Wikipedia tells me that Terence Trent D'Arby changed his name to Sananda Maitreya a few years ago after a "series of dreams." But also maybe to free himself up from his ironclad record contract, Prince-style. Anyway, he was one hell of a two-hit wonder back in the late eighties. But I never quite understood what the hell a wishing well of crocodile tears was.

Hmmm… Yep, still relevant.

Last night, my windows were no match for the arctic chill outside. It slipped through the cracks and rendered my radiator completely useless. Really — I slept in a hat and scarf. The super is getting a phone call in a few minutes. Until then, I needed a song this morning that connoted warmth. Chaka Khan's "Through the Fire!"

Bobby Brown, so boisterous, so energetic, so handsome (jk) in 1988, has been in the news recently over some cocaine charges and failing to show up for his custody support trial. I would say that he has fallen apart since Whitney left him, but, despite his current failings, he's surely doing better now than he was then.

On a different note, how hilarious is late-80s/early-90s choreography?

At work yesterday, the coworkers and I were debating the merits of the recently debuted Macbook Air. As bloggers, we were pretty damned excited about it, despite its drawbacks. Speaking for myself — I'm highly susceptible to Apple's marketing. Knowing is half the battle. Anyway, Inspector Gadget came up in the course of the conversation, and I haven't been able to get the damn theme song out of my head since. And, well, I wanted to share the pain with my lovely readers. Go gadget go!

The best thing about Ashford and Simpson is that they still pretty much look like this, for better or worse. In the case of Ashford's haire, it's definitely "for worse." Still, it's pretty nice that their bond really is as solid as they said it was back in 1984.

One question: What would be the lineup for a 2008 edition of "We are the World?" It definitely would not be as impressive, and someone would need to write a rap interlude. Discuss amongst yourselves.

One of my many New Year's resolutions is one that is as old as time, or it's been around as long as New Year's resolutions have, at least. I need to get in shape. This morning marked day one of my renewed dedication to the gym; hopefully it will last into February — March, if I'm lucky. Anyway, in honor of this momentous occasion, I offer Olivia Newton John's '80s classic, Physical, which is perhaps one of the most unintentionally gay videos ever made. I know it's an off-topic sort of song, but, guys, if we can't see a little bit of ourselves in a diminutive, blond-haired, blue-eyed Australian woman, then I don't know what this world is coming to.

Last night was 80's retrospective night at the Staples Center, and, for the first half of the game, the Lakers decided to pay homage to the bygone era of basketball by wearing the booty shorts of their predecessors. Here are Kobe Bryant's thoughts on the matter:

"I don't know what it feels like to wear a thong, but I imagine it feels something like what we had on in the first half," he said with a grin. "I felt violated. I felt naked. It's one thing to see films with guys wearing those things. … I'd rather stay warm, man."

Dignity wasn't the only thing the Lakers lost last night. The Celtics beat them, 110-91.

[Image Source: Bossip]

Happy Monday-before-the-Monday-before-Christmas (if you don't celebrate it, then happy Monday!) — from Run DMC and me.

How fabulous was Jody Watley? First of all, the leggings and ankle boots look (minus the sheer lace skirt, of course) prove as further evidence of the cyclical nature of fashion. Second of all…actually, that's it. Enjoy. If you're old enough to remember this 1987 gem, you will probably be singing it all day. Sorry!

This evening, I'm making like LL Cool J in 1988, meaning I'm taking a quick, one-day jaunt to Los Angeles for a slightly-surreal promotional trip. Okay, so I'm not making exactly like LL. I'll definitely leave the Kangol at home. And I promise to tell you about my trip tomorrow. Until then, readers, meet LL. LL, here are Stereohyped's readers. Be nice to each other.

My father is obsessed with Stevie Wonder. I don't mean he kind of is a fan of the man's music. I mean he loves Stevie Wonder. I mean that one time my sister told him she thought Jodeci's live version of "Lately" was better than Stevie's, and she almost got disowned. So when I hear this song it sort of reminds me of my childhood, because this and others were sort of on a loop in the background of my early years. Although I had no earthly idea what a part-time lover was.

I might be the only black woman on the Eastern Seaboard he hasn't seen The Color Purple on Broadway. I have doubts that, no matter how good it is, it can approximate the magic of this scene (my favorite) in the movie.

Watching this unbelievably cheesy NBC 60th anniversary special, featuring Nell Carter, Marla Gibbs (hilarious intro), and Alfonso Ribeiro, it's sort of crazy to see, not only how many classics were on that network at once, but how many famous black characters there were in 80s sitcoms.