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Tuesday, June 11, 2013

June 11, 1979

Are we ready to take a look back through time with the Tuesday Timeline? I certainly hope so, because June 11 is looking like it's going to be a fun day to examine in greater detail.

So I don't think that I want to postpone this any longer. There's a lot we have to discuss today.

Why don't we begin this look back on June 11 by wishing the following famous people a happy natal day? Blowing out birthday candles today are Johnny Esau, Gene Wilder, Christina Crawford, Joey Dee, Roscoe Orman, Adrienne Barbeau, Robert Munsch, Stephen Schnetzer, Michael Swan, Frank Beard (ZZ Top), Graham Russell (Air Supply), Donnie Van Zant (38 Special), Peter Bergman, Joe Montana, Hugh Laurie, Mehmet Oz, Matt McGrath, Joshua Jackson, Josh Ramsay (Marianas Trench), and Shia LeBeouf.

That's quite a lot of famous faces...and surprisingly enough, almost all of them are male. I suppose this makes June 11 the official day of testosterone! Remember this point a little bit later in this blog.

And, looking ahead at the historical events of June 11, we have a smorgasbord of events that have taken place on June 11. Have a look.

1184 BC – Troy is sacked and burned to the ground during the Trojan War

1770 – Captain James Cook runs his ship aground on Australia's Great Barrier Reef

1776 – The Continental Congress appoints John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Robert R. Livingston, and Roger Sherman to the Committee of Five to draft a declaration of independence

1805 – Fire destroys a large portion of Detroit

1837 – The Broad Street Riot between the “Yankees” and the “Irish” takes place in Boston, Massachusetts

1901 – New Zealand annexes the Cook Islands

1919 – Sir Barton wins the Belmont Stakes, becoming the first horse to win the Triple Crown

1935 – Edwin Armstrong gives the first public demonstration of FM broadcasting in the United States

1955 – Eighty-three people are killed, and at least one hundred more injured at the 24 Hours of Le Mans following the collision of an Austin-Healey and a Mercedez-Benz

1963 – John F. Kennedy addresses Americans from the Oval Office proposing the Civil Rights Act of 1964

1970 – Anna Mae Hays and Elizabeth P. Hoisington become the first females to receive the rank of United States Army Generals

1972 – The Eltham Well Hall rail crash kills six and injures 126, the crash caused by an intoxicated train driver

1981 – A 6.9 magnitude earthquake strikes Golbaf, Iran, killing at least two thousand

1999 - “Star Trek” actor DeForest Kelley passes away at the age of 79 after battling stomach cancer

2001 – Timothy McVeigh is executed for his role in the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing

2003 – Famed newscaster David Brinkley passes away at the age of 82 in Houston, Texas

I'd say that June 11 was a rather jam-packed day in history, wasn't it? What, with terrorist bombers getting executed, earthquakes happening, and the founding of FM Radio going on!

But, today's date that we will be going back in time to goes back to the comment that I made regarding the celebrity birthdays. I joked that June 11 must have been the day of testosterone, as the majority of the famous people born today were male. Well, as it turned out, today's date is linked to an actor who many people considered to be as masculine as you could get. He was hard, he was tough, he was powerful, and he could be intimidating depending on which movie featured him.

And, June 11 was a day that was strongly linked to our mystery celeb. Unfortunately, it's because June 11 was the last day of his life.



You see, our mystery man breathed his final breath on June 11, 1979.

And, I've probably watched more of this man's films than the average 32-year-old these days. Having grown up in a household where my father listens to oldies country music, wears cowboy boots whenever he gets the chance, plays twangy country songs on his guitar, and watched old time westerns, I was exposed to a lot of our mystery actor's films. And, while some of his films were not really my cup of tea, others were films that I really enjoyed. Regardless of which, his career was one that spanned decades, and thirty-four years after his death, he is still considered a beloved figure in the film industry.

So, who is this big, powerful, macho man who lived, breathed, and slept tough?

Would you believe that his first name was Marion?



Actually, his birth name was Marion Robert Morrison. But fans of his probably know him better by his stage name...John Wayne.

And, John Wayne is today's Tuesday Timeline subject.

So, anyway, Marion Robert Morrison was born in the community of Winterset, Iowa on May 26, 1907.  He spent the first four years of his life there before his family relocated to the greater Los Angeles area.  Interestingly enough, John Wayne's first childhood nickname was "Little Duke", as he was very seldom seen without his beloved dog named Duke.  But that was fine for Marion.  He preferred the name "Duke" anyway.



In his teenage years, "Duke" sold ice cream, and became an active member of The Order of DeMolay - a youth organization closely affiliated with the Freemasons.  He developed a love of athletics when he was a teenager, and he played for his high school football team at Glendale High School.  Because of his natural athletic ability, "Duke" was offered a college scholarship through the University of Southern California, which was happily accepted following the rejection of his application to the United States Naval Academy in 1925.

Unfortunately, the athletic career didn't pan out.  Midway through his studies, "Duke" was injured in a bodysurfing accident, and the injury forced him out of the football team, meaning that his scholarship was revoked, and he was unable to continue his studies at USC, for he had no way to pay for it.

So, "Duke" had to earn his way through life a different way.  And, since he was in the area in which the film industry was beginning to bustle, he thought that he would work at various movie studios in the area.  He started off as a member of the prop department, then moved on to bit parts in small movies.  It was through these small parts that "Duke" would first meet longtime collaborator and friend, John Ford.



In fact, do you want to know what his very first credited film role was?  It was in the 1929 picture "Words and Music"...under the name of Duke Morrison.

So, how did Duke Morrison end up becoming John Wayne?  Amusingly enough, "Duke" never got the choice to pick the name!  Director Raoul Walsh cast him as the lead in his 1930 film "The Big Trail", and Walsh figured that "Duke Morrison" didn't quite work as a screen name for the actor.

(Keeping in mind that back in the 1920s and 1930s, hardly ANYONE used the names that they were born with to act in feature films.)

Walsh's original idea was Anthony Wayne, named after Revolutionary War general "Mad Anthony" Wayne, but it was rejected because FOX Studios chief Winfield Sheehan believed it sounded too Italian, so Walsh's second suggestion was John Wayne, which met Sheehan's approval.



Despite the fact that "The Big Trail" was touted as being extremely revolutionary because of it being one of the first films to use 70 mm Grandeur film processing, and despite the fact that the film was made on what was an extraordinary sum of two million dollars, the film didn't do so hot at the box office, and John Wayne was left working on smaller roles over the next few years.

But, in time, John Wayne would surprise everybody.  It just took a little time.



After spending the better part of the 1930s acting in B-movies, John Wayne's big break came in 1939 with John Ford's "Stagecoach", and when the movie became a critical and financial success, and this helped Wayne become a huge star.

It is estimated that between 1926 and 1976, John Wayne made at the very least a cameo, and at the very most had the lead role, in no less than 170 pictures!  And, some of the roles that he played helped secure the image that he presented...of the tough, masculine, everyman who displayed a thick skin, a hard edge, and true grit.

(Ironically enough, one of his films was "True Grit", a role that earned Wayne an Academy Award in 1969!)



Some of his other films were just as memorable though.  One of my father's favourite films of his was 1947's "Angel and the Badman", in which Wayne played an injured gunfighter whose wounds are looked after by a Quaker girl.  I particularly liked his performance in 1956's "The Searchers", which I had to watch during one of my film studies classes.  The film is about a Civil War veteran who spends several years looking for his abducted niece, who was kidnapped by the Comanches.

TRIVIA:  The niece in her adulthood is played by a very young Natalie Wood.

And John Wayne's final film appearance was in 1976's "The Shootist", in which he played a man who was dying of cancer...unaware that just three years later, life would imitate art.  



In 1979, John Wayne succumbed to stomach cancer on June 11, 1979.  He was seventy-two years old.  And to say that his death sparked a little bit of controversy would be a bit of an understatement.  When word came out that several cast and crew members of the 1956 film "The Conqueror" had also developed cancer, it was revealed that the film set - which was shot on location in Southwestern Utah, which was not far from where nuclear weapons tests were performed in Nevada.  Many have made the allegation that the radiation emitted from these tests contaminated the film set, and caused the cancer in the people who worked on that film set.  Despite this, John Wayne never came out and said that he felt this way.  Having previously survived lung cancer fifteen years before he died, he simply believed that his cancer was due to a strong addiction to cigarettes.  Wayne reportedly smoked six packs of smokes each day!

I don't even think that my parents at their weakest ever smoked that much...

John Wayne was survived by his third wife, Pilar Pallete, as well as five of his seven children, some of whom entered the acting industry themselves.  

Now, you would think that John Wayne was a man who lived as though he had no regrets, and had everything that he could have ever wanted out of life.  But one regret that he did have was the fact that he could not service his country in the military.  I already noted that he was rejected from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1924, but did you know that John Wayne wanted to serve in World War II?

When American forces entered combat, John Wayne wanted to serve his country and defend it from those who threatened to take away America's freedom.  Problem was that he was in his mid-thirties at the time, and was considered to be too old to embark in combat.  He wanted to join the battle alongside John Ford's military unit, but the movie studio that he was assigned to did not want to let him go.  And, on one hand, I could understand that because World War II was a very deadly war, and there was no guarantee that Wayne would come out of the war in one piece.  Republic Studios threatened Wayne with a lawsuit if he broke his contract to fight in the war, and reportedly even intervened in the Selective Service process, which further served to keep Wayne from the lines of combat.



It would end up being Wayne's biggest regret...being unable to service his country during times of war.  I think maybe that's why he decided to tour army bases and hospitals at the tail end of World War II.  I think maybe that's why he opted to take on roles in which he played the hero.  It was because he was trying to live out his fantasy of servicing his country the best way he could.  Many sources close to Wayne - including his third wife - stated that he felt that being unable to take part in combat was the most painful experience of his life, and maybe by showing his patriotic spirit, he could see it as making up for that lost experience.



He may not have been a war hero...but he was a Hollywood legend.  And, on June 11, 1979, we were all forced to say goodbye.


Monday, June 10, 2013

Buffy The Vampire Slayer

There's one thing about the movie industry that I have noticed over the years.

It seems as though there are certain time periods within the silver screen that can be linked to a particular genre of film, or it seems as though there are some eras that focus on a particular fad that motion pictures will exploit to the point in which audience goers are completely bombarded with similar movies on the same topic.

I suppose if you want the most recent example, everything is all about zombies. We have “The Walking Dead” on television, “World War Z” which is set to hit theatres any day now...and even Archie comics is reportedly coming up with its own zombie comic book known as “Afterlife with Archie”!

I know, I can't believe it either.

Of course, zombies are just the latest craze. With the release of 2012 a few years back, apocalyptic films were all the rage, and still are apparently. Back in the 1970s, epic disaster movies such as “The Poseidon Adventure”, “Earthquake”, and “The Towering Inferno” were all over movie theatres. And, I'm pretty sure that the majority of major action movies that I actually liked came from their golden heyday in the 1980s.




And, then there's the subject of vampires, and how they have been a huge part of motion pictures for several decades.

I suppose that the vampire obsession began with the many film adaptations of Bram Stoker's “Dracula”, but in recent history the vampire craze was amplified with the constant exploits of Bella, Edward, and Jacob in the “Twilight” series of books, which were later turned into movies.

But this blog entry is not about Twilight. I myself have never seen any of the “Twilight” films or have read any of the books, as they never really interested me.

But, I have seen the parody films, “Vampires Suck” and “Dracula: Dead and Loving It”. Both films I found hysterical and funny, but then again, I always have loved the idea of parody. Alas, this blog entry is not about either film.

(Though, I am almost positive that I will be writing a blog entry about those films in the near future.)

However, this edition of the Monday Matinee will be focusing on a movie that did have to do with vampires. It even inspired a television series of the same name, which ran from March 1997 until May 2003. Of course, the cast of the film and the cast of the television show were completely different, but minor details.

Anyway, this film had many vampires making appearances at key plot points. The only difference was that instead of the vampires taking on the appearance of the celebrity hunk du jour, they were hardcore vampires who only wanted to cause death and destruction in order to quench their thirst for human blood.

These were vampires that had to be stopped at all costs. If they weren't, they would take over the world, and we would all become blood sucking vampires...

...and then when all seven billion people in the world became vampires, we would all die out, because there would be no more fresh blood.

So naturally if you're plotting a war against the vampire population, you're going to need someone who can stand up to them. You'll need someone who has the courage to fight back. You'll need a hero who can take several of them out with one shot.

But who would that be? A Green Beret? A war veteran who has had several years of combat training? A martial arts master who could make quick work of them? A man who stocks garlic cloves in the produce section of a supermarket?




Well, what if I told you that the hero of this film was a blonde, teenage high school student who loves cheerleading, chasing after boys, and charging her purchases at the local shopping mall? You probably wouldn't believe me, right?

I imagine that the closest friends of Buffy Summers would have thought the same about her. But as we all well know, an ancient prophecy would take Buffy to new heights of popularity as she traded in her pom-poms for a flamethrower and a wooden stake to become...




...Buffy the Vampire Slayer!




It's hard to believe that twenty-one summers ago, “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” was released in movie theatres. And upon its July 31, 1992 release, the reviews for the Joss Whedon penned, Fran Rubel Kuzui directed film were not great, but not terrible either. They were rather mediocre. Still, it was enough for the film to make sixteen million dollars at the box office.

And for a film that didn't do as well as it had hoped, it did boast some major star power. The film was the breakout performance of Kristy Swanson, who played the role of Buffy Summers. Other big named stars that appeared in the film were Rutger Hauer, Donald Sutherland, Luke Perry, and Paul Reubens.

NOTE: This film was released just one year after Reubens' 1991 arrest. I suppose you could say that this film was kind of his “comeback”, so to speak.




The film also boasted some actors who would later become huge stars themselves. For instance, Hilary Swank had a minor role as Buffy's friend, Kimberly. She would later go on to win two Academy Awards for “Boys Don't Cry” and “Million Dollar Baby”. David Arquette also appeared in the film as a high school student who meets a rather...interesting fate during the film (I don't want to spoil EVERYTHING).

And, if you're watching this film, see if you can spot Ben Affleck, Seth Green, and Ricki Lake in the movie. They all have bit parts in the movie, but you might not be aware of it, as their roles were uncredited.

Anyway, just to give all of you a brief plot of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”, Buffy Summers is a cheerleader at Los Angeles' Hemery High School, and to say that she has very little ambition in life other than buying dresses at expensive boutiques and socializing with all of the cool kids would be like saying that the sky is blue with white clouds. It's pretty much a given. And, I'm sure that had she not crossed paths with a mysterious old man named Merrick Jameson-Smythe (Sutherland), she would have blissfully continued living the life of a stereotypical Valley Girl...even though by 1992, Valley Girls were becoming, like, totally outdated, like, gag me with a spoon, 'kay?

You see, Merrick only appears in the film to give Buffy a message. She is the “chosen one”.




Apparently, of all the people in the world that could have been selected, Buffy Summers has been picked to be named “The Slayer”. Merrick happens to be a “Watcher”, and it is his duty to get her ready for battle against the hoards of vampires that she could face. Naturally, Buffy completely rebukes his claims, thinking that he is nothing more than a crackpot looking for attention...but has a change of heart after Merrick can describe a recurring dream that Buffy has had for months in full detail.

To complicate things, Buffy begins to develop feelings towards classmate Oliver Pike (Perry), himself narrowly escaping a vampire attack. He is saved by Merrick, who in turn introduces him to Buffy. At first, it's awkward for both of them, as Oliver and Buffy were dissing each others social circles to their faces. But as the battles increased, so did their relationship.




Of course, Buffy, Oliver, and Merrick had their hands full when it came to battling against the vampires. The king of the vampires, Lothos (Hauer) is not the kind of vampire you want against you. He is not above killing anyone in order to stay alive...even if the victims are other Slayers. As if Buffy was not already stressed enough, she also had to deal with Lothos' head flunky, Amilyn (Reubens).

The climax of the film takes place inside of an amusement park after Buffy and Oliver discover that Lothos has snuck in one of his followers inside of a school basketball game in order to turn more innocent students into vampires. But when things go terribly wrong, and Buffy is forced to say goodbye to someone that she holds dear to her heart, she almost considers giving up the vampire slaying and decides to go back to her old, non-fulfilling, unambitious life. But she doesn't necessarily stay there for long...

...and that's all that I'm going to say.




At any rate, I already told you that the movie inspired a television series that ran for six years on both The WB and UPN networks – only instead of Kristy Swanson, the role of Buffy was portrayed by Sarah Michelle Gellar. Joss Whedon created the television series as a response to having very limited creative control on the movie version. He didn't quite get everything he wanted in the movie, but he managed to incorporate more of his vision in the television series.

Here's some more trivia...


  • Did you know that Alyssa Milano was originally considered for the role of Buffy? Considering that I had a childhood crush on Alyssa Milano, I probably would have gone and seen this movie a lot sooner than I actually did (I think I was like, 15, when I saw this movie for the first time.)
  • Did you know that Joss Whedon actually left the set and never returned because of his intense frustration over his original script being rewritten? Honestly if I were in Whedon's position, I might be tempted to do the same myself!
  • Of course, when you have actors rewriting entire lines in the script, such as Donald Sutherland reportedly did, I suppose Whedon's disdain could have been explained even further.
  • I wonder how interesting the film would have been had Cary Elwes, Mick Jagger, and David Bowie been allowed to make cameos as vampires? Reportedly, all three were lined up to do exactly that, but due to budgetary concerns, their scenes were dropped.



  • Ever wonder why Paul Reubens' character had a feminine sounding name? It's because Amilyn was meant to be a female character. Joan Chen was even cast as the part, but before filming was set to begin, she left the project.
  • And, speaking of Paul Reubens...his final scene in the film was one hundred per cent improvised!  

Sunday, June 09, 2013

Born This Way

Can I write a blog entry in just two hours?

That's the challenge that I have issued for myself in this edition of the Sunday Jukebox.

I guess I should explain why I only have 120 precious minutes to work with in regards to this particular blog entry. By the time you read this, it will likely already be early Sunday morning, but just to let you know, I am starting this entry at 8:49pm the Saturday night prior. The reason why I am starting this blog so late is because my Saturday was extremely busy. First of all, I had to work a full eight and a half hour shift in the Garden Centre from 7:00 in the morning until 3:30 in the afternoon, and immediately after leaving work, I joined my whole family for a dinner out, and I just got back home minutes ago.

And, I have another shift in the Garden Centre on Sunday morning from 7:00 in the morning until 3:30 in the afternoon. In order for me to get enough rest so I am alert enough to work my shift, I have to be in bed no later than eleven in the evening. So, as a result, I am a little crunched for time.

And, I'm just realizing at this moment that my little introduction has taken up three whole minutes, so I'm thinking that maybe I should shut up now and get on with it before I waste even more time.

Last Sunday, I did a spotlight on Des'ree and one of her biggest worldwide hits. One of the reasons why I enjoyed that particular song was because it was a song that was very inspirational. And, if there are any songs that I enjoy, they are ones that possess a very powerful and positive message.

So, I thought that for this week, I would do it again. And today's featured artist is one that has gotten a lot of attention over the last few years.

Have you heard of a woman by the name of Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta? I know. I see some of you trying to figure it out. Was she an Italian politician? Was she the frontwoman for some obscure rock band? Was she that prom date that you stood up twenty some years ago?




Okay, let me ask you another question. Have you heard of Lady Gaga?

If you answered yes to the second question, you can answer yes to the first one as well, as Lady Gaga and Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta are one in the same. And this 27-year-old music sensation has gotten a lot of attention – both positive and negative.




I'm sure that you won't disagree with me when I say that Lady Gaga is perhaps one of the most unique artists to come out of the early 21st century. And, she has made the headlines in a number of unusual ways. Throwing up on stage is certainly one way to get attention. Hatching out of an egg on stage is certainly one way to get noticed. Wearing a dress that is fashioned out of what appeared to be the entire meat counter of a supermarket definitely got tongues wagging.




But here's the thing about Lady Gaga. Behind all of the outlandish stage costumes and bizarre stage performances lies a very talented young woman who not only has such loyalty for her fans (whom she has affectionately referred to as “little monsters”), but who also stands up for what she believes in, no matter who calls her out on it, or who might disagree.

In fact, I'll even admit to liking a couple of her songs myself. How can I not? They're structured exactly like classic pop songs of yore. They have an infectious hook, a catchy chorus, and a hypnotizing beat. I bet many of you have found yourselves humming along to “Just Dance”, or bobbing along to “Bad Romance”, and not even realizing it!

Well, for today's Sunday Jukebox, we're going to be looking at a song that is performed by Lady Gaga. And, this song basically has everything that I described earlier. It has an infectious hook and catchy chorus, and it also provides a very strong message that I believe everyone should take note of. And while the song particularly targets both women and members of the LGBT community, I think that the song's message is one that people of all ages, sizes, colours, and sexual orientations can really relate to.

By now, I'm sure you may have figured out which song that I have chosen for today's selection, so I won't waste any more time.




ARTIST: Lady Gaga
SONG: Born This Way
ALBUM: Born This Way
DATE RELEASED: February 11, 2011
PEAK POSITION ON THE BILLBOARD CHARTS: #1 for 6 weeks

PERSONAL NOTE: Wow...this song was released the day before I had my very first surgery. I'm not sure what exactly this has to do with anything, but I just found the date quite interesting.




Some might disagree with me on this point, but just judging by the reception this song received upon its February 2011 release, I would consider this to be Lady Gaga's signature song. Even more so than “Poker Face”!

I mean, forget the fact that the song stayed at #1 for six weeks, making it the third longest running #1 single of 2011 (only Adele's “Rolling in the Deep” and Rihanna's “We Found Love” had longer stays at #1 with seven and eight weeks respectively). The song hit #1 in twenty-five different countries. The song was once the fastest selling single on iTunes (before it was bested by Taylor Swift's “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together”. The song sold more than eight million copies in total, and it boasts the unique distinction of being the one thousandth song in history to top the charts!

Oh, and the music video also won a couple of MTV Video Music Awards in 2011. Just in case you were curious.

Now, before I get into how this song is a largely positive piece of self-discovery and self-reflection, I will state that this song also sparked some controversy. Some Asian and Hispanic communities took offense at the song because Lady Gaga incorporated the terms “chola” and “orient” into the song's lyrics.

And, of course, there was the allegations of plagiarism floating around as well when it was noted that “Born This Way” sounded very similar to the song below.




What's amusing was that Madonna even acknowledged the similarities by stating that as soon as she heard the song on the radio, she thought it sounded oddly familiar, and later on she revealed in an interview that it was “a wonderful way to redo my song”.




One does wonder though. “Born This Way” was a #1 hit for a month and a half while Madonna's “Express Yourself” only peaked at #2 in the summer of 1989. I'm just gonna leave you with that nugget of information as we progress with this blog subject.

For what it's worth, Lady Gaga herself stated that the song only took her a whopping ten minutes, and actually compared the songwriting process to an Immaculate Conception.

(Not to be confused with the 1990 Madonna compilation, “The Immaculate Collection”. You know, just to get the Lady Gaga steals Madonna's shtick off the table.)

Later, in an interview with Billboard, Lady Gaga described the inspiration behind the song. Note the censored word that I bleeped out of the quote, as I am trying to keep this blog open to audiences of all ages.

"I want to write my this-is-who-the-f@#$-I-am anthem, but I don't want it to be hidden in poetic wizardry and metaphors. I want it to be an attack, an assault on the issue because I think, especially in today's music, everything gets kind of washy sometimes and the message gets hidden in the lyrical play. Harkening back to the early '90s, when Madonna, En Vogue, Whitney Houston, and TLC were making very empowering music for women and the gay community and all kind of disenfranchised communities, the lyrics and the melodies were very poignant and very gospel and very spiritual and I said, 'That's the kind of record I need to make. That's the record that's going to shake up the industry.' It's not about the track. It's not about the production. It's about the song. Anyone could sing 'Born This Way'. It could've been anyone."

She also admitted that one of the biggest challenges in writing the song “Born This Way” was the idea that she wasn't exactly sure how to leave her insecurities behind her and become more confident in herself, and that “Born This Way” was her answer to who she really was...an artist in a constant state of half fantasy/half reality at all times.

And, you know something? That last statement is one that completely had me hooked, as I feel exactly the same way about myself.

I'm sure most of you know this by now, but I've had my own struggles with insecurity. If any of you out there can't claim the same, you're either lying to yourselves, or you're currently showing signs of insecurity because take it from me, we all have felt that way about ourselves at one time. And, I'll also be the first one to admit that the struggle to lose those insecurities has been a really tough road. I'm winning that battle though, and I'm getting closer to finding out who I really am each and every passing day. As for those insecurities? Well, they only become insecurities if I let them become that way...and frankly, I'm not about to let anyone else make me feel bad about myself...especially myself!

But there's also a lot that I can take out of the “artist in a constant state of half fantasy/half reality at all times” comment that Lady Gaga made. Because in many ways, I too feel like I am an artist who treads the fine line between reality and fiction in any given situation.

Well, okay...maybe “artist” is too strong a word to describe myself. But, I have kept a blog going for over two years now. I suppose I've earned that title just for doing that.

The point is that when I was a kid, I always dreamt big. The problem is that a lot of my dreams that I had as a child were so far out of reality that they would never ever come true. Case in point, when I was four years old, I wanted to visit the sun and walk on it. I eventually learned that walking on the sun is only possible in a Smashmouth single, but that's just one small example.

I was always a kid who liked daydreaming. It never really affected my schoolwork, nor did it affect much of anything in my life, but I was always constantly picturing myself in these weird and wacky scenarios that were a little bit too bizarre for my liking, but were exciting enough that I had fun anyway. It didn't matter that I wasn't really dancing on stage at a rock concert, or hitching a ride on a gigantic butterfly, or hosting a game show where all the contestant received a popcorn maker simply for getting called up on stage.

(And, yes...these were all dreams that I had as a child.)

Looking back on it though, the only reason why I had such vibrant daydreams was because I had quite a bit of time on my hands. And, while many people might consider this to be a bad thing, I don't. I was always a rather creative kid, always coming up with different ideas and taking on a different perspective on the world than others did. My way of thinking was admittedly outside the box a lot of the time, and I imagine that way of thinking likely ostracized me from other people who preferred to follow along with the rest of the crowd.

But, I couldn't help the way I was. I was born this way. I was always the creative kid who never really followed people. Maybe when I was a young kid, I tried to follow others because I wanted to be liked...but as I grew older, that became less important. And, besides, if I couldn't be true to myself, how could I be true to other people?




I guess if Lady Gaga has taught me anything, it's that we were all born a certain way. And, personally, I think that's a beautiful thing.

And, as I finish this blog entry, it is now 10:37pm. Finished my blog entry with minutes to spare!

Damn, I'm good.  

Saturday, June 08, 2013

Pokemon - Gotta Catch 'Em All

For this week's edition of the Saturday Smorgasbord, I'm actually going to do something unique.

I know that I kicked off the Saturday Smorgasbord just one week ago today, and I know that I already have designated topics depending on what week it happens to be.

For those of you who don't remember, here's the Saturday Smorgasbord schedule.

FIRST SATURDAY OF THE MONTH: Toys and Games
SECOND SATURDAY OF THE MONTH: Video Games
THIRD SATURDAY OF THE MONTH: Cartoons
FOURTH SATURDAY OF THE MONTH: Books/Comics/Magazines
FIFTH SATURDAY OF THE MONTH: Author's Choice

Okay, so here's the thing. I'm already plotting to break this schedule up...at least for this month anyway. That's because next Saturday is a day in which I will be participating in a special fundraising event called the “Relay for Life”, and I plan to use this date to talk about my experiences at that event.

(Just be forewarned. This event takes place from 7:00pm on Friday, June 14, and runs until Saturday, June 15 at 7:00am. That means that I'll be pulling my first all-nighter in approximately twelve years. So, if I appear to be slightly lucid when I post about my Relay for Life experiences, you'll understand why.

So, because I plan on devoting my June 15 entry to the “Relay for Life”, that means that naturally, I will be foregoing the cartoon discussion for the month of June...

...or WILL I?

And, this week's topic will be one in which I will be discussing a video game in deep detail (something that I haven't done in quite a long time), so this means that I should solely be focusing on a video game series today...

...or WILL I?

I thought about how to present this blog for quite some time in preparation for next week's events, and the only solution that I could come up with at the spur of the moment was to do a blog entry that featured both a video game and a cartoon.

An impossible task, I hear you shouting. How can I do a blog entry on both a video game and a cartoon at the same exact time?

Easy.

There are loads of examples of Saturday Morning cartoons being the inspiration behind several video games. I can think of quite a few that have featured Garfield and Snoopy as main characters. I recall several video games that have been based on comic book heroes such as Batman, Superman, and Spider-Man. And, I'm fairly positive that every Disney film and every Disney cartoon featured on The Disney Afternoon has at least one video game adaptation.

But the truth is that this works both ways. I can't even begin to count the vast number of cartoons that have featured Super Mario as a main character. Teletoon (a Canadian cartoon channel) used to air a cartoon version of “Donkey Kong Country”. I seem to recall that Sonic the Hedgehog was made into a cartoon as well. And, if you want to throw live-action television into the mix, I know that the video game “Maniac Mansion” was the inspiration behind a short-lived sitcom of the same name.

And, then there's the subject of today's blog. A video game empire that began all the way back in 1996, with just a simple Game Boy cartridge. As of 2013, that empire has spawned several video games (named after colours, birthstones, and materials found on the Periodic Table of Elements), a popular card trading game, and is currently listed as the second most popular video game series right behind Super Mario Brothers.

And, would you believe that there was an animated series that followed the game release that was so successful, it spawned several full-length animated films?

And, would you believe that I have not seen any of the movies, any of the episodes of the animated series, or even so much as played any of the games in this series?



For whatever reason, everyone I knew was hooked on the Pokemon series. And, certainly, there was a lot of fun elements behind Pokemon. There was the competitive nature as people lived by the game's long-standing catchphrase “Gotta Catch 'Em All”. The vast variety of Pokemon titles available for public consumption meant hours of endless fun. And, certainly, many of the Pokemon characters were cute and cuddly little creatures, which attracted many girls to the video game industry – once considered a male dominated form of entertainment for several years.

But I was never one to really jump on the bandwagon just because everyone else did it. In all honesty, I kind of consider myself a video game snob in that I am very particular in what video games I end up playing. I really enjoy games that are challenging and make you think (like the Final Fantasy or Phoenix Wright series). I really like games that are fun and have a great soundtrack (like Super Mario or Donkey Kong Country). Heck, I'll even be the first to admit that I like video games that are based off of game shows (the Wheel of Fortune cartridge that I play on my Nintendo DS gets a lot of use).

But Pokemon was just one of those fads that I never jumped on the bandwagon for. It's not to say that it's a bad game. I know many people who absolutely love it. But the one and only time I played a Pokemon game was probably about twelve years ago, and although I only played it for about a half hour, I wasn't all that wowed by it.

Though, to be fair, at that time I was approximately 19, 20...and I was sort of out of the target audience frame. I suppose that had I grown up playing it as I had with Super Mario Brothers, I might have a different opinion of the game series.

Regardless, I have decided to write a blog on this video game/cartoon series in spite of my lack of playing/viewing experience, because I wanted to see if I could tackle a blog on a subject I'm not overly familiar with.



So, Pokemon was introduced by Nintendo in 1996, and the name Pokemon is a portmanteau of sorts. It takes the first few letters in the words “Pocket Monsters” and combines them to become “Pokemon”. The game was actually inspired by a hobby that the video game's executive director, Satoshi Tajiri, partook in as a child. He used to collect insects, and a lot of the Pokemon that are featured in the game certainly have insect like looks and abilities.

And, the object of all of the Pokemon games is quite simple. The player is referred to as a Pokemon trainer, and there are basically two objectives to the game. The first is to collect every Pokemon in the game and complete your “Pokedex”. The second is to train said Pokemon to become a huge threat to the Pokemon owned by other trainers in hopes of becoming the most elite of them all...the Pokemon Master.

And, how they catch these elusive Pokemon are with one of these.



These little red and white balls are actually Pokemon traps. Their formal name is...get this...a Poke Ball!

NOTE: Poke is pronounced Pok-ay, not like Poke. I forgot how to type in the accents on this word document.

Sometimes, a wild Pokemon can bust out of the Poke Ball, but if they can't, then they become the property of the Pokemon trainer, and the trainer is now responsible for training them, loving them, etc.

I suppose in one aspect, the Pokemon was kind of a companion piece to the Tamagotchi, which also hit store shelves in 1996. I suppose the mid-1990s was the age of the digital pet.

So, just what are some of these cuddly (and not-so-cuddly) creatures that kids of all ages fought so hard to catch?

Well, I don't exactly have the time to list all of them here. Between the various video game releases between 1996 and 2013, there have been a total of at least 649 different species of Pokemon to be caught!



Now, obviously the most popular and well-known Pokemon character is the little yellow guy named PIKACHU. Pikachu is widely considered to be the official mascot of the Pokemon series, and he even managed to get his own video game called “Hey You, Pikachu!” for the Nintendo 64. But even though Pikachu is clearly the most recognizable Pokemon, he is clearly not the only one to make an impact on the game. Here is a partial list of some of the more well known Pokemon.



BULBASAURThe Bulbasaur is a Pokemon that is a master at storing energy. The bulb on his back allows the Bulbasaur to survive for several days without eating, making him a very strong ally to have on your side. In fact, in the animated series, Bulbasaur was a rather prominent character. His name is a combination of the words “bulb” and “dinosaur”



SQUIRTLE – Obviously, the Squirtle is a combination of the words “Squirt” and “Turtle”, and from what I hear, the Squirtle was quite a popular Pokemon as well. When kids were playing the trading card game, I recall that the Squirtle card was supposedly one of the biggest commodities to have...though, I'm not sure why. I do know that the Squirtle lives up to its name whenever it feels threatened. If it does, it hides inside of its shell and sprays a jet of water at its enemies.



JIGGLYPUFF – Okay, I'll admit it. The name itself makes me smile a rather goofy smile. I mean, what kind of name is Jigglypuff? But don't let the name fool you. Jigglypuff can be one tough customer. And, did you know that a Jigglypuff is created after the maturation of an IGGLYBUFF? And, that when a Jigglypuff matures, it becomes a WIGGLYTUFF? My goodness, what strange names.



VULPIX – I must confess...I had no idea what a Vulpix was until I befriended a man who did a little bit of cartooning as a hobby. His name is Hector, and he is quite a decent artist. His renditions of cartoon characters from Disney movies and Pokemon cartoons are quite spectacular. I'm sure that I have some examples of his work kicking around my apartment somewhere. Oh, one thing you should know. Vulpix is not someone you want on your bad side. If you annoy him, you will quite literally become a french fry, as his fire breath could melt the glass off of a car windshield.



MEOWTH – Meowth is one cat that can do it all...even if some critics downplay his usefulness. He can actually communicate with humans, cause enemies some damage with the spikes on his face, and he is easily considered to be one of the most recognizable Pokemon characters right behind Pikachu.



SNORLAX – What can I say about this sloth-like Pokemon? Well, with an estimated weight of over a thousand pounds, it's safe to say that he is the largest Pokemon character to be found. His name is a combination of the words “Snore” and “Relax”, which basically seems to be all that this Pokemon does. However, he also has his claims to fame. He can digest almost anything that passes through his mouth, and his digestive juices are so strong that they literally make Snorlax immune to almost any sort of poison. Definitely a Pokemon you want on your side.

So, I think that I'm going to end this note off with a question and a song.

The question: Have you played Pokemon? And, who are some of your favourites.

And, the song comes from the Norwegian pop duo M2M, which had a minor hit in 1999 when “Pokemon: The First Movie” was released in theatres.



ARTIST: M2M
SONG: Don't Say You Love Me
ALBUM: Shades of Purple
DATE RELEASED: October 26, 1999
PEAK POSITION ON THE BILLBOARD CHARTS: #21