Pet Shop Boys

Indeed! You saw that Undefeated article about it, yes?

I did!

Separately, so this "Opportunities" talk is making me think of a hilarious little-talked-about moment from their imperial phase. So there was that Billionaire Boys Club movie with Kevin Spacey a few years back, but well before that there was a 1987 NBC miniseries about the same case, starring Judd Nelson. It is VERY 1987 network TV on all fronts. Thankfully the full thing is available on YouTube.

Anyway, I remember watching it at the time, and I distinctly remember there was a montage on it where our non-hero gets himself all made over to be a power player by his fellow assholes. (Again, how perfectly 1987.) As you can see here -- the link should hopefully start at the right place; if not, skip ahead to 21 minutes into the video and let it play from there -- it is soundtracked by a terrible cover of "Opportunities" which is spectacularly missing the point, clearly because the music supervisor or producer or whoever was just all "Wow a song about money, perfect!" I kinda want to know who the guilty party who did this cover is.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQOTcBbZQU4

omigod that "Opportunities" montage

It's AMAZING. What a fucking artifact.

More movie montages should consist mainly of stills.

https://imgur.com/a/13YdC?nc=1

https://i.imgur.com/erKzudV.jpg

As long as we're talking about "Woot!", leave us not forget Downey's brill use of "Everybody Everybody":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRNawm7F9fw

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTYxi5e9SSkqH35b6b3BsytKI2fCuz7ValoMtlMMY8e7_yE93cKjrgsdrhRip4&usqp=CAc

xpost my fave (the Downy's that is)

A further update on that terrible cover -- Nate Patrin remembered the ad for the miniseries using it. You will note, how you say, a creative edit.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4R_C2L4Wmk

Re: That Downy ad. I submit for consideration LG selling washing machines by reinterpreting "Got Your Money":

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EEwxtg35BUo

why are there so many street signs in that montage

Billionaire Boys Club was nominated for four Emmys: Outstanding Miniseries, Outstanding Directing in a Miniseries or Special, Outstanding Writing in a Miniseries or Special, and Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or Special for Ron Silver

lol

Really speaks to the sheer paucity of quality around then. "It MUST be important, it's about wannabe rich assholes in LA like us!"

Whenever I think of the Pet Shop Boys in pop culture I always think of this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hW8TIAHyAE0

YES! on the Tag Team Geico ad being the #1 ad of the moment. I crack myself up inserting "Sprinkles!" mentally into conversations. The expression on the son's?/daughter's? faces are great, too.

One thing I like about the Tag Team commercial is that I (and I assume a lot of people) had idea what the guys looked like, and even if I did, it's kind of taken on faith that these are the same guys. And yeah, "Sprinkles!"

the tag team commercial also underscores the fact that "whoomp there it is" is a truly excellent song that we've taken for granted

I mentioned this piece briefly but it is worth a read

https://theundefeated.com/features/behind-the-delightful-success-of-tag-team-hit-commercial-with-geico/

AD WARS - tag team's "whoomp there it is" vs. pet shop boys' "opportunities"

bilingual then backwards and anything after bilingual is crap!

nah

Geico wins Mad Men Ace Award because visuals of Allstate spoiled by shitty singing hood ornament, looking like a sweetened-up Wicked Witch, but musically I find "Opportunities" more exciting.

I can't recall many good covers of PSB songs, except by Liza/Dusty etc, but this a lovely and summery, found by accident on Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/track/4clr0ehfzrEKvLepw4WffW?si=9c65ffc509534d5c