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Monday, March 05, 2012

Jurassic Park

I often think about the various places that I have gone in my life, and honestly, I’m sorry to say that outside of a couple of provinces in Canada and New York State, I haven’t really had many opportunities to see this great big world of ours. 

It’s something that I have a bit of regret about, to be completely honest with you.  I mean, I know that my life isn’t over yet, and I still have time to make good on my promise to see more of this planet, but I always felt kind of bad that my only experiences with outings are mostly comprised of school field trips.

Not that these field trips weren’t fun, mind you.  But, when you consider that many people my age have likely gone out and seen the world, it makes the desire to see the world even greater.  I mean, here’s a mini-confession for all of you.  I’ve never even been inside an airplane aside from a display model inside the wing of a museum dedicated to aviation.  But, again, there’s still time for me to remedy this.

Still though, some of the field trips that I went to during my school years were quite memorable in themselves.  At the end of eighth grade, my whole graduating class went on a bus trip to Toronto, Ontario where we stayed for two days.  We went to Canada’s Wonderland, saw Phantom of the Opera, and visited a science museum.  That was probably one of the best moments of my entire life (well, aside from the fact that I lost my wallet with $40 cash at Canada’s Wonderland...thank goodness I kept extra cash hidden away in my suitcase or else I would have really been screwed).  I also remember going to Montreal, Quebec once in Grade 11, which was also fun (well, aside from the fact that my group got lost in Old Montreal and held up the bus ride home for an entire hour while they searched for us).  And, there was also the time we visited the Museum of Civilization in Ottawa, Ontario which was a fantastic experience (well, aside from getting in trouble for playing on the escalators recklessly).

Wow...funny how I ended up having a great time on all of these field trips despite the bad luck that ended up being associated with them.

Even field trips that were closer to home ended up being a blast.  When I was in kindergarten, we took a tour of a chocolate factory (which was fine until I realized that we were up high, and I was deathly afraid of heights).  Still though, it was fun.  We also took a trip to our local Memorial Center where there was a safety fair going on, and we drove little motorized carts across a course, watched safety demonstrations, and got a free balloon at the end of it all. 


But one place that I can still see in my mind quite often was a field trip to a location known as “Prehistoric World”.  The park is located in Morrisburg, Ontario, and all I can say is that it is extraordinary.  The park is covered with life-sized replicas of every kind of dinosaur that ever existed.  There were triceratops, and brontosauruses, and Tyrannosaurus Rex!  The way the park is laid out was done up almost exactly like what the world would have looked like during the dinosaur era, with lots of leafy green areas.  It’s been about twenty years since I have been at Prehistoric World, but I recommend the place highly.  It’s a great way for children to learn all about the dinosaurs.  I can still remember all us little kids standing next to a life-sized replica of a dinosaur, and being in shock and awe over how big they really were.  It was a good thing that the dinosaur models weren’t actual dinosaurs.  If they had been real, I would make sure that I hung around the dinosaurs that were known herbivores. 

Actually, that would even be a bad idea, because with my luck, I’d probably end up getting stomped to death by the foot of a giant dinosaur.

Nevertheless, Prehistoric World was a fun experience, and I’m happy that I went.

Of course, Prehistoric World was a recreation of an actual prehistoric world with fake dinosaurs.  But what if the dinosaurs inside of Prehistoric World came to life?  What if you could go and visit an actual amusement park where the star attractions were actual living and breathing dinosaurs?  Would you be excited?  Thrilled?  Scared out of your mind?

Well, as it turns out, today’s Monday Matinee happens to deal with that very situation!


Yes, today’s feature presentation is the Steven Spielberg film “Jurassic Park”, which premiered in theatres on June 11, 1993.  The film starred Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, and Richard Attenborough.  It was based off of the popular novel of the same name, written by Michael Crichton.


“Jurassic Park” was a film that was widely praised, largely for the use of special effects and computer generated imagery.  It grossed a grand total of over $900 million dollars worldwide, and until it was surpassed by 1997’s “Titanic”, was the most commercially successful film of all time.  Two sequels for the film were released in 1997 and 2001 respectively, and word is that a fourth film is in the works for a 2013 release.

But for the sake of today’s blog entry, we’re going to focus on the first (and in this blogger’s opinion, the best) film.

The film begins in the fictional area known as Isla Nublar, off the coast of Costa Rica.  It is in this location that a new theme park is being built by John Hammond (Attenborough).  Hammond is the CEO of International Genetic Technology Incorporated (also known as InGen), and he has used his millions to finance the theme park.


Jurassic Park.

Jurassic Park is a theme park that much like the Prehistoric World that I visited as a boy was dinosaur themed.  But the difference was that on Jurassic Park, the dinosaurs were real.  They were cloned from the DNA that was taken from inside insects that were preserved in prehistoric amber.  In Hammond’s eyes, the theme park would be a financial success, and he believed that everyone in the world would pay big money to see a real live dinosaur.

But when the park is near completion, an employee of the park is the victim of a dinosaur attack, and as a result of this attack, the investors who have pumped money into the creation of the park are naturally concerned about the safety of the park.  Through their spokesperson, lawyer Donald Gennaro (Martin Ferrero), the investors insist that a team of experts inspect the park to ensure that the area is safe before opening up the doors to the general public.


A team of three experts decide to take on the job...mathematician Dr. Ian Malcolm (Goldblum), palaeontologist Dr. Alan Grant (Neill), and paleobotanist Dr. Ellie Sattler (Dern) agree to head down to Jurassic Park to evaluate the land.  Tagging along for the ride are Hammond’s own grandchildren, Lex and Tim Murphy.

On the way to the island, Hammond asked his experts their opinions about what he has been doing.  He wondered what they thought about the idea of recreating dinosaur species.  Surprisingly enough, only Gennaro expressed any optimism about the idea.  The three experts had their own conflicting opinions on what their feelings were on the subject, but they all seemed to express doubt and uncertainty over the idea.


Once the team arrives at Jurassic Park, all three experts are completely stunned to see living dinosaurs.  Immediately, they begin their exploration of the park, and one of the first things that they come across is a sick Triceratops, and the group sets out to explore the area.  






When a sudden storm rolls in, the majority of the group decide to take cover in the cars that they rode in on through the park.  The only one to stay behind is Dr. Sattler, who stays behind with the park doctor to take care of the Triceratops.

TRIVIA:  Some of the storm scenes that aired in the film were shot during the actual filming.  The film was shot on location in Hawaii beginning in the summer of 1992, and many scenes were shot just before Hurricane Iniki struck Hawaii on September 11, 1992.  So, when you watch some of the storm footage in the film, you’ll have an idea of when the scenes were shot!

As the weather gets worse outside, inside the Jurassic Park complex inside, there’s just as much danger.  Computer programmer Dennis Nedry (Wayne Knight) is actually working as a mole, stealing secrets and dinosaur embryos from InGen.  He is willing to do anything in his power to get the secrets out so he can be rewarded handsomely by the company he really shows his loyalty to.  But in his quest to get access to the embryos, he makes some careless mistakes.  For one, he disables the security system for the whole park.  One might not think that would be such a huge deal, but consider this...the security system powered up the electric fences that were used to keep the most dangerous dinosaurs within an enclosed area.  With the electric fences losing their charge, the dinosaurs charged right through the barriers.  So, thanks to Nedry, the park was now overrun with dangerous and deadly dinosaurs.


The security shutdown causes the group of cars carrying Dr. Grant, Dr. Malcolm, Gennaro, and the Murphy kids to be confronted by a gigantic Tyrannosaurus Rex.  The attack by the Tyrannosaurus was costly for the group.  Gennaro ended up getting devoured by the huge dinosaur, and Dr. Malcolm was seriously injured.  Somehow, Dr. Grant and the Murphy kids survived the attack, but end up lost in the middle of the jungle.

Meanwhile, Dr. Sattler and game warden Robert Muldoon (Bob Peck) happen to come across the site of the attack, and happen to come across the wounded Dr. Malcolm, who fills them in on what happened.  But before the group could venture into the jungle to look for Dr. Grant and the children, the Tyrannosaurus comes out of hiding to prepare for round two.  Luckily, the group manages to stay out of harm’s way, and make their way towards the Jurassic Park visitor’s center.

Realizing that the dinosaurs are completely out of control thanks to the shutdown of the security system by Nedry, the group at the visitor’s center must find a way to turn the system back on.  The problem is that the codes that Nedry used were tough to crack.  It seemed that Nedry was the only one who knew how to turn the system back on, and Nedry wasn’t talking.


No, seriously.  In Nedry’s escape attempt, he was blinded and killed by a Dilophosaurus, thus proving that karma could work both ways.


Can the group find a way to reactivate the security system?  Would they be able to locate Dr. Grant and the Murphy children?  What happens when Dr. Grant comes upon the realization that the dinosaurs are breeding on their own?  And will our team of heroes get out of Jurassic Park alive?

You’re going to have to watch the movie yourself to find out those answers!

So, that was our look back on Jurassic Park.  While the idea of having a theme park filled with living dinosaurs might seem like a fantastic one, watching the movie’s plot as it unfolded maybe showed us that maybe the modern world wasn’t ready to live among prehistoric creatures after all. 

Well, at least not living prehistoric creatures, anyway.

I mean, I’ll give credit where credit is due.  Jurassic Park was pleasing to the eye and before Nedry caused the beginning of the end of the theme park, appeared to be a calm and relaxing place.  But, I’ll gladly choose Prehistoric World every time.

At least with Prehistoric World, you don’t have to worry about getting eaten and chased by a hungry group of Velociraptors.



Sunday, March 04, 2012

The Jockey Who Became A Monkee

No matter what era you grew up in, teen idols were always present.  You know the ones I mean, right?  The ones on the front cover of such magazines as “Tiger Beat”, or “People Magazine”?

Certainly in the era I grew up in, there was no shortage of teen idols that girls often idolized.  I think when I was in the fourth grade, almost every girl in my class had either a “New Kids On The Block” pencil case or a “Beverly Hills 90210” trapper keeper.  As if that wasn’t enough, the girls would often discuss which New Kid or 90210 star they liked the best.  If I remember correctly, Jordan was the most popular New Kid, while as far as 90210 was concerned, it was a toss-up between Luke Perry and Jason Priestley.

As far as I was concerned, I really didn’t care for those teen idols...though I did have minor crushes on Alyssa Milano, Sarah Lancaster (from Chuck and SBTB: The New Class) and Tiffani-Amber Thiessen...all of whom could have been considered teen idols for boys.

But really, you could go back in time to almost any era and pick out one teen idol that many girls idolized.  Back in the late 1950s, I think it is a safe bet to say that Elvis Presley made every woman’s heart throb with each rotation his hips made.  During the 1970s, I’m sure many women had pin-ups of David Cassidy, Donny Osmond, Andy Gibb, and Leif Garrett plastered all over their bedroom walls.  During the 1990s, Justin Timberlake and the rest of the boys of *NSync garnered almost as much attention as the Backstreet Boys.  And, I suppose that looking at 2012, the current flavour of the month happens to be Justin Bieber, who turned eighteen just days ago.

So, as you can see, the whole notion of teen idols is nothing new.  They’ve been around for decades, and will likely be around for decades to come.

Today for the Sunday Jukebox, I thought we’d celebrate the life of one of these teen idols.  During the 1960s, he was a member of one of the most talked about and loved groups at that time, and he found himself the subject of much adoration from female fans (both real and fictional).  Sadly, he passed away on February 29, 2012.  His memory will forever live on, and today’s blog entry will take a look back on his brilliant career.


I’m of course speaking about the late Davy Jones of the Monkees, who died of a heart attack.  He was 66 years old.

Born December 30, 1945 in Manchester, England, Jones got into the world of show business at a very early age.  When he was 15, he landed a role on the British television show ‘Coronation Street’, playing the grandson of long serving character, Ena Sharples.  Although his time on the soap was brief, it set the stage for future projects, only he didn’t know it at the time.  Shortly after appearing on ‘Coronation Street’, his mother passed away due to complications from emphysema.  He decided to give up his acting career at that time, and was interested in becoming a jockey.

Of course, when Davy Jones’ trainer, Basil Foster, was approached by a friend of his who was looking for people to cast in a stage performance of the musical ‘Oliver!’, Foster immediately recommended Jones.  Jones was promptly cast as the Artful Dodger, and got rave reviews for his performance.  After appearing on the London musical scene, he reprised the role for Broadway, where he was nominated for a Tony Award.

His experience with doing the play garnered attention from all media outlets, and in 1964, he was invited to appear on the Ed Sullivan Show along with his co-star Georgia Brown.  As luck would have it, his appearance took place on February 9, 1964, which was the same exact date that The Beatles made their American talk show debut.  And Jones would later recall watching the crowd go crazy over The Beatles (by all accounts teen idols themselves), thinking that he wanted to have the same attention that the Beatles had gotten on that night.

I wonder if Davy Jones could have predicted that just two years later, his wish would be granted...


In 1965, Davy Jones released a single with the title “What Are We Going To Do?”, which made its debut on the Billboard Hot 100 in August of that year.  Shortly thereafter, he would be signed to Colpix Records (owned by Columbia), and released his first solo album.  It was a nice way to break into the music business, and I’m sure that Jones enjoyed the success a lot.  But, in 1966, his star would glow even brighter when he became a member of the quartet known as ‘The Monkees’.

The Monkees were the brain-child of Robert Rafelson and Bert Schneider.  After seeing the success that The Beatles had with their movie “A Hard Day’s Night”, the duo decided that they wanted to do a television show about a rock and roll group.  Originally, the concept was to cast a pre-existing rock group, and ‘The Lovin’ Spoonful’ was briefly considered.  However, since they were already under contract to a record company (which would have prevented Screen Gems Television to market the music from the show on a record), they were dismissed as a possibility.  The search to create a new band for the show began in the autumn of 1965.


Over the next few months, The Monkees would be formed.  The band comprised of Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith, Peter Tork, and of course, Davy Jones.  Their first single was ‘Last Train To Clarksville’, which was released in the summer of 1966, and within a few weeks, the television show debuted on September 12, 1966 on NBC.

Of course, one of the problems that arose with forming ‘The Monkees’ was attempting to figure out what each member’s role was in the group.  Initially, the idea was toyed around for Davy Jones to become the lead singer solely, a decision that was reportedly unpopular with the other three Monkees.  It was eventually decided by the band that Micky Dolenz would become the lead vocalist on most of the Monkees singles, though Jones would sing lead on some songs, one of which you’ll be viewing a bit later in this entry.

Another problem came down to the idea of who would play what instrument.  Particularly the drums.  None of the four members of the Monkees knew how to play the drums.  Nesmith and Tork didn’t attempt to learn how to play, as both of them were already very proficient in guitar and keyboards respectively.  Davy Jones tried it out, and while he did quite well, his short stature made it nearly impossible for people in the audience to see him very well.  Dolenz, being the only member left who could sit in on the drums took on the role of percussionist.  Tork managed to teach Dolenz some basic techniques, and learned how to play professionally on his own time.

So, when you watch a standard episode of The Monkees, you’ll more than likely see a line-up like this.  Dolenz would play drums, Jones would be the front person of the band, Nesmith would play the bass and guitar, and Tork would be the keyboardist.


As the television show screened more and more episodes, the band became more popular as a result, and soon, Davy Jones’ dream to be as huge as The Beatles had become a reality...or least it had in his mind (because let’s face it, it would be very difficult to become as big if not bigger than The Beatles).  The increased popularity of the television show meant that fans were salivating over the idea of the band performing live.

In December 1966, the fans ended up getting their wish, as the four members of the group (against the wishes of Screen Gems head of music Don Kirshner) set out on tour, with Hawaii being their debut performance.  What was even more amazing was the fact that the band did well in their live performances despite having very little time to rehearse.  Between filming the television show and recording songs for record releases, the band didn’t have enough time to sleep, let along perfect their performance skills.  So, the fact that they did do as well as they did not only showcased their natural talent, but showed what quick learners they were.


In fact, some of the live performances were used in the television series!  In particular, in the episode ‘Too Many Girls (Fern and Davy)’ opens with a live version of the song ‘(I’m Not Your) Steppin’ Stone’.

And by doing live concerts, the band received widespread adoration from fans, almost to the point where it reached the levels that Beatlemania had.  By 1968, the Monkees were considered to be one of the best selling groups worldwide, and Jones’ dream of success had finally been achieved, as well as the success of Dolenz, Nesmith, and Tork.

But while the Monkees were riding the waves of success and their bonds of friendship strengthened, the relationship that the band had with Don Kirshner was fractured beyond repair, and after Kirshner released an album without the band’s permission, and violated agreements that he had with the band, he was dismissed by the band in early 1967.  Kirshner would later have a hand in creating the fictional band, The Archies.

The television show ran for two seasons, and the possibility of the show continuing for a third was very much possible, but by then, the band had lost interest in the project, and in February 1968, the show was cancelled.  Three years later, The Monkees would split up.


Of course, once the Monkees disbanded in 1971, that didn’t mean that Davy Jones’ career ended.  Not by a long shot.

The same year that the Monkees broke up, Jones started up a New York City street market called “The Street”, and collaborated with Doug Trevor to put on a television special entitled “Pop Goes Davy Jones”, which featured The Jackson Five and The Osmonds.

He would also appear on an episode of ‘The Brady Bunch’, where he would meet Marcia Brady.  He sang the song “Girl” on that episode, which many fans of Jones associate with being his most remembered hit.  He also continued acting over the next few years in everything from movies to sitcoms to even being drawn in animated form (The New Scooby-Doo Movies).  He even managed to revisit a hobby he once loved, which was horse racing.  He won his first race in 1996 (at the age of 50), and was a spokesperson for Colonial Downs racetracks in Virginia for many years.


And, of course The Monkees would reunite with each other several times during Jones’ lifetime.  In 1996, all four members reunited to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the band.  A new album was also released that year, “Justus”, which would ultimately be the very last time that the band would play as a foursome.  A second reunion tour for the band’s 45th anniversary occurred in 2011, with Jones, Tork, and Dolenz in what would be the final time Jones would perform as a Monkee before his death.

Jones is survived by his third wife, Jessica Pacheco as well as his four daughters, ranging in age from 23 to 43.  He was also survived by the three surviving members of The Monkees, who all spoke about his passing and his life fondly.  Michael Nesmith’s tribute was particularly touching.  Here’s what he said about his former bandmate and friend, Davy Jones just hours after his passing.


“All the lovely people.  Where do they all come from?  So many lovely and heartfelt messages of condolence and sympathy, I don’t know what to say except my sincere thanks to you all.  I share and appreciate your feelings, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves here.  While it is jarring, and sometimes seems unjust, or strange, this transition we call dying and death is a constant in the mortal experience that we know almost nothing about.  I am of the mind that it is a transition, and I carry with me a certainty of the continuity of existence.  While I don’t exactly know what happens in these times, there is an ongoing sense of life that reaches in my mind out far beyond the near horizons of mortality and into the reaches of infinity.  That David has stepped beyond that view causes me sadness that it does many of you.  I will miss him, but I won’t abandon him to mortality.  I will think of him as existing within the animating life that insures existence.  I will think of him and his family with that gentle regard in spite of all the contrary appearances on the mortal plane.  David’s spirit and soul live well in my heart, among all the lovely people, who remember with me the good times, and the healing times, that were created for so many, including us.  I have fond memories.  I wish him safe travels”.

Well said, Mr. Nesmith.

I guess perhaps what I’ll remember Davy Jones for the most was his music.  Although I was born 15 years too late to appreciate The Monkees in their heyday, I fondly remember watching the television show on MuchMusic back in the late 1990s, and I remember what incredible stage presence Davy Jones had, both as a young man, and as a man into his sixties.  And, Michael Nesmith was right.  Although Davy Jones has passed away, he’ll never really disappear.

I think this song by The Monkees is the song that I’ll remember the most because of Davy Jones.


ARTIST:  The Monkees
SONG:  Daydream Believer
ALBUM:  The Birds, The Bees, & The Monkees
DATE RELEASED:  January 13, 1967
PEAK POSITION ON THE BILLBOARD CHARTS:  #1 for 4 weeks
Wherever you are, Davy Jones, keep daydream believin’.




David "Davy" Thomas Jones
1945-2012

Saturday, March 03, 2012

Wild & Crazy Kids!

Due to my overwhelming weekend schedule (most of it being work related), this blog entry is going to be a little smaller than you normally would see in A Pop Culture Addict's Guide To Life.

(Of course, to some of you reading this right now, maybe that's considered to be a good thing.)

But, anyway...today's Saturday morning feature deals with a show that aired on Nickelodeon. It debuted on January 4, 1990, and lasted for three seasons, ending its run in December 1992.



It was a show known as 'Wild & Crazy Kids'.

And, I loved it!



It's been years since I watched an episode of Wild & Crazy Kids straight through, and after watching some episodes of it on YouTube, I must admit that it hasn't really aged all that well. The early 1990s were a wacky time where neon colours and high top sneakers were high in fashion, and in a fact that kind of makes me feel old, I realize that a lot of the kids who appeared on the show are now in their mid-30s with wild and crazy kids of their own.

However, watching the show back then provided so many fond, fond memories of carefree summer days, where the only concern we had was to have as much fun as possible.

I think some of the best times of my entire childhood were the summer months. For one, I was away from the confines of school for two and a half months. Not that I necessarily hated to learn, but any excuse to get away from the kids who didn't like me was always a bonus. For another, I was enrolled in a summer parks program which allowed me to meet brand new kids, and where we would always do activities that were very similar to the ones that were featured on Wild and Crazy Kids.



The way the show worked was that a large group of children would be divided up into teams, and each team would have a specific colour. One of the good things about the show was that the show had infinite colours of T-shirts for the kids to wear, so there could be as many as six different teams competing for the same event. Each event was hosted by one of three hosts, and the hosts would change throughout the course of the series. But, I'll have more information on that later.

Most of the events were based off of playground games, such as Red Light, Green Light, and Simon Says, but with a bit of a messy twist. Given that the show aired on Nickelodeon, a television station known for airing messy shows such as 'Double Dare' and 'You Can't Do That On Television', there had to be some messiness involved. For instance, the Red Light, Green Light game might involve the contestants carrying a giant cream pie behind their backs, and once they got to the red light, green light caller, they could smash a pie in their faces. Or, they could have a tug-of-war event where a large group of children played tug-of-war with professional wrestlers.

There were also sports themed events as well, with one of the most popular ones to be featured being the Dizzy Bat Home Run Derby. This game featured kids playing against adults, and one advantage that the kids would have was that the adults would be forced to spin around the bat three times, causing their balance to be severely compromised.

I should also note that while most of the events that took place were featured in an outdoor setting, there were some events that took place indoors. One common indoor location was a shopping plaza, and if you click below, you can watch a shopping mall obstacle course filled with several events where four teams (blue, peach, pink, and purple) would compete to see who would earn the most points.



One thing that really stuck out about the show though was that the show didn't really offer much of anything in terms of prizes (or if they did, I'm blocking that part out). It didn't really need to. As long as the kids had fun throwing pies at adults, or running through a shopping mall, then there really was no need to reward them with riches.



(Did you get that Biggest Loser Season 13 producers? You don't need cash prizes to run a reality show! And these are contestants that are 14 and under!)



That's really all I have to say about the mechanics of the show 'Wild & Crazy Kids'. It may not have aged well over the course of time, but by gosh, it was a fun show when it was new and fresh. I would have done anything to have been a part of that show. Heck, I would have just been happy to get a Wild & Crazy kids T-shirt (in purple, of course) to wear. I mean, when I think of what my childhood summers were like, I think of Wild & Crazy Kids.

I only regret that I didn't have the opportunity to throw pies at any adults during my whole childhood.

I guess to end off this entry on Wild & Crazy Kids, I thought that I would offer up a list of trivia facts associated with this show. A lot of them are probably common knowledge, but there's some interesting facts that I never really knew about the show itself. So, let's get on with it.



1 – Although the show didn't air until January 1990, a pilot episode was filmed in 1989, with three entirely different hosts. The hosts for the pilot episode were Matt Brown, Leslie Hibbard, and Cory Tyler.

2 – There were two different female hosts during the series run. Annette Chavez was the female host during the 1990 season. In 1991, she left the show and was replaced by Jessica Gaynes during the remainder of the series.



3 – Omar Gooding was one of the male hosts of the series, and if that last name sounds at all familiar, it's because he is the brother of actor Cuba Gooding Jr.

4 – The other male host of Wild & Crazy Kids was Donnie Jeffcoat, who later found fame on the soap opera 'One Life To Live' playing the role of Joey Buchanan. He also appeared in a role on the WB show '7th Heaven'.

5 – The show was briefly revived in 2002, with host Mati Morajelo. The show however failed to make as huge of an impression as the original, and was taken off the air after ten episodes.

6 – Some of the shows (in particular during the 1992 season) were filmed on location at theme parks all over the United States. Some of these locations were Six Flags Magic Mountain, Universal Studios, and Raging Waters, Wild Rivers.

7 – As mentioned above, the show used a lot of different coloured T-shirts, which often meant that there could be as many as six different teams competing in events. But during the first season, the show changed clothing companies, so as a result, the shirts in the first season were more neon coloured than in future seasons. Which made sense, given that day-glo fashion was all the rage in 1990.



8 – One of the challenges that was played on the show was a gigantic sized version of Twister, involving hundreds of kids.

9 – Wild & Crazy Kids often had celebrity appearances, especially during the show's final season. Most of the time, the celebrities would be involved in a challenge, and once the challenge was completed, the hosts would give them a Wild & Crazy Kids T-shirt, welcoming them to the club.
10 – Some of the celebrities that appeared on Wild & Crazy Kids included Roseanne star Michael Fishman, Saved By The Bell star Lark Voorhies, and Full House star Andrea Barber.

11 – Wild & Crazy Kids would often have crossover shows with other Nickelodeon programs. In 1990, Double Dare host Marc Summers appeared on an episode, which was titled 'Double Dare vs. Wild & Crazy Kids'. There was also a crossover with Nickelodeon show 'Salute Your Shorts', where cast members Venus De Milo, Michael Bower, and Danny Cooksey appeared.



12 – Before he became a member of the New York Jets, D'Brickashaw Ferguson appeared on the program as a contestant.

13 – Before he became famous, Tobey Maguire made an appearance on the series finale of Wild & Crazy Kids.

14 – The below clip comes from my all-time favourite episodes of Wild & Crazy Kids.



Friday, March 02, 2012

Behind The Music - Degrassi's Zit Remedy

Have you ever seen the show “Behind The Music”?

It’s a show that examines a singer or a band in great detail, from the highest of highs to the lowest of lows.  The show pieces together clips of past performances, music videos, interviews, and talk show appearances, and within an hour long program, we viewers get a better sense of what life was like for these musical artists.

In most cases, we see the artists or bands making it bit, having small setbacks along the way, and still are thriving in the music business.  There’s some who walked away from the music business entirely, but still managed to make a decent living doing something else.  On the flipside, some music stars get so caught up in the fame and excess that can come from the music business that they end up getting hurt or worse.

Today, I thought that I would take a page out of the ‘Behind The Music’ manual and come up with my own ‘Behind The Music’ style homage to a fictional television band.  This band delighted thousands of Canadian fans for a brief period in the late 1980s, and over the course of the next couple of decades managed to achieve worldwide success.

Which was an amazing feat considering that they only had the one song that never charted on any major hit lists.

I think we should meet this band, but before we do, let’s find out what show they appeared on first.


Degrassi Junior High debuted on January 18, 1987 on CBC, and ran until 1989.  Later in 1989, the show became Degrassi High, and ran until 1991, with a reunion movie airing a year later.  In 2001, the Degrassi series was reborn under the name “Degrassi: The Next Generation”, and it is a show that is still going strong, currently in its eleventh season.

And, as it so happens, the three characters that are being featured in this blog entry have appeared in every incarnation of the Degrassi series, and they were three characters who really came full circle.

This blog happens to be all about the fictional band, The Zit Remedy (later known as The Zits).


The Zit Remedy was formed in late 1987 by three students of Degrassi Junior High School’s Grade 8 class.  From left to right, you have Derek “Wheels” Wheeler (Neil Hope), Joey Jeremiah (Pat Mastroianni), and Archie “Snake” Simpson (Stefan Brogren). 

As Mastroianni and Brogren explained on the talk show ‘Jonovision’, at the time they filmed Degrassi, none of them knew how to play any instruments, but they were taught basic chords which lead to their one and only song creation, “Everybody Wants Something”.  You can watch a clip of this song below.


At any rate, the music storyline was just one of the many storylines that the three boys were a part of.  And, while most of the storylines for the Zit Remedy were triple acts, each boy had his own set of trials and tribulations, which added to the drama that Degrassi Junior High was known for.


When the Zit Remedy first started, as stated, Snake, Joey, and Wheels were in grade eight together.  Joey and Wheels had been friends since elementary school, and Snake befriended the two of them sometime in junior high.  Most of the show storylines during the first year of Degrassi Junior High involved the Zit Remedy practicing in the school gym, and getting into all sorts of mischief.  But, each member had their own individual plots.  Snake didn’t really have a whole lot to do that first year, except the Zit Remedy storyline.  Joey was the target of bullies, was used by Stephanie Kaye, and he also attempted to get together with goth girl, Liz, with terrible results.  As for Wheels, he learned that he was adopted, and after a talk with his friend Spike, he decided to try and get to know his birth father.

The first setback the band ended up facing though had to do with Joey.  Joey’s final marks in eighth grade were terrible, and Mr. Raditch, the teacher who taught eighth grade at Degrassi, recommended that Joey repeat the eighth grade.  With Snake and Wheels going off to high school, Joey would be left behind at Degrassi, and the Zit Remedy would be finished.  Joey was so distraught that he wasn’t even going to show up at the Grade 8 graduation dance where The Zit Remedy would be playing.

Fortunately, a twist caused The Zit Remedy to stay together.  Due to overcrowding in Toronto area high schools at the time, Degrassi Junior High added a ninth grade to its curriculum.  The students would have to take science classes at nearby Borden High, but for the rest of their Grade 9 year, they would be at Degrassi.

So, Snake, Joey, and Wheels were together again.  Although Joey was stuck in eighth grade again, he made the best of it, mainly due to his crush on 8th grade student Caitlin Ryan.  Snake also seemed to do well in 9th grade.  He began dating 8th grader Melanie Brodie, and he managed to do very well in school.  He did have to deal with the fact that his older brother had recently come out of the closet in between, but I think he handled it the best way he could.


It was Wheels though who would have the toughest time of it all that year.  The 1988/89 school year was supposed to have been a happy time for Wheels and The Zit Remedy.  They had such a positive reaction at the Degrassi graduation  dance with their song that they decided to record a tape of their music, selling their album to every student at Degrassi.  It was supposed to have been a good time for the band.

But then something happened that changed Wheels’ life forever.  Shortly after starting his grade nine year, Wheels’ parents were killed by a drunk driver.  Having to move in with his grandparents was bad enough, but when Wheels grew unhappy with living here, he hitchhiked across Ontario in search of his biological father, hoping that he could live with him instead.  The whole search was a futile effort though, as his birth father rejected him.  Eventually, Wheels was convinced by his grandmother to return back home, and with the support of Joey and Snake, Wheels ended up finishing ninth grade along with Snake.


Again, there was a worry of The Zit Remedy breaking up again due to Snake and Wheels leaving Degrassi Junior High and Joey behind...and again, fate stepped in (this time in the form of a faulty boiler which turned Degrassi Junior High into a barbecue pit) and The Zit Remedy remained a trio, as Snake, Joey, and Wheels all ended up as students at Degrassi High the following September.



So, the 1989/1990 school year was up and running, and all three were now at Degrassi High.  One change that occurred within the band was the decision to drop the word ‘Remedy’ from their name, simply calling themselves ‘The Zits’.  The band also made a video for their single “Everybody Wants Something”, with assistance from longtime friends Lucy Fernandez and Heather Farrell (one of the twins).  The first part of Snake and Wheels’ Grade 10 year (Grade 9 for Joey) was brilliant.

But then Joey and Caitlin broke up after Caitlin fell in love with Claude (That’s Claude that sounds like load and not Claude that sounds like clod), and Joey ended up being placed in a special education class after discovering that he has a learning disability.  And then Snake ends up developing a fear of exams, actually hyperventilating at the mere mention of the word exam.  And, of course, Wheels has another fight with his grandmother, and he moves out once again.


But unlike the situation of the year before where Snake and Joey were very understanding and patient with Wheels, this time, Joey and Snake were growing tired of Wheels’ pity parties and self-centeredness.  After money began disappearing from the Jeremiah household where Wheels was staying, Mrs. Jeremiah ordered Joey to evict Wheels, which damaged their friendship for a while.  Wheels attempted to stay with Snake, but Snake made him sleep on his front porch during a rain storm after getting frustrated by him as well. 

It seemed as though The Zits were on the verge of breaking up for good.  With Snake and Joey visibly upset with Wheels, and Wheels supposedly not giving a damn, it made it hard.

By the time the 1990/91 school year began, Snake and Joey’s friendship was firmly established, and Wheels was still on the outside.  The first half of the year, we barely see Wheels at all, as the action focuses mostly on Snake and Joey.  In Joey’s case, he learns that his bully, Dwayne, is HIV positive, and he manages to keep the secret the entire year, earning Dwayne’s trust and tentative friendship.  Snake, meanwhile, has to decide whether or not to date Spike Nelson or Michelle Accette.  In the end, he chooses Michelle...but don’t think that is the last we hear about Spike.


It isn’t until a tragedy occurs at Degrassi that the frosty relationship between Wheels and the remaining Zits starts to warm.  When Snake discovers Claude’s body after he commits suicide, Wheels visits Snake in an effort to cheer him up, while Joey is preoccupied with helping Caitlin cope with the shocking event.  Later on, Joey mends his friendship with Wheels when Wheels takes Snake’s spot in the Degrassi High Talent Show.  By the end of the series, structural problems with Degrassi High cause the school to be closed, and by the end of the 1990/91 school year, we think that the Degrassi story is over.


In January 1992, the Degrassi reunion movie “School’s Out” aired, and Snake, Joey, and Wheels are all key members in the plot.  Snake has apparently broken up with Michelle, and has been single and unhappy all summer long, working as a lifeguard at a kiddy pool.  Joey has gotten back with Caitlin again, but when Caitlin does extra credit classes allowing her to graduate high school in three years, Joey feels abandoned.  He tries to ask Caitlin to marry him, but when she refuses, he embarks on an affair with Tessa Campanelli.  Eventually, Caitlin finds out about the affair, and the two break up (after Caitlin shockingly drops an F-bomb!).  Wheels, on the other hand, has become a drunk (ironic given that’s how his parents were killed), and he ends up in big trouble at the end of the movie.  After drinking and driving, he gets into a car accident, seriously injuring Lucy Fernandez (who was in the car with him at the time), and killing a small boy.  Wheels ends up going to jail for the incident, and while Joey still manages to stay in touch with him, Snake is disgusted by Wheels refusing to take responsibility at first for the accident, and he refuses to see him again.  Snake and Joey’s friendship is seriously tested during the film (as Snake was the one who accidentally informed Caitlin of Joey’s affair with Tessa), but they manage to repair their friendship.

But Snake refused to speak to Wheels for almost twelve years.  It wasn’t until the third season of the revamped series “Degrassi: The Next Generation” that the Zits would reunite one final time.


The year was 2003, and Snake had found love with his former Degrassi classmate Christine Nelson (otherwise known as Spike), and they ended up getting married and having a son together.  At the time, Spike’s teenage daughter Emma was a student at Degrassi herself, where Snake worked as a media immersions teacher.  Joey was also involved in the new Degrassi show, where his stepson, Craig Manning, was a student at Degrassi along with Emma.  Joey was also in yet another relationship with Caitlin at the time, proving that both Joey and Caitlin were gluttons for punishment.

And Wheels?  Well, we’ll get to that.

Anyway, 2003 was a very bad year for Snake.  Snake had been feeling sick for some time shortly after he married Spike.  As it turned out, Snake had been diagnosed with leukemia and was forced to undergo chemotherapy, causing his hair to fall out.  As a result, Snake was feeling very depressed about things, and Joey suggested that they go bowling to get his mind off of things.


Unfortunately for Snake, Joey had invited Wheels to tag along as well, as Wheels had been released from jail a year and a half prior.  Joey tried his best to ease the tension between Snake and Wheels, but it wasn’t easy at first.  It wasn’t until Joey leaves them for a few minutes that Snake and Wheels really begin to talk, and begin to understand each other.  Wheels admitted to Snake that he had wanted to die after killing the child and hurting Lucy (even though Lucy eventually did make an almost full recovery).  After twelve years, Snake finally finds it in his heart to forgive Wheels, and by the end of the episode, The Zits embark on their comeback tour...which granted isn’t much more than the three men singing ‘Everybody Wants Something’ loudly as Joey drives them home.  But, it was a nice moment, and as explained earlier, it was really the moment where the band came full circle.

But the reason that The Zit Remedy worked so well was because of the chemistry that all three actors had.  Brogren, Hope, and Mastroianni seemed to work well off of each other, and you could tell that the three were just as good of friends off screen as they were on screen.

But as we all know, fate can work in funny ways, and in the case of one of these men, the ending was anything but happy once the cameras stopped rolling.


Stefan Brogren is the only original cast member from Degrassi Junior High who is still on Degrassi today.  Not only does he still play the role of Snake Simpson (who is now the principal of Degrassi), but he also does a lot of behind the scenes work on the program as well.


Pat Mastroianni has taken on a bit of a lower profile since he left Degrassi: The Next Generation in 2006, but he was recently seen in the direct-to-DVD film ‘Sharpay’s Fabulous Adventure’.  I imagine that to most people though, he’ll always be known as Joey Jeremiah.


Sadly, Neil Hope is no longer with us.  Reports are that he passed away in November 2007 at the age of 35.  Even more tragic is the fact that nobody even knew that he had died, not even his family or friends.  In fact, his death wasn’t officially made public in the media until February 2012!  That’s four and a half years!  I’m still shocked by this news, and am in disbelief.  But Neil Hope’s personal struggles were reportedly well documented, with him admitting that he grew up with family members who were alcoholics.  It appears as though Hope had his own demons, which for whatever reason was responsible for his tragic death.

But, although Wheels is no longer with us, his work will continue to live on through Degrassi.


Or, at the very least through a song that was performed by a trio of teeny-boppers.

Thursday, March 01, 2012

Parody - The Ultimate Stress Reliever

Would you believe that we’re at the beginning of March already?  I swear, 2012 is just flashing right by my eyes.

Or, maybe I’m just getting older.

At any rate, the first of March coincidentally happens to fall on a Thursday this year, which means that it is time to make another confession. 

This one’s not overly revealing though.  It’s light-hearted and funny, or at least I would like to think so, anyway.

I’m sure that most of us in any given day will have to deal with some level of stress.  Some of us can stare stress in the eyes and make it quiver in fear with our confidence.  On the flipside, some of us get so stressed out that we explode in an emotional tirade where our words may or may not be in English.

Fortunately, most of us have ways in which we can relieve any stress that we may have to cope with in a positive manner.  Some people might have a ball or some other object that they squeeze and crush and twist whenever they might feel stressed out.  Some people play a CD filled with soft music and ocean sounds while they channel their inner selves through a 45-minute yoga session.  And some of us are running towards the nearest vending machine, desperate to get our hands on every Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup that money can buy.

And, how do I relieve stress?  Well, the answer leads to this week’s Thursday Confession.


THURSDAY CONFESSION #9:  If ever I have a stressful day, I channel my inner Weird Al Yankovic and make a parody about my day.




No, seriously.  I find that if I can take out my frustrations towards a certain person or event, find a song that I really like (or unlike if the mood fits me), and change the lyrics around to put my bad day to the music of a popular song, I feel infinitely better about myself and the stress melts away like a Creamsicle on a hot August afternoon.

Although it wasn’t always the case, I can remember one of the first times that I did this.  I can even remember the exact date that it happened.


September 18, 2010 started off like any other day.  When I don’t do the blogging thing, I’m doing the “working a real job to earn a living” thing, and on that particular day, I was working a closing shift at my job during a very big sale that was going on.  One of the items on sale was Tropicana brand orange juice in the 2.63L jugs (and, yes, in Canada, we do use the metric system).  The only problem was that on that particular night, we were completely sold out of Tropicana brand orange juice.  It wasn’t a big deal, as I knew that we were getting another delivery of it that night (I was working a Saturday night shift and our deliveries usually come shortly after midnight on Sunday morning).  And, to their credit, most of the customers who were looking for Tropicana orange juice were good about it.

There was one notable exception though, and by the end of it all, the produce was flying and angry words were exchanged, and I was basically standing there in the middle of the dairy department still figuring out what the heck had happened.


Shortly after that incident, I was at home, listening to a playlist online.  It was one of those random playlists based on what your likes and tastes were in music.  Apparently, the computer must have thought that I was a Barry Manilow fan (I’m not really, though he does have some things I like), because his 1978 song ‘Copacabana’ started playing.

And ‘Copacabana’ got stuck in my head right alongside the crazy customer encounter. 

At some point, I think those two different events fused into a song parody.  And, once I started to work on it (I think it took a total of a half hour to write it), the stress that I might have felt during that night shift eased, and I began to focus my energy on creating a mighty funny parody based on that incident.

By the way, in case you’re interested to reading it, here it is in all its glory.  First, I may as well post a link to Barry Manilow’s Copacabana (the karaoke version, so you can sing along with the new lyrics).




And, now, here’s the song parody that was inspired by that day.  A little ditty I like to call No Tropicana.

I still remember, eighteen September
The clock was reading half past nine, I was feeling mighty fine
But then she came in, without a toothy grin
She was craving some OJ on that cool crisp Saturday
But then she saw her fate, she was a day too late
Her face grew red, and she was angry, there wasn’t any in the store
There was no Tropi-, no Tropicana
Sold the last one to a woman named Anna
There was no Tropi-, no Tropicana
Grovestand and Homestyle were gone after a while
No Tropicana, she was so mad
Her name I didn’t know, wished that she stayed home
For she was cursing up and down, her husband staring at the ground
Then shortly after, I went back to working
But then the night was filled with dread, as some gum zoomed past my head
That gum it really flew, knocked down the number two
Off the sign from the bunker I stood near, it was so surreal
There was no Tropi-, no Tropicana
So she attacked me with bananas
There was no Tropi-, no Tropicana
She threw everything out of the cart as she pouted
No Tropicana, she lost her mind!
(Instrumental bridge)
Her name I didn’t know, but she just had to go,
But that was only days ago, when she put on quite a show
But here’s the irony, as you will surely see
Because on the very next day, we had gotten more OJ
If she had waited then, she’d have some OJ then
She lost her cool and her composure, and she lost her mind
There was no Tropi-, no Tropicana
Unless she bought some in Havana
There was no Tropi-, no Tropicana
She left in a huff, and my night sure was rough
No Tropicana, please don’t come back
Please don’t come back!

You see?  When you take your frustrations and put them to the tune of a late 1970s standard by Barry Manilow, it makes everything better.  At the very least, I hope that it put a smile on your face. 


Oh, but don’t think this is the only example that I have of this.  Whenever the Christmas season rolls around, and you hear about a hundred and sixty seven renditions of ‘I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus’, it tends to make one do some rather morbid parodies to counterattack the holiday favourites being forced down our eardrums.  One of my favourite Christmas carols has always been “What Child Is This”, but even that song can get a little annoying after hearing it played sixteen times a day on any given day during the month of December.


But, when you take that song and mix it with a standard Maury Povich paternity test extravaganza, you end up with something like this...

What child is this, they do not know
That’s why they’re on the Maury show
Our heroine’s tale is tragic and sad
Cos she can’t find her own baby’s dad
Pray, pray for our teenage mom
She got knocked up at her junior prom
Sadly the test showed he wasn’t the one
So there’s still no dad for her son.

Sigh...somehow bastardizing Christmas carols makes the holiday season seem much more fun...especially if you happen to work in retail.  But, of course, I wouldn’t sing these songs out on the sales floor.  Just inside my head where they belong...well, aside from the example that I posted in this blog.

But, I guess the point that I wanted to make with this confession is that at times, we all get stressed out.  Sometimes we get stressed out because of serious matters, and sometimes, you get stressed because you have to put your ducking skills to the test.  But, I find that if one has a healthy outlet to release some of that stress, then I say go for it.  Embrace it.  Become a better person as a result of it. 

So, to end this blog off, another song parody I wrote in response to those people who feel a need to deposit cold food in random areas of the store to rot, defrost, or melt (which may I add that each time someone does this, the prices of items continues to increase daily...so keep that in mind.)


Anyway, I put my thoughts and feelings about it to the tune of the 1994 song ‘Linger’ by The Cranberries, and here’s what resulted.




Wish that you, wish you could return it
So that ice cream wouldn’t melt, and that milk wouldn’t spoil
Instead you’ve chosen to be rude with your nonchalant attitude
That’s why the prices are so high, does it make you want to cry?
Because you left, you left a shopping cart out in the aisle to rot
While you were in the fashion changing rooms
Trying on Fruit of the Looms
Your juice was getting hotter, would it really be such a bother
To put back your cheese, you know you’re wasting food you fool
You make me go and wag my finger when you let your cold food linger
When you let your, when you let your, when you let your cold food linger
Oh it makes me want to scream when I’m forced to go retrieve
Lukewarm cream, lukewarm cream
If you, if you showed common sense, you’d probably save some cents
All you have to do is return things, if you don’t want to buy things
It’ll save me from going up to the front for cold pick-ups
So put back that cheese, or else you’re wasting food you fool
Don’t make me go and wag my finger, cos you let your cold food linger
Cos you let your, cos you let your, cos you let your cold food linger
I said put back that cheese, don’t make me catch you wasting food
Then I may have to wag my finger, cos you let your cold food linger
Cos you let your, cos you let your, cos you let your cold food linger