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Monday, January 13, 2014

007 Feature #2 - On Her Majesty's Secret Service featuring Lazenby...George Lazenby


As you can tell from the opening video, this is a Monday Matinee that is all about Bond...James Bond.

This is the second of six James Bond themed entries that will take us right into mid-February 2014, and if you're womdering why I've decided to make this a six-part feature, it's because there are six men who can make the claim that they have played James Bond at least once in their lives.  And interestingly enough, as of January 2014, all six actors are still alive.  So, I thought that I would do an entry on each of the six Bond actors by choosing the film that I either liked the best, or that I have a personal memory of.

Of course, for the second actor to play Bond, the decision of which film to feature was the easiest one to make.  After all, he did only play Bond once and only once.

He also happens to be as of this writing the only Bond to be born and raised outside of the UK.



Ladies and gentlemen, presenting the second actor to play Bond...the Australian born George Lazenby.



And today's film spotlight happens to be the one and only film Lazenby starred in...1969's "On Her Majesty's Secret Service.  Have a look at the opening titles below.



Now, I'm not sure which story is more interesting...the one about how Lazenby won the role of Bond, or the reasons behind why he decided to quit the Bond franchise after just one movie.

At the time, Sean Connery - who had played Bond for the first five movies in the Bond franchise - decided to walk away from the role while filming 1967's "You Only Live Twice".  He had grown disenchanted with the role that made him a star, and he wanted to leave the franchise to avoid being typecast as Bond.

(For the record though, I don't think that Connery needed to worry about being typecast, as he had no trouble getting roles since his final Bond film.)

Anyway, with Connery confirmed to be out for the sixth Bond film, producers Albert Broccoli and Harry Saltzman knew that they needed to find a new actor to play Bond, and quickly.  Following the release of "You Only Live Twice", a casting call was issued to find the new Bond, and from what I hear, thousands seemed to be interested in the role.  After what seemed like endless auditions, the final five up for consideration were John Richardson, Hans De Vries, Robert Campbell, Anthony Rogers and Lazenby.

In the end, all it took was a chocolate bar commercial for Lazenby to be considered for the part!  Apparently Broccoli and director Peter R. Hunt watched Lazenby in the commercial and thought that he was worth giving a shot.  And besides, prior to watching that commercial, Broccoli happened to cross paths with Lazenby at a barber shop, and he offered Lazenby an audition, thinking that he had just the right look to assume the role of James Bond.

Of course, at the audition, Lazenby committed what most would consider a deal breaker when he accidentally punched somebody in the face!  Of course, while most auditions would end at this point with the actor being thrown out, in this case it worked as Broccoli was impressed by his ability to show aggression on cue.

In fact, Lazenby was so well-received by the producers that he was immediately offered a seven-film contract as Bond!  Now, just to put things into perspective here.  Had Lazenby honoured his commitment to the seven-film contract, he would have played the role right up until 1983's "Octopussy"!  That's quite a long stretch as Bond...it would have been guaranteed work for the next fifteen years of his life and I am sure that he would have been set financially for the remainder of his career.

Instead, Lazenby decided to walk after just one film.

In November 1969 - one month before the film's December 18 release - Lazenby announced that he decided to quit the role of James Bond after just one film, as he had grown disillusioned with the role, and had begun feuding with the producers of the film.  I'm honestly not sure what Lazenby did to get out of the contract, but I imagine that his agent had something to do with it.  After all, it was the agent's idea for George to pull out of the Bond franchise in the first place.  But at the end of it all, it was a decision that Lazenby lived with and embraced, as he grew a beard and let his hair grow out to distance himself from the suave, sophisticated look that James Bond was well known for.

It's a tough call to determine whether George Lazenby made the right choice.  I mean, obviously for Lazenby it was the right decision for him...but I often wonder if he would have done well in movies like "Live and Let Die", "Moonraker", and "For Your Eyes Only".  But, we'll never know as Sean Connery returned for 1971's "Diamonds are Forever" and the other films were released with...well...we'll get to that Bond next week.

Admittedly, "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" was a film that I didn't get to watch until I was in my late twenties.  Apparently many people consider this film to be the "forgotten Bond film", and it's definitely one of the hardest Bond films to locate.  And, I'm actually kind of sad about that fact because the film itself is quite good.  I mean, yes, I'll admit that George Lazenby wasn't the best Bond actor, but when you consider that he only did one film, it seems kind of unfair to judge it too harshly.  Again, I would have loved to have seen Lazenby do at least two more Bond films, just to see if he would have gotten better at it, but I suppose Lazenby had his reasons for only doing one.



But as far as plot goes, it had a very interesting one.  Of course, I won't spoil everything, so here's a brief synopsis.  The main bad guy in this film is Ernst Stavro Blofeld (played by Kojak himself, Teddy Savalas), leader of SPECTRE, who is in hiding.  But even though Blofeld is in hiding, he still finds a way to create trouble in the world.  He has a harem of twelve different women from one of twelve different nations, and he has successfully brainwashed every single one of them to become his "Angels of Death".  Their purpose?  He plans to use them to destroy the global agriculture of the planet, which would cause a global food shortage and collapse entire nations.  The only way that Blofeld will even consider aborting that plan is if the government grants him amnesty for all his past criminal acts, and officially recognizes him as the current Count de Bleuchamp.

But anybody who knows James Bond knows that he does not negotiate with terrorists.  So he does everything he can to bring Blofeld out of hiding and put an end to his crimes before he has a chance to act on his threats.  But before he has the chance to do anything, he is charmed by a young woman who he saves from drowning at a beach, and before you know it, he ends up having a romp in the hay with her.

And when Bond is later kidnapped from the hotel by a group of men, it is revealed that the kidnapping was orchestrated by Marc-Ange Draco, the head of the European crime syndicate "Unione Corse".  Turns out that the woman that Bond rescued and bedded was one Countess Teresa "Tracy" di Vicenzo (played by Diana Rigg), the only daughter of Draco.  And Draco makes Bond a rather fabulous offer.  If he marries his daughter, he will reward Bond with a sizable dowry.  Of course, Bond refuses the offer, as he was never really a one-woman man...but he does agree to work with Draco to lure Blofeld out of hiding.

But as you will see if you watch the movie (and that's why I'm being very vague with the plot on purpose), Bond seems to have a very special connection with Tracy, and she makes Bond do something that he never thought possible.  And while most Bond movies end on a happy note, this one probably has one of the most melancholic endings of the whole Bond film series.  But again, you'll have to watch the movie for yourself.

But I do have some trivia for you.

01 - While the song is not heard in the opening credits, the official Bond theme for this movie was recorded by Louis Armstrong.  Have a listen below.



02 - Sadly, Ilse Steppat, who played Blofeld's henchwoman Irma Bunt, passed away of a heart attack at 52 years old on December 22, 1969...just four days after the film premiered in theatres.

03 - Sean Connery was offered a million dollars to return for this movie, but declined the offer.

04 - Interestingly enough, George Lazenby was 30 years old when this film debuted...the same age Sean Connery was when he first began filming "Dr. No".

05 - The film exploited the "breaking the fourth wall" technique a lot in explaining the switch from Connery to Lazenby.

06 - Lazenby actually suffered a broken arm while filming the ski scenes in Switzerland.

07 - Until 2006's "Casino Royale" was made, this movie was the longest running Bond movie at just under two and a half hours.

08 - Listen closely to the scene in which Bond passes a janitor in the hall.  The janitor is actually whistling the theme song for 1964's "Goldfinger".

09 - A body double had to be used for Diana Rigg for the ice skating scene, as Diana did not know how to ice skate.

10 - Brigitte Bardot was considered for the role of Tracy.

11 - The photo of Tracy's mother was actually a photo of Diana Rigg's mother.

12 - This is the only Bond film to be filmed entirely in Europe.

13 - Even though the actors had changed, in Germany, the same voice actor dubbed Bond's voice in the German release of the film, confusing some audience members!

14 - Adam West was actually offered the part of Bond, but turned it down as he always felt that a British actor should play Bond.  Of course, Lazenby was from Australia...

15 - Another person who was offered the role of James Bond was then 25-year-old Timothy Dalton.  He turned down the role then...but...well, tune in to Week #4...

16 - Believe it or not, Telly Savalas invited Lazenby to a poker game and nearly cleaned him out of all the cash he brought.  But thanks to Harry Saltzman joining the game mid-way through, Saltzman ended up winning most of Lazenby's money back!

17 - The film has two stars of "The Avengers" in this movie - Diana Rigg and Joanna Lumley.

18 - The body doubles in the skiing scenes were played by former Olympic athletes.

19 - A Rolex watch that George Lazenby wore in this movie sold at Christie's auction house for over forty thousand dollars in 2003.

20 - The last Bond film to use an instrumental theme in its opening credits.

So that wraps up our look at George Lazenby as Bond...James Bond.  He may have only made the one movie, but at least it was a movie that was quite good.

Next week on January 20, we'll be looking at the third James Bond in the series...and as it so happens, one of the SEVEN films he made was the very first James Bond movie I remember seeing.  But which one is it?  You'll find out next week!


Sunday, January 12, 2014

A Hero Lies In You

I am one of those people who can't imagine a world without music. I mean, if you took away every compact disc, concert ticket, and musical instrument in the world, I would find it to be such a bleak place. I really do consider music to be a universal language of sorts. Every song tells a story, every music video paints a picture, and every artist has had life experiences that they have shared through the gift of lyrical composition. I don't care if a song is an instrumental, or sung in English, French, Japanese, or Pig Latin. As long as it's got the power to make you move and the ability to make you think, then I would consider it a success.

And you know, even in today's pop charts, there are rare nuggets of beauty amidst the sea of mediocrity. I mean, just listen to any of the songs recorded by Lorde. I still have a hard time believing that she is still too young to legally drink in Canada!

Though, I will say that while this Sunday Jukebox isn't about Lorde, it is going to be a celebration of the best of the pop music charts.  Well...the best of pop charts throughout modern history, that is.

I suppose that for this whole year, I'll be adding a little bit of a Tuesday Timeline twist to the Sunday Jukebox entries.  So from now until the end of the year (unless some huge news story that is music related takes percedence), I'll be using the Billboard Hot 100 charts from years gone by and selecting one song that was #1 on the charts during this week in history.  Now, granted, some of these former #1 songs are still just as fantastic years later, while others are memories of novelty fads that just didn't last.


(I'm looking at you, #1 song of 1996.  Seriously, how the hell did the "Macarena" stay on the top of the charts for fourteen weeks?)

Anyway, for today's blog entry, I thought we'd take a trip back in time to January 1994.  And, 1994 was a rather interesting year in the world of music, as we had a little bit of everything reaching the top of the charts that year.  We had songs by Rod Stewart, Bryan Adams, Sting, Celine Dion, Ace of Base, R. Kelly, All-4-One, Lisa Loeb, Boyz II Men, and Ini Kamoze all topping the charts that year.  

Though, to be fair, the Rod Stewart/Bryan Adams/Sting thing were three artists recording one song.

But as the year 1994 kicked off, we were listening to the last songs of 1993.  And, as it so happens, this song was actually #1 in two separate years.  It hit the top of the charts on December 25, 1993, and remained on top until mid-January 1994.  And while these days, the singer of this hit is more well known for being Nick Cannon's wife and the sworn enemy of Nicki Minaj, twenty years ago she was one of the most respected female musical artists of the decade.  And I have to say that of all the #1 singles she's had over the last two and a half decades, this one is probably my favourite - not so much because of the music, but because of the message that the song provides.





ARTIST:  Mariah Carey
SONG:  Hero
ALBUM:  Music Box
DATE RELEASED:  October 19, 1993
PEAK POSITION ON THE BILLBOARD CHARTS:  #1 for 4 weeks



Now, there's an interesting story that I have to share with all of you before we get into the discussion about this song.  It was not actually meant to be a song that Mariah Carey was supposed to sing.  It was actually written by Carey and Walter Afanasieff for former Miami Sound Machine frontwoman Gloria Estefan.  Now, while I do believe that Gloria would have done a great job with this single, I honestly can't see anyone else other that Mariah Carey singing this song.  Even more interesting trivia about this song...it was actually considered to be used for the 1992 motion picture, "Hero", starring Geena Davis, Dustin Hoffman, and Andy Garcia, but at the last minute, Mariah decided that she would keep the song herself for her "Music Box" album.  So, after a little bit of tweaking (not to be confused with twerking), Mariah came up with what would be the final product.

Of course, Mariah didn't exactly want to commit to recording the song.  At least, not initially.  At the time, she was encouraged by her then fiance and head of Sony Music Entertainment Tommy Mottola to take the song for herself after hearing her singing it in rehearsals and thinking that it was too good a song to be used for a film soundtrack.  Maraih was hesitant, especially since the original lyrics of the song were considered to be a little too schmaltzy for her.

However, when Afanasieff encouraged her to take the song and make it a personal statement about herself, it persuaded her to not only keep the song, but to change the lyrics around a smidgen to better suit her.  And, considering that it was a #1 hit for four weeks, I do believe she made the right call.


And, when you think about those lyrics, it could not only apply to Mariah's own life, but to mine, yours, and everybody's.  Confused yet?  I'll explain it all in a bit.



Although Mariah Carey herself would likely tell you that the song "Hero" is not her favourite song that she's ever worked on, I think that over time, it grew on her...particularly since her fans always requested that she perform the song on every single one of her concerts.  She also received dozens of fan letters and postcards from fans explaining how the song "Hero" had changed their lives and how in some rare instances, the song actually saved their lives.  And, in all of my years of listening to Casey Kasem's Top 40 radio show, I seem to recall "Hero" being played during the request and dedication portion of the program dozens of times.

But you know, I could go on about how impressive the song is, but I think I'll let "Hero" co-writer Walter Afanasieff say it in his own words, as seen in an interview he did with journalist Fred Bronson.

"One person could say that 'Hero' is a schmaltzy piece of garbage, but another person can write me and say, I've considered committing suicide every day of my life for the last ten years until I heard that song and I realized that after all I can be my own hero, and that...that's an unexplainable feeling, like I've done something with my life, y'know?  It meant something to someone.  

Author Darlene Wade also weighed in with this observation about "Hero".

It encourages you to know the hero within.  I call it the 'Spirit of God' that dwells within me.  I believe we are all born with the hero status down on the inside of us.  We spend too much time looking for a hero, and when our hero lets us down, we get angry, depressed, and feel betrayed.  The problem is that all people are subject to error, no matter who they are, no matter how anointed they are, or what the call is on their life."

And certainly the lyrics of "Hero" are extremely powerful and moving.  And, I really particularly love the message that "Hero" presents, which is that everyone has it in them to be a hero in some manner.

I mean, certainly there are everyday heroes in all of our lives.  The volunteer firefighters who take time out of their days to put out fires before they cause too much damage.  The teachers who go above and beyond to make sure that their pupils learn valuable lessons both in and out of the classroom.  Even parents can be considered heroes in the eyes of their children.

But ultimately, we all need to understand that we all do things in our lives that make us heroes in some form.  Sometimes it might seem like an impossible dream to even look at yourself as a hero making a difference in the world.  Certainly I've had many moments of this in my lifetime.  I mean, sometimes I question the path I have gone down thus far and wonder if I made the right choices.  Sometimes I feel like I'm not making a difference to anybody's life the way I am right now.  And, yes, there was that one time in which I was probably one of those people that songwriter Walter Afanasieff was describing in his interview with Fred Bronson.


But then again, there are also times in which I have felt like I have made a huge difference in people's lives.  I've taken part in charity events, I've learned not to be so hard on myself (well, okay that is currently a work in progress, but at least I'm owning up to it), and I'm starting to realize that not everyone in the world is out to get me, but instead want to help me become someone better.  But of course, I have to do all the hard work myself.  But I suppose it's worth it.

It's funny, though.  I never saw myself as a "Hero".  And, some days I still don't.  But maybe we're not supposed to know how being a hero really feels.  Maybe it just happens on its own and we don't even notice it.

Points to ponder this Sunday.

Saturday, January 11, 2014

Duck Hunt - And The Dog That Won't Quit Laughing

This week on the Saturday Smorgasbord, I thought that I would go old-school.  

These days, most of you are playing your Nintendo Wii U consoles, or still calling video game stores wanting to know when the next shipment of PlayStation 4 or XBOX One consoles will be arriving.

(Note to anybody who lives fairly close to where I work.  I don't know when we are getting any more in, and we do not have a waiting list for said consoles.  It is first come, first serve.  And, do not tell me a sob story about how you waited six hours in line for one of the consoles the very first day we offered them for sale because you would be a liar, as the first day we sold them, everybody who was in line walked away with a game console.)

Ahem...sorry.  Just doing a little bit of a rant.  Actually, the above situation spawned my January 9 blog entry, in case you were wondering, or if you cared...but I see that you're probably just wanting me to stop rambling on and just get to the point.


Anyway, in 2014, we all know what the top consoles are.  Thirty years ago, it was an entirely different ball game.  Truth be told, 1984 was a really horrible year for video games in general, as lack of interest and a string of horrible video games (remember Atari's attempt at bringing E.T. to life in a video game?) caused the video game industry to almost go kaput.  

Of course, we all know that this certainly wasn't the case.  By 1985, a company that had initially gone into business manufacturing card games switched their focus to electronics and video gaming.  And by the time the 1980s were over, the company known as Nintendo had successfully turned things around, with millions of players snatching up the Nintendo Entertainment System, the dozens of game cartridges, and the various accessories that came with it.

Of course, by the time the 1980s ended, Nintendo was joined by the Sega Master System and Turbo Grafx 16 in the once again competitive video game market, but Nintendo always seemed to generate the most revenue, and had the most success.  Of course, these days, Nintendo isn't doing quite so well, but they're still holding their own, and I certainly recommend the Nintendo Wii U or Nintendo 3DS as a good introduction for younger players just getting into video games.


And, you know what?  I still remember when I got my very first Nintendo.  I probably told this story already, but it was one of the first things that I saved up for.  Throughout the first few months of 1990, I scrimped and saved up every penny that I found on the ground, every dollar that I got from the tooth fairy, and deposited every single dollar that I got from birthday cards, getting more excited as I saw the total bank balance rise.

Finally, when I had the amount required, I went to the Woolco store, and purchased my Nintendo with my own money!  And, considering that I bought the Nintendo in September 1990, my parents soon regretted the timing of the whole thing, as I would sometimes blow off homework assignments to play Nintendo.

What the hell...I'm out of school now.  I can admit it.  I still ended up getting excellent grades that year anyway.




Now, the Nintendo system that I purchased looked a lot like this one pictured above.  It was the "Action Set", and it came with everything that you saw pictured.  It had the console, the two controllers, a game cartridge, and a funny looking orange thing that kind of looked like a water pistol.  Here, have a closer look.



Apparently, this gun had a name.  The Nintendo Zapper.  And, there were a handful of games that required you to use the Nintendo Zapper.  You'd aim the zapper at your television screen, and with one press of the trigger, you could shoot things that appeared on the screen without actually damaging your television.  It seems corny now, but thirty years ago, this was the height of technology!

But what sort of game could you use the Zapper with?  As easy as it might seem to use the Zapper to blow Bowser away at the end of world 8-4 in Super Mario Brothers to make rescuing that shrieking harpy klutz of a princess easier, alas, it could not be used for that purpose.



Oh, but wait...what is this "Duck Hunt" thing that happens to be written on the cartridge too?  Hmmm...let's find out.

Ohhhhh...yes, it's the game where you use the Zapper to shoot ducks that fly across the screen.  And, as luck would have it, the game is celebrating its thirtieth anniversary this April!

Released in Japan on April 21, 1984 (and in North America eighteen months later in October 1985), "Duck Hunt" is probably one of the easiest Nintendo games you could ever play...and surprisingly enough, also one that I had a lot of fun playing.  And, as a special treat, I've found an online version of the game that you can play absolutely free just by clicking HERE.  So, I'll leave you to play a couple of rounds of the game before we continue.




So, the object of the game is pretty straight forward.  You're in a swamp or marshy area of sorts, and you're armed with a gun.  You see those purple coloured ducks that fly up and travel around the screen (and, really, in nature, when are you ever going to see a purrple duck)?  Your job is to shoot as many of those ducks as you can.  But be careful though...there are ways in which your game can end as quickly as it started.

For one, you have to shoot at least the number of ducks necessary to clear the level.  In the first few rounds of the game, the number is low - meaning that you could literally shoot the screen with your eyes closed and still have a fair shot of making it to the next round.  Once you complete ten rounds of the game, though, the difficulty increases, and you soon have to shoot more ducks in order to proceed.  If you go below the minimum number of ducks that you need to shoot to qualify for the next round, your game is over.

And keep in mind that the ducks also start to behave more erratically in later levels, with them flying faster, and without any sort of pattern in their flight paths at all.

Did I mention that you only have three chances to shoot one duck before they fly away and the next duck appears?  So, take your shots carefully.

I only say this because I know how frustrating it can be to get a Game Over on this game...particularly due to one element that many gamers (myself included) found incredibly annoying.  I bet some of you know what that element is, but just in case you don't, here's a clue.




How many times have you just wanted to say "screw the ducks, I want to shoot the damn dog?"  For some of you, it would be many!  For me, I have to say that I've tried doing it when the dog showed up and started to laugh at me.  It doesn't work though.

(Surprisingly enough though, you CAN shoot the dog on the arcade version of the game.  Who knew?)




It's not as if the dog doesn't give you a reason not to.  Whenever you miss a duck, he pops up laughing.  When you get a Game Over screen, he's laughing.  Every time you screw up, he pops up and laughs.  I half expect the dog to pop up from behind the counter of the electronics department whenever I have a mishap on the cash register!  

I mean, wouldn't you have homicidal tendencies towards someone who was not supportive of you and made you a walking punchline if you had a bad day?  No wonder the Duck Hunt dog has made it onto several "Worst Video Game Character Ever" lists!




However, there is one option on the game cartridge that allows you to not see the Duck Hunt dog ever again.  Though, to be fair, you won't be shooting ducks either.  There's also a bonus game on the Duck Hunt cartridge that allows you to shoot clay pigeons instead.  But be warned, the difficulty level on the clay pigeon level is much higher, and the targets are much smaller.  I still managed to make it to the double digits in rounds on the clay pigeon level, but it wasn't easy.

(And, when I say double digits, I mean like round eleven.)


Oh, one last thing before I end this blog off.  On Duck Hunt, there are supposedly 99 levels to the game.  I myself have never made it to Round 99 (I usually lost interest somewhere around Round 15 or so), but apparently Round 99 is the hardest level in the game.  If gamers are to beat Round 99, they are rewarded with a glitch that effectively ends your game.  Because only two digits of memory were programmed into the Duck Hunt cartridge, the game will reset itself to Round 0, which is effectively a kill-screen for Duck Hunt.

(I'll bet the Duck Hunt dog was responsible for that one too.)



Friday, January 10, 2014

The Soap Opera Behind The Soap Operas

Okay, so I initially didn't plan on doing this particular blog entry today, but given that there's a current scandal brewing in the world of daytime television, it gave me the idea for the topic – a topic that I actually had to do a lot of research on, as I don't really have much experience with soap operas.

But given the real life soap opera that is unfolding behind the scenes of one of America's most watched daytime shows, I thought it would be a good lead-in. And, I suppose that this also inspired the title of this particular blog entry.

The Soap Opera Behind The Scenes of Soap Operas”. Kind of catchy, no?



So, I imagine that almost all of you who regularly watch soaps know all about “The Young and the Restless”. It's a show that celebrated 40 years on the air in 2013, and has been ranked the #1 daytime drama for twenty-five of those forty years.  That's quite a magnificent feat, given that the setting of the daytime drama is a mid-sized town that happens to be placed in a state that is most famous for cheese than anything else.

Of course, behind the fictional world of Genoa City, Wisconsin which includes several mansions, an athletic club, and a coffeehouse named "Crimson Lights" are real actors making a living doing what they do best in front of cameras on a soundstage at CBS headquarters in California.  And, on December 19, 2013, news broke that completely blurred the lines between fictional soap opera and real life scandal.



That was the day that the news broke that actor Michael Muhney, who has played the role of Adam Newman since 2009, had been fired.  And, naturally when the news broke out, many fans of the show were extremely shocked - especially when you consider that he had a strong fan base on the show, and his role of Adam was praised for being so multi-dimensional and layered.

Oh, sure, Adam Newman was an extremely flawed character who could be sweet as pie one day, and horribly evil the next.  What do you expect when you consider that his father is Victor Newman, probably one of the most ruthless characters on the whole show?


Needless to say, when fans learned that Muhney's last airdate would be at the end of January, 2014, there was a huge uproar on social media, with Michael's fans demanding to know why he was let go, and with lots of questions being thrown in the air without any answers being given.

So, when various websites began reporting details of what really happened with Muhney's firing, fans of the show soon wished they were still in the dark.  

According to various other websites (I think TMZ broke the story, but I'm really not sure), Muhney was let go from the show because he allegedly caused tension behind the scenes by engaging in some sexual misconduct with another actress on the show - a much younger actress who for the sake of this blog entry will remain nameless.  I say "allegedly" because at this point, I really don't know all the story, and unlike some tabloids I want to make sure that all information I post is accurate because the last thing I want is to post erroneous information here.

Erroneous opinions, I can deal with.  Erroneous information is a no-no.

Anyway, the information we do know is this.  Muhney has been let go from the soap indefinitely.  Muhney himself has stated in interviews that he "saw it coming", which implies that he at least knew what the circumstances were behind the loss of his job and has more or less accepted it.  And, for some reason, I also did some digging and discovered that a group of Muhney's fans actually paid money to fly a banner over the CBS studios where the show is taped, demanding that Muhney be re-hired (I mean, seriously?  There must be better ways to spend your money).

But on the ugly side, the actress who is also involved in this real life soap opera is now facing the wrath of Muhney fans who have posted some rather disgusting comments towards her and actually blaming her for the loss of their favourite star, which has caused some other members of the cast to publicly defend her.

It's just one gigantic mess.

For what it's worth, I don't know all the facts...but if things happened the way that they did with Muhney guilty of sexual misconduct with a younger co-star and the younger co-star did not like it at all, then as far as I'm concerned, it's an open and shut case.  No workplace in this day and age accepts sexual harassment as being okay, and soap opera soundstages should be no exception.  If things happened the way they did, Muhney's firing was justified.  Regardless though, I think that people just need to calm down about it.  Stop sending banners over studios, and stop the harassment of all the parties involved.  Let the parties deal with the situation themselves.


But you know, the more research I did on this particular case, the more tales from other soap opera sets that had me realizing that this latest incident isn't the only time in which the behind the scenes action seemed more dramatic than what was shown every weekday afternoon.  Upon research, I have found at least four other instances in which the behind the scenes action turned ugly in a huge way.  In most of these stories, the truth has been revealed, but in other cases, it's a little bit of a "he said/she said" tale.  I will make this clear as I continue with this blog though, as I definitely don't want to state that something is fact when it really isn't.

And, well, since we began with Y&R, let's continue with Y&R, shall we?



PETER BERGMAN vs. ERIC BRAEDEN

Now, to longtime viewers of "The Young and the Restless", you may recognize the two names above as being huge stars of the soap opera world.  After all, between Peter Bergman and Eric Braeden, they have a combined fifty-nine years of experience on the show.  Eric Braeden has played the role of ruthless Victor Newman since 1980, while Peter Bergman took over the role of Jack Abbott from the late Terry Lester in 1989.

But had show creator William J. Bell been pushed to do it, both men would have seen their careers end one fateful day in 1991.  




Now, on the show, Victor and Jack are enemies.  In fact, the last twenty-five years or so, Victor and Jack have been trying to take each other down.  It's probably one of the longest soap opera rivalries to ever be seen on daytime television.  But while some actors might play enemies on television, they may be the best of friends when the cameras shut off.

But apparently the hate between Victor and Jack turned personal, and from various articles that I have read, the tension between Bergman and Braeden became so great that it actually ended with both actors exchanging punches!  And, this prompted Bell to step in and tell both of them that if it happened again, he would have both of them fired on the spot, and their roles would be recast.

Since then, Bergman and Braeden have seemingly squashed their feud with each other and have maintained a professional working relationship since, with both men owning up to their part in the scuffle.  However, I'm curious now to see some of those Y&R episodes from 1991, just to see if the two actors were acting, or if they really did hate each other.




VICTORIA ROWELL vs. MICHELLE STAFFORD

Another dynamic fight of epic proportions reportedly took place on the set of Y&R between two actresses who are no longer on the show.  Victoria Rowell portrayed the role of Drucilla Winters off and on between 1990 and 2007, and Michelle Stafford played the role of Phyllis Summers Newman off and on between 1994 and 2013.

And, much like the characters of Jack Abbott and Victor Newman, it's a safe bet to say that Phyllis and Drucilla did not get along with each other at all.  Here's just one of their many fights on the show.




But again, much like the incident between Bergman and Braeden, a fight scene between Stafford and Rowell turned personal, according to Rowell's claims anyway.

After Drucilla was killed off in 2007 (though to be fair, her body was never found), Rowell did a series of interviews with various soap publications, and Rowell made the claim that things turned ugly between her and Stafford during a scene in which Drucilla and Phyllis were arguing.  At some point, Rowell made the claim that during a rehearsal, Stafford actually did a spit take and spat all over her, prompting a battle between the two co-stars.  Rowell also made claims that Stafford, as well as couple of other Y&R cast members actually launched a campaign to see that she never came back to the show again.  It's unknown whether these allegations that Rowell has made have any truth to them, as Stafford has never publicly spoken about the incident.  But, I will say this...now that Stafford has left the show, could it be possible that we see Drucilla again?  Time will tell.




KIMBERLIN BROWN vs. HUNTER TYLO

I suppose it's kind of symbolic that when they were acting on "The Bold and the Beautiful" together that Kimberlin's character of Sheila Carter would shoot Hunter's character of Taylor Forrester, making Taylor's family believe that she was dead for three years, because if you believe Hunter Tylo's claims, Kimberlin was the one who blew their friendship away.

At one point, Kimberlin and Hunter were very good friends.  When Brown crossed over to the B&B from Y&R in 1992, Hunter and Kimberlin were involved in quite a few stories together and their friendship seemed solid.

But then Hunter Tylo's marriage was beginning to falter, and at the divorce proceedings, it was expected that Kimberlin and her husband would be called to testify as character witnesses, given how close the two couples were.  What Hunter didn't expect to see happen was that Kimberlin would actually be on the side of her husband, and as a result of this, the former friends fell out for good.

Hunter Tylo left "The Bold and the Beautiful" for good in 2013.  As for Brown, she hasn't been seen on B&B since 2003, and since the character of Sheila Carter was supposedly killed off on Y&R, it's unknown if she'll ever come back to the show again...but I suppose you never know.




SARAH MICHELLE GELLAR vs. SUSAN LUCCI

These days, Sarah Michelle Gellar is making people laugh on the sitcom "The Crazy Ones", but twenty-one years ago - when Gellar was just sixteen years old - she debuted on the set of ABC's "All My Children" as a character named Kendall Hart who had a surprising connection to one of the residents of Pine Valley.  She was actually the illegitimate daughter of original "All My Children" diva Erica Kane, played by Lucci during the soap's entire broadcast history on ABC.

Of course, Erica didn't take too kindly to the idea of Kendall being her daughter, and between 1993 and 1995 (when Gellar left the series) the plot revolved around the scheming Kendall clashing with the headstrong Erica.

Turns out that if the stories heard around set were true, it was art imitating life.  It was widely reported that there was tension between Lucci and Gellar, and there were reports of everything happening from Gellar's mother getting too professionally involved in the show to Lucci being insanely jealous of Gellar's sudden popularity.  Now, I don't know if any of this was true, but I can't imagine Lucci feeling all that happy when Sarah Michelle Gellar won a Daytime Emmy Award in 1995 after just two years when Lucci had been nominated for fifteen years without taking home one award!


Whatever the case, Gellar left in 1995, became a big star through "Buffy: The Vampire Slayer", and is now married to Freddie Prinze Jr.  And, Lucci ended up winning an Emmy in 1999.  But do tensions still remain between Gellar and Lucci?  Nobody is talking, though when Sarah Michelle Gellar did a cameo for the final episode of "All My Children", it was quite telling that she never shared any screen time with Lucci...

And, that's all I have for this week's edition.  I'm sure that there are more soap opera behind the scenes feuds that I haven't touched upon yet.  If any of you know of any other stories that you have heard, or want to comment on this story, feel free!

Thursday, January 09, 2014

The Customer Is Always Right...Unless They're Mean About It

Before I go ahead with today's blog entry, I have a question for all of you.  Don't worry.  It's not a loaded one.



Seriously, just ponder that for a second.  Are you picturing it right now?  Are you thinking about your answer at all?
I certainly know what my answer is.  And since it's a Thursday Video Blog, I thought I'd speak my piece...well, as much as I can, anyway.  Just note that I never really talk about my own personal experiences, nor do I do any name dropping because A) I don't feel the need to name drop, and B) because the opinion can be applied to many different retailers.  Have a look.  We'll discuss it a little bit at the end.




I do apologize for it being so long.  It wasn't my intention...it's just that the timer blended in with the white background on my computer screen.

But before I go ahead with my further discussion on this topic, I want to post this sign.





Trust me, it's the sign that can save retailers and customer service specialists a lot of grief.  But as I said beforehand, it should really only be used as a trump card and only when the situation arises.  Because I have heard stories of people actually attacking retail workers in a physical or emotional sense because they didn't like the answer they received, and in cases like that where you cannot get away, call for assistance.  And, never, ever try to tackle a volatile situation alone.
And, keep in mind that respect is a two-way street.  After all, it would be pretty hypocritical if I told you to treat customers with respect if I didn't treat my customers with respect right off the bat.  Even though I have my good days and bad days, I never take it out on my customers...and if I ever do, please call me out on it!  Respectfully, of course, that is.

After all, I never want to come across as being exactly like this snooty waitress found on the BBC soap opera EastEnders.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9BscsgZwOHw

Though, you have to admit...although the customer did everything that I said was absolutely wrong...you must admit, you laughed, didn't you?  

Wednesday, January 08, 2014

Richard Scarry's Busy, Busy World

Okay, everyone! It's Whatever Wednesday time again, the day of the week in which I leave everything up to fate. With my trusty stock of Clue character cards, as well as a small bag in which I put said Clue character cards inside every Wednesday, I will randomly draw a card and whatever card I draw will be the topic I talk about today!

(I wonder how many times I can say the word “card” in one sentence?)

Anyway, let's have a look at which card I've drawn today.



Ah, yes...the Mrs. White card. A great choice for today!

And, looking at the list of topics associated with each coloured card, I see that the Mrs. White card is linked to the last two weeks of the Saturday Smorgasbord, which means that I'll either be talking about a cartoon, or a book series.

But you know what? I think for this week, I'll be combining the two. Yes, that's exactly what I'll do.

I honestly can't remember when the last time was that I featured a book in this blog. It's been a very long time, I must say. And, that fact along kind of saddens me because I was such an avid reader as a child, and am still a huge fan of books and literature today (even though these days, most books that I read deal with either pop culture trivia or true crime stories...interesting combo, I know).

So, I'm going to make up for lost time by talking about one of my favourite books from elementary school. And, would you believe that I bought this book in one of the most unusual places ever?

Well, okay, maybe it's not all THAT unusual. Here's the story.

At the risk of sounding like Sophia from “The Golden Girls”, I'm just going to start off by saying “Picture it. Commonwealth Public School. 1989. I was a second grade student who was very much into books and reading. In fact, I was so into books and reading that I would have rather stayed inside during recess and read books at my desk.

(Confession: I was probably the only kid at my school who hated recess.)

I tell you, there were no shortage of opportunities for me to satisfy my craving for books. Our teachers always had a huge assortment of books for us to read in class, I would literally be a kid in a candy store whenever the Scholastic Book Fair came to our school. And, I think my favourite part of the whole school week was the day in which we were allowed to go down to our school library and spend a whole period there. If I had my way, I would have just hid in the library during the nine years that I spent at elementary school and let the books teach me instead of the teachers. Now, that would have been a cool school experience.

Oh, and as it so happens, there was one event that took place in our library that I absolutely looked forward to. Every year around May or June, the school library would always order brand new books for the library using the money that was raised for the school holiday fundraisers. And, in order to make room for the brand spanking new books, some of the older books that were coverless, in disrepair, or were too dog-eared to be checked out again were boxed up and put on display in the hallway of the school. Before the books were chucked out though, they gave the kids in the school a chance to purchase some of these older books. If I remember correctly, each book only cost fifty cents (which given that we were children between the ages of five and fourteen at that time was a lot of money). I would literally scrape together all the change from my piggy bank just to have the chance to buy at least one book.

Of course, the older I got, the more frustrated I got with the book sale. Because they always called the classes down to the book sale in order from lowest grade to highest, by the time I reached second grade, all the good books had already been bought up by the kindergarten and grade one students. I can only imagine how annoyed the seventh and eighth graders were when they finally got called down to the sale!

However, I remember one book immediately catching my eye at the used library book sale when I was in the second grade. As far as condition goes, it certainly wasn't brand new. The spine was held together with what appeared to be the same tape one would use on a hockey stick, some of the pages were scribbled on with magic marker, and I reckon that the last twelve or fourteen pages or so were torn out of the book. Honestly, how could anybody even think of defacing a book like that?

However, even though the book wasn't in the best condition, I knew that I had to have it. After all, I used to read this author's books all the time at our town library, and always wanted to own one of his books. Problem was that they were very hard to find in my small town, and when they were available, they were quite expensive. To me, it didn't matter that the book was incomplete. After all, it was a book that boasted that it had at least thirty-three mini-stories in one book – well, thirty-one in the case of this book. And, the stories that were complete were absolutely beautiful.

Though, I wouldn't have expected anything less from the late Richard Scarry.



I have to say that I have always been a fan of Richard Scarry's work as long as I can remember. He not only wrote the dozens of books that are associated with him, but he drew all of the illustrations for the books as well. And, one of the key things about Richard Scarry's books were just how much detail he put into each story. Unlike many children's books, which featured human characters, all of Richard Scarry's books featured animals doing all of the things people did. More often than not, he used cats, dogs, mice, and rabbits, but occasionally, he would feature pigs, goats, lambs, and even a hippopotamus or two. His death in April 1994 certainly marked the end of a era, and I remember feeling as sad as I did about Dr. Seuss' death when I heard of his passing.

But I always had the book that I bought at that library book sale to remember him by. And, what a book it was.



Today we'll be looking at the gigantic book known as “Richard Scarry's Busy Busy World”. It was published several years before I was born (most sources that I came up with listed a publication date of 1970), but many of the stories in the book are still just as relevant as they are now.

Well, okay...maybe the story about Russia might need to be updated a bit.

But really, the book was one fantastic adventure right after another. Thirty-three stories featuring thirty-three different nations of the world. And, each story was funnier than the next. The outrageous behaviour that each character exhibited, the sight gags, the laugh out loud moments. I loved every single page of that book. And, had I owned the complete full version of that book, I probably could truly love every page of that book, as the copy I owned was missing a few.


So, rather than tell you some of my favourite stories, why don't I show you instead? Mind you, these are not my own personal scans. My beloved book seems to have gone missing over the years. But looking at them all over again certainly brings great joy to my face, and the memories come flooding back. Allow me to share those memories with all of you now.  Because I always say that a picture is always worth a thousand words.

(And because I haven't got a whole lot of time to spare.)


Tuesday, January 07, 2014

January 7, 1948

Welcome to the very first Tuesday Timeline entry of 2014! Though, you'd never really know it, as the Tuesday Timeline often goes back in time to a specific date in history that influenced the world of pop culture (and quite possibly the way that we look at the world). Sometimes we go back just a couple of years, while other times we go back in time a couple of centuries!

Fear not. This time around, we're sticking with twentieth century history.

And, on this date – January 7 – a lot happened in the world. Would you like to see what took place on this date years and years ago?
Well, we'll get to our feature presentation in a moment. For now, the previews.

1608 – The city of Jamestown, Virginia is destroyed by fire

1782 – The Bank of North America – the first American commercial bank – opens

1785 – Jean-Pierre Blanchard and John Jeffries travel from Dover, England to Calais, France in a gas balloon

1797 – The modern Italian flag is first used

1894 – William Kennedy Dickson receives a patent for motion picture film

1904 – The new distress signal “CQD” is established – only for it to be replaced two years later by the much easier to use “SOS” signal

1911 – Actress Butterfly McQueen (d. 1995), best known as Prissy from “Gone With The Wind” is born in Tampa, Florida

1912 – Cartoonist Charles Addams (d. 1988), creator of the Addams Family, is born in Westfield, New Jersey

1927 – The first transatlantic telephone service is established connecting New York and London, England

1931 – Guy Menzies flies the first non-stop flight from Australia to New Zealand in just under twelve hours

1935 – Benito Mussolini and Pierre Laval sign the Franco-Italian Agreement

1942 – The siege of the Bataan Peninsula begins

1954 – The Georgetown-IBM Experiment takes place at IBM headquarters which becomes the first instance of a machine translation system being demonstrated

1959 – The United States recognizes the new Cuban government of Fidel Castro

1960 – The Polaris missile is test launched

1973 – Ten people are killed and thirteen more injured at a Howard Johnson's Hotel in New Orleans by Mark Essex, who later is killed in a standoff with police

1980 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter authorizes $1.5 billion dollar loans to be given out to the struggling Chrysler Corporation

1986 – Children's illustrator P.D. Eastman (b. 1909), best known for illustrating many Dr. Seuss' “Beginner Books” series, passes away at the age of 76

1989 – Following the death of Japanese emperor Hirohito, Prince Akihito is sworn in as the country's new emperor

1990 – Safety reasons prevent tourists from entering the Leaning Tower of Pisa

1991 – A coup d'etat is attempted by the former leader of the Tonton Macoute in Haiti, Roger Lafontant, but ends in his arrest

1992 – Puppeteer/voice artist Richard Hunt (b. 1951), who voiced many Muppet characters dies of AIDS related complications at just 40 years old

2002 – Actor Avery Schreiber (b. 1935) passes away at the age of 66

2012 – Eleven people are killed in a tragic hot air balloon accident near Carterton, New Zealand

Yeah...I decided to add a little bit of impact to the Tuesday Timeline this year by adding in a little Impact font.

There's also a few celebrities and famous faces celebrating birthdays today, so let's wish the following people a happy birthday! Geoffrey Bayldon, William Peter Blatty, Terry Moore, Ducky Schofield, Lou Graham, Jann Wenner, Anne Schedeen, Juan Gabriel, Erin Gray, Helen Worth, Sammo Hung, Jodi Long, David Caruso, Katie Couric, Linda Koslowski, Kathy Valentine (Go-Go's), David Marciano, Hallie Todd, Nicolas Cage, “Five for Fighting”, Guy Hebert, David Yost, Doug E. Doug, Jeremy Renner, John Rich, Dustin Diamond, Natalie Gulbis, Lyndsy Fonseca, Camryn Grimes, and Max Morrow.

So, are you ready for today's Tuesday Timeline feature? Well, here's today's date!



We're going back in time sixty-six years to January 7, 1948!

And, I hope you're ready to cut loose, footloose, and kick off your Sunday shoes, because I promise you that if you like your soft rock with a little bit of hard knocks, this Tuesday Timeline is the place for you. The only thing that I have a hard time believing is that our blog subject for today is turning sixty-six years old today! I mean, if you look at any recent pictures of him, you'd probably not believe it yourself. Oh, look, I just happen to have a recent picture of him right here.



Now, I ask you. Does Kenny Loggins look 66 years old? I don't think so.

And, yet, if one were to examine his birth certificate (which I should state for the record that I DO NOT have), you'd see that he was born in Everett, Washington on January 7, 1948 under his birth name of Kenneth Clark Loggins.

So, in celebration of the life and longevity of Kenny's stellar musical career, I thought that I'd make this Tuesday Timeline a collection of his greatest hits. And, believe me, he's had quite a lot of them, whether it be as a solo artist, as a part of the 1970s group “Loggins and Messina”, or everything else in between.

So, I hope you've got some time to kill, because it's time to start the show! And, what better way to begin than with some of his earliest hits?



VAHEVELA
Released: November 1971
Peak Position on the Billboard Charts: #84

Okay, so maybe it wasn't the biggest start for the duo of Kenny Loggins and Jim Messina. But it was the start of what would become a five-year partnership between the two musicians. The two met in 1970 while Jim Messina was working as an independent record producer for Columbia Records, and Kenny Loggins was signed to ABC-Dunhill Records. Both men certainly had musical talents on their own. After all, Messina was once a member of the rock bands Poco and Buffalo Springfield, and Loggins had been performing in a series of bands after graduating from high school. But when the duo first met, Messina was more interested in helping Loggins get his career off the ground, even letting Loggins record some demos in his own living room.  The end result was that Messina had contributed much more than he initially intended.  So much that when the album was released in 1971, it was released under the title "Kenny Loggins and Jim Messina Sittin' In".  So while this was the first single, it didn't chart very high.  But that would change...



YOUR MAMA DON'T DANCE
Released:  October 1972
Peak Position on the Billboard Charts:  #4

Arguably one of Loggins and Messina's biggest hits, the song peaked at #4 at the tail end of 1972.  It was also one of the first singles that really defined Loggins and Messina as a duo, as the album that the song was released on had the duo's full name of "Loggins and Messina".  And one thing that I will say about the album is that both Loggins and Messina shared songwriting credits.  Of the eleven songs on the album, Loggins wrote four, Messina wrote four, and the other three were collaborative efforts.  But, I think that some of you of another generation might better recall the version that the heavy metal band "Poison" released in 1989.

Now, Loggins and Messina remained together as a duo until 1976, when they parted ways to embark on solo careers (theirs was probably one of the most amicable splits in rock history).  And when Kenny Loggins emerged as a solo artist, the hits just kept coming and coming!




WHENEVER I CALL YOU FRIEND (duet with Stevie Nicks)
Released:  July 1978
Peak Position on the Billboard Charts:  #5

This particular single was the second solo release by Kenny Loggins, but in all actuality, several other established musicians took part in the creation of this single, which peaked at #5 in 1978.  Obviously, "Fleetwood Mac" vocalist Stevie Nicks was a huge part of this song, as she performed as his duet partner.  But I bet you didn't know that the song was originally co-written by Melissa "You Should Hear How She Talks About You" Manchester.  In fact, Melissa even recorded her own version of this song with Arnold McCuller for her own 1979 album!

And, here's some more trivia!  Apparently, Kenny Loggins must have dabbled in French at some point, because three years after this version was recorded, he re-recorded this duet with French singer Jeane Manson in 1981, with Manson recording Stevie Nicks' lines in French, and with Manson and Loggins singing the chorus in French!  C'est magnifique, non?




THIS IS IT
Released:  September 1979
Peak Position on the Billboard Charts:  #11

Interesting story about this song.  The song features Doobie Brothers singer Michael McDonald on backing vocals who helped Loggins co-write this single.  I have often wondered if this was meant as a gesture of gratitude, as Loggins helped co-write the Doobie Brothers hit "What A Fool Believes", which topped the charts earlier in 1979.  At any rate, I think that it's probably my second favourite Kenny Loggins song (my favourite one is still coming up).

It's also a song in which Loggins had intended it to be about one thing, but following a visit with his ailing father in the hospital, he made it about something entirely different.  Certainly the melody might make some feel that it should be a love song, and it was initially intended to be.  Loggins had already composed the melody, but had yet to pen appropriate lyrics.  But after visiting his father in the hospital, he decided that instead of a song celebrating love, it would instead be a song about life and its challenges.  It was a gamble that paid off, even though the song just missed the Top 10.




I'M ALRIGHT
Released:  July 1980
Peak Position on the Billboard Charts:  #7

Confession time:  Caddyshack is one of my all-time favourite films from the 1980s.  I could watch it all day and all night!  So, naturally, I have a soft spot for this song which appeared in the film's soundtrack.  It's not my favourite song of Loggins, but certainly ranks within my Top 5 list.

I also have a couple of more pieces of trivia regarding this song as well.  First, this song is probably one of the most performed songs that Loggins performs at live concerts.

And secondly, there was a reality show that aired on VH1 years ago (I think it was called "Rock The Cradle" or something like that), which had the sons and daughters of established musical stars competing in a singing competition.  Kenny's son Crosby Loggins performed this song on that show, and he ended up being the big winner!




FOOTLOOSE
Released:  January 1984
Peak Position on the Billboard Charts:  #1

I don't know what it was about Kenny Loggins and film soundtracks that produced so much magic, but whatever the case, Kenny certainly struck gold with this particular single from the 1984 film "Footloose".  It remains his one and only #1 hit on the Billboard charts.

(And, it happens to be my favourite Kenny Loggins song ever.  I dare you to listen to it and NOT want to get up and dance!)


I suppose in that sense, it was effective - as the movie is all about a town that has banned dancing of all kinds!

The film made a star out of Kevin Bacon, and the soundtrack made a star out of Kenny Loggins.  And in 2011, country music artist Blake Shelton re-recorded the single for the 2011 remake of the film "Footloose".  But, I gotta say.  I prefer Loggins' version.  And, I can't stand the 2011 remake of "Footloose".  Give me Bacon or give me nothing, I say.



DANGER ZONE
Released:  May 1986
Peak Position on the Billboard Charts:  #2

The final song we'll be looking at comes from yet another '80s film soundtrack.  This time, the song comes from the 1986 film "Top Gun", which featured Tom Cruise, Anthony Edwards, and Kelly McGillis.  And, certainly Kenny Loggins sang his heart out on this powerful song.

But would you believe that Loggins almost never recorded this song in the first place?  Believe it or not, this song was originally intended to be released by Toto.

No, not Dorothy's dog, Toto.  I mean, "I miss the rains down in Africa" Toto.


Ultimately, Toto had to turn down the song, as their lawyers clashed with the producers of "Top Gun".

Next, Bryan Adams was approached to sing this song, plus have "Only The Strong Survive" appear on the soundtrack, but Adams refused, saying that he didn't want to be attached to a project that glorified war.  So, Adams didn't get to sing the song either, and "Only The Strong Survive" was instead used for the 1991 film "Problem Child 2".  Yeah, THERE'S an upgrade.

REO Speedwagon was also asked to record the song, but also turned it down!

I wonder how frustrated the producers were by the time Kenny Loggins agreed to sing this song!  But you know what?  I can't imagine anybody else singing this song.  Can you?

So, that wraps up our look back on Kenny Loggins and some of his greatest hits.  Hey, the man's turning 66 today!  It's the least I can do!

Happy birthday, Kenny!