Search This Blog

Monday, May 28, 2012

Turner & Hooch


I’ve got a Monday Matinee all planned out and ready to share with all of you today, but before I do that, I have to make a bit of an announcement.

If you look under the section marked “Additional Links”, you may notice that one of them is missing.  The contest link (which is still open), and my interview is still there, but I had to remove my Facebook link page.  Due to unforeseen circumstances, I have been blocked from promoting my blog on Facebook itself.  Whenever I try to post a link onto Facebook from this blog, a message pops up stating that the links I am trying to post have been reported as being too spammy or unsafe...whatever that means.  And apparently, I’m not the only one who this has affected.  Reportedly other Canadian Blogspot bloggers are having the same issue as I. 

So, since Facebook has put a block on my blog, I’ve made the decision to transfer the fan page to my Google+ account, and freeze Facebook completely out of the equation.  You’re more than welcome to check out my Google+ profile to read them.  And, of course, this blog will remain open as long as Blogspot lets me keep it open, so no worries about this space shutting down.  I’ll just have to be creative when it comes to getting my work out there to the public.  For the record, I have my own opinions about this latest setback...but I’ll save those for this week’s Thursday Confession.  Right now, I’m still a slight bitter about how this all happened, so I need a couple of days to really compose my true thoughts. 

In the meantime, there is life after Facebook, and this blog must go on.  So, let’s go ahead with our Monday Matinee.

The year 1989 ranks up there as one of my favourite years in motion picture history.  A lot of my favourite movies seem to be from 1989.  I’ve even done a few blog entries on movies from 1989, such as “All Dogs Go To Heaven”, and “The Little Mermaid”, but there are other great movies that came out of that year from “Batman” and “Field Of Dreams” to “Driving Miss Daisy” and “Steel Magnolias”.  There was something about 1989 that just made going to the movies so much fun.

As it so happens, today’s feature presentation happens to have been released in 1989.  On July 28, 1989, our film was released, and was a huge box office success, taking in almost double its film budget.  And this was despite the fact that a movie with a similar plot was released just four months prior.

That movie was “K-9”, and it had the star power of James Belushi, and that movie did okay as far as ticket sales went, but when our feature presentation was released, it blew the other film out of the water.



Today’s Monday Matinee is the 1989 film “Turner & Hooch”, starring Tom Hanks as Detective Scott Turner, and a Dogue de Bordeaux named Beasley as the character of Hooch.  Initially, the film was to be directed by Henry Winkler, but due to creative differences, Winkler was let go from the production, to be replaced by Roger Spottiswoode.


The movie’s plot was a simple one.  We’re introduced to Scott Turner and his lifestyle, which could basically be considered a neat freak’s man cave.  Everything has its place, his clothes are neatly pressed, his living area kept immaculately clean at all times...if I didn’t know any better, I’d say that Turner was a little bit on the OCD side.  Then again, I’m not a doctor, so I really have no business making any assumptions.

At any rate, our movie is set in the small California community of Cypress Beach.  It’s a nice, quiet community with friendly people, nice scenery, and very little crime.  It’s a perfect community for raising a family or retiring, but for someone on the police force, Cypress Beach was sort of a bore...at least it was for Turner.  In just three days, Cypress Beach would be a distant memory for Turner.  He was set to take on a new job in the larger city of Sacramento, California, where he felt his job would be more fulfilling.  After Turner moved, his former position would be taken over by David Sutton (played by Reginald VelJohnson).

But just before Turner could start packing, a murder occurs in the sleepy town of Cypress Beach.  Local junkyard owner Amos Reed is murdered, and Turner tells police chief Howard Hyde (Craig T. Nelson) that he wants to take on the case as the lead detective.  Turner believes that there might be a witness around the area that could identify who the killer was.

As it turned out, Turner was absolutely correct in his insinuation.  What he didn’t expect was that his “witness” would be in the form of a large, slobbery mutt named Hooch.


Hooch was the pet dog of Amos, and unfortunately for Turner, he was the only witness to the murder.  Mind you, Hooch was incapable of actually speaking the name of the murderer, but Turner believed that the dog could be useful in his investigation.

So, Turner makes the decision to bring Hooch home to his place to take care of him.  Now, I don’t know whether Turner was suffering from a severe lapse of judgment, or whether he felt sorry for the dog losing his master, but whatever reason, Turner would later come to regret the decision he made.


Almost immediately after Turner brings Hooch home, Hooch becomes a nightmare of a houseguest for Turner.  Hooch slobbers all over the floor, pees inside Turner’s shoes, and at some point ends up destroying almost everything the Turner owned.

Even something as simple as giving Hooch a bath proved problematic for Scott Turner.  Just have a look at this attempt.


I honestly don’t know who ended up more soaked...Turner or Hooch.

As time passed though, Turner and Hooch eventually began to bond with each other.  Turner would learn to overlook Hooch’s slobbiness and began to develop a soft spot for the mutt.  And, as it so happened, Hooch was a key player in helping Turner find a love interest in veterinarian Emily Carson (Mare Winningham), although at first Carson and Turner did not get along at all.

Now, that’s really all that I am going to share with you about the plot of this movie.  All I will say is that there is a surprise twist in regards to the murder investigation, as well as the identity of the mastermind of the whole shebang.  And by the end of the movie, someone will end up losing their life.  And, I warn you ahead of time, it’s a real heartbreaker.

But you know, if there’s one thing that this movie really displayed, it is that of a dog truly becoming man’s best friend.  Certainly, Turner was a little bit apprehensive about the idea of Hooch staying with him, but the more that he got to know Hooch, the more he realized that he liked having him around.  And I’m sure that Hooch really enjoyed staying with Turner as well.  I mean, let’s face it, his new home ended up being a huge upgrade from his old one.  But, all Hooch really needed was an owner who loved and respected him for who he was...something that Turner eventually did, although it took a little bit of time for him to come around.

That’s our mini look back on “Turner & Hooch”, and I hope that you enjoyed it.  And, just remember...no matter what happens on other places on the web, you can count on this site sticking around no matter what.  In fact, why not go ahead, bookmark this blog, and share the link with your friends?

(Just don’t share it on Facebook...it unfortunately won’t work. 
L )

Sunday, May 27, 2012

Bette Davis Eyes


Here’s a question for everyone reading this blog.  What was the #1 the day that you were born?

If you don’t know what it is, that’s okay.  Wikipedia has every single listing of songs that hit the top of the music charts from as early as 1940.  Just visit the following website.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_number-one_hits_(United_States).  Then, all you have to do is click on the link corresponding to your birth year, and away we go.

I have to admit that sometimes I find that some of the songs that hit #1 on the days that my family members were born are quite amusing.  Take my mom for instance.  Do you know what the #1 song was the day she was born?  It was a Perry Como song entitled “Till the End of Time”...a #1 hit for TEN weeks!  The number one song when my father was born also did quite well on the charts.  That song, the Ink Spots hit “The Gypsy” stayed at the peak position for ten weeks as well!

My older sisters #1 songs could not be more different.   When one was born, the top song was “Lean On Me” by Bill Withers, and with the other one, it was SSgt Barry Sadler’s “Ballad of the Green Berets”!  Weirdly enough, Sadler’s hit stayed on top for five weeks, while Withers only managed a three week stay.

My niece and three nephews also ended up having quite eclectic number one hits when they were born.  In order from youngest to oldest, their number one songs were “Music” by Madonna, “The Boy Is Mine” by Brandy and Monica, “Too Close” by Next, and “The Macarena” by Los Del Rio.

For the record, the niece who was born during the Macarena craze loathes the song.

Now, since this is my blog, I have decided that for this week’s look at the Sunday Jukebox, we would take a closer look at the song that hit the top of the charts when I was born.

Thirty-one years ago, this song hit the top of the charts beginning the week of May 16, 1981.  That was two days before I was born.  The song itself did quite well on the charts, and it managed to stay on the top for nine weeks.  Interestingly enough, the nine weeks on top were NOT consecutive.  It was interrupted for a week by the “Stars on 45 Medley” in June 1981.  One week later, the song charted once more at the top, finally dropping off the peak position for good on July 19, 1981.

Of course, some might think that this song is a one-hit wonder.  Not so.  Although this hit became a signature song for this singer, she had a Top 10 hit one year prior with her cover of a Smokey Robinson and the Miracles song, “More Love”, as well as several other minor song releases.

So, without further adieu, let’s take a look back at the #1 song the day I was born!



ARTIST:  Kim Carnes
SONG:  Bette Davis Eyes
ALBUM:  Mistaken Identity
DATE RELEASED:  March 27, 1981
PEAK POSITION ON THE BILLBOARD CHARTS:  #1 for 9 weeks



Here’s some interesting trivia about this song in particular.  Did you know that Kim Carnes was not the first artist to sing this song, and that it had been written seven years prior to becoming the most successful song of 1981 and second biggest hit of the entire 1980s?

The year was 1974, and Bette Davis Eyes was meant to be included on a song by singer Jackie DeShannon, written by DeShannon and Donna Weiss.  Jackie DeShannon, of course, was responsible for such classics as “Put A Little Love In Your Heart”, and “What The World Needs Now Is Love”.  DeShannon recorded the song in 1974 and it appeared on her album “New Arrangement”.  But that version was never released as a single.


Seven years later, in 1981, 35-year-old Kim Carnes recorded the song, which took over the charts during the late spring and early summer.  With the raspy voice of Kim Carnes, and the sublime music video with featured a Bette Davis silhouette and an awful lot of slapping, it was easy to see how the song became so popular.

Although this song became Kim Carnes’ first (and only #1) hit as a singer, she had spent the previous fifteen years perfecting her craft.  Joining “The New Christy Minstrels” in 1966, Carnes found herself singing alongside other future stars such as country singer Kenny Rogers and actress Karen Black.  From there, she ended up signing her first publishing deal with producer Jimmy Bowen, and shared demo-recording time with Glenn Frey, Don Henley, and J.D. Souther.  She and her husband, Dave Ellingson also wrote several songs for teen idol David Cassidy during 1970.  Two years later, Carnes would release her debut album, “Rest On Me”, and over the next decade, Carnes would have several hits on the adult contemporary charts, and released quite a few albums.


But nobody expected “Bette Davis Eyes” to do so well, least of all Kim Carnes herself.  Not only did the song become a #1 hit for nine weeks, its success helped the Mistaken Identity album reach the top spot on the Billboard 200 for four months.  As mentioned before, the song became the biggest hit of 1981, and the second biggest hit of the 1980s.



TRIVIA:  The biggest hit of the 1980s was Olivia Newton-John’s “Physical”, which appropriately enough also came out in 1981, and peaked at #1 between November 1981 and January 1982, staying on top for ten weeks.

At the 1982 Grammy Awards, “Bette Davis Eyes” did very well, winning both the awards for Record of the Year and Song of the Year.  On top of that, Carnes herself was nominated for Best Pop Female (losing to Lena Horne), and the album Mistaken Identity was also nominated (losing to John Lennon’s Double Fantasy).  But the song itself was a huge smash for Carnes, and I’m sure she was pleased as punch over the success.



Here’s one final bit of trivia for you all.  Obviously, the song was named after the legendary star of motion pictures, Bette Davis.  Bette Davis passed away in 1989, so she was still alive when Bette Davis Eyes was rocketing up the charts.  I bet some of you must be wondering what Bette Davis thought of the song being named after her.

Well, as it turned out, the reaction from Davis was positive.  Shortly after the song was released, Bette Davis wrote a letter to Kim Carnes, stating just how much she loved the song.  In Davis’ own memoir “This ‘N That”, Davis wrote that she was thrilled to become a part of the rock generation, and Davis’ own grandson even joked that having a number one song on the Billboard charts named after her meant that she had finally made it!

It’s quite interesting to discover that the song inspired a real-life friendship between Davis and Carnes that lasted until Bette Davis passed away.  Carnes even performed the song live at a tribute for Davis just before her death, in what would end up being one of the last gifts of friendship that Carnes could give to Davis.

Now, isn’t that a lovely tale?

That’s the story behind the #1 song when I was born.  What’s yours?

Saturday, May 26, 2012

Makin' Mischief with the Misfits


I think at some point in our lives, we’ve all known a group of self-confessed “bad girls”.  I know that at my high school, there were several girls who could be considered “bad girls”.  A 2004 film starring Lindsay Lohan capitalized on the phenomena known as “Mean Girls”.  Even the late Donna Summer had a huge hit in the late 1970s with a song called “Bad Girls”.

There are a lot of stereotypes that are associated with bad girls.  Bad girls are mean.  Bad girls are easy.  Bad girls swear like George Carlin.  Bad girls smoke three packs a day and down an entire bottle of Jagermeister in one sitting.

In a lot of cases though, the so-called (and sometimes self-dubbed) bad girls are merely misunderstood.  If one were to really get to know these bad girls, they might find that they’re not quite as bad as they claim to be.  In fact, a lot of these bad girls may really be some of the nicest girls you could ever meet.  It’s hard to pinpoint one specific reason as to why good girls turn bad, but it appears to me that these girls have one thing in common.

They all seem to have had something happen to them that completely changed the course of their lives, and are determined not to let it happen again.  They may build up emotional walls, or they may compensate their loneliness and frustration with a damaging hobby, or maybe they simply lack the self-esteem to stand up for themselves.

We’re actually going to study a fictional girl group who by all accounts were made up of bad girls.  They were stuck-up, they had inflated egos, and when pushed too far, they could even be dangerous.  And yet, each member of this band can’t be considered absolutely evil, or a complete write-off.  All of these girls had serious emotional scars that for whatever reason never healed, and as a result affected them negatively.

Way back in September 2011, we had a discussion on the cartoon “Jem and the Holograms”, which aired from 1985 to 1988.  That entry focused mostly on the title group, and how their bonds together and generally positive attitude helped make miracles happen.

But Jem and the Holograms had serious competition from other groups, as most musical artists do.  It wasn’t uncommon for Jem and the Holograms to go toe-to-toe with several popular artists of the day.

And their biggest rival band happens to be the subject of this blog entry.  Why don’t we listen to one of their songs, shall we?

Yes, we’re going to take a look at The Misfits, the rival group of Jem and the Holograms. 


Initially, when the show began, the group was made up of three members.  There was lead singer, Phyllis “Pizzazz” Gabor, bass player Roxanne “Roxy” Pellegrini, and keytar player Mary “Stormer” Phillips.  Midway through the series, a fourth member was added, the English saxophone player, Sheila “Jetta” Burns.

And these Misfits were the antithesis of Jem and the Holograms right from the very beginning.

Whereas Jem and the Holograms sang light and fluffy songs about dreams, love, positivity, and being truly, truly, truly outrageous, the Misfits style was more...edgy.

A typical Misfits setlist would include songs about making mischief, scandalous behaviour, selfishness, and other raucous behaviour.  A lot of their songs followed this theme, which made sense given that their manager was the sleazy, egotistical, and unscrupulous Eric Raymond.

And then there were songs that surprisingly had a positive message behind it.  Take this one below.

Okay, okay, so the Misfits abused and threw shoes at Jem and the poor shoe salesmen in the shoe store (no wonder Al Bundy hated working at a shoe store).  If you listen closely to the lyrics of “Designing Woman”, the song actually encourages women to take the steps and change their lives to make them stand out and be noticed.  The song was one of the few that contained a positive message from a group that was formed on the basis of a con, courtesy of Eric Raymond.

(Oh, yeah, in case you wondered, Eric formed the Misfits to rig a Battle of the Bands contest, which Jem and the Holograms ended up winning.)

But that was true to each of the members of the Misfits as well.  Sure, they appeared to be bad-ass and looked as if nothing could tear them down.  But all four of these women had serious battle wounds which definitely explained why they ended up the way they did.  Some of them took steps to change who they were, while others remained stuck.  Nevertheless, why don’t we take a look at each of the Misfits in detail to see what made them turn bad, beginning with the newest one.

Jetta joined the band in the episode “The Talent Search”.  Right around the time that Jem and the Holograms recruited Raya to their band, The Misfits discovered Jetta in a seedy rock club.  Jetta was thrilled to join the band, and Pizzazz and Stormer welcomed her with open arms.  Roxy and Jetta, on the other hand, clashed like water and electricity.  Nevertheless, Jetta fit in well with the Misfits, and she wowed Pizzazz and Stormer with her tales about growing up in the British aristocracy and her privileged life.

It’s just too bad that Jetta made it all up.

You see, Jetta was embarrassed of her background.  She grew up in a working-class family in London, where her parents made a living as con artists.  It makes sense, given that Jetta was known to pickpocket and lie to get what she wanted.  In some aspect, Jetta was a victim of how she grew up.  Because her parents showed the example of lying and stealing to get through life, Jetta did the same thing.  She also ended up developing her stuck-up and antagonistic personality as a result of this upbringing.  Interestingly enough, once Jetta joined the Misfits, she blended right in with the group, and even though the Misfits eventually deduced that Jetta lied about her whole background, they still stayed her friend.  So, I guess in that sense, the Misfits helped Jetta become a better person.  Weird how that worked out, wasn’t it?

Jetta was particularly close with Pizzazz, who will be the next subject to look over.  All Pizzazz really wanted was to be noticed.  Pizzazz probably had the biggest desire to become a star, even more than the other Misfits combined.  She was determined to have her name front and center no matter what.  It didn’t matter to her that she grew up privileged with everything that money could buy.  She wanted to be famous and she wanted attention.

And the reason why this was the case was simple.  She felt that she was abandoned by her father.


Certainly, her father provided for her monetarily, even buying her a movie studio in one episode.  But emotionally, he seemed to be incredibly distant.  I’m sure that in Pizzazz’s father’s mind, he was providing for her as best he could.  But with him spending more time in business deals than spending time with her, it becomes painfully clear as to how Pizzazz ended up so screwed up.  She throws herself at any man that catches her eye, she throws a fit when she doesn’t get what she wants, and she often gets her feelings hurt whenever people turn away from her.  Pizzazz may very well exhibit an aura of confidence whenever she is on stage, but it was all smoke and mirrors.  When the lights dim, and the music stops, we see that the real Pizzazz is still very much an angry, self-loathing girl who just wanted attention from anybody.

Roxy could easily be the Misfit member that could be described as the most dangerous Misfit.  She’s got a rather cool personality, and she never seems to crack a genuine smile.  She treats everyone as if they are the enemy, and she is the one Misfit who actually could be charged with attempted murder with the number of tricks she has played on Jem and the Holograms.  But beneath that tough as nails exterior that Roxy built up over a lifetime lay a devastating secret.

Roxy dropped out of high school, and took off to the West Coast when she was barely eighteen.  As a result of this move, Roxy never learned how to read.  She managed to fake it for a while, but at a television appearance, Roxy failed to read a cue card, earning the wrath of Pizzazz and Jetta.  This prompted Roxy to quit the band.  Coming into a convenient large sum of money, Roxy hosted a huge party in her hometown to upstage a Jem and the Hologram benefit concert for, ironically enough, literacy awareness.  But Roxy’s plan failed due to her inability to read the contracts, and she ended up losing all her money to pay the fines.  But, there was a glimmer of hope.  When one of the Starlight Girls (the orphaned girls who lived in the Starlight Mansion that Jem and the Holograms owned) discovered Roxy’s secret, she handed Roxy a children’s book for her to learn how to read, which seemed to cheer Roxy up.  And at the end of the episode, Roxy studied the book, determined to right the wrong that she created all those years ago.



Finally, we have Stormer.  And Stormer is one of the most complex Misfits of the whole band.  You see, Stormer’s personality directly clashes with the other Misfits.  Whereas the other Misfits were brash, loud, and occasionally cruel, Stormer was none of those things.  She’d often take part in Misfits mischief making, such as spraying seltzer bottles on party guests, or flipping over tables.  But the real Stormer was sensitive, kind, and loving.  Stormer was very reluctant to cause Jem and the Holograms any serious harm, and even foiled a couple of plans by the Misfits to protect others.  Stormer also happens to be the main songwriter in the band, and while she was forced to write the hard, edgy lyrics that the Misfits were known for, she longed to write more meaningful, heartfelt songs that were emotionally charged and had a more upbeat message.

As a result of this, the other Misfits sometimes took advantage of Stormer, and often bullied her into submission.  Stormer tried her best to please the other Misfits, but for whatever reason, the others never appreciated her, or took her seriously.

So after the Misfits made fun of her songs and music one time too many, Stormer made the decision to leave the band to go it alone.  As fate would have it, Kimber from Jem and the Holograms was also feeling a little disenchanted with her band as well, and ended up crossing paths with Stormer at a club.  At first, Stormer and Kimber traded barbs with each other, and refused to get along.  But after the owner of the club encouraged Kimber and Stormer to perform on stage together, they found that they made a great team.

Kimber and Stormer made a vow to record an entire album together, and as they spent time in the recording studio, they found that they had a lot in common, and soon became best friends.  Of course, both the Misfits and Jem and the Holograms tried their best to get Kimber and Stormer to return, but neither one seemed interested. 

Eventually, the Misfits realized that they were nothing without Stormer, and they eventually came to the decision that they wanted her back.  Sure, the way they went about changing Stormer’s mind was to buy her off, which was very Misfit like behaviour.  And for poor Stormer, she ALMOST bought into it.  But Stormer also had the noble quality of loyalty, and her friendship with Kimber was strong enough for Stormer to come back to Kimber to finish the record.  As a result, Stormer also grew closer to Jem and the Holograms (since Eric Raymond refused to promote the record, Jem agreed to help Kimber and Stormer out). 



The record was a huge hit, and Jem actually encouraged Stormer to leave the Misfits to join the Holograms.  But, as I said before, Stormer’s biggest quality is that of loyalty, and when the Misfits made one final heartfelt plea to Stormer to return to the Misfits, Stormer couldn’t refuse. 

However, Stormer made it very clear that she was not going to let things go back to the way they were.  Stormer insisted on being treated as an equal, and she found the backbone to stand up to her bandmates.  In the end, Stormer ended up with the best of both worlds.  Not only did she earn a little more respect from the Misfits, but she kept her friendship with Kimber and the rest of the Holograms as well.

So, you see?  All of the Misfits had qualities that made them bad girls.  Jetta grew up with a con artist upbringing.  Pizzazz was spoiled rotten.  Roxy hid her illiteracy behind a wall of fury and bitterness.  And Stormer was a victim of bullying by those who were supposedly closest to her. 

But as Stormer proved (and to a lesser extent, Roxy and Jetta), there is a way to step away from the ‘bad girl’ label and become a better person.


Maybe if the show had continued, Pizzazz could have found her way too.

Friday, May 25, 2012

Killing All The "Right" People


Before I continue with today’s blog entry, I just wanted to remind you all of the contest that I’m holding in celebration of the first anniversary of the Pop Culture Addict’s Guide To Life.  It can be found in the entry dated May 24, 2012, but you can find the link if you go under ADDITIONAL LINKS.  Remember what the prize is...it’s the chance to assume almost complete control of my blog, as well as the chance for you to do a guest blog of your very own.  The contest ends JUNE 30, 2012, and please send all entries to popculturelifeguide1@yahoo.ca to be considered.  Good luck!

Now, onto today’s subject.

I’ll admit that there are some television shows that have aired over the years that for the most part, I’ve never cared for.  Whether it was the lack of chemistry between the cast members, the contrived plots, or the preachy writing, for whatever reason, the show just did not click with me.

But then you would see one episode of this show that you normally don’t like, and you would be blown away by how good the episode really is.  For a moment, you forget about the reasons why you hated the show in the first place because you’re so mesmerized by the subject matter of the episode, and how good the acting is.  After the episode airs, the show goes back to being mediocre in nature, but that one episode always stands out as a winner.

This blog entry talks about a show that had that reaction in me.  For the most part, I was always indifferent to the program.  For one, it originally aired when I was between the ages of five and twelve, so I was a bit too young to really understand it completely.  By the time I was old enough to watch the program in reruns, I wasn’t exactly blown away by it.  But, again, part of that could have been because the show was marketed towards a female audience, of which I am not.  But one particular episode of this program made me stand up and take notice, and it’s this episode that we’ll be discussing today.


That show is the CBS sitcom “Designing Women”, which ran for seven seasons between 1986 and 1993.  The sitcom detailed life inside the offices of an Atlanta interior design firm known as Sugarbaker’s.


The show’s original cast included Delta Burke, Dixie Carter, Annie Potts, and Jean Smart.  Meshach Taylor would join the cast midway through the show’s first season, becoming the only male regular cast member.  Over the years, Burke and Smart would leave the program for other projects, and the last two seasons featured Julia Duffy, Jan Hooks, and Judith Ivey.

Now, I don’t doubt that the show itself was groundbreaking for a number of reasons.  The show covered a wide variety of hot button issues, such as domestic violence, censorship, sexism, racism, and political discussions.  And the four original cast members of the show became huge names (or in the case of Carter and Burke, already were), and were given critical praise for their roles.

Yet, for whatever reason, I found that I couldn’t really find anything about the show that I absolutely fell in love with.  It wasn’t that I had absolute disgust for the program and wished for it to be cancelled.  It wasn’t like that at all.  But, I didn’t go out of my way to watch every single episode either.  I was more or less indifferent to the designing women.

That is until I watched one particular episode, which left me open-mouthed in astonishment.  The episode had clever and relevant writing for the time period, and powerful performances by all.

The date was October 5, 1987.  At that time, “Designing Woman” was already three episodes into its sophomore season, and was about to air its fourth episode.

The episode was entitled “Killing All the Right People”.

Do you know how the episode came to be named?  It was inspired by a comment overheard by series creator Linda Bloodworth-Thomason inside a hospital waiting room, in which someone made the following callous remark.

“The good thing about AIDS is that it’s killing all the right people.”


Keep in mind that back in the 1980s, AIDS was a huge deal in that not a lot of people knew a lot about the disease.  The first cases of AIDS began appearing in the summer of 1981, and back then, people automatically assumed that it meant an instant death sentence.


Today, we’ve made remarkable breakthroughs in regards to AIDS and treatments for people who have the disease.  New treatments have been successful in helping people who have been diagnosed as HIV positive live longer and more meaningful lives.  We still have a long way to go in regards to finding a permanent cure for AIDS, but we’ve come a long way in treating the disease, as well as learning how the disease is transmitted.

In 1987, however, many people were absolutely ignorant about AIDS, and many believed that it was contagious.  Back in 1987, people who had AIDS were subjected to acts of cruelty, violence, and ignorance by people who didn’t fully understand AIDS.  Linda Bloodworth-Thomason was particularly disgusted by the criticism and prejudice towards people who had the AIDS virus, and for good reason.  Linda’s mother had passed away from complications brought upon by AIDS after a blood transfusion infected her with the virus.  Linda was shocked at the amount of prejudice that gay men had to face from the public (back in the 1980s, gay men were among one of the first demographics where the virus first appeared in back in 1981).

And that was the story behind “Killing All the Right People”.


In the episode, the women of Sugarbaker’s meet with a young man named Kendall Dobbs (played by Tony Goldwyn).  Kendall has been a friend of the firm for years, and the women like and respect him very much.  The reason why Kendall is there is because he has a special request for the women. 

He wants them to design his funeral.

You see, prior to this episode, Kendall ended up contracting the AIDS virus, and despite the fact that he appears as though nothing is wrong with him, he is living on borrowed time.  The women of Sugarbaker’s are saddened by the news, but agree to help Kendall achieve his dream.


In the episode’s subplot, Mary Jo (Potts) is attending a PTA meeting which discusses the idea to distribute birth control options to students at school.  Most of the parents are opposed to bringing in condom machines into the schools, but Mary Jo is for the idea, arguing that they will not only prevent the spread of HIV, but also teen pregnancies as well.  But as Mary Jo is the only person in the meeting to have this stance, she is asked to argue her point at a public debate the following week. 

So, while Mary Jo is feeling a bit nervous about making her speech, Kendall meets with the Sugarbaker’s crew to make the final arrangements in regards to his funeral plans.  Julia (Carter) and Suzanne (Burke) are very warm and friendly to Kendall, and Charlene (Smart) even takes Kendall’s hand as she leads him to the sofa, a gesture that shocks even Kendall himself, as he admitted that some nurses wouldn’t even go inside his hospital room.  But Charlene and Mary Jo freely admitted that they had nothing to fear, for they read up on AIDS, and knew that they couldn’t catch it by simply grabbing someone’s hand.

Really, that’s a great life lesson right there...that you should never make judgments on anything until you get the facts behind it. 

It’s too bad that Imogene Salinger didn’t understand that life lesson.


Imogene Salinger just happened to be inside Sugarbaker’s at the same time that Kendall dropped by.  Imogene was a long-standing client of Sugarbaker’s, and was an acquaintance of Julia’s.  She couldn’t help but overhear the conversation that Kendall was having with Charlene and Mary Jo, and she felt that she had to say something.  She felt that Kendall’s situation was what he deserved, and that the disease had one thing going for it.  That it was killing all the right people.

That awoke the fury that was sleeping inside of Julia Sugarbaker, and Julia let Imogene have it.


Now this wasn’t much of a shock.  From doing my research on this show, Julia Sugarbaker called out people’s ignorance and stupidity with her razor-sharp tongue at least twice a season.  But the fact that Julia launched into such a tirade against Imogene really said a lot about Julia’s character.  Julia didn’t like bullies, and she wasted no time in telling them what she really thought.  And Kendall probably cheered Julia on silently while all this was going on, thinking that he was lucky to have such loyal friends who would stick by him despite the fact that he was dying of AIDS.

The little cameo appearance by Alice Ghostley was fantastic as well.

At any rate, Imogene was never seen on “Designing Women” ever again, and Kendall continued to work with the women to tie up the loose ends for his final design project.  But while the Imogene situation was dealt with, Mary Jo still had the debate to worry about, and she wasn’t sure exactly how to bring her points across.

When the PTA meeting began, Mary Jo pulled off a valiant effort to present her points, but kept getting cut off by the opposition.  Mary Jo was losing patience, and was sure that she would end up on the losing end of the argument.  But then Anthony (Taylor) walked into the meeting with Kendall tagging along behind him.  And when Mary Jo’s eyes fixated on Kendall, she got her nerve back, and she issued this eloquent statement.

“I think that it really shouldn’t matter what your personal views are about birth control, because, you see, we’re not – we’re not just talking about preventing births anymore, we’re talking about preventing deaths.  25,000 Americans have died, and we’re still debating.  For me, this debate is over.  More important than what any civic leader or PTA or board of education about thinks about teenagers having sex or any immoral act that my daughter or your son might engage in, the bottom line is that I don’t think they should have to die for it.

And with that, the crowd erupted with a thunderous applause, and Mary Jo smiled at Kendall one last time.

The last scene takes place at Kendall’s funeral, with all of Sugarbaker’s in attendance.  It was one of the most elaborate funerals Atlanta had ever seen, and everyone in that room was proud to have called Kendall a friend.

Just as Kendall was proud to have a group of friends who never gave up on him or left him, when so many turned their backs the other way.

I really loved this episode of “Designing Women”.  The message was a fantastic one for anyone to learn, and although a lot has changed in the 25 years since the episode aired, it still has its relevance today. 


It’s funny how before I watched this episode, I never really thought much of “Designing Women”.  But after watching this wonderful episode (which was nominated for several awards including two Emmy Awards), I might be tempted to watch other episodes in the series, just to see if they hold up as well.

Thursday, May 24, 2012

The First Anniversary Scavenger Hunt!



THURSDAY CONFESSION #21:  Today is the Pop Culture Addict’s Guide To Life’s FIRST ANNIVERSARY!

Although, it’s not really a confession as much as it is a revelation, but still, it’s something to celebrate! 

You see...here’s my real confession.  I never expected to do this blog for an entire year, because I didn’t think that it would take off.  And yet, here I am, averaging 150 page views per day, and having over 45,000 page views total in the 366 days since I kicked off this blogging project.  Mind you, compared to other prolific bloggers as Perez Hilton or Dan Pearce from Single Dad Laughing, these numbers are small potatoes.  But, you know, the fact that people other than myself are reading my own personal exercise in self-awareness and self-esteem building tickles me to no end.

To think that it all began on May 24, 2011.  Prior to that date, I wrote down my thoughts and feelings in the Notes section on my own personal Facebook page.  I didn’t do it every day (as I’ve done here), but I shared some personal stories about myself, and it made me feel better.  The only problem was that my Facebook page is set in such a way that only people on my friends list could see them.  I needed a more public venue to share my thoughts and my work.  So, it dawned on me...what if I created a blog to showcase everything that goes through my head?  And, what if I insert pop culture references into each blog entry so that people could be entertained while they read?

And, what if by talking about my struggles and how I overcame them inspired others to face their problems head on and realize that they aren’t alone?

So, on May 24, 2011, I started off this blog with a little introductory message, as well as the very first entry in the Pop Culture Addict’s Guide To Life.  It was an entry about the secondary Simpsons character Ralph Wiggum, and how he actually helped me learn so much about myself.  If you click on this link HERE, you can read that entry...the one that kicked off this whole journey.

So, because it’s this blog’s first birthday, I knew that I had to do something special.  You see, I wanted to find a way to thank everyone who has supported this blogging venture this past year.  I really wanted to come up with a unique contest idea to get people reading the blog, and to have a little bit of fun along the way.

Unfortunately, my name is not Oprah Winfrey, and I can’t afford to give everyone who has read my blog a Matchbox car, let alone a real car.  So, unfortunately for this year at least, the prize will not be monetary in value.

However, the prize is a good one, because it will allow you to have almost complete control of the blog for an entire week.

Yes, you heard me right.

THE WINNER WILL CONTROL MY BLOG FOR ONE WHOLE WEEK!

Now, there is one slight condition.  The Tuesday Timeline entry is NOT a part of the giveaway, as there’s a lot of research involved in selecting an event for the day.  However, the other six days will be controlled by YOU should you win!

Here’s how the prize will work.

There’s six theme days that you get to have control over.  Five of them will be YOUR TOPIC CHOICE.  The five days that you will choose the topic for will be...

MONDAY MATINEE
WEDNESDAY GIFT SHOP
TGIF – FRIDAYS
SATURDAY MORNING

SUNDAY JUKEBOX

For those five theme days, you choose the topic, and I will do up an entry on that topic.  It can be ANYTHING you want.  If you like Barbie dolls, I’ll do a Barbie entry.  If you want to see a blog entry on Van Halen, I’ll cover a Van Halen song.  It doesn’t matter if I love it, hate it, or haven’t seen it before.  If you want to see it, I’ll try my best to make it happen for you.

As for the Thursday Confessional, well...you get to control that too.  Because for that day, I’m going to have YOU write my blog for me. 

Yes, the Thursday Confessional for that week will be of your own creation.  You can write whatever you want on whatever subject.  Don’t worry about spelling or grammar.  It’s your space to do with whatever you like.  Consider it a “Guest Blog”, so to speak.

So, that’s the prize.  You get to control almost every aspect of my blog for one whole week!  Does that sound like something that you want to participate in?

If so, keep reading.  The questions that you have to answer will be posted below, as well as the deadline for the contest and where to send the answers to the contest.

So, what exactly is this contest going to be?


Well, have you heard of a 1979 movie called “Scavenger Hunt”?  It was a movie that starred Cloris Leachman, Richard Benjamin, Tony Randall, and Vincent Price, and the main plot of the movie was that a wealthy video game inventor passed away, and a group of his greedy relatives came to the funeral and will reading.  To their shock, they found that the only way they could inherit his multimillion dollar fortune, they had to compete in, and win a scavenger hunt.

It’s a very tough film to find on VHS, and there’s no DVD release as of yet, but I remember watching it on cable television one day, and I was easily amused by the movie.  If you can get a chance to watch it, I highly recommend it, just for the zaniness of it all.  In fact, if you type in Scavenger Hunt 1979 on YouTube, as of right now, the whole movie is available to watch in several parts!

So, like the movie, I’m going to have a scavenger hunt of my own.

I’m going to post a series of clues.  Some will be videos, some will be pictures, and some will be cryptic descriptions.  These clues will correspond with a blog entry that I have done in the past.  It’s up to you to look at the clues, and find the blog entry that matches the clues.  Here’s an example of what I mean.

For instance, if one of the clues read something like “Find the blog entry in which you’d find Snoopy making a Sno-Cone”, then you’d have to find the entry that talks about Snoopy Sno-Cone machines.  And, if you read yesterday’s entry, you’d know that I talked about them there.  It’s just that simple.

Your job is to find the items described in the clues somewhere in the blog.  Some of the answers can be found by using the search engine that I’ve included in the top of the blog, but some clues will be harder than others. 

There are SIXTEEN clues in all.  What I need from you is to write down either the TITLE OF THE ENTRY or the DATE OF THE ENTRY you found the clue in, and send it to this e-mail address.


Please don’t post the answers on this blog entry, or on Facebook.  I want everyone to answer the questions, but I don’t want the answers posted.  Some of the answers will be from a couple of months ago, but some will be from when the blog first began, so be mindful of that.

The deadline for all entries will be June 30, 2012  August 15, 2012.  

So, good luck to everyone participating, and I hope that you have fun!

Enough blabbering on now.  It’s time for the questions.  And this scavenger hunt kicks off with a set of cryptic clues.  Enjoy!

01 – I’ve done a bit of experimentation with colours in some blog entries, but there’s only ONE blog entry where I have typed the entire post in BLUE.  Find this post.

02 - The TUESDAY TIMELINE feature was first implemented in January 2012.  And, I’ve taken a look back at quite a few different years.  I want you to give me the Tuesday Timeline which features the OLDEST date that I have traveled back in time to.

03 – I’ve done entries on PUNKY BREWSTER, FAMILY TIES, and SILVER SPOONS...but there’s only ONE entry that I have done where stars from all three shows have made appearances.  Not bad for a show that was only three and a half minutes long.  Find this entry.

04 – Do you remember a song in which a man ends up meeting a woman in a supermarket on Christmas Eve that became a hit in 1980?  I did an entry on this song.  Find it.

05 – Rick, Vanessa, Robin, Alex, Binky, and Iggy are all campers at this fictional camp run by an SCTV alumni.  If you can find the entry where they celebrate “Christmas In July”, you’ll have the answer to this clue.

This next section will feature a photo that I have posted somewhere in one of the blog entries that I have done in the past.  Your job is to find the entry where the photo appears.  And, keep in mind, you can use the search engine incorporated in this blog to help you if you need it.

06 – Find the entry with this photo.


07 – Find the entry with this photo.


08 – Find the entry with this photo.


09 – Find the entry with this photo.


10 – Find the entry with this photo.


The last part of this scavenger hunt will have a half-dozen video clips.  Like the photos, you’ll have to find the blog entry where the video first appeared.

11 – Which entry did this video appear in?


12 – Which entry did this video appear in?


13 – Which entry did this video appear in?


14 – Which entry did this video appear in?


15 – Which entry did this video appear in?


16 – Which entry did this video appear in?


Remember, all entries should be sent to popculturelifeguide1@yahoo.ca and they must be received by JUNE 30, 2012. AUGUST 15, 2012.   Good luck!