Two women's fights added to July 14 UFC show

The UFC announced today through ESPN Radio in Boise that UFC Fight Night 133 will be July 14 at CenturyLink Arena in Boise, ID. Two women's bout were announced. Cat Zingano will face Marion Reneau at Bantamweight. And Liz Carmouche will face Jennifer Maia at Flyweight. Cat is 35 years old originally from Colorado but she now trains at Alliance in San Diego. Her record is 9-3 but she is currently on a three fight losing streak. Based on her recent loss to Ketlen Vieira, I think injuries have really slowed her down. Ketlen won by split decision but it probably should have been unanimous. Marion is 40 years old from Visalia, CA. Her record is 9-3-1. She's 4-2-1 in the UFC. At times she has looked good and at times she hasn't looked good. In her last fight against Sara McMann, Sara had an opportunity to finish in round one. But when she didn't, Marion turned it around with a second round rear naked choke. So it's possible that if Marion wins, she could get a title shot. Her inconsistency is her biggest problem. And sometimes she is inconsistent within the three rounds of the same fight. Of course Liz is a former Bantamweight title challenger who has dropped to Flyweight. In her latest fight, she lost by split decision to Alexis Davis. I don't think either of them looked very good. I think injuries have slowed Liz down. But I never thought she was an elite fighter anyway. Jennifer is the former Invicta Bantamweight Champion. This will be her UFC debut. Jennifer is 29 years old from Curitiba, Brazil. She trains at Chute Boxe which is where Cris Cyborg started out. Her record is 15-4-1. When I first heard of her in 2011, I wondered if she fought the Chute Boxe style like Cyborg. She doesn't. She was a boxer before she got into MMA and she still fights like a boxer. She has no power or ground game. So yeah, she's a dreaded points fighter. She hasn't lost since 2014. But her fights tend to be light sparring which is boring. It wouldn't surprise me if she eked out a win. But I'm not looking forward to it.

Two women's Flyweight bouts announced for July 6 UFC show

Adam Hill of the Las Vegas Journal Review reported yesterday that The Ultimate Fighter 27 Finale will be on July 6 at the Palms in Las Vegas. He reported that two women's Flyweight bouts have been added to the show. One will have Roxanne Modafferi vs Barb Honchak and the other will have Rachel Ostovich-Berdon vs Montana De La Rosa. All four fighters were in TUF 26. Of course Roxanne has been a fighter since 2003 and she lived in Japan for several years. Her record is 21-14. At one point she had a five fight losing streak mainly because she wouldn't punch anyone. One of those losses was to Barb Honchak. Roxanne turned things around when she moved back to the US to work with John Wood at Syndicate in Las Vegas. And she's been better since training there. She was supposed to fight Barb on the TUF 26 Finale. But when Sijara Eubanks missed weight, Roxanne got the title fight but she lost to Nicco Montana. Of course Barb was the former Invicta champ. And then she seemed to retire from MMA and was stripped of the title. She decided to return for TUF 26 despite being too old. She was the favorite going in but my concern was what's she going to be like after almost three years off. She lost to Nicco in the semi final and then she lost to Lauren Murphy by split decision on the TUF 26 Finale. She's probably not as good as she was a few years ago. This fight could give us a real handle on how good she is right now. You know what I always say about Father Time going undefeated. As I have said before, most of the TUF 26 fighters weren't very good. Rachel Ostovich-Berdon was very popular in Invicta because of her looks and her Wonder Woman gear. But she was 2-2 in Invicta. I think she's a mediocre fighter. I was surprised when she made TUF 26. But she wasn't the worst fighter on the show. And on the TUF 26 Finale, she beat Armenian Karine Gevorgyan who was really bad. So here is Rachel in the UFC. We'll see how good she is. Montana is probably at the same level as Rachel. At Strawweight, she lost to Mackenzie Dern and Cynthia Calvillo. So she moved back to Flyweight for TUF 26. She fought at Flyweight early in her career. Montana beat Christina Marks on the TUF 26 Finale. As with Rachel, it wasn't a case of who was better but who was worse. So I think both Rachel and Montana are question marks. But I don't know if fighting each other will answer any questions about them. We may have to wait until the winner fights at a higher competition level. This could be three rounds of nothing.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Mark Morrison

Artist:Mark Morrison
Song:Return Of The Mack
Album:Strictly Rhythm Superjams





Return Of The Mack was the only big US hit for British singer Mark Morrison. He was a bigger deal at home. His big problem was he couldn't seem to stay out of jail. He was born May 3, 1972 in Hannover, Germany but he grew up in Leicester, England and later Miami. He moved back to England at age 19. Morrison produced a few singles for other artists before releasing a single in 1993. His 1995 single Crazy was a top 20 hit in England. Warner Music England came calling and Morrison signed. He was on Atlantic in the US. After some jail time for assault, Morrison recorded the album Return Of The Mack. The single topped the British charts and reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 100. Morrison wrote and produced the album with Phil Chill who had previously produced Apache Indian. The girl on the song and in the video is British singer Angie Brown. The main sample on Return Of The Mack is the Tom Tom Club song Genius Of Love. Morrison scored a few more hits in England but he was arrested for carrying a weapon on an airplane. He was convicted of armed robbery in 1999 and he has been charged with assault a few times. Warner dropped him like a bad habit. You can get Return Of The Mack on this various artists budget CD. Morrison still records occasionally for his own label. He signed with Death Row Records in 2001 but nothing ever came from that. More recently, Burger King used Return Of The Mack in a commercial. So I'm sure that made Morrison a good chunk of cash. He records occasionally but he can live off royalties forever. Here's the video for Return Of The Mack by Mark Morrison.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Ricky Martin

Artist:Ricky Martin
Song:Livin' La Vida Loca
Album:Greatest Hits





Livin' La Vida Loca was the only number one hit and the signature song for Puerto Rican singer Ricky Martin in 1999. He was a star at home before recording in English. He was born Dec. 24, 1971 in San Juan, Puerto Rico. He started performing as a child and he appeared in several TV commercials. Then he auditioned for the teen boy band Menudo and after the third audition, 12 year old Martin was hired in 1984. At first he was thought to be too short. Menudo was successful in the 80s. All members are forced to leave at age 18. By 1989, they were fading and Martin would have to leave anyway. After graduating from high school, he got into acting on Mexican Telenovelas and eventually he did some daytime soaps in the US. But the big thing is he signed with Sony in 1991 and he still records for them today. He was very successful recording in Spanish for the next few years. Then he recorded his English debut album Ricky Martin in 1999. Livin' La Vida Loca was the first single and it topped the charts worldwide. The album sold 15M copies worldwide. He had a few other hit singles but that was the big one. Regardless of whether you like Martin, the production and arrangement is really what made Livin' La Vida Loca. And for that you have to credit writers and producers Robi Rosa and Desmond Child. They produced most of the album. Rosa had worked previously with Martin. Child has written tons of hit songs. He's in the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Randy Cantor wrote the arrangement. He's a veteran session keyboard player. Another veteran session musician guitarist Rusty Anderson played the guitar solo. And the trumpet solo was by another session musician Tony Concepcion. Martin has never had another hit that big. But it was enough to sustain him so that he still records for Sony. You can get all his hits on this budget comp. In recent years, Martin has appeared on The Voice in Mexico and Australia. He currently appears in the FX series American Crime Story: The Assassination Of Gianni Versace. And he is in residency at the Monte Carlo in Las Vegas. That will end in June. Here's the video for Livin' La Vida Loca by Ricky Martin.

Frank Pozen's Big Bad Podcast Apr. 18, 2018

Four matches added to the next DEEP JEWELS show and my take on the WWE Superstar Shakeup.

Four bouts added to June 9 DEEP JEWELS show

Emi Tomimatsu, Jung Eun Park

Though a main event has not been announced, yesterday DEEP JEWELS added four prelim bouts to their June 9 show at Shinjuku FACE. All fights are scheduled for the dreaded two five minute rounds. The best known fighter announced is veteran Emi Tomimatsu. It's too bad she isn't any good. Her opponent is Korean Jung Eun Park. This fight is at atomweight. Emi is 36 years old. Her record is 13-12. She started out as a pro wrestler but she has been a fighter since 2006. Her history is she alternates wins and losses. The last time we saw her she won by split decision over Sarami Aug. 2017. She was injured for a while. Park is 21 years old with a 3-3-1 record. So she also alternates wins and losses. This will be her DEEP JEWELS debut though she lost to Mina Kurobe on a Dec. DEEP show. Before that, she fought for ROAD FC. In an Atomweight bout, Nanaka Kawamura will face Momoko Yamazaki. Nanaka is 22 years old and a member of the idol group Masked Woman. She lost her pro debut to Mizuki Furuse in March. Momoko is making her pro debut but she was the girl that fought 12 year old Momo Shimizu in an amateur bout last year. I understand she is a hostess in a restaurant. In a Strawweight bout, Ryo The Skywalker will face Mao. I don't know what that name means but her real name is Ayako Miyata. She won her DEEP JEWELS debut in Dec. Mao is making her pro MMA debut. And in an Atomweight bout, Mizuki Furuse will face Hikaru Aono. Mizuki is a 17 year old high school student. Her record is 2-3. She beat Nanaka Kawamura in Mar. by majority decision. I think the two rounds really helped her. Hikaru is 1-1. She wrestled at Nippon University and she won an amateur Shooto championship. She won her last fight over Anna Kiriyama in Mar. As I said, no main event yet but I will let you know when they do.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Fernandel

Artist:Fernandel
Song:Ignace
Album:Le Flamboyant





Fernandel was a very popular comedy film star in France for 40 years. He was known for his big teeth. They called him "Horse Teeth". Most of his success as a recording artist came from his films like this 1937 song Ignace. He appeared in a couple of Hollywood films in the 50s and did a very popular British commercial in the 60s. He was born Fernand Joseph Desire Contandin May 8, 1903 in Marsaille, France. His father was an accountant and part time singer and comedian. Young Fernand would tag along to his father's shows. Not surprisingly, he started performing as a child and he became a big vaudeville star. His mother-in-law gave him the name Fernandel because he was so attentive to his wife. With the invention of sound in film, Paris wasn't any different than Hollywood. They looked for stage performers who could be film stars. And Fernandel was a big vaudeville star. He began making movies in 1930. Most of his films were comedies. He did a series of films as the Italian village priest Don Camillo in the 50s. But his big success in musicals was in the 30s. Ignace is from the 1937 film Ignace. He's playing a soldier in this film. His films and the songs were usually written by Jean Manse and Roger Dumas. WWII was a dry period for Fernandel as he was active in the Resistance. But he was successful again in the 50s with the Don Camillo films. You may have seen him as The Coachman in the 1956 film Around The World In 80 Days. And he also starred with Bob Hope in the 1958 film Paris Holiday. And he appeared in a series of Dubonnet commercials in England in the 60s. This budget comp is a good intro to his music. By the late 60s, Fernandel's health was failing. He was a heavy smoker. He died on Feb. 26, 1971 at age 67. His son Franck Fernandel was also an actor and singer. Here's Fernandel performing Ignace in the 1937 film Ignace. The entire film can be seen on Youtube.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-the Sundays

Artist:The Sundays
Song:Here's Where The Story Ends
Album:Reading, Writing and Arithmetic





The British group The Sundays had success in 1990 when the video for Here's Where The Story Ends was in heavy rotation on MTV. Unfortunately, they soon had record company problems. They never recovered from that. They had potential to be a lot bigger. Lead singer Harriet Wheeler and guitarist David Gavurin met when they were students at Bristol University. They wrote all the songs together and they are also married with two children. Gavurin says that he wanted to write songs since he was a child. So they formed The Sundays with Bristol students Paul Brindley on bass and Patrick Hannan on drums and they moved to London. They sent out demos and signed with Rough Trade Records. They had distribution in the US with Geffen. They released the single Can't Be Sure in 1989. Legendary BBC DJ John Peel liked it and that gave them a big boost. Their debut album Reading, Writing and Arithmetic was released in 1990. The album sold a million copies worldwide. Here's Where The Story Ends did very well in the US when MTV put the video in heavy rotation. And The Sundays toured the US. But it all came crashing down when Rough Trade went bankrupt in 1991. The problem was Reading, Writing and Arithmetic was no longer available in England. And it remained unavailable until 1996. The Sundays signed a new British deal with Parlophone. They were still on Geffen in the US. They also started managing themselves which took time away from songwriting. The 1992 album Blind did OK but it didn't do as well as the first album. Then Gavurin and Harriet got married and had their first child in 1995. They finally released the album Static & Silence in 1997. It did OK and The Sundays could have continued. But they chose not to. Harriet had another child in 1999. Reading, Writing and Arithmetic is available as a budget CD. It looks to me like they soured on the music business and choose to live off of The Sundays royalties. Comedian David Baddiel is pals with Gavurin and he says they still write and record. But they have no plans to release anything. He says they are paranoid about this. It reminds me of Lauryn Hill who does the same thing. It's unusual not to mention wasteful but not unprecedented. Here's the video for Here's Where The Story Ends by The Sundays.

Frank Pozen's Big Bad Podcast Apr. 16, 2018

A couple of UFC fight announcements and a new opponent for Emi Fujino in PANCRASE.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Lillias White

Artist:Lillias White
Song:Happy Talk
DVD:Rodgers & Hammerstein's South Pacific In Concert From Carnegie Hall




Lillias White is a versatile performer best known for her work on Broadway. she has won an Obie, a Daytime Emmy and a Tony. Her performance as Bloody Mary in the PBS production of South Pacific is one of her more high profile performances. She was born July 12, 1951 in Brooklyn, NY. She made her Broadway debut in Barnum in 1981. Lillias was Jennifer Holiday's understudy in the original Broadway production of Dreamgirls. Then she played Effie in the 1987 revival for which she won a Drama League award. Then she won an Obie in 1989 for the off-Broadway production of Romance In Hard Times. She won a Daytime Emmy in 1993 as a regular on Sesame Street. And she won a Tony in 1997 for the 1997 Broadway musical The Life. One of Lillias' more high profile performances was as Bloody Mary in this production of South Pacific for the PBS series Great Performances in 2005. It was taped at Carnegie Hall starring Reba McEntire, Brian Stokes Mitchell and Alec Baldwin. This show is available on DVD. Lillias played Calliope in the 1997 Disney film and TV series Hercules. She has toured with her one woman show From Brooklyn To Broadway which she released on CD. Recently she has done guest shots on TV shows like Gotham and Person of Interest. And she was a regular on Baz Luhrmann's Netflix series The Get Down. That show is done so she may have returned to performing in New York clubs. She was honored with a Lifetime Achievement award at the 2015 Bistro Awards for her contributions in cabaret. Lillias White may not be well known but she has certainly had a long career. Here's Lillias White performing Happy Talk in the PBS Great Performances production of South Pacific at Carnegie Hall in New York City. This is available on DVD.

Two women's fights added to June 23 UFC show

Today the UFC announced several fights for UFC Fight Night 132 June 23 at Singapore Indoor Stadium in Singapore. At Flyweight, Jessica-Rose "Jessy Jess" Clark will face Jessica Eye. And at Strawweight, Nadia Kassem will face Xiaonan Yan. I have known about these fights for a couple of weeks. But the venue was just added today. Jessy Jess is from Australia but she now trains at Syndicate MMA in Las Vegas. Her record is 9-4 and she is 2-0 in the UFC. Fans will probably remember her from Invicta. She seems to have improved since moving to the US to train with John Wood. She used to fight at Bantamweight. She broke Paige VanZant's arm in her last fight. Jessica is 31 years old from Cleveland. She wasn't having much success in the UFC Bantamweight division. She beat Kalindra Faria by split decision in January in her Flyweight debut. The fight was awful. Kalindra knocked Jessica loopy with a head kick but then she was too inept to finish her. So Jessica would have lost to a decent fighter and that may be Jessy Jess. Nadia is 22 years old from Sydney, Australia. She won her UFC debut over Alex Chambers in November. They were both awful but Alex was worse. Nadia seems very inexperienced to me. Keep in mind that her brother Ashkan Mokhtarian is also on this show. Yes, they need foreign fighters for foreign shows. But why do some of them have to be so inept? Yan is from mainland China. She won her UFC debut over Kailin Curran who has since been released. I'm not expecting much from this fight. Both are not very good.

Frank Pozen's Big Bad Podcast Apr. 15, 2018

UFC on FOX 29 review

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Lauren Mueller vs Shana Dobson

Here's the match video of Lauren Mueller vs Shana Dobson from last night's UFC show in Glendale, AZ. Lauren earned a UFC contract with a great performance on Dana White's Tuesday Night Contender's Series. That fight was at Bantamweight but this fight was at Flyweight. She trains at Alliance in San Diego. Shana was in TUF 26. She lost in the first round. But she won her fight on the TUF 26 Finale over a terrible opponent. It's hard to tell if she's any good against someone that bad. She trains at Team Lloyd Irvin in Washington, DC. I thought Lauren won the first two rounds with better striking. The fight never really went to the ground. It looks like Lauren ran out of gas in round three. Shana won the round. I scored the fight 29-28 for Lauren and so did the judges. I would like to see how she does against better competition. Enjoy the video!

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Michelle Waterson vs Cortney Casey

Here's the match video of Michelle Waterson vs Cortney Casey from last night's UFC show in Glendale, AZ. As I said in my preview on yesterday's podcast, I thought the size difference could determine the winner of this fight. What ended up determining it was strategic choices by both fighters that ultimately gave Michelle the win by split decision. I think she was very lucky. I scored the fight 29-28 for Casey. It seems everyone else scored it that way except the three judges. Round one was the difference. I thought Casey won the striking exchanges. Michelle did take her down towards the end of the round. But I don't think she did enough in top position to steal the round. Two of the three judges scored round one 10-9 for Michelle. It just shows how important top position is and taking the fight to the ground was a very good strategic decision for Michelle. It won her the fight. In round two, Michelle took the fight to the ground again and won the round by maintaining top position. Cortney tried for submissions from bottom position. But she spent too much time on what I thought were low percentage possibilities. I think she needed to get out from under and get back to her feet. That was a poor strategic choice. A fighter has to know when something isn't working and Michelle knew what Cortney was trying to do. So I guess Cortney beat herself. The start of round three was similar to round two. But by the end of the round, Cortney finally got top position and she was working toward a finish when time ran out. Maybe she should have shown more urgency. But I thought she won round one and I'm pretty sure her coach John Crouch thought that too. Who thought the judges would score it differently? It's a big win for Michelle. Plenty of folks picked Cortney to win and plenty of us scored it in her favor. That's why you don't leave it to the judges. It's a pretty good fight so enjoy the video!

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-The Darkness

Artist:The Darkness
Song:Love Is Only A Feeling
Album:The Platinum Collection





The Darkness had five top ten hits in their native England. They only recorded two albums before splitting up in 2006. They reformed in 2012 and they record and tour today. The Darkness are from Suffolk, England led by lead singer and guitarist Justin Hawkins and his brother Dan Hawkins on lead guitar. Justin Hawkins wrote jingles while leading the band Empire with his brother. The other members were Dan Poullain on bass and Ed Graham on drums. They changed their name to The Darkness in 1999. Though their music is standard hard rock, The Darkness' look and live show is influenced by 70s bands especially Queen. The kitschy look got them labelled as uncool by the British music press. Papers like NME or Melody Maker could be very influential on who gets a record deal. But eventually The Darkness signed with Atlantic. Their 2003 debut album Permission To Land was certified 4XPlatinum in England. Their biggest hit I Believe In A Thing Called Love reached #2 on the British Singles chart. Love Is Only A Feeling reached #5. They were a big deal in England and they won Kerrang! and BRIT awards. Their 2005 album One Way Ticket To Hell...And Back did not do as well. And then Justin Hawkins went into rehab for drug and alcohol addiction. After his recovery, he decided he was burned out from the constant touring. The Darkness was supposed to continue with a new singer. They started recording a new album. They decided not to continue. This comp was released in 2008. Hawkins released a single as British Whale in 2006. And then his new band Hot Leg released an album in 2008. Dan Hawkins and Ed Graham formed The Stone Gods and they released an album in 2008. After both bands ended, The Darkness reformed and they have released a couple of albums and they tour mostly in England. It includes three original members. Graham has been replaced by Rufus Tiger Taylor who is the son of Queen's Roger Taylor. Hard rock fans should check out The Darkness. Here's the video for Love Is Only A Feeling by The Darkness.

Frank Pozen's Big Bad Podcast Apr. 14, 2018

UFC on FOX 29 preview

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Shai

Artist:Shai
Song:Comforter
Album:20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection: The Best Of Shai




The R&B group Shai had brief success in the early 90s. They had three top ten hits including Comforter though it wasn't their biggest hit. I guess it's easy to confuse them with similar groups of the era like Boyz II Men. One big difference with Shai is they wrote and produced all their own music. All four guys were students at Howard University in Washington, DC. Carl "Groove" Martin and Darnell Van Rensalier were fraternity brothers. They were a duo at first but they decided a quartet would work better. They added fraternity brother Marc Gay and Van Rensalier's former roommate Garfield Bright. They found the name Shai in the Egyptian Book Of the Dead. Martin wrote If I Ever Fall In Love. They recorded a demo and it was a hit at Washington radio station WPGC. That station was part of a chain. And when the song spread to other stations in the chain, Shai signed with MCA's Gasoline Alley label. Then they recorded an album. If I Ever Fall In Love reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1992. The only thing that kept it from #1 was Whitney Houston's I Will Always Love You. Comforter was the second single. That and the third single Baby I'm Yours both reached #10 on the Billboard Hot 100. As I said, Shai wrote and produced their own music. Martin thought he was the leader and that led to the group's decline. When their 1995 album Blackface didn't do as well as the first album, Martin left Shai. And MCA dropped them. You can get all their hits on this budget comp. Van Rensalier and Bright still lead a version of Shai. When he isn't singing, Bright is a professor at Georgia State University. Here's the video for Comforter by Shai.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Jim White

Artist:Jim White
Song:10 Miles To Go On A 9 Mile Road
Album:No Such Place





Singer songwriter Jim White is probably best known for his run on David Byrne's Luaka Bop label. His music is an eclectic mix of several kinds of music. But I guess he could best be described as Alt Country. He was born Michael Pratt Mar. 10, 1957 in California but he grew up in Pensacola, FL. His first musical influence came from watching Country Gospel on the Gospel Jubilee TV show. He grew up in the Pentecostal church. White attempted to become a professional surfer and then he was a fashion model in Italy. He also attended the New York University film school. That's when he started performing. A bandsaw accident mangled his arm. But he was still able to play guitar. A demo landed at Luaka Bop and they signed him. 10 Miles To Go On A 9 Mile Road is from his 2001 CD No Such Place. He worked with several producers on the album. This track is produced by Paul and Ross Godfrey and Pete Norris who record as Morcheeba. White has also worked with Aimee Mann, Barenaked Ladies and Bill Frisell. White was the subject of the 2003 BBC documentary Searching for the Wrong-Eyed Jesus. The soundtrack was released in 2005. White left Luaka Bop in 2007 and he has recorded for Yep Roc and now the British label Loose Music. his latest CD Waffles, Triangles & Jesus was released in 2017 and was mostly produced by the duo Hog-Eyed Man (Jason Cade, Rob Mcmaken) who I guess could be described as Neo Bluegrass. He is currently on tour. I don't think White is for everyone but maybe he's for you. That's why I post a video. Here's the video for 10 Miles To Go On A 9 Mile Road by Jim White.

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Kairi Sane vs Lacey Evans

Here's the match video of Kairi Sane vs Lacey Evans from this week's episode of NXT. This was set up last week when Lacey insulted the entire NXT women's division. Lacey has been in NXT for a couple of years. Her real name is Macey Estrella. she is 28 years old from Statesboro, GA. She has a great back story. She had a rough childhood and she was a US Marine for five years. They turned her heel a while back and she is called The Lady of NXT. The gimmick is she claims to be classy but is actually nasty. Her ring gear reminds me of 1940s pinup girl Betty Grable. Part of her problem is she lacks spontaneity. Her dance to the ring seems over choreographed. And her ring work is dull. This is a show and she has to sell herself. She doesn't seem to know how to do that. This is what happens when the WWE trains wrestlers to follow a script. They don't learn to improvise. Lacey looks pretty good in this match because Kairi is great at selling offense. Lacey can learn a lot from Kairi about how to connect with fans and hook them. That's what she does in this match. After selling Lacey's offense, Kairi makes her comeback and sells the drama of that comeback. And then of course Kairi wins with the elbow drop. The fans go crazy. Kairi is a polished performer. She's an expert at connecting with fans. Though I expect this feud to continue for the near future, I also expect Kairi to get a title shot at the June Takeover show in June. And she could win depending on whether the WWE wants to bring Shayna Baszler up to the main roster. And I will keep you up to date with how that all develops on the blog and my podcast. Enjoy the video!

Frank Pozen's Big Bad Podcast Apr. 12, 2018

On today's podcast, a UFC fight announcement and WWE reviews.

Holly Holm vs Megan Anderson added to June 9 UFC show

Yesterday the Chicago Tribune reported and the UFC confirmed that Holly Holm vs Megan Anderson has been added to UFC 225 June 9 at the United Center in Chicago. This is a Welterweight bout. Of course Holly is not a Welterweight but the UFC has asked her to move up because the Welterweight cupboard is bare. Most recently she lost a title fight to Cris Cyborg. Some are praising her because she lasted five rounds. But her problems in that fight are the same problems she has had in other fights. She's just not aggressive enough. That's the only reason she loses fights. She's patient to a fault. Most fans should be familiar with Megan from Invicta. She was supposed to fight Cyborg last summer. But she had visa problems. Megan is from Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia but she now trains with UFC fighter James Krause in Missouri. She has improved tremendously since training there. Megan is currently on a four fight winning streak. I doubt she has improved enough to do anything with Cyborg. At six feet tall, she's a lot bigger than either Holly or Cyborg. So at least she's a real Welterweight. Unfortunately, other than Cyborg, she is the only UFC Welterweight. And I don't see any on the horizon.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Paul Kandel

Artist:Paul Kandel w/Tony Jay and David Ogden Stiers
Song:The Bells Of Notre Dame
Album:The Hunchback Of Notre Dame: An Original Walt Disney Records Soundtrack



The Hunchback Of Notre Dame is a 1996 Disney film based on the famed novel by Victor Hugo. It had been a film in the past most notably in 1939 starring Charles Laughton. This film followed the success of the 1991 film Beauty and the Beast. Alan Menken composed the score and he wrote the songs with Stephen Schwartz. The Bells Of Notre Dame is performed at the beginning of the film. It establishes the story of why Minister Of Justice Claude Frollo (Tony Jay) is caring for Quasimodo. At first directors Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise were going to have this narrated. But they asked Menken to write a song. There are three lead singers. The bulk of the song is sung by Paul Kandel who played Clopin along with small parts sung by Tony Jay and David Ogden Stiers. It's probably the best known role ever played by Kandel. He seems to be retired now but he started out in New York cabarets in the 80s. But he made his name playing Uncle Ernie in the 1993 Broadway production of Tommy. He was nominated for a Tony. That's when Disney hired him for The Hunchback Of Notre Dame. He also appeared in the 2002 sequel The Hunchback Of Notre Dame II. He also appeared in the 2000 Broadway revival of Jesus Christ Superstar. He doesn't have any recent credits so I can only assume he retired. Jay and Stiers have more prominent work in their resumes so I may look at them down the road. Kandel just doesn't have the volume of work but he is the main singer of this song. Here's The Bells Of Notre Dame by Paul Kandel with Tony Jay and David Ogden Stiers in the 1996 film The Hunchback Of Notre Dame.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-The Poets

Artist:The Poets
Song:Devil's Den Pt. 1
Album:The Godfather's R&B: James Brown's Productions 1962-67




Here's a one off single that will interest James Brown fans. This recording was made in 1963 when Brown started his first record label. The Poets were Brown's backing band at the time with Brown himself playing organ. The label was called Try Me Records. Brown just had success with Live At The Apollo and the single Prisoner Of Love. Brown and right hand man Bobby Byrd started Try Me as a separate entity after they had success producing singer Yvonne Fair in 1962. Her singles were on King Records. Unfortunately the label was short lived because Brown got into a legal dispute with King. The main artist on this label was 17 year old singer Tammy Montgomery. Brown was in a relationship with her at the time. A few years later, she would have success at Motown as Tammi Terrell usually teaming with Marvin Gaye. The other thing Brown wanted to try was recording instrumentals. The Poets was Brown's backing band with Brown playing organ. Later on Brown would release instrumental albums on Smash but I understand this was his first attempt. This was their only single. The whole thing got derailed when Brown got into a spat with King and attempted to leave for Mercury's Smash label. He signed a new contract with King in 1965 but he didn't restart Try Me. He would continue to occasionally produce other artists for Smash. You can get those recordings on this comp from Beat Goes On. Later on Brown would start Brownstone Records which became People Records in 1971. Lyn Collins was on People. That attempt was more successful than Try Me. Here's a video for Devil's Den Pt. 1 by The Poets.

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Charlotte vs Asuka

Here's the match video of Charlotte vs Asuka from Wrestlemania. It took me a couple of days to find a great copy. But this video has everything including the entrances. And it's pristine quality. I'll talk about the end of the streak in a moment. The match itself is very good but not great. I've seen a lot of overpraising of this match. It probably is Charlotte's best match to date. But Asuka had better matches in NXT especially her Last Woman Standing match vs Nikki Cross. The two major flaws in this match were that it was too short. And the ending was too abrupt. it seemed to come out of nowhere. It seemed like they were given a certain length of time and they didn't want to run long. I thought they deserved more time. For the most part, Asuka controlled the match. That's why the ending made no sense. A spear and a figure eight should not have finished Asuka. It should have taken more than that. That being said, Asuka did some very innovative things. Turning Charlotte's moonsault into a triangle choke was brilliant. I assume you heard they wouldn't let her use her armbar. That's what she came up with. That's the move of the match and it was a mid match throwaway. So what this is really about is who will face Ronda Rousey at next year's Wrestlemania. So Vince McMahon has chosen Charlotte because she's Ric Flair's daughter. They also perceive her as a great wrestler. She's not as good as they think. The big question is can Charlotte carry someone less experienced than herself to a great match. I doubt it but I know Asuka can have a great match with anyone. And that's why Asuka should be in that position because she can handle the pressure and deliver a great match. I don't think Charlotte has that kind of ability. She's better than she was. Her promos are still terrible. Most of her matches are very ordinary. That could be a big problem. I don't know what they will do with Asuka. We may find out a next week's shakeup. But they had an opportunity to turn her heel on Sunday and they went the soft route. So enjoy the video. The quality is perfect. Click on the toad and it will take you to the video. I can't embed the video.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Mike Birbiglia

Artist:Mike Birbiglia
Song:Porno For Parents
Album:My Secret Public Journal Live




Mike Birbiglia is a comedian who seems to be getting more into filmmaking these days. He did some specials for Comedy Central though he has now moved to Netflix after appearing on Orange Is The New Black. Performing live is where he started. He was born June 20, 1978 in Shrewsbury, MA. After watching Steven Wright, Birbiglia started writing jokes as a teen. He attended Georgetown and performed at The Improv while in school. After graduating, Birbiglia moved to New York and appeared on Late Show with David Letterman in 2002. He released an album in 2004 and that and his live shows got him a deal with Comedy Central. Porno For Parents is from his 2007 CD My Secret Public Journal Live. He produced a video for that track. His first comedy special was in 2008. A sitcom pilot based on Birbiglia's live was shot for CBS in 2008. But it did not go to series. Birbiglia says the pilot failure was the luckiest thing that ever happened to him. In 2010, Birbiglia wrote the book Sleepwalk With Me. He turned it into a live show and then a film. He did a second show My Girlfriend's Boyfriend in 2011. He continues to perform. His latest comedy special Thank God For Jokes was released by Netflix last year. This was after he appeared on several episodes of the popular Netflix series Orange Is The New Black. He also wrote, directed and starred in the 2016 indie film Don't Think Twice. He also is a regular on the podcast This American Life. And he is currently on tour. So Mike Birbiglia is one busy guy and he likes to do everything. Here's the video for Porno For Parents by Mike Birbiglia.

Frank Pozen's Big Bad Podcast Apr. 9, 2018

On today's podcast, I review Wrestlemania and I look at Invicta FC 29.

Analysis of Invicta FC 29

It was announced today that Invicta will return to Kansas City May 4. As usual, I will analyze the show. The main event will be Sarah Kaufman vs Katharina Lehner for the vacant Invicta Bantamweight Champion. There was a time when Sarah was an elite fighter. She just isn't anymore. I think the rest of the division improved and she didn't. So she's probably in Invicta to stay and she still has fans. She's mostly a puncher and she hasn't improved her other skills. Katharina is 28 years old from Cologne, Germany. Her record is 7-1 mostly in Germany. In her one Invicta fight, she beat Alexa Connors by TKO last August. I don't think it qualifies her for a title shot. Did they pick a name out of a hat? Let's look at the other fights. In a Bantamweight bout, Pannie Kianzad will face Bianca Daimoni. Pannie is from Denmark. She looked like a world beater in Europe but she's 1-3 in Invicta. Bianca is 31 years old from Brazil. Her record is 7-2 in Brazil so she probably belongs on the prelims. In a Flyweight bout, Pearl Gonzalez will face Barbara Acioly. This will be Pearl's first fight at Flyweight. her previous fights were at Strawweight. She was 0-2 in the UFC but she won her recent Invicta debut. Barbara is a 4-2 Brazilian. She lost her Invicta debut and then she was sent to PANCRASE in Japan and she lost to Takayo Hashi. In a Bantamweight bout Julia Avila will face Marciea Allen. Julia is 31 years old from Bakersfield, CA. She has a 4-0 record with a Jan. 2017 win over current UFC Flyweight champ Nicco Montano. Marciea is 36 years old from Sioux Falls, SD. Her MMA record is 6-2. She is mainly a boxer. We last saw her in Invicta in 2012. Having seen her a couple of times, she should probably stick to boxing. In a Flyweight bout, Liz Tracy will face Cheri Muraski. Liz is 29 years old from Portland, OR. Her record is 4-2. She lost to Andrea Lee in a May 2017 Invicta fight. Cheri is from Denver. Her record is 4-2. She lost her Invicta debut to Brogan Sanchez in January. In a Bantamweight fight, Yaya Rincon will face Lisa Spangler. Yaya is 24 years old. She trains at MMA Gold in California so she is a teammate of Aspen Ladd. She won her first two Invicta fights. I like what I have seen of her. Lisa is 22 years old from Vancouver, WA. This is her pro debut but she has a 9-1 amateur record. In a Featherweight bout, Allison Schmidt will face Macy Chiasson. Both are 1-0 fighters making Invicta debuts. It's tough to find decent Featherweights. In a Strawweight bout, Helen Peralta will face Cheyanne Vlismas. Helen is 29 years old from Iowa, She looked pretty good in her Jan. Invicta debut. Cheyanne is 22 years old. She trains at Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas. This is her Invicta debut but she won her MMA debut recently in LFA. The opener is a Strawweight bout with newcomer Adriana Vukovich facing an opponent TBA. Adriana is from Croatia. She is making her MMA debut but she is an amateur grappling champ. As is typical of Invicta, the main card is weak but the prelims look better than usual.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Cowboy Junkies

Artist:Cowboy Junkies
Song:Sweet Jane
Album:Best Of Cowboy Junkies





Cowboy Junkies have been very successful in their native Canada. They are probably best known for this cover of the Lou Reed classic Sweet Jane because it appeared in the 1994 film Natural Born Killers. Cowboy Junkies are a family group. They were born in Montreal but their dad was a salesman and the family moved to the Toronto suburb of Etobicoke. They all went to high school at Richview Collegiate. Guitarist Michael Timmins and his bassist friend Alan Anton had a group called Hunger Project. They moved to England to play in the band Germinal. But they got tired of it and moved back to Toronto in 1984. The two started jamming with Michael's brother Peter Timmins on drums. They asked sister Margo Timmins to join. At the time, she was a social worker and had never sung professionally. Cowboy Junkies was born. They played Toronto clubs and released an album independently. It got them a deal with RCA Canada. The 1988 album The Trinity Sessions was recorded in one day at Toronto's Church of the Holy Trinity. This is a famous church that is frequently used as a concert venue. It's near The Eaton Center in downtown Toronto. Producer Peter Moore suggested using the church because he liked the acoustics. To convince the church to let them use it, he told them the group was The Timmins Family Singers and they were recording a Christmas album. The album was certified 2XPlatinum in Canada. Their cover of Sweet Jane was used in the 1994 film Natural Born Killers and that led to The Trinity Sessions being certified Platinum in the US. This budget comp is a good intro to their music. Cowboy Junkies are still around. They record on their own label. They are supposed to have a new album coming out followed by a tour. But Michael Timmins broke his wrist playing hockey and everything has been delayed until he recovers. Here's the video for Sweet Jane by Cowboy Junkies.

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Ashlee Evans-Smith vs Bec Rawlings

Here's the match video of Ashlee Evans-Smith vs Bec Rawlings from last night's UFC show in Brooklyn. This fight was at Flyweight. Ashlee was fighting at Bantamweight. Bec was fighting at Strawweight. Both have been mediocre in the UFC. But I didn't know if changing weight classes would make any difference. It didn't. Both are still terrible but I guess Bec is worse. She did nothing for three rounds. And then when she lost, she screamed about it backstage and complained about the judging. Maybe she needs to look in the mirror if she is looking for someone to blame. Or maybe even find a new profession. I figure she will be released. Ashlee wasn't much better but I guess a win is a win even if both fighters look terrible. The fight was what I expected, not very good. I think last bight I described the fight as blah. Check out the video for yourself.

Feank Pozen's Big Bad Podcast Apr. 8, 2018

Today's podcast is my UFC 223 review and NXT Takeover review and a preview of Wrestlemania.

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Karolina Kowalkiewicz vs Felice Herrig

Here's the match video of Karolina Kowalkiewicz vs Felice Herrig from last night's UFC show in Brooklyn. So it's likely that whoever wins this fight gets a Strawweight title shot. In the end, I didn't think Karolina won the fight. I thought Felice lost the fight. Karolina is a points fighter. She seems to be willing to take her chances with the judges. And it almost cost her as she won by split decision. I scored it 30-27 for Karolina. And it wasn't that I thought that Karolina was very effective. But Felice was less effective. And then she went back to her corner and Jeff Curran told her she was winning. Well, no one else thought that she was winning. And that's why sometimes fighters lose fights that they should win. It's stupid to fight conservatively and lose. I saw no urgency from either of them. But Karolina was marginally more effective. It's not like she dominated. Like all of her wins, Karolina squeaked it out. Of course it's possible she'll get the next title shot and she has beaten Rose before. I dunno if she can beat this version of Rose. But Karolina seems to have the uncanny ability to squeak out wins. The way to end that is finish her. I hope that's what Rose does. Enjoy the video!

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Rose Namajunas vs Joanna Jedrzeczyk

Here's the match video of Rose Namajunas vs Joanna Jedrzeczyk from last night's UFC show in Brooklyn. This fight was a lot better than the first one. I thought it was close but I scored it 48-47 for Rose. I thought Rose won the first two rounds, Joanna won the next two rounds and Rose won round five. I thought going down two rounds was the reason Joanna lost. A fighter can't come from behind all the time and expect to win. I think it's great that Joanna prepares to go five rounds and she has come from behind to win before. I think she needs to do better in the early rounds. The judging was a little odd. All three judges scored the fight 49-46 for Rose. But they all scored different rounds for Joanna. So the fight was much closer than 49-46 would suggest. Joanna's biggest problem is she couldn't seem to close the distance so she could take Rose to the fence and hammer her with elbows. And her right eye was so bad that I don't think she could see in round five. Her leg kicks were very effective but usually judges don't give enough credit for effective leg kicks. So she needed to do other things to sway the judges and she didn't. My only criticism of Rose is I don't understand why she didn't take the fight to the ground where she has a clear advantage. Trying to beat Joanna at her own game could have led to disaster. But she got away with it. So the next title challenger could be Karolina Kowalkiewicz who beat Rose a couple of years ago. I dunno if she would win this time around. I would not be surprised if Joanna moved up to Flyweight. She was planning to do that anyway as she fought at Flyweight before she came to the UFC. She did not commit to that last night. Enjoy the video!

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Live

Artist:Live
Song:I Alone
Album:Awake: The Best Of Live





Live was successful in the mid-90s post grunge era. They never had a hit single so most of their success was as an album and live band. Live are from York, PA. They went to school together. They started out in the early 80s as First Aid. They were originally a trio with Chad Taylor on lead vocals and guitar, Patrick Dahlheimer on bass and Chad Gracey on drums. Ed Kowalcazyk took over lead vocals when he joined in 1984. He also writes most of the songs. By then they were called Action Front. The band went through several names before settling on Public Affection in 1987. They released a cassette in 1989 and then an EP in 1990. They signed with Radioactive Records in 1991. Radioactive was owned by Gary Kurfirst who managed Big Audio Dynamite among others. The label was distributed by MCA. The band was now called live and they released the EP Four Songs produced by Jerry Harrison of Talking Heads. The album Mental Jewelry was released in 1991. Live went on the MTV 120 Minutes tour. Then the album Throwing Copper was released in 1994. This would turn out to be their most successful album as it was certified 8XPlatinum. Subsequent albums weren't as successful. After the 2003 album Birds Of Prey, they left MCA for Epic. That's when this comp was released. It's available as a budget CD. After releasing an album on their own label in 2007, Kowalczyk left to record a solo album. Live went on hiatus in 2009 and they returned as a trio in 2011. Then they added new lead singer Chris Shinn and released a new album in 2014. in 2016, Kowalczyk ran into Taylor at a radio station and he decided to return to Live. They haven't released any new music but they are touring. I guess Live would be a grunge nostalgia act now. Here's the video for I Alone by Live.

Frank Pozen's Big Bad Podcast Apr. 7, 2018

Today's podcast is a preview of UFC 223 and NXT Takeover New Orleans.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Norma Tanega

Artist:Norma Tanega
Song:Walkin' My Cat Named Dog
Album:Feline Groovy: 24 Purrfect Tracks For Kool Kats




You might remember this song if you were around back in the mid 60s. It was a one hit wonder novelty hit. Norma Tanega was born Jan. 30, 1939 in Vallejo, CA and she grew up in Long Beach. Her father was Filipino and her mother was from Panama. Her dad was a US Navy bandmaster. After graduating from art school, Norma moved to New York City and got involved in the Greenwich Village folk music scene. She worked in the Catskills as a summer camp counselor. One day producer Herb Bernstein was visiting the camp and he saw Norma perform. He brought her to legendary producer Bob Crewe and he let Bernstein produce an album for her on his New Voice label. Bernstein had a long career but probably the biggest thing he ever did was discover Laura Nyro. Walkin' My Cat Named Dog was the first single and it reached #22 on the Billboard Hot 100. Norma wrote the song because her apartment building didn't allow dogs so she got a cat and named him dog. I'm not making this up. Norma toured and appeared on TV but this was her only hit. Part of the problem was she was a terrible singer. She had trouble holding pitch and musicians didn't like working with her. Norma moved to England in 1967 and got into a relationship with Dusty Springfield. She wrote several songs which Dusty recorded. She mostly worked on her painting. Norma recorded an album for RCA in England in 1971 but it went nowhere. She moved back to California in 1972 and she taught at Claremont College. She has been involved in music as a percussionist. I don't think she sings anymore. You can get Walkin' My Cat Named Dog on this Ace Records various artists comp aimed at cat lovers. Here's Norma Tanega performing Walkin' My Cat Named Dog on Where The Action Is 1966.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Norman Brown

Artist:Norman Brown
Song:After The Storm
Album:The Very Best Of Norman Brown





Guitarist Norman Brown has been at the forefront of smooth jazz since he made his recording debut in 1992. After The Storm is probably the song that put him on the map. But he's still going strong today. He was born Dec. 18, 1970 in Kansas City, MO. He started playing guitar as a child. Like many jazz guitarists, Wes Montgomery was his biggest influence. After playing local clubs, Brown moved to Los Angeles to study at the Musician's Institute. After graduation, he signed with MoJazz, a label started by Motown in the early 90s. It was around for a few years until being absorbed by Universal. It looks like Norman Connors was a big part of the label at the start. He produced Brown's 1992 debut album Just Between Us. Connors also recorded for MoJazz and he signed Brown. Brown produced the 1994 album After the Storm himself and he wrote most of the songs. Unlike the first album, there were no special guests like Stevie Wonder. The album did very well on the jazz charts. And After The Storm became Brown's signature song. He usually performs it in concert as part of a medley. Musicians on the song are Herman Jackson on piano who toured with Stevie Wonder, longtime Herbie Hancock bassist Freddie Washington and veteran session drummer Land Richards. This budget comp is available on mp3. Brown moved to Warner Bros. in 1999 and later he recorded for Concord's Peak label. His latest CD Let It Go is on Shanachie. Brown also records with Kirk Whalum and Rick Braun as BWB. They released an album in 2016. Sometimes he is touring with them. But he seems to do a lot of these Smooth Jazz Cruises. That may be the best way to see many of those artists in one place. Here's Norman Brown performing his After The Storm Medley.

Molly McCann vs Gillian Robertson added to may 27 UFC show

Cage Warriors announced today that their Women's Flyweight Champion Molly McCann will face Gillian Robertson on UFC Fight Night 130 May 27 at the Echo Arena in Liverpool, England. It's a no brainer because Molly is from Liverpool. Her record is 7-1 and in her last fight she won the Cage Warriors title with a win over Bryony Tyrell. Molly is currently on a six fight winning streak. The competition level of her opponents is probably not that high. But we'll find out soon enough where she fits in the UFC. Gillian is probably not much better than any of Molly's previous opponents. Gillian is 22 years old from Niagara Falls, ON but she now trains at American Top Team in Florida. Her record is 4-2. She lost in the first round of TUF 26. But she won over Emily Whitmire on the TUF 26 Finale. The fighters on that show were really bad but Emily was one of the worst. So I don't think I have seen enough of Gillian to know how good she is. And she is going into enemy territory where the fans are going to go nuts for Meatball Molly. At least she already had her debut so Gillian shouldn't have any UFC jitters.

Frank Pozen's Big Bad Podcast Apr. 5, 2018

On today's podcast, Kairi Sane on this week's episode of NXT. And Ayaka Hamasaki returns to MMA.

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Kairi Sane vs Vanessa Borne

Here's the match video of Kairi Sane vs Vanessa Borne from this week's episode of NXT. Vanessa's real name is Danielle Kamela. Before she signed with the WWE a couple of years ago, she was a cheerleader for the Phoenix Suns and the Arizona Cardinals. Vanessa is from Scottsdale, AZ. Obviously she is attractive and they are trying to turn her into a heel. She seems to have the mannerisms down. Her ring skills are a work in progress. The match was a typical Kairi Sane match. I saw complaints that some thought Vanessa got in too much offense. I don't mind that. Kairi is at her best when she gets some heat on her and then turns it around with a spear. Then it's just a matter of time before she hits her Insane Elbow for the win. Of course the crowd goes nuts for her because she's so damn cute. I just wish that phony baloney double foot stomp with the opponent holding the ropes would be banned. I hate that move. Yes, I know everyone does it. Afterwards, Lacey Evans cut a promo on the entire NXT women's roster. She will face Kairi on next week's show. Enjoy the video!

Ayaka Hamasaki vs Alyssa Garcia added to May 6 RIZIN show

RIZIN held a press conference today to announce that Ayaka Hamasaki vs Alyssa Garcia has been added to the May 6 show at Marine Messe Fukuoka. this fight will be at Atomweight. Ayaka is a former Invicta Atomweight Champion. The last time we saw her she was trying to get into the UFC Strawweight division. But after losing to Livia Renata Sousa in Mar. 2017, She mostly concentrated on training RENA for RIZIN's Atomweight tournament. At 36 years old, she may have considered retirement too. Of course Ayaka was trained by the legend Megumi Fujii. Her record is 14-2. At the press conference, Ayaka said that RIZIN has approached her before but the timing wasn't right. She also wanted to fight at Strawweight at the time. But if she's going to stay in Japan, Atomweight is the best weight class for her. Alyssa is 24 years old from Whittier, CA. Josh Barnett trains her. Her record is 3-4 but most of her fights have been for either RIZIN or Combate America. So she has fought a competition level that is probably higher than she would normally see in regional US companies. On one hand, she lost to Maria Oliveira in the first round of the RIZIN Atomweight Championship tournament. On the other hand, she won over that tournament's champ Kanna Asakura in Dec. 2016. Kanna has improved tremendously since then. I think she's a different fighter today. Alyssa wasn't at the press conference. Her picture was there. But she sent a note that she is excited about the fight and she knows that she is the underdog. Ayaka should be the favorite if she is the same fighter. But she hasn't fought in over a year. And she does have a history of knee problems. This could be a good scrap.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Christopher Titus

Artist:Christopher Titus
Song:English Batman
Album:The 5th Annual End Of The World Tour





Though he is probably best known for his sitcom Titus, Christopher Titus is mainly a stand up comic seen frequently on Comedy Central. He also records for them. He was born Oct. 1, 1964 in Castro Valley, CA. His parents divorced when he was a child and he was raised by his father in Newark, CA. His mom suffered from mental illness. So Titus has used his dysfunctional childhood as comedy material. Eventually, his mom committed suicide and his dad died in 2001 after plenty of hard partying. Titus almost died just like his dad. But instead he channeled it into his stand up comedy. In the 90s, Titus became a regular at comedy festivals like Just For Laughs. A Fox executive saw his show and offered Titus a sitcom. The show did well and it was critically acclaimed. But Titus had problems with network censors. And then he butted heads with Fox over a storyline they wanted him to do and that's when the show was cancelled. After that Titus returned to stand up comedy and that's what he does today. He signed with Comedy Central in 2007 and he still works for them. They release all his shows on CD and DVD. The 5th Annual End Of The World Tour was his first album in 2007. You can watch the entire concert on Youtube. Titus also had a successful podcast for a few years. He has done some movies and TV and he was the host of the Pawn Stars game show spinoff Pawnography. He did his most recent Comedy Central special in 2016. Here's Christopher Titus performing English Batman from the 2007 Comedy Central special The 5th Annual End Of World Tour.

Frank Pozen's Big Bad Blog Apr. 4, 2018

Today I talk about last night's Mixed Match Challenge match.

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Asuka and The Miz vs Charlotte Flair and Bobby Roode

People can’t resist the temptation of touching things you are not supposed to touch! ✋ https://t.co/LjOPBsnHK1

— ASUKA / 明日華 (@WWEAsuka) April 3, 2018

Here's the match video of Asuka and The Miz vs Charlotte Flair and Bobby Roode. This was the final of the Mixed Match Challenge. The winning team wins $100K for their charity. Last night this match could only be seen on Facebook Watch which is only available in the US. So I'm sure many international fans haven't seen it. So when the WWE pulled Charlotte from last week's match, I thought that they should keep her out of this match she and Asuka shouldn't touch each other until Wrestlemania. That's exactly what they are doing with Styles vs Nakamura and Alexa vs Nia. So why did they decide to have them go against each other five days before Wrestlemania? Based on the above Tweet which Asuka sent yesterday, she didn't like it either. And she's a whole lot smarter than me. As much as the WWE tries to present Charlotte as a great wrestler, she still acts like a greenhorn. She's very nervous mostly about screwing up during a match. And those jitters usually lead to her screwing up during a match. She has athletic ability but she lacks confidence. Of course what they tried to sell on commentary is giving fans a taste of what to expect from them this Sunday. I still would have kept them apart. The match itself started out with stalling but it was probably the most serious match in the tournament. The Miz and Roode carried most of the load because they didn't want to overdo Asuka vs Charlotte. And you'll notice Asuka was on the floor for a lot of the match. The end came after Charlotte applied her figure eight on The Miz. After Asuka broke that up, Roode was about to finish The Miz with his DDT when Asuka kicked him in the back of the head and The Miz finished him. Asuka and The Miz win the Mixed Match Challenge and earn $100K for Rescue Dogs Rock. The match was fine but having Asuka and Charlotte face each other five days before Wrestlemania was completely unnecessary. Enjoy the video!

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-The String Cheese Incident

Artist:The String Cheese Incident
Song:Texas
Album:Trick Or Treat





In the grand tradition of The Grateful Dead, The String Cheese Incident (SCI) is a mix of several musical styles. They are a jam band very similar to Phish for example. SCI was formed in 1993 in Boulder, CO. It looks like they started out playing local bluegrass festivals and then the different musicians added different flavors. Bill Nershi plays guitar and sings. He started out as a bluegrass musician. Michael Kang plays mandolin and violin. Pianist Kyle Hollingsworth studied jazz at Towson State University. Bassist Keith Mosely started in bluegrass. Michael Travis plays drums and percussionist Jason Hahn joined in 2006. They started their own label in 1997. Texas was on their 1997 debut CD Born on the Wrong Planet. But in the jam band tradition, SCI have released many live recordings. This Trick Or Treat comp is a collection of live recordings released in 2009 when SCI was on hiatus for a few years. They all worked on side projects. Nershi and his wife lead the bluegrass group Honkytonk Homeslice. Hollingsworth leads a jazz band. SCI returned to full time touring in 2014 and they continue to tour. They released a new CD last year. You should check them out if they are coming your way. Here is The String Cheese Incident performing Texas July 3, 2009.

Frank Pozen's Big Bad Podcast Apr. 3, 2018

Today I talk about Asuka and Dana Brooke vs Alexa Bliss and Mickie James from last night's RAW and a couple of MMA match announcements. I'll get you ready for this weekend later this week.

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Asuka and Dana Brooke vs Alexa Bliss and Mickie James

Here's the match video of Asuka and Dana Brooke vs Alexa Bliss and Mickie James from last night's episode of RAW. Raise your hand if you thought this match was too long. Look, I know what the WWE is trying to do. But it drives me nuts when they make their own people look like idiots. Before the match, they had an interview with Nia Jax to set up her Wrestlemania match vs Alexa Bliss. They ran Alexa's entrance, took a commercial and then ran Asuka's entrance after the commercial. Then they ran another commercial during the match. So it was a long match and for most of the match, Dana was babyface in peril. Obviously they are selling the possible end of Asuka's streak. But as they tend to do, the WWE went overboard. Though I have no problem with Michael Cole's commentary, I have a big problem with Corey Graves predicting Asuka will lose before every match for the last two months only because it makes him look like an idiot. It's not his fault. He's just doing what Vince tells him to say. It's cheap heat. And last night he said she would lose three straight matches. Jonathan Coachman's response was what if she wins them all. That means they have run out of ideas. They didn't know what Graves should say other than predicting that Asuka will lose. Well, they better come up with some new ideas. The way I hear it, this streak will last for another year. Most of the match was Dana in peril. But on a couple of occasions, she could have tagged Asuka in and she looked like an idiot to not do that. This was done to kill time. Because when Asuka did tag in, she finished the match in ninety seconds. So if you add poor match layout to horrible booking, it's not a good mix. After the match, Alexa and Mickie jumped Asuka and Nia came out to make the save. Of course she didn't get her hands on Alexa though she will on Sunday. I expect something weird to happen in that match. So why didn't they have Nia team with Asuka? They needed a longer match than they would have been able to do with Nia. Check out the video for yourself.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Mya

Artist:Mya f/Sisqo
Song:It's All About Me
Album:Mya





Mya Harrison had very brief chart success in the late 90s. It's All About Me was her first single. It was a top ten hit. She had a couple more hits but she faded quickly possibly because she was more dancer than singer. She was born Oct. 10, 1979 in Washington, DC. Her dad was a musician. As a teen, she trained with tap dancing legend Savion Glover and she danced at Kennedy Center. She appeared in music videos and on BET's Teen Summit. Her dad helped her develop her singing. He produced a demo and that got Mya a deal with Interscope. For the next two years, she worked on her 1998 debut CD Mya. Most of the album was produced by Daryl "Day" Pearson of Swing Mob. He worked a lot with Missy Elliott. It's All About Me was the first single. It was written and also features Mark "Sisqo" Andrews who was pretty hot at the time. It reached #6 on the Billboard Hot 100. Sisqo's popularity at the time was probably a big reason for the single's success. The album was certified Platinum. Mya's second album Fear Of Flying was released in 2000. It was also certified Platinum on the strength of the single Case Of The Ex which reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 100. Mya scored her only #1 hit with the cover of Lady Marmalade with Christina Aguilera, Lil Kim and Pink from the Moulin Rouge soundtrack. So it was a gimmick hit. That record won a Grammy but I think it was the beginning of the end of Mya's music career. She started doing movies including a supporting role in the 2002 film Chicago. When her 2003 album Moodring didn't perform as well as her previous albums, Mya signed a big contract with Ford Modeling. Then she left Interscope for Motown. When her 2007 album Liberation didn't do well, she left Motown. She has her own label now and she has a new CD coming in a couple of weeks. Mya has done some acting but hasn't had much success. I guess her biggest thing was finishing second in the 2009 season of Dancing With The Stars. And that brings me back to Mya being more dancer than singer which might explain why she had only a brief run on the pop charts. Here's the video for It's All About Me by Mya featuring Sisqo.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Manfred Mann's Earth Band

Artist:Manfred Mann's Earth Band
Song:Blinded By The Light
Album:The Complete Greatest Hits 1963-2003





Most music fans should know Manfred Mann from his 60s hits like Do Wah Diddy. But he also topped the charts in 1976 with his cover of the Bruce Springsteen song Blinded By The Light. Manfred Mann's Earth Band was Mann's fourth band. Most of his success was with his first band featuring lead singer Paul Jones. The second band featuring Mike d'Abo was from 1966-69. And the third band Chapter Three was a jazz rock band that didn't have a singer. they only recorded two albums. Manfred Mann's Earth Band was formed in 1971 and after a few albums, it evolved to a more progressive rock style with jazz fusion influences. The band that recorded Blinded By The Light was Mann on keyboards. That's him playing the synthesizers in the video clip. The other founding members still in the band were Colin Pattenden on bass and Chris Slade on drums. The lead singer was Chris Thompson and Dave Flett played guitar. Flett left soon after for Thin Lizzy. Blinded By The Light was a surprise hit because previous albums and singles went nowhere. I guess the main thing was it got them a US deal with Warner Bros. and they toured the US. It turned out to be the Earth Band's only big hit. You can get it along with Mann's 60s hits on this 2CD comp. Mann disbanded this band in 1987. But he continues to tour mostly in Europe. His most recent album was released in 2014. Here's Manfred Mann's Earth Band performing Blinded By The Light on The Midnight Special 1977.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Lloyd Williams

Artist:Lloyd Williams
Song:Shout
Album:National Lampoon's Animal House: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack




If you watched the 1978 film Animal House, you probably remember the classic songs performed by Otis Day and the Knights. Too bad it wasn't a real band. The songs were recorded by studio musicians. But the band was so successful in the film that Otis Day and the Knights became a real band. The man behind that was DeWayne Jessie. His older brother Obie Jessie was in the doo wop group The Flairs and he recorded as Young Jessie. Later on he was musical director for Esther Phillips. DeWayne Jessie is an actor. He appeared in films like The Bingo Long Traveling All Stars & Motor Kings, Car Wash and Thank God It's Friday. So he was hired to play Otis Day in Animal House. It looks like the vocals were by Lloyd Williams who at the time was lead singer of The Undisputed Truth and later on Rose Royce. The band were actors too including future bluesman Robert Cray. Elmer Bernstein composed the Animal House score. But veteran producer Kenny Vance produced the soundtrack album. He brought in former Chess and Motown producer Mark Davis to produce the Otis Day tracks. So it's mostly Motown guys who play on the record including Mel Britt, Mark Kenoly, James Gadson, Melvin "Wah Wah" Watson, Dean Gant and Jack Ashford. After the movie was a big hit, Jessie saw that there was a lot of buzz for Otis Day and the Knights. So he formed a band with family members and went on the road. There was a live Otis Day and the Knights video released in 1986. And they released the album Shout on MCA in 1989. George Clinton produced it. I'm not sure if they are still active but they toured for years as America's Favorite Party Band. It's hard to believe, eh. Here's Lloyd Williams performing Shout from the 1978 film Animal House.

Otis Day & The Knights - Shout (video edit) from FunkyRob on Vimeo.