The 20 Most Awesome SciFi TV Theme Songs

Neal Hefti, the jazzy trumpeter behind such TV theme songs as the propulsive ditty that introduced the 1960s Batman series, has passed away. His composition—with its singular staccato lyric, itself a paean to Adam West’s be-spandexed superhero—may have been intentionally campy, but it’s proven both indelible and award-winning. (Hefti won a Grammy for it in 1966.) What other title tunes for live-action TV shows rock our world? Below, a list of our 20 favorites. Foggy memory? Click on any title to hear the tune.

Alien Nation (by Steve Dorff)
A chorus swells over bongos that settle into a calypso/merengue beat. Aurally taxing or delightfully ballsy? Discuss.

The Avengers (by Laurie Johnson)
The spy-fi series’ anthem begins with a sexy swagger then moseys into a brass-tickled swinging-sixties delight.

Battlestar Galactica (by Stu Phillips)
We’re talking about the 1978 TV series, with an intro that plays like a wistful film score.

The Bionic Woman (by Jerry Fielding)
It’s an ambling jazz set, man. Because Jaime Sommers is that cool.

Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (by Stu Phillips)

Token straight-guy narration lends way to aggressive horns, then a delicious orchestral creation straight out of one of those ’80s night-time soaps.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer (by Nerf Herder)
What could’ve easily been a goth travesty (given the subject matter) became a rousing, pop-punk track that still smells like teen spirit.

Dark Angel (by Chuck D and McLyte)
As with the Alien Nation intro, we can appreciate the use of unlikely genres in sci-fi theme songs. Admittedly, this rap-inspired endeavor quickly devolves into a low-rent take on Public Enemy’s “Bring the Noise.” (Maybe that's because it was co-written by the group's frontman.) However, it’s the only one we can think of that boldly takes on the hippity-hop, so we’ll give it mad props and stuff.

Dr. Who (by Ron Granier)
Dr. What? Dr. Who? Switcha flow, getcha dough. (A little Jay-Z humor to jump off that Dark Angel entry, folks.) The original Who song is the sci-fi equivalent of a galloping Western tune rendered enigmatic by way of a menacing, repetitious guitar riff and haunting synths.

The Greatest American Hero (by Joey Scarbury)
So cheesy, predictable, and pedestrian that it brilliantly straddles the line between sincerity and parody—which is precisely why Seinfeld aped it spectacularly some 15 years later.

Knight Rider (by Stu Phillips)
This slow-burning, pulsating offering from the Hoff incarnation is to auto-centric crime-fighting what the Miami Vice theme song is to motor-boat-propelled sting operations.

Lost in Space (by Alexander Courage)
Best use of flautists (presumably on piccolos), who tango puckishly with their brassy cohorts. Jethro Tull should be so talented.

Mystery Science Theater 3000 (by Joel Hodgson, Josh Weinstein, and
Charles Erickson)
Decidedly lo-fi, it plays like an ’80s one-hit wonder. As such, it’s impossible to get out of your head.

The Outer Limits (by Dominic Frontiere)
Kinda like the unsettling Twilight Zone theme— “There is nothing wrong with your television, do not attempt to adjust the picture…” Only a bit jauntier.

Star Trek (by Alexander Courage)
Opera lady’s kooky, high priestess melisma makes for memorable karaoke recreations.

Star Trek: The Next Generation (by Dennis McCarthy)
Ambitious, majestic, and frontier-evoking—just like the show’s raison d’etre. Make it so, y'all!

Stargate SG-1 (by David Arnold/Joel Goldsmith)
Swelling, almost military, orchestrations settle into a soaring, totally hummable instrumental.

The Twilight Zone (by Marius Constant)
Unmatched in its creepiness, the iconic composition sonically spirals as a voiceover (courtesy of Rod Serling, we presume) promises bewildering tableaus of "things and ideas" unknown.

The X-Files (by Mark Snow)
The eerie atmosphere-setter evokes images of an ominous alien spaceship looming over Earth. Also, it's easy to whistle.

Xena: Warrior Princess (by Joseph LoDuca)
A chanty, percussive world-music offering that mercifully resides in a galaxy far, far away from the Enya/Tesh/Yanni oeuvre.

Wonder Woman (by Normal Gimbel and Charles Fox)
“In your satin tights, fighting for your rights”? Ridiculous lyrics aside, this disco-infused tune here’s a booming classic that’s almost as fun to sing as the Good Times theme song. Almost.

Rumors resurface of a Facebook music store

As anyone who has held up a lighter alongside friends during a second encore can tell you, social networking and music are meant to sing together. MySpace reminded everyone of its roots last month with the launch of MySpace Music, and inside sources say that Facebook may finally rock out with its own duet soon.

Music has always been one of MySpace's shining features, so well-known that it's part of a supposed social networking divide. Long before News Corp. purchased it, MySpace became the place for independent—and increasingly mainstream—musicians to build a community with their fans. Now, with last month's introduction of a 5 million-strong catalog of downloadable and streamable songs from all the major labels and (arguably not enough) indies, MySpace finally took its next logical leap into becoming a full-blown social hub for music.

With Facebook's roots as a private bulletin board for college students, it has yet to cross into MySpace's territory when it comes to music. While additions in recent years of "Pages" have allowed users to become "fans" of products or musicians, Facebook has never held a candle to MySpace's integration of tools for artists to promote themselves and their music. Sure, Facebook's recently-opened platform has opened a few doors for users to stream music and share their favorite artists via apps such as iLike (with 5 million monthly users) and Rhapsody. But this middleware still means that music isn't an integral component of the Facebook experience.

If the New York Post's sources are on to something, Facebook may be about to take a serious step into becoming a music outlet. Not much is known about exactly how or what features Facebook will offer, but a Facebook music store or service would probably work along the lines of the rumors we reported in October 2007. In other words: not like MySpace's.

Digital music distribution is experiencing a resurgence of competition now that DRM has all but been eliminated (we're looking at you, iTunes Store), but we aren't banking on Facebook playing second fiddle to MySpace Music. Considering Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg's reported reluctance to give up the same equity control to the labels that MySpace did to create its new store, the company would probably opt to partner with established services like iTunes Store, Amazon, or even Real's Rhapsody. Facebook has already tested these waters, too, with brief partnerships with iTunes and Ticketmaster. Why sweat it out with the labels when your best feature is a platform, and everyone else has already done all the licensing work for you?

Of course, anything Facebook introduces—be it a full-blown music store or branded applications from established outlets—will probably be at least marginally successful. Its chances for long-term growth for music sales improve when you consider the fact that Facebook just edged out MySpace in worldwide unique visitors in August. If Facebook wants to ensure a hit, though, it'll have to leverage its unique advantages of a rich, integrated application ecosystem and initiatives like its Facebook Connect platform that lets users take their data to other sites and services.

Eminem: “I’ll vote for Barack"

After a lengthy period away from the spotlight, Eminem is set to return with his new Dr. Dre-produced album Relapse. “For probably the past five months pretty much straight I've been working with Dre,” he announced earlier this month, before dropping the first taster for the album in the form of “I’m Having a Relapse.”

But now Eminem has turned his attention to the forthcoming presidential election, announcing: “I’ll vote for Barack." Speaking with characteristic frankness to DJ Zane Lowe on BBC Radio 1, he said: “I know we are going into a recession. Pardon the cliché but we need something to change. I think Barack would be a breath of fresh air, to get in there and actually get what's left of the Bush administration out the door."

10 Awesome Acting Performances By Famous Music Stars

Just the other day I watched the movie Slingblade. First of all, it was a fantastic movie. Second of all, do you realize how good Dwight Yoakam was in that? I mean think about how you much you absolutely must have hated that character. Well if you’re a normal person you did. And that hatred tells me how good his performance was.

And that got me thinking. What other famous music stars did great acting jobs in movies? And I’m not talking bit parts here. I’m talking real deal acting.

Here are 10 performances that I thought were worthy of a mention.

Cher in Moonstruck

This is the obvious choice as Cher won an Oscar for playing Loretta Castorini in this great romantic comedy. Who could forget the most memorable line of the movie “Snap out of it!” She was also great in Mask.

Dwight Yoakam in Slingblade

I’ve never hated a character more than Dwight Yoakam’s drunk, pathetic, evil character Doyle in Slingblade. I personally think this is one of, if not best performances of a first time actor. He was truly awesome as a prick boyfriend/potential stepdad.

Justin Timberlake in Alpha Dog

You gotta hand it to the multi-talented Timberlake for his skills. Not only can the guy sing, dance, and have his own clothing line. The guy can definitely act. His skills were on display in Alpha Dog as Frankie Ballenbacher. The scene where they are about to shoot the kid? He was awesome.

Puff Daddy in Monster’s Ball

Oh excuse me, Sean Combs. I personally thought his portayal as convicted murderer Lawrence Hargrove was excellent. He wasn’t in the movie for that many minutes but you definitely felt his fear as he is facing execution.

Ice Cube in Boyz in the Hood

“Either they don’t know, don’t show, or don’t care about what’s going on in the hood.” Enough said. Ice Cube was the man in this classic.

Mos Def in Something the Lord Made

I think Mos Def could easily just be an actor instead of rapper/musician and have an extremely successful career. If anyone ever saw the made for HBO movie Something the Lord Made they’ll know what I’m talking about. His portrayal as medical technician Vivien Thomas was spot on.

Tim McGraw in Friday Night Lights

McGraw nailed his role as the abusive drunk father Charles Billingsley who clinged to his football past in Friday Night Lights. Man that scene when he walked in on his kid messing around with his girlfriend? Crazy when he puts the tape on him. Great stuff. You barely know it’s Tim McGraw.

Eminem in 8 Mile

You have to admit, 8 Mile was definitely a good movie. I loved Kim Basinger as the mom and who can forget the sex scene in the factory? But in all honesty I think that for what the movie was, Eminem made the most of that role. Job well done.

Ludacris in Hustle and Flow or Crash

Interesting in that both movies he’s with Terrence Howard. Obviously they must work pretty well together. I particularly liked him as rapper Skinny Black in Hustle and Flow. He played the drunk part to a T.

David Bowie in The Prestige

It actually took me some time to realize that Bowie was the guy playing electronic genius Tesla in The Prestige. He had a great accent and you definitely caught his eerie vibe. You could also vote for his performance in Labyrinth. He was a solid villain. Overall I think Bowie is a very good actor.

Honorable Mention:

Meatloaf in Fight Club - nothing amazing but definitely worth a mention.

Mark Wahlberg in Fear - put it this way, he was still Marky Mark at this time. Fear put him on the map as an actor.