Search This Blog

Monday, April 23, 2012

Dirty Dancing


Here’s a little bit of an admission for all of you.  I can’t dance to save my life.

“Wait a minute”, I hear some of you saying.  Today’s not Thursday!  You’re three days early for the Thursday Confession!

Note that I used the word “admission”.

It’s true though.  I don’t have any sort of fancy footwork on the dance floor whatsoever, and I reckon that in order to get me on a dance floor, you’re going to have to loosen me up with lots and lots of liquor.  I think part of the reason why I avoided school dances the way that a germaphobic person avoids public restrooms was because of my dancing skills, or lack of them.  School dances were supposed to be fun where nobody really cared what you looked like on the dance floor, but I really did care.

I stunk on the dance floor.  Why bring attention to it?

I doubt that I would even be considered a contestant on ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars”.  For one, I’m not a celebrity, and secondly, I don’t think the judges on that show could give a mark less than a zero on that show.


But do you want to know who COULD dance?  Patrick Swayze.

Patrick Swayze was always one of those stars who seemed as if they could do it all.  A real Renaissance man if ever there was one.

Dancing was just one of the many things that Patrick excelled in, which really shouldn’t come as much of a surprise, as his mother was a dance instructor and choreographer.  In his youth, Patrick took up ballet dancing, ice skating, gymnastics, and played high school football.  Patrick’s plan in high school was to win a football scholarship to get into college, but an injury prevented that plan from going forward.  So, Patrick decided to turn to an alternate plan.

Dancing.

Little did Patrick know that the completion of his studies at the Harkness and Joffrey ballet schools in New York would lead to the beginning of his acting career.

Shortly after appearing as a dancer for Disney on Parade, he got a job as a replacement playing the role of Danny Zuko in the Broadway production of Grease.  Following that was his first role in a motion picture, the low-budget 1979 film “Skatetown U.S.A.”

Fortunately, Swayze managed to net better parts over the years.  Some of his most memorable movies included “Ghost”, “Red Dawn”, “The Outsiders”, “Road House”, “Donnie Darko”, and “To Wong Foo, Thanks For Everything, Julie Newmar”.

Patrick Swayze really did do it all.  He danced, he acted, he even dressed in drag!  And, would you believe that he also sang, and had a hit song in early 1988?  Here it is below.


ARTIST:  Patrick Swayze (f. Wendy Fraser)
SONG:  She’s Like The Wind
ALBUM:  Dirty Dancing Soundtrack
DATE RELEASED:  September 24, 1987
PEAK POSITION ON THE BILLBOARD CHARTS:  #3

Considering that this was Patrick’s debut single, peaking at #3 on the charts was a huge deal!  And, here’s a bit of trivia for you.  Swayze initially co-wrote the song with Stacy Widelitz for the soundtrack for “Grandview, U.S.A.”.


Sadly, Patrick Swayze passed away on September 14, 2009 after a battle with cancer.  He was survived by his mother, three siblings, and his wife of nearly twenty-five years, Lisa Niemi.  But his work continues to live on through his movies, television projects, and song releases.

And today’s blog topic deals with one of Patrick Swayze’s most memorable movies.  The song you just heard happens to be on the soundtrack of this film, which was so popular that it ended up being the most rented video of 1988!


Today’s Monday Matinee is featuring the film “Dirty Dancing”, which was released on August 21, 1987.  The film starred Swayze, Jennifer Grey, Jerry Orbach, and Cynthia Rhodes.  As of 2009, the film has made well over $214 million, and has spawned a prequel (2004’s “Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights”), and several stage productions worldwide.

The film also spawned a successful soundtrack album, which was quite unique in that the majority of the songs were recorded two decades earlier.  Songs by Otis Redding, The Shirelles, Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs, The Ronettes, and Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons were heavily featured in the movie, which made sense, given that it took place in the summer of 1963.

The beginning of the movie introduces us to Frances “Baby” Houseman (Grey).  She’s seventeen, and on a vacation with her family, staying at a Catskills resort named Kellerman’s.  Baby’s plans for the future include attending college, and from there, entering the Peace Corps.  The reason why she is vacationing at Kellerman’s is because her father, Jake (Orbach) is friends with the physician who owns the resort.

At first, Baby’s not exactly sure what she is going to do for fun at the resort...that is until she happens to cross paths with Johnny Castle (Swayze), a member of the staff of the resort.  Johnny is the resort’s dance instructor, and during the day, Johnny teaches his students relatively safe and standard dance moves.


Oh, but when the night fell, things heated up in a big way.  While carrying a watermelon one day, Baby is invited to one of the resort’s after-hours parties, and when she arrives, she’s shocked to find the partygoers indulging in some rather sultry, sexy dance moves.

It was the phenomenon known as “Dirty Dancing”.  And Johnny was right smack dab in the middle of all the excitement, even giving Baby a couple of dance lessons on the spur of the moment. 

Later, Baby discovers a secret about Johnny’s dance partner, Penny Johnson (Rhodes).  Penny has gotten pregnant by a man named Robbie Gould.  Robbie Gould is a piece of work.  He’s a womanizer, a cheater, and Baby wasn’t impressed.  Of course, part of that could have been because Robbie had dated Baby’s sister while he was sowing his wild oats with Penny and others.

The problem was that Robbie didn’t even seem to want to help Penny out once he knew that she was expecting.  He really acted like a first-class jerk.  So the only solution that Baby could come up with was for her to borrow money from her father so she could help Penny pay the cost for an illegal abortion.

Of course, she couldn’t let Jake know the REAL reason why she needed the money.  Regardless, Jake, who had always trusted his daughter, gave her the money, no questions asked.  In the meantime, while Penny is sidelined from the after-effects of the abortion, Baby agrees to stand-in for Penny for a performance at the Sheldrake, which Johnny and Penny performed in annually.


Over the next few weeks, Johnny teaches Baby everything that he knows about dancing (both clean and dirty), and while their relationship is a bit prickly at first, sparks soon fly between the two.  The performance at the Sheldrake goes well, but Baby is a bit too nervous to attempt the lift at the end of the performance.  Either way, Johnny grows more impressed with Baby each day, and Baby and Johnny soon fall head over heels for each other.

Hmmm...I think another song is in order from the soundtrack, courtesy of Eric Carmen.


Anyway, Johnny and Baby arrive back at Kellerman’s on a high from the performance, but are crestfallen to hear that Penny’s abortion did not go according to plan, and she is left in excruciating pain.  Baby’s instincts tell her to get help from her father, who is a physician, but Jake jumps to the wrong conclusion, believing that JOHNNY fathered Penny’s child.  Jake is furious, and forbids Baby from seeing him again, and is hurt that she betrayed his trust in her. 

But Baby wasn’t quite ready to give up on Johnny.  She snuck out of her cabin to see Johnny again, and the two of them share a wonderful night together.

Unfortunately, secret relationships don’t seem to stay secret for long in Kellerman’s, and when Johnny is accused of stealing a wallet from a guest, and is unable to come up with an alibi, Baby is forced to admit that she was Johnny’s alibi to clear his name so that he wouldn’t be arrested.  Baby’s selfless act succeeds in proving Johnny’s innocence in the wallet theft, but he still ends up getting fired from the resort for his affair with Baby.

But, if you think the movie ends there, think again.  I won’t spoil it for those who have not yet seen the film yet, but it involves redemption, forgiveness, dancing, and the famous “Nobody puts Baby in a corner” line.

All in all, I enjoyed “Dirty Dancing”.  Some may refer to the film as a “chick flick”, but I honestly don’t see it as such.  I think that it’s a wonderful movie for anybody at any age to enjoy.  It’s got a fantastic story, great actor chemistry (seriously, Grey and Swayze really clicked with each other on screen), and a great life lesson.

“There are people willing to stand up for other people, no matter what it costs them.”


In a little bit of an epilogue, Jennifer Grey went on to compete on the eleventh season of Dancing with the Stars, and ended up winning the coveted mirror ball trophy that year along with her partner Derek Hough.  And, well...I found a clip of one of the performances which might seem a bit familiar to those who watched “Dirty Dancing”.



I think that had Patrick Swayze been alive to see the performance, I’m sure he would have been proud of his “Baby”.  As for Grey, I’m sure that she “had the time of her life” in that moment.



Sunday, April 22, 2012

Mercy Mercy Me Things Ain't What They Used To Be




First things first, I would like to take the time to wish everybody here a happy Earth Day.  I certainly hope that everybody reading this does at least one thing that will help us preserve our planet so that we can continue to enjoy it for hundreds of years.  Whether you dry your clothes outside on a clothesline, carpooling, or simply wearing an extra sweater on a really cool day, every little bit helps.

I’ve turned this blog entry green for today in the spirit of Earth Day, and this year, Earth Day happens to fall on a Sunday.  So, today’s Sunday Jukebox entry will feature a song that is appropriate for today.

Before I get into that though, I thought I’d talk a bit about the artist who sang the featured song for today.


When I say the name Marvin Gaye, what words would you use to best describe him?

Some of you will likely say the word “Motown”.  This is very much true.  Marvin Gaye was signed to Motown Records by Berry Gordy in the early 1960s, but the way that his joining the record label varies depending on the source of the information.  Some believe that Gordy heard Gaye singing at a Detroit club and signed him on the spot.  Others believe the theory that Gaye had invited himself to the Motown Christmas party inside the Hitsville USA studios and played an impromptu performance of “Mr. Sandman” on the piano inside the studio.  Regardless of what the real story is, Gaye found himself signed to Motown Records in early 1961.  Through his near 20-year association with the company, Gaye sang dozens of hits, including "I Heard It Through The Grapevine", "What's Going On", and "Let's Get It On".

TRIVIA:  Marvin Gaye was born Marvin Pentz Gay Jr.  Shortly before releasing his first single with Motown in May 1961, he added the extra “E” on the end of his last name.  There were many reasons behind why the name change was made, but it was widely believed that he had done it to appear more professional, and to distance himself from his father, Marvin Gay Sr, a minister.


Some might associate Marvin Gaye with the name Tammi Terrell.  Tammi Terrell probably helped Marvin Gaye achieve one of his biggest hits by singing a duet with him back in 1967.  The song was “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough”, and it managed to climb into the Top 20 (though a cover version by Diana Ross would hit #1 in the fall of 1970).  Still, the chemistry between Terrell and Gaye was strong enough for the duet to record other songs together.  Some of their other hits included “If I Could Build My Whole World Around You”, “Ain’t Nothing Like The Real Thing”, and “You’re All I Need To Get By”.  Despite the fact that both liked working together, and had a rumoured relationship, both Gaye and Terrell insisted that their relationship was more like siblings than lovers.  They remained close until Terrell passed away in 1970, and Gaye revealed that he would never record another duet with another female singer since...a promise that he managed to keep.


Besides, at the time the duo recorded together, Terrell had a boyfriend, and Gaye was married to Anna Gordy, the sister of Berry Gordy.

But Gaye’s marriage to Gordy didn’t last.  Anna Gordy was eighteen years older than Gaye, and there were allegations of infidelity on both sides of the marriage.  The marriage disintegrated in 1975 when Gordy filed for divorce after Gaye got involved with Janis Hunter. 


TRIVIA:  Gaye was cash-strapped during the divorce proceedings due to extravagant spending and a cocaine habit, making it impossible to pay for alimony and child support.  So, when his attorney came up with the idea for Gaye to record an album where half the profits went to Anna Gordy, Gaye agreed to the terms.  The name of the album?  “Here, My Dear”.

By 1981, Gaye had become disillusioned with Motown Records, and after the company released the album “In Our Lifetime” before Gaye could put the finishing touches on the record, he left the company, signing himself to CBS Records the following year.


By 1983, Gaye was well on his way to making himself a success on a second label.  “Sexual Healing” was released in late 1982 and it became a Top 5 hit in the United States, and a #1 smash in Canada in early 1983.  But Gaye’s drug addiction soon began rearing its ugly head once more, and soon he was living at his parents home in Los Angeles, hiding from the groupies and drug dealers he owed money to.  Tensions between Gaye and his father escalated, and these tensions would lead up to a terrible end for Marvin Gaye.

On April 1, 1984, Marvin got into a terrible argument with his father which resulted in Marvin’s father pulling out a handgun (ironically enough the same gun that was given to him as a gift by Marvin) and shot him.  Gaye died at the scene, just one day before his 45th birthday.  Marvin’s father wasn’t charged with first-degree murder, as it was revealed that Marvin had physically beaten him just before the shooting happened, but he was charged with voluntary manslaughter, and sentenced to five years probation.

It was certainly a bizarre end for one of Motown’s greatest singers.

Despite his personal demons, Marvin Gaye’s music still lives on, and he has been awarded several posthumous honours, including a 1987 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and him being awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame three years later, in 1990.

And of course, there’s his extensive catalog of hit singles spanning nearly twenty-five years. 

I had wanted to do a spotlight on Marvin Gaye for a while now, but it was difficult just choosing one song to feature in the Sunday Jukebox spotlight.  But with today being Earth Day, the choice really became crystal clear.




ARTIST:  Marvin Gaye
SONG:  Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)
ALBUM:  What’s Going On
DATE RELEASED:  June 10, 1971
PEAK POSITION ON THE BILLBOARD CHARTS: #4

This was the second single release from the “What’s Going On” album, and appropriately enough, the song was released a little over a year since the first Earth Day celebrations.


The song was described as being a poignant anthem of environmentalism, and Gaye really peppered the song with lyrics detailing a world that was quickly decaying.

Where did all the blue sky go?  Fish full of mercury?  Oil wasted on the oceans and upon the sea?  Radiation in the ground and in the sky?  Not exactly lyrics that would warm the cockles of your heart, are they?

That was the point though.  The song wasn’t meant to make you feel good.  It was meant as a way to get people to see just how much damage was being done to our world each and every day by carelessness, greed, or just plain ignorance.


Let’s look at the lyric “oil wasted on the oceans and upon the sea”.  I can recall two major oil spills in my lifetime that were newsworthy.  There was the 1989 Exxon-Valdez oil spill off the shores of Alaska, which devastated marine ecosystems for years to come.  But even that was nothing compared to the April 20, 2010 oil spill that began with the explosion of Deepwater Horizon in the Gulf of Mexico.  For nearly three months, oil billowed out of the busted pipeline, and caused extensive damage to ecosystems, as well as the fishing and tourism industries, and the event also cast a ton of negative publicity for the BP company, which was responsible for the drilling project at the time of the spill.

These two oil spills caused so much harm to the environment.  And that’s not counting all the lesser oil spills that have occurred in between those two spills.  It’s a really scary thought.  I can’t even imagine someone bursting into my house and coating it in gallons of crude oil.  Imagine how those poor fish felt.

I can remember a time in which I used to go swimming at a nearby beach in my hometown.  At that time, the beach was loaded with people, and everyone enjoyed swimming in the river.  Those were great times.  Lately though, the beach that I enjoyed in my childhood seems as if it is closed more than open.  Seems the water isn’t quite as safe to swim in as it once was these days.  I don’t have children yet, but it makes me a bit sad to know that a place I loved as a little boy might not be safe to play for any children that I might have. 

I think that’s why I like this Marvin Gaye song.  It really makes you think about what we’re doing to our planet.  Unless we find another planet out there in outer space that can sustain human life (which will likely not happen for a while given that the space program is in limbo in the United States right now), this is the only planet we’ve got.  Doesn’t it make sense to want to take care of it now?

That’s exactly what Earth Day is all about.  Reflecting on the condition of our planet, and coming up with ways in which we can take care of it.  Here are some ways in which you can make a difference this Earth Day;

-      Remember the 3 R’s.  Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.

-      Plant a tree.

-      Carpool, or use methods of transportation that are non-pollutant.

-      Buy products with less packaging.

-      Take shorter showers and turn off the water when brushing your teeth.

-      Pick up trash in a community park.

-      Turn off any lights or appliances that you aren’t using.

-      Dispose of any excess chemicals in safe ways by reading the labels on the package carefully.

-      Compost your food scraps.

And those are just a FEW suggestions.  For more tips, just click on http://www.globalstewards.org/ecotips.htm . There’s tons more to choose from. 

Seriously, just check out these tips and do at least one of them.  Every little bit helps.  And if more people do these things, the better chance we have to make our planet more like a paradise and less like Marvin Gaye’s Mercy Mercy Me.



Saturday, April 21, 2012

Stop The Smoggies!




It’s been 42 years since “Earth Day” was founded, and as a result of this, I’ve decided to dedicate this weekend’s entries by focusing on some environmentally friendly subjects.

The first Earth Day observances were held in 1970, though two separate events were held.  The first one was held on March 21 in San Francisco, but one month later, on April 22, United States senator Gaylord Nelson called for an “environmental teach-in” after witnessing the devastating aftermath of a 1969 oil spill in Santa Barbara, California.  A reported 20 million people took part in Earth Day festivities on April 22, 1970, and has been celebrated on April 22 in years since.

Although the day had huge success in the United States since its inception, it wasn’t until 1990 that the day became celebrated worldwide, with its programs devoted to environmental protection and recycling.  The 1990 Earth Day celebrations helped pave the way for the United Nations Earth Summit held in Rio de Janeiro in 1992.

As of 2012, Earth Day is now estimated to be celebrated by half a billion people every year, and a total of 175 countries observe Earth Day every April 22.  That is phenomenal.

I know that I certainly do my part to make the world a more environmentally friendly place.  I use reusable shopping bags, I try not to buy items with a lot of packaging, and I certainly try not to waste resources.  When I was younger, I even took part in a workshop called “Catch A Star” in which we learned more about how to take care of our planet, and preserve it for future generations.  I even still have the mug and Dr. Zed’s Science Experiments book that I won during the workshop.

I think the message is of Earth Day is one that we can all benefit from.  I believe that we all have the right to live in a world that is clean, safe, and beautiful.

I’ll readily admit that whenever I see people being wasteful, or ignorant about disposing of their trash and garbage, it makes me very disgusted.  I wonder if they’re aware that the more they pollute our planet, the more that their quality of life decreases.


Of course, you’d have a difficult time telling Emma, Clarence, and Polluto that.  To them, the destruction of a few ecosystems is nothing to them as long as they can get whatever they desire.

Now I suppose that you’re wondering who Emma, Clarence, and Polluto are, right?  I suppose I should introduce you to them by posting the intro to today’s Saturday Morning blog topic.


That was the introduction to the Cinar produced cartoon series “The Smoggies” (or “Stop the Smoggies” in the United States).  Debuting in 1988, the series was a joint production between France and Canada.  The show aired in Canada, the United States, France, and Ireland throughout the 1990s.


The cartoon’s setting was the fictional Coral Island, a tropical island where the homes and villages were run with solar energy and wind and water powered equipment.  The island happens to be the home of a group of people known as the Suntots.


Now, granted the Suntots sort of resembled troll dolls, but don’t let their short stature and rainbow coloured hair fool you.  The Suntots were intelligent, brilliant, caring, and environmentally friendly.  Coral Island was definitely one beautiful place where everyone who lived there had fun, and where everybody enjoyed a safe, clean place to call home.

Unfortunately, a certain area outside of Coral Island happened to be dirty, disgusting, and just plain toxic.  If one were to look out at the horizon just outside of the island, they might spot a boat out on the water with enough smoke billowing out of it to give asthma to the entire city of Seattle.


The boat was known as the SS Stinky Poo, a coal fired steam ship that turned both the air and the water beneath a disgusting shade of dark brown.

This boat happens to be the home of the Smoggies...Emma, Clarence, and Polluto.

And the reason that they were there was all about greed.  It didn’t matter that they were destroying the planet with their steam ship of toxicity.  They were only after one thing.

The magic coral of Coral Island.

Everybody has heard of the various legends surrounding the “fountain of youth”, where there is a secret spring that has water that supposedly keeps a person looking youthful. 


According to Emma, the magic coral was her “fountain of youth”.  The legend of Coral Island stated that the secret behind the youthful appearance of the Suntots was the magic coral that supposedly surrounded the island.  And, Emma, being absolutely obsessed with looking young and beautiful wanted to get her hands on every single piece of coral she could get.

In regards to Emma, I suppose one could admire her determination and her reluctance to give up on her dream.  That is however where my respect for her ends.  Although she was only a fictional character, Emma was probably one of the meanest cartoon bullies I’ve ever seen.  She kidnapped Suntots for ransom until they gave her magic coral, and she lied and deceived people all to satisfy her own selfish desires.  A real piece of work, she was.


Certainly, her husband Clarence was no help in controlling his cold, calculating wife.  He was actually kind of a doormat to Emma.  The more she abused and took advantage of him, the more he seemed to take it!  Although Clarence tried to help Emma out by creating inventions that could assist her in her quest for coral, they usually ended up doing more harm than good.

Polluto on the other hand was kind of a double agent of sorts.  On the surface he was simple-minded and was widely regarded as an idiot by Emma.  Yet, as the only crew member of the SS Stinky Poo, Polluto proved his worth in more ways than one.  Aside from running the ship’s boiler room, he cooked, cleaned, and did almost everything under the sun and moon for Emma and Clarence, usually with little to no appreciation in return.


So it’s no surprise that Polluto sometimes befriended the Suntots when he was feeling bad about himself.  Despite what the Smoggies were doing, the Suntots were still happy, and often treated Polluto with more respect than Emma.  I think that Polluto’s intentions were kind-hearted, and the only reason he did pollute was due to his desire to do his job, not being aware of how harmful it was.

The Suntots however, were well-prepared against the arsenal of attacks that Emma and Clarence launched at them in their quest for the special age-defying coral. 


Princess Lila, the scarlet-haired ruler of Coral Island loved her people, and was more often than not the person who stood up to the wickedness of the Smoggies the most.  She even tried to convince Emma that there WAS no magic coral, but of course, Emma was too greedy and materialistic to take that into consideration.

And Princess Lila had help from all the Suntots on the island in protecting the island from the pollution caused by the Smoggies.  There was Speed, a blue-haired Suntot who could solve problems faster than he could swim underwater.  Chip, the orange-haired Suntot responsible for building environmentally friendly inventions meant to improve the quality of life on the island.  You had Cookie, a pink-haired Suntot who prepares most of the food on the island (in environmentally friendly ways, of course).  And, there’s Uncle Boom, the oldest Suntot on the island who despite his absent-mindedness proves to be an effective ally.

Throughout the whole series, the Suntots teach the viewers about how we can make our world a better place, and offered us tips on how we can preserve our planet instead of harming it.

Though as far back as I can remember, I don’t believe that Emma ever did find that magical coral that if it existed, would have helped her stay twenty-seven forever.  So, the question is, was Princess Lila correct in saying that the magic coral didn’t exist?

I tend to believe that this is the case.  Have you noticed how happy and vibrant the Suntots were in comparison to the Smoggies, who were miserable and grouchy?  I believe that the surroundings are a major factor behind why this was the case.  Wouldn’t you feel more vibrant, energetic, and young on a beautiful island filled with crystal blue water, blooming flowers, and clean, fresh air?  I know I would. 

Seriously, looking at the SS Stinky Poo, it was a black, disgusting, depressing place.  I reckon that all that smoke that billowed out of the smokestacks prematurely aged Emma thirty years or more alone!  I certainly wouldn’t feel young breathing in all that pollution. 

There was no magic coral.  It was all an illusion.  But if Emma could have woken up and realized that the way she was living was causing her more harm than good, then perhaps she could have lived a nice, rewarding life just like her enemies, the Suntots.


Though, I always liked to admit that the reason Emma and the rest of the Smoggies couldn’t find the magic coral was because of the fact that all the pollution that seeped out of the SS Stinky Poo was contaminated and died off.

Wouldn’t that be tragic irony?

Friday, April 20, 2012

Dick Clark's American Bandstand


Sometimes in life, you’re forced to change your plans in order to do something that you feel is important.  Today just happens to be one of those times.

I initially had another topic of discussion planned for today’s entry, and actually had most of the entry planned out ready for posting.  But then something happened on Wednesday that made me rethink my original plan.  I’m going to postpone today’s planned entry for one week.  You’ll see it on April 27th.

Today, we’re going to focus on a man who many dubbed “America’s Oldest Teenager” and the show that he hosted for almost four decades.


I’m sure by now most of you already know about the death of Dick Clark.  He passed away of a heart attack on April 18, 2012 at the age of 82. 

Dick Clark’s life and career had been nothing short of remarkable and extraordinary, and he always put so much effort and charm into every project he worked on.  Almost immediately after graduating high school in 1947, Clark landed a position in the mailroom of an AM radio station owned by his uncle and managed by his father.  Within a few weeks, he filled in for a vacationing weatherman, and soon began announcing station breaks.  Over the next few years, Clark would work at various radio and television stations, and made his television debut as the host of a show called “Cactus Dick and the Santa Fe Riders” (a country music show).


In Clark’s later years, he took on the role of producer as well as host.  He created his own production company “Dick Clark Productions”, and became the host of several radio and television programs, which included the following.

-      Creator and host of “Dick Clark’s Rockin’ New Years Eve”. Clark hosted the program every year except in 2000 and 2004.

-      Creator of American Music Awards, which have aired since 1973.

-      Creator and host of long running radio program “Rock, Roll & Remember”, which ran from 1982-2004.

-      Host of long running game show “Pyramid” off and on between 1973 and 1988.

-      Executive producer of the NBC show “American Dreams” which ran from 2002-2005.

-      Co-hosted “TV’s Bloopers and Practical Jokes” with Ed McMahon.

-      Co-hosted “The Other Half” talk show from 2001-2003.

-      Hosted several short-run game shows including “The Object Is (1963)”, “Missing Links (1964)”, “Scattergories (1993)”, and “Winning Lines (2000)”.

Dick Clark was one busy man, wasn’t he?

When Dick Clark suffered a stroke on December 8, 2004, and was forced to miss Rockin’ New Years Eve and end his radio show, many believed that he would take it easy while he recovered.  Yet, the very next year he returned to Times Square along with Ryan Seacrest to help ring in 2006.


Who knew that Dick Clark’s January 1, 2012 appearance on his own “Rockin’ New Years Eve” special would end up being his final appearance ever on television?  I know I will never look at New Years Eve the same way again with his passing.

Now, some of you may be looking at his list of accomplishments, and thinking that his life was filled with lots of excitement and business dealings.  You would be right.  But, some of you may also have noticed that I left off one of Dick Clark’s major accomplishments.  There’s a reason why I did this.  It’s because I couldn’t think of a better way to honour Dick Clark’s memory than doing this blog entry on the one show that made not only him famous, but thousands of musical artists all over the world.


Of course, I’m referring to “American Bandstand”, a music-performance show that featured the best of Top 40 radio.

I was fortunate enough to have been born in the early 1980s, because at that time, American Bandstand was still on the air.  When I was younger, I would watch American Bandstand on Saturday afternoons after the morning cartoons were over.  Watching performers singing (well, actually lip-synching) on stage while hundreds of teenagers were dancing all around them.  It was like being at a discotheque or a club, but it seemed more intimate, if that description at all makes a lick of sense.

And Dick Clark, as host of the show, was front and center.  But, did you know that Clark wasn’t the show’s first host?


When the show debuted in September 1952 on Philadelphia’s WFIL-TV, it was originally known as “Bandstand”.  The program’s first host was Bob Horn, and its original format was quite different from what it would come to be known for.  The first few episodes focused on short musical films, and occasional studio guests.

Basically, it was like a precursor of MTV, which would debut 29 years later.

And Horn HATED it!

Horn didn’t think that “Bandstand” would become a hit under the original presentation, and came up with the idea to have the program retooled.  Inspired by an idea he heard from a radio station, Horn transformed “Bandstand” into a dance music program, which had a studio audience made up of young people dancing to records in front of television cameras.  The new format debuted on October 7, 1952, and immediately became a bigger hit.  Teenagers went crazy over the chance to appear on television, and the show became a great promotional tool for up and coming artists to release new singles.

TRIVIA:  Because the original studio could only comfortably hold 200 people, the short music clips produced by Snader and Official aired, so that different groups of teenagers could appear on the same show.

The show ran for four years without much incident.  That would all change on July 9, 1956, when Horn was arrested for drinking and driving.  He was fired on the spot as host of “Bandstand”.  It was later reported that Horn was also involved in a prostitution ring during his time as host. 

As a result of Horn’s firing, he was temporarily replaced by producer Tony Mammarella before another host was found to take over.

Dick Clark.


Upon Dick Clark taking over the host of the program in late 1956, he took the program and really made it his own.  A few months later, ABC was looking for a program to fill their 3:30pm timeslot, and Clark took the opportunity to pitch the program to network executives.  It took some persistence on Clark’s part, but ABC agreed to air “Bandstand” nationally beginning on August 5, 1957.  That same day, the program changed its name to “American Bandstand”.

And, don’t think that the name change was the only thing that Dick Clark did for the program.  He really stepped in and made the program his own with positive results. 

For one, Clark would often interact with the teenagers on the studio floor just as much as he did with the scheduled musical guests.  One feature that became popular was his “Rate-A-Record” feature.  When a new song was featured, he’d ask two people in the studio their opinions.  He’d have them give the single a score between 35 and 98, and he’d average out the two numbers to give a rating for the single.  He’d also ask the people to justify their answers as to why they scored the song the way they did.  Here’s a clip of this in action from 1988.


(Did anyone see the George Michael lookalike in the crowd there?)

Dick Clark also seemed to have a real genuine interest in music.  His style of interviewing was top-notch.  Many artists got their first big breaks on that television show, and I have located some of these performances to post below.

In 1971, then 13-year-old Michael Jackson appeared on the program without his band, The Jackson 5, singing his solo hit “Rockin’ Robin”.  Watch the clip below.


In 1975, one of ABBA’s first television appearances in the United States was on American Bandstand.  Here they are below singing their hit song “S.O.S.”


In January 1984, a young woman named Madonna made her debut on American Bandstand, where she had some rather lofty ambitions.  You’ll have to turn up your speakers for this one, but here she is performing her song “Holiday”.


Who knew that just a few years later, Madonna was well on her way to fulfilling the declaration she made to Dick Clark?

American Bandstand’s popularity would influence the creation of other similar programs including “Soul Train” and “Top of the Pops”, and for the most part, Clark hosted almost every single episode of American Bandstand by himself.  The only exception was the episode from May 27, 1978, when Donna Summer was his co-host to promote the film “Thank God It’s Friday”.

The show would air exclusively on ABC until 1987, when network executives wanted to shorten the length of the program from sixty minutes to thirty minutes.  Clark refused to agree to those terms, and as a result, American Bandstand began airing exclusively in syndication beginning on September 17, 1987.  Clark would stay on as host until April 1, 1989, when he was replaced by David Hirsch, and the show’s final episode appropriately enough aired thirty-seven years after the show’s format was first retooled, on October 7, 1989.


Despite the cancellation of American Bandstand, the show still lives on.  Dick Clark produced and hosted the 50th anniversary of the program in 2002, which featured an exclusive performance by Michael Jackson.  References to the program were made on “American Dreams”, and in 2004, Clark was set to revive “American Bandstand” with help from Ryan Seacrest in time for the 2005/2006 season.  Unfortunately, with Clark’s December 2004 stroke, plans for the revival quickly fell through.  However, one idea that stemmed from the “American Bandstand” revival brainstorming sessions lead to the creation of the reality television competition “So You Think You Can Dance”.

I guess one thing that we can take from the passing of Dick Clark is that his influence will always be around.  Although he is gone, his Rockin’ New Years Eve parties will continue to go on.  His influence on television will forever be present.

And American Bandstand was the one show that made Dick Clark a star...perhaps an even brighter star than the musical artists that featured on his program for the three decades he served as host of the program.

Thank you for the memories, Richard Wagstaff Clark.  You’ll never be forgotten.

In Memory Of Dick Clark
1929-2012

Thursday, April 19, 2012

Smile For The Camera?


I suppose if there was an appropriate song to post that sets the mood for this Thursday confession, it'd probably be this one.



The song that you're hearing (or just heard) is a song by Steely Dan, entitled “Peg”. It was released in late 1977 and just missed cracking the Top 10, peaking at #11 on the Billboard charts. The song's about a woman who makes it big in the entertainment industry, and how she has an admirer from afar (more than likely a fan who has seen her on the big screen).

(Or, at least, that's the meaning that I take from the song anyway. There are several meanings that I've heard, but I won't get into it here.)

Anyway, I want you all to listen to the song, because there is one particular lyric that I want to highlight in this particular part of the song.

I like your pin shot
I keep it with your letter
Done up in blueprint blue
It sure looks good on you
And when you smile for the camera
I know I'll love you better

You see the bit in bold? That bit in bold has to do with my confession for today.

THURSDAY CONFESSION #16: I HATE getting my picture taken!

In the Steely Dan song, “Peg” seemed to really enjoy being the subject of having her photo taken and absorbing the light that came from camera flash bulbs.

Well, I'm not Peg. And, I would rather have gone to the dentist to have all my teeth pulled out than get my photo taken.

I wouldn't say it's because I have a fear of cameras. I may not like getting my picture taken very much, but I do love taking photographs myself. There was actually a brief moment in my childhood where I wanted to become a professional photographer, but I gave that up when my photos appeared way out of focus.

(Though to be fair, I WAS using a disposable camera that came free with the purchase of a combo from McDonald's.)

If you were to take a look through my family's photo album at home, and counted all of the photos of me in there, you'd find it a challenge to locate any. It isn't because I happened to take all of my old photographs and burned them in a bonfire. Whenever the camera was brought out, I always found a hiding spot in the house to avoid getting my photo taken.

My dislike of cameras didn't start right away. During the first two years of my life, I had dozens of photos taken of me as a baby. Mind you, I didn't learn to speak until I was almost three years old, so I was unable to voice my displeasure about getting my picture taken. Even so, you can tell in some of my earliest baby pictures that I did my best to hide from the camera. Let's just say that it was convenient that some of my favourite toys back then were much larger than I was.



That was a cool inner tube.

Apparently when I was younger, I also liked wearing oversized shirts...and yes, I refused to smile for this photo as well.



I don't remember when that photo was taken, but since my T-shirt says '82 on it, I can only assume that I was around a year old at the time.

This next photo had to have been taken around Christmas 1982. I had that rocking horse when I was a year old, and I loved that thing. The two people standing behind me are my paternal grandparents. My grandfather died in 2000, but my grandmother is still alive.



I just found it funny that I never looked at the camera lens. I just wanted to ride my horsey.

But then came the fateful day in which my parents came up with the “brilliant” suggestion to have my picture taken professionally at the Sears Portrait Studio. That was a day that I'm sure they wouldn't forget.

I've probably talked about this beforehand, but my family was one that basically lived from pay week to pay week. With three kids in the family, my parents had very little disposable income for luxury items. But, somehow, my mother was dead set on making sure that I had a professional photo taken when I was little. Both of my sisters had it done, so my mother wanted me to have the same treatment.

So, my mother dressed me up in a little outfit that she and my father picked out, and we went to Sears to get the portrait done. The photographer set me up in front of a festive autumn background (I think I had the photo taken in September of '84), and I sat on the stool, and my parents were hoping against all odds that I would be good for the poor photographer.

But when the photographer asked me to smile, and I saw that huge camera, I ended up bursting right into tears, and there was no cheering me up. I don't doubt that my parents and the photographer tried to get me to calm down, but I just wanted to go back home and play with my building blocks and crayons. From stories that my parents told me about that day, I was inconsolable, and they told me that after ten minutes, I was still crying. My parents eventually gave up, and told the photographer to go ahead with the photo shoot.

And, well...here was the final result.



(And yes...the overalls really did say “Buck Shot”. What can I say? It was the early '80's.)

To tell you the truth, there were actually two different shots that were taken. The second shot was much better, and naturally, it was blown up to portrait size and is now hanging up in my parents dining room. But, in both shots, I was visibly upset. I didn't want to be there at that moment, as you can tell by the tears in my eyes and the weird expression on my mouth.

It didn't get any better as time passed either. Some of my worst memories of school surrounded class picture day. For most class pictures, I was stuck wearing those big huge Bill Cosby sweaters, and most of my class pictures looked like this.



But that was one of my better class pictures. I hated all the other ones. Take this lovely one from 1990.



Apparently this was taken during the time in which neon colours were huge. I specifically chose that sweater because I liked to blind people with day-glo coloured clothing. Oh, and did I mention that on that particular class photo day, I overslept, and literally got ready for school in five minutes? This explains why I was suffering from a major case of bed head.

The following year wasn't much better. This was from 1991.



Now, I know what you're saying. This is a not bad picture. I agree. It wasn't bad if you looked at it from far away. What you might not see is the fact that I had lesions of cold sores all over my lips and around my nose. They were painful to deal with, and I suffered with discomfort throughout the 1991/92 school year. The cold sores weren't noticeable in the wallet sized photos...but they were clear as a bell in the portrait sized photo. The kids were very relentless about making fun of my mouth that year, giving me yet another reason to hate getting my picture taken. Let's face it. Kids could be cruel.

I also rarely showed my teeth when I smiled for the camera. For whatever reason, I never liked my smile. Maybe it was all in my mind, but whenever I attempted to show my teeth, it always seemed as though I was faking it for whatever reason. And, I'll admit it. Sometimes I did fake that smile.

There were instances in which I did try to make my photos as cute as possible. When I went to see the Easter Bunny at the mall, I made it work.



At my sister's wedding in 1989, I made it work.



But, there were so many times in which I was asked to say cheese for the camera, but I didn't feel like smiling. Sometimes it was because I was in a really bad mood. Sometimes I was feeling sad. Sometimes they snapped a picture while I was doing some weird activity, as evidenced by this childhood snapshot.



(Not sure why I had so many balloons back then, especially since I don't really like them much these days.)

But, I think a lot of it was self-consciousness and low self-esteem. I hate to say it now, but back in my childhood, I really didn't like myself very much. It's definitely not the best way to go through childhood, but I ended up surviving it. It's not easy to deal with other people making fun of you for your physical appearance. Because those words do quite a lot of damage, and as a result, they do things that can be harmful.



This was a picture taken of me five years ago. It was the picture on my health card. That was when I weighed over three hundred pounds. Hands down, it was the worst picture I've ever taken. Granted, most identification cards make almost everybody look like a serial killer, but this one was just terrible. I was blotchy, puffy, and let's get the obvious out of the way. The picture makes me look as if I have NO EARS! My goodness, it was awful.

For about an eight year period, I refused to get my picture taken at all. There are no photos of me taken between 2000 and 2008 because I absolutely refused to be photographed at all. I didn't think I looked good at all, so why would anyone else tell me that I did. That's what rude comments do to people. They completely eat away at them until they believe the lies that others tell them about themselves.

But while I can't get that time back...I can make what time I have left really shine. And since I've made healthier choices for myself, and have found a group of people who I can really trust, my confidence has grown in a big way. I've even started to even like getting my picture taken now...and I've even gotten more comfortable with showing my teeth off more. Never thought I'd see the day that would happen.



Who knows? Maybe someday, I'll flash my smile, and someone will say the very same thing Shanice did twenty years ago...