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Sunday, June 26, 2011

Sunday Jukebox: 'I Just Can't Stop Loving You' by Michael Jackson and Siedah Garrett

As you probably are aware by now, yesterday marked the second anniversary of the passing of a musical legend.

June 25, 2009 was the day that Michael Jackson, who many referred to as the 'King of Pop' passed away at the age of 50.

Certainly, his death was one of the most talked about news stories of 2009, and definitely a death that was filled with controversy and accusations.

I suppose that was nothing new to Michael Jackson though, whose whole life was filled with controversy and accusations towards him.

Now, I'm not here to cast judgment on what kind of a person he was, or what allegations were made against him.  I certainly do not want the focus of this blog to attack any celebrity of any sort, no matter how famous or infamous they might be.  So, I'm not even going to bring that up here.

Whatever crimes he allegedly did or did not do are irrelevent at this point anyways.  Michael is dead, and not able to defend himself any more, so I think it would be pointless to talk about it.

Seeing as how I have brought up Michael Jackson in this blog entry, it makes sense that I would feature one of his songs in the blog in memory of him. 

Of course, choosing one song out of however many singles he's released was definitely a challenge.  I mean, if you take into account his work within the Jackson 5, as well as his numerous solo efforts, that's a career that has spanned almost four decades.

It was then that the perfect song came across my mind.


ARTIST:  Michael Jackson
SONG: I Just Can't Stop Loving You (duet with Siedah Garrett)
ALBUM: Bad
RELEASED:  July 20, 1987
PEAK POSITION ON THE BILLBOARD CHARTS:  #1 for 1 week


Michael Jackson's 'Bad' album was anything but bad.  Almost every track on the album was released as a single, and of the tracks that were released from the album, five of them hit the top of the charts.  Impressive feat, especially after the success of 'Thriller', which was released five years earlier.

The song I chose to feature in this blog entry from this album happened to be the very first single released from the album.  It was a duet that he had done with singer Siedah Garrett, who had just come off of recording back-up vocals for Madonna's 'True Blue' album the year before.

The song hit number one in September of 1987, but because of the fact that the next single 'Bad' was rocketing up the charts at the same time, the song fell off the charts rather quickly.

There is a reason why I chose this song...and oddly enough, it's not because I have an emotional connection to the song whatsoever.  I mean, it's a nice song, don't get me wrong.

I think it's the perfect song to describe the true fans of Michael Jackson.  How despite his death, and all the controversy surrounding him, the people still loved him for his music.

Just take a look at the video for the song that I posted above.  As far as I know, the song didn't really have an official video release, so the one I found was fan-made.  If you watch it really closely, you'll see clips of all his previous videos, as well as some concert footage, and the like.  It takes real dedication to make a fan video for an artist, as well as real loyalty.

See, no matter how one may have felt about him, one has to admit that his musical career was solid.  I can still remember back to about two weeks before he passed away, getting excited about his brand new concert tour, entitled 'This Is It'.  It was slated to be his final world tour, and the tour was supposed to have kicked off in the UK on July 13, 2009.

As we all know, the tour never happened, but just seeing his joy for performing for his fans, and his excitement for the tour, you couldn't help but think how tragic it was that he never got his chance to see his last tour out.

I mean, yes, there was that movie documentary that showed his rehearsal sessions, but it wasn't quite the same as seeing him perform live. 

In the end though, Michael Jackson loved his fans, and that's something that you can't take away from him. 

When Michael Jackson's funeral was broadcast on July 7, 2009, one could not believe the amount of people who paid their respects to the entertainer.  In that one moment, it was like whatever he had done, or allegedly did in his past didn't really matter.

I think in the end, that's all that really counted.


Michael Jackson
1958-2009

Saturday, June 25, 2011

Saturday Morning - One To Grow On

Back in the days when Saturdays used to air cartoons in their morning time slots instead of news programming and infomercials, each network had their own line-up to try and compete with each other to snag all the viewers who were under thirteen.

You had ABC, who banked all their success on Bugs Bunny and Tweety and their weekend specials.  Then there was CBS who had Pee-Wee's Playhouse, Garfield and Friends, and CBS Storybreak.

I will say this though.  My network of choice for Saturday mornings was usually NBC.

Part of it was the programming.  I liked most of the NBC kids programming that they aired back then.  Some of the cartoons that aired on this station were The Smurfs, Alvin and the Chipmunks, Kissyfur, The New Archies, Camp Candy, Captain N, Super Mario Brothers 3, Foofur, Kidd Video, and many more.  Quite an impressive roster of programming, no?

Their live action stuff was great as well.  I was a fan of Saved By The Bell, California Dreams, and Hang Time.  Some of the other shows like Chip and Pepper, and The Guys Next Door...ah...not so much.

Then there's the subject of this blog entry, which was probably the glue that held the NBC cartoon line-up together for six years.


One To Grow On ran from 1983 to 1989, and each segment only lasted two minutes each.  They would usually come on in between cartoon shows, and would often be introduced by NBC television stars at the time (such as in the image above where you see Kim Fields from The Facts Of Life).

What were these mini-segments about?

Each segment involved anywhere from one to four actors (usually children between the ages of 8-12) in a problem or conflict.  And with the help of NBC personality du jour, they would talk out the problem and offer a solution as to how the kids in the video could deal with the situation.

I thought it would be kind of fun to look back at some of these segments, and see if I could remember back to a time in which I faced a situation like that.

Oh, and to laugh at the retro 80s commercials that may appear in the segments.

All right...let's take a look at exhibit A, featuring Punky Brewster star, Soleil-Moon Frye.



Okay, so you have a little girl who is lost, and 'Punky' said that she should find help in the store, but not from any stranger.  She's right, of course.  Finding someone who works at the store, or a police officer in a mall is the best way to get help.

I should know.  I've had a couple of instances in my workplace where I've had to direct lost children back to their parents.  They did the right thing and found someone who worked there to help them.  Within seconds, they were reunited with their families. 

Great advice there, 'Punky'.

Onto the next scenario, presented by Family Ties actress, Justine Bateman.


Ouch!  Talk about being unable to keep your real feelings in check, right?  The truth is, I've been in both situations before.  Once, I was the kid who nobody wanted to work with.  Then the next project, I would be forced to work in a group with someone who used to pick on me in school. 

I really wish I had taken Justine's advice more seriously, because in both cases, they didn't turn out too well.  In the first situation, the other kids froze me out of the project and I rarely got a chance to even so much as share my ideas with them.  In the second case, the opposite happened, where I did all the work, and the other person got credit for nothing.  If only I had tried to listen to the others, or have the courage to speak to the teacher, maybe it wouldn't have been nearly a challenge.

All right.  We've heard from the women so far.  Let's get a guy's perspective.  Courtesy of Joel Higgins from Silver Spoons fame.


(Just sayin'...she could clean her room if she has nothing to do.)

But Joel does make a good point here, even if you chuckled a bit at the 'put on a fashion show for your goldfish' comment.  Yes, it would be nice to have friends over, or to go to a movie, but truth is, in my neighbourhood, there weren't a lot of kids around.  And my family didn't really have the extra income to go to the movie theatre every day.  So, like Joel said, I created my own fun with my own things in my own room, and it seemed to fill the void quite nicely.

Ah, now here's one from the A*Team's Dwight Schultz that will get you thinking. (P.S. Can you spot a very young Jaleel White in this segment?)



Yep...I can tell you exactly what poor Adam must have felt like.  I had trouble making friends in school, and whenever I did make a couple, my parents weren't exactly the most...um...how you say...welcoming to them.  I guess because of my experiences in school that they were only trying to protect me, but in fact were making the situation that much harder.  I did follow that advice though, and talked to them about it.  Most times their fears were unfounded, but in a couple of cases, they did know what they were talking about, and it turned out that they weren't really friends at all. 

Heh...I suppose this advice could also be used in adulthood when it comes to dating and romance, couldn't it?

This next One To Grow On moment is courtesy of Knight Rider/Baywatch actor David Hasselhoff.


You know that David has shown some questionable behaviour in recent years, but he was right on about this one.  Sometimes you catch people when they're having a bad day, and they say things that they don't mean, or act in a way that is out of character, but unless it's directed at you, you shouldn't take it personally.  It took me a while to get this lesson, but once I did, it proved to be a valuable one.

So, you see that One To Grow On was a very educational piece of television, and I'm sure it has helped a few kids make the right choices in life.

Looking at what has been happening in the world lately, I wonder if maybe NBC shouldn't attempt to bring this series back with current NBC celebrities.  Maybe we could all use a reminder of what's acceptable and what isn't.

With that, I'll leave you with one final One To Grow On moment, presented by Thom Bray of Riptide fame.


A little food for thought this Saturday morning, don't you think?  I know I'd like to live in a world where differences are respected, and people didn't attack each other for their beliefs.

Maybe One To Grow On was onto something there.

Friday, June 24, 2011

TGIF: Out Of This World



Imagination and Fantasy week comes to its conclusion with a show that really was out of this world, but first, I should tell you a little story.

Approximately ten years ago, I happened to be surfing web communities online, and one site that I happened to find was a small retro community called...


It was the summer of 2001 at the time, and I was killing time in between school years when I stumbled across this place.  I had been members of other online communities before, but this one was different.  I guess in many ways, it kind of inspired me to kick off this blog ten years later because the site was similar.  It took a look back at some of our favourite toys, television shows, movies, and fashion trends, and had dozens of articles and interactive features in regards to all things retro.

So being the retrophile that I was at the time, I signed up with a screenname that I borrowed from my favourite comic book character (one that I happened to feature on the Sunday, May 29 entry, matter of fact).

It was amazing how many people remembered the same things that I remembered.  Although we were all scattered all over the world, it was like we all came together remembering the days of our childhoods.  Future events happened to strengthen us further, such as the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks and the uncertainty of events shortly after.  Certainly the site wasn't absolute utopia, and quite often than not, some of us found ourselves at odds with others over the years, but it seemed like things never got too overly personal, and we were all friends again in a week or two.

Unfortunately, the site was pulled in 2003, and with the site's closing came some lost friendships and irreparable damage done to some relationships within the fold.  It was a sad moment to say goodbye to Yesterdayland, but through it all, I ended up with some amazing friends all over the world.  We send each other Christmas cards, and they were really great with me when I was recovering from surgery a few months ago.  Maybe someday I'll finally be able to meet some of them face to face.  I mean, let's face it.  I would feel more comfortable meeting a former member from Yesterdayland than I would on PlentyofFish.com.  That's a fact.

So now that you know all about what Yesterdayland was, I can tie it to today's blog entry.

On Yesterdayland, there was a sub-board called "Lost And Found".  This was a place where you could have some memory of some toy you played with or some retro snack food you remember eating in 1972, but couldn't quite remember what they were.  You would ask a question, posting every detail you could remember about the subject in question, and if you were lucky, someone else would remember it.

Sometimes, you'd have two different people remembering bits and pieces of the same topic, and not realize it.  That was fine.  It happens.  And sometimes you may have someone remembering some obscure record they heard during the summer they lived in Brazil, and nobody would have any idea what the person was talking about.  That also happened.

Then, there was a whole bunch of people who kept asking about the same show.  Mostly newbies who were brand new to the site.  It almost became a recurring joke to us because we had answered the same questions for months on end.  Questions like...

What was the show where they sang about swinging on a star?
I remember a show where a girl could freeze time by linking her fingers together, what was it?
Does anyone know a show where the girl had an alien dad who talked to her through a box?

Like clockwork, we'd have at least one of these questions asked every week or so.  Back in 2001, we didn't have such sites as YouTube, and the only way one could get video clips was to download them onto our computers.  All we could do was explain it as best we could in hopes that they would get it.

Now that it's 2011, I can proudly show you the answer. 


The show, of course, was called Out of this World, and this is where it ties into the Imagination and Fantasy theme for this week.  The show deals with a teenaged girl named Evie who finds out on her thirteenth birthday that she happens to be half-human, half-alien.

But I'm getting ahead of myself here.

The show debuted in syndication on September 17, 1987, and ran for four seasons (which for a show that didn't air on network television was pretty good).

As I said, the main character of the show was Evie Ethel Garland.  When she turned thirteen, her mother told her the truth about her parentage.  Evie had believed that her absentee father, Troy,  was a secret agent for the government, which explained why he was absent.  But when Evie started to develop skills that a normal human couldn't do, her mother had to tell her the truth.  Troy was an alien from the planet Antareus who ended up crashing his spaceship onto Earth in the 1960's.  His human appearance allowed him to mingle with the Earthlings, and he happened to fall in love with Donna (Evie's mother).  They married each other, and Donna gave birth to their child Evie in 1973.  The following year, war had broken out on Antareus, and Troy was forced to go back in order to protect the planet.

(Now you know why the show didn't last too long...)



At any rate, Evie discovered the truth and she was able to communicate with Troy through a crystal jewelry box in her bedroom.  The lid would open up and a bright pink light would shine, indicating that Troy was there.


TRIVIA:  Troy was never seen on camera, but his speaking voice was done by an uncredited Burt Reynolds.  He agreed to voice Troy as a favour to the producers provided that he wasn't identified in any way.

It took Evie some time to accept the fact that she was half-Earthling and half-Antarian, but once she fully understood, she was accepting of it, and was happy that she had both parents in her life again (even though one was on another planet, and the other one was a wee bit overprotective).

Very few people knew of Evie's secret though.  Certainly her mother Donna knew, and so did her two uncles, Mick and Beano.  She did have to keep it a secret from everyone else.  She didn't tell her two friends, Lindsay and Chris, and she couldn't tell Kyle Applegate, who happened to be the mayor of Marlowe, California (where the show took place).  This lead to some rather comical moments in the serial, where Evie tried to balance her human side with her alien side.

For the most part, she managed to do a great job of hiding it, but there were some instances in which it made it difficult.  Much like a classic mood ring from the 1970s, Evie's face tended to change colour depending on the mood she was feeling, which lead to some confused looks by those who weren't aware of Evie's secret.



And long before Zack Morris came along with his classic 'Time Out' move, Evie Garland could freeze time with the joining of her fingers.  She and Troy were immune to the effects of the time freeze, but everyone else were forced to stand in place until Evie clapped her hands to unfreeze everyone.

Sometimes it worked well for her.  Sometimes, not so much.

One bonus that Evie soon discovered about her alien DNA was that every year on her birthday, she was granted additional powers, and Troy was always on hand to help her understand what these powers were.

One episode of Out of this World that showcases this in action is the episode titled Julie's Sixteenth Birthday.



Oh...sorry...never mind, I meant EVIE'S sixteenth birthday.  (Evie's Sweet Sixteen to be technical)

In that episode, Evie turns sixteen, and Troy offers her a chance to choose one out of ten possible powers for her to have.  Evie is tempted by all of the powers that she has a difficult time choosing.

You know what?  Why don't I just find the episode, and post it here so you can see it for yourself.  It's a great introductory episode that introduces the characters as well. 




Quite the episode, huh?  I had kind of forgotten how bad the production value was on this show before I posted the episode from YouTube.

At any rate, Evie tried all the powers out, and decided to hold off of choosing one, because she didn't think she was ready to handle any of them, and that was a decision that she could live with.

I guess the lesson that Evie learned is that when one has too much power at their disposal, it can get pretty dicey.  And really, that's a lesson that all of us could learn.

I am curious though as to what you would do if you were Evie.

Seriously.  Imagine you're half-human and half-alien, and you were turning sixteen, and you could choose one of the ten powers.  Which one would you choose?  Here's the list again.

01.  Read people's minds
02.  Make others obey your every command
03.  Reverse time
04.  A free face lift
05.  Levitation
06.  Ability to change shoes quickly
07.  Make someone else invisible
08.  Make yourself invisible
09.  A money tree
10.  See through walls

(My personal choice would be #9...although #5 has possibilities)

So, that's the end of another TGIF entry, and as you can see, I've made it interactive.  Hope you take part!

And, with that, the Imagination and Fantasy week comes to its conclusion.  I hope you enjoyed the ride, and I hope to have more of these featured weeks very soon.  Remember, they'll always run from Monday to Friday.

We go back to normal tomorrow, but if you have any ideas for theme weeks, let me know!  You can reach me through the comments page, or contact me through this blog's e-mail address which is popcultureaddictlifeguide@yahoo.ca

This blog turns one month old today, and I want to keep this baby running for many months and years on end...and I really want to make this blog more accessible to everybody. 

Thanks for supporting me in this venture, and I hope to hear from you all soon.  :)

Thursday, June 23, 2011

Thursday Night at the Arcade: Super Mario Brothers 2


Super Mario Brothers 2 is widely considered by many to be the black sheep of the Super Mario trilogy, released on the Nintendo Entertainment System.

Super Mario Brothers is known for saving the video game industry from complete disaster, and Super Mario Brothers 3 is considered to be one of the biggest selling video games of all-time.

But, why is Super Mario 2 seemingly ignored in the Mario world? 

Super Mario 2 was released in America in 1988, and it was a game that evoked some minor controversy.  Certainly, the gameplay was a lot different in the second game than it was the two surrounding it.  Instead of jumping on Goombas and Koopas, you had Shyguys and jumping birds with masks on.  And instead of hitting blocks to get items, you dug them out of the ground.



You didn't even get to fight Bowser, but some frog like creature named Wart.

It was like Super Mario 2 was a completely different game altogether from the other games in the Mario series.  If not for the fact that there were obvious characters from Mario in the video game, you'd think it wasn't even a Mario game at all.

Well, I have a shocking surprise for all of you.  For Super Mario 2 was in fact...

ORIGINALLY NOT A MARIO GAME AT ALL!!!


The game up above is a game that was initially released in Japan in 1987.  The name of the game was called Doki Doki Panic, and right away, you can see that there's something oddly familiar about the cover art.

Hmmm...let's investigate this further by looking at some actual gameplay.  First, let's take a look at Super Mario Brothers 2...



Now let's take a look at Doki Doki Panic...


What th-?  How is this possible? 

It's like they're the same game.

Because it IS the same game!

Here's the story.  Nintendo released Super Mario Brothers in 1985, and it became a massive success.  The following year, Nintendo made a sequel in Japan that was almost identical to the first game, only with much tougher levels and poisonous mushrooms designed to kill your Mario instead of making him big and strong.  The game was released in 1986, and became a hit in Japan, but when it came time to bring the game overseas, Nintendo of America refused to release it.  They claimed that it was too similar in development to the first game, and that the levels were simply too difficult for the public to beat.

Instead what they did was use the game Doki Doki Panic, slap Mario heads on the main characters, and marketed it as Super Mario 2.

In short.  Doki Doki Panic = Super Mario 2.

Now you might understand why Super Mario 2 is regarded as being the weakest link in the Mario world.

(For the record, the original version of Super Mario 2 was eventually released in North America in 1993 for the Super Mario All-Stars compilation for the SNES.  It was renamed Super Mario Brothers: The Lost Levels.  On a personal note, I do concur that the game is tough, but not nearly as impossible as they made it out to be).

The thing is...I don't see Super Mario 2 as being such a bad game, even if the whole idea of it was 5% persperation and 95% plagiarism.

The game did have a lot of good things going for it, and once we peel back the layers and dig through the Doki Doki influences, you'll see that the game itself did have some staying power, as well as influenced future Mario games.


One thing I liked about the game was that Mario wasn't the only playable character one could select.  In fact, you had four characters to pick and choose from, and each one of them had their strengths and weaknesses.

You obviously had Mario, who was more or less the average player in the game. 

You could play as Luigi, who had basically the same skills as Mario, only he could jump three times higher.

No longer is Princess Peach (or Toadstool) a damsel in distress.  She can yank veggies and throw things to the best of her ability.  She can even use her ball gown to levitate across waterfalls.

Then, there's Toad.  In the original game, he would piss you off constantly when announcing (almost boastfully) that the princess was always in another castle, but he really comes into his own.  He may not have the best jumping ability, but he can dig the fastest out of anyone, which made the pyramid levels easier to get through.



And, sure, the levels themselves were radically different from anything you had ever seen before, but at the very least, Super Mario 2 made an effort to bring different environments to the fold.  Yes, Super Mario 3 did it better, but Super Mario 2 tried.  They had the standard grassy knoll levels, yes, but there was also desert levels, ice levels, dark levels, etc.

They also had different looking enemies that were sometimes more challenging than the ones found in the original game.  With mini-bosses like Mouser, Clawgrip, Triclyde, and Fryguy, this game was hardly considered child's play.

Even some of the mini-monsters found in the game had staying power.  Birdos (the ostrich creature you have to defeat to beat a level), Bob-ombs (the walking bombs that explode without warning) and Pokeys (the little walking cactus creatures) have found places in future Mario games.  The game even had warp zones scattered throughout the game, provided you had a magic potion and warped into the red and white vase pipes before the potion wore off.

Oh, yeah...Super Mario 2 had rocketships, mine carts and whale geysers.  How cool is that?

In my opinion, Super Mario 2 definitely has a place in the Mario universe.  It was radically different from the other games, but it worked.  It has earned its place in the Super Mario All-Stars compilation.

Oh, one more thing.  There's a reason why I decided to choose this game as part of the Imagination and Fantasy week.

You see, Mario opened a door, found himself in the land of Subcon.  Had to rescue some fairies who were kidnapped by Wart, and once he defeated Wart, he, Luigi, Peach, and Toad were given a hero's welcome.  Just one problem...



IT WAS ALL A DREAM.

Apparently, Mario has had just as many warped dreams as I used to have a child.  Maybe he should lay off the mushroom pizza at midnight.  What do you think?

Whatever the case is, I still enjoy Super Mario 2, no matter what its origin.

I could talk about it some more, but alas, it is...


Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Across the Pond and Beyond: Simon In The Land Of Chalk Drawings

Just as yesterday's entry was about a show on TVOntario, today's entry also happens to have aired on TVOntario.

And the show happened to originate in the UK, hence the reason why it's featured in this week's 'Across The Pond And Beyond' day.

Because this is the third day in Imagination and Fantasy week, naturally the program has to have some kind of make-believe world, or make-believe friends, or a combination of both.

I think you'll agree that this entry has all of those things and more.


Oh, you know his name is Simon.  And the things he draws come true.

I'm sure at some point, all of us as children loved playing with coloured chalk.  I know I certainly did.  With brilliant shades of yellow, blue, and pink, I would have a blast creating my own art gallery on the front sidewalk.  I drew trees, and flowers.  I designed the coolest looking hopscotch course.  I basically drew until all the chalk was used up and my clothing was covered in yellow, blue, and pink chalk dust.

Such good times.

I was disappointed that my drawings didn't come to life though.  I drew and drew and drew some more, and not even so much as a green chalk caterpillar even moved.  I didn't seem to have the magic touch that Simon seemed to have.

Let's talk a bit about Simon in the Land of Chalk Drawings, shall we?  It debuted in the UK sometime around 1974 (or possibly earlier than that even).  Each of the episodes weren't very long, usually only lasting five minutes if that.  However, it was entertaining enough for the show to be imported into other countries.  In fact, I think many American people were first introduced to Simon through popular children's shows such as Pinwheel and Captain Kangaroo.

My first experience with it was on TVOntario, though.  Sure, sometimes the voiceovers were changed depending on the region you watched it in, but the TVO people always aired the unedited British version, which I appreciated very much, because I liked the original voiceover artist.



Anyway, as you may have guessed by the title, Simon has a gift.  He has a magical chalkboard set up inside his house where whatever he draws on it comes to life in the Land of Chalk Drawings. 

But, how does he get there?  Easy.  He has connections.

His connection being his friend, Henry, who coincidentally happens to be a chalk drawing himself.

I could try to explain this more, but why not sit down and watch a full episode of the show along with me?  Are you ready?



Now that you have seen an episode of it, I can continue.

You see, all Simon had to do to enter the Land of Chalk Drawings was to climb a ladder that was leaning towards a fence near his house, and voila, instant transportation.

Or, was it simply just his imagination acting in overdrive?

Whatever the case was, if there's one thing that Simon taught me, it's that sometimes, creating a make-believe world where you are the master of your own domain isn't necessarily a bad thing.  As I mentioned at the beginning of this blog entry, I used to draw with chalk, and was disappointed that I couldn't create my own land of chalk drawings.

But, I did.  I used the power of imagination to pretend that I did have my own land of chalk drawings where I could have as many adventures as I wanted to have, and do what I wanted to do.

Because with the power of imagination, you have the power to be whatever you want to be at any time.  As someone who is trying to make a career in writing, I'm thrilled to have that streak of imagination coursing through my veins.  It makes me a better writer, and I'm sure it makes all the difference when typing stuff out on the old computer.

So, don't be afraid to show off that imaginative streak.  It worked for Simon!

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

What the Polka Dot Door Taught Me About Myself

It took an incident that happened at my workplace just a few hours ago that made me feel incredibly old all of a sudden.

I was finishing up my shift at work, and I bump into a teenage co-worker of mine.  He's on my Facebook list as well, where I also post my blog entries, so I can only assume that he has read at least one of two of them (at least I can only hope as the whole point of this blog is to get a wider fan base of my work).  Anyway, I was telling him the subject of my blog, and he looked at me like I was talking some foreign language.  He had absolutely no idea what the show I was talking about was, and didn't even remember it.

Made me feel SO old.

Of course, I can't really say that I blame him much.  The Polka Dot Door did end production around the same time he was being born (again, I suddenly feel really old now, even though I just entered my thirties a month ago).

Still confused?  Well, here's the intro for 'Imagination Day'...which technically aired on Thursdays, but since Thursdays are reserved for video games (and to my knowledge I don't recall Nintendo making a Polka Dot Door video game), I thought I'd post it today.


The Polka Dot Door was one of the flagship programs for the Canadian children's network TVOntario (TVO for short).  Would you believe that the show lasted a whopping twenty-two years on the air?  Debuting in 1971 and ending in 1993, the show was a huge hit for generations, and kickstarted the careers of Gloria Reuben (ER) and Tonya Lee Williams (The Young And The Restless), just to name a couple.

The show was loosely designed after the British show 'Play School'.  You had a couple of hosts (one man and one woman), who would sing songs, do crafts, and do all sorts of fun things.  The theme changed each week, as well as the hosts.  I don't have a final count of how many different hosts the show had over the years, but you can bet that it was at least fifty different hosts and hostesses, if not more.

I was a big fan of this show when I was younger.  So big a fan that whenever the Polka Dot Door did their road shows to various towns all over Ontario, I hoped that they would make an appearance in my town.  When they did show up, I was there, and I was excited. 

Really, there was a lot that one could learn from watching the show, because the show itself was one that was educational (I guess because it aired on TVO, which prided itself in educational programming, it kind of had to be).

The show taught you about dinosaurs through song...




It taught you how to tell time...



It even taught you about the outside world by venturing outside the Polka Dot Door...


Okay, sure, none of the episodes were brought to you by a letter or a number.  But the Polka Dot Door was one of the first shows that showed me what kind of a world we really had...just how much bigger it was than just our backyard, or our school playground. 

The show also taught me how to take care of pets.  There was a pet shed in the backyard of the Polka Dot Door house, and inside, they showed you how to take care of a guinea pig, a rabbit, a budgie, and two goldfish named Freida and Fennel.  Sadly, I think the show probably went through a hundred Friedas and Fennels, unless they happened to find a super-goldfish that lived for a little over twenty years.

It happened to that one goldfish in the Guinness Book of World Records!  Times two!  Not impossible.  Unlikely, but not impossible.

And, yes...the show never had any talking Muppet characters like they did on Sesame Street.  They still made it work.  Humpty, Dumpty, Bear, and Marigold certainly filled the void left behind by the lack of a Big Bird or an Elmo.  Sure, their mouths were sewed onto their faces, but they still interacted with the hosts.  In fact, in later years, the show brought in some bilingual flavour with the introduction of the French-Canadian cat, Minou.

I'll never forget the day that the television blew up when I was younger, and I was upset that I couldn't watch Polka Dot Door that day.  So, my sister rounded up four stuffed animals, and pretended they were the four toys in the show.  She even got a mouse and made a Story-Time Clock out of a shoebox and construction paper, so I could play Polka Dot Door whenever I wanted.  It was really a cool experience.

Oh, and how can I have a blog entry about the Polka Dot Door without one of the most influential, if not the main character of the show?


Ah yes...Polkaroo.  The gigantic seven foot tall hybrid between a kangaroo and a bullfrog.  (Actually, does anyone actually KNOW what Polkaroo is supposed to be?  I'm just guessing).

Anyway...this is where the Imagination and Fantasy theme this week kicks in.  You see, Polkaroo seemed to be very much a real creature.  The catch is that in 99% of the episodes of Polka Dot Door I've ever seen, the female hosts were the only ones to ever see this mystical being. (There was one episode where the male host has seen him, but that was a rarity)

Was Polkaroo afraid of men?  Did he not like men?  Was he Gloria Steinem in a yellow polka-dotted jumper?

(Or was it the fact that in most cases, the male co-hosts were 'lucky' enough to have to don the life-sized costume while the women remained costume free?)

Whatever the reason, Polkaroo was quite the secretive friend.  He wasn't evil or mean-spirited.  He just wanted to have some fun.  He kind of reminded me of Drop Dead Fred, only more G-rated. 

The guy could have done more work with his speech patterns though...there's only so much one can do when the only word you know is 'Polkaroo!'

And, Polkaroo definitely had a lot to do.  In fact, Polkaroo's imagination was probably the most vibrant out of anyone else on the show.  Here's just one example.



I think that Polkaroo taught me something in that clip too.  Maybe the Space Program wasn't accepting Polkaroos in space back in the mid-1980's.  But as long as you had your imagination, you could go anywhere you wanted.  Polkaroo certainly did.

I almost wish that TVO would either repeat old episodes of this show, or put the show on DVD, because I think the kids of today are missing out.  Sometimes the simplicity of the show was all that I needed, because it brought forth the information at a level I could understand. 

And really, the show was wholesome, fun, and entertaining.  What more could a kid and a parent want?

Monday, June 20, 2011

Monday Matinee: Drop Dead Fred

I was thinking of ways that I could make this blog a lot more entertaining and interesting to read.  After all, the more readers that read my work and like it, the bigger the boost of confidence that I inevitably get as a result.

It is a bit hard to write this blog without constantly coming up with fresh and original ideas and angles to discuss.  So, to add to the fun, I've been toying with the idea of coming up with theme weeks.  The days will still have their own distinct genre, but the whole week will be dedicated to a specific theme.

I figure that I would test the waters for the week of June 20-26, just to see how it plays out, and if you like the idea, I may do more features as I think of them.

This week's theme is all about Fantasy and Imagination.  The blog entries featured this week will either focus on people who have imaginary friends, who have some sort of dream or fantasy, or maybe a combination of both.

Hence the term Fantasy and Imagination.

So, let's kick off this entry by looking back at a movie which may have bombed in the box office, but ended up being one of my all-time favourite movies.  Go figure.


Drop Dead Fred starred Phoebe Cates and Rik Mayall, and when it was first released in movie theatres on April 19, 1991, it flopped. 

Reportedly, it was panned and ripped apart by Hollywood critics.  Leonard Maltin issued this review of the film, stating that "Phoebe Cates' appealing performance can't salvage this putrid mess ... recommended only for people who think nose-picking is funny."

Ah, what does he know anyway?  He works on Entertainment Tonight, after all.

Personally, I loved the movie.  I'll defend the movie until the day I die.  I guess in admitting that, I admit to being a part of the 'cult following', but hey, as long as I don't drink the Kool-Aid, it's all golden.

So, here's the plot of the film.  You have the main character in the film, Lizzie (Cates) who we're first introduced to at the age of five years old.  We see a cute little scene where her mother reads her a story, and it's here where we sort of get a glimpse into who Lizzie really is.



Flash forward twenty-one years later, and we can see that Lizzie is the perfect description of 'damaged goods'.  Having a mother who has emotionally abused her and an ex-husband who gets joy in controlling her, she basically has been left without a backbone.  She can't figure out how to stand up to those who make her feel bad about herself.

Oh, Lizzie...I know exactly how you feel.  I had my backbone turn to jelly many times before, and know what it is like to be the doormat.  And, yes, like Lizzie, I kept my feelings incredibly repressed to the point where I ended up committing self-destructive behaviour against myself.  I kind of shut down, just like Lizzie did in the film.

But, enough about me.

On what could be considered to be the worst day of Lizzie's life, she gets talked down to by her ex, has her car stolen, loses her job, and ends up having to be forced to move back home with her abusive mother.

How's that for bad karma?

As soon as Lizzie arrives back to her childhood home, we start to learn more about her childhood as she explores the objects scattered throughout the room.  One such object is a taped-up jack-in-the-box.  The box was the home of her childhood imaginary friend, who she called 'Drop Dead Fred', and you'll see how the box ended up getting taped up in this scene below.


The clip kind of explains a lot, doesn't it?

Thankfully, my mother was never that cruel to me as a child.  At least in this sense, I can't relate.  But it's funny how such a simple thing can alter the course of one's life. 

As far as my life is concerned, having to move around to different houses every year or two within the first five years of my life was hard.  Perhaps maybe that's why I have such a desire to carve out my own place in this world, no matter what.  Or, maybe it's because of the fact that because I never really had the opportunity to find myself in my childhood that I want to make up for that now.  Who can say, really?

At least Lizzie had that childhood friend as that outlet.  A few people may dismiss the idea of having an imaginary friend as proof that the child is 'messed up' and 'needs professional help'.  And, yes, I admit I've heard those labels from some...ahem...less than kind adult influences in my life and times.

You want to know what I think?  I think it's perfectly fine to have an outlet to vent to.  As long as the outlet wasn't really self-destructive to the person who vents, I'm all for it.  If that means making a mud pie on the kitchen table because your imaginary friend tells you to, so be it.  At worst, you may be grounded until the age of fifteen, but what the heck, right?

I remember when I was four years old, I happened to get into some family member's cosmetics counter, and ended up pouring an entire bottle of Oil Of Olay all over my head (keeping in mind that I had just seen an Oil Of Olay commercial on television no less than half an hour before that).  I wouldn't exactly say that my family's reaction to the idea was received all that well (I remember getting in trouble for it), but it's also an event that we can look back on and laugh.

I think Lizzie's dad was sort of like that.  He understood that 'Drop Dead Fred' was an outlet for Lizzie, and thought it was harmless fun.  Her mother on the other hand didn't see it as such.

When Lizzie was making that mud pie in the kitchen, did you notice how happy she was?  And when her mother took away the box, you noticed how sad she was?  I think there's a reason for that. 

Whenever her mother got on her case, she could always count on Drop Dead Fred to cheer her up.  And there were a lot of times in which her mother was Lizzie's worst enemy.  Drop Dead Fred gave her a way to channel that anger and disappointment into happiness.  Sure, it might not have been the best way to go, but she was five.  I'm sure she could be forgiven.

Truth be told, I think the creation of Drop Dead Fred in Lizzie's life was the only real control she had, as wild and uncontrollable as he was.  He was really the only person in her life who understood her and tried to make her feel better about herself when everything else was falling apart.

And, that's why she decided to bring him back.


Of course, the cuteness of Drop Dead Fred calling her 'snotface' back in her kindergarten years didn't have that same appeal to the now twenty-six year old Lizzie.  Lizzie wanted Drop Dead Fred's help to get her back together with her ex-husband, but everytime he tried to assist her, he usually ended up making the situation worse.  He ended up sinking her friend's houseboat, and causes her to act erratically when having dinner with her childhood friend, Mickey. 



Luckily, Mickey was more understanding about the whole thing...probably moreso than her other friend who became homeless as a result.  Whatever the case, Fred did help out in re-establishing a friendship between Mickey and Lizzie.

Of course, when Lizzie continued to talk to Fred, and ended up attacking a musician with a shopping bag, it's enough for her mother to admit her into psychiatric counselling, where Lizzie is forced to take pills that were designed to get rid of Drop Dead Fred once and for all.  Lizzie's personality ends up becoming more lethargic in nature, and as a result of this personality shift, she decides to get back together with her ex-husband.  However, Fred isn't completely gone.

In fact, when Fred overhears her ex making plans to cheat on her yet again, he tries to warn Lizzie about it.  Lizzie tells Fred that she has no choice but to stay with him, because she may never get another shot at love again, and doesn't want to be alone.

Again, Lizzie...I can relate.  Believe me when I tell you I can relate big time.

Fred makes one last-ditch effort to make Lizzie see the light.


And the truth set Lizzie free.  By facing her demons one final time, she unlocked the part of herself that had been lost all those years ago, and Fred helped her find herself again. 

It also proved to be the very last time that Lizzie would ever see Fred again.  In order for her to move forward, she had to let go of the past.

I guess in order to move forward, I have to try and let go of the past too.  Every day, I'm getting better at it.

When Lizzie returned to the real world, she eventually got her fairy tale ending, albeit a quarter-century delayed.  Because she took control of her own destiny, she proved to be one strong woman who finally found the happiness she craved.

Sure, her imaginary friend helped her out...but considering that she created her imaginary friend herself, wouldn't that technically be her own doing that changed the course of her life?

Whatever the debate is, I'll always have a soft spot for this movie.  While watching this movie, a part of me really would have liked my own Drop Dead Fred to help me make those life-altering choices...but as anyone who has watched this film knows, there's only so much an imaginary companion can do.

And, there's only so much insurance money that one can get from a deep-sixed houseboat...

Sunday, June 19, 2011

Sunday Jukebox - "Ordinary World" by Duran Duran

Once in a while, you'll hear a song on the radio, or while shopping in a store, or while driving in your car that really strikes a chord in you.  A song that somehow manages to find a spot in your soundtrack of life.  Perhaps there's a song that reminds you of your first date.  Or, a song that was playing the day that you got married.  Or, a song that was playing when you were throwing up after a ride on the Tilt-A-Whirl back in the summer of '97.

(That song was Hanson's Mmmbop for the last one, BTW.)

But you get what my point is in this.  Once in a while you'll hear a song, and have it be a defining moment in your life.  A song that you listen to so much that the cassette gets chewed, the vinyl gets scratched, and the compact disc skips at the 1:11 mark.

In my life soundtrack, this happens to be a song that heavily featured.


ARTIST: Duran Duran
SONG:  Ordinary World
ALBUM:  Duran Duran (The Wedding Album)
RELEASED:  December 2, 1992
PEAK POSITION ON BILLBOARD CHARTS:  #3

Duran Duran was actually a band that I initially wasn't into.  Granted, I had a reason for it.  They released their very first album the same year I was born.  My older sister however was a huge fan.  I think she only liked the band because she had a crush on one of the Taylors (there were supposedly three band members with the last name Taylor).

I admit now that the band was a real powerhouse in both their native UK and in North America.  With several hits released between 1981 and 1988, they certainly had a good run as a band.

By the nineties though, their star power had somewhat faded, and they were having trouble getting back on the charts.  In late 1992, a radio DJ in the USA obtained a copy of the then unreleased single 'Ordinary World', and became such a success that the USA was forced to released the single one month earlier than normal (the UK kept the original release date of January 2, 1993, where it peaked at number six).

I can definitely see why the song became a success.  The song's haunting melody and emotional lyrics helped the song rise up the charts.

The lyrics of the song are some that have been questioned over the years, but the general consensus is that the song was written by lead singer Simon LeBon in the memory of a deceased friend.


So, why does this song have a spot in my life soundtrack?

Well...it's actually a song that I listened to a lot when it first came out, and for about four or five years afterwards.  It was a great song, I have to admit, so that only helped.

While Simon LeBon was singing about his departed friend, the more I listened to the lyrics, the more I seemed to have my own thoughts about how they fit into my own situation.

Going back to December 1992 when the song first came out, I was halfway through sixth grade, which was somewhat of an emotional time in my life.  At age eleven, I was in a situation where I wasn't exactly sure who I could rely on for friendship because it seemed like they had all drifted off in other directions.  I was also at that age where I really didn't want to talk to any family members about my problems.  Partly because I didn't think that they could help me, but also partly because I knew that they had their own problems, and because they were older and wiser that their problems were more important to solve than mine were.

LESSON #1:  Nobody's problems are any bigger or smaller than anyone else's.  It took me years to learn it, but learn it I did.

Anyways, I was kind of at a stage in my life where I didn't know where I was at in life.  People who I thought were friends ended up turning on me, and the people who I thought I could come to whenever I needed them were unavailable or ignorant to anything that I felt like sharing with them.

When I first heard the song 'Ordinary World', I guess it had been on the charts for a while, because Casey Kasem had announced that it had dropped six places on the Top 40 charts (slight aside here, I loved Casey's countdown, and was gutted when Ryan Seacrest took over).  Immediately, the song's chorus really hit a raw nerve in me.

And I won't cry for yesterday, there's an ordinary world
Somehow I have to find.
And, as I try to make my way to the ordinary world
I will learn to survive...

Pretty deep words, no?

The more I thought about it, the more it made sense.

I wanted to be a part of the ordinary world so badly.  A world where everything was right again.  A world where everything made sense.  A world that didn't scare me so much.

I guess like the song lyrics were saying, I needed to find that place, no matter how treacherous the journey was.

I must have listened to that song at least five hundred times between 1993 and 2000 alone.  The song was a real comfort to me during my tumultuous high school years, and the more I listened to it, the more desperate I was to try and find my ordinary world, where I could be happy and carefree, and not care what others think.

I guess in 2011, in many ways, I've found that ordinary world.  Through writing in the blog about my unhappy times, and linking them to happier memories, I'm beginning to heal from the pain of yesterday one day at a time.  It's an ongoing (and maddening) process, mind you, but I'm learning that crying for yesterday is pretty meaningless when you consider that I'm only thirty years old, and still have lots of time left. 

At the same time, I'm realizing that finding my ordinary world is one journey that isn't quite over yet.  Sure, I'm a lot more emotionally equipped to handle stress and bad karma.  The problem is that I've spent so much time trying to overcome those obstacles that I sort of forgot how to live and enjoy life in the process.

And that's something that I want to fix about myself.

I guess in order to find my ordinary world, I have to learn how to survive in it first.  That's the next crucial step in this plan called life.  And I guess one positive step is to try and move forward and not give the past hurt I suffered from a second glance.  I can't promise you that I will stop bringing it up cold turkey, because I'm not at that stage.  But if talking about my experiences helps anyone else who may be in a similar situation speak out about it and not be afraid to confide in people, maybe it's all worth it in the end.

But, that's just my own journey and struggles.  I'm interested in hearing from you guys.  Have you had difficulties finding your own ordinary world as well?

Saturday, June 18, 2011

Saturday Morning - Miss Piggy


I have to admit that I was a bit torn in choosing Miss Piggy as the subject for the Saturday blog.  For one, the Muppet Show wasn't really a weekend show that one would watch while chomping on chocolate milk and Golden Grahams, so how could I bring her up in a note about Saturday morning cartoons?

If you're still trying to figure out the answer, let me jump-start your memory here.



Yes, the Muppet Babies.  One of the many juniorizations of the 1980's right ahead of the Flintstones Kids and A Pup Named Scooby-Doo.  The Muppet Show, which debuted in the late 1970's proved to be so popular that in 1984, the cartoon series started airing on CBS.

It managed to last seven seasons, finally ending in 1991, along with the majority of Saturday morning cartoons, sadly enough.  It certainly lasted longer than the other two series I mentioned, which I believe only lasted a year at the most, maybe two.  I guess there was something special about the Muppets that had millions of kids born between 1971 and 1987 tuning in to watch them every Saturday.

I know I liked Muppet Babies when it first aired.  Don't get me wrong, I loved the original Muppet Show as well, as it used to air in reruns on YTV back in the early 1990's.  As a kid though, watching the Muppet Show (which I assume was mostly targeted towards older kids and adults), sometimes I couldn't quite understand some of the jokes, or know who some of the guest stars were, because many times they were from shows that I didn't like, or had never seen before.

Whereas the Muppet Babies were catered more to my level.  The pop culture references were watered down a bit, and focused on things that I had actually heard of, and because the Muppets were toddler aged, I probably had a better chance of understanding them more.

I mean, when Gonzo lost his stuffed chicken in Muppet Babies, I could relate to that more than Gonzo getting shot out of a cannon by some guy from Doctor Who, or what have you.

(I honestly don't even think such a Muppet Show episode exists, but it'd be cool if it did.)

I liked most of the characters that both the Muppet Show and the Muppet Babies featured.  Kermit was the star of both, and how could anyone dislike Kermit?  Gonzo and Animal were probably my two favourites.  Scooter wasn't too bad.  Skeeter didn't even appear in the Muppet show, so who knows how she nabbed a spot on Muppet Babies.  And I don't care what anyone says.  Nanny had the coolest socks.

There was one character who stood out more than anyone though, and that of course is Miss Piggy.


Miss Piggy is probably one of the biggest divas in the world of puppetry.  Bigger than Lamb Chop, Muffy from Today's Special, and Prairie Dawn from Sesame Street combined.  There's lots of examples of this on the Muppet Show...



...the Muppet Babies...


...even a commercial for potato chips.


All right, I think that's enough.

To tell you the truth, the reason why I chose Miss Piggy as the subject of this blog isn't because she and I are at all alike.  I mean, let's face it, I'm not a diva, I don't practice my autograph, and I certainly don't beat anyone up if they try to take my potato chips away.

But she was someone who seemed to have it all.

Yes, granted, she was a pig on the outside, but she knew what she wanted.  She knew how to dress to impress, and she knew how to attract the attention of the opposite sex almost flawlessly.  And really, don't we all want to be like that?

Well, okay, you can substitute the feather boas for a nice suit, and Kylie Minogue in place of Antonio Sabato Jr in my case.  Still the same thing.

At the same time though, I don't know if I could ever be friends, or even date someone who was like Miss Piggy.

Okay, let's scratch off the obvious reason right off the bat.  I am a man, while Miss Piggy is a pig puppet with some guy's arm up her...well...you know.  It would never work.

But even if Miss Piggy was more like a Miss...um...Peggy.  If she were 20-something, long blonde hair, dressed to the nines, and had a nose that didn't resemble a snout, I still probably wouldn't be interested in her.

How come?

Because Miss Piggy is a jealousy driven crazy woman!

Bet you never thought you would read that in a million years, huh?

Seriously, just think about this for a second.  Miss Piggy has always been in love with Kermit the Frog, right?  Has been going after him for years, maybe even since the Muppet Babies years, who can say?

It's funny then that she pretty much abuses him at every given opportunity.  She yells at him constantly, and she isn't exactly the easiest person to get along with if you take her diva demands and her short temper into account.

Now, granted...sometimes the frog had it coming.


But, I ask myself...would I want to be friends with or even date someone who knocks me out cold every time I tell a joke?  Definitely not.

The more I look at it, the more I think Miss Piggy has insecurity issues.  She's literally someone who has it all, but doesn't think that's enough for her.  So, she sort of acts out of character when she feels it suits her, and tries to hide her insecurities behind a face full of make-up and a Bob Mackie glitter gown, made especially for the figure of a full-grown sow. 

I sort of can see where Miss Piggy is coming from, because I used to be incredibly insecure about myself.  I'm at the point in my life where it's almost all gone, but there's still work that I can do.  I'll get through it.

Truth is, I knew quite a lot of people who were like Miss Piggy.  On the outside, they appeared to have it all.  They had the great upbringing.  They had the expensive clothes.  They had guys falling at their feet or girls swooning over them, depending on what gender they happen to be.  They had everything money could buy.  They seemed to be absolutely perfect on the outside.

Peel back the layers of the Guess jeans and Calvin Klein shirts however, and you might find that like Miss Piggy, they may have their flaws that make one think that maybe things aren't so good for them after all.  That maybe compared to them, you're better off than you think.

Wow...how's that for overanalysis, eh?


Truth be told, I still adore Miss Piggy, despite all her flaws.  If she could find a way to not be as jealous of anyone who gets in between her and Kermit and channel her kung-fu skills for good, she literally would be one unstoppable pig.

If only...

Friday, June 17, 2011

TGIF: Vera Louise Gorman from Alice

The year was 1999.  August 1999 to be exact.  And in August 1999, I was one very sick eighteen year old.

I was feeling incredibly sick the last part of the summer vacation.  I had a cough that would not go away, and my breathing was heavy, and my head was so clogged up with stuff that I thought it would bust like a balloon that had been pricked with a thumbtack.

So, while most people were swimming in pools, and enjoying cooking outdoors, and riding the Tilt-a-Whirl at carnivals so many times that they threw up cherry sno-cones and cotton candy, I was in bed.  Sick.

Turns out that I had pneumonia.  I battled it from mid-August to early-September that year.  Not my finest experience.

I did try to make the best of a bad situation.  I hooked up my outdated in '99 Super NES and played some games, and when I wasn't doing that, I watched television.

Good thing I did too, because had I not, I would have missed out on seeing this show in reruns.


A lot of people my age probably don't remember the television show, 'Alice'.  Probably because it aired quite some time before I was born, and ended when I was a toddler.  It was based on the 1974 motion picture 'Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore'.  In the movie and the show, Alice Hyatt, a newly-single mother decides that she needs a fresh start, so she and her son decide to pack up and head to California so Alice can get a job as a singer.  Fate causes the car to break down in the state of Arizona, where Alice is forced to take a job at Mel's Diner as a waitress in order to get back on her feet. 

The job was supposed to be a temporary one for Alice, but considering that the show ran from 1976 to 1985, temporary seemed to last forever in Alice's world.

One of the main reasons behind Alice's decision to stay at Mel's Diner for so long was partly due to the warmth and kindness of all of her co-workers. 

There was Florence Jean "Kiss My Grits" Castleberry, who kind of took Alice under her wing and helped her deal with the transition from singer to diner waitress.  She also seemed to have a good working relationship with waitresses Jolene and Belle.  Even her stodgy, short-tempered boss Mel seemed to have a soft spot for Alice in some occasions.

And then there was the waitress who happens to be the subject of this blog entry.


Vera Louise Gorman was one of the few waitresses who lasted the run of the whole series, and was one of the first people that made Alice feel at home at Mel's Diner.  She was a kind woman who rarely ever had a bad word to say about anyone, and she definitely tried her best to be a good person.

Though like all of us, she did have her flaws.  Three of them to be exact.  Three flaws that I am guilty of having.  Two of them, I've managed to overcome...the third I'm trying to work on.

First flaw...Vera was a klutz.  And so was I for that matter.

I mean, if you took a peek at the opening credits of the show, there's one scene that appears in every credit sequence.  It's the one where Vera tries to open up a box of straws and the whole thing explodes on her.  And, then there was that television commercial that she attempted to do in the first part of this clip...



Now, while I can't really claim to have ever appeared on a television commercial, I do know how Vera feels.  I used to be incredibly klutzy.

Here's a true story for you.

When I was first hired at my current job, I started off in the back room of the store.  I was hired as an unloader, and one of my duties was to take a pump truck and pull skids of merchandising onto the sales floor for the overnight crew to stock.



Which would have been all fine and dandy had I ever used a pump truck before.  I was a pump truck virgin, and I wasn't sure exactly if I could handle the pressure of driving a foreign piece of equipment.

I had no choice though.  If I didn't pull the pump truck, I wouldn't have a job.  So, I grabbed one of the trucks, and pumped up the skid.  That part was easy. 

Then I pulled it onto the floor, made a really horrible turn onto the sales floor and took out an entire display of Febreze air fresheners.

Holiday scented Febreze air fresheners.

Holiday scented Febreze air fresheners that spilled all over my brand new steel-toed shoes, causing me to smell of apple pie and pine branches the rest of the shift.

Oh, I was mortified.  It was my first day, and I happened to cause quite a bit of damage.  I thought for sure that I would get fired.

Instead I got demoted to store standards.  Go figure.

There is a cloud to this silver lining though.  Over the year that I did spend on store standards, I got used to using pump trucks, and now I can steer them to the best of them.  It really came in handy when I got promoted to the food department where you have to use them every day on the job.  Eventually, I overcame that klutziness that I initially suffered from my first few weeks on the job, and now using a pump truck is easy.

In fact, it's rumoured that I am to be trained to use the electric pump truck in the near future at some point.  I can't guarantee you all that I'll take out another display of air fresheners, Oreo cookies, or heaven forbid a skid of marble cheese and chocolate milk, but at least I'm not going into it with pure fear.

The walker-stacker...yeah, we won't go there.

It's funny that I brought up pump trucks in the first example because my next example in comparing Vera to myself is on a similar tangent.

Apparently, Vera couldn't drive.

And the comedy of errors surrounding this fact were definitely made evident in the series.  I don't have any examples to show you in regards to this unfortunately, but let's just say that there was many instances in which Vera found herself behind the wheel of a car, and then she remembered that she didn't know how to drive.

Can't say I've ever been THAT bad.  But it did take me almost 14 years before I had the courage to go and get my learner's permit.  I used to have this horrible fear of getting my license because I had a horrible fear of driving off a bridge, or over a cliff, or into a tanker truck filled with gasoline.  Yeah, you get the picture.

It wasn't until recently that I realized that I needed to have a license if for no other purpose than to have identfication to show if ever I needed to show it.  So, I bit the bullet, took the test, and passed with flying colours.

Remember that one disclaimer at the beginning of this blog entry that said that there was one thing that I was currently working on?  The driving this is that.  I'm looking into going for driving lessons though, so that would only help.  Who knows?  Maybe my mastering of the pump truck could assist in that.  Who can say really?

Now, here's the third flaw in Vera's character that I also had to overcome.

Vera let people walk all over her sometimes.  As did I.

I don't really need to go into detail about myself here...you can just look at any of my previous blog entries for that.  Vera on the other hand...oh, there's lots of things that I can talk about.

I think this episode is one that best shows this in action.  It's probably one of the only instances where I'll post a full episode, but you kind of have to watch the whole show fully understand.


First off...Calvin is a complete jerk.

Secondly, this is a prime example of how Vera initially let someone walk all over her.  He manipulated her into thinking that he was going to hurt himself because she wasn't feeling the relationship, so when he made that threat, she took the sleeping pills that caused an already bad situation to go worse.

Towards the end of this episode, although in a sleep-induced haze, she found a backbone and told Calvin just how she really felt about him, and she managed to take control again, albeit briefly.

It seems kind of awkward to showcase a subject like suicide attempts in a comedic venue, but such as it was back in the 1970s.

Much like Vera, I too used to let people walk all over me, but I am getting better at not letting it happen as often, if not at all.


The one bit of comfort that I can take from Vera is that over the course of the show's nine season run, Vera grew as a character.  She became less dependent on others and more independent.  She lost her klutziness and gained new inner strength.  By the end of the series, she had even found love with a police officer named Elliot and had a child just by being the kind, sweet person she always had been.

Sure, she had her quirks, such as writing numbers in the air to figure out math problems instead of using a calculator or adding machine (something I admittedly do myself at times...another connection, who would have thought it?), but in the end, those quirks just made her all that more interesting of a person.

And if Vera Louise Gorman can find a way to live a relatively happy and normal life as a waitress, there's no reason why I can't.



So, the next time you see a sign on the way of life...don't be afraid to take it.  Alice, Flo, and Vera did, and it ended up being a great choice for them.  I'm sure that my 'waitress wanted' sign is out there too.  Maybe I've already found it and don't know it yet.

Though, I refuse to wear those waitress get-ups.  I have hairy legs and look terrible in Pepto-Bismol pink.