Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Juliana Miller vs Ivana Petrovic

Here's the fight video of Juliana Miller vs Ivana Petrovic from last night's UFC show in Des Moines, IA. This fight is at Flyweight. Juliana is 28 years old from San Diego. She trains at Team Hurricane Awesome with coach Manny Hernandez. Her UFC record is 1-2. She won TUF 30. Remember that? Me neither. Ivana is 30 years old from Norway. I think her brother is her coach. They are a traveling road show. I know she trained some with Valentina Shevchenko. Her UFC record is 1-2. I haven't seen enough of these two to see if they have potential. But based on this fight, they both stink. So little happened in the first two rounds that when Ivana scored a takedown, I scored round one 10-9 for Ivana. Round two was the same but this time Juliana got a takedown. So I scored it 10-9 for Juliana. Round three wasn't any better but all three judges scored it 10-9 for Juliana. So she won it 29-28. Just an awful fight.  

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Gillian Robertson vs Marina Rodriguez

Here's the fight video of Gillian Robertson vs Marina Rodriguez from last night's UFC show in Des Moines, IA. This fight is at Strawweight. Gillian is 29 years old from Niagara Falls, ON. Din Thomas has been her coach since she was a teen. Her UFC record is 12-6. But she's been a lot better since moving to Strawweight. Gillian is on a three fight winning streak. She's a wrestler who likes to finish. A win should get her ranked. Marina is 38 years old from Brazil. She trains with coach Marcio Malko at Thai Brasil in Florianopolis, Brazil. Her UFC record is 7-5. All the fighters at this gym are kickboxers. They can't afford a grappling coach. I'm not kidding. So Marina needs to keep it standing. But Gillian is a really good wrestler. And she took Marina down in round one and stayed in top position. She just wasn't able to get a finish. I scored it 10-9 for Gillian. She did the same thing in round two. But this time she was able to mount Marina and pound her until she won by TKO at 2:07 of round two. So a big win for Gillian over a ranked fighter. Afterward, Marina retired. She announced that she plans to coach at her gym. And she's auctioning her gloves to raise money for the gym. Maybe they will hire a grappling coach. Enjoy the video!

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Yana Santos vs Miesha Tate

Here's the fight video of Yana Santos vs Miesha Tate from last night's UFC show in Des Moines, IA. This fight is at Bantamweight. Of course these are veteran fighters. Yana is 35 years old from Saint Petersburg, Russia. She trains at American Top Team in Coconut Creek, FL. Her UFC record is 5-5. And that's the kind of fighter Yana is. She's just not very good. And the best part is she's ranked ninth. Miesha is 38 years old from Tacoma, WA. She trains at Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas. She's a former Bantamweight champ. Her UFC record is 7-6. Since returning in 2021, Miesha has gone 2-2 including a loss at Flyweight. And she's ranked 12th. Ten years ago, Miesha would have beaten Yana easily. But Miesha ain't who she used to be. The first two rounds show that Miesha doesn't have the quickness she once had as Yana wins both rounds with evasive action. Miesha couldn't do anything with her. Finally, Miesha takes Yana down in round three. Remember, she needs a finish. She has the opportunity to finish Yana with ground & pound. But instead she goes for a rear naked choke and never gets it. That's an inexcusable stupid mistake by a veteran fighter who should know better. I scored the fight 29-28 for Yana and so did all three judges. Miesha should retire but she didn't do that last night. Enjoy the video!  

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Oscar Isaac

Artist:Oscar Isaac

Song:Green, Green Rocky Road

Album:Inside Llewyn Davis: Original Soundtrack Recording

Guatemalan actor Oscar Isaac has been credited with breaking stereotypes about Latino characters in Hollywood. He's not really a singer. But he did a great job in the 2013 film Inside Llewyn Davis. He was born Oscar Isaac Hernandez Estrada Mar. 9, 1979 in Guatemala City, Guatemala. His Cuban father is a pulmonologist. His family moved to the US and Isaac grew up mostly in Miami. He got interested in films at an early age and he made home movies. He was also in a punk band. After graduating from high school in 1998, Isaac joined the ska punk band The Blinking Underdogs. They released a 2001 album and opened for Green Day. Meanwhile, Isaac took an acting workshop and appeared in a couple of plays. Isaac considered joining the US Marines. But instead he studied performing arts at Miami Dade College and appear in plays. After playing Fidel Castro in an off Broadway production of When It's Cocktail Time in Cuba, Isaac successfully auditioned to study at Juilliard. He appeared in the 2002 film All About the Benjamins and graduated from Juilliard with a Fine Arts degree in 2005. Isaac continued to play small roles on stage, in films and on TV. His first major film role was in the 2012 film The Bourne Legacy. And that's when he got the starring role in the 2013 film Inside Llewyn Davis. So he was an unknown at the time. The film was written and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen. It's a fictional film set in the early 60s folk music boom in New York's Greenwich Village. The basis of the film is a biography about folksinger Dave Van Ronk. So the Llewyn Davis character is supposed to be like Dave Van Ronk. The film was very successful and it established Isaac as a star. The music is folk music standards produced by T-Bone Burnett. Green, Green Rocky Road was usually performed by Dave Van Ronk. So that was the whole point of the film. It was supposed to be an authentic look at Greenwich Village in the early 60s. The soundtrack album is available on CD. Since then Isaac has been very busy. He's got a big film coming up. He's starring in Guillermo Del Toro's interpretation of Frankenstein. Here's Oscar Isaac performing Green, Green Rocky Road on an Inside Llewyn Davis documentary. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Matt Hires

Artist:Matt Hires

Song:Restless Heart

Album:The World Won't Last Forever, But Tonight We Can Pretend

Matt Hires is a singer songwriter who had a record deal with Atlantic Records fifteen years ago. It looks like they were trying to sell him to Adult Oriented Radio (AOR). But after two albums, it wasn't working out and they released him. I think it was a case where they liked him but they didn't know what to do with him. He was born Aug. 5, 1985 in Tampa, FL. His father was a musician and gave him a guitar. At first, Hires liked punk and emo. But then he started listening to Tom Petty and Bob Dylan and that's the basis of his style. He started out leading the band Brer and they released an album independently. Atlantic Records A&R exec Gregg Nadel loved Hires' sound and signed him to Atlantic's new label F-Stop. He brought in producer Eric Rosse. He is best known for producing Tori Amos. He produced the 2008 EP Live from the Hotel Cafe. It got positive critical response comparing Hires to Jack Johnson and John Mayer. He opened for Dave Matthews and Marc Broussard and got a good response. Then they released the 2009 album Take Us To the Start. These days record companies sell artists by placing songs on popular TV shows like Grey's Anatomy. That's what they did with Hires. The problem with this strategy is it's hit and miss and probably more miss than hit. So the album didn't sell. I don't think Atlantic had a marketing plan for Hires. And if you don't have a plan, why did you sign him? Restless Heart is from the 2013 album This Won't Last Forever, But Tonight We Can Pretend. Again Rosse produced with help from Alex Dezen. But again the album didn't sell. And that was it for Hires. He released the 2016 album American Wilderness on the much smaller label Rock Ridge Music. He released a Christmas single in 2024. He's not on tour right now but he streams on his Facebook page. I don't think Atlantic knew what to do with him. Here's the video for Restless Heart by Matt Hires. 

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Tony Trischka

Artist:Tony Trischka f/Alison Brown

Song:Arcadia

Album:Double Banjo Bluegrass Spectacular

Bluegrass legend Tony Trischka has been around since the 60s and he's still going strong today. This 2007 album is all duets with other bluegrass legends. He was born Jan. 16, 1949 in Syracuse, NY. He got interested in the banjo by listening to The Kingston Trio's 1963 recording of Charlie and the MTA. Then he joined the Down City Ramblers from 1965-71. He recorded with the band Country Cooking and was also in the band Country Granola. He joined the experimental bluegrass band Breakfast Special in 1973. They mixed bluegrass with other kinds of music. They also never recorded. Meanwhile Trischka recorded three solo albums for Rounder. Then he was musical director of the Broadway musical The Robber Bridegroom. He started his band Skyline in the 80s and they recorded four albums for Flying Fish Records. And he continued to record solo. Arcadia is from the 2007 album Double Banjo Bluegrass Spectacular. This is an all star album of duets with other banjoists. Arcadia features Alison Brown. Other musicians are Stuart Duncan on fiddle, Tim Stafford on guitar, Sam Bush on mandolin and Byron House on bass. Arcadia is an original song written by Trischka with Bela Fleck and Abigail Washburn. Trischka and Fleck produced the album. Fleck also plays on the album. Guests include Earl Scruggs, Steve Martin and Bill Emerson of The Country Gentlemen. Trischka has written instructional books and videos so check that out if you want to learn to play the banjo. He was musical director of the 2011 PBS special Give Me the Banjo. He just released a new album called Earl Jam on a new label Down the Road started by the founders of Rounder Records. It's an all star tribute to Earl Scruggs. And he still performs live so go see him if he's coming your way. Here's Tony Trischka with Michael Daves performing Arcadia at Red Clay Music Foundry in Duluth, GA Sept. 17, 2016.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day=Robert Klein

Artist:Robert Klein

Song:Our Gang

Album:Child of the 50s

There was a time many years ago that comedy albums were big sellers. By the early 70s, that market had petered out and it has never returned to the glory days of the 60s. The only comedian who bucked that trend was George Carlin. Robert Klein is best known as an actor in movies and TV and his HBO comedy specials. By the time his 1973 album Child of the 50s was released, comedy albums weren't selling anymore. Plus he was on a terrible record label. He was born Feb. 8, 1942 in The Bronx, NY. His grandparents were Hungarian Jewish immigrants. Klein was planning to study medicine at Alfred University. But he changed his mind and went to Yale Drama School. He successfully auditioned for the comedy group The Second City. After touring with them, he appeared in the Broadway show The Apple Tree. Klein's first major appearance was as the host of the summer replacement TV series Comedy Tonight. Then he signed to record for Brut Records. I know what you're thinking. Wasn't Brut a cologne? That's right. Brut Records was owned by Faberge. They weren't around very long. Klein's albums Child of the 50s (1973) and Mind Over Matter (1974) disappeared without a trace. They are available on CD as Rhino Records picked them up. He also released an album on Epic. Klein did his first HBO comedy special in 1975. They became very popular. He did them for three decades. And he's appeared a lot in films and TV. He hosted his own talk show Robert Klein Time on USA in the late 80s. Klein has appeared in lots of films and TV mostly in supporting roles. Since appearing in the 2021 film Before I Go, he is still performing live. But he knows he has to slow down. He still enjoys doing standup comedy. Here's Robert Klein performing Our Gang. I think this is from his 80s talk show. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Francesca Battistelli

Artist:Francesca Battestelli

Song:Beautiful, Beautiful

Album:Greatest Hits: The First Ten Years

Singer songwriter Francesca Battistelli has had success in the CCM market. she has also won Grammy and Dove awards. She was born May 18, 1985 in New York City. Her parents appeared in musical theater. And that's what Francesca wanted to do. As a teen, she was in the girl group Bella. After they split up, she started writing songs. After self releasing a 2004 album, Francesca signed with the CCM label Fervent Records who were soon sold to Word Records. Beautiful, Beautiful is from the 2008 album My Paper Heart. It reached #6 on the Christian charts. The album was certified Gold. Francesca wrote all the songs. The album was produced by All Star United lead singer Ian Eskelin. He's produced most of her albums. This budget comp is a good intro to her music. Francesca won a Grammy in 2016 and she has won several Dove awards. Other than a 2020 Christmas album, her latest album was released in 2018. Curb Records now owns Word. From what I can tell, she's still under contract. She's married to NewSong drummer Matt Goodwin and they had their seventh child last year. My guess is they are keeping her busy. Here's the video for Beautiful, Beautiful  by Francesca Battistelli. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Lil' Kim

Artist:Lil' Kim f/Left Eye, Da Brat, Missy Elliott, Angie Martinez

Song:Not Tonight: Ladies Night Remix

Album:Nothing to Lose: Music from and Inspired by the Motion Picture

Rapper Kimberly "Lil' Kim" Jones had success in the late 90s. The 1997 single Not Tonight was a top ten hit. She was also on the 2001 chart topper Lady Marmalade but I wouldn't say she was the leader on that song. At the time she was called The Queen of Rap. But she was used more as a guest rapper on other folks music than a lead artist. So she may have seemed like a big deal at the time. But maybe she wasn't. She was born July 11, 1974 in Brooklyn, NY. Her father was a US Marine. After her parents divorce, she lived with her father. But they didn't get along and she left home and lived in the streets. She met rapper Christopher "Notorious B.I.G." Wallace and he got her to return to high school. He got her into the rap group Junior M.A.F.I.A. That's when she started calling herself Lil' Kim. They released a couple of albums. But they split up after Wallace's 1997 murder. Kim started her own label Queen Bee and signed with Atlanic's Big Beat label. The original version of Not Tonight is from Lil' Kim's 1996 debut album Hard Core. It was produced by Jermaine Dupri and he appeared on the song. But the version of Not Tonight that reached #6 on the Billboard Hot 100 is from the 1997 comedy film Nothing to Lose starring Tim Robbins and Martin Lawrence and written and directed by Steve Odenkirk. It's called the Ladies Night Remix and features Left Eye, Da Brat, Missy Elliott and Angie Martinez. This was produced by remix specialist Rashad "Ringo" Smith. The obvious sample is Kool and the Gang's hit Ladies' Night. Maybe a little too obvious which is probably why it was a hit. The soundtrack album is available as a budget CD. So I guess it's a discography orphan. Lil' Kim was on the 2001 #1 hit Lady Marmalade featuring Christina Aguilera, Mya and Pink from the film from the film Moulin Rouge. And her 2004 single Magic Stick featuring 50 Cent reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 100. He was hot at the time. So Kim released four albums on Atlantic. It all came to an end after Kim served a year in prison for lying to a jury. Since then she has released music independently. These days she appears a lot on reality TV like Hip-Hop Evolution. A lot of rappers end up doing that. Maybe she wasn't that famous in the first place. Here's the video for Not Tonight: Ladies Night Remix by Lil' Kim featuring Left Eye, Da Brat, Missy Elliott and Angie Martinez. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Tim McGraw & Faith Hill

Artist:Tim McGraw & Faith Hill

Song:Speak to a Girl

Album:The Rest of Our Lives

Since she hasn't released a solo album since 2008, Faith Hill fans might think that she has retired from music. But she switched from her long time label Warner Bros. to Arista/Sony and released this 2017 album with husband Tim McGraw. Speak Like a Girl was a top ten country hit. I assume she will record solo at some point. But she has been busy with her acting career. Faith was engaged to producer Scott Hendricks when she met McGraw on a 1996 tour. They hit it off and married on Oct. 6, 1996. They have three daughters. They recorded together occasionally. Their biggest hit was when the 1997 single It's Your Love topped the Country charts. That was from McGraw's 1997 album Everywhere. Faith was on Warners and McGraw was on Curb. So it seemed unlikely that they would record an album together. Faith's latest solo album was Fireflies in 2005. She also released a 2008 Christmas album. She and McGraw toured together in 2006. She started singing the theme for NBC Sunday Night Football in 2007. In 2011, Faith recorded an album with producer Brendan O'Brien. Based on quotes from that period, she wasn't happy with it. Brian Kennedy was brought in to help finish the album. She performed a cover of the OneRepublic song Come Home on the 2011 CMA Awards broadcast. That was supposed to be the first single. She performed a couple of songs from the album at the CMA Music Festival June 2012. And she said the album was finished. After the single American Heart was released in Oct. 2012, the album which was called Illusions was never released. Meanwhile, she and McGraw continued to tour together. Then she announced in 2017 that she was leaving Warners for Arista/Sony and her first album would be The Rest of Our Life with McGraw. The album was produced by Byron Gallimore who has worked with both of them. Speak to a Girl reached #6 on the Country Singles chart. The song was written by Nashville songwriters Shy Carter, Dave Gibson and Joe Spargur. McGraw was not under contract at the time. He re-signed with Big Machine afterwards. Faith was a regular on the Paramount+ series 1883. She's deactivated her social media so she's keeping a low profile right now. There's plenty of speculation but she may just be taking a break. Here's the video for Speak to a Girl by Tim McGraw & Faith Hill.