get into a big fight.

"All Roads Lead To Floyd" - The old guy is a really, really bad driver. Boring episode.

"Adelaide" - A good story about a woman and her horse. Women sure do love horses. Pretty interesting story. And the horse knows how to defend himself.

"Don't Say Goodbye" - The Ted Danson character gets killed by a boat propellor.

"The Black Orchid" - This is a very enjoyable episode, with some nice homages to Bogart type characters and stories. This is one of my favorite episodes from season 1. The presence of guest actress Judith Chapman makes this a very interesting episode. She will return in the far superior season 2 episode "The Woman On The Beach," which, in my opinion, is better than anything from season 1.

"J. Digger Doyle" - We get to see and hear Robin Masters in this episode. Notice how he gets his ideas from everyday occurences.

"Beauty Knows No Pain" - Magnum gets a little more exercise than he had wanted.

Magnum P.I. is my favortie TV show, and I think I have a right to point out its flaws. I never did like the idea of just blindly praising every episode. I recommend season 1 to all Magnum fans. But please keep in mind that most of the future seasons are better.

Since Bjorn Lomborg's book "The Skeptical Environmentalist" was published in the United States last year, a lot of people have been very critical of Lomborg and his book. That's fine. Healthy debate and disagreement over important issues is essential to the preservation of a free, open, democratic society.

Some of Lomborg's critics have politely raised legitimate disagreements about some of Lomborg's statements, such as on global warming, the amount of public land that's covered in forest, and the size of wild fish populations. However, even these polite and civil critics have ignored the vast majority of Lomborg's book.

Many of Lomborg's other critics have resorted to waging personal attacks on Lomborg, calling him a "liar" and a "fraud" and a "charlatan," and saying that he has "no credentials." These personal attacks against Lomborg suggest that Lomborg must have struck a nerve somewhere.

I suppose that anyone who dares to give statistics and facts to disprove the doomsayer predictions that were made by Paul Ehrlich, Lester Brown, the Club of Rome, Greenpeace, the Sierra Club, and others in 1960s and 1970s, is bound to strike a nerve somewhere.

The doomsayers who predicted a worsening of third world famine as the world's population doubled from 3 billion to 6 billion were wrong. Despite what Paul Ehrlich and other doomsayers predicted in the 1960s and 1970s, the truth is that over the past few decades, per capita food production has increased in China, India, Latin America, the developing world in general, and the world as a whole.

The doomsayers were wrong in their claim that the Chinese famines of the 1960s were caused by "overpopulation." And the doomsayers were wrong in their prediction that as China's population got bigger, its problem of famine would get worse. In reality, China's famines of the 1960s were caused by bad economic policies, not by "overpopulation." China's switch from collective farming to private farming in the late 1970s caused a tremendous increase in per capita food production. Today, China's population is much bigger than it was in the 1960s. And today, the people of China are much better fed than they were in the 1960s.

Despite what Paul Ehrlich and other doomsayers want us to believe, Africa actually has a low population density, and is very rich in many valuable natural resources, and has many large tracts of fertile land that are sitting idle, unplanted, with no crops being grown. The real cause of African famine is bad economic policies, not "overpopulation." Collective ownership of farmland discourages farmers from planting crops, because the person who plants the crop is not necessarily the person who gets to harvest it. Government price caps on food discourage farmers from growing food.

Poor countries remain poor because of corrupt government, bad economic policies, and a lack of strong protections of private property rights. Whenever a poor country adopts strong protections of private property rights, free market pricing, and free trade, combined with a strong rule of law, and enforcement of contracts, and holds on to these policies, the country experiences tremendous increases in its standard of living. Recent examples of poor countries transforming themselves into rich countries include Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, and South Korea, and all of this happened while these countries experienced substantial increases in their populations. Paul Ehrlich said this was impossible, but real world experience proves that Ehrlich was wrong.

In the rich capitalist countries with a first world standard of living, the air and water have been getting cleaner. Once per capita GNP in a country reaches about $4,000, people can start to afford worrying about protecting the environment. And the richer the country gets, the better off its environment becomes.

On privately owned timberland, the greedy landowner is concerned about the future resale value of his land, so he usually plants more trees than he cuts down.

On private fish farms, fish populations keep getting bigger and bigger.

Government price caps on the price of water keep the price artificially low. This artificially low price encourages people to waste water. Also, this artificially low price prevents many water suppliers from being able to afford desalination plants. 70% of the world's surface is covered in water, to an average depth of 2 miles. Water "shortages" are caused by bad economic policies, not by an actual lack of water.

The doomsayers who predicted that before the year 2000, the world would run out of oil, copper, gold, iron, tin, and aluminum, were wrong. In a free market, with private ownership of resources, and free market pricing, it's impossible to run out of a resource. Scarcity of a resource leads to higher prices. Higher prices encourage users to conserve. Higher prices encourage suppliers to look for more of the resource, and/or to find a cheaper substitute. The doomsayers don't understand the function of prices in a free market economy, and that's why their predictions of "running out" of resources have been consistently wrong.

The doomsayers of the 18th century who worried about running out of candle wax and whale oil never realized that things like petroleum and electricity and light bulbs would come along. The stone age didn't end because we ran out of stones, and the petroleum age won't end because we run out of petroleum.

The doomsayers who predicted global cooling and an ice age by the year 2000 were wrong.

The doomsayers who predicted the extinction of one million species by the year 2000 were wrong.

The doomsayers who predicted the total disappearance of the amazon rain forest by the year 2000 were wrong.

I recommend that you read Lomborg's book. I also recommend that you read Lomborg's critics. Then you can make up your own mind about who is right.

First of all, I want to start out by saying that I'm not a very big fan of Billy Joel. However, I am quite familiar with much of his work. And I think that, given all of the songs that Joel has released during his career, "The Essential Billy Joel" does a very poor job of representing those songs.

Like I said, I'm not a big fan of Joel. But even I am willing to admit that "Scenes From An Italian Restaurant" and "Pressure" are two excellent songs. But neither of those is on this new compilation. That alone debunks the idea that this compilation contains the "essential" Joel.

If you're looking for a worthwhile Joel compilation, then I suggest that you go with "Greatest Hits Vol 1 & Vol 2." It's much, much better than this new compilation.

But really, Joel is an artist, and if you really want to hear Joel in the manner that he intended, why not just skip the compilations altogether, and get one of his original albums? In particular, I'd recommend "Glass Houses." Like I said, I'm not exactly a fan of Joel, but I do think that "Glass Houses" is actually a pretty good album. In fact, song for song, I'd say that "Glass Houses" is far superior to this compilation.

In general, a greatest hits album is like taking one chapter each from a bunch of books, and compiling them together into a new book. It may seem exciting, but it doesn't give the vision that the artist originally intended.

And if you are going to make a greatest hits album, then you should at least have the decency to include all of the artist's best songs. The exclusion of "Scenes From An Italian Restaurant" and "Pressure" is inexcusable.

Get "Greatest Hits Vol 1 & Volume 2," or get "Glass Houses." But don't get this new compilation. It's not worth it.

I love "My So-Called Life." It is my favorite TV show of the 1990s.

I watched all 19 episodes when they originally aired. I even remember that one of the episodes (the one with the gun) had to be postponed because a few minutes after it started, the program was interrupted by a news story of a plane crash.

This show touched something inside of me that no other show ever has.

I wish that BMG would release a boxed set with all 19 episodes. I would buy it in an instant.

Many of my friends are big fans of this show. But none of us has purchased this DVD, because we are all waiting for a boxed set that has all of the episodes.

I know that this DVD has not been selling very well. I worry that the people at BMG may be thinking that this means that there is a lack of interest in the show. If so, then they are mistaken.

People aren't avoiding this DVD because they don't like the show. Instead, they are avoiding this DVD because they want a boxed set with all of the episodes.

Let's fact it - this series was a very serious, well written, plot-intensive story. Having only 3 of the episodes simply would not make sense. To really be able to appreciate it, you need to watch all of the episodes, in chronological order.

So if anyone from BMG is reading this, please take my advice! Please release a boxed set with all 19 episodes! If you do, then the fans of the show will gobble it up and you mill make lots and lots of money!

This was a great series, and it deserves to be preserved in its entirety in the DVD format. Let the fans have the opportunity to purchase all of the episodes in one nice, complete package.

I grew up in the 1970s, and I have a lot of great memories of watching "Underdog" on TV.

Unfortunately, the people who made this DVD have chosen chose to deliberately ruin the cartoons. Apparently, the cliffhanger endings that were in the original require too much of an attention span for today's Ritalin addicted audience, and so these segments have been deleted. Other parts of the cartoon have also been tampered with. And what happenend to Tennessee Tuxedo and other characters that I could have sworn were part of the original show?

I love classic animation, but because of the various alterations that were made for this DVD, I cannot recommend it to anyone, in any way, for any reason.

With the DVD of "Melody Time," the editors at Disney have decided that their audience needs to be "protected" from "offensive" material. For example, they removed all smoking references.

Disney has a long history of altering it's products for DVD release, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised that "Melody Time" has been edited.

Disney will not be getting my money for this, or for any other edited DVD.

Let's hope Disney never acquires the rights to the "Popeye" cartoons!

The people who made "Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker" are true artists in every sense of the word. They fully understand that things such as plot, storyline, and character development are crucial to good animation.

Unfortunatley, the executives at Warner Bros. decided that those things don't matter, and they edited the story for this DVD so as to make it radically different from what the story's creators had wanted their audience to see.

If anyone from from Warner Bros. is reading this, I want you to know that I am a 29 year old man with lots and lots of money to spend on DVDs. And I'm not giving you one penny for this one.

And I know that there are many others out there who are just like me.