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Friday, August 17, 2012

Melrose Place's Kimberly Shaw Mancini


I'd like to believe that in this world, most of us have a basic sense of what is right, and what is wrong. I'd also like to believe that there are people who are not completely evil, just as well as there are people who are not completely angelic either. We all have days in which we are very, very good...and conversely, we have days in which we are very, very bad.

But I think that's part of day-to-day life. The vast majority of us live a balanced life. Not too good, not too bad...just the right amount of each side to keep us in check.

Granted, there are a few people out there in this world whose evil qualities are irredeemable.  But, this blog entry is not one of those.

Today's blog entry will be discussing a fictional character who many people might consider to be one hundred per cent pure evil.  And yes, on the television show that she appeared on, she ended up doing a lot of terrible things.  She committed adultery, she stole another woman's baby, attempted to kill several people, and actually succeeded in killing an innocent victim when she blew up an entire building!

I know what you must be thinking.  What a terrible, terrible person!  She should spend the rest of her life in prison, or be put to death in the electric chair, or be institutionalized in a looney bin.  Anything to keep this psychopath off the streets, right?

Well, what if I told you that I was going to take on a different stance?  What if I told you that after watching a few of her most memorable moments from the show she starred on, I can actually find ways to DEFEND her behaviour?

(Besides, she's a fictional character, it's not as if she exists for real, right?)

Before we put this character under the microscope, let's talk a little bit about the show that this person was featured in.



Do any of you remember the television show "Melrose Place"?  The show was one of FOX's most-viewed television shows at one time...though it didn't start out that way.



Premiering on July 8, 1992, "Melrose Place" began as a spin-off of another Darren Star created drama, "Beverly Hills 90210".  On 90210, Jennie Garth's character of Kelly Taylor began dating an older man named Jake Hanson (Grant Show).  Jake appeared on a few episodes at the end of 90210's second season, and immediately after it ended, the decision was made to have Jake as one of the main characters of "Melrose Place".  Since it was a spin-off of 90210, some 90210 stars made an appearance in the show's pilot, including Garth, Ian Ziering, Brian Austin Green, and Tori Spelling.  Unfortunately for Kelly, the relationship between her and Jake did not last (setting the stage for the Kelly/Dylan/Brenda love triangle storyline of 90210's Season Three), but "Melrose Place" continued on.

The show initially featured eight 20-somethings who were just starting out in the world, looking to make all of their dreams come true, and at first, the shows would have one major plot, with minor plots concluding within the span of an episode.  But when the formula proved unsuccessful, and the low ratings almost caused the show to be cancelled, producers made some changes.  Gone were Amy Locane and Vanessa Williams (not THAT Vanessa Williams), and in their place came Daphne Zuniga and Heather Locklear.  Plots also became more soap opera like, with dozens of twists and turns at every corner.  The changes proved very successful, and the show ended up running for seven seasons, the final episode airing on May 24, 1999.



Now, "Melrose Place" ended up being a show that had a lot of star power.  Certainly, Heather Locklear had major star quality...but did you know that Lisa Rinna, Jack Wagner, and Alyssa Milano once held regular roles on "Melrose Place"?

The show was also one that kicked off the careers of several people.  Some people may not have heard the names Laura Leighton, Kristin Davis, Josie Bissett, Andrew Shue, Doug Savant, and Courtney Thorne-Smith before "Melrose Place", but after the show began airing, they all became instant stars.

TRIVIA:  Thomas Calabro was the only original cast member to stay on the show for all seven seasons without leaving once.

While we're on the subject, here is some more trivia for all of you.  Did you know that two of the main cast members of "Melrose Place" also appeared as regular characters of "Desperate Housewives"?  Doug Savant was one.



The other one was Marcia Cross, who played desperate housewife Bree Van De Kamp.  But she also played the television character that we'll be discussing today.  A character that wreaked havoc on "Melrose Place" for the first five seasons.

This is the story of Dr. Kimberly Shaw Mancini.



Kimberly was not an original character on the show.  Her first appearance was not until September 1992.  And, when the viewer was introduced to Dr. Kimberly Shaw, she wasn't even much of a character at first.  She was a resident doctor at Wilshire Memorial Hospital, and she was on the fast track to a bright future.  At the time of her first appearance, she was the colleague of another resident doctor who was interning at Wilshire, Dr. Michael Mancini (Calabro).  At first, Michael and Kimberly often quarreled with each other, each one seemingly jealous of the other person's accomplishments.  But when Michael's wife, Jane (Bissett) suffered a miscarriage, Kimberly became Michael's shoulder to cry on.

The friendship between Michael and Kimberly became stronger, and Michael even brought Kimberly to a Christmas party held at his apartment building at 4616 Melrose Place, to introduce her to Jane and the rest of the tenants.

But then things get complicated.  Kimberly and Michael develop feelings for each other and embark on an affair, which ultimately breaks up Jane and Michael's marriage.  Michael soon moves away from Melrose Place and purchases a beach house where he and Kimberly decide to live.  But then Jane's sister, Sydney (Leighton) arrives in town, and causes a lot of trouble.  Sydney decides to seduce Michael after he gets a little too drunk, and Kimberly finds out about it. 

I suppose Kimberly never heard the saying "once a cheater, always a cheater."



Of course, Michael tries to convince Kimberly that the affair did not mean anything and that Kimberly was the only one for him (wonder if he said that to Jane as well?) and he proposes to her.  Initially, Kimberly rejects Michael's proposal, but changes her mind on the ride home.  But just as both Michael and Kimberly are celebrating the good news, this happens...



Michael survived the crash, though the accident leaves him temporarily paralyzed.  Because he was under the influence of alcohol while he was driving the car, he convinces his friend Matt Fielding (Savant) to manipulate the test results to avoid jail time.  But when Kimberly falls into a coma and is flown back to Ohio, Michael receives the devastating news from Kimberly's mother that she has passed away.  To make matters worse, Sydney discovers what Michael had Matt do, and blackmails Michael into marriage.

But here's the first of the twists and turns that "Melrose Place" was known for.  Kimberly's mother lied about what happened, and imagine Michael's surprise when a certain red-haired woman from his past waltzes right back into his life.



Michael decides that he wants to be back with Kimberly, and immediately leaves Sydney so he can be with her.  But the accident ended up causing some damage to Kimberly...both mentally, and physically.  First, let's get the physical part out of the way.



What a huge scar, huh?  Seems that when Kimberly was in a coma, she underwent some brain surgery.  The positive was that it saved her life...the negative was that it made Kimberly very unpredictable, moody, and dangerous.  And the only thing on Kimberly's mind was revenge against Michael.

After putting on a blonde wig, Kimberly goes on a drive and purposely runs over Michael with her car, giving Michael amnesia.  At the beginning of the show's third season, Michael is unsure of who ran over him.  Initially, Jane is suspected of the crime, but is just as quickly cleared.  Jane's sister, Sydney however was not quite as lucky, getting charged for Michael's attempted murder.  It doesn't take long for Sydney to be released from jail, and right around that time, Michael's memory began to return, and knowing that Kimberly was responsible, the stage was set for him to confess all, and send Kimberly to jail.  But Michael decided to handle it a different way.  He admits that he is still in love with Kimberly, and whether she decided to love him or kill him, he just wanted her to make up her mind once and for all.



Kimberly decided to choose love over murder, and she and Michael elope in Las Vegas.  But when the happy couple talk about wanting children, Kimberly is devastated to learn that the car accident has left her unable to have any children at all.  The only way they were to have a child was to adopt, but Kimberly was too impatient. 

Enter Jo Reynolds (Zuniga), a photographer who had gotten pregnant by the rapist she had murdered in self-defense.  Turns out, the family of the baby's father were fighting Jo for custody of the child, and Jo was determined not to let them get their hands on the baby.  Kimberly offered Jo a solution.  Pretend the baby was stillborn, and move to New York City with the baby so Jo could raise the child herself. 

But Kimberly never did have Jo's best interests at heart.  Kimberly delivered Jo's baby, forged a death certificate for the baby boy, and cruelly told Jo that the baby had died so she could steal the baby for herself and Michael.  For a while, Kimberly had gotten away with her crime, as Jo couldn't contact the police as she had committed a crime trying to keep her baby.  But if you thought that Jo was going to take this lying down, think again.



The story was resolved eventually.  Michael helped reunite Jo with her son, and Jo made the decision to give her child up for adoption to keep him away from the family of her rapist.  But the conclusion of this storyline cost Kimberly dearly.  She ended up trying to take her own life twice, and she ended up losing Michael to Amanda Woodward (Locklear).  With everyone on Melrose Place turning against her, and with the stress causing Kimberly to lose all sense of reality, Kimberly snapped...and at the beginning of the show's fourth season, Kimberly took her ultimate revenge.



The episode aired on September 11, 1995, and was one of the highest rated episodes of Melrose Place ever.  The disaster left half of the residents homeless, temporarily blinded Allison Parker (Thorne-Smith), and killed Mackenzie Hart (Morgan Brittany).  The blast initially knocked Kimberly into the swimming pool, but Dr. Peter Burns (Wagner) saves her life.  While Kimberly recovers from her injuries, she seemed completely shocked that she could blow up an entire building.  Filled with sudden remorse over what she did, and trying to come to terms with it, she attempts suicide once more.  Peter ends up talking Kimberly down, but after Kimberly keeps seeing a demonic figure named Henry that urges her to kill Michael and Sydney, she is institutionalized.

This is where I start to feel a little bad for her.  And, this is where the viewer discovers a bit of the backstory behind what caused Kimberly to lose her mind.  While Kimberly is locked away, she remembers that Henry was the family gardener.  When Kimberly turned seven years old, Henry attempted to rape Kimberly's mother.  With Kimberly's father out of town, Kimberly was the only one who could protect her mother.  She picked up a knife, and stabbed Henry, killing him.  What followed was years of pain, confusion, and shock that festered inside of Kimberly until she finally snapped.  It was likely that the car accident helped trigger Kimberly's descent into madness, but it had been building up inside of Kimberly for years.

It takes a while for Kimberly to reintegrate herself into society once more.  Initially, Sydney and Michael hire an actor who looked like Henry to torture Kimberly, but with Peter's help, their nasty scheme was exposed, and Kimberly begins to move forward with her life.  She starts to host a radio talk show, and soon rejoins the staff of Wilshire Memorial as a psychiatrist (hey, nobody said that "Melrose Place" was a realistic show), and somehow ends up rekindling her relationship with Michael again after he saves her from an obsessed radio fan.




But, Kimberly's fight to stay sane continued to be a struggle, and eventually she ended up suffering from multiple personality disorder, morphing into a 1950s era housewife named Betsy. And Betsy proves to be even crazier than Kimberly could ever dream of being.  The climax of the story involved Kimberly/Betsy trying to kill Peter, Amanda, and Michael, and Kimberly ending up falling over a balcony.  Kimberly recovers from the fall (and regains her personality), but she realizes that she has to give up her career in medicine, and she ends up taking a job as Peter and Michael's receptionist.




Tragically, Kimberly ends up developing a brain tumour midway through season five, and Kimberly ends up passing away...finally at peace after a lifetime filled with hurt, pain, and confusion.




So, you see, Kimberly Shaw was one television character with a lot of layers, and she wasn't exactly who she appeared to be.  I'd like to think that the real Kimberly Shaw was someone who really had nothing but the best intentions, and who was basically a good person...she just ended up having a lot of bad luck, and had to experience some life-changing events that caused her to lose her mind.  Kimberly Shaw was one of those characters who tried to rise above the mental illnesses and psychoses that followed her through her whole life, and was unable to escape.  Her crimes against everyone on Melrose Place can't be excused...but knowing the motivation behind them, you sort of see how she came to those conclusions.

And, as a credit to Marcia Cross, she owned the role.


Thursday, August 16, 2012

The Bucket List


I'm sure most of you out there have heard of the term “Bucket List”. For those of you who haven't, I'll try to explain it as best I can.

Have you ever made up a list of things that you want to do before you die? That's essentially what a bucket list is. It's a list of hopes and dreams that one hopes to accomplish before they “kick the bucket”.

Hence the reason why it is called a “bucket list”.



There was actually a movie made about this very subject. It was called “The Bucket List” and it was released on December 25, 2007, and starred Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson. In the film, the two men meet each other in a hospital after both of them have been diagnosed with terminal lung cancer. Both of them end up becoming friends as they both undergo treatment for the disease. Carter Chambers (Freeman) is an auto mechanic who really wanted to become a history professor, but obstacles prevented him from achieving that goal. Edward Cole (Nicholson) is a self-made billionaire, who has been divorced four times, and his favourite activity seems to be abusing his servant, Thomas...or, is it Matthew?

Initially, it is Carter who comes up with the idea of writing a bucket list...but when he discovers that he has less than a year to live, he throws it away. So when Edward finds the list, urges him to complete the list, makes up one of his own, and agrees to finance the whole opportunity, Carter agrees, and the two men set off on the adventure of a lifetime.

Some of the things that the two men end up crossing off of their respective lists are once-in-a-lifetime occurances. Those things include skydiving, riding motorcycles on the Great Wall of China, drive a Shelby Mustang, and flying over the North Pole. But a lot of the things on the lists of both men are more emotionally driven, such as “kissing the most beautiful girl in the world”, and “helping a complete stranger for the good”.

The movie itself is okay. It received mixed reviews, and some critics felt that it wasn't as good of a movie as it should have been, but I think it would be worth watching at least once.

So, what does this have to do with my Thursday Confession? Well, I shall tell you.

In fact, my Thursday Confession for this week is probably the longest confession that I will ever write because my confession is in the form of a particular list.

I'm sure that you all know where this is going, don't you?

THURSDAY CONFESSION #33: MY BUCKET LIST

(Yes, you are reading this correctly. I have created a bucket list of my own. I know that 31 seems a bit young to come up with something like this, but I really wanted to have physical evidence that I have come up with one. I actually created one back when I turned 21, and have crossed off some items from it. These are some of the items that I still have to cross off. I think it's a great idea to always have dreams, and I think that by recording some of the things that I really want to do with the rest of my life, it'll give me the incentive needed to cross them off.)

(So, without any further delay, I'm sharing my bucket list.)



ITEM #1 – TO BECOME THE FATHER OF AT LEAST ONE CHILD

Yes, I know that in all likelihood, I would have to be in a committed relationship/marriage in order for this to happen (well, unless I happen to adopt or become a foster parent). At the same time, I'd love to have at least one in my lifetime. Whether it happens at 35 or 65, I'm not giving up hope that I will eventually have my own child someday.



ITEM #2 – TO VACATION OUT OF THE COUNTRY (and the United States doesn't count)

I've been to America before (well, New York State, anyway), but I have always wanted to travel overseas to a different country, to experience another part of the world that I would normally never see. Among my top five countries to visit? England, Australia, Italy, Greece, and Holland (for the chocolate, of course).



ITEM #3 – TO BECOME A CONTESTANT ON A GAME SHOW

I've talked about this dream in a couple of blog entries already, but I still have had this dream of going on a game show and just experiencing the high that can come from it. I wouldn't care about winning a car, or a boat, or a huge cash prize. I'd even settle for the popcorn machine as a consolation prize! I just want the experience of it all.



ITEM #4 – TO HAVE A BOOK PUBLISHED

I suppose that I'm on the right track, having a blog that I've kept running for fifteen months. But, you can't physically hold a blog in your hands and flip the pages of it (well, unless you print the pages of it). I have always dreamed of having my name on the front cover of a book, and my photo on the back cover. I really want to have my own book signing at a bookstore, interacting with people who really understood my writing and who wanted me to sign their books. That would be a fantastic thing to cross off my bucket list.



ITEM #5 – TO HAVE A BACKSTAGE PASS AT ANY MAJOR EVENT

It could be at the Grammy Awards, the Emmy Awards, or it could be something as simple as an outdoor concert. I've always been fascinated with the behind the scenes moments of these festivals and events. I've always wanted to see how they worked. And, hey, if I happen to get any celebrity sightings incorporated along with it, all the better!



ITEM #6 – TO GO ON AN EXTENDED CRUISE

I talked about this a couple of days ago when I did the entry on “The Poseidon Adventure”. Even though that movie ended in disaster, I still want to go on a cruise.



ITEM #7 – TO OWN MY OWN HOME

Apartment living is okay for now...but I can't see myself doing it the rest of my life (well, unless I happen to find myself living in the middle of Manhattan). Having grown up in a family that has never owned their own home, it's important to me that I have a place to call my very own one day. It doesn't have to be a palatial mansion...just a safe place where I can be at peace with myself.



ITEM #8 – TO OWN A JUKEBOX

I know, it seems like such a random item to want, but I've always been fascinated with retro jukeboxes, and admit it...wouldn't you think that having a jukebox in your living room would be the ultimate conversation piece? Plus, as someone who loves music, it would be a great reflection of my personality.



ITEM #9 – TO OWN (or at the very least, view) A COPY OF PEP COMICS #22

Again, another random item that may not make sense to some of you, but if you're a comic book fan as I am, it's significant. Pep Comics #22 happens to contain the very first appearance of Archie Andrews, Betty Cooper, and Jughead Jones. It was released in late 1941, and it is widely considered to be the crown jewel of the entire Archie Comics collection. I have the reprinted story that was featured in that original book, but it's not quite the same as having the original printing. The problem is that I'll likely never see it, as the current value of the book is well over $50,000! But, hey, if it happens to be crossed off my bucket list, I'll be happy.



ITEM #10 – TO PERFORM AT AN OPEN-MIC COMEDY CLUB

I don't know what it is, but I've always wanted to try my hand at stand-up comedy.  There aren't any comedy clubs in my area, which is why this isn't crossed off yet, but I'd like to try it just once, even if I get booed off stage!

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Guess Who?


Would you believe that there was a time in my life where I thought about becoming a police detective?

I have always had a keen interest in mysteries and solving puzzles. When I was younger, I would collect and read every detective novel and puzzle that I could get my hands on. Even in my thirties, I still love a good mystery, whether it be from trying to figure out who the killer is on CSI episodes, or playing one of my Professor Layton video games. I've just always had a love for mysteries.



There was one brief moment in my life where I believed that I wanted to pursue a career in police work. In particular, I wanted to be a police detective. One of my idols was Sherlock Holmes. I really wanted to solve mysteries just like him. He made solving crimes, and putting the pieces of difficult puzzles seem flawless. I could have read his stories for hours on end, and my goal was to become the next Sherlock Holmes (not taking into account that Holmes was a fictional character created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle).

Of course, those dreams never really came to be. The main reason being that I can't even stand the sight of my own blood, let alone the blood of someone else. Ergo, I would be completely useless at crime scenes in which someone was shot, stabbed, or had their entire head blown off by a bazooka.

(Not that I know too many people who randomly keep a bazooka stuffed in their house to defend their property and family members...but I suppose some probably would.)

Ah well, I suppose that I could always do the next best thing and write my own murder mystery. In fact, I actually started a murder mystery novel thirteen years ago, when I was eighteen years of age. It remains unfinished, and it's really not my best work, but I may give it another go and finish the story. All I can do is try, right?

I've brought up Sherlock Holmes, Professor Layton games, and CSI as influences that helped shape my love of all things mystery. Today's blog topic is all about another activity that I loved doing when I was a kid. In fact, it's probably one of the earliest board games that I remember playing.

It's time to play a rousing game of “Guess Who”!



No, not THAT Guess Who.



I'm talking about the Milton Bradley game, “Guess Who?”, created by Ora and Theo Coster in the United Kingdom in 1979. It would take another three years for the game to arrive stateside.

Now, this was a game that I loved for one main reason...this was a game that had an aura of mystery to it, and it sort of simulated a police interrogation of sorts.

Let me explain. “Guess Who?” is a two player game, with each player having a plastic game board with the faces of 24 people. Each one had their own distinct characteristics, and no two faces were exactly alike. There were also 24 different playing cards included with the game, each one having one of the faces of the people on the board. Here. I'll provide a visual aid.



Now, how the game worked was like this. Each player would choose a card from the deck. The players would then take turns trying to find out which person the other player had. The first person to guess who the person was would win the game.

And, how did the players narrow it down? Simple. All they had to do was ask a series of yes and no questions to the other player. Depending on how good the questions are, and how the player answers, one can eliminate anywhere from one to six possibilities from their game board!

So, what are some of the questions that can be asked? Here's a few examples.

Is your person bald?”
Is your person a woman?” (in early editions, only five women were included in the game...later editions evened up the total)
Is your person wearing a hat?”
Does your person have glasses?”
Is your person a Republican?”

(Well, okay, maybe not the last question...)

You see, the game is designed as such that no matter what questions you ask, the choices will always be narrowed down to one. So, after a few minutes, you can always arrive at the right answer.

I admit that playing “Guess Who?” as an adult isn't the same as playing it as a child...but at the same time, I do appreciate the fact that the game kept me entertained when I was a kid. And, it also helped me use my stellar detective skills (or what I thought were stellar detective skills at the age of six or whatever age I was when I played the game for the first time) to try and find the identity of the other person. Whenever I played the game, we always pretended that our characters were criminals, and it was up to us to find out who caused the crime so we could arrest them. It made the game of “Guess Who?” even more fun!



Special editions of the game have been made since, including a Star Wars version, a Marvel Comics version, and even a Disney version. Travel versions were also made of the popular game, and it can still be found on toy shelves all over the world as of 2012.

But, just to clarify one final thing before closing the chapter on this blog entry. The cards don't actually talk.



Tuesday, August 14, 2012

August 14, 1959


I'll be honest. In a lot of cases, my Tuesday Timeline features are quite easy to do, and I can usually find at least one event to focus on.

Today was not one of those days.

For whatever reason, August 14 was one of those dates in which I was struggling to find a topic. It wasn't necessarily because of the fact that August 14 was one of the dullest days in the entire world...a lot happened on that date. But there was nothing that really popped out as a topic that I could do a decent length blog entry on. I really had a blank slate.

Still, I really wanted to do a Tuesday Timeline entry this week, so I really did a lot of research on the day, hoping that I would become inspired.

First, let's look at some of the happenings on this date in history.

1848 – Oregon territory organized by act of Congress

1851 – The birthdate of American gambler/dentist Doc Holliday

1885 – Japan issues its first patent to the inventor of a rust-proof paint

1888 – An audio recording (one of the first recordings of music ever made) of Arthur Sullivan's “The Lost Chord” is played during a press conference introducing Thomas Edison's phonograph

1893 – France becomes the first country in the world to introduce motor vehicle registration

1901 – The first claimed powered flight by Gustave Whitehead in his Number 21

1912 – United States Marines invade Nicaragua to support American-based government installed following the resignation of Jose Santos Zelaya

1916 – Romania declares war on Austro-Hungary during World War I

1933 – The Tillamook Burn forest fire is started by two loggers in Oregon, by the time the fire was put out nearly four weeks later, it had destroyed 240,000 acres

1935 – United States Social Security Act passes

1936 – Rainey Bethea is the last person in the United States to be publicly hanged

1945 – Japan accepts Allied terms of surrender in World War II

1947 – Pakistan obtains independence from British Empire, joins Commonwealth of Nations

1951 – William Randolph Hearst, newspaper magnate, passes away at the age of 88

1967 – UK Marine Broadcasting Offences Act declares it illegal to participate in the broadcasting of 'pirate radio'

1989 – The founder of the Ferrari, Enzo Ferrari, passes away at the age of 90

2003 – A widespread blackout originating in Ohio knocks out power to 55 million people in eight states and the province of Ontario

2010 – The first ever Youth Olympic Games are held in Singapore

(Coincidentally, I lived through that 2003 blackout, and I can attest that it naturally happened on one of the hottest days that summer...so typical.)

But none of these events really screamed “Do an entry on me!”, so that was out.

Then, I thought about looking at August 14 celebrity birthdays. Among those celebrating a birthday today are Buddy Greco, John Brodie, Lynne Cheney, David Crosby, Connie Smith, Steve Martin, Susan Saint James, Danielle Steel, Gary Larson, Peter Blegvad (Slap Happy), Slim Dunlap, Jackee Harry, Rusty Wallace, Marcia Gay Harden, Sarah Brightman, Susan Olsen, Mark Gubicza, Neal Anderson, Halle Berry, Catherine Bell, Tracy Caldwell, Mark Loretta, Jay Manuel, Christopher Gorham, Ana Matronic (Scissor Sisters), Ed Harcourt, Kate Ritchie, Earl Barron, Mila Kunis, Spencer Pratt, and Tim Tebow.

And it was here in the celebrity birthday section that I found a great subject. An inspirational subject.



A subject who happens to have the birthdate of August 14, 1959.

August 14, 1959 was the date that the American Football League was founded, but that's not the subject I wanted to focus on. Our blog subject didn't even play football.

Basketball on the other hand, well, he was a legend in that sport. But while his basketball career certainly put him on the map, it was a personal discovery and his fight against a particular disease that made him an inspirational subject. I suppose you could say that finding this blog subject was a stroke of “magic” on my part.



Fifty-three years ago today, Earvin “Magic” Johnson was born...and in those fifty-three years, he has worn many hats. Basketball star, husband, father, entrepreneur, philanthropist, broadcaster, motivational speaker, and an advocate for safe sex and the prevention of AIDS. And, yes, we'll talk about that as we continue with the blog.

Johnson was born in Lansing, Michigan to a General Motors assembly worker father, and a school custodian mother. Falling in love with basketball at a very young age, he practiced every day and soon found himself playing for the basketball team at Everett High School.

It was at Everett High School that Johnson was first given his nickname of “Magic”. It was bestowed upon him by a fifteen-year-old who attended the school after witnessing him record a triple-double of 36 points, 18 rebounds, and 16 assists in one game! Earvin Johnson liked the name, and continued to use it, much to the disdain of his mother who deemed it sacrilegious to refer to himself as “Magic”.

Magic Johnson's last high school basketball season was mighty impressive. Out of 27 games played during that season, the team only lost once, and he lead his team to victory in the state championship game which went into overtime.

After graduating from high school in 1977, Johnson was recruited by several colleges, including UCLA and Indiana State. But Johnson was keen on sticking around the Lansing area, and instead enrolled at Michigan State University after Jud Heathcote (coach of the basketball team at MSU at the time) told him he could play the position of point guard. Interestingly enough, Magic Johnson never intended to play basketball professionally...he was content simply studying communications at the college in hopes of becoming a sports commentator. But as time passed, Johnson eventually began to change his mind, particularly after leading the team to a Big Ten Conference Title, and qualifying to play in two NAACP Tournaments. In fact, the most-watched college basketball game ever featured Michigan State University (Johnson's team) defeating Indiana State University 75-64. Johnson ended up being voted Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four after that game.



I should also note that this particular game pitted Johnson against up and coming basketball star Larry Bird...and that this game wouldn't be the first time that these two would face off against each other either.



After two years of college, Johnson was drafted into the 1979 NBA Draft, where he found himself joining the Los Angeles Lakers. Johnson was thrilled to be given the opportunity, having been a fan of then center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who would eventually become the leading scorer in NBA history. During Johnson's debut season, the team managed to have a 60-22 win/loss record, and that record earned the team the right to play in the 1980 NBA finals, facing off against the Philadelphia 76ers. After five games, the Lakers were ahead 3-2, but after Abdul-Jabbar sprained his ankle and was unable to play in any further games, the decision was made to have Johnson play center by then coach Paul Westhead. His performance in Game 6 of the series was memorable for a lot of reasons. Not only did the Lakers win the 1980 championship, but Johnson ended up winning the NBA Finals MVP award...the only time a rookie would win the award.



Of course, Magic Johnson did have his share of ups and downs while he played for the Lakers. During the 1980/1981 season, Johnson suffered from torn cartilage in his right knee, which sidelined him for 45 games. Upon his return to the team in 1981, Johnson was immediately signed to a 25-year, $25 million contract with the Lakers, which at the time made it the highest-paying contract. There was also a very public dispute between Johnson and Westhead, which lead to Johnson wanting to be traded to another team. When the situation was resolved, Johnson stayed, but Westhead was fired, which lead to some animosity from the crowds.

However, Johnson's stats as a basketball player are mighty impressive, and in my opinion, those are more important than any scuffles and drama off the court. Just listen to all of Magic Johnson's accomplishments between 1979 and 1992.

Five-Time NBA Champion (1980, 1982, 1985, 1987, 1988)
Three-Time NBA MVP (1987, 1989, 1990)
Twelve-Time NBA All-Star (1980, 1982-1992)
Three-Time NBA Finals MVP (1980, 1982, 1987)
Nine-Time All-NBA First Team (1983-1991)
Two-Time NBA All-Star Game MVP (1990, 1992)
NCAA Champion (1979)

And, that's just a small list!

And, remember how I said earlier that Magic Johnson and Larry Bird developed a rivalry with each other after that fated Michigan State/Indiana State game? It continued into the NBA, particularly when Johnson's Lakers faced off against Bird's Boston Celtics, with Bird even going so far as admitting that the first thing he looked at in the morning was Johnson's daily box score! This rivalry was a friendly one though. Bird and Johnson befriended each other while filming a television commercial together in 1984, and have been friends ever since, with Johnson attending Bird's retirement ceremony in 1992, and Bird inducting Johnson into the Basketball Hall of Fame.

Yes, for fourteen years, Johnson's basketball career seemed to be progressing very well, and it seemed as though nothing could stop him.

But then in 1991, Johnson received the news that would change his life forever.



Just before the start of the 1991/1992 NBA season, Johnson went in for his physical, believing that everything would be fine. So, you could imagine the shock that he felt when it was discovered that he had tested positive for HIV. Just days after receiving the news, he issued a press conference on November 7, 1991, where he revealed to the world his diagnosis, followed by the announcement that he would be retiring from the NBA.



He followed this announcement by stating that he would dedicate the rest of his life to battling the deadly disease, and soon after became a spokesperson for AIDS awareness. But, Johnson's diagnosis of HIV certainly raised questions, as prior to 1991, only a small percentage of heterosexual men contracted HIV through sexual intercourse, leading to endless rumours questioning Johnson's sexual orientation. Johnson later admitted that before he contracted HIV, he had multiple sexual partners, which was likely the way he had contracted the disease. It quickly became one of the most well-known news stories of 1991, and ESPN named the announcement the 7th most memorable moment of the last quarter-century just a few years ago.

At no point however did Magic Johnson let his illness slow him down. Just months after he was diagnosed, he was voted by fans as a starter for the 1992 NBA All-Star Game at Orlando Arena, though not everyone was enthusiastic of the news due to fears from other players about the possibility of contamination if Johnson sustained an open wound on the court. But Johnson proved his worth, leading the West to victory with a final score of 153-113, 25 of which were scored by Johnson himself. Following that, he became a part of the U.S. Basketball Team that competed in the Barcelona 1992 Summer Olympics, which ended up taking home the gold medal that year.



These days, Magic Johnson is still doing well, keeping his HIV status from developing into AIDS with medication. He came back from retirement twice since his 1991 announcement, finally retiring for good in 1996. That same year, he was honoured as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA history, was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2002, and even received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame! His jersey number (#32) was retired as well.

In 1998, he attempted to host a talk show on late night, but it was cancelled after a couple of months. He also started up a company, “Magic Johnson Enterprises”, which at its last evaluation was worth $700 million, and in 2012, he, Guggenheim Partners, and Stan Kasten were announced as the winners in the proceedings to buy the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team!

So, as you can see, Magic Johnson's life began with the highest of highs, crashed to the lowest of lows, and through much dedication, relentlessness, and strength, he has managed to build a huge empire, and has raised millions of dollars for research in hopes of finding a cure for AIDS once and for all. He'll always be remembered for his stellar basketball career, but as I've shown here, he will be remembered for much more than that.

And to think, it all began on August 14, 1959.

Monday, August 13, 2012

Disaster Feature #2 - The Poseidon Adventure


A few days ago, I went on a tourist boat around the famed Thousand Islands region where I grew up, and I really had a great time.  It was great seeing all of the wonderful scenery, and just being a part of that atmosphere where everyone on the boat was just in a great mood. 

It really got me thinking about whether or not I would actually enjoy taking a vacation on a cruise ship. 


I believe that I would probably enjoy the experience of going on a cruise ship.  Aside from seeing such wonderful world treasures like the Caribbean nations, the Alaskan shoreline, or the Hawaiian islands, they are also a source of fantastic social interaction and tons of activities to do.

I’ve always said that I needed to improve my social life and add more connections to my social circle, and what better way to do that than going on a gigantic ocean liner with thousands of people on board? 

I’ve heard that the food on these cruises is outstanding, and talking to several people who have gone on extended cruises before, they tell me that they would do it again in a heartbeat.

Of course, when it comes to cruises, I’d ideally want to be on a cruise where people of all ages and backgrounds are present, and where there are a huge selection of activities to do other than shuffleboard.

(Though, I must admit, I don’t mind shuffleboard.)


Certainly, cruise ships can be a lot of fun, but there is also a bit of risk that is involved with them as well.  No method of transportation is one hundred per cent safe.  Even though cruise ships have been built sturdier and safer since the sinking of the “unsinkable” Titanic a century ago, there is always a slim chance that a disaster involving a cruise ship could occur.  One only needs to go back a few months in time to look at the January 13, 2012 sinking of the MS Costa Concordia in which the ship tipped over on its side following a crash involving the controversial actions of its captain.  Thirty people died in the accident, and two people still remain missing.

Of course, I’m not trying to scare you, or stop you from boarding another cruise ship.  These cruise ship accidents are not common.  I still want to go on a cruise ship one day myself.

But, I think that when I do make my reservations for a Caribbean cruise, I’ll make sure that the boat I go on doesn’t have the name “Poseidon” stamped anywhere on it.

And, since August is Disaster Movie Month in the Monday Matinee, I thought we’d talk about a movie that took place on a doomed cruise ship, as well as the struggle of the survivors to escape before the boat sank to the bottom of the ocean.


I’m talking about “The Poseidon Adventure”, the second of four disaster themed movie entries for August.

Note that I said “The Poseidon Adventure” and not the lame 2005 remake known as “Poseidon”.  Although those people who I watched the movie with seemed to cheer when Fergie from the Black Eyed Peas drowned in that film...

...what sick people I know, huh?  J

No, we’re going back in time forty years to talk about the original film.  Released in theatres on December 12, 1972, the film boasted a lot of well-known stars.  Ernest Borgnine, Gene Hackman, Jack Albertson, Shelley Winters, Red Buttons, Carol Lynley, Stella Stevens, Roddy McDowell, Pamela Sue Martin, and Leslie Nielsen all had roles in the movie.  Ronald Neame directed it, Irwin Allen produced it, and the story was based on the best-selling book of the same name by author Paul Gallico.

The movie itself made $93 million at the box office, on a budget of $5 million, and the film was nominated for several awards, winning two Academy Awards for Visual Effects and Best Original Song, which can be heard below.


ARTIST:  Maureen McGovern
SONG:  The Morning After
ALBUM:  The Morning After
DATE RELEASED:  May 1973
PEAK POSITION ON THE BILLBOARD CHARTS:  #1 for 2 weeks

The individual actors in the film also received recognition.  Gene Hackman won the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in 1973, and Shelley Winters ended up winning a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress (and was nominated for an Academy Award and a BAFTA).

That’s all the behind the scenes info that I have regarding “The Poseidon Adventure”.  Now let’s talk plot.


It’s New Years Eve, and the SS Poseidon has set sail across the Atlantic Ocean between New York City and Athens, Greece on what is to be its final voyage.  The ocean liner is scheduled to be scrapped upon arrival in Greece, and despite fear for the ship’s safety from the captain (Nielsen), Mr. Linarcos (a representative for the new owner of the SS Poseidon) insists on full speed ahead towards its final destination.

Inside, a New Years Eve party is happening in the main dining room of the ship.  The partygoers include Detective Lieutenant Mike Rogo (Borgnine), his wife Linda (Stevens), and Reverend Frank Scott (Hackman).

Other passengers include the sister/brother duo of Susan and Robin Shelby (Martin and Eric Shea) who are on the boat to meet up with their parents, Manny and Belle Rosen (Albertson and Winters) who are on their way to  meet their new grandson in Israel, James Martin (Buttons), a haberdasher who reeks of bachelorhood, and Nonnie Perry (Lynley), the ship’s lounge singer who is performing at the New Years Eve party.

What the doomed passengers are unaware of is that a massive earthquake has taken place underneath the ocean floor, just a few hundred miles away from where the boat is situated.  The captain receives word that the earthquake has happened, and a huge tidal wave has been sighted just outside of Crete.  Realizing that a tidal wave of such mass could do serious damage to the ocean liner, the captain tries his best to steer the boat away from the danger zone while issuing a mayday warning.

Unfortunately, there wouldn’t be much of a movie had the boat gotten away without a scratch, so naturally, the wave makes a direct hit on the SS Poseidon.  I was unable to find a decent clip of the actual wave sinking the boat (all results pointed to the 2005 version instead).  However, looking at the film’s official trailer, there are some decent scenes that will give you an idea as to how scared the people on the ship much have been when the wave hit.  Take a look.


The wave causes terrible damage.  The captain, his crew, and Mr. Linarcos are killed instantly as water floods the ship, and because of damage caused to the ballast of the ship, the ship completely flips upside down, sending passengers flying through the air.  Many passengers are killed upon the first impact.  Some would say that they were the lucky ones.


With assistance from a waiter named Acres (McDowell), the Rosens, the Rogos, the Shelby siblings, Nonnie, and Martin devise a plan using a gigantic Christmas tree as a ladder to try and escape the now upside-down dining room.  But shortly after that plan goes into motion, the boat is rocked by a series of explosions, and it quickly becomes a race against time to get out alive.

I really don’t want to go into too much more detail about the plot, because I really don’t want to spoil anything for you.  It’s one of those movies that you really have to see for yourself.  But I can offer you a few cryptic clues about how the film is resolved.

-         The final escape involves the propeller shaft room.



-         Shelley Winters definitely deserved every single one of those acting nominations, as her story arc is especially sad.

-         Of the main characters that are featured in the movie, no more than six get out alive.  Which six are they?  I’ll never tell.

-         There’s a lot of swimming involved in the escape efforts.

And that is our look at “The Poseidon Adventure”.  But even watching a movie like this won’t deter me from boarding a cruise ship.  Life should not be about living in fear...it should be about enjoying yourself.  If my time on this Earth should end on a cruise ship, then that is what is meant to be.  If not though, then I’ll have the time of my life regardless.