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Wednesday, October 15, 2014

Ghostbusters II

Under normal circumstances, I would be using this space to write a WHO AM I WEDNESDAY entry, but this week, I've decided to skip it. 

I have a very good reason though for doing exactly that.

You see, earlier in the month when things were a little bit crazy, I decided to skip the movie post that week.  Between worrying about my mom and being invited to a wedding reception that night (with my mom's blessing, of course), I was way too busy to put forth much of an effort into the blog that day.

So, I thought that I would go ahead and do up a special edition Wednesday movie blog to make up for missing that one almost two weeks ago. 

You see, I've been trying to fill up the October movie blogs with scary Halloween themed movies.  And I decided to start things off rather tamely and increase the intensity of fright as each week progressed.  Now, last week I talked about the relatively tame film "Hocus Pocus".  Today I'll still be talking about a PG-rated movie that really isn't very scary upon retrospect, but is certainly a little bit more darker than "Hocus Pocus".

And when I say "little bit more darker", I put the emphasis on the little.

Oh, I should warn you ahead of time as well.  Today's film happens to be a sequel to a popular 1984 film.  And while this 1989 movie didn't quite match the success of the 1984 film, at the very least, the majority of the cast from the first film reunited for the second part. 

Which was good.  Because if you're going to call up a bunch of people to rid your house of phantasms, poltergeists, and spirits, you should probably know who you're gonna call.



Yep.  It's time for the "Ghostbusters II" entry!  And yes, there is definitely a good reason why I opted to choose this film for discussion today.

I'm sure that you've heard all the rumours about the possibility of a brand new Ghostbusters film being made.  Some may call it a remake of an old classic, while others may believe it to be the third film in a potential trilogy.  And in a way, I suppose that I can understand why there is so much interest in the Ghostbusters franchise.  After all, 2014 marks the 30th anniversary of the original film's release, which starred Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson, Sigourney Weaver, and the late Harold Ramis.

But some of the things that I've heard about the third edition of the Ghostbusters series make me sort of scratch my head.  For one, the plans are to make all four Ghostbusters female in this installment.  Now, if they were the daughters of Egon Spengler (Ramis), Peter Venkman (Murray), Ray Stantz (Aykroyd), and Winston Zeddemore (Hudson), it could work.  I could see a Rachel Stantz or a Winifred Zeddemore taking care of business.  But the incorporation of a female Ghostbusters team has to be done absolutely perfectly or else it's going to bomb. 

It would also be nice if the surviving members of the original cast made guest appearances, but I'm not exactly holding my breath.

To be honest, I would have liked it if they flash forwarded twenty-five years after Ghostbusters II, and had Dana Barrett's child, Oscar become a Ghostbuster.  That would link all three films together.  After all, Oscar would be something like twenty-six years old now.  The age would work.



Ah, maybe I'll just stick with discussing Ghostbusters II instead.

Okay, so Ghostbusters II takes place five years after the original one aired, and New York City is ghost free.  The Ghostbusters did a fantastic job of clearing them all out of Manhattan during the ghost invasion of '84.  Unfortunately, the city of New York showed their gratitude by issuing a lawsuit against them for the property damage caused by defeating Gozer, and they have now been banned from investigating the supernatural.  The Ghostbusters now have to take on other jobs which range from lab rat to talk show host to children's entertainer.

We also learn that Dana Barrett (Weaver) has broken off her relationship with Peter, married someone else, had Oscar together, and the couple is now divorced.  In fact, the first scene of the movie prominently shows Dana taking Oscar for a walk in the middle of the city.  But some weird things start happening when Oscar's baby carriage suddenly takes off on its own headed straight into oncoming traffic.  Luckily, Dana manages to reach Oscar before tragedy happens, but the incident spooks Dana enough to seek the help of her former Ghostbuster buddies.



Sure enough, Egon, Ray, Winston, and Peter agree to help Dana out even though they have been ordered not to do any further investigation regarding the spirit world.  They go back to the scene of the crime which happens to be First Avenue, and they find something strange is going on.  A large river of pink slime seems to be flowing beneath the city, and when they go to investigate the slime, it attacks Ray who accidentally cause a blackout while fighting it off.  The Ghostbusters are arrested and ordered to appear in court where their old friend Louis Tully (Rick Moranis) serves as their attorney.  And initially, Louis must have done a bad job because by the end of the trial, the judge is ready to throw the book at them.  However, when the slime sample that was used as evidence against them explodes and releases the spirits of two murderers that the judge had sentenced to death, the Ghostbusters take care of them in a hurry, prompting the judge to overturn the previous ruling allowing the Ghostbusters to return to work.



Meanwhile, things are beginning to get a little strange at Dana's workplace.  Working as an art restorer at a city museum, Dana notices that ever since her colleague Dr. Janosz Poha (Peter MacNicol) started working on a portrait of Vigo the Carpathian that he has been acting incredibly strange.  Turns out that the spirit of the murderous, evil Vigo has possessed Dr. Poha, and that Vigo has given Poha some rather frightening orders.  In order for Vigo to come back to the world from death, he will need to possess the body of a baby before the beginning of the New Year. 

Oh, yeah...did I mention that this movie begins just after Christmas?  And that Oscar is only just a few months old at the time?  This can't be good.

Now, that's about all I'm going to say about this movie because it just gets weirder from there.  But I will leave you with a few clues.

- The pink slime would not respond well to Pharrell Williams' "Happy".
- The Statue of Liberty plays a huge part in the movie.
- Janine Melnitz (Annie Potts) returns to the film.
- The song "Higher and Higher" becomes very important to the film's resolution.

Those are a few of the things you can expect to see while watching this film.  Now for some trivia.

1 - There are some family members of cast members playing bit parts in the movie.  Bill Murray's brother, Brian Doyle-Murray plays a psychiatrist in the film, while Dan Aykroyd's niece plays the role of a schoolage child.

2 - Ben Stein does a cameo in this film.

3 - So does director Ivan Reitman's son, Jason.  He plays one of the kids at the birthday party scene.

4 - The role of Vigo is physically played by Wilhelm von Homburg, but his lines were overdubbed by Max von Sydow.

5 - When the idea was pitched to make a sequel of the film, at least half the cast wasn't sure it was a good idea.  Ramis, Aykroyd, and Ivan Reitman were unsure that a sequel was needed.  However, they eventually gave in and made the movie anyway.



6 - Bobby Brown, who contributes the song "On Our Own" to the film's soundtrack, has a cameo as a doorman.

7 - Slimer was initially not supposed to be in the second film - however, since the green ghost was included in the cartoon series as the Ghostbusters pet, the decision was made to have him do a special appearance. 

8 - You know the scene in which the ghostly Titanic docks in the middle of the harbour?  The initial plan was to have the spirits of the Hindenburg disaster haunting the city.

9 - The twins that played Oscar were William and Henry Deutschendorf - the nephews of singer John Denver!

10 - Janine's appearance was changed from the first movie to represent how she looked in the cartoon series.

11 - The Ecto-1 car actually broke down after shooting the bridge scene!

12 - Check out the marquee in the scene where slime attacks people on the streets of New York.  It's advertising a movie called "Cannibal Girls" - which was one of Ivan Reitman's first films.

13 - Bill Murray wasn't impressed with the final cut of the film, because he claimed that the film focused too much on the slime and not enough of them.

14 - And, because you wanted to have some crazy credits at the end of the film, Slimer is indeed cast as himself!

Tuesday, October 14, 2014

October 14, 1978

Hi there!

Canadians, I want to know one thing.  Have you recovered from your turkey comas yet?  After all, Thanksgiving only comes once a year, and I hope that you had a lot of fun and warm memories spending time with your loved ones.

Americans, I want to know one thing.  How was your Columbus Day?  Did you find your way around your cities and towns today, or did you get lost and accidentally discover a whole new world?  Whatever you did yesterday, I hope you had fun.

And to everyone else in the world...well, I have no idea what holidays - if any - you celebrated yesterday, but whatever it is you did yesterday, I hope you gave it your all!

For now, I do believe we have a Tuesday Timeline to deal with.  It's October 14, and as it so happens, a lot happened on this date in history.  Before we get to the main event though, let's look at the other things that took place.

1586 - Mary, Queen of Scots goes on trial for conspiracy against England's Elizabeth I

1656 - Massachusetts enacts the first punitive legislation against the Religious Society of Friends - or Quakers, as they were widely known as

1773 - Several British East India Company tea ships are set on fire near Annapolis, Maryland

1812 - Work on London's Regent Canal begins

1884 - George Eastman is granted a patent for his new paper-strip photographic film

1888 - "Roundhay Garden Scene" becomes the very first motion picture ever made

1908 - The Chicago Cubs win their last World Series to date, defeating the Detroit Tigers 2-0

1912 - President Theodore Roosevelt is shot by John Schrank while campaigning in Milwaukee, Wisconsin - amazingly he still makes his scheduled speech despite having a bullet still lodged inside his body

1913 - 439 miners are killed in the Senghenydd Colliery Disaster

1926 - A.A. Milne's "Winnie-the-Pooh" is first published

1933 - Nazi Germany withdraws from the League of Nations

1944 - Athens, Greece is liberated by British Army troops entering the city as the Wehrmacht pulls out during World War II

1957 - Queen Elizabeth II becomes the first Canadian monarch to open up a session of the Canadian Parliament

1958 - An underground nuclear weapon test is performed by the American Atomic Energy Commission just north of Las Vegas, Nevada

1962 - The commencement of the Cuban Missile Crisis following an American Air Force U-2 reconnaissance plane flying over Cuba and taking photos of Soviet missiles being installed and erected there

1967 - Singer Joan Baez is arrested following her being a part of a physical blockade outside of the U.S. Army induction center in Oakland, California in protest against the Vietnam War

1977 - Singer Bing Crosby passes away in Spain at the age of 74

1979 - The first gay rights march takes place in Washington, D.C., attracting over 200,000 people

1982 - Ronald Reagan proclaims a "War on Drugs"

1998 - Eric Rudolph is charged with the 1996 Olympics bombing in Atlanta, Georgia, as well as five others

2006 - A college football brawl between the University of Miami and Florida International University leads to the suspension of 31 players from both teams

And let's see who is celebrating a birthday today!  Happy birthday to Roger Moore, Ralph Lauren, Cliff Richard, Art Shamsky, Lesley Joseph, Justin Hayward, Dan McCafferty, Marcia Barrett, David Ruprecht, Joey Travolta, Harry Anderson, Greg Evigan, Arleen Sorkin, Thomas Dolby, Isaac Mizrahi, Lori Petty, Steve Coogan, Karyn White, Jay Ferguson, Natalie Maines, Jonathan Kerrigan, Stacy Keibler, Daniel Clark, Jay Pharoah, MacKenzie Mauzy, Max Thieriot, Shona McGarty, Daniel Roche, and Rowan Blanchard.



Oh, I should mention that today is also the birthday of today's Tuesday Timeline subject.  And he was born exactly thirty-six years ago today on October 14, 1978.

And I suppose you could say that this Texas-born, Tennessee raised R&B star has had quite the life.  From the time he began singing at the tender age of nine in a local church youth choir, many people in his life had the belief that he was destined for stardom.  And certainly after releasing seven albums and having several chart-topping hits, he has certainly made a mark on the Billboard charts!  But would you believe that he also founded a record label in 2002 (when he was barely twenty-four years old), served as a judge on the hit television series "The Voice", and founded the non-profit charity organization "New Look"?  That's mighty impressive for anybody of any age to do!

So, I thought that I would use this opportunity to go through each of Usher's seven different albums, choose one single from each album that I really enjoyed, and talk about him a little bit through each single.  I'll also throw in some little pieces of trivia about him as well throughout each video, so keep reading.



I couldn't think of another way to celebrate Usher Raymond's birthday!

So, let's get started with album number one!



USHER (August 1994)

Okay, can you believe that it's been twenty years since Usher released his very first album?  That would have meant that he was the same exact age Debbie Gibson was when she recorded her debut disc back in 1986-1987.  Unfortunately for Usher, his disc didn't do as well as Debbie's debut.  The effort was largely unheard on the Billboard charts, with the album itself peaking at #167 on the Billboard 200 album charts.  But, I suppose that everybody has their initial struggles at first.  At least one thing you could say about Usher was that even back then he was a gifted singer.  He did compete on "Star Search" the year before this album was released, and was briefly a part of an R&B quintet called NuBeginnings.  So, I suppose it was inevitable that he would release a solo album shortly after.



As far as songs go from the album, not many made appearances on the charts.  One of the only successful songs from this album was "Can U Get Wit It", and it only made it to #59 on the charts.  However, this was just a taste.  It wouldn't be until album #2 that Usher became more than just a word to describe a ticket taker at the movie theatre.



MY WAY (September 1997)

Sometime after releasing "Usher", Usher formed a friendship with Jermaine Dupri, who served as one of the main producers of Usher's second album (the other producer was Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds).  With a team of hitmakers behind the helm of this album, it was almost expected that the album would do quite well.



And with the opening track "You Make Me Wanna..." exploding all over MTV and radio in the summer of 1997, it was the beginning of Usher's career.  I have to admit that of all the singles from this album, I like this one the most.  The album sold 66,000 copies during its first week, and it is estimated that nearly seven million copies of this album have been sold since it was released.  Coincidentally, Usher was also starring in the soap opera "The Bold and the Beautiful" during this time.  I suppose that he was hoping to fall back on an acting career should the singing not pan out.



8701 (July 2001)

Many people wondered what the album title "8701" meant when it was first released.  I initially thought that it meant August 7, 2001 which I assume was meant to be the release date of the album (August 7 was on a Tuesday which is when almost all new albums come out).  But with the album being released in July, that squashed that theory.  Turns out that 8701 is meant to be read as '87-'01.  The '87 for the year that Usher began singing, and the '01 for the year of the album's release.  Pretty clever, huh?



And certainly there are tons of album singles to choose from here.  Myself, while I get that "U Remind Me" and "U Got It Bad" were bigger hits, I tend to like this one the best.  Instantly gets anyone on their feet.

Besides, after trying to do a computer assignment in a computer lab as school and hearing a girl singing along to "U Got It Bad" while listening to an Usher CD in her discman (remember those), I no longer like that song anymore. 



CONFESSIONS (March 2004)

Initially, Usher just wanted to stick with what he knew best and continued to work with Jermaine Dupri, but was convinced by L.A. Reid of Arista Records to bring on some more producers to add a new dimension to the record.  It was a good decision on Usher's part, for bringing on Lil Jon and Ludacris helped the album out a lot.  After all, the album's first single "Yeah!" became a massive hit in 2004 because of them. 

In fact, 2004 was a huge year for Usher in general.  Of the 52 weeks of the year that made up 2004, he was #1 for twenty-eight of them!  How is that for awesome!



Now, as far as my favourite song on the album goes?  I'd have to say "Burn".  It stayed on the top of the charts for eight weeks, but it is also considered one of Usher's most personal songs.  You see, this song was recorded right around the time that he ended his relationship with Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas of TLC.  Listen to the lyrics closely.



HERE I STAND (May 2008)

This record marked a lot of personal changes in Usher's life.  It was the first record he made since getting together with Tameka Foster (they would later get divorced in 2009), the first record since his mother stopped being his personal manager, and the record was released the same year that Usher's father passed away.  Usher also became a father in late 2007 for the first time - just a few months before this album was released.

And perhaps all of this change in Usher's personal life reflected in this album's promotion and reception.  It's considered to be Usher's weakest album to date.  Even the singles from the album didn't do as well despite Usher having at least one #1 hit from the disc.  This particular song didn't even make the Top 40. 



It's too bad, as this song is quite good.



RAYMOND VS. RAYMOND (March 2010)

This album did much better on the charts than Usher's previous album, debuting at #1 on the Billboard album charts and Usher broke a record with this album for having at least one #1 single from five consecutive albums, as well as being one of four artists to have #1 singles in three consecutive decades!



And here's the song that helped him achieve that feat!  Can you say OMG!

And certainly, Usher's OMG tour was considered one of the best tours of 2010-2011.  He performed 92 concerts all over the world, and it was ranked as the seventh most successful tours of the year by Billboard Magazine in 2011.  



LOOKING 4 MYSELF (June 2012)

As of right now, this is the most recent album in the Usher chronology (though he is currently working on finishing up album number eight), and it was released on RCA Records following the disbandment of LaFace and Jive Records in late 2011.  This album was also a bit of an experiment album for Usher as he wanted to incorporate a brand new style of music into the album - a style known as "revolutionary pop".  And certainly, the album seemed to focus more on a Europop sound than his previous R & B efforts.  I suppose it makes a little bit of sense that Usher would try something new, given that he had just gotten divorced three years earlier, and had replaced Cee-Lo Green on "The Voice" judging panel.  And it was also the year in which his former stepson Kile was seriously injured in a freak accident involving a jet-ski and never regained consciousness.  He died just a month after this album was released.

My favourite track from the album?  Well, I figure that it would be this one.



And, I suppose it's a good song to end off this blog entry with.  After all, birthdays are meant to be celebrated, and this song certainly makes you get on your feet!

Happy birthday, Usher!

Monday, October 13, 2014

Thanksgiving Memes That I Have Found Over the Last Couple of Days

Hello, everybody! 

I hope most of you are having a wonderful Monday so far (well, as wonderful as Monday can possibly be, anyway).  But for those of you living in Canada, I just want to wish everyone a...



I certainly hope your Thanksgiving celebrations will be fantastic, and I hope that you all don't gorge yourselves too much on turkey, stuffing, and pumpkin pie.  After all, you have to save some room for the Halloween candy and Christmas feast!

All right, so as it so happens, Thanksgiving falls on Monday in Canada, which coincides with FUNNY MONDAY!  And, well...Thanksgiving isnt exactly known for its humour.  After all, it's a day in which we're supposed to give thanks for everything we have and to share our blessings with those closest to us.

Though, I can't help but chuckle at some of the funny Thanksgiving memes that I've discovered over the last couple of days.

So, I thought that I would use this holiday Monday to write a blog entry that is short, but sweet.  And funny.

And, by funny, I mean posting some of these Thanksgiving memes that I have found over the last couple of days.  It's a blog entry I like to call...

"THANKSGIVING MEMES THAT I HAVE FOUND OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF DAYS"

Sigh...you'll have to forgive me.  I'm still groggy from the turkey that I ate last night for dinner. 

As always, I want to give credit to the following sites - someecards.com, girltomom.com, livelyproductions.org, dumpaday.com, egotvonline.com, funnypictures.com, RD.com, and pinterest.com - for the selection of images used today.

Okay, let's get this started!



1.  Judging by this picture, I'm fairly sure that this boy is trying to kill his family's Thanksgiving turkey with what appears to be a watermelon.  I'm also fairly sure that the turkey is either mocking him for his choice of weapon, or attacking him because he wants to survive another autumn.



2.  Oh, look...they're having Ned for dinner.  And practicing cannibalism in the process.  Yum yum!



3.  This cartoon really does make a lot of sense from a retail perspective.  Back when I worked in foods, people got mad because they couldn't find a fat enough turkey.



4.  Something tells me that this turkey has been taught the "Chick-fil-A" method of advertising.



5.  This doesn't really apply in my family that much, but I see some of you probably thinking "that is SO true!"



6.  Ah, now that makes more sense.



7.  I suppose you could also be thankful that you get to see your wine addicted relative to a drunken faceplant into the green bean casserole.



8.  Blunt, but direct and to the point.



9.  This meme made more sense in 2012 when Carly Rae Jepsen had the #1 song in the nation.



10.  Hey, even headless turkeys need to find love!



11.  Okay, so maybe this meme might not make sense in Canada, as our Thanksgiving predates Halloween.  However, I do agree that the Christmas celebrations beginning in early November is TOO SOON!



12.  Wise words from the late Erma Bombeck.



13.  Today's episode of Sesame Street has been brought to you by the number ate...ahem...eight. 



14.  I have heard that wild turkeys can be dangerous creatures.  Proceed with caution this October and November...



15.  For what it's worth, our family usually waits until 4:00.



16.  Clever disguise!

Sunday, October 12, 2014

Star Wars Theme/Cantina Band

So, I was trying to come up with a way  to incorporate a Halloween theme into the SUNDAY JUKEBOX entries in this blog for the rest of the month, and admittedly, it's been really difficult.

I mean, sure, finding spooky songs isn't the real issue.  There are hundreds to choose from.  The problem is that I had already decided that I would make every Sunday Jukebox entry for 2014 a #1 single...and ironically enough, not too many Halloween singles topped the charts during the month of October.  Not "Dead Man's Party" by Oingo Boingo, not "Ghostbusters" by Ray Parker Jr., not even Michael Jackson's "Thriller"! 

So, I decided to try and look at this from a different perspective.  After all, Halloween isn't necessarily just about spooky and scary stories (though admittedly, it is one of the more fun things about Halloween).

For instance, I know that when I was still in my youth, one of the most important things about Halloween was finding the right Halloween costume.  And costumes didn't have to be scary.  They could be cute, fun, exciting, and creative as well.  And let's put it like this.  I come from a family of creative people.  Almost all of my costumes were homemade, which meant that I could basically ask to be whatever I wanted to be.  It was great!  And, I don't like to brag, but some of my homemade costumes turned out being much better made than the store bought costumes that people purchase from department stores. 

Of course, I can imagine that had I decided that I wanted a store bought costume, I would gravitate towards whatever costumes were most popular back in the day.  If I was a kid in 2014, I'd probably want to be a Ninja Turtle.  Though, it's kind of funny that twenty-five years ago, I actually did go as a Ninja Turtle because they were popular!  Though, my turtle shell costume was handmade!

And, well, had I been alive in the late 1970s, I can hazard a guess what one of the more popular costume choices were.



I don't know if my two sisters ever dressed up as any "Star Wars" characters during Halloween, but I can only imagine that many people their age at the time certainly did.  Since the movie series debuted in 1977, I would imagine that there were thousands of Han Solos, Luke Skywalkers, Darth Vaders, and Princess Leias wandering through neighbourhoods saying trick-or-treat in hopes of getting all the delicious candy they could eat!  I would even make a guess that Star Wars costumes are still just as popular now as they were thirty-seven years ago.  It is a rather epic series of movies.



Well, at least Episodes IV through VI were, anyway.

You want to know what else was huge during the 1970s?  Instrumental tunes.  Songs without lyrics seemed to be all the rage during the decade of the energy crisis, pet rock, and discotheque.  



After all, without the 1970s, we wouldn't have "The Hustle".



We wouldn't have "Tubular Bells".



We wouldn't even have "A Fifth of Beethoven"!

So, let's see.  I've talked about "Star Wars" and I've talked about 1970s instrumental songs.  So, what would these two things have to do with today's featured #1 single?

Lots actually.  Have a listen.



ARTIST:  Meco
SONG:  Star Wars Theme/Cantina Band
ALBUM:  Star Wars and Other Galactic Funk
DATE RELEASED:  July 1977
PEAK POSITION ON THE BILLBOARD CHARTS:  #1 for 2 weeks

Yep.  Thirty-seven years ago this week, Star Wars crossed with disco to create this chart-topper.  And if you thought that the single being #1 for two weeks was impressive, consider this.  In the UK, it was the #1 single for nine weeks total! 

So, how did the marriage of disco and the prophecy of boldly going where no man has ever gone before come to be?  Well, we can thank Meco for this.

Meco (real name Domenico Monardo) was the brainchild behind this hit.  The Pennsylvania based record producer and musician always had a keen interest in space and science fiction, and spent many of his boyhood days building model spaceships.  At the same time that this was going on, he had inherited a love of music from his father, and began playing the slide trombone at the age of nine, and he must have been very talented.  After all, he was not only playing in a high school band while he was still in elementary school, but at the age of 17, he was awarded a scholarship to the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York.  While a student there, he formed the Eastman School of Music Jazz Band with a couple of his friends, and later, when he enrolled at West Point, he played in the Cadet Band.

After serving in West Point, Meco moved to New York City and joined Kai Winding in his four-trombone band and for the next nine years of his life, he went on as a studio musician, and while he certainly didn't have any interest in pop music when he first began his career as a studio musician, but upon hearing Petula Clark's "Downtown", he began to change his mind.  And throughout the late 1960s, 1970s, and early 1980s, he worked on several different projects.  Some of which included the following...

- playing the horn section on Tommy James' "Crystal Blue Persuasion".
- working on the musical arrangements of several Coca-Cola commercials featuring Neil Diamond.
- appearing on Diana Ross' 1980 album "Diana"



But perhaps his biggest claim to fame was the "Star Wars Theme/Cantina Band" single that he released in 1977 - his one and only #1 hit on the charts.

I suppose it was no shock to hear that a science-fiction nut like Meco was a huge fan of the movie "Star Wars".  After watching the film on its May 25, 1977 release date, Meco was mesmerized by the whole movie.  So much so that he reportedly saw the movie at least a dozen times by the end of the month! 

(Which I imagine must have been a rather costly affair, as there were no Blu-ray players, DVD players, or cable television back in 1977.  Even VCR's were worth several thousand dollars back in those days!)

Anyway, after watching "Star Wars" so many times, Meco really had his heart set out on making his own version of the epic "Star Wars" theme, as originally composed by John Williams.  But he wanted to make it a disco flavoured effort, as 1977 was the year in which the disco craze exploded.  I suppose that "Saturday Night Fever" might have had a little bit to do with that fact.  He eventually contacted Neil Bogart at Casablanca Records to pitch his idea, however Bogart wouldn't commit to the idea unless both the movie and the original score became popular.

So, naturally, with "Star Wars" being one of the most popular films of the 1970s, Bogart quickly agreed to help Meco record it.

It only took twenty-one days for the musicians to come together and record the track and other songs that appeared on the LP "Star Wars and Other Galactic Funk".  And just three months after this single was first released, the song hit the top of the charts.

Believe it or not, the song was even nominated for the "Best Instrumental Pop Performer" Grammy Award in 1977.  Amusingly enough, it lost to John Williams for his original theme!  Ah, such is life.

At any rate, the song became a hit in disco clubs all over America and Europe, further proving the fact that the 1970s were a time of kitsch, fad, and pop culture.

Saturday, October 11, 2014

Hocus Pocus

All right, welcome to the first spooky entry of the SATURDAY NIGHT AT THE MOVIES feature.  I know I promised this would happen last week, but you are probably aware that last week was kind of crazy.  To make it up to you, I have another movie post planned for this coming Wednesday.  And yes, it will definitely be Halloween themed.

In the meantime, for today's spooky entry, I thought we'd start things off slowly, and with each passing entry, the movie blogs would get scarier and scarier until the final movie entry.  After all, building up suspense is the best part of creating the perfect atmosphere for spookiness. 

At least, I'd like to believe that this is the case.

So, for today's blog entry, we're going to be featuring a G-rated film.  In fact, this film is one of those live-action Disney films that was released a little over twenty years ago.  And surprisingly enough, although the film could be considered a Halloween classic, it was released during the summer of 1993! 

It also happens to be one of the most requested films in our electronics section of the store I work at currently.  In fact, allow me to tell you a story about this movie.

Now, I'm still fairly new to the world of electronics.  I've only been in that department since July of 2013, so a little over a year.  While I consider myself to be more knowledgeable in most devices in that particular year (just don't ask me any questions about Android phones, GPS devices, or security cameras as I have absolutely no idea how any of those things work), when I first began in electronics, there was only one area of the department I felt comfortable in.

DVD's and Blu-Ray movies.

Seriously, my nickname at work is the "Matt-abase" because whenever customers ask me if we have a movie in stock, 99% of the time, I can tell them with certainty whether we have the movie at the store or if they have to go somewhere else to find it.  I'm up to date on movie releases, and am fairly confident in knowing whether a movie is out of print or has even been released on DVD or Blu-Ray.  And if a movie is not available in the store, they could usually find the movie on the store website which they could order directly from the site. 

So, last Halloween, I couldn't believe the number of people who were looking for a particular movie for their Halloween celebrations.  And last year, we did NOT have this movie in stock.  Sure, we had other Halloween movies to choose from, but for some reason we did not carry this one. 

Which absolutely shocked me because with the movie being released on July 16, 1993, I would have sworn that a 20th anniversary edition would have been released. 

Well, I guess my store learned from that lesson because currently at my store, we have approximately two dozen copies available for purchase in two different areas of the electronics department.  I suppose a 21st anniversary celebration is just as good as a 20th.



So, today we're going to have a look at the movie "Hocus Pocus", a Disney film directed by Kenny Ortega.  Starring Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy, and Sarah Jessica Parker, the movie depicts the events that take place when three witches are brought back to Earth after a three hundred year slumber to cause a whole lot of trouble in the community of Salem, Massachusetts.



Yes, that's right.  Salem, Massachusetts.  The town that hosted the infamous Salem Witch Trials in the 1690s.  Back in those days, witchcraft was a serious offense, punishable by death.  And when I say death, I mean the most painful deaths ever.  Some were burned at a stake, while others were drowned.  It certainly wasn't worth anybody's while to be suspected of being a witch back in 1693.



Especially if the witches were as dangerous and wicked as the Sanderson Sisters.  Winifred (Midler), Mary (Najimy), and Sarah (Parker) were definitely not relatives of Glinda in "The Wizard of Oz".  More like cousins of the Wicked Witch of the West.

The movie begins in the year 1693 when a young teenage boy named Thackery Binx (Sean Murray of NCIS fame) finds himself in a bit of a quandary.  His sister Emily (Jodie Rivera) has been kidnapped by the Sanderson Sisters for one reason alone - to absorb Emily's life force so that they can stay forever young.  Naturally, Binx tries to save Emily, but ends up failing in his quest.  Emily's life force is drained after the witches transform Binx into an immortal black cat.  The sisters are eventually captured by a mob of angry people and are sentenced to death by hanging (I knew I was forgetting a method of witchicide up above), but not before Winifred casts a spell which will grant all three sisters the power to be resurrected at a future date.  All they would need is for a "virgin" to light a black-flamed candle on Halloween night.  But with Binx being condemned to live out all eternity as a black cat, it's up to him to guard the former Sanderson cottage to prevent someone else from bringing the sisters back to life - a job he holds for three hundred years...

...that is until October 31, 1993.

Three hundred years later, a teenage boy named Max Dennison (Omri Katz) is having a really difficult time of things.  His family has recently moved to Salem from Los Angeles and he is feeling very homesick.  Although he has befriended a young girl named Allison (Vinessa Shaw), he has to deal with a couple of bullies named Ernie and Jay (Larry Bagby and Tobias Jelinek) who consistently make his life a living...well, you know.

To make matters worse, instead of having fun on Halloween night, Max is forced to take his little sister Dani (Thora Birch) out trick-or-treating while their parents attend a Halloween party. 



Interestingly enough, Dani is the one who sets the events in motion, as she convinces Max and Allison to go with her to explore the Sanderson cottage.  She had read a lot about them and wanted to learn more about them, and reluctantly, Max and Allison agree to do some investigating in which they come across the enchanted candle.

Can you guess what happens next?

Well, the witches are revived, Binx appears and helps Max gain possession of Winifred's spell book, and this prompts a chase of epic proportions between the Sanderson Sisters and the three teenagers who accidentally reopened a three hundred year old mystery.

Along the way, the witches cast a spell that puts the entire adult population of Salem out of commission for the rest of the night, and the witches only have one goal in mind...to find a child, kill them, and use their life force to remain on Earth forever.  And how fortunate it was for them that the Sanderson Sisters came across three children who resurrected them from the dead? 

In fact, Winifred had one trick up her sleeve - resurrecting her old boyfriend Billy (Doug Jones) from the dead to help her in her quest to live forever.  However, there a sticky family secret in the Sanderson family tree, and poor zombified Billy happens to be the missing piece of the puzzle.  And when one of the children happens to be kidnapped by the Sanderson Sisters, will Max be able to keep his wits together and stop the witches once and for all?

You know what?  I'm going to leave you with that thought as we head into the trivia portion of the blog.

1 - This film was originally intended to be a made-for-TV movie for The Disney Channel, but Walt Disney Studios felt the script was strong enough to warrant a theatrical release.

2 - Bette Midler has said that "Hocus Pocus" was "the most fun I'd had in my career up to that point".

3 - The film is set in Salem, Massachusetts, but only some of the exterior shots were actually filmed in Salem.

4 - The movie is widely considered a cult classic by fans all over the world.

5 - Interestingly enough, on the show "Who Do You Think You Are?", Sarah Jessica Parker (who played Sarah Sanderson) discovered that one of her relatives was accused of witchcraft!

6 - Leonardo DiCaprio was offered the role of Max, but turned it down - he had already committed to "What's Eating Gilbert Grape?"



7 - There's one scene in which Doug Jones spits out moths out of his mouth.  That wasn't digitally enhanced in any way.  Those were REAL moths!

8 - Although Sean Murray played the human form of Binx, his dialogue was dubbed over by actor Jason Marsden - the voice actor of the feline Binx.

9 - Omri Katz was under the weather when he auditioned for the role of Max and nearly didn't get the part as a result!

10 - Rosie O'Donnell was offered the part of one of the Sanderson Sisters, but turned it down as she didn't want to play the part of a scary witch.

11 - Garry Marshall and Penny Marshall have uncredited cameos in this movie - playing a husband and wife at the party!

12 - The soundtrack was supposed to feature a song by Roxette, "Almost Unreal".  The song instead was featured in "Super Mario Bros."

13 - Charles Rocket - who played Mr. Dennison in the film - tells Max to "watch his language".  It was Rocket who sent audiences into a tailspin for dropping an F-bomb on "Saturday Night Live" in February 1981.

14 - Take a look at the three little girls who steal the witches brooms.  Do their costumes look familiar to you?

And, so wraps up the first of several spooky film blogs.  And admittedly, we started off on a tame note.  The rest won't be so.  This I promise you.