A little while ago while watching TV I saw a commercial for the movie I Am Number Four. Now this movie didn’t last in theatres for too long and was basically pretty forgettable, but I always remember seeing the preview because the song that played during the commercial was so memorable. That song was Rolling in the Deep by Adele, who is pretty much the most talked about artist of the year, as is that song. So while the movie looked just ok, every time I hear that song it reminds me of the movie. In fact I think that at some point I will actually see that movie strictly because of that song and how I associate it to the movie.
The theme song is very important to a movie, yet there are so many of them that are forgettable. So what makes a great theme song? A really great theme song will evoke memories or alter your mood the instant you hear it. Kind of like how I think of I Am Number Four every time I hear Rolling in the Deep. Imagine enjoying a nice quiet evening at home when the theme song to Psycho comes on the television. You know, that screeching music that played when Norman Bates pulls back the shower curtain and stabs Marion Crane over and over and over again?! Bet you’d be bypassing your evening shower after that! Or, when you’re out for a run and the Chariots of Fire music starts playing on your iPod. Guaranteed you’d start running faster, for longer.
Movies and television shows, regardless of how good they are, can be made instantly better due to a memorable score, and can even become more memorable than the movies that they are associated with. Take the Halloween series of movies – no matter how many incarnations of the story there are the music always stays the same. And because you love how that music makes you feel you want to see the movie even though after the original they were all pretty terrible! But that theme song sucks you in and makes you want to spend you r$10 to go and see it. And that is the power of a good theme song.
So that being said, here is a list of my all time favourite movie theme songs;
Halloween
I still can’t hear that music without thinking that Michael Myers is in my closet. Did you know that famous score was actually written by director John Carpenter!
Gonna Fly Now, The Theme From Rocky
Written and composed by Bill Conti, Gonna Fly Now was nominated for an Academy Award and also hit the #1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1977. I challenge any of you to not immediate think of Sylvester Stallone running up those iconic stairs and pumping his fists in the air when you hear that music!
Ghostbusters
‘Who You Gonna Call, Ghostbusters!’ A phrase that is still widely used today, the song that was written and sung by Ray Parker Jr. was also nominated for an Academy Award and sat at the #1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for 3 weeks. Did you know though Huey Lewis actually sued Ray Parker Jr for plagiarism, claiming that Parker copied the melody from his 1983 song "I Want a New Drug"? The two eventually settled out of court.
Pink Panther
This music rarely reminds me of a specific Pink Panther movie, but always invokes images of that animated Pink Panther walking across a movie screen. The theme was written by legendary composer Henry Mancini and that cartoon pink panther was animated in time to the tune! Released as a single by RCA Records the theme song won 3 Grammy Awards and was nominated for an Academy Award.
Jaws
Please – I don’t care who you are – as soon as you hear this music you’re afraid to go anywhere near water for at least an hour! That eerie theme song, which consists solely of two notes – E and F alternating in a simple pattern, was performed on a tuba, and is still one of the most iconic movie theme songs of all time.
So there are my favourite movie theme songs, now it’s your turn! Let me know your favourite movie theme songs and why! And if you want to hear the Pink Panther theme song make sure to tune in to TELETOON this Saturday (at 7pm ET/PT) when Pink Panther is their Big Ticket Movie!
Scene and Heard
Confessions of a Pop Culture Mummy
Source: Wikipedia
More upcoming TELETOON Big Ticket Movies on
Saturdays at 7pm ET/PT:
- June 18: Pink Panther II
- June 25: Scooby-Doo: The Mystery Begins AND Scooby-Doo: Curse of the Lake Monster
You can check out www.teletoon.com for more details.
This blog proudly sponsored by TELETOON Network
If you haven't watched The Bachelorette stop reading now to avoid spoilers. OK I admit – I don’t watch The Bachelorette or the The Bachelor. I have watched in the past but I think that once you get to the 15th version of a ‘reality’ show it’s time to put it away because the formula is so predictable that there’s no more reality to be found. If I wanted to watch a bunch of horny lovesick singles hooking up I’ll watch Gossip Girl.
But last night I kept seeing references on Twitter to something that happened on the show that must have been a bit shocking so this morning, while doing laundry, I watched ‘the scene’ on my phone. If you watched you know exactly what scene I'm talking about. Turns out the guy that was the front runner for Bachelorette Ashley’s affections was really just some player dude that wanted to get on TV. He didn’t even find Ashley attractive and only went on the show hoping that the Bachelorette would be a different contestant from a previous Bachelor series. So, while mugging for the camera, Bentley (seriously – if that name isn’t your first clue that the guy’s a player I don’t know what is) decides to tell Ashley that he’s leaving the house because he misses his daughter while telling the producers it's really because he doesn't find her remotely attractive and thinks she is really annoying. Love it!
So a lot of people were talking about what an ass Bentley was and how he was such a jerk, but I think he was hilarious! Seriously, this is a dude who full on admitted that he wasn’t attracted to Ashley and that he didn’t want to pretend he was, even though he probably could have left the show as her fiancé. I would much rather watch someone like Bentley than the loser dude who wore the mask! I mean you have to appreciate that this guy just proved that shows like this – that feature strangers who fall in love and get engaged after a few weeks, are ridiculous!
I also had to appreciate that even though he was breaking her heart, he was still trying to get lucky. Honestly, the guy’s commentary was killing me! And how stupid and naive was Ashley? I’m sorry, but even when Bentley was ‘letting her down easy’ that girl was acting like a stage 5 clinger! HE'S JUST NOT THAT INTO YOU!!! No wonder she wasn’t picked on the last show. The Bachelorette shouldn’t be the girl acting desperate here when she has a house full of men fighting for her affections. Someone has some men issues.
Don’t worry though friends, you haven’t seen the last of Bentley. Honestly I will be tuning in for the cheesy reunion show just to see more of his cocky personality, all while Ashley cries and talks about how much she loved him, making me think that she got exactly what she deserved. I also predict that he will become the next Bachelor, and you can bet that I’ll be tuning in for that one!
So tell me - what did you think of what Bentley did?
Scene and Heard
Confessions of a Pop Culture Mummy
A long time ago – before she was J-Lo, Jennifer Lopez was married to a dude named Ojani Noa. Then the movie Selena came out and Jennifer became a big star and she and Noa ultimately divorced. Things were pretty amicable because even when Jennifer opened her restaurant Madres, Ojani was hired to manage it. Things eventually went south and ended up with Lopez firing Noa thus causing some bad blood.
So, to get back at her, Noa first tried to release a tell-all book about their relationship which JLo managed to block in 2006. But now Noa is going a little more hardcore and is shopping around a so-called ‘sex tape’ that was taken on his honeymoon with Jennifer. According to E! Online, Noa’s attorney is expecting the tape to fetch in the millions of dollars! Sites such as PornHub and YouPorn have already shown interest in buying the rights to the tape. Needless to say naked JLo is big business.
So, I’ll be the first to say that the young starlets of today who continually take nude pictures of themselves on their iPhones only to have them hacked and released to the masses have no room to complain. I mean whoever Blake Lively (if that really was her) was sending those naked pics to probably enjoyed them, but really – you’d think she’d remember to delete them off her phone. And then there's Miley Cyrus and Vanessa Hudgens – I don’t think they were too upset that the risqué photos they took of themselves were leaked all over the internet. In fact I would hazard a guess that there was a master plan at work there for that to happen.
But here’s the thing – this isn’t a ‘sex-tape’. In fact the lawyer for Noa’s new girlfriend, who just happens to be involved in the release of the video (of course she is), says;
‘There is about 15-20 minutes of total nudity between all the different clips among the 27 hours of footage,"
"I can't speak to the specific contact [between JLo and Noa] but I can say there is a lot of footage that has never been seen before.
"Sex tape is not a term I would use."
OK so it’s not a sex tape – basically it’s a tape involving two people on their honeymoon who, all in love and starry eyed, took some video that might not involve any clothes. I can’t hate on that – even though it’s not something I would ever do. You can’t fault her for taking some sexy video with her brand new husband. But here’s the thing - how sleazy is it of him to release it?! C’mon, I know that there’s a lot of money at stake here, but no matter what happened between these two, the fact that he’s willing to sell this video speaks volumes about the kind of man he is versus the kind of woman she is. I mean, big deal that there’s some video featuring JLo’s naked ass – if that’s your thing you can Google Kim Kardashian’s sex tape and see basically the same thing.
I know we’re talking Hollywood here but I think there has to be some things that are sacred, and one of them should be any form of video taken on a honeymoon. Or am I just delusional here? What do you think?
Scene and Heard
Confessions of a Pop Culture Mummy
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