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Monday, September 16, 2013

Pretty In Pink

I'll readily be the first one to admit that coming up with blog topics for this venture is not always easy. And sometimes I resort to checking a variety of references in order to come up with a topic that will make people want to read it.

And just what are some of these sources of inspiration?

Well, I do have a small library of pop culture books that I flip through often. Sometimes I'll get an idea from inside the pages of a reference book and run with it. Not today though.

Sometimes I'll be inspired for topics by perusing social networking communities like Facebook. Occasionally, I'll see someone on my news feed commenting on a particular pop culture tidbit and it will inspire me to do a blog topic on the subject. In fact, a lot of the current event blogs that I have done were inspired as a result of scanning my Facebook news feed.

But while I am definitely one to get inspiration from Facebook...this is not one of these entries.

No, admittedly this blog was inspired by my tastes in music. Oh, and the pink text? We're getting to that.

Ever since I received my iPod as a gift, I have been downloading songs onto it like crazy. I have all of my favourite songs on it, and I listen to my iPod at least once a day. It's certainly a lot less bulkier than a Walkman or a Discman, and I can literally take it anywhere I want to.

So, when I knew that I had a Monday Matinee feature coming up in the future, I decided to consult the power of the iPod to help me make up my mind. I happen to have a rather large selection of songs that come from movie soundtracks in my collection, and my theory was that whatever the first soundtrack song that popped up when I set my iPod to shuffle would be the movie in which that song appears in. It was a great plan.

Unfortunately, the first three songs that popped up came from movies that I have already featured in the Monday Matinee (and in one case, a Tuesday Timeline entry). And, I never cover the same movie twice.

Then by around soundtrack song number four, the following song appeared. And it was there that I had my Monday Matinee for today!



ARTIST: The Psychadelic Furs
SONG: Pretty In Pink
ALBUM: Talk, Talk, Talk
DATE RELEASED: May 21, 1981
PEAK POSITION ON THE BILLBOARD CHARTS: #41*

Now, you might notice that there's a star beside the chart position. I'll get to that.

The song was originally released in 1981 with a slightly different arrangement by The Psychadelic Furs – a group based out of the UK that at the time of the song's release featured members Richard Butler, Tim Butler, Duncan Kilburn, Roger Morris, Vince Ely, and John Ashton.

Now in 1981, the song didn't exactly chart in the United States. In the United Kingdom, it just missed the Top 40.

So, how did the song end up eventually peaking at just under the Top 40 on the Billboard Charts?

Well, let's fast forward five years to 1986. In 1986, The Psychadelic Furs re-recorded the song “Pretty In Pink” for the soundtrack of a John Hughes written, Howard Deutch directed film. The 1986 version sounded almost identical to the 1981 version...the only difference was that it was slightly modernized. In 1986, the reworked version of “Pretty In Pink” was released on the Billboard Charts, and that's how it made it to #41. In the United Kingdom, the re-released “Pretty In Pink” charted even higher than its original version, peaking within the Top 20!

Pretty In Pink” was certainly very popular. My own sister even bought the cassette tape soundtrack for the film (which amusingly enough was pink), and the soundtrack boasted other singles from Echo and the Bunnymen, Suzanne Vega, Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, and INXS. No wonder the film soundtrack sold so well in record stores!

Ah, but what about the movie? Well, as it turned out, the movie also did very well at the box office. Many people would even consider it to be one of John Hughes' most memorable films!

And as it so happens, the name of the film happens to be the same as that Psychadelic Furs single.



This is the blog entry on the 1986 film “Pretty In Pink”.

The movie was released on February 28, 1986 and earned a total of $40 million at the box office. Molly Ringwald – who according to some people was the Queen of the Brat Pack – was the star of the film, and other actors who appeared in the film were Harry Dean Stanton, Andrew McCarthy, Jon Cryer, James Spader, Kate Vernon, and Annie Potts.

Now, “Pretty In Pink” is a film that could be classified as one of those romantic comedies, so naturally there has to be some sort of conflict in terms of finding one's true love.



In the case of high school senior Andie Walsh (Ringwald), it was class division that posed a huge problem when it came to love and romance. Trust me, I could definitely relate to that one.

It wasn't as though Andie's father Jack (Stanton) hasn't tried to give his little girl everything that she needed. But with jobs being scarce in town and Andie's mother not in the picture, Andie's family struggled financially, and Andie accepts her working-class background, albeit reluctantly.

Unfortunately, Andie has a crush on the preppy and insanely rich Blane McDonough (McCarthy). A boy who by all accounts would NEVER hang around with the offspring of blue-collar America. And certainly Blane's two friends Steff and Benny (Spader and Vernon) don't make it easy on Andie. Their arrogance turns her off in a huge way and they get their kicks by harassing and bullying Andie and her best friend Phil Dale (Cryer), who is better known by his nickname of “Duckie”.



RANDOM THOUGHT: Why in the world does Jon Cryer always get stuck playing geeks, nerds, and dweebs? From “Pretty In Pink” to “Two and a Half Men”, he is always shown as the geek! Poor guy can't get a break. But, I suppose if that makes him a millionaire, who is he to complain, right?

Anyway, one of the things that you need to know about Duckie is that he has had a crush on Andie dating back to even before they entered high school together, but he is too afraid to admit it to her. Instead, he turns his affection for Andie into a running gag of sorts.

The senior prom is fast approaching, and Andie is considering not even going as she is having trouble finding a date. But her friend/mentor Iona (Potts) who owns and runs TRAX, a record store specializing in New Wave music, encourages her to go to the prom anyway, with or without a date.

Of course, who ever wants to attend a senior prom by themselves? Or, at least, that's what the made-up high school guide to social life tells us anyway?



Well, as it turns out, unaware to all of Blane's inner social circle, Blane secretly has admiration for Andie as well, and he decides to make his move on her and asks her on a date.

But when Blane arrives late after promising to meet Andie at TRAX, Andie and Duckie get into an argument at the record store. Duckie is very concerned that Blane is only using Andie and that she will ultimately end up hurt. Still, Andie refuses to believe that Blane would do something so terrible and agrees to be Blane's date to a party that Steff is throwing.



So Andie and Blane arrive at the party and poor Andie has a miserable time. Because she is not a part of their inner circle, the party guests treat her horribly. The ringleaders of this are, of course, Benny and Steff. Andie suggests to Blane that they go to the local club instead, and when both of them arrive there, Duckie and Iona are already there. A war of words erupts between Duckie and Blane, and in the kerfuffle, Duckie plants a kiss on Iona to make Andie jealous. All it does is cause much more friction between Duckie, Andie, and Blane.

And such, a 1980s love triangle was born.

So, which guy does Andie pick? As if I'm going to tell you. Truth be told, two different endings were shot for the movie. There's one in which she chooses one man, and there's one where she chooses the other. And one ending was initially intended for the film, but after it was screened to a test audience, they didn't like it. Hence a new ending was tacked onto the film, which was then shown in theatres.

Either way, Andie does end up at the prom, looking pretty in pink, courtesy of a beautiful dress her father picked up for her at a thrift store. And, for someone who has normally shunned romantic comedies, I have to say that “Pretty In Pink” is a really decent film. I enjoyed it.

And, just for the record, I've seen both endings, and I thought either one would have worked. But that's just my opinion.

Anyway, sit back and grab yourself a pink lemonade or a strawberry daiquiri, or any other pink coloured drink. This blog isn't quite finished yet. There's a lot of behind the scenes trivia and goodies left to talk about within this piece.

For instance...did you know that...



1 – When the movie's endings were changed, it also meant a change in the soundtrack? Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark were already committed to the film and were going to submit their song “Goddess of Love” for the film. But with the last minute ending change, they were forced to come up with a new song. They composed the song “If You Leave” in just twenty-four hours for the re-shot ending. That song would later peak at #4 on the Billboard Charts in the spring of 1986.

2 – Anjelica Huston was once briefly considered for the role of Iona, but was forced to turn it down. Annie Potts was later given the role after John Hughes saw her in “Ghostbusters”. Just months later, she would be cast in the sitcom “Designing Women”.

3 – Anthony Michael Hall was initially considered for the role of Duckie, but he turned it down as he didn't want to be typecast as a nerd (he previously played nerds in “Sixteen Candles”, “The Breakfast Club”, and “Weird Science”).

4 – Charlie Sheen auditioned for the role of Blane. Given that Sheen would later work with Jon Cryer on “Two and a Half Men”, that could have been quite interesting.

5 – The high school where “Pretty In Pink” filmed was hardly the first time that the school was used in a film. It also served as the setting of Rydell High in the film “Grease”.

6 – The band “The Rave-Ups” (the band playing in the film) had a personal connection to star Molly Ringwald. Molly's sister gave birth to a child that was fathered by one of its members!

7 – Two cast/crew members died after the film wrapped up. Bruce Weintraub, the set designer for “Pretty In Pink” died of AIDS in December 1985 at the age of 33, while actress Alexa Kenin was found dead in New York City on September 10, 1985 at the age of just 23.

8 – Molly Ringwald lists this film as her most favourite film project that she has ever been in.

9 – Believe it or not, Robert Downey Jr. was almost cast as Duckie! Can you seriously picture Iron Man as Duckie? A strange image, I know.


10 – When the actors had to be called back onto the set to reshoot the ending, Andrew McCarthy had to wear a wig, as he had already shaved his head for a New York City play that he was involved in. He also looked considerably thinner, given that he had to lose weight to get the part in the play.

Sunday, September 15, 2013

When One-Hit-Wonders Collide

This is a continuation of “one-hit-wonder” month in the Sunday Jukebox section for the month of September. And, in this case, I thought I would do something quite unique.

What if I decided to do a special feature on not one, but two songs that could easily be considered “one-hit-wonders”? It'd be a little bit of a special feature presentation that I like to call “When One-Hit-Wonders Collide”!

Confused yet? Don't be. I'm simply going to do a little bit of a “Six Degrees of Separation” thing in that I'll present two songs, and at the end, we'll explain how they are linked together! I think it could be a fun look back at some one-hit-wonders of the past (and it will make up for the fact that my September 1 entry was NOT a one-hit-wonder at all).

So, on with the double shot of one-hit-wonders.

And to begin with this entry, I want to ask you a question. Can you name every single member of a famous family? And when I say famous family, I mean a family in which almost every single member is in the world of show business.

Can you name every single sibling (including the non-famous ones) within a Hollywood family if I gave you a last name? It's not as easy as you might think it is.

For instance, when I say the name Baldwin, instantly you think of Alec Baldwin – best known for his work in Knots Landing, Beetlejuice, Married To The Mob, and most recently 30 Rock. But Alec's three brothers, Daniel, William, and Stephen Baldwin have also had jobs in the acting community as well. Maybe they aren't as well known as Alec is, but still...there's acting blood in every Baldwin brother.

(Even if one of them is now making the reality television circuit.)

Or, let's see here. I realize the definition of fame is kind of lopsided when it comes to anybody with the last name Kardashian, but let's run with it here. You have Kim, Kourtney, and Khloe (have I forgotten any other K names here). All three are most famous for...well...nothing exactly. But all three have taken their nothingness and turned it into gold and silver due to the conglomerate they have built up which includes reality television shows, cosmetics deals, and other various business ventures.

But how many of you know that the Kardashian sisters have a brother named Robert? Nobody else knew either until he appeared as a contestant on Dancing With The Stars. But, for the most part, he remains the silent partner in the Kardashian empire. I mean, his first name doesn't even have a K within it! That's strike one right there!



Or, how about the Penn family?

Let's see...well, right off the bat, I'm sure that most of you can name one or two of the three brothers in the Penn family.

Well, there's Sean Penn. A brilliant actor and director best known for his work in Carlito's Way, Dead Man Walking, I Am Sam, Mystic River, 21 Grams, and Milk. In the tabloids, he was known as being Madonna's volatile ex-husband. But most importantly of all, he has also been instrumental in founding a charity that would help the citizens of Haiti rebuild after the devastating 2010 earthquake.

I've also heard of Sean's younger brother, Christopher Penn. One of the first things that I remember seeing Christopher appearing in was the 1984 film “Footloose”. But some of his other projects included films such as Reservoir Dogs, At Close Range, Beethoven's 2nd, and Short Cuts, as well as some television appearances as well. Sadly, Christopher's life was cut too short when he died of a heart attack in January 2006 at just forty years old.

So, we've heard of Sean Penn. And, we've talked about the late Christopher Penn. That's it, right?

Wrong.

Turns out that Sean and Christopher have an older brother. And the first-born son of Leo Penn and Eileen Ryan decided to take a different career path other than acting.

He opted to become a musician instead.



And the song below was musician Michael Penn's biggest success.



ARTIST: Michael Penn
SONG: No Myth
ALBUM: March
DATE RELEASED: September 1, 1989
PEAK POSITION ON THE BILLBOARD CHARTS: #13



Yes, Michael Penn, born the first of August in the year 1958, released this toe-tapping rock hit in the last half of 1989, and by the beginning of 1990 had hit its peak position of #13 on the Billboard Charts. And it was a really awesome song too. I remember being in the third grade and hearing that song playing a lot on the radio. In fact, I remember many people at the time trying to request the song under the wrong title. Apparently some people believed that the song was actually called “Romeo in Black Jeans”.

Unfortunately for Michael Penn, “No Myth” ended up being a one-hit-wonder. Despite the fact that his songwriting skills were critically acclaimed and that he has released eight albums, his success on the charts was limited to just one hit.

And it's kind of a shame, given that he really did have the talent. I mean, at the peak of his popularity, he was actually competing against his former sister-in-law on the charts! When he released “No Myth”, it was rewarded with an MTV Video Music Award for Best New Artist in 1990! Everything was well positioned for Michael Penn to become a huge star in the music industry.

So, what happened?



Well, it all began with Penn's 1992 follow-up to March, “Free-For-All”. Although Rolling Stone Magazine gave the album a glowing review, and critics everywhere praised every single song on the album...I feel as though there wasn't a whole lot of promotion involved with selling the record. I know that I didn't even know that Michael Penn had even released a second album, let alone a seventh or eighth because aside from “No Myth”, Penn's work was virtually ignored by MTV and radio stations. It didn't matter whether the songs were absolute creative masterpieces. If you don't have the promotion to get your album out there, the album won't sell.

I'm certainly not accusing Michael Penn of not doing more to promote his music. If anything, I think he did the best he could. But just based on what I saw, I think that more promotion could have helped his cause and his music career.

But you know, even though Michael's success on the charts didn't amount to anything beyond a one-hit-wonder, it's not to say that he didn't quit music. He just decided to focus more of his attentions on composing film scores and producing albums for other artists.

Seriously, you may have been hearing his compositions and not have known it. If you've ever seen the movies Hard Eight, Boogie Nights, The Last Kiss, and Solitary Man, you'll hear his scores playing throughout the film!

And as I mentioned before, he's also used his skills to produce records for other artists, including Liz Phair, The Wallflowers...and a certain frontwoman for a band that many people also consider a one-hit-wonder.



ARTIST: 'Til Tuesday
SONG: Voices Carry
ALBUM: Voices Carry
DATE RELEASED: March 30, 1985
PEAK POSITION ON THE BILLBOARD CHARTS: #8



I gotta tell you, I still get chills at the end of that video when Aimee Mann stands up in that crowded theatre and sings to her heart's content, embarrassing her stuffy, stuck-up, potential abuser of a boyfriend who I feel she should have left eons ago. I mean that too. Her look was unconventional, but Aimee Mann was definitely one of the most attractive women of the 1980s (and at the age of 52, she still looks absolutely gorgeous today).

TRIVIA: Initially, the song was always supposed to be sung by Aimee Mann, but the difference was that the song was intended to be sung to a woman by a woman. Unfortunately, 1985 was a different time, and homosexuality was still very much taboo in the mid-1980s, so the perspective of the song had to be changed with a little tweaking.

Now, I should state that “Voices Carry” is technically not recognized as a one-hit-wonder if you're looking at the Billboard Charts. The band did have another lesser-known hit in 1986. But, given that “Voices Carry” is really the only song by 'Til Tuesday still played on radio stations, I suppose the definition fits.

Truth be told, after 'Til Tuesday broke up in 1988, Aimee Mann decided to embark on a solo career herself. And certainly some of her compositions have appeared in a lot of places. She had a song appearing on the soundtrack of “Melrose Place” (That's Just What You Are”), and she been in movies like “The Big Lebowski” and television shows like “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”.



And in 1994 when she was working on the album “I'm With Stupid”, she first crossed paths with Michael Penn, who contributed musically to the album. The two developed a really close friendship, which soon blossomed into romance. The couple tied the knot in 1997, and sixteen years later they are still happily married.

Talk about making beautiful music together!


And, that's the story of how two one-hit-wonders collided. I hope you enjoyed it!

Saturday, September 14, 2013

Video Game Ramblings

I will readily admit that when it comes to video gaming, my gaming knowledge is very much skewered.



I'll admit that during my entire history of playing video games (and by video games, I don't mean the arcade and pinball machines that could be found in coin arcades, shopping malls, and 7-Elevens all over the country), I've been mostly loyal to one video game company, although I have dabbled in other systems over the years. In case any of you are interested in any way, here is a history of my video gaming life beginning with my very first gaming console in 1989.

1989-1990: Intellivision (yes, Intellivision. You can read the whole story of how I got my Intellivision console HERE ten years after it was at its peak in popularity.)

1990-1992: Nintendo Entertainment System. It got fried in a lightning storm during the summer of '92.

1992-2003: Super Nintendo Entertainment System. Believe it or not, it still works in 2013, but I need new controllers.

2003-2006: Sony PlayStation. Was actually a hand-me-down from a relative, but it got me hooked on games like Spyro, Crash Bandicoot, and the Sony exclusive Final Fantasy games.

2006-2011: Sony PlayStation 2. The most recent console I own. In all honesty, I haven't played it in two years due to lack of new games because of the PS3 coming out and my having absolutely zero interest in the PS3 games out on the market.

2008-2011: Nintendo DS. Prior to 2008, I never owned a handheld game console. But the Nintendo DS was my re-introduction to Nintendo after a five year absence, and I never really looked back. I would love to get a Nintendo Wii one day...well...when I have enough space, that is.

2011-present: Nintendo 3DS. The current gaming system I play.

So, yes. You can see that Nintendo is more or less my video game company of choice. I dabbled in Sony consoles though (and by extension, Sega, as I owned the Sega Genesis Collection for the PlayStation 2 console). Surprisingly enough, I never did get into the XBOX or XBOX 360 at all. Maybe it was because I found the games to be somewhat on the dull side, or maybe it was because I couldn't justify paying such a huge price for a gaming console...or maybe I had heard too many horror stories about the red ring of death which signifies that your console has gone to video game heaven.

(My SNES has lasted me 21 years and counting. Just saying.)

Now, why am I telling you this? Well, it might explain why any video game feature that I blog about here will more than likely cover a Nintendo game. And, it might explain why you will never really see an entry on any video game that has the words “Grand Theft Auto”, “Resident Evil” or “Call of Duty” within their titles. I've never played any of these games, and really don't have much desire to either.

But, you know what? I feel as though in order to expand my knowledge on video games (and given that I sell an average of seven video games per shift at work, I should really know everything there is to know about video games), I should do my blog entry on a video game series that is A) not Nintendo, and B) not rated E for Everyone.

I've already pointed out that for the most part, M rated video games bore me to tears because they seem to be the same game over and over. I mean, granted, some use the same argument for why they don't like games starring Super Mario or Sonic the Hedgehog, but the thing about those games is that they are always constantly changing. Ever since Mario's introduction in the 1981 video game Donkey Kong, he's evolved from barrel thrower to three-dimensional superstar! But for some reason, all of the Call of Duty games that I have seen my nephews playing look EXACTLY THE SAME to me.

(My apologies to all of those die-hard Call of Duty fans that I have offended with that previous statement. Those games just aren't my cup of tea.)

It's not to say that I am completely against first person shooters at all. I think that I would enjoy playing one if it put less emphasis on gore and more emphasis on plot. I also think that when it comes to first person shoot-em-up games, I would enjoy a game that is somewhat on the linear side. Not that I'm against open ended games, but one of the main reasons why I refuse to play the newest Final Fantasy games is because the story suffered at the hands of open-ended game play.

As a result, Final Fantasy XII remains my biggest disappointment in all the years I have played video games.



So, given my little monologue up above, what game could I possibly want to discuss? A game that is non-Nintendo, non E-rated, and has a rather decent plot to accompany a first-person shooting mechanic?

Well, it happens to be a game that I inherited along with the second-hand PlayStation system ten years ago. Mind you, the games that I mostly played were Spyro the Dragon and some car driving game. But there was another game that I ended up getting so addicted to. A game that I never believed I would have any interest in whatsoever, but was completely hooked on due to the elaborate plot, the challenging aspects of making it through an area alive, and the puzzle solving aspects throughout the whole game.

Have any of you heard of the “Medal of Honor” series of games? They are a series of games that are sort of similar to the more recent Call of Duty games, only the vast majority of them are set during World War II. From what I am hearing, there are thirteen games in the Medal of Honor series, and some of the more recent versions of the game are almost exactly like carbon copies of Call of Duty.

But the earliest games of the series? Now those were genius.



You see, the game that I was addicted to playing was the original Medal of Honor, which was released on Halloween 1999. In that game, espionage and secrecy is the main plot component. You're a member of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), and your missions – should you choose to accept them – is to infiltrate enemy fortresses, dispatch anyone who might get in your way, and sabotage any plans that they might have to destroy entire communities.

There are a total of seven missions throughout the whole game. They are...

  1. RESCUE THE G3 OFFICER
  2. DESTROY THE MIGHTY RAIL-GUN GRETA
  3. SCUTTLE DAS BOOT U-4901
  4. ATTACK IMPENETRABLE FORT SCHMERZEN
  5. SABOTAGE THE RJUKAN HYDRO PLANT
  6. CAPTURE THE SECRET GERMAN TREASURE
  7. ESCAPE THE V2 ROCKET PLANT

And, I will state that these missions are not easy. Oh, sure, you might be able to get through the first two or three without getting shot at too much. But anyone who has ever played mission number seven knows just how insanely difficult it can be.

In fact, here's a true confession for you. I've only ever beaten Medal of Honor once. That's how hard it is.



You play as the fictional Lieutenant Jimmy Patterson, a former C-47 Skytrain pilot in the Air Transport Command who was later recruited to the OSS. As Patterson, you have to make your way through these seven different mission to prevent the German forces and their allies from causing all sorts of nastiness in the world.

What makes the missions even more challenging is the fact that each mission is split up into several different levels. And, in each level, you have to meet an objective or criteria in order to proceed any further in the mission. You'll have to sneak into forbidden areas. You'll have to locate secret parcels and deliver them to the right people. You'll have to obtain keys to unlock doors, and secret passwords in order to move further in the game. Sometimes you'll have to disarm people, or sabotage equipment in order to get through the level.

And needless to say, the swarms of enemy soldiers willing to shoot first, ask questions later are endless. You really have to use your environment and keep a quick wit in order to make it through the game alive.

But don't worry. You have an entire arsenal of weapons at your disposal, just itching to be used against the enemy.

(And, one of the main reasons why I loved the original Medal of Honor is because in the earliest games, the game didn't actually show blood and gore. Sure, you still knew that they were dead because their bodies would fade away eventually...but as one who can't even stand the sight of his own blood in real life, this was definitely an added plus.  It also explains why the original Medal of Honor was given a rating of T instead of M.)

Seriously, you could use grenades, rifles, shotguns, and even a bazooka or two to make your way through enemy terrain and fight the good fight.

All in all, it's a great game series to play if you want a game that has a great storyline, but you're turned off by blood and unnecessary gore. And if I'm recommending a video game that has all that when I normally don't play them, it's gotta be worth a shot, right?


And, one final note...the game's story was inspired by filmmaker Steven Spielberg!

Friday, September 13, 2013

MasterChef America

I was having a bit of a hard time coming up with a topic for today's blog. Today's Friday, and I really wanted to do a topic that featured some aspect of teaching. As we're in the month of September and schools are now back in session, I struggled to come up with a suitable topic.

That, plus the fact that I'm on a bit of a time crunch today and only have a total of three and a half hours to type out this entire entry. So, I suppose in a way, I'm challenging myself and teaching myself to become a better writer by working under pressure.

Hmmm...working under pressure. That sounds like an interesting idea to go on.

But which show features everyday, ordinary people working under pressure to create extraordinary things?

Oh, wait. I know of just a show. In fact, the season finale of the fourth season of this program aired just a couple of days ago on September 11, 2013.



Come to think of it, this past season of MasterChef was quite entertaining to watch, and very unpredictable. Well, at least it was to me anyway. You know how some people believe that reality television is scripted.

But for some reason, I've always loved watching MasterChef. The concept of the show is absolute genius. The end goal of each season of the series is the same. You have hundreds of amateur chefs coming on the show to compete for a spot on the show by cooking a signature dish for three judges in the food industry in hopes of impressing them.

You wouldn't think that a cooking competition would get people watching, but from the very first season of the American series (the show originated in the United Kingdom as far back as 1990), I was hooked. As someone who appreciates good food (but admittedly have zero skills in the kitchen), I have to say that anybody who even makes it onto the show at all has my absolute respect.



The three judges who taste every single dish are also highly respected people in the culinary world. I would say that Gordon Ramsay, Graham Elliot, and Joe Bastianich have decades of experience between the three of them. Heck, Joe Bastianich is the son of Lidia Bastianich, a real master chef herself! If anyone knows good food, it's the BRE-Team (Bastianich/Ramsay/Elliot).

So, anyway, the finale of the show pitted Natasha Crnjac against Luca Manfe in an epic battle to see who would become the true MasterChef. The competition was fierce with Luca and Natasha having to battle against seventeen other people for the title. They cooked a variety of dishes using langoustine, king crab, pork, turkey, beef, pigeon (yes, pigeon), and a plethora of vegetarian dishes and desserts in hopes of impressing the judges. They made some mistakes along the way, and at some point in the competition, both faced the chopping block at least twice.

But in the end, the victor reigned supreme.



Congratulations, Luca! A well earned victory indeed.



So, to celebrate Luca's win, I thought that I would do a feature on MasterChef. (Well, the American version at least. I have heard from many fans of the show that the British version is much better than the American one, but I've never seen the British version.)

Now, as mentioned before, MasterChef originated in the United Kingdom in 1990, but over the last twenty-three years, it has exploded in popularity and is now broadcast in several different countries including Australia, China, Croatia, Greece, India, Italy, Spain, and Vietnam. And beginning in 2014, Canada will join the list of countries that will have their very own MasterChef competition. Very excited to hear of that news!

Now, most people know of the version of the show that has aired on FOX since July 2010. Many don't realize that MasterChef first aired in the United States on PBS between 2000 and 2001! I know I certainly didn't!

Anyway, with the FOX version of the show, we have now had four people that have been granted the title of MasterChef. They are...

2010 – Whitney Miller
2011 – Jennifer Behm
2012 – Christine Ha
2013 – Luka Manfe

And what do the winners of the competition win? Plenty. They win the title of MasterChef for the year, which comes with a beautiful trophy. They get the opportunity to publish their own cookbook, which for most amateur chefs is a dream come true! Just have a look at last year's winner's book below.



Nice, huh?

Oh, yeah. There's also a quarter of a million dollar cash prize at the end of the journey. Why, that's enough to keep your pantry, fridge and freezers stocked up for several years!

Now, one thing that I find interesting about MasterChef is that the show really puts contestants through every possible challenge in order for the judges to determine who has what it takes to become the next MasterChef. And the way they do this is through team challenges, mystery box challenges, and pressure tests.



Team challenges are always fun to watch. They take the contestants and divide them up into teams where they will be put into some rather unusual situations. Sometimes they will have to be placed in a kitchen of a high-end restaurant in an exercise in quality control. Sometimes they'll have to plan a lunch menu for junior high school students. Sometimes, they'll even have to open up a food truck in the middle of the beach and cook fish tacos and hamburgers for a large group of people. The teams that end up doing the best will win and be safe for the pressure test.



Similarly, the show features mystery box challenges, in which contestants won't know what ingredients they have to work with until they remove the lid of the box. Usually, each of the boxes will have some sort of theme to it. Some boxes will have ingredients that seemingly don't blend well together but they will have to find a way to make it work. Some mystery box challenges will have ingredients that are a delicacy in foreign countries, but are virtually unheard of in America. And, in one memorable mystery box challenge, the children of the judges actually chose the mystery box ingredients! And to add to the pressure, the chefs would only have between 45 and 90 minutes to make their dish stand out. On mystery box challenges, the judges will choose their favourite three dishes, and the winner of the challenge will have a hand in planning the pressure test, which if the player is smart will use the opportunity to take out their biggest competition.

Now, what is this pressure test that I keep talking about?



Well, the pressure test really puts contestants under pressure. If they fail the test, they get eliminated from the competition! And believe me when I say that the pressure tests are nowhere near easy. It's bad enough that the chefs have to prepare such complicated dishes such as souffle, meringue pie, and lobster bisque, but to do it in what seems like an impossible time limit on top of that? No wonder they call it a pressure test!

Some handle the pressure really well. Others buckle under pressure. But the pressure tests definitely do what they were meant to do. They weed out the competition and they leave the strongest chefs standing.

So, now that you know how the game is played, let's take a look at some of the more memorable moments of the whole series, shall we?

On Season 2, there were lots of people on the show who shall we say...had some rather boastful attitudes. Suzy and Max in particular knew that both of them were the best in the competition and they were not afraid to let anyone know it either.

(Too bad neither one won the competition to back up their claims.)

But then there was Christian, a stay-at-home dad. And his ego was something special. So special that he didn't hesitate to go head to head with the very judges who had the power to keep him in the competition! Not the smartest move. Have a look at some of Christian's “greatest hits”.



For what it's worth, I thought that Christian was going to go far in the competition, and for what it's worth, I initially went into MasterChef season two rooting for Christian to win. Unfortunately, his attitude kind of turned me off to him, and when he was eliminated, I was kind of relieved. That said, I do hope Christian is doing well.

If anything, after seeing the way that Krissi acted on the last season of MasterChef with her bullying tactics and immaturity, next to her Christian was quite tame!

On the flipside, on the same season Christian was on, you had Ben Starr, who didn't quite make it to the finals, but who had the depth, the passion, and most of all the humility to become a true MasterChef. Just have a look at the pumpkin carrot cake he prepared for a pressure test challenge.


Okay, I don't even like pumpkin and I want to try that cake! It just looked phenomenal!

Another success story is that of Season 3 winner Christine Ha. She dominated the competition throughout her whole season, very rarely making it in the bottom two. She lead her team to victory on a couple of occasions, and she prepared some of the most brilliant dishes in the history of the competition.

And she did it all with very little sight.

Yes, Christine is legally blind, which at the beginning of the competition had her other competitors believing that because of this she was not a major threat. But boy did Christine prove them wrong. But one of the most beautiful things about Christine's story was the self-growth she did herself. She entered the competition doubting her abilities and thinking that she couldn't compete with the others.

That is, until she made the apple pie that changed her entire outlook. Have a look.



I STILL get goosebumps watching that moment. In that moment, I believe that a true MasterChef was born, and it was in the moment that Christine really began to show everyone that she did have what it took to become a MasterChef. Good show, Christine!

One of my favourite parts of the show is the audition process. The auditions are some of the most entertaining parts of the whole show. Just have a look at this montage of contestants who didn't quite make it onto the show.




But just because a person doesn't make it onto the show the first time around, it doesn't mean that they are out of the running down the road. After all, Luca was turned down for season three, and he won season four!  And, to conclude this entry off, let's watch some of the more successful auditions!


Thursday, September 12, 2013

Twenty-Five Secrets

I have to admit that of all things, a tabloid magazine inspired this Thursday Diary entry...but not in the way that you all might think. Confused? Read on.

September 12, 2013

Did you know that while I don't consider myself to be one of those “hoarders” that you see on television, I do consider myself to be somewhat of a pack rat?

It's absolutely true.

As of right now, my living space is such that it looks presentable, but it also looks lived in. And, I'm okay with that. I always felt really uncomfortable in places that were obscenely clean. You know what I mean, right? The ones where the floor is so shiny you could eat off of it, and the ones where you didn't dare eat on the furniture because you would get scolded for even leaving behind one crumb.

At my place, if you want to eat on my sofa, you go right ahead. If you want to read a magazine on my floor, I have no problem with that. And if you want to smear spaghetti sauce all over my walls and floors, you're more than welcome to.

Just remember. YOU'RE cleaning the sauce up. Not me.

I guess the point that I'm making is that I don't mind if people wear their shoes inside my living space because I'm far from being a perfect housekeeper. To prove it, I was just going through my closet the other day and I came across a pile of things from my hospital stay in February 2011 still locked away inside!

(For those of you who weren't aware, or for those of you who have just discovered this blog, I had to have emergency surgery two and a half years ago to remove a seriously infected gall bladder.)

But seriously, I found a lot of things in my closet that kept me entertained while I was recovering from surgery. There were a few books that people brought me to read. I have a half-completed word search and puzzle book that I worked on while I was healing from my surgery. And, for some unknown reason, I still have the hospital bracelet that I wore during my entire stay there.

As I said before, I am considered to be a slight pack rat.



One other thing that I found mixed in with the goodies that entertained me during my recovery was a whole bundle of magazines. And when I say magazines, I mean those really trashy ones like the National Enquirer, Star, and The Examiner which feature celebrities that seemingly cause one scandal after another. I'm not one to normally go out and buy these kinds of magazines, but since I had family members and friends who wanted my stay to be as comfortable as possible, I read them...and re-read them...and re-read them some more.

Yeah...if you spend sixteen days in a hospital, you really do get that bored.

But you know what? Whether the stories in those tabloids are absolutely true or completely false...that's not for me to say. But I have to admit that reading the various articles in these magazines sometimes make me feel much better about my own life!

And besides, it's not as though celebrity gossip is the only thing of interest inside these magazines. They also have puzzles, horoscopes, and other fun puzzles and games mixed in amongst the gossip, the scandals, and the advertisements for Hydroxycut.

One of my favourite features in these types of magazines is when celebrities get interviewed by a representative of the magazine and they reveal all kinds of personal info and secrets. I think most of them come in a list of twenty-five mini-confessions and admissions. I have to admit, the pop culture addict in me loves reading all about the secrets and little known facts about celebrities. Some facts didn't seem surprising at all, but others were kind of an eye-opener.

So you know what I thought I would do? If celebrities can be interviewed and asked about the twenty-five things that nobody else knows, why can't I do the same?

So, in this Thursday Diary entry...whether you want to know them or not...I thought that I would reveal twenty-five things about myself that you may or may not know about me. I think it would be a cool way for all of you reading this to get to know me a bit better. And if some of you are brave enough, I thought that maybe some of you could do the same.

(Only I think that 25 facts would be too much. I'll happily accept only one or two!)

Okay, so on with the list.



01 – I have a slight allergy to strawberries. I can handle artificially flavoured strawberry things (which are disgusting, by the way), but real strawberries cause me to break out in hives. It isn't a fatal allergy by any means, but it's uncomfortable enough for me not to ever want to eat a strawberry.

02 – I use a different coloured pen at work each and every day. If one were to look through the safety sweep log books any given time that I am on duty, you would see a rainbow of colours. The reason why I do this is to stand out and be different. And besides...black ink is so...monotonous.

03 – I played the baritone for my school band between sixth and ninth grades. But admittedly I was forced to give it up because my class schedule in tenth grade prevented me from sticking with it. Looking back on it, I wish I had stuck with it just a little bit longer.



04 – I once spent an entire day off watching old reruns of “Three's Company” on YouTube. Not exactly the most efficient way to spend a day off, but it was entertaining. Besides, it rained all day that day. What else was there to do?

05 – My first date was in the eighth grade. I took a girl to the eighth grade graduation dance. Never saw her again after that.

06 – Hmmm...maybe number five explains the absolute hate I have for Valentine's Day. Though the fact that I had my gall bladder removed two days before that day could account for it (though in defense, I did get a blood transfusion that Valentine's Day, so at least I got something red!)



07 – I have a comic book collection that totals well over 3,000 books.



08 – The most embarrassing song I have downloaded on my iPod is the song “Under the Sea” from “The Little Mermaid”. The reason I have it downloaded is because it takes me back to the time in which some friends and I were driving down Bank Street in Ottawa with this song blasting from the car radio! Sigh...you had to be there.



09 – My very first celebrity crush was on Alyssa Milano. And to be honest with you, I still find her unbelievably attractive.



10 – The first time I ever used a computer, I was four years old. I seem to recall going to some sort of computer camp where I designed my own banner. They even took my picture which appeared in the newspaper...but my grandmother was the only one who had a copy, and since she died twenty-two years ago, I have no idea where she would have kept it.

11 – I still save all of the Christmas cards I have ever received (pack-rat, I know).



12 – My dream vacation is to go to Australia. I hope that one day I will be able to make it happen.

13 – I learned how to read before I learned how to talk. I didn't learn how to talk until just before my third birthday. My parents were concerned that I was hard of hearing, or that I had some sort of developmental disorder, but in reality, I was just stubborn. On that note...

14 – My horoscope sign is Taurus. But had I been born three days later, I would have become a Gemini.



15 – I was born on the one year anniversary of the day that Mount St. Helen's blew its top.



16 – My current drink obsession is surprisingly non-alcoholic. I'm really into water that is flavoured with “Dasani Drops”. I personally recommend the Cherry-Pomegranate and Pink Lemonade flavours.

17 – I was once hypnotized on stage and it was broadcast in a television special that aired later the same year.



18 – My current guilty pleasure artist? Admittedly, it's Selena Gomez. At least I didn't say Justin Bieber!



19 – I play in the Survivor pool at work regularly. Out of five attempts, I've only won once. Still, that is a 20% rating.



20 – My all-time favourite candy in the world are M&M's. Plain or peanut butter will do. I also have a small collection of M&M's memorabilia including a beach towel, a T-shirt, a wristwatch, a candy bowl, and a candy dispenser.

21 – Least favourite candy? Almond Joy, Mounds, Bounty, or any other candy with coconut inside of it. Blecch.

22 – I nearly failed grade eleven mathematics. Had it not been for a freak ice storm which grinded everything to a halt, I most definitely would have flunked.

23 – I hold the distinct achievement of actually setting a container of Jiffy Pop popcorn on fire!

24 – I did not learn how to swim until I was twenty-one due to a fear of drowning brought upon by nearly drowning in a swimming pool when I was a youngster. And even then, I am not comfortable in really deep water.



25 – I've never been on an airplane in my life. However, I've rode on more trains than I could count, in part because of the fact that when my dad worked for a railway, our family always got free train tickets. It was one of the perks of my father's job!