As you may have heard in the news, the Godfather of Soul, the one and only James Brown, passed away on Christmas day. The contribution that James Brown and his band made to popular music cannot be overstated. His classic funk grooves were the bedrock on which Hip Hop was built, but his influence is not limited to Hip Hop alone. You can hear James Brown's influence in countless records by Prince, you can see his showmanship in the moves of Michael Jackson, and his activism in support of his community inspired artists like Afrika Bambaattaa and Public Enemy to follow his lead. And, we wouldn't have the electro-funk undercurrents that powered so much 80's dance music if it wasn't for him (so it's no coincidence Ministry sampled James Brown, The Tom Tom Club chanted his name, and Cabaret Voltaire named a song after him.) Just like Elvis Presley, James Brown's later years were marked by controversy and creative decline. But his name belongs right next to Elvis, and The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Little Richard, Chuck Berry, Lou Reed, David Bowie, Kraftwerk, and countless others who sent popular music in new directions.

At the dawn of the 1980's, James Brown was for the first time cast to play a part in a major motion picture. He plays a Reverend who's rousing sermon and energetic performance with the choir inspires the main characters in the film to go on a mission to save an orphanage in which they grew up. What was the name of the film?

Bonus Question: What was the name of the song James Brown recorded in 1984 with Afrika Bambaataa?

Despite being focused on 80's pop trivia, we ty to remain topical and relevant to the here and now when composing the weekly trivia challenge. After all, everything old is new again, or so the saying goes. The big story in the entertainment world this week? "Beauty pageant winner(s) immersed in scandal, will she (they) be dethroned?" Miss USA 2006 Tara Conner's recent escapades in the New York club scene have threatened not only her title, but that of Miss Teen USA Katie Blair. It's nice to see that all concerned have there priorities in order, putting the issue of Miss USA retaining her title above such trivial matters as illegal drug use, underage drinking, contributing to the delinquency of minors, and liquor license violations for the clubs involved. But it occurs to us: We've been here before! In 1984, Vanessa Williams lost her title as Miss America after Penthouse magazine published a series of scandalous photos. Now, the Miss America Pageant and the Miss USA pageant are run by two different organizations, but it seems like Vanessa Williams got a raw deal back in the 80's. Ms. Williams participated in the controversial photo shoot long before entering the Miss America pageant, whereas Ms. Conner's improprieties took place while she was wearing the crown (or dragging it behind her as some accounts allege). Also, Ms. Williams didn't break any laws when she posed for that photo session, can the same be said for Ms. Conner? Well, it turns out that it is for the owner of the pageant to decide, and both Tara Conner and Katie Blair have been absolved by no less a moral authority than Donald Trump. Whoever owned the Miss America pageant back in 1984 declined to give Vanessa Williams a second chance, but it turns out she didn't need their endorsement anyhoo. Ms. Williams went on to have a successful career in movies and music that included gold records and a starring role on Broadway. All in all, a better track record than many pageant winners end up with. Vanessa Williams released her first solo album in 1988, what was the title of the album?

Bonus Question: Holy double whammy, Batman! The issue of Penthouse magazine that included the Vanessa Williams photo spread became the second largest selling issue of any magazine in history up to that point. Ironically, it's illegal to own an unaltered copy of that particular issue. The reason for this has nothing to do with Miss America, but rather the identity of the centerfold. So who was the centerfold for that particular issue of Penthouse, and why was it such a big deal?

There have been many 80's songs that have experienced a renewed enthusiasm during recent years and in the 90's. Many songs from the 80's seem they will never die. Many of these 80's songs that caught a "second wind" achieved it with the aid of a movie or commercial that contained the classic 80s tune. Or perhaps, someone remixed the song causing interest in the original as well.

Whatever the cause, some popular 80's hits that went over big between '93 and '96 might have included "Treason" by Teardrop Explodes, "I Feel For You" by Chaka Kahn, "I Would Die For U" by Prince, "Rock Me Amadeus" by Falco, or "Church Of The Poison Mind" by Culture Club. "Legs" by Art Of Noise got played all the time back then, but doesn't get requested as much now. By contrast, tunes like "The Promise" by When In Rome ,"Head On" by The Jesus And Mary Chain, "Don't Put Another Dime In The Jukebox" by The Flirts, "You Might Think" by The Cars, and Dramarama's "Anything, Anything" represent the kind of tunes that have been added to the set in the last 5 years.

Of course, there's many standards that always please the crowds like: "Billy Jean," "Come On Eileen," "Safety Dance," "Hungry Like The Wolf," "In A Big Country," "Bizarre Love Triangle," "Spin Me Round," "Oh L'Amour, "Don't You Forget About Me," "Into The Groove", and "Take On Me" or the infamous "Video Killed The Radio Star" by The Buggles. After all, it was the first video ever played on MTV. But do you remember the name of the first Buggles album, the one that contained this hit?

Bonus Question: The artist who recorded "Kiss Me" was a founding member of Duran Duran, but he left the band right before they made it big. He soldiered on, though, recording under several different names. What was he calling himself when he recorded "Kiss Me"?

The British band Madness were very British. Like Kate Bush, The Jam, The Sex Pistols, or Lulu, there's little doubt that anyone listening to Madness (or watching one of their highly creative music videos) would be able to guess where the band was from. And they were beloved in Britain. True, they followed the familiar rock and roll trajectory of rising to stardom and later on fading from view with little fanfare. But at their peak, their fans in Britain came from all kinds of different age groups and backgrounds. Their first 20 singles all made it into the UK top 20, so it's no surprise that their 1992 hits collection went right to the top of the British charts. In the United States, the band is best known for the song "Our House," which made it to #7 on the Billboard charts and was their only U.S. top ten hit. "Our House" made it to #5 in England, but wasn't actually their biggest hit over there (in fact they had at least eight songs that charted higher in the UK!) Madness hit #1 on the UK charts back in 1982 with a song that came out before "Our House." What was the name of the song?

Bonus Question: Madness did a fair number of cover tunes, and it doesn't surprise me that they covered legendary ska artists like Prince Buster. (In fact, both their first single "One Step Beyond," as well as the band's name, came from Prince Buster.) But it does surprise me that they covered a Scritti Politti song back in the 80's. Their version made it to #35 on the UK charts. Which Scritti Politti song did Madness cover?