As something of an 80s music aficionado (for better and for worse), I have probably heard Chicago’s “If She Would Have Been Faithful” at least 100 times in my life. I’m not bragging about that. Just stating it as a fact. Yet, it was only recently, after not hearing the song for some time, that I detected a rather . . . unique lyrical style.
“If She Would Have Been Faithful” was a cut from 1986’s Chicago 18. The band, still trying to find its way and deal with life after Peter Cetera, wasn’t sure how audiences would receive the modified version of their sound.
it was very much an open question as to whether Chicago could continue their run of Top 40 success after their most recognizable member departed for the obviously greener pastures of the Karate Kid II soundtrack. Nonetheless, Chicago 18 sold well and included several hits, one of which was “If She Would Have Been Faithful,” a song that succeeded commercially despite including all of the following unlikely turns-of-phrase:
– Paradox
– Misinterpreted
– Point-of-view
– Denied
– Contradiction
– Reconstructing
– Disguise
– Logical
– Ironic
– Emphatically
– Objective
– Cheated (x4)
– Faithful (x7)
But Blockbuster was the most successful national company by far, thanks to a business model that included tailoring a store’s selection to fit local demographics, as well as a breakthrough in the form of video game rentals, something that became possible (and lucrative) after Blockbuster won a 
I’ve talked before about how I enjoy writing for a bunch of different outlets, because doing so allows me to write about such varying topics. One of the things that burned me out on being full-time at VirginiaPreps was writing the same four articles every week for over a decade. I liked it, but, eventually, it got to be too repetitive to do full-time.
Breaking Bad is finished, and what an ending it was. The short version is that I thought it was excellent, and totally appropriate for that show. To be fair, I should note that I absolutely adored the same Lost finale that a good chunk of Lost fans hated, so I have no way to gauge what the reaction will be to the Breaking Bad ending.
The saga of teacher-turned-kingpin Walter White comes to a conclusion this Sunday night.
If you excised the flashback scene, I have to wonder whether a newbie watching the pilot and “Ozymandias” back-to-back would even realize it was the same series.
The Axis of Ego 
An Event of Unexpected Importance
Wait . . . something’s not right.
When wrestling fans scour the television landscape in anticipation of pivotal moments in WWE history, the Tables, Ladders, and Chairs pay-per-view isn’t the top candidate to produce such moments.
That’s an understatement. TLC is a “gimmick” pay-per-view, built around a particular, extreme match type. That gimmick serves as a substitute for critical storyline events and feud-ending matches that headline shows like Wrestlemania or Summerslam.
Yet, more and more in recent years, WWE seems willing to use the “in-between” PPVs for important plot elements that fundamentally affect the product for months or years to come. A case-in-point would be not only the creation of a PPV around the Money in the Bank match, but, specifically, the 2011 event, which set into motion major shifts for the company that remain relevant over two years later.
All of which brings me to this Sunday.
We’re being led to believe that this “filler” show will, in fact, alter the very structure of the company. Unifying the two world titles will change everything from the way Raw and Smackdown are organized to how Money in the Bank and Royal Rumble work. It will also reduce any confusion about who the standard-bearer is for the company at a given moment in time.
But what’s actually going to happen on Sunday? Let’s look at it:
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