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‘Bea Arthur Naked’ is worth more than $1.9 million — no joke!

Hey guys, remember way back in high school hormone days when you had a rise in your Levi’s and it always seemed to be at the absolute worst moment? Then you try to think of the least sexiest thing to ease things up a bit? For me, that was imagining Golden Girl Bea Arthur naked.

Well, that has now become a reality thanks to artist John Currin. As listed on his Christie’s webpage, the painting is signed and dated ‘John Currin 91′ on the overlap, it’s oil on canvas, the dimensions are 38 1/4 x 32 in. and was painted in 1991.

Painter John Currin has fetched a bunch of simoleons; $1.9 million to be exact. Feast your thoughts on that!

Iron Maiden’s ‘Piece of Mind’ album turns 30

For you folks that bought Iron Maiden’s ‘Piece of Mind‘ album in 1983; Are you feeling old yet? The album was recorded January – March 1983 and released May 16, 1983.

‘Piece of Mind’ was Maiden’s fourth studio album released by EMI and by Capitol Records in the US, where it was reissued later by Sanctuary/Columbia Records. This was the first album to feature drummer Nicko McBrain, who had recently left the Paris-based band Trust and has been Iron Maiden’s drummer ever since.

The album was a commercial success, reaching No. 3 in the UK Albums Chart and achieving platinum certification in the UK and North America.

Track Listing:

If you have forgotten the track listing, here you go:

1. “Where Eagles Dare“
2. “Revelations“
3. “Flight of Icarus“
4. “Die with Your Boots On“
5. “The Trooper“
6. “Still Life“
7. “Quest for Fire“
8. “Sun and Steel“
9. “To Tame a Land“

Fun Fact:

At the beginning of the sixth track, “Still Life”, the band included a hidden message which could only be understood by playing the album backwards. This was a joke and an intended swing back at the critics who had accused Iron Maiden of being Satanic.

For a special treat: Search Google Images for Atari Breakout

In need of a little video arcade action from the past? Head over to Google Images and take a break from your routine.

Apparently it’s the 37th birthday of the classic Atari game Breakout, and if you type “Atari Breakout” as a Google image search query, you can play the 1970s/1980s brick game right inside your browser.

LL Cool J & Eddie Van Halen Collaboration

To make his new album ‘Authentic,’ rapper LL Cool J searched for the best of the best from rock, country, rap pop and funk. In a recent interview he said Eddie Van Halen was at the top of his list.

“I just really wanted to work with the best, work with people that I respect, people that I look up to, people that impress me, people that I believe are truly super talented,” LL Cool J told Radio.com. “I feel like Eddie falls in that category.”

One clip of their collaboration leaked last week. The song is called ‘We’re the Greatest,’ and is one of two from the album to feature the guitarist. “It’s LL and Eddie Van Halen together,” he says. The song closes the project; ‘Not Leaving You Tonight’ is the other song and it also features Fitz and the Tantrums.

“I am in no way trying to put myself on the level of Van Halen or say that … I don’t want Van Halen fans to get the wrong impression like I don’t respect their legacy or who they are. I do. I just wanted to do something with Eddie that I think is cool. And, I think we accomplished something great. I hope they dig it.”

Other collaborators on ‘Authentic’ are Bootsy Collins, Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine and country star Brad Paisley. LL Cool J, Morello and Blink-182‘s Travis Barker performed a new song called ‘Whaddup’ at the 2013 Grammys.

LL Cool J & Eddie Van Halen ‘We’re the Greatest’ video clip:

Source: ultimateclassicrock.com

Emmy-nominated Actor Rob Lowe To Narrate The ’80s: The Decade That Made Us for National Geographic Channel

The ’80s: The Decade That Made Us, the National Geographic Channel announced that Emmy-nominated actor Rob Lowe will narrate the six-part cultural programming event that offers an unprecedented look at the moments, trends, inventions, and culture that have shaped our world today.

The ’80s: The Decade That Made Us isn’t about nostalgia; it’s about the history of our modern world that spawned political, technological, cultural and social revolutions that began in the United States and went on to dominate the world. This cultural programming event is the defining biography of a generation. It’s about a decade of people, decisions and inventions that changed our future, told from the perspective of the unknowing history makers who lived these iconic moments.

We worked out, worked harder, played harder and consumed more — because the 1980s was the decade when we went forward to the future. The first launch of the Space Shuttle triggered a technological explosion in global communications that gave birth to our modern love affair with smartphones; Madonna rolled around on stage in a wedding dress, sending shock waves through a celebrity-hungry world that can’t get enough of Lady Gaga and Katy Perry today. These and other incredible stories reveal surprising, unexpected details and twists and turns from a decade you only thought you knew.

“National Geographic Channel is a leader in creating engaging and relevant programs that viewers can trust,” said Lowe. “This series is a unique and provocative look back at one of the most exciting and revolutionary periods in American history.”

“Rob Lowe is one of today’s most enduring actors, and his films from the 1980s were among the most popular of the decade, with the ‘Brat Pack‘ films setting a new standard for the teen movie genre,” added Michael Cascio, EVP of Programming, National Geographic Channel. “He is the perfect narrator for this series and his voice brings to life the triumphs, challenges, and effervescent spirit of this bright and important time.”

Check out The ’80s: The Decade That Made Us website for episode schedules.

Twitter hashtag: #natgeo80s

’80s band Pet Shop Boys set for Las Vegas concert

English electronic duo Pet Shop Boys are set to bring the spirit of the ’80s to Las Vegas.

Music venue The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel announced the duo’s arrival on Friday, Oct. 11. Tickets, which start at $45, go on sale Friday at 10 a.m.

Apart from their catchy 1980s-defining hits, Pet Shop Boys are stopping in Las Vegas as part of a tour to promote their latest album, Electric.

Tickets are available at the Hard Rock Hotel Box Office, all Ticketmaster locations, online at Ticketmaster.com or charge-by-phone at 800-745-3000.

Steve Martin teams up with Edie Brickell on latest album

Steve Martin is currently in the fifth decade of a varied and accomplished career as a comedian, actor, author and playwright, and as a Grammy®-winning, boundary-pushing bluegrass banjoist and songwriter. His fellow Texas native Edie Brickell initially burst onto the national scene in the late 80s fronting the New Bohemians, and has since carved out an iconoclastic solo career that’s solidified her reputation as compelling singer and a songwriter of rare insight.

Although these new musical partners have already built widely-respected individual bodies of work, their inaugural duo effort is a substantial departure, as a well as a creative milestone, for both artists. Love Has Come for You offers 13 eloquently rootsy Martin/Brickell compositions that combine the former’s inventive, expressive five-string banjo work with the latter’s heart-tugging vocals and vivid, detail-rich lyrics.

Produced by legendary musician and producer, Peter Asher, and featuring the guest stylings of Esperanza Spalding, Waddy Wachtel, Nickel Creek alumni Sara Watkins and Sean Watkins, as well as the Steep Canyon Rangers, Love Has Come For You is playful, spacious, and irresistibly accessible.

Michael Schenker adds London date to 2013 UK Tour

For our UK friends:

Rock guitarist Michael Schenker has added a London o2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire concert on Friday May 31st to his 2013 Temple of Rock UK Tour. Tickets for the London concert goes on sale Wednesday December 5th from www.thegigcartel.com and 0844 478 0898.

Stockton on Tees ARC (April 9)
Aberdeen Lemon Tree (April 10)
Edinburgh HMV Picturehouse (April 11)
Newcastle o2 Academy (April 12)
Holmfirth Picturedrome (April 13)
Warrington Parr Hall (April 14)
Falmouth Princess Pavilion (April 16)
Bristol o2 Academy (April 17)
Salisbury City Hall (April 18)
Oxford o2 Academy (April 19)
Nottingham Rock City (April 20)
Norwich Waterfront (April 21)
London o2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire (May 31)

The London o2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire concert dovetails Michael Schenker’s Temple of Rock: Live in Europe  CD, DVD, Blu-ray and Ltd Deluxe Collector’s Edition, released by inakustik on Monday December 10th.  Live In Europe was recorded and filmed in Tilburg, the Netherlands in May 2012, and at 2011’s London’s High Voltage Festival.

Grab your ‘Sledgehammer’ & help celebrate Peter Gabriel’s 25th anniversary of ‘So’

Eighties music artist Peter Gabriel wants people to recreate scenes from “Sledgehammer,” his popular 1986 stop-motion music video that MTV says is one of the most-played clips ever on the 24-hour music television network.

An link on the former Genesis rocker’s Facebook page allows his fans to pick a scene from the music video, record a re-creation or upload an existing YouTube clip and vote for the best videos. Click here to recreate scenes from ‘Sledgehammer’.

The “Grab Your Sledgehammer” contest is linked to the 25th anniversary of Gabriel’s “So” album, which was re-released Oct. 22 in three different versions.

One winner will receive a TDKperformance Wireless Boombox and autographed artwork, while 30 runners-up will earn “Sledgehammer” posters. Gabriel’s “Sledgehammer” video won nine MTV Video Music Awards in 1987.

Michael J. Fox returns to TV

NBC will air a new show based on Michael J. Fox’s experience as a father living with Parkinsons.