diff --git a/stepmania/src/Background.cpp b/stepmania/src/Background.cpp
index 35b011403f..4217d8d5ff 100644
--- a/stepmania/src/Background.cpp
+++ b/stepmania/src/Background.cpp
@@ -105,28 +105,33 @@ void Background::LoadFromSong( Song* pSong )
 	//
 	// Load the static background that will before notes start and after notes end
 	//
-	BGAnimation* pTempBGA;
 
 	
 	// Tricky!  The song background looks terrible unless its loaded with no alpha 
 	// and dithered.  Create a dummy sprite that loads the texture with the proper 
 	// hints so we don't have to hack up BGAnimation to handle this special
 	// case.
+	// XXX: This assumes the TextureManager doesn't track hints.  Also, BGA
+	// backgrounds (bottom layer) should do this, too, for the same reason.
+	// We can probably handle this intelligently in the texture loader and get
+	// rid of bDither completely, but only if there aren't some weird BGAs out
+	// there that actually use the alpha channel.  (In that case, the texture
+	// loader would have no way of knowing that the image, seeming to use the
+	// alpha layer, actually doesn't since it's the back-most image.  Hmm.)
 	Sprite sprDummy;
 	sprDummy.Load( sSongBackgroundPath, true, 4, 0, true, false );
 	
-
-	pTempBGA = new BGAnimation;
-	pTempBGA->LoadFromStaticGraphic( sSongBackgroundPath );
-	m_BGAnimations.Add( pTempBGA );
-
+	{
+		BGAnimation *pTempBGA = new BGAnimation;
+		pTempBGA->LoadFromStaticGraphic( sSongBackgroundPath );
+		m_BGAnimations.Add( pTempBGA );
+	}
 
 	if( pSong->HasBGChanges() )
 	{
 		// start off showing the static song background
 		m_aBGSegments.Add( BGSegment(-10000,0,false) );
 
-
 		// Load the animations used by the song's pre-defined animation plan.
 		// the song has a plan.  Use it.
 		for( int i=0; i<pSong->m_BackgroundChanges.GetSize(); i++ )
@@ -134,6 +139,8 @@ void Background::LoadFromSong( Song* pSong )
 			const BackgroundChange& aniseg = pSong->m_BackgroundChanges[i];
 			bool bFade = i==0;
 
+			BGAnimation *pTempBGA = NULL;
+
 			// Using aniseg.m_sBGName, search for the corresponding animation.
 			// Look in this order:  movies in song dir, BGAnims in song dir
 			//  movies in RandomMovies dir, BGAnims in BGAnimsDir.
@@ -141,69 +148,49 @@ void Background::LoadFromSong( Song* pSong )
 
 			// Look for BG movies in the song dir
 			GetDirListing( pSong->m_sSongDir+aniseg.m_sBGName, asFiles, false, true );
-			GetDirListing( pSong->m_sSongDir+aniseg.m_sBGName, asFiles, false, true );
-			GetDirListing( pSong->m_sSongDir+aniseg.m_sBGName, asFiles, false, true );
 			if( asFiles.GetSize() > 0 )
 			{
 				pTempBGA = new BGAnimation;
 				pTempBGA->LoadFromMovie( asFiles[0], true, true );
-				m_BGAnimations.Add( pTempBGA );
-
-				m_aBGSegments.Add( BGSegment(aniseg.m_fStartBeat, m_BGAnimations.GetSize()-1, bFade) );	// add to the plan
-				continue;	// stop looking for this background
 			}
-
 			// Look for BGAnims in the song dir
-			GetDirListing( pSong->m_sSongDir+aniseg.m_sBGName, asFiles, true, true );
+			if( asFiles.empty() ) GetDirListing( pSong->m_sSongDir+aniseg.m_sBGName, asFiles, true, true );
 			if( asFiles.GetSize() > 0 )
 			{
 				pTempBGA = new BGAnimation;
 				pTempBGA->LoadFromAniDir( asFiles[0], sSongBackgroundPath );
-				m_BGAnimations.Add( pTempBGA );
-
-				m_aBGSegments.Add( BGSegment(aniseg.m_fStartBeat, m_BGAnimations.GetSize()-1, bFade) );	// add to the plan
-				continue;	// stop looking for this background
 			}
 
 			// Look for movies in the RandomMovies dir
-			GetDirListing( RANDOMMOVIES_DIR+aniseg.m_sBGName, asFiles, false, true );
-			GetDirListing( RANDOMMOVIES_DIR+aniseg.m_sBGName, asFiles, false, true );
-			GetDirListing( RANDOMMOVIES_DIR+aniseg.m_sBGName, asFiles, false, true );
+			if( asFiles.empty() ) GetDirListing( RANDOMMOVIES_DIR+aniseg.m_sBGName, asFiles, false, true );
 			if( asFiles.GetSize() > 0 )
 			{
 				pTempBGA = new BGAnimation;
 				pTempBGA->LoadFromMovie( asFiles[0], true, false );
-				m_BGAnimations.Add( pTempBGA );
-
-				m_aBGSegments.Add( BGSegment(aniseg.m_fStartBeat, m_BGAnimations.GetSize()-1, bFade) );	// add to the plan
-				continue;	// stop looking for this background
 			}
 
 			// Look for BGAnims in the BGAnims dir
-			GetDirListing( BG_ANIMS_DIR+aniseg.m_sBGName, asFiles, true, true );
+			if( asFiles.empty() ) GetDirListing( BG_ANIMS_DIR+aniseg.m_sBGName, asFiles, true, true );
 			if( asFiles.GetSize() > 0 )
 			{
 				pTempBGA = new BGAnimation;
 				pTempBGA->LoadFromAniDir( asFiles[0], sSongBackgroundPath  );
-				m_BGAnimations.Add( pTempBGA );
-
-				m_aBGSegments.Add( BGSegment(aniseg.m_fStartBeat, m_BGAnimations.GetSize()-1, bFade) );	// add to the plan
-				continue;	// stop looking for this background
 			}
 
 			// Look for BGAnims in the BGAnims dir
-			GetDirListing( VISUALIZATIONS_DIR+aniseg.m_sBGName, asFiles, false, true );
+			if( asFiles.empty() ) GetDirListing( VISUALIZATIONS_DIR+aniseg.m_sBGName, asFiles, false, true );
 			if( asFiles.GetSize() > 0 )
 			{
 				pTempBGA = new BGAnimation;
 				pTempBGA->LoadFromVisualization( asFiles[0], sSongBackgroundPath );
-				m_BGAnimations.Add( pTempBGA );
-
-				m_aBGSegments.Add( BGSegment(aniseg.m_fStartBeat, m_BGAnimations.GetSize()-1, bFade) );	// add to the plan
-				continue;	// stop looking for this background
 			}
 
-			// if we make it here, ignore the background change
+			if(pTempBGA != NULL)
+			{
+				m_BGAnimations.Add( pTempBGA );
+				// add to the plan
+				m_aBGSegments.Add( BGSegment(aniseg.m_fStartBeat, m_BGAnimations.GetSize()-1, bFade) );
+			}
 		}
 
 		// end showing the static song background
@@ -244,19 +231,19 @@ void Background::LoadFromSong( Song* pSong )
 				GetDirListing( VISUALIZATIONS_DIR + "*.mpg", arrayPossibleMovies, false, true );
 				GetDirListing( VISUALIZATIONS_DIR + "*.mpeg", arrayPossibleMovies, false, true );
 
+				BGAnimation *pTempBGA = NULL;
 				if( arrayPossibleMovies.GetSize() > 0 )
 				{
 					int index = rand() % arrayPossibleMovies.GetSize();
 					pTempBGA = new BGAnimation;
 					pTempBGA->LoadFromVisualization( arrayPossibleMovies[index], sSongBackgroundPath );
-					m_BGAnimations.Add( pTempBGA );
 				}
 				else
 				{
 					pTempBGA = new BGAnimation;
 					pTempBGA->LoadFromStaticGraphic( sSongBackgroundPath );
-					m_BGAnimations.Add( pTempBGA );
 				}
+				m_BGAnimations.Add( pTempBGA );
 			}
 			break;
 		case MODE_ANIMATIONS:
@@ -270,7 +257,7 @@ void Background::LoadFromSong( Song* pSong )
 				for( i=0; i<4 && arrayPossibleAnims.GetSize()>0; i++ )
 				{
 					int index = rand() % arrayPossibleAnims.GetSize();
-					pTempBGA = new BGAnimation;
+					BGAnimation *pTempBGA = new BGAnimation;
 					pTempBGA->LoadFromAniDir( arrayPossibleAnims[index], sSongBackgroundPath );
 					m_BGAnimations.Add( pTempBGA );
 					arrayPossibleAnims.RemoveAt( index );
@@ -286,7 +273,7 @@ void Background::LoadFromSong( Song* pSong )
 				for( int i=0; i<4 && arrayPossibleMovies.GetSize()>0; i++ )
 				{
 					int index = rand() % arrayPossibleMovies.GetSize();
-					pTempBGA = new BGAnimation;
+					BGAnimation *pTempBGA = new BGAnimation;
 					pTempBGA->LoadFromMovie( arrayPossibleMovies[index], true, false );
 					m_BGAnimations.Add( pTempBGA );
 					arrayPossibleMovies.RemoveAt( index );