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Friday, June 15, 2012

Step By Step


I was one of those kids who grew up in a family where my mother and father stayed together (and are still married as of right now).  So, as a result, I never had to deal with the idea of having a step-mother, step-father, step-brothers, or step-sisters.  I did know a lot of people who did have to deal with being in a step-family, and generally speaking, the relationships that they had with their step-parents and step-siblings usually ranged from happiness, to tolerance, to bitter hatred. 

The fact remains that out of all of us in this world (or at the very least, this continent), being a part of a step-family will be a reality for about half of us.  The divorce rate for couples these days is hovering around the 50% mark, and of those, quite a large portion of that 50% remarry.

Now, I imagine that when people try their luck at marriage for a second time (or third, fourth, or twelfth), and there happens to be children involved, some of them have a rather idyllic view of how a step-family is going to be.  After all, we did see the ideal step-family situation in the long running television sitcom “The Brady Bunch”, where Carol’s three girls and Mike’s three boys magically get along with each other from the moment the couple exchange their wedding vows right before the family pet trashes the wedding reception.

However, not all families are as practically perfect as the Brady Bunch.  In fact, I would say that finding a step-family exactly like the Brady Bunch would be almost an impossible challenge.  Although I don’t know what it is like to be a part of a step-family, I know quite a few people who are, including a couple of family members.  And believe me when I tell you that their first few days as a family were nothing like that of the Brady family.  It took them a lot of work, patience, and persistence in order to keep the peace within the blended family.

Kind of like the blended family that we’re going to feature in this blog entry.


The blended family that we’re going to be talking about is the Lambert-Foster family of Port Washington, Wisconsin, the family that happens to be the stars of the TGIF sitcom, “Step By Step”.


“Step By Step” was created by William Bickley and Michael Warren, and was developed by the popular Miller/Boyett production team.  It initially debuted on ABC on September 20, 1991, and stayed on the network until the summer of 1997.  The show was then moved to CBS along with “Family Matters” for one more season, ending its seven season run on June 26, 1998.


The sitcom certainly had star power from the very beginning.  Suzanne Somers was cast as Carol Foster, a widowed beautician who had three children.  For Somers, this was her first sitcom on ABC following her abrupt 1981 firing from “Three’s Company”.  The role of Frank Lambert, a divorced contractor with three children of his own, was taken on by Patrick Duffy, who had just completed his work on “Dallas”, playing Bobby Ewing.

On the show’s pilot episode, we learn that Frank and Carol ended up meeting each other while they were on separate vacations in Jamaica.  Long story short, both of them ended up falling in love with each other, and made the spontaneous decision to get married while they were in Jamaica.

Okay, so the sitcom was somewhat contrived from the beginning. 

FRANK:  “Hi, Carol, I’ve only known you for four days...let’s get married.”

CAROL:  “Okay, Frank!”

Never mind the fact that they would eventually have to explain to their children that they were married, and that all of them would be moving into the same house as one big happy family.

Wouldn’t that be an awkward conversation to have?

As if that wasn’t bad enough, the Lambert children and the Foster children already knew each other from school.  And as to be expected, they all had their issues with each other before Frank and Carol even knew each other.  After all, Frank and Carol just happened to live in the same town as each other this whole time, yet they never met each other until they went to Jamaica.

Yes, you can say it with me folks.  How contrived.


Let’s take Carol’s children, for instance.  There was Dana (Staci Keanan), an intelligent perfectionist who also doubled as a feminist with an extreme moral compass, even if she acted superior to others as a result.  Karen (Angela Watson) was depicted as a mall rat that cared more about shopping and cosmetics than schoolwork and tests, but occasionally she had her moments of level-headedness and aspired to make it big as either a model or a singer.  And Mark (Christopher Castile) was the token nerd of the series who loved computers and science.


And let’s contrast that with Frank’s kids.  J.T. (Brandon Call) was the typical slacker, who often had the attitude that the less work he did, the better it was, and he often did poorly in school.  Alicia (Christine Lakin) was such a tomboy that she demanded that people call her “Al” instead, not afraid to get into a fight.  Then there was Brendan (Josh Byrne), the youngest of the children who mostly kept to himself.

Apparently, Frank and Carol believed that it would be a great idea to bring all the kids together at a family barbecue where they could finally meet each other, and where they could break the news to them that they had gotten married.  Why don’t we watch the first episode of the program by clicking HERE, HERE, and HERE to see how that all worked out?  By the way, the second part includes the barbecue, if you wanted to just skip to that section.

So, just to recap...Dana and J.T. hated each other with the fire of a million suns.  Al was completely turned off by Dana’s snotty behaviour and Karen’s vain attitude.  Even Mark and Brendan were fighting with each other.  Poor Carol and Frank had their hands full.  Throw in Frank’s nephew Cody (Sasha Mitchell), who also happened to have a mad crush on Dana that always went unreciprocated, and you had a tentative recipe for disaster.

But eventually, the ice between the Fosters and the Lamberts would begin to thaw.  When Al complained of stomach pains, Frank and the other Lambert children dismissed it as her wanting to skip school.  Carol believed her, and after a trip to the doctor’s office, it was revealed that Al had appendicitis.  This caused Al to befriend Carol, and was the beginning of the true merging of the two families.  As the series progressed, Al became closer to her step-siblings and shed her tomboy image.  Although Dana and J.T. still badmouthed each other, they reached a mutual understanding and both of them helped the other one out in a variety of ways.  Frank and Carol eventually ended up having a child of their own named Lily (Emily Mae Young), and Brendan ended up pulling a Chuck Cunningham and disappeared from the series for the whole final season.


I guess in conclusion, the show itself was a bit unbelievable in some instances, but on the other hand, it really depicted what life was like for a blended family in the 1990s.  No, it wasn’t as picture perfect as the Brady Bunch, but it certainly did have its share of nice moments.  I imagine that a lot of people watched the show when they were going through their own issues with being a part of a blended family and came upon the realization that if the Lambert-Foster family could make it work, they could make the effort as well.

It’s funny though.  While I was doing the research for this blog entry on “Step By Step”, I ended up getting a lot of trivia information that I didn’t even know myself!  I imagine you’d like to know some of this trivia, wouldn’t you?

Here it is.

1 – Jaleel White guest starred on the second episode of the series as his Steve Urkel persona.

2 – Three stars of “Perfect Strangers” have ties to this show.  Mark Linn-Baker directed some episodes of the series, while Melanie Wilson and Bronson Pinchot had roles on the series.  In the case of Pinchot, he appeared in the contract role of Jean-Luc during the show’s sixth season.




3 – Bronson Pinchot was cast after the abrupt departure of Sasha Mitchell, who left the show amidst allegations of spousal abuse.  Mitchell was later acquitted of all charges, and was allowed to appear in the 1998 series finale.

4 – Some of the actors of Step By Step worked with each other previously.  Patrick Duffy worked with Sasha Mitchell on “Dallas”, while Staci Keanan and Christopher Castile were on the failed ABC sitcom “Going Places”.

5 – The role of Mark was initially played by Jarrett Lennon, but was recast with Christopher Castile.  In fact, in the earliest opening credits, you might see an unidentifiable black haired child...that was Lennon.  It also explains why Castile was the only cast member who did not appear on the roller coaster at the end of the credits.

6 – If the Lambert/Foster residence interior looks familiar, it’s because it was used on “The Hogan Family”.

7 – The amusement park used in the opening credits of the show is Six Flags Magic Mountain.  The water was digitally added.

8 – As you well know, Patrick Duffy was written out of “Dallas” for one year during the infamous “dream season”.  Upon his return in 1986, Duffy’s contract was amended with the promise that he would get cast in another television show after “Dallas” ended.  “Step By Step” was that show.

9 – The show had a lot of inside jokes in relation to other projects that the stars were on.  For example, J.T. tells Frank that if he’s watching Baywatch with his wife, you know nothing about marriage”.  Brandon Call was the first Hobie on “Baywatch” before being replaced with Jeremy Jackson.

10 – The addition of Bronson Pinchot and Jason Marsden to the cast helped save the show from cancellation in May 1996.

11 – The first season featured Peggy Rea and Patrika Darbo as Carol’s mother and sister, who worked at Carol’s salon which was attached to her house.  After season two, the two women, and the salon set, were never seen again.

12 – The show was in the Top 10 in the Nielsen ratings between 1994 and 1996.


13 - In 1996, Brandon Call was injured after being shot at outside of the studios after taping had wrapped up.  He was shot in both arms, but managed to avoid serious injury.

14 – The theme song was written by Jesse Frederick and Bennett Salvay, who also composed the themes for “Full House”, “Family Matters”, and “Perfect Strangers”.


15 – The character of Lily was aged five years in a single season, similar to that of Chrissy Seaver in “Growing Pains”.

Thursday, June 14, 2012

Giving The Old College Try The Old College Try...Again!


Before I embark on today’s Thursday Confession, I just want to remind everybody that the Pop Culture Addict’s Guide To Life 1st Anniversary Contest is still going on, but only for a limited time.  You have until June 30th to enter the scavenger hunt that is located on my blog entry dated May 24.  Remember what the prize is...the chance to control my blog for one whole week.  You get to pick the topics, as well as have the opportunity to write your own piece in the Thursday Confession block.  I wish I could do more, but alas, I can’t afford it.  As you’ll see as you read my confession for today, you’ll understand why I need to pinch as many pennies as possible.

I just want to state something right off the bat.  I have been at my current place of employment for seven and a half years.  Although there have been some instances that I’d rather forget about, I’ve more or less enjoyed my time inside the store.  The people I work with are like family, and as far as the work itself goes, I can handle the workload.

But, I have been doing a lot of thinking about my life and my career goals, and the more I think about it, the more I’m beginning to realize that I want to do more.  And, this past week, I’ve come to the realization that the possibility to do more won’t necessarily happen.  I’m not saying that it’s going to be impossible, but at this stage in the game, it’s not likely to happen.

So, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking, and the only way that I feel that I can do more with my career goals and my life goals is to find a way to go back to school and get a degree.

And this is where my confession begins.


THURSDAY CONFESSION #24:  The idea of going back to school at the age of 31 scares me to death, not because of the fact that it has been a while since I have been in a classroom, but because I worry that I won’t have the discipline to follow through with it.

It sounds incredibly insane for me to think that way, doesn’t it?  To be perfectly honest, I’m kind of embarrassed to admit that this is the truth.

Because when I first entered post-secondary education, I only managed to stay a grand total of two years before deciding that I hated it, and dropped out without a degree.

I guess I should explain the reason why.

I attended a university campus in Ottawa, Ontario between September 2000 and April 2002.  And, you know, I’ll readily admit that my first year went fantastic.  Granted, the whole Resin scandal of 2001 left a bit of a bitter taste in my mouth, but other than that, I really did enjoy my first year.  But something happened between first and second year that made me enjoy school less and less, and by the end, I made the decision to leave school forever to go work in retail.

For years, I always saw leaving my post-secondary career in the dust as my biggest regret in life.  When I left that school, I felt like the biggest failure in the whole world.  It didn’t matter to me that I had known people who didn’t survive college the first time around as I had.  I felt as though I had wasted my time, and all that I had to show for my college career was a fourteen thousand dollar debt.

(Luckily, I have paid back about 80% of that loan since then, but I’ll tell you all one thing...if you can, keep your grades up and get a scholarship.)

So, how did it all go wrong?

Well, I’ll be honest with you.  I didn’t exactly do a whole lot of planning when it came to choosing schools.  I didn’t do any research, I didn’t bother checking tuition fees, and I certainly didn’t meet with any high school guidance counselors because I simply didn’t believe that they had my best interests at heart (which I won’t go into here, as I feel that it could very well be a Thursday Confession in itself).  I just knew that at that particular time in my life, I was interested in journalism and reporting, and I applied to any schools that had that program.  But, I completely ignored all colleges.  At my high school, everyone was going to large universities because they all felt that they would get more out of it, so I made the decision that I would do the same.  It didn’t matter to me that there were several technical colleges in the area that could teach people journalism.  I didn’t think that they would give me as much of a quality education as a university could.

Looking back upon retrospect, I think that was a huge mistake on my part.  But, we’ll get to that a little bit later.

Long story short, there were only two schools in Ontario that offered journalism.  Coming from a family that never had a lot of money, I knew that I could not afford to go to a school outside of Ontario, so I took my chances.  To my surprise, I did get accepted to one of my schools, but not in the journalism program.  I was a little below the cutoff average to make it in, and I was told early on that it would be next to impossible to get into the program due to the competitive nature of it.  Instead, I had to settle for taking mass communications, which was fine with me.  After all, it was a media course, and at the time, I believed that I wanted a career in the media, so I went with it.


That first year of university, I really did enjoy all of my classes.  In addition to mass communications, I also took film studies (which I also loved), an English writing course (in which I was one of two students to get an A on the midterm), a sociology class (which was okay), and a French seminar (which I probably had no business taking in the first place).  In addition, I really enjoyed the business and excitement of on-campus living.  For the first time in my whole life, I was surrounded by people my age who liked me for who I was.  Nobody judged me or made fun of me...it was absolutely awesome.

But that whole first year, I was heavily involved in the Resin which ended on a sour note, and I was busy hanging out with my new friends when I really probably should have been studying or working on papers.  But, I was doing well in my classes, and I didn’t think that having a few social outings would harm my grades.

But in a way, they did.  And, when it came time to get my final grades, I was actually quite happy with my 79.9% average.  Granted, I didn’t make the Dean’s List or anything, but that wasn’t what my goal was.  My goal was to stay in mass communications for the next three years, get a degree in the course, and go on to become the next Dan Rather, Peter Jennings, or Max Keeping.

It’s just a shame that I didn’t read the fine print in regards to what the cutoff average was to stay in the program.  Had I bothered to read it, I would have worked a little bit harder.

You see, the cutoff to stay in the program was having a total average of 80% or higher.  And, I was the one with a 79.9% average.

I missed the cutoff by a tenth of a percentage point.  As a result, I was booted from the program.



I was completely pissed.  I was angry, and I didn’t understand what went wrong.  As I turned 20, I was at a complete loss as to what I was going to do.  I set up a meeting with a counselor at the school to see what I could do to remain in the program.  I was willing to take summer classes, or redo a test paper, or perform an interpretive dance if I thought it would make any difference.  But, despite my pleas, there was only one way for me to get back into the program.

Redo my entire first year.

Those words still ring in my ear on occasion.  To have to go and redo the whole year over again so I could get an average of eighty per cent was absolutely ridiculous to me.  But that’s how that school operated.  They wanted the highest standards possible, and they didn’t bend the rules for anyone.  I got that.  But, I only missed the cutoff by so little.  Couldn’t they just have rounded up to the next digit so I could have had a shot of continuing on with the program? 

I made the decision to stick with the school for a second year.  Instead of staying in my beloved mass communications program, I opted to switch to a general arts program, which I knew would end up not getting me very far.  But at that time, my options were limited, and that one seemed like the best fit.

But after sticking with that program for the rest of the year, I decided that I really didn’t like it at all.  The classes were pointless, and I didn’t feel as though I was learning any skills necessary for life after university at all.  By that spring, I had made the decision that I would end up regretting for the better part of a decade.

It was time to cut my losses, and move on.

My initial plan was to try and transfer to a different school, and I almost had my foot in the door of one the following year...but when they demanded that I give them a cash payment for tuition up front that I didn’t have at the time, I lost my spot there.  The year after that, I worked a bunch of temporary jobs before landing the job that I currently have now.

And, that’s where the story ends, as well as my short lived career as a university student.

For the longest time, I really beat myself up over not being able to have the drive or the motivation to get a degree.  As I said before, it was one of the biggest regrets that I had.  But, you know, it took me this long to realize why it was that I failed in university.

I was too immature to really take university seriously.

Think about that for a second.  When I graduated high school, my main motivation behind going to university was not to better myself...it was to get as far away from the town that brought me so much pain through the teasing and bullying I endured throughout my whole school career.  And besides, my home life was sort of screwed up at the time as well, as my family was forced to vacate their home to find another one that summer and tensions were at an all-time high.  The further away I was from that mess, the better it was as far as I was concerned.

If I had to do it over again, I probably would not have been in such a rush to go to school.  I think I would have waited a couple of years and saved some money in a savings account so I could really sit down and plan out my education goals.  Instead, I adopted a rather impulsive attitude, and it really ended up being my downfall. 

I think that would have really looked at those college brochures a lot closer, and realized that getting a degree from a college doesn’t make it less valued than that from a prestigious university.  True, university graduates on average make more money than college graduates, but I’ve never really lived extravagantly, so it wouldn’t have been a big deal anyway.  In fact, if I had to go back in time, I probably would have done the college thing instead of the university thing, because the only thing I realized by going to university was that I hated it.  I’m the type of person who really needed small class sizes and more one-on-one instruction, and you certainly never get that at a university.  Unfortunately for me, I learned that lesson the hard way.

Finally, I probably should have taken university more seriously once I was there, but I was so caught up in the idea of having a social life that the schoolwork took a back seat.  You have to understand that in high school, I was never invited to parties, or went to dances, or even visited friends at their houses.  I was making up for lost memories, I suppose.  But, you know what’s funny?  Although my social life probably didn’t help improve my average any, I wouldn’t trade those moments for the world.  So, in a way, I suppose that I did get something out of it.

And you know something else?  Now that I have this out in the open, I feel a lot better about it.  Do I still regret not getting that degree?  In a way, I do, only because I would have liked to have gotten a degree of some sort.  At the same time, I guess I can be thankful that I realized that university life was not for me before I got too far into debt.  There are lots of people out there who DO get degrees in a subject and realize too late that the venture was a total waste of time.  If there are any positives to take from this, it’s that.

Still, I know that my leaving university prematurely has closed a lot of doors for me, and I think that it’s time for me to break open those doors again.  Granted, I am 31, and the opportunities may not be as plentiful as they were when I was 21.  But, I’ve made peace with the fact that I’ll never be America’s Next Top Model, and I’m sure that I’ll make peace with the idea that there are some careers that I’m too old to get started in.

But I’ll never know until I try.  And, I’ll admit it.  At 31, I’m scared to death over completely changing my whole life around to go back to college.  There’s a huge risk that comes out of it, but at least the second time around, I can take the time to really research schools and decide what the best option I have is.  And this time, I won’t ignore the guidance counselors.  I need all the help I can get, especially when it comes to funding my education.

This deciding to go back to school idea that I have is one that makes me incredibly nervous and apprehensive.  But I have to take that chance.  Because while I know that I have made meaningful contributions to society, going back to school will give me the opportunity to make a meaningful contribution to myself.

And, dammit, I’m worth it!

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Having a bad day? So has Alexander...


I would like to believe that in our lives, the majority of our days are great days.  I think for the most part, we’re able to find something about each day that is positive, and makes us happy.  Life, after all, is about finding those simplest pleasures and holding on to them.

Of course, there are some days that aren’t quite so good.  Days in which you wish you had stayed in bed.  Days in which you wish you could erase from your memory forever.  Days like the ones that Kim Stockwood sings about in the chorus of her 1999 song, “12 Years Old”.


I think that we’ve all had those days. 

You know, the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad days?

Hey, wait a minute.  That last sentence sounds very familiar.  It’s almost as if I’ve heard it mentioned somewhere before, like in a children’s book.


Oh, yes!  That’s right.  It was part of the title.  Judith Viorst’s “Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day”.  Now I remember!  I loved that book.

In fact, I think I’m going to discuss this book in the blog.  It’s been a while since I’ve done a blog entry on a literary work, and I think this is a great book to talk about.

Because I’ll level with all of you right here.  June 2012 has not exactly been the kindest month to me so far.  Almost every day in June so far could classify as a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day in many ways.  Stress from neighbours, work-related disappointments, having to back out of a couple of commitments...it’s been a bit of a crazy month.  But, if there’s anything that I have learned, it’s that bad days, no matter how terrible and horrible they are, they are only as bad as one makes them out to be.

Sure, the last few days haven’t been my best.  But the month isn’t quite over yet, and I am hopeful that things will get better.  But even if they don’t, I don’t have to let them get to me.

Alexander on the other hand...well, we’ll get to him a little bit later.

“Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day” was first printed exactly 40 years ago, in June 1972.  It is widely considered to be Viorst’s most well-known works.  The book is listed as an American Library Association (ALA) Notable Children’s Book, and has won the George C. Stone Center Recognition of Merit, and a Georgia Children’s Book Award.  The book was also featured on the popular children’s television program, “Reading Rainbow”.

When it came down to creating the main characters of the book, all Judith had to do was look to her family for inspiration.  The title character was named after Judith’s youngest son, Alexander.  Judith’s other two sons, Nick and Anthony, were also drawn into the story as Alexander’s older brothers. 


And, as you might have figured out, inside the thirty-two pages of the book, Alexander is about to have one of the worst days of his whole life...all seven years of it or however old he is supposed to be at the time the book was written.  Right from the beginning, when Alexander wakes up with gum in his hair, he realizes that the day is not going to go very well. 

As much as I hate to spoil the book’s plot, it’s necessary for me to list all the things that happened to poor little Alexander on his most terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.  Part of the reason why is because I imagine that we all have had some of what happened to Alexander happen to us as well.  But there’s another reason why I wanted to list everything.  I’ll fill you in once the list is up.

So, on Alexander’s terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day, the following happened;

-      He trips on his skateboard

-      He accidentally submerges his sweater in the bathroom sink filled with water



-      He’s the only kid not to have a prize inside his cereal box

-      He doesn’t get a window seat in the car pool

-      His teacher does not like his picture of an invisible castle



-      He forgets what number comes between 15 and 17

-      His best friend, Paul, decides to play with someone else



-      His mother forgets to pack Alexander a dessert inside his lunch

-      The dentist finds a cavity inside Alexander’s teeth

-      The elevator door closes on his foot

-      He is teased by his brothers, and gets in trouble when he attempts to fight back

-      The store is sold out of the sneakers he wanted to wear

-      He causes a mess inside his father’s office

-      He is forced to eat lima beans for dinner, and is forced to watch kissing on television

-      He has to wear pajamas that he absolutely hates to bed

-      His nightlight burns out

-      Nick takes back a pillow, and the cat would rather sleep with Anthony.



Isn’t that just the worst day ever?  Why, it’s enough to make one want to move to Australia or something!  In fact, Alexander absolutely insists that he will be moving to Australia in order to never have another bad day again.

TRIVIA:  In the Australia and New Zealand printings of the book, the line is changed so that Alexander wishes to move to Timbuktu.

Ah, but let’s take another look back at that list.  Right off the bat, I can say that quite a few of these things have happened to me when I was a child.  I’ve had a few cavities back in the day.  I remember the frustration of shoe shopping very well (to this day, I absolutely despise shoe shopping due to the fact that my feet are on the large side), and I remember many instances in which I woke up with gum inside my hair as well.  And, I imagine that when I was Alexander’s age, having all of these things happen in one day would be quite rough.  In fact, I can recall one instance where I myself had a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.  It was third grade, and we went on a field trip to a city park.  On that particular day, I fell off the merry-go-round and skinned my knee, got in trouble for eating chocolate pudding when lunch was still hours away, and I got hit in the face by a Frisbee!  It was terrible, and horrible, and certainly not a very good day. 

But, I survived it.  And for the record, the day ended on a high note for me.

As for the ending of the book, Alexander is lamenting over the fact that he has lived through the worst day of his whole life.  But in the end, he ended up surviving it as well.

In the grand scheme of things, Alexander’s bad day was just a blip.  He didn’t have to let it define his whole life.  And, certainly, I’m not letting my bad days define my whole life.  How depressing would life be if we let our bad days drive us absolutely crazy?  We’d be cheating ourselves out of the moments that make life worth living.  And that would be really terrible, horrible, no good, and very bad.

At any rate, this book is an absolute classic, and it certainly wasn’t the last time that we would hear from Alexander.  The book was turned into a television special in 1990, and in 1998, the book was turned into a musical production in a joint collaboration between Judith Viorst and the Kennedy Center.


On top of that, there were a couple of follow-up books that were released starring Alexander, including 1977’s “Alexander Who Used to Be Rich Last Sunday”, and 1995’s “Alexander, Who Is Not (Do You Hear Me? I Mean It!) Going To Move”. 



And in 2007, Viorst actually wrote a memoir entitled “Alexander and the Wonderful, Marvelous, Excellent, Terrific Ninety Days”, which depicted what happened when the real Alexander and his family moved back home with Judith for three months. I have not read this particular book yet, but I think I will have to seek it out, because it sounds interesting.

I guess the point that the book was trying to make (as well as the point this blog is making) is that bad days happen...but they don’t have to take over our lives.  All we can do is leave it in the past and move on.

After all, Alexander’s mother said it best.  Sometimes, days are bad.

Even in Australia.

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

June 12, 1994


It's Tuesday, June 12, 2012, and it's the day where we step back in time once more. And this time, we're going to flash back to a moment in time where a heinous crime took place. And with that crime came one of the biggest media circuses ever to grace televisions and magazines all over the world.

But, of course, before we pick the date we're flashing back to,we always have to take a look at some of the other events that took place in history. So, let's have a look at the happenings of June 12, beginning with celebrity birthdates.

Celebrating a birthday this twelfth of June are David Rockefeller, George H. W. Bush, Jim Nabors, Marv Albert, Chick Corea, John Wetton (Asia), Bun E. Carlos (Cheap Trick), Timothy Busfield, Jenilee Harrison, John Enos III, Tim DeKay, Paula Marshall, Rick Hoffman, Gordon Michael Woolvett, Jason Mewes, Kerry Kittles, Michael Muhney, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, DJ Qualls, Wil Horneff, Robyn, Adriana Lima, Chris Young, and Kendra Wilkinson.

June 12 also happens to be a date in which we lost a lot of famous faces. We mourned the losses of Jimmy Dorsey in 1957, Bill Blass in 2002, Gregory Peck in 2003, and Don “Mr. Wizard” Herbert in 2007.

June 12 also had a lot of important events that happened throughout history as well.

1429 – Joan of Arc leads French army in their capture of the city and English commander William de la Pole in the second day of the Battle of Jargeau during the Hundred Years War

1665 – England installs a municipal government in New York City

1775 – British General Thomas Gage declares martial law in Massachusetts during the American Revolution

1860 – The State Bank of the Russian Empire is established

1864 – Ulysses S. Grant gives the Confederate Forces under Robert E. Lee a victory after pulling his troops from Cold Harbor, Virginia during American Civil War

1889 – 78 are killed in Armagh rail disaster in what is now called Northern Ireland

1898 – The Philippines declares independence from Spain

1939 – The Baseball Hall Of Fame opens up in Cooperstown, New York

1942 – On her 13th birthday, Anne Frank receives a diary for a present. Years later, it would become one of the most famous pieces of literature in a book entitled “Diary of a Young Girl”

1964 – Nelson Mandela is sentenced to life in a South African prison for sabotage, and would not get out until February 1990

1967 – Loving vs. Virginia; The United States Supreme Court declares all state laws that prohibit interracial marriage to be unconstitutional

1978 – David Berkowitz (a.k.a. The Son of Sam) is sentenced to 365 years in prison for the six murders he committed

1987 – Ronald Reagan challenges Mikhail Gorbachev to tear down the Berlin Wall

1991 – Russians elect Boris Yeltzin as president of the republic

1996 – In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, a panel of federal judges blocks a law against indecency on the internet

1997 – Queen Elizabeth II reopens Globe Theatre in London

2000 – Sandro Rosa do Nascimento takes hostages during a bus robbery in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; ends with death of do Nascimento and one hostage

2001 – Robert Edward Dyer sentenced to 16 years in jail for his attempt to extort money from a supermarket chain through a letter bomb campaign

So, as you can see, June 12 is a date that had a lot of happenings. And for some odd reason, June 12 seems to be linked to a lot of criminal activity and trials. Therefore, it seems only fitting that the date we're flashing back to also has that link.



Today we are going back to June 12, 1994.

June 12, 1994 was quite a busy day in history. It was the date that the Boeing 777 made its first flight, and it was the date that we lost actor/comedian Christopher Collins. But it was also the date that a brutal double murder took place in the city of Los Angeles. That was horrible enough. But when you take into account that the accused was a famous football star, that made the situation all that much worse. The result was a trial that seemed to never end, and once it did, left a lot of people with a bad taste in their mouths.



On June 12, 1994, 35-year-old Nicole Brown Simpson, and 25-year-old Ronald Goldman were found stabbed to death outside of Brown Simpson's Brentwood condominium just shortly after midnight. An investigation was launched into who could have committed the murders, and immediately one suspect came to mind.



Orenthal James Simpson...better known as O.J. Simpson, former player of the Buffalo Bills and San Francisco 49ers, who would later partake in an acting career, landing roles in Roots, the Naked Gun trilogy, and having several endorsement deals throughout the 1980s and early 1990s. Who would have ever guessed that just fifteen years after retiring from the NFL, he would find himself as the prime suspect in one of the biggest murder trials of the decade...maybe even perhaps of the century.

Before we get to that, why don't we take a look back at what happened before the murders took place?



Nicole Brown Simpson was once married to O.J. Simpson. They had met each other in 1977 while she was working as a waitress at a Beverly Hills nightclub. The relationship immediately heated up, even though Simpson himself was still married to his first wife, Marguerite, at the time. The couple married each other in February 1985, and together they had two children, Sydney and Justin. The couple stayed married for the next seven years, but it became clear that the marriage was not a match made in heaven. In 1989, O.J. Simpson pleaded no contest to spousal abuse, indicating that he had physically hurt Nicole on a number of occasions during their marriage. The couple split up, and Nicole filed for divorce in February 1992, citing irreconcilable differences as the main reason.

By 1994, Nicole Brown Simpson had moved on with her life. She had turned 35 on May 19 of that year, and she was looking forward to the future. On the last night of her life, Nicole ate dinner with her family at Mezzaluna restaurant, where Ronald Goldman worked as a waiter. After the dinner ended, Nicole went home, but ended up forgetting her glasses at the restaurant. After Nicole's mother phoned the restaurant to inquire about the glasses, the manager of the restaurant found them, put them inside a white envelope, and Ronald Goldman volunteered to return the glasses to Nicole, since he knew her already.

It would be the last time that Nicole and Ron were seen alive.

At the crime scene, investigators collected the evidence, which according to them pointed the finger of blame squarely on Simpson. After all, Simpson did have a history of abusing his ex-wife during their marriage, and investigators believed that they had enough forensic evidence to convict Simpson of the double murder.

Five days later, on June 17, lawyers convinced the LAPD to allow Simpson to turn himself in by eleven o'clock in the morning. The charges were serious. If Simpson were convicted, he would be condemned to death within the prison system, but his lawyers believed that if Simpson voluntarily turned himself in, it would look better for him. But as we well know by now, Simpson didn't show up, and by two in the afternoon, a warrant was sworn out for his arrest. Three hours later, Simpson's friend and lawyer, Robert Kardashian (and yes, he was the father of Kim, Khloe, and Kourtney) read a note from Simpson that some interpreted as a suicide note. The search for Simpson intensified with reporters joining the police in hopes of finding him.

It wouldn't be until 6:20pm that Simpson would be located, and it would be this sighting that would kick off the ensuing media circus that would take over the world for a year and a half.



After a motorist spotted Simpson inside a white Bronco, police tracked him down, and this lead to a police chase down Interstate 405, which ended up being highly televised. It even interrupted the 1994 NBA finals! It was big news. But if you thought that was the end of it, think again.

Jury selection began in the O.J. Simpson murder trial in October 1994, with the 12-member jury confirmed by November 1994. Opening statements began on January 24, 1995, where prosecutors intended to prove that O.J. Simpson did murder Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman the night of June 12, 1994.



Now, I won't go into great detail about the trial itself because I'm sure that you could find multiple accounts and transcripts detailing everything from the testimonies of the witnesses to the “if the glove doesn't fit, you must acquit” statement. And besides, the actual case isn't the focus of this blog entry. More along the lines of the aftermath, as well as the impact it had in the world of media.

As we all know, the trial lasted a grand total of nine months. During this time, special news reports peppered television during both daytime and primetime slots. It got to the point where it became very unpredictable when it came to watching television shows, as one never knew when a new development in the case would preempt a show. Soap operas were often a frequent casualty of the O.J. Simpson trial. At the trial's peak, viewers were lucky if they could watch their stories three times a week.

On top of that, the constant barrage of media attention that surrounded the O.J. Simpson trial were often fodder for late night talk shows. Kato Kaelin, a witness in the trial soon became a household name thanks to the talk show hosts poking fun at him every chance they had. In fact, Jay Leno really had a ball on his talk show poking fun at the participants in the trial, including having an army of Dancing Itos. Watch the clip below to see what I mean.



Truth be told, everyone who was associated with the trial was elevated to near-celebrity status. After all, watching the trial progressing was almost like a reality show...only instead of winning a million dollars, the contestants were battling against each other to either get their client convicted or acquitted. Johnnie Cochran, Robert Shapiro, Marcia Clark, Robert Kardashian, Lance Ito, Kato Kaelin, Mark Fuhrman...all of these people were thrown into the public spotlight as a result of the high-profile case.

The trial lasted until October 1995. On October 3, 1995, the long-awaited verdict had finally been reached. It was 10:00 in the morning (California time) when jurors came back with the verdict. I actually remember this moment very well. Although the verdict had been reached by the time I got out of school that day (my school day ended at a quarter past two back in ninth grade), the news was plastered on almost every channel. I think only PBS, YTV, and the Weather Network were the only three channels that didn't broadcast the verdict. Would you like to relive that moment? Have a look below.



You heard it here folks. Orenthal James Simpson was found NOT GUILTY.



Certainly the verdict had a huge impact on the world. In particular, within the United States. The date that the verdict occurred, it was estimated that over 100 million people tuned in to watch the verdict live on television...one of the largest viewing audiences ever for a live television event. Those same people dropped everything that they were doing to watch the verdict live on television. Long-distance phone calls reportedly dropped by 58% the day of the verdict, while activity on the New York Stock Exchange decreased by 41%. Water consumption was also at an all-time low during the hour the verdict was announced, upon the speculation that people avoided using the bathroom so that they wouldn't miss the verdict! Even Domino's Pizza recorded an increase in pizza orders just before the verdict was read.

As far as the verdict itself went, reaction was very mixed. A lot of people believed that O.J. Simpson had gotten away with murder (and well, I'll admit it...I was one of those people, and still feel this way eighteen years later). But some never believed for a moment that O.J. Simpson was capable of murder. Whether you find it unsurprising or not, many of O.J. Simpson's supporters were predominately black or Hispanic. In fact, there was a fear among many residents of Los Angeles that if Simpson was found guilty, it would cause another spree of rioting, similar to that of the April 29, 1992 riots linked to the Rodney King trial.

It seems hard to believe that a murder trial could cause so many people to drop everything that they were doing to witness, but back in late 1994/early 1995, that's exactly what a lot of people did. It would seem highly unlikely for another trial to have as much media impact as the O.J. Simpson murder case. When you stop and think about it, the entire trial was almost like a soap opera itself. There were characters of all backgrounds, both representing good and evil, and the case ended up with an ending that divided people for several years.



It's been eighteen years since Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman lost their lives, and at the end of it all, none of us really know what exactly happened the night of June 12, 1994. It's entirely possible that O.J. Simpson could have been innocent the whole time, but given his recent activities, I highly doubt that. When you consider that he wrote a book entitled “If I Did It”, which more or less depicted what would have happened IF he did kill Nicole and Ron, I don't know...for someone protesting that they were innocent the whole time, I would think that the last thing I would do is cast more suspicion on myself. But, again, who knows what went on in O.J.'s mind at the time.

Though, O.J. Is not the only one to write books about the trial. Marcia Clark, Johnnie Cochran, and Mark Fuhrman also wrote books about their points of view during the most-watched murder trial of the century. There have even been books that have speculated on other possible scenarios regarding the murder, including a 2008 book by Mike Gilbert which accuses O.J.'s son, Jason of committing the crime!

But here's a little bit of a footnote. If you are one of the ones who believed that O.J. Simpson got away with murder, you might take some consolation in the fact that in 1997, O.J. Simpson was ordered to pay over $33 million in damages to the Goldman family after losing his wrongful death civil trial. To help with the payments, some of Simpson's belongings were auctioned off, including his Heisman trophy. The auction raised half a million dollars, all of which went to the family of Ronald Goldman.

And then there was the 2007 robbery case in which Simpson reportedly entered a hotel room at the Palace Station in Las Vegas, Nevada and stole sports memorabilia at gunpoint. A couple of days later, after initially being let go after questioning, Simpson was arrested and charged with criminal conspiracy, kidnapping, assault, robbery, and using a deadly weapon. A trial followed suit, and unlike his last high-profile court case, where he was set free, this time, Simpson couldn't hide from the truth. He was sentenced to a thirty-three year prison sentence in 2008, with possibility of parole in 2017, and as of right now, his home is the Lovelock Correctional Center in Nevada.

Funny how life works out. In the end, O.J. Simpson ended up getting away with murder, but still ended up in jail for an unrelated crime. Although I'm sure it is of little comfort for the families of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman, who ended up losing their lives on June 12, 1994.



A double murder in which we may never know what truly happened. Sure doesn't stop us from speculating though.

Monday, June 11, 2012

Mrs. Doubtfire


As of right now, I have no children of my own, but I have to admit that I would like to have at least one child at some point in my lifetime.  I have to admit that I really do enjoy the laughter of children.  I wouldn’t have volunteered in a kindergarten classroom eight years ago if I didn’t.

Of course, it helped that my nephew was a part of that class at the time.

The point is that I definitely can see myself becoming a father at some point in my lifetime.  Mind you, if I were to go the biological route, I would ideally have to find someone to have a child with because as far as we have come medically, they still haven’t found a way for a man to get pregnant.

Not that I would readily volunteer to do this, that is.

For whatever reason though, I admit that at some point, I’d love to have children.  Even if it doesn’t work out that I have a biological child, there’s always adoption or being a step-parent (though not if the step-children are trying to kill me).  Maybe it’s the fact that mostly everyone else I went to school with already has children and I feel like I’m one of the few who is missing out because I don’t have them yet that’s causing me to talk about this, but it’s just a dream I have. 

Anyway, I suppose you’re wondering what becoming a father has to do with the Monday Matinee for today.  Well, I’m glad you are wondering because I’m about to tell you. 

In a world where we have Maury Povich giving out thousands of paternity tests on his talk show trying to determine who baby daddies are, I consider myself quite fortunate that I have a father who was always there when I needed him.  We didn’t always get along with each other, and there were some instances in which we got into huge fights, but in the end, we still love and respect each other.  And, I would hope that if I have children one day, I’m the same way with them...well, minus all the huge fights.

In this movie, we’re going to meet a father who would literally do anything for his three children.  To him, his children are his whole world, and he wanted to make them happy.  Mind you, he didn’t exactly go about it the most mature way, but the children never once doubted his love for them.  So when a life-changing event happens, and the end result is that the devoted dad is kept apart from his children most of the time, he asks himself the following question.  “How far will a father go to make sure that he sees his children every day?”


That’s the question that will be answered as we take a look back at the 1993 film “Mrs. Doubtfire”.  The movie was directed by Chris Columbus, and starred Robin Williams, Sally Field, Pierce Brosnan, and Harvey Fierstein.  It was the second highest grossing film of 1993, right behind “Jurassic Park”, and it made well over $400 million at the box office.  It was loosely based on the 1987 Anne Fine novel “Alias Madame Doubtfire”.


Robin Williams played the role of Daniel Hillard, a struggling voice actor who could not hold down a job.  Luckily, his wife, Miranda (Field) worked a high-paying job at a design firm, so the Hillard family lived a comfortable lifestyle...well, as comfortable as one could be living with the often spontaneous Daniel.  But one thing was for certain.  Daniel absolutely loved his three children, Lydia (Lisa Jakub), Chris (Matthew Lawrence), and Natalie (Mara Wilson).

And when Chris’ 12th birthday came, Daniel really wanted to do something special for his birthday.  Something that Chris would never forget.


It was a nice idea.  To have the party inside a San Francisco neighbourhood with animals from a petting zoo loose inside the Hillard family living room...not so much.  Miranda was absolutely furious at Daniel, and they got into a terrible fight.  Unlike others that the Hillard children witnessed, this one would not have a kiss and make up kind of ending.

Miranda was tired of Daniel’s immaturity and lack of focus, and the birthday party was the final straw.  She put on a brave face for fourteen years, but enough was enough.  She wanted a divorce.  And when she said that, you could basically pinpoint the exact moment when Daniel’s heart split in two.


To make matters completely worse for Daniel, Miranda was granted primary custody of the three children.  Daniel was only allowed to see the children on Saturdays.  And for Daniel, who was deeply devoted to his children, one day out of seven just wasn’t enough.  But with the divorce ending in a bitter fashion, and Daniel having no job prospects lined up, it seemed hopeless.  The judge did tell Daniel that if he had a suitable home and a steady job within three months, the judge would revisit custody arrangements to include joint custody.

Eventually, Daniel lands a job as a shipping clerk at a local television station, and manages to find an apartment.  But when the children note that Daniel doesn’t seem to be trying incredibly hard to see them more than once a week, something inside of him snaps, and he gets more determination to see his children.

As it happens, he finds out that Miranda is looking for a housekeeper to look after the children.  Daniel pipes up that he could watch the children so Miranda doesn’t need to spend the money to hire someone else, but Miranda did not like that idea at all.  So Daniel decides to change the numbers in the ad on purpose so that he could use his voice talents to land the acting gig of a lifetime (and yes, the clip is backwards...it's the only one I could find).


It also helped that his brother Frank (Fierstein) was a skilled make-up artist who could turn Daniel from a 40something man into a 60something British nanny named Euphegenia Doubtfire...the woman that Miranda hired on the spot to watch the children.

At first, Lydia, Chris, and Natalie are appalled by the addition of Mrs. Doubtfire into their lives.  Although none of them had any idea that Mrs. Doubtfire was really their beloved father, Mrs. Doubtfire was one strict bird.  She made them do their homework, she made them do their chores, she even made them eat nutritious food!  It was a far cry from the irresponsible behaviour that Miranda often accused Daniel of exhibiting.  Although, Mrs. Doubtfire wasn’t exactly Martha Stewart, and when it came time for her to prepare dinner for the family, she got more than a little burned.


It worked out well though.  For several weeks, Daniel had everybody fooled.  Certainly, there were a few missteps along the way (such as having his face mask fall out the window only to be run over by a truck), and Daniel certainly didn’t care too much for Miranda’s new boyfriend, Stuart (Brosnan).  But, he ended up cleaning up his act.  His apartment soon became more kid-friendly, his food became more gourmet quality, and he even ended up getting an interview with Jonathan Lundy, the CEO of the television studio he works at to discuss the possibility of hosting a children’s show after seeing him fooling around with dinosaur models. 


In a way, his becoming Mrs. Doubtfire helped Daniel achieve all that and more.  When Daniel took on the role of Mrs. Doubtfire, I have a hunch that he purposely made her strict so that it would make his children love him and respect him more.  But over time, through Mrs. Doubtfire, Daniel taught himself how to become a better, more responsible parent.  Weirdly enough, as Mrs. Doubtfire, he actually found that he got along with Miranda a lot better, and it was through his conversations with her as Mrs. Doubtfire that he really began to understand where the marriage went wrong, and he started feeling remorseful as a result of it.  But I think it was good for him to hear because it made him realize that his war with Miranda wasn’t worth continuing if the people he loved the most got hurt.  Of course, it wasn’t so easy for Daniel as well.  As Mrs. Doubtfire, he was very convincing.  Perhaps even too convincing.  Because when Miranda saw how well Daniel had come along, Daniel had suggested that Miranda let Mrs. Doubtfire go.  But Miranda couldn’t imagine life without her, and Daniel was forced to keep up the charade even further.

Now, along the way, Daniel’s double life is discovered by Chris and Lydia in a most unconventional way (Chris walks in on Mrs. Doubtfire in the bathroom), and at first, both children are disgusted.  Eventually, both of them come around, and Lydia and Chris agree to keep Daniel’s secret from both Miranda and Natalie until he can figure out what to do next.


Of course, Daniel soon finds himself in an impossible situation.  Daniel is about to make the deal of a lifetime with Jonathan Lundy, and after a business dinner at Bridges Restaurant, it seemed as though Daniel would end up landing the biggest job of his whole career.  It’s just too bad that the meeting coincided with Miranda’s birthday.  And for her birthday, Stuart decided to take Miranda, the children, and Mrs. Doubtfire out to dinner.  At Bridges Restaurant.  On the same day at the same time!

I’m sure you can imagine Daniel’s brain exploding on impact.  Daniel had to keep his appointment with Jonathan.  It was the only chance he had to make his dream of being an actor come true.  But Miranda and Natalie insisted that Mrs. Doubtfire join them for dinner.  Daniel had no choice but to go to Bridges Restaurant and switch between himself and Mrs. Doubtfire to keep both dinner dates.  By the end of the night, nothing will ever be the same again.

Now, of course, I never reveal movie endings, so you’ll have to watch the movie yourself to see what happens.  But trust me, you won’t be disappointed.

I’ll admit it.  I really enjoyed this movie a lot.  It was silly and goofy at times, but it was also very heartwarming.  Certainly Daniel Hillard wasn’t your typical father.  But you know, given the amount of trouble that he went through in order to see his children whenever he wanted, you have to hand it to him...he had guts.  And, you know something?  I think Lydia, Chris, and Natalie Hillard were damned lucky to have a father who loved them so much that he would do something so drastic to spend time with them.


Now I’m not saying that I’ll put on a dress and a pair of heels once I become a father.  I mean, with size 12 feet, good luck finding a pair of heels to fit me.  But in all seriousness, I can only hope that if I ever become a father, I’ll love my own children with as much passion and joy as Daniel Hillard did with his.