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Friday, August 31, 2012

Dy-"Nasty" - The Catfights of Carrington Mansion


Rivalries.

I imagine that at some point, we have all had at least one rivalry with someone. Someone who for dozens of reasons end up irking you to the point where your sole mission is to destroy the other person in hopes that it will make things better.

Unfortunately, what ends up happening is that it ends up making things worse.

I'll likely admit that in my life and times, I have had a couple of rivalries with a couple of people...mostly in elementary school. There were these group of boys in my seventh grade class who made it their mission to make my life a living nightmare. They called me names, and they hurt my feelings on a number of occasions. But, not all of them were that bad. One of them I even made peace with after graduating high school. However, the ringleader of these four boys and I had a little bit of a rivalry. He hated me...and well, I'll readily admit that I hated him back. Whenever he insulted me, I tried to one-up him back (which looking back on it was quite stupid on my part, but at least I can admit to that now. It was seventh grade, after all, and I think most of us made bad choices when we were thirteen).

The only saving grace about my own rivalry with this one boy is that we never actually blew up at each other enough to inflict physical violence upon each other. Of course, in my case, the emotional scars were much more devastating than any physical scars, so I suppose it's a moot point. Happily, those scars are healing for me, and continue to do so.

The only reason why I state that I was grateful that my rivalry never resorted to physical violence is because I am proud of it. Physically attacking someone that you don't like in the world is probably one of the most cowardly things that one can do (well, unless of course you're defending yourself). But even so, watching two people fighting each other, trying to pull out the other person's hair, or knock out the other person's teeth...some may get a rush out of it, but I find it very uncomfortable in real life.

On television though, I can't seem to get enough of television catfights. There's just something about watching a huge brawl on a television show that keeps you glued to the screen. It's like a horrible car accident. It's a terrible thing to come across, but you can't divert your gaze onto something else.

And, well, today's blog topic deals with a fictional television rivalry that was so heated that there were no less than four catfights between the two women featured in the program! That's a lot of nail scratching, dress tearing, and bitch-slapping!



The show that we're going to look at is the long-running ABC drama series “Dynasty”. Premiering on January 12, 1981, “Dynasty” was a serial that was created by Richard & Esther Shapiro, and produced by Aaron Spelling. The show was originally to be titled “Oil”, and was set to air in the fall of 1980, but due to the writer's strike of 1980/81, the premiere was delayed. But with the airing of the three-hour premiere, the show began its rise to the top, staying within the Top 20 between 1981 and 1986. The show also launched the careers of several actors and actresses, including Heather Locklear, Emma Samms, Jack Coleman, and Catherine Oxenberg.

And then there are these two.


 
Meet Krystle Grant Jennings Carrington and Alexis Morrell Carrington Colby Dexter Rowan, played by Linda Evans and Joan Collins. These two women had tempers the size of their shoulder pads, and they had so much venom towards each other that just one comment could send both of them into a gigantic rage. Which was painful for the characters, but great ratings for television.

So, how did the battle between Krystle and Alexis begin?


 
Well, it all began in season two, which originally began airing in the fall of 1981. At the time, Krystle was still a newlywed to her insanely rich husband, Blake Carrington (John Forsythe). Krystle was the former secretary of Blake, and many of the storylines dealt with Krystle trying to adjust to her brand new rich, privileged life. It didn't help matters much that Krystle often sparred with Blake's daughter Fallon (Pamela Sue Martin/Emma Samms). Luckily, she did have one ally in Blake's son, Steven (Al Corley/Jack Coleman), whom she adored.

But in the second season, somebody new would end up crossing Krystle's path. Someone who would end up causing Krystle misery over the next decade.


 
That somebody was Alexis. And for Blake, Alexis was no stranger. Alexis was Blake's ex-wife, and the mother of Fallon and Steven. And, when Alexis first appeared on “Dynasty”, she did so in grand fashion, when she appeared as a surprise witness for the prosecution after Blake was charged in the murder of Steven's ex-lover. After the trial, Alexis became a presence in the lives of the Carrington family, much to the chagrin of Krystle.

At first, it was annoyances and petty bickering between the two. But one day, things would take an ugly turn. When Krystle was horseback riding, Alexis shot a rifle into the air, which spooked the horse enough to knock Krystle onto the ground. On top of that, the horse dragged her several feet as a result. Watch the clip below.


 
This accident proved very costly for Krystle, as the fall caused her to have a miscarriage. Now, I would be one to wonder why she would knowingly ride a horse if she knew she was pregnant, but again, this was the 1980s, where television characters purposely lack common sense in order to keep the ratings up.

No matter how you look at it though, the miscarriage devastated Blake and Krystle. But Krystle didn't put the pieces together until a few episodes later. Turns out that a chance encounter with someone in the kitchen helped Krystle figure out what happened...and once she knew, what followed was this memorable scene.


 
Okay, a couple of things about this catfight. First, Joan Collins has really terrible aim. She had two chances to throw a vase filled with flowers at Linda Evans, and she missed both times? Seriously? Secondly, was it just me, or did people dress really horribly in the early 1980s? I used to think that seventies fashions were bad. Yikes.

And, lastly, I have to admit, that whole catfight made me laugh uncontrollably. I don't know whether it was the flying pillow feathers, Krystle knocking Alexis out cold with one throw to the wall, or the horrible choreography, but this fight was just bad!

However, I can definitely see why Krystle would want to do severe bodily harm to Alexis. After all, if I were a woman, and I found out that someone was responsible for my miscarriage, I would probably want to go after her myself. And, this fight set the stage for many more fights during Dynasty's nine season run.

If you thought that studio fight was craziness, check out some of these other fights that these two have gotten in over the years.

Certainly those of you who were into “Dynasty” at the time remember their first catfight. But, the one fight that ended up being the most remembered among fans of the show must be this one, which takes place at a lily pond just outside of the Carrington estate. Apparently Krystle is there just minding her own business when Alexis arrives to get under her skin. She succeeds.


 
Of course, this sort of catfight has been re-created in other shows since. I can think of “Melrose Place” doing something similar ten years later...


 
...but back in the 1980s, if one wanted to see a great catfight, “Dynasty” had them in spades. I should also note though that Krystle and Alexis weren't the only ones to get involved in catfights on the show. Let's see...who else fought...

Well, there was Fallon vs. Sammy Jo...


 
...and there was Alexis vs. Dominique...


 
...and there was Alexis vs. Sable...


 
...and Krystle vs...Krystle?!?


 
(Yeah, apparently one of the Krystles was a doppleganger. Go figure.)

And, we won't even go into that whole Mordavian Massacre storyline. I'd need another blog entry to go into that storyline in detail. I never watched “Dynasty”, but I read about this story, and all I can say is...bizarre.

Of course, no duo ever came close to having as many battles as Krystle and Alexis. Their feud even outlasted the original series run! When “Dynasty” aired its last episode on May 11, 1989, people thought that would be the last that we would see of Krystle and Alexis. But when a reunion was filmed in 1991, the viewers would get at least one more chance to see these long-time enemies duke it out one last time.


 
Wow...who knew that a mannequin's arm could make such an effective weapon?

So, what has happened to these two actresses since “Dynasty” went off the air? Well, Joan Collins is still very active in the acting world. She acted in a few shows, performed in pantomimes, and was a regular on the soap opera “Guiding Light” from 2002-2003. She is also the author of several books and novels.

And Linda Evans semi-retired after she left “Dynasty” in 1989. She still acted in various plays, and even competed in (and won) the UK version of “Hell's Kitchen”. She has also hosted informercials for a product called “Rejuvenique”.

But in 2006, both Collins and Evans reunited with each other on stage to perform in the play
“Legends!”. The tour went all across North America, and ended its run in May 2007 after running for thirty weeks.

But just as life imitates art, shortly after “Legends” wrapped up, Collins published an article entitled “Why I'll Never Work With Linda Evans Again!”

Maybe that's why the catfights worked on “Dynasty”. Perhaps in real life, they hated each other...and apparently still do.


 
To conclude this piece, I'll post a link to Joan's article right HERE. Judge for yourself.

Thursday, August 30, 2012

The Last Confession? (a.k.a. I need YOUR help!)




THURSDAY CONFESSION #35: This is going to be the final Thursday Confession for the Pop Culture Addict's Guide To Life.

Oh, don't worry. I'm still continuing with the blog. I'm not pulling the plug on the whole thing...just Thursdays.

You see, I think that I have come to the conclusion that I really don't have much more to confess to all of you. For the most part, I have been an open book to all of you. I really am a person who has very few secrets, and if there is honestly one thing that I can confess to all of you, it's that my life hasn't exactly been scandalous. This is more than likely a good thing for myself, but not so much for the blog, as after thirty-five confessions, the well has essentially gone dry. That's not to say that I won't bring back this Confession feature at a later date...I very well could if something significant ever happens to me. But for now, I need an idea for a new Thursday feature. And, well...I'm going to need your help for this one.

You see...I need ideas for a new theme day, and I thought that I could ask my readers for suggestions. I'll take suggestions here, as well as on my Facebook and Google+ pages from all of you during the whole month of September, and then I'll put it to a vote. The theme day that gets the most votes will be chosen as the new Thursday theme indefinitely beginning in October.

But, for this to work...I need ideas. I am completely stumped And, I need to stop ending every sentence with an exclamation point!

So, I guess that since today is the last confession, I might as well do something to end it off on a high note...and what better way to do it than spouting off a list of ninety-two mini-confessions.

Now, you are under no obligation to do this survey yourself...at 92 questions, I don't blame you one bit for not wanting to participate! But if you really want to, I have no problem with it. I just wanted to do it for fun (and because I have a little bit of time to kill). Besides, it will allow all of you to get to know this blogger slightly better than you already do now. It's up to you to decide whether that is a good thing or not.

Anyways, here is the list of questions...my answers will be in bold.
    1. ONE OF YOUR SCARS, HOW DID YOU GET IT?
    Just click on the February 14, 2012 entry in the blog which you can access right HERE to see.

    2. WHAT IS ON THE WALLS IN YOUR ROOM?
    A couple of original prints from Archie artist Dan Parent.

    3. WHAT DOES YOUR CELL PHONE LOOK LIKE?
    It is a Samsung. I don't know the model except that it is a pay-as-you-go.

    4. WHAT MUSIC DO YOU LISTEN TO?
    I have very eclectic tastes and will listen to almost anything...except gangster rap.

    5. DO YOU KNOW WHAT TIME YOU WERE BORN?
    7:35 in the morning.

    6. WHAT DO YOU WANT MORE THAN ANYTHING RIGHT NOW?
    To improve my living conditions and career options at the same time. Not too much to ask for, is it?

    7. WHAT DO YOU MISS?
    I miss my college days...but if I have my way, I will be recreating those moments in 2013.

    8. WHAT IS YOUR MOST PRIZED POSSESSION/S?
    The 2,500+ comic books that I have accumulated over a 25 year period...and before you judge, you all knew that I was a nerd before you started reading this blog. :)

    9. WHAT IS YOUR ZODIAC SIGN?




    10. DO YOU GET CLAUSTROPHOBIC?
    Only if I am in a mosh pit, or there is a lot of people packed inside a building.

    11. DO YOU GET SCARED IN THE DARK?
    I was when I was younger...not so much now.

    12. THE LAST PERSON TO MAKE YOU CRY?
    As much as I hate admitting this, a family member.

    13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE COLOGNE / PERFUME?
    Never wear it, and I believe some perfumes make me sneeze.

    14. WHAT KIND OF HAIR/EYE COLOR DO YOU LIKE ON THE OPPOSITE SEX?
    No importance to me whatsoever.

    15. WHERE CAN YOU SEE YOURSELF BEING PROPOSED TO?
    I would think that I would do the proposing, but if someone proposed to me, I wouldn't care where it was. Well, okay, maybe not a garbage dump.

    16. COFFEE OR ENERGY DRINK?
    Blecch. Neither.

    17. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE PIZZA TOPPING?
    Pepperoni, Cheese, Bacon Bits, Mushrooms.

    18. IF YOU CAN EAT ANYTHING RIGHT NOW, WHAT WOULD IT BE?
    The wonderful combination of peanut butter and chocolate.

    19. WHO IS THE LAST PERSON YOU MADE MAD?
    A cop-out, but I made myself mad recently. 

    21. WHAT WAS THE FIRST GIFT SOMEONE EVER GAVE YOU?
    My baby blanket...which I still have 31 years later.

    22. DO YOU LIKE ANYBODY?
    I like a lot of people...loving them is the challenge for me.

    23. ARE YOU DOUBLE JOINTED?
    Nope.

    24. FAVORITE CLOTHING BRAND?
    If it fits me, I like it.

    25. WHAT'S YOUR DREAM CAR?
    A Smart Car. (don't laugh, I'm serious.)

    26. DO YOU HAVE A PET RIGHT NOW?
    Not since July 2010.

    27. WHAT KIND IS IT?
    I used to have a cat. He passed away though.

    28. WOULD YOU FALL IN LOVE KNOWING THAT THE PERSON IS LEAVING?
    You'd have to define leaving first...are they going to school? Going to war? Going to die? Need more info. 

    29. WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO TELL SOMEONE HOW MUCH THEY MEAN TO YOU?
    Expressing it through words and feelings. Which I need work on, admittedly.

    30. SAY A NUMBER FROM ONE TO A HUNDRED:




    31. BLONDES OR BRUNETTES?
    Is this like a Betty vs. Veronica type question? Makes no difference to me.

    32. WHAT IS THE ONE NUMBER YOU CALL OFTEN?
    The order desk at the company that ships my store milk. What a life I live...LOL!

    33. WHAT ANNOYS YOU MOST?
    Intolerance and cruelty towards others.

    34. HAVE YOU BEEN OUT OF YOUR COUNTRY?
    Yes. Just recently, matter of fact.

    35. YOUR WEAKNESSES?
    Battling low self-esteem for the better parts of two decades. I am turning that into a strength though.

    36. FIRST JOB?
    Painting fences.

    37. EVER DONE A PRANK CALL?
    Everyone must have done at least one!

    38. WHAT WHERE YOU DOING BEFORE YOU FILLED OUT THIS?
    Trying to figure out what to do this confession on...

    39. IF YOU COULD GET PLASTIC SURGERY WHAT WOULD IT BE?
    At this point in time, I don't need any. Am very anti plastic surgery anyway.

    40. WHY DID YOU FILL OUT THIS SURVEY?
    To kill time and to add things to this blog entry.

    41. WHAT DO YOU GET COMPLIMENTED ABOUT MOST?
    My acerbic wit. Or, so I would like to think.

    42. WHAT WOULD YOU DO IF ALCOHOL BECAME ILLEGAL?
    I rarely drink, so it wouldn't be an issue for me.

    43. WHAT DO YOU WANT FOR YOUR BIRTHDAY?
    I'd like a huge party, to tell you the truth. It's been years since I had a proper birthday celebration.

    44. HOW MANY KIDS DO YOU WANT?
    At least one.

    45. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE?
    Um...yeah...the #1 name for boys for 1981.

    46. DO YOU WISH ON STARS?
    No, I wish FOR stars...I wish for Snooki to disappear, for instance.

    47. WHAT DID YOU DO THIS MORNING?
    Wrote this.

    48. WHAT DID YOU LAST EAT?




    49. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING?
    Yes...and apparently I have been told that for a man, I have immaculate penmanship. Not bragging either, that is truth.

    50. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT?
    Turkey.

    51. ANY BAD HABITS?
    Okay...I admit that I bite my fingernails, and I am trying to kick that habit.

    52. WHAT IS YOUR MOST EMBARRASSING CD ON THE SHELF?




    53. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON, WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU?
    I think I could be now...ten years ago, not a chance.

    54. HAVE YOU EVER TOLD A SECRET YOU SWORE NOT TO TELL?
    No...but if I knew it was one that was putting my friend in danger the longer it was kept, I'd blab it.

    55. DO LOOKS MATTER?
    Not as much as personality. A person could be a Cover Girl model and have an ugly disposition.

    56. HOW DO YOU RELEASE ANGER?
    In spurts. I was one who kept it bottled up inside. Didn't work.

    57. WHERE IS YOUR SECOND HOME?
    I'm still trying to find my FIRST home!

    58. WHAT ARE YOU WEARING?
    Polo shirt and shorts...will be changing to work uniform soon though.

    59. WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE TOY AS A CHILD?


    60. HOW MANY NUMBERS ARE IN YOUR CELL PHONE?
    Four...LOL!

    61. DO YOU USE SARCASM?
    Yes, I have.

    62. HAVE YOU EVER BEEN IN A MOSH PIT?
    No, and I hope I never am.

    63. WHAT DO YOU LOOK FOR IN A GUY/GIRL?
    Honesty.

    64. WHAT ARE YOUR NICKNAMES?
They are too embarrassing to admit here.

65. WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM FLAVOR?
Mint Chocolate Chip.

66. WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE COLOR(S)?
Purple, Blue, Green.

67. WHO/WHAT DO YOU MISS MOST RIGHT NOW?
Friends who live away from me.

68. HOW MANY WISDOM TEETH DO YOU HAVE?
I have all four.

69. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS?
Not required.

70. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO?

In all likelihood, it's NOT Madonna, but whoever did this demo made it addictingly irresistible not to play.

71. LAST THING YOU DRANK?


    72. LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE?
    A friend of mine from Long Island.

    73. THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE IN THE OPPOSITE SEX?
    Eyes are the windows to the soul.

    74. FAVORITE THOUGHT PROVOKING SONG?



    75. FAVORITE THING TO HATE?
    Hate is a strong word, but I strongly dislike bullies.

    76. FAVORITE DRINK(S)?
    Diet Dr. Pepper, Raspberry Lemonade, Iced Tea.

    77. FAVORITE ZODIAC SIGN:
    Taurus.

    78. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE SPORT?
    Is bowling a sport?

    79. WHAT IS YOUR HAIR COLOR?
    97% dark brown, 3% grey. Just being honest.

    80. EYE COLOR?
    Brown

    81. HEIGHT?
    6'1”...not quite 6'2”

    82. SIBLINGS?
    Two...both older than I am.

    83. FAVORITE MONTH?
    Toss-up between May and October.

    84. YOU LIKE SUSHI?
    Don't know...never mustered up the courage to eat it.

    85. LAST THING YOU WATCHED?


    86. FAVORITE DAY OF THE YEAR?
    February 29, because they are so rare.

    87. ARE YOU TOO SHY TO ASK SOMEONE OUT?
    Is the sun hot?

    88. SUMMER OR WINTER?
    Winter.

    89. KISSES OR HUGS?
    Both

    90. RELATIONSHIPS OR ONE NIGHT STANDS?
    Relationships.

    91. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU BOUGHT?

    92. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING?
     

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Dan DeCarlo's "Josie and the Pussycats"




Have any of you heard of a comic book artist named Dan DeCarlo?

If not, I will talk about him a little bit as a bit of an introduction to the blog topic that I have chosen to discuss for today.  After all, without Dan DeCarlo, we wouldn’t have our topic for today, would we?

Anyway, Dan DeCarlo was born in New Rochelle, New York on December 12, 1919.  After graduating from high school in 1937, DeCarlo attended Manhattan’s Art School League for three years before being drafted into the United States Army in 1941.  He was stationed in Great Britain where he worked in the motor pool, and draftsman.  He also exhibited a talent for art when he used to paint company mascots on the noses of various airplanes used to fight in combat missions during World War II.

At some point, DeCarlo was also stationed in Belgium where he would eventually meet his future wife on a blind date shortly after the Battle of the Bulge.  Shortly after that date, the two married, and by 1948, the couple were back in the United States, the parents of twin boys, Dan DeCarlo Jr, and James DeCarlo.



About a year prior to that, DeCarlo had made the decision that he wanted to pursue a career in art professionally, and he had gotten his big break in 1947 being hired by Timely Comics.  Under then editor-in-chief Stan Lee, DeCarlo’s first gig was the teen-humour series “Jeanie”.  This was followed by a ten year stint on another comic book, “Millie the Model”, and worked on a short-lived syndicated comic strip “Willie Lumpkin”.

Yet, his biggest break would not come until the late 1950s, when DeCarlo would take on the job that would make him a fixture in the comic book world for over four decades.

At the time, he began freelancing for Archie Comics, looking for extra work.  Back then, he got very little pay, but he genuinely enjoyed the work.  But when he finished his work with Archie Comics and took on another job, the people at Archie Comics wanted to know why he didn’t contact them for more work.  DeCarlo explained that he needed more creative control, as he felt that they just wanted him to draw just like Bob Montana (the original artist that created the likeness of Archie back in the early 1940s).  When they convinced DeCarlo that he could use his own style, he changed his mind, and took on a more permanent job with Archie Comics.

What DeCarlo did was completely give the characters of Archie Comics a more modernized look that kept updating through the decades. 



Whether it was the 1960s...



...The 1970s...



...The 1980s...



...or even the 1990s, Dan DeCarlo helped make the Archie titles more updated, as well as much sexier.  I dare you to find a Betty and Veronica story set during the summer that does NOT have either of them in a little bikini swimsuit.  And, before you go thinking that he objectified women, might I add that he also drew the male characters in Speedo swimsuits as well. 



Certainly, the Archie titles were the ones that made Dan DeCarlo a huge star (in particular with the Betty and Veronica title).  However, Dan DeCarlo also had a hand in some other popular creations as well.  He created the Sabrina The Teen-Age Witch serial in 1962, and twenty years later brought a bit of controversy to Archie Comics by introducing the fiery red-headed bombshell Cheryl Blossom to the Archie universe.

And, then there’s this story about how another popular comic creation came to be created by DeCarlo.

You see, when Dan DeCarlo first met his wife, they found it difficult to communicate with each other using words.  She was originally from France, and when they met, she couldn’t speak a word of English.  So in order to communicate with her, he drew pictures for her, which immediately broke the ice.  It was an ingenious idea that worked like a charm...but little did Dan’s wife know that she would become the inspiration for one of Dan’s finest creations! 

After they had gotten married, the DeCarlo’s went on a cruise ship, and for whatever reason, Dan’s wife believed that it would be fun to bring along a costume to wear on the cruise.  This costume ended up being a cat suit!  I have no idea why she would bring a cat suit on the cruise or what the intention was, but I can only imagine.  Whatever the reason, the costume inspired Dan to do some sketching, essentially sketching his wife wearing the costume.  He thought nothing more of it until one day when his wife came home wearing a new hairstyle with a bow tied in it...and with that, Dan incorporated the hairstyle onto his new creation.

When it came time to naming his new character with the cat suit and hairstyle, no other name would have fit other than the woman who inspired the look in the first place.

And with that, the character of Josie McCoy was born, inspired by Dan DeCarlo’s wife, the late Josie Dumont DeCarlo.

Dan DeCarlo had intended to sell the creation to be used as a syndicated comic strip, but decided to focus solely on Willie Lumpkin instead of trying to do two comic strips at the same time.  When Lumpkin was cancelled, DeCarlo tried to shop the comic strip again, but was turned down.  However, Dan also had his job with Archie Comics by this point, and when he pitched the idea to take Josie and turn her into a comic book series to then Archie Comics head Richard Goldwater, he greenlighted the series, with a special preview of the comic book printed in Archie’s Pals N Gals #23.



A month later, the comic book series “She’s Josie” debuted in early 1963, where in addition to Josie, we met all of her friends, which included the following;

Melody – A beautiful, buxom blonde whose attractiveness can cause a 32-car pile-up in a matter of seconds.  She has a sweet disposition, but also has the negative stereotype of being a “dumb blonde”.

Pepper – A glasses-wearing, short-haired girl who has brains by the ton, but often ends up being incredibly cynical.

Sock – Pepper’s boyfriend, who is strong in body, but not very bright.

Albert – Josie’s boyfriend, a real beatnik character

Alexander Cabot III and Alexandra Cabot – The Cabot twins who are rich in money, but have overinflated egos.



The series would undergo a name change in 1965, when the title was simplified to being “Josie”, but the plot lines would remain the same for the first six years of the title.

Well, that was until 1969, when major changes began to be made.

It was decided that the cat costume that Josie DeCarlo wore on that cruise ship would be incorporated into the storyline as Josie decided to form an all-girl band.



An all girl band named “Josie and the Pussycats”!

Before that could happen though, a shake-up was needed within the comic.  For starters, some of the characters were removed from the series, never to be seen again.  The birth of the Pussycats meant a permanent exile for Pepper, Albert, and Sock.  Melody would remain with the series as the drummer for the Pussycats, and the Cabot twins would also be a huge part of the series.

In addition, three new characters were added.  In a throwback to Sabrina, Alexandra would get a cat named Sebastian, who could perform magic tricks.  Alan M, a blonde haired folk singer who ends up being caught in a love triangle between Josie and Alexandra was also added to the series.



The third addition was Valerie Smith, who eventually became the third Pussycat in the forty-fifth issue of “Josie and the Pussycats”, and who became one of the first African-American characters to regularly star in an Archie Comic title (Chuck Clayton did not arrive until the 1970s).

The plot lines for the Josie and the Pussycats comic were also tweaked with the new changes.  Sure, there were lots of stories where Josie and the gang dealt with a lot of teenage problems such as dating, homework, and school dances...but with the band angle, we also saw the band performing in various places all over the world.  We even had a few Archie crossovers where Josie and the gang would visit Archie, Jughead, Betty, Veronica, and Reggie in Riverdale, U.S.A.



The series continued until 1982.  After 1982, the series would later appear in one-off books in “Archie Giant Series Magazine” (1983-1990), a mini-series (1993-1994), and “Archie & Friends” (2001-2005).

Currently, Josie and the Pussycats are making appearances in the long-running “Archie” title, where Archie and Valerie begin dating each other in issue #608, so the Pussycats are not going away any time soon. 



The comic book series also spawned a Hanna-Barbera television cartoon, “Josie and the Pussycats” in 1970, running for two years before being retooled as “Josie and the Pussycats in Outer Space” in 1972.



And in 2001, a live-action film based on the series was released which starred Rachael Leigh Cook as Josie, Rosario Dawson as Valerie, and Tara Reid as Melody.  The film wasn’t that great, and I didn’t care for how the film was produced, but I will hand credit to the casting directors...Tara Reid made a great Melody.

Sadly, it was this movie that kicked off the beginning of the end for Dan DeCarlo’s collaboration with Archie Comics.  While the film was being produced in early 2001, DeCarlo had gotten entangled in a battle with Archie Comics over the creation of Josie, and the battle reportedly got so heated that Archie Comics terminated DeCarlo’s employment with the company after over 40 years of service.  Later on in the year, a federal district court ruled that the copyright to the creation of Josie and the Pussycats was owned by Archie Comics, seconded by the Second Circuit Court of Appeals.  The U.S. Supreme Court rejected an appeal filed by the lawyer of DeCarlo on December 11, 2001.

One week later, DeCarlo passed away from pneumonia at the age of 82.  He was predeceased by his sons (who also worked at Archie Comics as artists during the 1980s), and survived by his wife Josie (who passed away in March 2012).

I think that comic book figure Paul Dini (who was one of the last artists to work with DeCarlo before his December 2001 death) said it best when he described DeCarlo’s passing as tragic.  According to him, he was “at an age where many cartoonists are revered as treasures by more beneficent publishers”, and that Dan “felt spurned and slighted by the owners of properties that prospered greatly from his contributions.”

It seems that in the eleven years since DeCarlo’s passing, we may never really know what the real story behind his termination is.  The only thing that I will say is that his work on the Josie series, as well as the Archie series, will be greatly missed.  Although considering that a lot of the Archie Digest titles are now reprinting classic DeCarlo cover gags on their front covers, it’s safe to say that his legacy will live on through the millions of pages of art he created for the company.



And besides, if Josie and the Pussycats keep on making appearances in the Archie title, then in some ways, the legacy of the DeCarlo family will never truly die.

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

August 28, 1965


This is the final Tuesday of the month of August 2012, so I wanted to make this one very special indeed. It's August 28 today, and I have chosen a subject that is not only inspirational and memorable, but I'll warn you ahead of time...it will be a preview of the Sunday Jukebox entries for the entire month of September.

Intrigued yet? Good. Keep reading. I'll reveal all at the very end of this blog entry.

For now, we have a trip back through time planned, so let's take a look back on August 28th throughout history, shall we?

So, what significant events took place on August 28th? Have a look!

1521 – The Ottoman Turks occupy Belgrade

1609 – Henry Hudson discovers Delaware Bay

1619 – Ferdinand II is elected emperor of the Holy Roman Empire

1789 – The Saturn moon “Enceladus” is discovered by William Herschel

1830 – The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad's new locomotive (known as Tom Thumb) races a horse-drawn car, setting the stage for using steam powered trains

1833 – Slavery is abolished in the British Empire following the Royal Assent of the Slavery Abolition Act of 1833

1845 – The debut edition of “Scientific American” magazine is published

1859 – A geomagnetic storm amplifies the brightness of the Aurora Borealis enough that it could be seen in parts of the United States, Europe, and even Japan

1898 – Caleb Bradham develops a new formula for a soft drink, which would come to be called Pepsi-Cola

1916 – While Italy declares war on Germany during the first World War, Germany in turn declares war on Austria

1931 – The Soviet Union and France sign a treaty of non-agression

1937 – Toyota Motors becomes an independent company

1953 – Nippon Television broadcasts Japan's first television program

1955 – Emmett Till is murdered in Mississippi, which galvanizes the nascent American Civil Rights Movement

1957 – The longest filibuster conducted by a U.S. Senator is held this day as Strom Thurmond spent a total of 24 hours, 18 minutes trying to prevent the Senate from voting on the Civil Rights Act of 1957

1963 – Martin Luther King Jr. delivers his famous “I Have A Dream” speech

1964 – A race riot begins in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

1968 – During the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Illinois, riots break out

1979 – An IRA bomb explodes on the Grand Patch in Brussels, Belgium

1988 – Ramstein airshow disaster; 75 people are killed and 346 are injured after three planes collide and crash into the spectators below

1991 – On the same day that the Ukraine declares its independence from the Soviet Union, Mikhail Gorbachev resigns as General Secretary of the Soviet Communist Party

1996 – The divorce between Prince Charles and Diana, Princess of Wales is finalized

2003 – A blackout causes 500,000 people in Great Britain to lose power

2009 – Adam Goldstein (DJ AM) is found dead in his New York City apartment from a suspected drug overdose, less than a year after surviving a plane crash in September 2008

That's quite a lot of news for August 28, isn't it?

As it turns out, there also happens to be a lot of celebrity birthdays today. Who happens to be turning one year older today? Well there's Ken Jenkins, David Soul, Robert Greenwald, Bob Segarini, Danny Seraphine (Chicago), Hugh Cornwell (The Stranglers), Wayne Osmond, Daniel Stern, Rick Rossovich, Scott Hamilton, Emma Samms, Kim Appleby, Craig Anton, David Fincher, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Priestley, Jack Black, Mary McCartney, Sherrie Austin, Todd Eldridge, Janet Evans, DJ Assault, Carly Pope, LeAnn Rimes, and Kyle Massey.

Oh, and today's blog subject is also celebrating a birthday today.



She was born forty-seven years ago today on August 28, 1965. Which coincidentally happens to be the wedding anniversary of my parents as well, which is why I chose this particular date to focus on. And while her early life and recent hardships could be used as lyrics for a country music song, this woman proved that she could make it big in the world of country music, setting records on the country chart throughout the 1990s alone.

So, who is this person that we'll be focusing on? Well, let's take a look at just one of the songs that helped make her a star.



ARTIST: Shania Twain
SONG: Man, I Feel Like A Woman
ALBUM: Come On Over
DATE RELEASED: March 3, 1999
PEAK POSITION ON THE BILLBOARD CHARTS: #23
PEAK POSITION ON THE COUNTRY CHARTS: #4

TRIVIA: This video was heavily inspired by the music video Robert Palmer filmed for his 1986 smash, “Addicted To Love”.



So, by now, I'm sure you have guessed that Shania Twain is our featured topic for today. Besides the fact that she turns 47 years old today, the reason why I chose Shania as the topic of discussion for today is because she is one of those women who I feel have been thrown dozens of lemons in her lifetime, and she has managed to take those lemons and turned them into delicious lemonade and appetizing lemon meringue pie.

In short, she took all of the bad hands that she was dealt, and made beautiful music out of them.

So, let's start at the beginning and go from there.

Shania Twain was born in Windsor, Ontario, Canada on August 28, 1965. But she wasn't known as Shania back then. Her birth name was Eilleen Regina Edwards, if you can believe it. When little Eilleen was just two, her parents divorced, and she, along with her mother and two sisters, moved up north to Timmins, Ontario. Shortly after the family settled down, Eilleen's mother, Sharon married a man named Jerry Twain, and they had a son together. Soon after, Jerry adopted the Edwards girls, and all three ended up taking Jerry's last name. Many believed that Eilleen was descended from the Ojibwa tribe (since Jerry was Ojibwa), but in actuality, Shania's biological father was part Cree.

Anyway, Eilleen Twain's childhood was especially rough. Because her parents did not make a lot of money, food was scarce, and reportedly Eilleen brought mustard sandwiches to school for lunch. She knew that things had to change, but she was fearful of telling the school about the situation for fear that her family would be split up. Eilleen also had to deal with the fact that Sharon and Jerry Twain had terrible arguments which sometimes got violent. Things got so bad that Eilleen begged her mother to take them to a Toronto homeless shelter for assistance while Jerry was at work. The family would reunite two years later.



When Eilleen was just eight years old, she began singing in bars around Timmins to try and make some extra money for the family. She would make about twenty dollars a night, often performing between midnight and one in the morning. It wasn't exactly the idyllic childhood that an eight year old girl should have been having, and little Eilleen didn't particularly like performing at the bars, but she loved the music, and she stuck with it, reportedly writing her very first songs at the age of ten, and making her first television at the age of thirteen when she performed on “The Tommy Hunter Show” which aired on CBC at the time.

Eilleen also managed to work other jobs in her childhood, including a stint working at her stepfather's reforestation business and fronted a couple of bands after graduating from Timmins High School in 1983. She sang back-up on a track recorded by Tim Denis in 1984, which garnered the attention of Toronto-based DJ Stan Campbell who was blown away by Eilleen's voice. He took her to Nashville to record a few demos, and from there, she met with a regional country singer named Mary Bailey, who also supported the young singer.

Would you believe that if Eilleen had her way, she would have pursued a career in pop music rather than country? That was how she felt back when she was in her early twenties. Following a performance at a fundraiser for the National Aboriginal Achievement Foundation in February 1987, where she sang with such stars as Bernadette Peters, and jazz guitarist Don Ross, she began to change her mind.

Just as Eilleen's music career was just starting out, tragedy struck. On November 1, 1987, Sharon and Jerry Twain were killed in an automobile accident, and a heartbroken Twain was forced to move back to Timmins to help take care of her younger siblings.



It wouldn't be until 1993 that Eilleen Twain would resume her career. Her first step was changing her name from Eilleen to Shania. A common misconception states that the reason she chose the name Shania was that it was an Ojibwa word that meant 'on my way', although it was later indicated that this was merely an urban legend. Whatever the reason, and whatever the meaning, the name stuck, and it ended up being the name she used when she recorded her self-titled debut album later that year. The album initially didn't sell that well, but it did spawn a couple of minor hits with “What Made You Say That” and “Dance With The One That Brought You” in the United States. The album did better in Europe, and Shania ended up winning Country Music Television Europe's Rising Video Star of the Year award in 1994. By the end of 1993, Shania Twain had found love with music producer Robert “Mutt” Lange, and the two tied the knot in December 1993.



This union would also spawn a creative partnership in addition to a romantic partnership, as Lange and Twain worked together on Shania's sophomore album “The Woman In Me”, which was released in 1995. The first single, “Whose Bed Have Your Boots Been Under?” was a modest hit, peaking at #11 on the country music charts. But then her second single ended up becoming her very first number one hit.



Yes, “Any Man Of Mine” is considered to be Shania's biggest breakthrough hit. But there were others from the album that did very well. A total of six singles were released from the album, four of which topped the charts. Shania Twain had arrived on the scene, and she was showing no sign of leaving any time soon.



This was definitely made evident with Shania's third album, “Come On Over”, which was released on November 4, 1997. Nobody knew how huge the album would be when it was first released, but just listen to the statistics surrounding this album.

  • Twelve singles out of sixteen total were released as singles between 1997 and 2000.
  • The album has sold 40 million copies since its 1997 release date.
  • The album debuted at #1 on the Billboard County Music Album Charts, and stayed on top for fifty non-consecutive weeks.
  • The album stayed in the Top 10 for 151 weeks! That's just under THREE years!
  • The album was released in two different versions, one country themed, one pop themed. It was designed to be a country/pop crossover effort for Twain.
  • The album did incredibly well in Australia, reaching 15 times platinum and spending 19 weeks on top of the charts. It remains, to this day, the best selling album in Australia.
  • #1 singles from the album included “Love Gets Me Every Time”, “You're Still The One”, and “Honey, I'm Home”.



  • You're Still The One” ended up becoming Shania's biggest hit on the album. Not only did it become a huge hit on the country charts, but it became her highest charting Billboard 100 single, peaking at #2.


Shania would end up releasing one more album, “Up!” in late 2002, a year after she gave birth to her son, Eja.



But then around 2008, Shania's life would end up becoming a soap opera of sorts. Around that time, Shania's marriage to Robert “Mutt” Lange had collapsed after Twain had found out that he had been cheating on her with a woman named Marie-Anne Thiebaud. To complicate things further, Marie-Anne was the best friend of Shania.

Awkward.



I can only imagine how hurt Shania must have been, but in the end, she ended up holding her head up high as she divorced Lange in June 2010. But just six months later, the story took an interesting twist, suddenly becoming like a country music song coming to life, as Shania had fallen in love with Marie-Anne's ex-husband, Frederic Thiebaud! They ended up getting married New Years Day, 2011 in Puerto Rico.

These days, Shania is busier than ever before. She still has plans to release her fifth album even though it has been a decade since her last album of original material. Until then, she is set to perform a two-year long show in Las Vegas entitled “Still The One”, set to debut in December 2012. She has also started up her own reality program on the Oprah Winfrey Network entitled “Why Not? With Shania Twain”, as well as coming up with her own fragrance line.

She is also one of the few entertainers to have stars on both the Hollywood Walk of Fame (2011) and Canada's Walk of Fame (2003). And in Timmins, Ontario, not only did she receive the key to the city, but she also has a street and a convention center named after her!

Not bad for a gal who started off singing in bars during third grade, huh?

That's our look back on August 28, 1965. Happy birthday, Shania Twain.

And, Mom and Dad...happy 47th wedding anniversary! 


NOTE:  I did promise that there was a precursor to choosing Shania Twain and how it would relate to September's Sunday Jukebox entries.  Well, next month, I'll be saluting the "Women of Country Music", so if you are a country music fan, definitely check this upcoming month out!