I’ve Been Granted 7 Pop Culture Wishes

by Ray Keating

The Keating Files – June 16, 2020

Everybody seems to have a list of things they’d like to see happen on the entertainment front. A pop culture wish list, if you will. And if you don’t, well, you should if you’re any fun at all.

And my wish list isn’t about things that I wish never happened – well, not really. These are things that I wish for, and if people would just listen, each could happen. So, let’s go, pay attention entertainment executives.

First, Paul McCartney and Brian Wilson need to get together and cut an album. Think about having one of the musical geniuses behind the Beatles and the creative force of the Beach Boys – the two greatest rock ‘n’ roll bands of all time (yes, I wrote it!) – get together to make an album during their later years. Make it happen!

Second, and this verges on wishing-it-never-happened, but in reality is a fix-it wish: Bring William Shatner back for one more turn as Captain James T. Kirk. Shatner, Kirk and Star Trek fans deserved a heck of a lot more than that ridiculous death in Star Trek: Generations. If you can bring Patrick Stewart back as Captain Picard for a full season (and apparently two more) of Picard, then get Shatner back in the captain’s chair for something ... anything! And so what if he can’t get into a good fistfight or land the sexy alien woman any more (Is that PC? Will someone get upset?) – after all, the dude is 89 (and looks great) – he can still speak in commanding Shatner-esque fashion on the bridge of the Enterprise.

Third, the Nerd Herder in me wishes – no, he demands – that Chuck return. For those who don’t know what Chuck was or is, my response is: What the hell is wrong with you? Chuck ran on NBC from 2007 to 2012. It was an hour-long comedy about an underachieving tech guy, played by Zachary Levi, who works at the Buy More (think Best Buy), but suddenly gets government secrets implanted in his head. What follows is a delightful five seasons of nerds, spies, silly bad guys, nerd humor, romance, and action, along with wonderful and weird characters who are irresistible. Along the way, the show was kept alive by fan campaigns. To many of those fans, though, the two-hour finale came up short. There’s been lots of talk about a Chuck movie, with Levi making clear he’s in favor of it. 

Now, follow this: HBO Max now ranks among streaming options seeking content, and it’s owned by AT&T. In turn, AT&T also owns Warner Brothers Studio, which controls Chuck (I think). Therefore, it’s time for the return of Chuck courtesy of HBO Max streaming, and I say it should be either a series of movies or, preferably, a few eight-episode seasons.

Incidentally, I wrote a book titled“Chuck” vs. the Business World: Business Tips on TV, which offers all kinds of career and business tips based on the show.

Fourth, I might regret this wish: But even with Steven Spielberg dropping out, the movie getting pushed back time and again due to assorted delays, and Harrison Ford getting up there in years, I still wish to see another Indiana Jones movie. Let’s hope that director James Mangold and Harrison Ford can pull off some Indy magic one more time.

Fifth, after this next James Bond movie is released, it is presumed to be the last one for Daniel Craig. He has been the best Bond thus far, so who could succeed him in the role? It obviously should be Henry Cavill. Don’t argue.

Sixth, in the next season of Magnum P.I., the original Magnum, Tom Selleck, needs to guest star in a two-part episode playing a detective from the mainland – preferably, Detroit – who was an old friend of the new Magnum’s (Jay Hernandez) father. Give me a call, CBS, I can pen a fun script.

Seventh, I wish that Warner Brothers would give the green light for Zack Snyder to finish his version of the Justice League movie, so we can... What? Oh, that’s happening? It’s supposed to be coming to HBO Max in 2021. Well, great. Mission accomplished. Wish fulfilled. I guess I’ll stop there then.

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Ray Keating is a columnist, economist, podcaster and entrepreneur.  You can order his new book Behind Enemy Lines: Conservative Communiques from Left-Wing New York from Amazon or signed books at RayKeatingOnline.com. His other recent nonfiction book is Free Trade Rocks! 10 Points on International Trade Everyone Should Know. Keating also is a novelist. His latest novels are  The Traitor: A Pastor Stephen Grant Novel, which is the 12^th book in the series, and the second edition of Root of All Evil? A Pastor Stephen Grant Novel with a new Author Introduction. The views expressed here are his own – after all, no one else should be held responsible for this stuff, right?

Also, tune in to Ray Keating’s podcasts – the PRESS CLUB C Podcastand the Free Enterprise in Three Minutes Podcast 

Huey Lewis and the News Storms Back with “Weather”

by Ray Keating

The Keating Files – February 14, 2020

When it comes to favorite singers or musical groups that return with new music after a lengthy break, fan anticipation usually runs high, but then the results often turn out disappointing. Either the new music just seems not to measure up, or comes across as stale. 

There have been exceptions, however, including from my top two bands.

The biggest surprise for me was the Beach Boys’ That’s Why God Made the Radio album in 2012. The Boys showed that they could still harmonize some fun, beachy tunes in a collection that came a staggering 50 years after their first album.

Number two for me had been Plan B from Huey Lewis and the News in 2001. It came a decade after their previous collection of original works. And yes, after Sports and Fore!, I say Plan B is their next best album. If you haven’t listened, trust me and enjoy it.

But now Huey Lewis and the News has done it again, and this time it’s even more impressive given that 19 years have passed since Plan B. The new album – Weather – was released on February 14^th, Valentine’s Day. And it ranks as one of the top efforts from Huey Lewis and the News.

The new 7-song album serves up Huey Lewis and the News still at the top of their game, with their combination of pop rock and blues rock that keeps the foot tapping and the listener singing along, featuring bright brass, strong guitars, and of course, great harmonica moments and Huey’s distinctive voice.

Among the stand outs on Weather is “Her Love Is Killin’ Me,” which is a driving, good-time song. And by the way, the video is great fun. “While We’re Young” offers reflections on enjoying life no matter how much time has passed, without any trace of melancholy. “Remind Me Why I Love You Again” plays with a couple who disagrees on just about everything, but somehow they’re still in love (or are they?). For some longing and blues, give “Hurry Back Baby” a listen. And “Pretty Girls Everywhere” ranks as an upbeat salute to ‘50s rock ‘n’ roll.

The significance of Weather, of course, is ramped up given the news about Huey Lewis suffering hearing loss to the point where he cannot sing. He has been diagnosed with Meniere’s Disease, but has some hope that one day, thanks to various treatments and healing, he might get back into the studio. But until then, as noted in a Hollywood Reporter interview, Lewis will find other ways to entertain fans, including working on a musical featuring the band’s music and perhaps doing some acting.

The Hollywood Reporter also noted Lewis’s reflections on music crossing genres, demographics and ages:

Lewis said he felt [that] was missing from the modern day industry. “Today, society is much more integrated, but music is segregated — it's weird,” he said. “You can listen to one kind of music all day long; you can listen to one kind of politics all day long — that's just not healthy. And what was nice about Top 40 radio was it was an editing process where we all tried to have a hit. If you heard a Huey Lewis and the News song on KFRC, the next song might be a Garth Brooks song or a Commodores song or an AC/DC song. … It was an editing process that was, I think, kind of good, in retrospect. You can't have a hit like that today. They just don't exist.”

Well, if any group can offer some of that today, arguably it would be Huey Lewis and the News. Indeed, Huey and his bandmates have served up some wonderful new music in Weather that warrants broad appreciation.

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Ray Keating is a columnist, an economist, a novelist (his latest novels are The Traitor: A Pastor Stephen Grant Novel, which is the 12^thbook in the series, and the second edition of Root of All Evil? A Pastor Stephen Grant Novel with a new Author Introduction), a nonfiction author (among his recent works is Free Trade Rocks! 10 Points on International Trade Everyone Should Know), a podcaster, and an entrepreneur. The views expressed here are his own.