I can't stop looking at YouTube videos of the way it was.

Oh Gretel, you minx.

This one is quite good too, as Gretel spends a long time talking about Saxon's sex drive - something that, with the benefit of 2008 hindsight, we know she'll soon enough learn about in her private time.

Guess what else featured on the amazing Chartbusting 80's DVD I watched on Friday night?

Get this Billy Ocean song up ya, for god's sake!

Aside from the glorious tune itself, highlights include totally spunky footage of Kathleen Turner and Michael Douglas, a fine saxophone solo from Danny DeVito (who is about the same size as the instrument he's attempting to wrangle), some wonderful matching suits, and the best goddamn backing vocalist choreography I've ever witnessed. I have an overwhelming urge to hit the nearest karaoke bar and belt this puppy out.

Also: how good were clips in the eighties - a golden era when music videos featured big movie stars lip syncing enthusiastically? See Simon, P and his Chevy Chase-infused "You Can Call Me Al" clip.

So on Friday night, before attending the amazing Dave McCormack/Angie Hart gig at the Northcote Social Club (can I just mention once more my bloody massive McCormack crush?), I went to my friend Kerry's house and we began watching the amazing Chartbusting 80s IV DVD while supping champers, and the following video clip hit the small screen.

I had no idea that song was by Boom Crash Opera! Shame on me for only ever having associated them with 'Onion Skin'. I remember 'Dancing In The Storm' because it featured in the Ben Mendelsohn/Claudia Karvan classic The Big Steal but never realised the lads from Boom Crash Opera were responsible for it. I feel enlightened and... sort of shocked.

Nice Big Country moment, Boom Crash Opera. What are they up to now, I wonder? Well, why not add them on the Spazz and find out for yourself. I love that their profile's tagline is "Look .. do you know who we used to be???"

In the wake of the upsetting (for some) news that Big Brother has been cancelled by Channel Ten and will not be appearing on our screens next year, I suggest we take a moment to remember a more innocent time for the show...

... Yes, remember back in the crazy days of series one? When housemates could see the cameras following them but didn't know if the show was even still on air, and genuinely had no clue as to what awaited them in the outside world? There were no expectations of Zoo Weekly covers or Neighbours appearances post-eviction. Gretel Killeen loved her job, and saucily enjoyed introducing us to the concept of Big Brother Uncut on Thursday nights and didn't appear to be dying inside every time she appeared on the telly. Some housemates were lovely, some housemates were total knobs - but they were all very human, and very naive.

No matter what happens with the series from this point on, we'll never get back such an innocent time in reality television.

(cries buckets)

Heh. Just kidding. But god, the memories are flooding back, and there'll never be a series like that first one. It was the shizzzzzzz...

This one goes out to you, Big Brother.

All across the country, Catholics are clutching their rosary beads with excitement at the news Head Dude of the Roman Catholic Church hit our golden soil yesterday, arriving at Richmond RAAF Base in the afternoon, where he was greeted with a friendly "Welcome to Oz, fuckface!" by Prime Minister Keven Rudd (well, he probably didn't use those exact words, but who knows for sure anymore now that the PM's potty-mouth has been uncovered?).

The spiritual leader of the world's 1.1 billion Catholics was met by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and Sydney Archbishop George Pell as he began his nine-day trip, his first here since becoming pontiff in 2005.

Pope Benedict expressed "great joy" about the visit, saying World Youth Day events had the ability to open frontiers between nations and bring cultures together.

In an official statement to the "great southern land of the Holy Spirit" he wrote that all Australians were in his thoughts.

As are the lyrics of Icehouse too, it would seem. What next, B-dog? Getting a billion people to kneel during Sunday Mass at Randwick Racecourse before theatrically using the line "On my knees, help me Jesus, tell me what can I do... electric blue" in your prayer? Stating same sex relationships are "Nothing Too Serious" and thus the entire notion of gay weddings denigrate the institution of marriage? I can't think of any more appalling Icehouse-based wordplay, but you catch my drift.

I look forward to seeing what the coming week of Catholic-mayhem brings. The fact that there's a popedownunder Twitter account, meaning we can get succinct updates regarding exactly what's happening during this Papalpalooza, is bloody brilliant.

Frankly, entries like this -

Breaking news: a kitten called 'Bella' has been brought into the Kenthurst Study Centre to help Pope Benedict feel at home

- are so amazingly stupid that it seems fairly obvious to me that the Pope is going to feature on this little ol' blog quite a bit this week.

Bring it on.

Kool & The Gang-inspired part of the post title courtesy of one-man wit machine, Swords & Sandals creator, and all round Sydney heartthrob Oliver Shirley's Facebook status update. I salute you, sir.