Let's play the alphabet game

Threadless has a t-shirt for sale with the following design, an alphabet of male musicians...

Let's see how many I can name.

In honor of Titan

I'm not particularly thrilled with the convention of naming winter storms that the Weather Channel has adopted these past couple of years. I'm also not particularly thrilled with the choice to go this year with primarily Greek-mythological names as suggested by a Latin class at Bozeman High School in Montana.

Let's see if I can do better going with the theme of winter-/ice-/cold-themed comic book characters.

First, the characters, vaguely ranked from most important downward...

1. Iceman/Bobby Drake (Marvel - X-Men)
2. Storm/Ororo Munroe (Marvel - X-Men)
3. Captain Cold/Leonard Snart (DC - Flash villain)
4. Mr Freeze/Victor Fries (DC - Batman villain)
5. Ice/Tora Olafsdotter (DC - Justice League/Global Guardians)
6. Elijah Snow (Wildstorm - Planetary's fourth man)
7. Snow Queen/Lumi (DC - Fables)
8. Snow Miser (Rankin/Bass character)
9. Frozone/Lucious Best (Disney - Incredibles friend)
10. Weather Wizard/Mark Mardon (DC - Flash villain)
11. Icemaiden/Sigrid Nansen (DC - Justice League/Global Guardians)
12. Icemaster/Bradley Kroon (Marvel villain/Hostess Fruit Pie villain)
13. Frost/Frost Noble (Image - hero)
14. Killer Frost/Crystal Frost/seriously, that's her 'real' name (DC - Firestorm villain)
15. Coldsnap/Alex Barros (Image) 
16. Ice King/Simon Petrikov (Adventure Time)
17. Icicle/Cameron Mahkent/Joar Mahkent (DC - Justice Society villain)
18. Jack Frost (DC - Fables character)
19. Blossom (Powerpuff girl - freezing breath) 
20. Sailor Mercury/Ami Mizuno (Anime) 
21. Snowbird/Narya/Anne McKenzie-Thompson/Virginia Dare - (Marvel - Alpha Flight)
22. Killer Frost/Louise Lincoln/Catlin Snow (DC - Firestorm villain)
23. Ymir (Marvel - frost giant king) 
24. Mercurio (Marvel villain - seriously, check out his costume...it's outstanding)
25. Endless Winter/Delores Winters (DC - Justice Society villain)
26. Sylph/Jeanine Gale (DC - Super Friends villain)
27. Polar Boy/Brek Bannin (DC - Legion of Superheroes)
28. Icestar/Jonathan Grayson (Eclipse - Champions hero)
29. Quisp (DC - Aquaman villain)
30. Nightwind/Berta Skye Harris (DC - Legion of Superheroes)
31. Idie Okonkwo/Oya - (Marvel - X-Men)
32. Xraven  (Marvel - X-Men)
33. Coldmoon/Wanxia (Marvel - Avengers)
34. Chill/Ross Wexler (Marvel - DP7)
35. Mandarin/Khan/Zhang Tong (Marvel - Iron Man villain - totally out of order)

Now, to the names based on that list...

• A - Ami (#20, Sailor Mercury)
• B - Barros (#15, Coldsnap)
• C - Crystal (#14, Killer Frost)
• D - Drake (#1, Iceman)
• E - Elijah (#6, Elijah Snow, breaks pattern of alternating male-female names)
• F - Frozone (#9, Best didn't feel right, L already taken)
• G - Gramos (#24, Mercurio's home planet)
• H - Harris (#30, Nightwind)
• I - Idie (#31, Oya)
• J - Joar (#17, Icicle)
• K - Kroon (#12, Icemaster)
• L - Lumi (#7, Snow Queen)
• M - Miser (#8, Snow Miser)
• N - Nansen (#11, Icemaiden)
• O - Ororo (#2, Storm)
• P - Petrikov (#16, Ice King)
• Q - Quisp (#29, Quisp)
• R - Ross (#34, Chill)
• S - Snart (#3, Captain Cold)
• T - Tora (#5, Ice)
• U -
• V - Victor (#4, Mr Freeze)
• W - Wanxia (#33, Coldmoon)
• X - Xraven (#32, Xraven)
• Y - Ymir (#23, Ymir)
• Z - Zhang (#35, Mandarin)

Left out

• Weather Wizard/Mark Mardon - #10 - M already taken by Snow Miser
• Frost/Frost Noble - #13 - can't name a storm Frost...N already taken by Nansen, can't move Nansen to Sigrid because of Snart, can't move Snart to Leonard because of Lumi
• Jack Frost - #18 - can't name a storm Frost...J already take by Joar, can't move Joar to Mahkent because of Miser, can't move Miser to Snow 
• Blossom - #19 - B already taken by Barros
• Snowbird - #21 - N already taken by Nansen (see #13); A already taken by Ami, can't move Ami to Mizuno (see #18); M already taken by Mizuno (see #18); V already taken by Victor, can't move Victor to Fries; D already taken by Drake
• Killer Frost - #22 - L already taken by Lumi; C already taken by Crystal, can't move Crystal to Frost; can't name storm Snow
• Endless Winter - #25 - D already taken; can't name a storm Winters
• Sylph - #26 -  J already taken (see #18); G already taken by Gramos, can't move Gramos to Mercurio (see #18)

Man, that leaves me totally stumped. I've searched the web for a list of cold- and wind- and frost- and ice-themed superheroes and villains, and I'm still stuck for a U. Any suggestions?

Alphabet Game: Favorite Words

My favorite words from Ted McCagg's Best Word Ever tournament...

• A - akimbo
• B - boink
• C - cuckold (clean, anyway)
• D - discombobulate
• E - egregious
• F - flummox (clean, anyway)
• G - gingham
• H - hullabaloo
• I - isthmus 
• J - juggernaut
• K - knell (though kerfuffle was robbed)
• L - loquacious
• M - mnemonic
• N - nincompoop
• O - onomatopoeia
• P - proselytize
• Q - quagmire
• R - rigamarole
• S - shenanigans
• T - thither
• U - usurp
• V - vivacious
• W - wonk
• X - xiphoid
• Y - yurt
• Z - zephyr

Alphabet game: 80's movies

Neatorama had a post of Stephen Wildish's 80's alphabet. His site also has alphabets for 60s, 70s, 90s, 2000s, and Bond. Here's what I've got from this one.

Alphabet Game: My Favorite Songs

By song title this time...

• A - "All of the Lights" by Kanye West (apologies to "Angel from Montgomery" by John Prine & Bonie Raitt, "All My Children of the Sun" by Pete Seeger, "Ain't Even Done With the Night" by John Cougar)
• B - "The Bonnie Banks of Fordie" by Old Blind Dogs (apologies to "The Bluegrass Widow" by Robert Earl Keen, "The Black Angel's Death Song" by The Velvet Underground, "Beeswing" by Richard Thompson)
• C - "Cobwebs" by Ryan Adams & the Cardinals (apologies to "Crash Into Me" by Dave Matthews Band, "Crash Into Me" by Emocapella, "Coming" by David Motion & Sally Potter, "Creggen White Hare" by Andy Irvine, "City of New Orleans" by Arlo Guthrie, "Chaiyya Chaiyya" by Sapna Awasthi & Sukwinder Singh, "Casmir Pulaski Day" by Sufjan Stevens, "Callin' on Sunday" by U2 & Lyrics Born)
• D -"Drivin' Me Wild" by Common & Lily Allen (apologies to "Down Here Below" by Steve Earle, "Distraction #74" by The Avett Brothers, "Dieu a Nos Cotes" by Hart Rouge, "Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes" by Paul Simon)
• E -"Evil is Alive & Well" by Jakob Dylan (apologies to "Educated Guess" by Ani DiFranco)
• F -"The Front Porch Song (live)" by Robert Earl Keen (apologies to "From Galway to Graceland" by Richard Thompson, "Four in the Morning" by Jesse Collin Young, "For What It's Worth" by Buffalo Springfield, "Float On" by Modest Mouse, "Fire Coming Out of a Monkey's Head" by Gorillaz)
• G - "Girl From the North Country" by Bob Dylan & Johnny Cash (apologies to "Green Onions" by Booker T & the MGs)
• H -"House of the Rising Sun" by The Animals (apologies to "Hummingbird" by Wilco, "Highwayman" by The Highwaymen, "Hide and Seek" by Imogen Heep, "Hey Ya" by Matt Weddle, "Heroin" by The Velvet Underground, "Helpless" by Neil Young (on The Last Waltz), "Hellelujah" by Jeff Buckley)
• I - "I Want to Hold Your Hand" by T.V. Carpio (apologies to "It Was a Very Good Year" by Frank Sinatra, "It's Money That I Love" by Randy Newman (on Randy Newman Songbook), "In the Mood" by Robert Plant, "I Do" by Jude, "I and Love and You" by The Avett Brothers)
• J - "Jump Around" by House of Pain (apologies to "Just Like a Woman" by Richie Havens, "John Wayne Gacy, Jr" by Sufjan Stevens, "Jack and Diane" by John Cougar Mellencamp)
• K -"Knee Play 5" by Phillip Glass (apologies to "Killing Me Softly" by The Fugees, "Kamera" by Wilco (on Yankee Hotel Demos))
• L - "Love Love Love" by the Mountain Goats (apologies to "Love Walks In" by Van Halen, "Lost in the World" by Kanye West, "Lose Yourself" by Eminem, "Little Drummer Boy/Peace on Earth" by David Bowie & Bing Crosby, "Lily, Rosemary, and the Jack of Hearts" by Bob Dylan, "Lightning Crashes" by Live, "Life in a Northern Town" by Dream Academy, "Let's Dance" by The Rakes & Lily Allen, "Laminated Cat" by Jeff Tweedy (on Sunken Treasure), "Lake Marie" by John Prine)
• M -"Moritat" by Lyle Lovett (apologies to "Mmmbop" by Hanson, "Margarita" by The Traveling Wilburys)
• N -"The Nosebleed Section" by Hilltop Hoods (props to Grace for getting me this one) (apologies to "No Love Today" by Chris Smither, "Nightswimming" by REM, "Naked Eye (radio edit) by Luscious Jackson)
• O -"Organ Blues" by Wilco (apologies to "Oxford Comma" by Vampire Weekend, "Only You" by Flying Pickets, "One Last Love Song" by The Beautiful South, "One" by Apocalyptica
• P -"Persuasion" by Riachrd & Teddy Thompson (apologies to "Prisencolinensinainciusol" by Adriano Celentano, "Portland, Oregon" by Loretta Lynn & Jack White, "Percussion Gun" by White Rabbits, "Peaches" by The Stranglers, "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone" by The Temptations)
• Q -"A Quick One While He's Away" by Green Day
• R -"Rainbow Connection" by Willie Nelson (apologies to "Revolution 1" by The Beatles"Ride On" by AC/DC, "Roland The Headless Thompson Gunner" by Warren Zevon, "Runaway" by Del Shannon, "Recipe for Love" by Harry Connick, Jr)
• S - "Southern Cross" by CSN (apologies to "Sweet Thing" by The Waterboys, "Sweet Jane" by Cowboy Junkies, "Suspicious Minds" by Dwight Yoakam, "Sunken Treasure" by Jeff Tweedy (from Sunken Treasure), "Spiders (Kidsmoke)" by Wilco, "Sweetest Thing" by U2, "Slow Dancing" by U2 & Willie Nelson, "Sinner Man" by Nina Simone, "Short Skirt/Long Jacket" by Cake, "Shenandoah" by everyone ever, "Shelter From the Storm" by Bob Dylan, "She Drives Me Crazy" by Fine Young Cannibals, "Screen Door" by Uncle Tupelo, "Sabotage" by The Beastie Boys, "Safety Dance" by Men Without Hats)
• T -"Tweeter & the Monkey Man" by The Traveling Wilburys (apologies to "This Year" by The Mountain Goats, "They Are Night Zombies! They Are Neighbors! The Have Come Back From The Dead! Ahhhh!" By Sufjan Stevens, "Tennessee Sucks" by Ryan Adams, "Tempted" by Squeeze, "Tangled Up in Blue" by Bob Dylan (from Blood on the Tapes))
• U - "The Underdog" by Spoon (apologies to "Uvula Maintenance" by Johnny Socko, "The Ubiquitous Mr Lovegrove" by Dead Can Dance, "Uncle Alvarez" by Liz Phair)
• V - "Valentine's Day" by Steve Earle
• W - "Wholly Humble Heart" by Martin Stephenson (apologies to "With or Without You" by U2, "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" by Gordon Lightfoot, "Who Are You" by Pearl Jam, "When the Stars Go Blue" by Ryan Adams & Sevigny, "When It's Love" by Van Halen, "Werewolves of London" by Warren Zevon, "We Belong" by Pat Benetar, "Walking in Memphis" by Marc Cohn, "Wagon Wheel" by Old Crow Medicine Show - Man, I'm tempted to give X's spot to W)
• X - "X-Ray Man" by Liz Phair (a weak entry but the best of the three songs I have that start with X)
• Y -"You're the One" by The Black Keys
• Z - "The Zephyr Song" by Red Hot Chile Peppers

• 1 - "1952 Vincent Black Lightning" by Richard Thompson (apologies to "10 AM Automatic" by The Black Keys and "1000 Miles" by Vanessa Carlton)
• 2 - "21 Guns" by Green Day
• 3 - "316" by Van Halen
• 4 - " "40" " by U2
• 5 - "The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy)" by Simon & Garfunkle
• 6 - " 6'1" " by Liz Phair
• 7 - "7" by Prince
• 8 - "88 Lines About 44 Women" by The Nails
• 9 -"99 Luftballoons" by Nena

Alphabet game: Z is for artists

And, done...

Alphabet game: Y is for artists

The penultimate playlist in the series, and I promise they're all Y artists - even that one listed as "The Band"...it's really Neil Young playing in front of The Band and backed by Emylou Harris at The Last Waltz.

Alphabet game: X is for artists

This week took some cheating since I only had one artist - XTC - starting with the letter X.

So, instead, I'm going with artists with an X in their name, not necessarily in the first position.  Tried to make sure I didn't repeat anything from previous lists.

Alphabet game: W is for artists

Tough to not go all wilco all the time this week...they are, far and away, the bulk of my letter W artists on iTunes...

Alphabet game: V is for artists

We're closing in on the closing of the alphabet - unless I go back and do solo artists based on their last names, and this week you are graced with the letter V today.

Alphabet game: U is for artists

Had to lean a little more heavily on U2 than I would've liked for the U artists this week...

Alphabet game: T is for artists

It's a T-for Tuesday this week...enjoy 'em...

Another alphabet quiz graphic...

A while back, I tried to figure out who all the musical alphabet folks were.  Recently, I StumbledUpon a similar graphic of movie alphabet folks with absolutely no other information, just the graphic.

So I need some help.  Who are these folks?

I'll post my guesses after the graphic, but I'll black 'em out so you can play on your own and help me fill in any blanks.

Z - Steve Zissou

Y - Yoda

X - some guy from The Gods Must Be Crazy ?

W - Wayne of Wayne's World

V - Vincent Vega from Pulp Fiction

U -Uncle Rico from Napoleon Dynamite (thanks, Grace)

T - Tony something from Scarface 

S - the guy from Goonies...Superchunk, maybe?

R - Ron Burgandy from Anchorman 

Q - dunno...maybe Q from the various Bond movies

P - Michael Sera's character from Juno 

O - dunno

N - Nacho Libre

M -Margo Tenenbaum from The Royal Tenenbaums (thanks, Katydid)

L - Leelu (sp?) from The Fifth Element 

K - Kevin from Sin City 

J - Bruce Willis's character from Die Hard...John something

I - Indiana Jones...easy

H -Harold of Harold & Maude - thanks, Katydid

G - Gandalf from Calen's favorite movies

F - Forest Gump

E - Edward Scissorhands

D - The Dude from The Big Lebowski 

C - Brad Pitt's character from Burn After Reading 

B - Brody from Mallrats 

A - the main character from A Clockwork Orange 

So, which blanks can you fill in?

Alphabet game: S is for artists

S's would, of course, be far easier to populate than would the Q list a couple of weeks ago, so take a listen to the S artists that I dig...

Alphabet game: R is for artists

Back to the easy letters with R artists this week...

Alphabet game: Q is for artists

Admit it, you weren't entirely sure that I was going to be able to put together a Letter Q playlist, weren't you?

Alphabet game: P is for artists

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The Letter P has some fine songs in it...check 'em out this week...

Alphabet game: O is for artists

Here we go 'round and 'round with the letter O this week...

Alphabet game: N is for artists

The letter N has shown a little more restraint than did the letter M last week.

Thankfully...

Alphabet game: M is for artists

Two humps on the letter m, and a whole bunch of songs in The Letter M playlist this week...