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Monday, April 16, 2012

Saturday Night Fever


I was born in 1981.  By that time, the musical genre known as disco was dead and buried.  Disco music was the music that dominated the charts during the latter half of the 1970s.  Between 1974 and 1979, millions of people all over the world were doing the hustle, pretending to be dancing queens, and wondering if people thought they were sexy.  By the summer of 1979, it became clear that disco was the subject of major backlash from fans of rock and roll music.  People wore T-shirts with slogans such as “Disco Sucks”, and rock stars such as David Bowie and Rod Stewart were accused of being sell-outs for releasing disco themed singles.


It all came to a head on July 12, 1979.  Many who lived through that date in history will recall it as “the day disco died”.  That was the day that a huge anti-disco demonstration known as “Disco Demolition Night” took place in Chicago’s Comiskey Park.  The event was arranged by Steve Dahl, Garry Meier, and Michael Veeck, and was booked on the same date as two scheduled baseball games featuring the White Sox.  The event had a huge turnout.  Thousands of rock and roll fans gathered at Comiskey Park to destroy disco records in a multitude of ways.  Unfortunately, the event lead to a massive riot, in which many were injured, and several were arrested.  The riot caused so much damage to the park that the White Sox were forced to forfeit the second game to the Detroit Tigers. 

It was a terrible end to the event, yet it seemed to do what it set out to do.  A few days after the riot, the top six singles on the American music charts were disco tracks.  Just two months later, no disco song was in the top ten.

By the time I was born, the music charts were a weird hybrid of genres.  You had a combination of rock and roll, country, soul, jazz, and even bubblegum pop.  As far as disco went, there was not a disco song to be found on the 1981 pop charts.  However, when I was a toddler, I would hear disco music all the time.

You see, when I was really little, my mother played a certain soundtrack to a movie that had come out three and a half years before I was born.  The soundtrack was hugely successful, selling fifteen million copies worldwide.  The soundtrack was the number one album in sales between January and July 1978, and stayed on the album charts for 120 consecutive weeks, finally dropping off the charts in early 1980.  Until the soundtrack for “The Bodyguard” was released in 1992, this movie’s soundtrack was one of the highest selling albums from a motion picture of all time.

I think that I must have heard the songs from the soundtrack a hundred million times over the first four or five years of my childhood.  For some reason, I loved it, even though my feelings for disco music now are kind of mixed.  Eventually, the record got scratched, and we were forced to throw it in the garbage one day.  Years later though, I bought my mother another copy of the soundtrack (this time on CD), and she still plays it on occasion.

Of all the songs that appear on the album, there are many classic songs, but I think this one happens to be my favourite.



ARTIST:  Bee Gees
SONG:  Night Fever
ALBUM:  Saturday Night Fever: The Original Movie Soundtrack
DATE RELEASED:  February 7, 1978
PEAK POSITION ON THE BILLBOARD CHARTS: #1 for 8 weeks

And this wasn’t the only song that the Bee Gees recorded for the movie “Saturday Night Fever” either.  But, more on that a little bit later.


“Saturday Night Fever” was released in theatres on December 14, 1977, and what was interesting about the film was that it was one of the few films to receive two different ratings.  Initially, the film was rated “R” and had a lot more nudity, drug use, and even an attempted rape scene.  The film did exceptionally well, but because of the rating many younger fans were missing out on seeing the film.  A second cut of the movie was released in 1978 with a PG rating, which cut down on the profanity and some of the more adult scenes.  It turned out to be a good move upon hindsight, as the eventually box office for the film between the two versions topped upwards of over $282 million, making “Saturday Night Fever” one of the most seen movies of 1978.

Of course, you all know that this was the film that made John Travolta a star, and if you watch the opening credits of the film, you can tell by the way he uses his walk, he’s a woman’s man, no time to talk.


(The background music happens to be the Bee Gees’ hit “Stayin’ Alive”, which just happens to be one of SIX songs by the band that appear on the soundtrack.)


Travolta plays the role of Tony Manero, a girl-crazy Italian-American teen living in the heart of Brooklyn, New York.  When he’s not fighting with his parents, or working at his job at a nearby hardware store, he’s donning the dance duds and hitting the flashing dance floor at 2001 Odyssey, a popular nightclub in the area.  He could usually be found there every weekend with his four friends, Bobby C (Barry Miller), Double J (Paul Pape), Gus (Bruce Ornstein), and Joey (Joseph Cali), and the five usually hang out at the club to hit on women, drink, and do drugs.  Also hanging around 2001 Odyssey was a woman named Annette, who harbours feelings for Tony, and wants to have a stable relationship, although Tony doesn’t quite feel the same way.


TRIVIA:  Annette was played by Donna Pescow, who purposely gained 40 pounds to get the role.  Once filming wrapped up, she lost the excess weight just in time to star in the short-lived ABC sitcom, “Angie”.

When a dance contest is hosted by 2001 Odyssey, Annette expresses interest in entering, but since the contest is for pairs only, she immediately asks Tony to be her dance partner.  Tony agrees to her request, and Annette is on cloud nine.

At least until SHE came into Tony’s life.


The “she” being Stephanie Mangano (Karen Lynn Gorney).  Poor Annette was kicked to the curb as Tony decided that he’d rather enter the contest with Stephanie instead.  Stephanie agrees to be his dance partner.  As far as romance, however, she made it clear that she wasn’t interested in that.


But as Stephanie and Tony get to know each other better as they practice for the dance contest, Tony’s friends seem to get into major trouble during the movie’s various sub-plots.  Bobby C, for example, has discovered that he has gotten his girlfriend pregnant.  And, since his girlfriend also happens to be very Catholic, she intends on keeping the baby.  Bobby C isn’t ready for the responsibility of being a father, so he seeks advice from Tony’s older brother Frank (Martin Shakar).  Not liking the answers that he has been given, he sinks into a deep depression, and ultimately makes some dangerous choices which lead to his ultimate fate at the end of the film.

Gus happens to become the victim of a gang attack, and is hospitalized.  At first, Gus reveals that the gang that attacked him was a Hispanic gang known on the streets as the Barracudas, so his friends set out to even the score.  But, did Gus really remember everything as it happened?

A terrible fate also strikes Annette, and somehow it involves Double J and Joey in what could be the most shocking plot development in the whole film.

(And yes, I am being quite vague in describing these, as I want you all to watch the movie yourselves.  I don’t post many spoilers in the Monday Matinees).


Besides, the plot of the movie was just one of the things that made “Saturday Night Fever” stand out.  The disco soundtrack was a masterpiece of disco favourites.  The Bee Gees may have had the bulk of the soundtrack, but there were songs by Yvonne Elliman, K.C. and the Sunshine Band, Tavares, Trammps, and Kool & The Gang, just to name a few.


I guess the timing of this entry is somewhat timely as well, given what’s happening right now in the world of music.  As of right now, Robin Gibb is in a comatose state after contracting pneumonia in his hospital room.  He had been battling liver and colon cancer since 2011.  His health problems had actually began one year earlier when he was rushed into the hospital for emergency surgery to clear a blocked intestine (a condition that killed his twin brother Maurice in 2003). 

Nobody knows for sure how bad Robin’s condition is, but his brother Barry (the other surviving member of the Bee Gees) has stated that he is “fighting for his life” at this moment, and he is currently surrounded by his brother, his wife, and his three children as he continues to fight for his life. 

I had planned to do this entry on “Saturday Night Fever” today anyway, but knowing what we know about the condition of Robin Gibb, it takes on a whole new meaning.


It’s hard to say what will happen.  From news reports I’ve heard, Robin Gibb is in critical condition, and it’s unknown whether he can survive this.  As a result, I’ll be editing this entry as more news comes.  In the meantime, all we can do is offer our sympathy and prayers to the Gibb family, and hope that a miracle takes place.

Sunday, April 15, 2012

Soothing the Savage Garden


Today is day two of the all-request weekend, and I’m interested in knowing...would you like me to designate a week in the blog solely for requests?  It’s hard to do requests for the Tuesday Timeline and Thursday Confession, but for the other five theme weeks, if you have an idea for a topic that hasn’t been done yet, and would like me to talk about it, please let me know!  You can either join the Pop Culture Addict’s Guide To Life fan page on Facebook to post ideas there, or you can just post a comment at the bottom of this post.  If I get enough ideas for topics, I’ll designate an all-request week sometime next month.  The only stipulation I have is that I want to try and keep this blog as clean as possible, so nothing X-rated, thank you.

Now that this is out of the way, we can begin today’s Sunday Jukebox spotlight.  And the story behind this suggestion dates back a couple of months.  Some time ago, one of my friends suggested that I do a blog entry on a particular Australian band that made it big right around the time I was in high school.  Admittedly, I had put the idea on the table to use on a future date, because I was a fan of this band myself.  But, for some reason I had completely forgotten about it two months later...

...that is, until my friend sent me a message asking if I had written the blog entry on this particular band yet.  This was sent to me about a week ago.

The problem was that last week was a theme week, and I really couldn’t squeeze it in.  The song that I wanted to spotlight didn’t make any sense with the theme of the week, so I had to postpone it once more.

So, after two months, I’d like to finally do this entry that was suggested to me earlier in the year by Bailey C., of Ontario, Canada. 

And the song I want to feature is the one that put this group on the map.  Although the song wasn’t released until February 1997 here in North America, in the band’s native Australia, the song had a much earlier debut.



ARTIST: Savage Garden
SONG:  I Want You
ALBUM:  Savage Garden
DATE RELEASED:  June 30, 1996
PEAK POSITION ON THE BILLBOARD CHARTS:  #4



The name of the band is Savage Garden, comprised of Darren Hayes and Daniel Jones.  The duo met in Logan, Queensland, Australia in 1993 after Jones had placed an ad inside a Brisbane newspaper looking for a vocalist for a band he had already set up named “Red Edge”. 

Darren Hayes was immediately given the job by Jones himself.  Mind you, Hayes was the only person who responded to the classified ad, but I assume that he had to audition just the same to earn the job!

Hayes quickly formed a fast friendship with Jones as Red Edge toured all over the Gold Coast of Australia playing gigs.  During these tours, they began to write original material in addition to the cover songs they were playing as a band.  This continued until the summer of 1994, when Darren Hayes and Daniel Jones opted to leave Red Edge in hopes of making it big on their own.


Here’s a little bit of trivia for you though.  Did you know that “Savage Garden” wasn’t the duo’s first choice for a band name?  They initially had chosen the name “Crush” when they first began recording demo tapes, but eventually changed their name to Savage Garden, inspired by a phrase from “The Vampire Chronicles” by Anne Rice.

Throughout 1994 and 1995, the duo recorded several songs together, and they eventually had enough to put together a demo tape to send out to various record labels in Australia, hoping one of them would like the tape enough to sign them.  Hayes and Jones were very ambitious in promoting themselves, making at least one hundred and fifty copies of their demo tape to send out.  Yet, only one person seemed to respond to the demo positively.  That person was John Woodruff, who became the band’s manager.  With Woodruff’s help, the band negotiated a contract with Roadshow Music, and with music producer Charles Fisher (who also produced for Air Supply and Moving Pictures), Savage Garden began recording their self-titled debut in late 1995.


The band’s first single, “I Want You” was released in Australia at the end of June, 1996.  The song managed to peak at #4 on the ARIA (Australian Recording Industry Association) charts.  Just three months later, in September 1996, the band was nominated for their first ARIA award for Breakthrough Artist – Single for “I Want You”.

As the band released their second single “To the Moon and Back” that November, American record labels were starting to hear about Savage Garden’s massive success in Australia.  Though several recording labels issued interest in the duo, it was Columbia Records who signed the band in America in January 1997. 

As “To the Moon and Back” became Savage Garden’s first #1 hit in Australia, American artists were getting their first taste of the band, as “I Want You” climbed rapidly up the charts.  The band’s debut was just as successful in North America as it had been in Australia.  The song hit #4 on Billboard, #1 on the Mainstream Airplay charts, and #1 in Canada.

For a debut single, this was a phenomenal success for “Savage Garden”.  And they weren’t done yet.

The band’s debut album hit store shelves in March 1997 in the United States, and immediately the disc sold eighteen million copies worldwide.  In Australia alone, the band’s debut topped the album sales charts in that country for almost five months!

The album also had an unprecedented eight singles charting all over the world.  Some singles (such as “Tears of Pearls”) were only released in Europe, but four singles saw airplay in North America.  “I Want You”, “To the Moon and Back”, “Break Me, Shake Me”, and this song...perhaps the band’s most recognizable.


“Truly, Madly, Deeply” was a romantic ballad released in March 1997 in Australia, and saw an American release just eight months later.  By the end of 1997, the song became the most played song on American radio, and the song ended Elton John's 14-week stay at the top of the charts with "Candle in the Wind 1997".  The song also managed to stay in the Top 30 of the Billboard 100 for one whole year.  Not too many songs released can boast that fact.


After the success of their debut album, Savage Garden went to work on their next album, “Affirmation”.  Fans of the band would get a taste of what the new album had to offer when the film “The Other Sister” was released.  The soundtrack for the film was released in February 1999, and one of the songs from the soundtrack was “The Animal Song”, recorded by Savage Garden.  The song managed to become the band’s third Canadian #1, and peaked at #3 in Australia, but scored a disappointing #19 in the United States. 


But then the duo released the song “I Knew I Loved You”, which became the band’s second single from “Affirmation”.  The song reached #1 on the Billboard charts in January 2000.  One month later, the third single “Crash and Burn” began charting as “Truly, Madly, Deeply” dropped off the Billboard Adult Contemporary Charts after an impressive 123-week stay on the charts!

By the end of 2000, Savage Garden was well on their way to joining The Bee Gees, AC/DC and INXS as being one of the most successful Australian bands to corner the American market.  With two #1 hits on the Billboard Charts (both charting for well over one hundred consecutive weeks), the future seemed bright for Savage Garden, and it was likely that we’d see them on the charts for years to come.

So when the band announced that they had broken up in 2001, I was just as shocked as everyone else was!

It was widely reported that Savage Garden had taken a hiatus following the release of “Crash and Burn” (which looking back on it seems ironically appropriate for the duo’s final single together).  Apparently, both members were going off on solo projects that seemed to be in different directions.  Jones wanted to start up his own record label, while Hayes expressed interest in continuing a solo singing career.  Many fans were lead to believe that the hiatus was only temporary, and they assumed that the band would come back with a new album sometime in 2002.  But, in October of 2001, Hayes made the announcement that the band had broken up for good. 

Hayes and Jones agreed that they would honour any tour commitments that they had previously made, and shortly after Hayes’ announcement, the following message was posted on the band’s official website.

“We are extremely grateful to our fans all around the world for their incredible support over the years.  The success of Savage Garden and our time together has been an amazing experience...one that we will never forget.  We just hope that you all understand our individual needs to continue growing.”

Hayes would later admit in an interview with musicMAX network that Jones was uneasy about the sudden stardom that they were getting following the release of their debut album, and suggested that it was the reason why the band decided to split.  As far as I know, Jones has never really commented on Hayes’ claims, so I can’t say for certain as to what the real story was behind the split.


I can tell you that both Jones and Hayes have found that there was life after Savage Garden.  Jones founded Meridien Musik, and built a recording studio called Level 7 Studios, where he has signed several young Australian artists.

And Hayes has recorded several solo albums that have charted in the United Kingdom and Australia.  Although Darren Hayes' solo career hasn’t been well-received in North America (despite most of his solo songs being fantastic), he did end up having a minor hit in 2002 with the song “Insatiable”.


It’s been a little over a decade since Savage Garden has been on the charts, and it seems that plans for a reunion are out of the question, according to Darren Hayes.  Hayes even admitted in a 2007 interview that a Savage Garden reunion would not be happening, saying that “he’d only do it if it cured cancer.”

A bold statement, no?

However, it should be noted that other bands have said the same thing at some point.  Nobody expected The Beatles to get back together again after their 1970 break-up, and yet the three surviving members at the time managed to have a hit in 1995 with “Free As A Bird”.  Nobody expected Blondie to get back together after they broke up in the early 1980s, and yet they released the song “Maria” after a seventeen year hiatus from the charts.

So, I guess as far as Savage Garden is concerned, they too may very well bite the bullet and record some new songs together after all.


For now, we always have the memories of this unique Australian duo, whose songs contributed to my high school soundtrack.  They’re probably some of the only pleasant memories from that time period, truthfully speaking.

Saturday, April 14, 2012

The Big Comfy Couch


A few weeks ago, I came up with an idea to feature educational children's shows that were based out of Canada, and wrote a blog about it. As we deduced, some shows were really good, some were just okay, and some were just absolutely insane.

The feature ended up being a hit. It received a lot of page views, and on my own personal Facebook page, I received a lot of comments about the subjects from my friends list.

One comment in particular really got my attention, and it was the inspiration behind today's blog entry. Here it is, as it was written on March 31, 2012...

What aboot “The Big Comfy Couch”? That scored HUGE in the states, and they only filmed about 15 episodes...my daughter still has her Molly doll!”
  • Gregg M., Nebraska

All right, Gregg from Nebraska. Challenge accepted.



Today we're going to look back on the classic children's television program “The Big Comfy Couch”, which actually ran a lot longer than fifteen episodes! The show aired off and on in Canada between 1992 and 2006, and one hundred episodes were actually filmed and aired in Canada.

(Maybe when the show aired on PBS, they only aired the first season or so.)



There's actually a couple of reasons why I opted to do a whole blog entry on this children's show. Firstly, my niece, who is now fifteen years old, used to watch “The Big Comfy Couch” all the time when she was a little girl, so I know the show quite well. Any time she came over to visit, she would have the television tuned into “The Big Comfy Couch”. And, just like Gregg's daughter, my niece also owned the Molly doll. The show itself wasn't a bad one (regardless of the fact that when it debuted, I was already outside of the target demographic), and I thought it might stir up some discussion for younger readers of this blog.

The second reason...I will share that at the end of the blog.



The Big Comfy Couch” was filmed in Canada, and debuted on YTV on March 2, 1992. The show was about the adventures of a young toddler clown named Loonette and her doll, Molly.

For the first ten years of the show, Loonette was played by voice artist and actress Alyson Court, and between 2003 and 2006, the role was taken over by Ramona Gilmour-Darling. And, Molly was a movable puppet that was controlled by famous puppeteer, Bob Stutt (who also worked on the Canadian television program “Today's Special).

Each episode focused on a different subject, and Loonette and Molly would have all sorts of adventures surrounding the theme. For example, if the episode's title was “Red Light, Green Light”, the episode would be about how Loonette and Molly would learn the difference between stopping and going. If the episode was called “Wrong Side Of The Couch”, we would see Loonette waking up and being in a bad mood.

Although each episode had a different theme, the structure for each episode was almost exactly the same. At the beginning of each episode, we'd see Loonette waking up from one of her sixteen naps of the day. She'd greet everyone who was watching her on television and introduce Molly to everyone. But whenever Loonette would wake up, she would always feel stiff and she wanted to get up off of the couch and stretch a bit. So, she'd walk over to the clock shaped rug nearby and perform something called a “clock stretch”. Watch a clip of this below.



Looking back on it, the “clock stretch” was brilliant. Loonette stretched her body in a way that it resembled second and minute hands moving around the same way they would on an analog clock. Mind you, none of my watches quite moved around the same way that Loonette did, but I appreciate the creativity behind it.

Once the clock stretch was out of the way, Loonette would frequently brainstorm ideas with Molly about what they should do. Of course, Molly couldn't speak. All she could do was communicate with thought bubbles that made the same noise as an info-bubble on Pop-Up Video. However, Molly's ideas were fun and interesting. Usually, Molly would want Loonette to read a story. So, Loonette would dig within the depths of “The Big Comfy Couch” to pull out her oversized reading glasses and a story to read. Sometimes, Molly wanted to dance, so Loonette started up a dance studio which she dubbed the “Miss Loonette's Dance Academy”. She would perform a classical dance, and Molly would often watch in excitement.

Sometimes, Loonette would want to play with the dolls in her dollhouse, so the action would shift over from the couch to inside the dollhouse where we watched the Foley Family interact with each other, usually with hilarious results. Watch a clip of the Foley Family in action.



Sometimes we'd also get a close up view of the action that was going on underneath the couch. For Loonette, there wasn't anything special about the bottom of the couch. It was just one very dusty place. But for Molly, the space underneath the couch was the home of her two friends, Fuzzy and Wuzzy.

Otherwise known as the Dustbunnies.

I can see why Molly loved the Dustbunnies. They were cute...in their own allergy triggering kind of way. And, the Dustbunnies actually owe their lives to Molly, for she saved them when Loonette got a little bit too congested.



I'll just come right out and say it...when I was forced to watch “The Big Comfy Couch” during the years in which my niece was small, the episode could be saved if the Dustbunnies appeared. I loved those little guys.

Now, don't go thinking that all Loonette did all day was lounge around the couch. She did have some excitement outside the living room. In every episode, Loonette would leave the house and go and visit her beloved Granny Garbanzo, who lived in a wagon with her pet cat Snicklefritz.



(Come to think of it, I often wondered how a toddler like Loonette was allowed to just leave the house on her own to visit her grandmother without child protective services knocking on the door. Maybe Granny Garbanzo lived next door or something. Anybody want to help me out with this one?)

Anyway, Granny Garbanzo was very caring, and she loved Loonette and Molly very much. She loved showing Loonette and Molly all of the plants that she grew in her garden, and sometimes would entertain Loonette with stories from the old country.



At some point during Loonette's visit, a clown mailman riding a unicycle would drop by to join the party. His name was Major Bedhead, and he would often be in the area to drop of a letter or present for Loonette.

(Come to think of it, wouldn't Major Bedhead be better off delivering Loonette's mail to her OWN house? But then again, maybe it was arranged that way so that it would guarantee Granny Garbanzo one visit per day if all of Loonette's mail arrived there.)



Anyway, Major Bedhead would hand Loonette a postcard from her Auntie Macassar or her Uncle Chester, and in the postcard, they would tell Loonette of all of the wonderful adventures that they experienced while traveling the world. In some rare instances, Loonette's Auntie Macassar would drop in for a visit, usually making some grand entrance in the process.

So a typical Loonette day would actually be quite busy. She'd exercise, read, dance, play, visit her grandmother, chat with Major Bedhead. Loonette was quite the active kid.

But when she often got home, she was shocked to find out that the “Big Comfy Couch” was a big, messy pile of toys, clothes, and books. Loonette was outraged, and she demanded to know WHO MADE THIS BIG MESS!



Problem was, it was her.

But, Loonette's a good little clown, and she always cleans up after herself. And unlike most boys and girls her age, she can clean up a room in TEN seconds. It's a little chore that Loonette liked to call the Ten-Second Tidy. Watch it below.



Well, okay...the “ten” second tidy really lasted fifteen seconds (which was probably more like ten minutes as the Ten-Second Tidy feature was shown sped up). But, at least she cleaned up after herself.

After she cleaned up the couch, Loonette would be yawning, and she could barely keep her eyes open. She was fading fast and needed to get some sleep. So, at the end of each episode, she would say goodbye to the audience, tuck herself and Molly in underneath a blanket, and go to sleep at the closing credits rolled.

It's really nice to see that Loonette and Molly both had a place to feel safe and secure when they were young. That place happened to be an overstuffed, green couch. And, that brings me up to the second reason why I wanted to do an entry on this show.

I'd like to think that when we were all Loonette's age, we also had a spot in our homes that we felt safe. At least I hope that was the case. I know I had such a spot. In my childhood house, it was a spare room that my family used to store all the things that we couldn't find a place for. We never had a garage, so this was the next best thing. It was filled with all my old books, old furniture, and various knick-knacks. That room became my sanctuary. I think I spent more time in that room than I did in my own bedroom, I loved it so much. I had so many adventures in that room, and like Loonette, you never knew what sorts of treasures you'd find there.

But that was my experience. Some kids would choose a window with a chair nearby. Some kids hid underneath the kitchen table. Some would choose the seventh step on a flight of stairs. I knew of one kid who liked to play in the bathtub!

So, I guess to end off this note, I ask this.

BONUS QUESTION: What was your “Big Comfy Couch” place?

(Thanks again, Gregg, for the great post idea!)

Friday, April 13, 2012

America's Next Top Hypocrite?


This is the second part of a two-part blogging exercise that links to yesterday’s Thursday confession.  For those of you who may have missed yesterday’s entry, my confession post yesterday was this.

THURSDAY CONFESSION #15: When it comes to physical beauty in women, I have this to say. Natural beauty, healthy living, and having a positive attitude about aging gracefully are qualities I find incredibly sexy.

As it so happens, today’s blog topic is based on this confession.  Unfortunately, the subject happens to be about a reality show that seems to go against the confession that I have made.  It happens to be a show that has been on the air for nearly a decade now, and is currently in its eighteenth season (or cycle, as the show refers them as).


The show, of course, happens to be “America’s Next Top Model”, hosted by Tyra Banks (who herself was once known as being a top model). 


When the show debuted its first cycle (opening seen above) on May 20, 2003, nobody knew just how huge the show would eventually become.  Seventeen winners have been crowned in the American version so far, and several international versions of the program have aired (or are currently airing) in countries such as Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Holland, Israel, Italy, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, and Poland, just to name a few.

(If you click on each country, you can watch the intro for each version.)


As far as the mechanics of the show go, I’m not necessarily opposed to it.  The only goal for each of the contestants on each of the “Next Top Model” franchises is to become the last one standing.  The person who is chosen as “America’s Next Top Model” often gets a huge assortment of prizes, including modelling contracts, a spread in a national magazine, prize money, and other various goodies on top of that.  And, from my research, I can say that some of the earliest seasons really did give off an accurate portrayal of how brutal the modelling industry really is.  Between countless photo shoots, modelling in rather unusual situations (from underwater modelling to modelling while bouncing on a trampoline), and various other tasks that range from the exhausting to the ridiculous, it really showed just how hard models really did work in the industry. 

I know that I certainly don’t have what it takes to make it big in the modelling world.  Of course, my main goal was never to become a model, so I’m fine with that.  But for those of you who are quite serious about becoming a fashion model, watch some of the early seasons of “America’s Next Top Model” to see what I mean.  It’s not just standing in front of a camera and making sure that you remember to smile.  There’s a lot of work involved, and on that aspect, I have to show some respect to those who are in the industry.

But, that’s about all of the positive comments that I really have to say about the show.

There’s a reason why I have insisted that people watch the earliest seasons of “America’s Next Top Model”.  In my opinion, those seasons give off a more accurate portrayal of what the modelling industry is really like, and the focus was more towards the contestants.

But, now take a look at the cycle 18 opening.  Notice anything different?


If you said that there was a lot more Tyra, and a lot less models, you’d be correct.  In fact, one thing I have noticed about the show’s recent seasons is that Tyra seems to want to be involved in EVERY DETAIL OF THE SHOW! 

Don’t believe me?  Have a look at this.  Last season, the girls were asked to write and perform their own song.  What that exactly has to do with modelling, I have no idea myself, but that’s not the point.  Below is a clip of one of these songs.


The unfortunate thing about it is that the song was good enough without the cut scenes of Tyra and her friend.  And yet, there she was.  Every single one!  It was almost as if Tyra Banks herself was competing for the title of “America’s Next Top Model”, and screw everyone else.

The fact that Tyra has taken over half of the opening credits should be a clear indication that in recent seasons that the show has seemingly become less about the models competing and more about what Tyra wants. 

I mean, heaven forbid that a contestant chooses not to get emotional about being eliminated from the competition, just as a woman named Tiffany from season four did.  For whatever reason, Tiffany had made peace with the fact that she was going home, but somehow, Tyra didn’t quite think that she should be feeling THAT way...


Can you say, brutal?

And, that’s not even the real issue that I have with the show!

The real problem that I have with “America’s Next Top Model” is related to my confession from yesterday.  I find it very difficult to throw my support to a show that basically turns its back on natural beauty.  It almost seems as though the contestants are forced to become someone completely different from who they are in order to even have a shot at winning the top prize, and to me, that isn’t okay.  Even more disgusting to me is the fact that I feel as though some contestants have no chance to win the competition right from the beginning.


I’ll just come right out and say it.  I feel that the show is discriminatory against “plus-sized” models.  And, yes, I did put “plus-size” in quotation marks for a reason.

I looked into how many contestants have competed in “America’s Next Top Model” over the last nine years.  Each season had anywhere from ten to fourteen models competing.  When you add up all the contestants of each cycle, you get a grand total of two hundred and twenty-three contestants. 

Of those 223 “Top Model” hopefuls, do you want to know just how many admitted “plus-size models” have competed in the series?  Let’s see...

We have Robyn Manning, Anna Bradfield, Toccara Jones, Diane Hernandez, Diana Zalewski, Whitney Cunningham, Whitney Thompson, and Kasia Pilewicz.  If my math is correct, that means that of the 223 contestants on America’s Next Top Model, we have only had EIGHT “plus-size” models.  That’s pathetic.

Of the eight “plus-size” models who have competed, how many have won?  Only one.  Whitney Thompson from Cycle 10.  If you’re curious, here’s a photo of the only “plus-size” winner.


Now, I’ll readily admit that Whitney is gorgeous, and given this photo, I can see why she won the competition.  But, is she really considered “plus-size”?  Not according to me.  To me, Whitney looks no different than the average woman you see on the street.  If she is what “America’s Next Top Model” considers to be “plus-sized”, then I give up.

But, hey, at least the show managed to crown ONE “plus-sized” model.  The other seven never even came close. 

If you thought that was shocking, there’s more.


On cycle 12, there was a model named London who competed for the title of “America’s Next Top Model”, and from the beginning, it appeared that she was an early frontrunner.  However, some of the judges noticed that during the competition, London was actually “gaining” weight.  Never mind the fact that the viewing audience couldn’t see it, according to the judges, she was gaining weight, and they told her flat out that the weight gain was the reason behind her eventual elimination from the episode.

Are you kidding me here?


In interviews given by London that I have read online, she readily admits that controlling her weight has always been an issue for her, but as far as she was concerned, she didn’t think that it should have had any impact on her getting cut from the competition.  And, I agree with her.  While I understand the importance of models keeping their weight in check, there was no indication that London’s weight was out of control.  I think looking back on it, the show actually did more harm than good.  Basically, the message that it showed young women was that you can be a model, provided that you NEVER GAIN A SINGLE POUND EVER AGAIN.  Some message.

And, what makes me absolutely angry about this is the fact that Tyra Banks, of all people, should have known better.

Back in the days in which Tyra had her own daytime talk show, she was very hurt by people who commented negatively on a photo of her in a one-piece bathing suit that showed her off in an unflattering light.  She got so upset about it that she felt a need to address it on her talk show approximately five years earlier.  Watch the clip below.


At that moment, I admit that I was completely on her side.  As someone who had been picked on for being fat in high school, I knew and empathized with everything she was saying.  So, for her to turn around, and basically go against the very speech she gave on her talk show to tell a contestant that because she gained weight, she was no longer considered worthy of running for the title of “America’s Next Top Model” is quite hypocritical.  I would have thought that of all people, Tyra would have understood what London was going through.  I mean, in earlier seasons of the show, she actually showed concern and compassion for past contestants who did admit that they suffered from eating disorders!  It just seemed as though she was doing a total 180 between that talk show speech, and London’s elimination.

And, frankly, that makes me feel disgusted.

There was absolutely nothing wrong with London then, and there certainly isn’t anything wrong with London now.  She was, and is a beautiful girl no matter how much she weighed.  I can’t understand why that wasn’t good enough.

I mean, if she was making the same pose every single week, fine.  Get rid of her.  If she had a diva-like attitude where she thought she was better than everyone else, then fine.  Get rid of her.  If she fell asleep while doing a photo shoot, get rid of her.  Getting rid of her because she gained five pounds?  Shameful.  There’s no defending that.

I guess the point that I’m trying to make is that for a show that supposedly decides who will be the next top model, the judging process to me seems incredibly hypocritical, judgmental, and just plain harmful.  And for a host that preaches all about self-esteem in women, it just seems to boggle my mind that some of the decisions she has made seem to go against every word she says about it.

It’s hard to find natural beauty in a show that seems to take the stance that the more natural looking a model is, the less chance they have of succeeding in the industry.  It’s hard to find girls who have positive attitudes when the stress and drama seem to take over.

And, I find it extremely frustrating that a host who knows the pain that can come from being judged unfairly turns around and treats other contestants the exact same way.


I do believe that “America’s Next Top Model” started off with only the best of intentions, but now I feel that the show really doesn’t know what the heck it is doing any more.  I think I can even state that the show no longer promotes healthy attitudes, looking beautiful at any size, or feeling confident about yourself.  Rather it has turned into the Tyra Banks show, where dramatic confrontations, hypocritical eliminations, and piercing verbal attacks are commonplace.

It’s really sad when you stop and think about it.

Thursday, April 12, 2012

Size 0 Is So Overrated...


In what could be a first for the blog, this week’s Thursday Confession is going to be split into two parts over two separate days!

It wasn’t intentionally planned this way, but looking at what my intended confession for today was, and looking at the planned topic for Friday is scheduled to be, there are quite a few parallels between the two.  So, stay tuned over the course of the next 48 hours because this week will be a double confession.

To kick off the first part of this two-part event, I’d like each of you to take a look at this picture.




For those of you who have used Facebook or Twitter, you’ve likely seen this image floating around.  People have a whole slew of opinions regarding this picture, and my opinion will be shared in this blog entry.  After all, it ties in to my confession for today.

THURSDAY CONFESSION #15:  When it comes to physical beauty in women, I have this to say.  Natural beauty, healthy living, and having a positive attitude about aging gracefully are qualities I find incredibly sexy.

Women are being bombarded by images of what Hollywood declares to be “perfect”.  You see it all the time in film, television, magazines, and Times Square billboards.  But in recent years, we’re seeing a rather shocking and alarming trend.

Take the image that I posted up above.  I want all of you to study the top row of that photo.  On the top row, you have from left to right, Heidi Montag, Nicole Richie, Keira Knightley, and Kirsten Dunst.  Do you notice something in common with all of them? 


This seems to be a common trend with the media.  Over the last twenty years, it seems as though actresses and models are a lot slimmer than normal.  When I was growing up, I think that the main supermodels were Christie Brinkley, Cindy Crawford, and Christy Turlington.  Certainly all three in their prime were quite stunning (and for that matter, still are as of 2012).  But, when you compare those models to the likes of Nicole Richie and Keira Knightley, they almost appear like they are plus-size models in comparison.

And, that’s not a good thing, as far as I’m concerned.

Now, granted, I realize that people do come in all shapes and sizes, and have differing metabolisms.  It’s entirely possible that the people up on the top row are just naturally slim.  I knew someone who had the same build that ate constantly, and just couldn’t gain weight.  That’s not exactly what I’m concerned about.

My concern lies with the fact that the world of fashion and cosmetics seem to have the idea that this is the “norm”.  According to Hollywood, it’s perfectly “normal” to wear a size zero and weigh less than ninety-seven pounds.  Or, at least that is the impression that I seem to get by watching television in recent years, anyway. 

But this way of thinking isn’t normal at all.  It’s not normal for the vast majority of women out there in the world.


The quest for perfection in Hollywood is in my opinion an impossible dream.  There’s no way to achieve perfection, and those who even try to achieve it usually end up getting hurt.  There have been so many cases of people developing eating disorders such as bulimia and anorexia, and some have even died from these diseases (such as Karen Carpenter pictured above).  The abuse of over-the-counter diet pills can also be stemmed from the impossibly high standards of the entertainment industry.

The end result for some of these women is frankly, quite disappointing.  Sure, they’ve managed to squeeze into a tiny dress, but in many photos I’ve seen, it’s not very flattering.  In some cases, they have gone way overboard, and look as if they are dead on the inside.  And to me, I don’t find anything beautiful about women killing themselves to attain a standard of beauty that at the most, only 1% of the global population can realistically achieve.  Frankly, I am more disturbed than turned on.

Now compare the images on the top row of the picture to the images on the bottom row.  In case you’re wondering, the women on the bottom row are Bettie Page, Shirley Jones, Elizabeth Taylor, and Marilyn Monroe.  Granted, I realize that this is just my own personal preference, but I find the images on the bottom to be much sexier than the images up top.  The reason why I feel this way?  Well, I admit that it’s more of a personal opinion than fact, but I’m going to come out with it.  The women on the bottom row look much healthier, and their natural curviness makes them look absolutely gorgeous. 

Yes, everyone has their own idea of what true beauty is, and I’m sure that some men would look at any of these women and find them absolutely sexy.  I just happen to like women who have curves, and don’t mind showing them off.  I’d rather see a woman shrug off the fact that she has a few extra pounds on her frame than to see her end up killing herself trying to achieve a body image that is near impossible to get.


On that note, this brings me to my next argument.  Many women (and even a few men) have gone under the knife to have cosmetic surgery in order to look anywhere from four to forty years younger than they really are. 

As far as my attitude towards plastic surgery goes, I admit that I have mixed feelings about it.  I do admit that there are some cases in which I support plastic surgery.  If you’re badly burned, have a tattoo that you want removed, or elect to get reconstructive surgery following a mastectomy, I’d consider those to be great reasons to go under the knife.  I’d even support someone going in for plastic surgery if they had a positive attitude about it, and if they were getting the work done for themselves and not for anybody else.  I also respect people like Jeanne Cooper from “The Young and the Restless” for showing viewers the realism behind the surgery.  In 1984, when Cooper announced that she was getting a face lift done, it was decided that her character, Katherine Chancellor, would get one too, and the show actually showed the procedure on air!  


So, I admit that there are some understandable reasons why people have consulted with plastic surgeons.  But for the most part, I don’t believe that most women NEED to have it done at all.


Maybe I’m in the minority, but whatever happened to aging gracefully?  To me, what I find beautiful about people of an older demographic are those people who are proud of every line, wrinkle, and age spot they have developed through the years.  Sure, they might try to conceal them with age defying creams and cosmetics, but at the end of the day when the make-up comes off and the lines and wrinkles remain, they tell the story of a life well-lived. 

I find that beautiful.

I mean, don’t get me wrong, I love and appreciate a beautiful woman as much as any guy here...but I also have a soft spot for real natural beauty.  Actually, I want to change that.  I get incredibly turned on by natural beauty.


It really saddens me that some women feel a need to enhance their already beautiful selves with plastic surgery.  If you want a perfect example of what I mean by this, look at Heidi Montag.  I’ll admit that I never watched “The Hills”, so I never knew who she was until a couple of years ago.  Two years ago, Montag’s name was plastered all over entertainment magazines and news shows detailing the near dozen procedures she had done...at TWENTY-THREE years old!  Twenty-three!  I’m of the mind that most 53-year-old women look fine without surgery, let alone twenty-three!  The really tragic thing about Heidi Montag was that before she had the work done, she was absolutely stunning.  Now, I feel that the natural beauty she once had is now lost and replaced with a manufactured, plastic look.  To many men, I imagine that she is still gorgeous, but unfortunately, I liked her old look.

But, what do you expect from a world where shows like “Entertainment Tonight” do entire exposes on celebrities who have cellulite?  Who cares?  Cellulite is not contagious, nor should it be treated like it is a form of leprosy!  Everyone has it.  Hell, I’ll bet I have it!

(Not that I’m going to post photographic evidence of that fact, as I don’t want to scare any followers of this blog away.)


Believe it or not, as a man, I have also experienced the pressure to look a certain way.  It’s not just women who get bombarded by images of “perfection”.  We men get it as well.  If we don’t have hairless bodies, 6-pack abs, or look good in a tiny black Speedo, then we best kill ourselves right now.  Doesn’t that sound absolutely ridiculous to you?  I know it does to me!

I guess the point I’m trying to make is that I do believe that society puts too much pressure on us to look a certain way.  I realize that we all have our own ideas about what a “good-looking” person is, and that they all differ.  But, that’s what’s beautiful about it.  In the end, we all have something inside ourselves that can be called beautiful. 

I have the utmost respect for anyone who can take any flaws they may have, and embrace them to their fullest.  And really, if they see their snaggletoothed smile as beautiful, does that really make it flawed?  I don’t see it as such.

I guess the point I’m trying to make is that I find people who can look at themselves in the mirror and love themselves for who they are no matter what size they are, or how many scars they have, or how much (or how little) hair they have to be absolutely amazing.  I believe that the true beauty in all of us comes from within.  If we can find a way to love ourselves for who we are, then I find that incredibly beautiful.


That’s the conclusion of Part One.  Part Two begins tomorrow, where we examine a popular reality show that I’m not really a fan of, mostly because it seems to go against the opinions of true beauty that I have shared with all of you today.  But for now, it is...