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Sunday, September 02, 2012

Not Ready To Make Nice


New month.  New weekly feature.

Last month, I took the weekly Monday matinee feature, and I decided to make each one disaster themed.  It was a lot of fun, and judging from the page views, I think quite a few of you enjoyed it.  So I decided to do the same thing for September.

Instead of the Monday Matinee, I thought that I would make the Sunday Jukebox the day where we would have a weekly feature.

If you read the blog entry that I wrote on August 28, 2012, you would have found that it was based on country sweetheart Shania Twain.  And, that blog entry was actually intended as a “sneak preview” of September’s weekly feature.

For the next five weeks, I’ll be dedicating each edition of the Sunday Jukebox to the “Sweethearts of Country Music”.  Each week will feature a female country music artist, and each one will have their own stories, their own heartbreaks, their own triumphs, their own scandals, and of course, we’ll listen to at least one of their songs.

If you’re a country music fan, you’re going to love this month.  If not...well, at least the stories should keep you interested.  And, hey, there’s always October.

So, to kick off the first edition of the “Sweethearts of Country Music”, we’re going to take a look at a trio of singers who hail from Dallas, Texas.  Initially, their music was well-loved and respected by millions of people, and they sold millions of records.  However, they had one bit of controversy where they made one remark at a concert, and they ended up becoming the target of much fury and backlash.  But, do you think that they let a few jeers get them down?  Absolutely not!  In fact, they lashed out at their critics the best way they knew how...through song.

But, we’ll talk about that a little bit later.

I’m sure that some of you have figured out who the band is already that is the topic of discussion based on my opening paragraph...but for those of you who haven’t, allow me to introduce you.

The story of our band begins back in the late 1980s.  At the time, the top country music acts were Randy Travis, The Judds, and Reba McEntire.  In 1989, a group of four young women formed a band together.  The band was made up of bassist Laura Lynch, guitarist Robin Lynn Macy, and sisters Emily Erwin (Robison) and Martie Erwin (Maguire), who could play a variety of instruments.  The original style of music the band played was bluegrass, and they wanted to make it big on the country charts.  In order to do that, they needed to come up with a band name that was catchy, but memorable.  The group settled on a name that they took from a title of a Lowell George song, “Dixie Chicken”.

Of course, the “Dixie Chickens” didn’t have a nice ring to it, so the group decided to shorten the name to “Dixie Chicks”.


Anyway, the “Dixie Chicks” made a great team.  With Laura and Robin sharing lead vocals, and Emily and Martie playing such instruments as the banjo, mandolin, and fiddle, the group ended up getting their big break in 1990, when the Dixie Chicks recorded their debut album (thanks to the generous donation of Penny Cook, the daughter of a senator).  “Thank Heavens For Dale Evans” contained fourteen tracks, and went on sale later that year...but despite an appearance on the Grand Old Opry, their album failed to make an impression on country radio.

Despite this, the band did begin to build up a fan base, performing at various bluegrass festivals (they actually ended up winning the “best band” at the Telluride Bluegrass Festival), and were the opening act for several country stars, including Garth Brooks and George Strait.


By 1992, the band released their second album, “Little Ol’ Cowgirl”, which was an album that sounded more like contemporary country music.  The band developed a richer sound and modern arrangements, but the change in style proved too much for Robin Lynn Macy, who departed the band later that year.  But luckily for the Dixie Chicks, a replacement would be found courtesy of professional steel guitarist Lloyd Maines.  He introduced the Dixie Chicks to his daughter, Natalie, and gave Emily and Martie a copy of a demo tape Natalie had made.  Both Emily and Martie found that Natalie’s voice harmonized well with their own, and when the band was signed to Sony Music Entertainment in 1995, the Dixie Chicks said farewell to Laura Lynch, and hello to Natalie Maines, who became the sole lead singer for the band.

With the addition of Maines to the line-up, the band began experimenting with new sounds, and recruited a new producer, Blake Chancey, to help produce their next album.


That album was “Wide Open Spaces”, which hit record stores in January 1998.  Four singles were released from the album, three of which hit the top of the country music charts.  The album ended up selling twelve million copies worldwide, and their fan base expanded, a large percentage of which were young women.

In fact, the success of “Wide Open Spaces” was so great that the band sold more copies of the album in 1998 than most other country acts COMBINED.  The following year, the Dixie Chicks recorded the album “Fly”, which was released in the summer of 1999, which proved to be an even bigger success than “Wide Open Spaces”.  Nine singles were taken from the album, and songs such as “Ready To Run” and “Cowboy Take Me Away” did incredibly well on the charts.  The album won the band much critical acclaim and accolades.  The album was a Grammy award winning album, and continued to be named as one of the fifty best-selling albums in American history a full five years after its release date.  The album established the Dixie Chicks as a powerful force in the world of country music, and they were invited to perform at Sarah McLachlan’s “Lilith Fair” festival.

Of course, “Fly” also had a couple of controversial moments, as a couple of songs from the album ended up causing some radio stations to block them from their playlists.  The unreleased song “Sin Wagon” made references to “mattress dancing”.  And, of course, there was the song “Goodbye Earl”, which was a comedic look at an abused wife murdering her spouse.  Seriously, take a look at the video below.


Of course, the Dixie Chicks were unapologetic about the controversy, and even joked about it.  And, in this case, the controversy probably helped the band get even more publicity, which lead to more record sales.


Things became even more complicated when the Dixie Chicks got into a dispute with their record company over royalty payments, and in 2000, the band walked away from the Sony, prompting the company to sue the band for failure to complete their contract.  In turn, the Dixie Chicks retaliated with their own lawsuit.  Eventually the band settled with Sony privately, and were awarded their own record imprint, “Open Wide Records”, which allowed them more creative control and higher royalties.  At the same time, the band released their next album, “Home” in 2002, the album independently produced by Lloyd Maines.  The album didn’t do quite as well on the charts as their previous efforts, but it still ended up selling six million copies and was honoured with four Grammy Awards. 

But then in 2003, things began to crash and burn for the band, beginning with a March 10, 2003 concert appearance in London.

At that time, the group was promoting “Home”, and their song “Travelin’ Soldier” was topping the country music charts.  But it was also around that time that the United States were preparing to send American soldiers to fight in Iraq during the “War On Terror” following the September 11 terrorist attacks in New York City and Washington D.C. in 2001.  And, needless to say, the Dixie Chicks were not thrilled with then American president George W. Bush’s plan to invade Iraq.  And, well...at the concert in London, they made their feelings known.  Just before performing the song “Travelin’ Soldier”, Natalie Maines issued this statement to the crowd.

“Just so you know, we’re on the good side with y’all.  We do not want this war, this violence, and we’re ashamed that the President of the United States is from Texas.”

That was the comment that sparked a political firestorm, and sent fans into an outrage. 

Now I don’t think it was so much the fact that the band opposed the war that caused the outrage.  Certainly over the years, dozens of musical acts have opposed war and promoted peace and avoided controversy...but when the Dixie Chicks inserted that remark about George W. Bush at the end of their statement it caused things to explode.  Media outlets in America lambasted the Dixie Chicks for insulting the president on foreign soil, and despite an apology from Maines four days later, former fans began to turn on the Dixie Chicks.

The Dixie Chicks were subsequently banned from various country music stations, and were dropped by Lipton, one of their main sponsors.  Several fans turned their backs on the group, and demonstrations were held in various locations which saw former fans destroying their Dixie Chicks albums.  A few celebrities came out in support of the band, including Bruce Springsteen, Madonna, and Merle Haggard, but the Dixie Chicks continued to get chided and jeered by the media.  They even got booed at the Academy of Country Music Awards, and found themselves embroiled in a public feud with entertainer Toby Keith.  Natalie Maines herself ended up getting the worst of it, receiving death threats as a result of the controversy.

It took about three years for the band to begin writing new material for a new album, likely still trying to find a way to cope with the fact that so many people had blacklisted them.  They figured that the best way to do that was through song.


You see, despite the fact that the band made that statement, they also had feelings.  And, in my honest opinion, just because they may have made a comment that didn’t sit well with a lot of people, I don’t think it really justified having people lash out against them the way they did.  It most certainly did not warrant anyone uttering a death threat against the person who said the statement that caused the snowball effect in the press.

So, in 2006, the Dixie Chicks released their first song since the controversy erupted.  The song was written by all three members of the band, and all three members had statements that they wanted to make in regards to the song itself.  Emily knew that the song was special due to its autobiographical nature, while Martie came to a new realization about how painful that time period was.  Natalie, the Dixie Chick who ended up getting the worst of it stated that at first she was trying to tiptoe around the controversy and wondered if they should all get along...but then she realized that she wasn’t at the point in her life where she was ready to make nice just yet.

And, while we’re looking at that last statement, let’s listen to the song.


ARTIST:  The Dixie Chicks
SONG:  Not Ready To Make Nice
ALBUM:  Taking The Long Way
DATE RELEASED:  June 5, 2006
PEAK POSITION ON THE BILLBOARD CHARTS: #4

“Not Ready To Make Nice” was the Dixie Chicks response to the criticism.  I mean, think about it.  If you had fans destroying your albums and threatening your life, I would think that the last thing you would want to do is have a tea party with them and forgive them as you nibble on a slice of key lime pie.  In fact, I might be on an island of one with this comment, but I applaud the girls for sticking to their guns...and a lot of other people did as well.  Allmusic, Entertainment Weekly, Rolling Stone, and USA Today all gave the song positive reviews, and even praised the band for continuing to be themselves.  The song even won three Grammy Awards, proving that they were still a hot ticket despite being ripped apart in the media just a few years earlier.

In short, the Dixie Chicks did what not a lot of people did.  They stood up for themselves, wrote a song about it, and it became a hit.

How many people can say that?

So, that was the first week of “Sweethearts of Country Music” September.  Coming up next week on September 9th, we’ll talk about a country music superstar and her “independence day”.

Saturday, September 01, 2012

Captain Kangaroo


Can you believe that it is now the first of September? In just a few months, 2012 will be over and done with! Maybe it's just because I am getting older, but time really is flying by at an alarming rate.

I guess the lesson learned is to make every second count, and not take anything for granted.

Today happens to be Saturday, and this is the date where we talk about cartoons and educational programs, and today's subject is a fun one, because one of my earliest memories of this program comes from my days as an elementary school student.

Seeing as how it is September, and a lot of kids are either back at school or are heading back to school, I'll let you know that I used to watch this program every day before school started.

It almost became a rite of passage. Because I lived so close to my elementary school, I could stay at home until 8:30 in the morning before I had to leave for school (when I was in elementary school, classes began just before nine o'clock). So, I usually spent the morning before school began watching television. At 7:30, it was always “Inspector Gadget”...but at 8:00, I would change the channel to number 8, because there was one show that I always had to watch.

What I didn't know at the time was that at the time, the show was one of the longest running children's shows of all time. It actually debuted on October 3, 1955, and ran original episodes until the end of 1984...nearly three decades. The episodes of the show I used to watch were syndicated episodes that ran in reruns on our PBS affiliate until 1993.

So, what was the name of this program? Perhaps this opening segment from the 1960s will give you a clue.



That's right. I've decided to talk about the classic children's show, “Captain Kangaroo”.



And, Captain Kangaroo was one of those shows that had something for every girl and boy. There were cartoons, celebrity guest stars, songs, and a mischievous moose that kept dropping ping pong balls whenever he had the chance.



Silly Moose!

Anyway, Captain Kangaroo was portrayed by Bob Keeshan, and when Keeshan won the role that would make him a star in the eyes of millions of girls and boys, he already had quite a bit of show business experience. His first role in children's television was on the 1947 television show “Howdy Doody” playing Clarabell the Clown, a silent clown who communicated using horns and one of his favourite activities was spraying Buffalo Bob Smith with a seltzer bottle. Later on, he played the role of Corny the Clown on a local kids show, “Time for Fun”, and assumed the role of Tinker in the short-lived show “Tinker's Workshop”.

In fact, it was his work with “Tinker's Workshop” that ended up inspiring the creation of “Captain Kangaroo”. Keeshan and his long-time friend, Jack Miller drew up a proposal for the program to the CBS network using ideas from “Tinker's Workshop”, promoting the program as an innovate approach to children's television. Needless to say, CBS approved the program, and Keeshan stepped into the role of Captain Kangaroo.



TRIVIA: Did you know that when the show originally debuted, Captain Kangaroo wore a black jacket? It was changed to a red jacket beginning the week of May 17, 1971.

Keeshan best described Captain Kangaroo as someone that was a grandfatherly figure, and the whole point of the show was to showcase “the warm relationship between grandparents and grandchildren”. And, you know, I would definitely agree with that statement because I always felt like Captain Kangaroo could be like my grandfather. He was always so warm and friendly. I remember asking my mom if we could go and visit him one day!



Now, don't think that Captain Kangaroo hosted the show alone. He had all sorts of friends who visited him at his “Treasure House”. Now, you have already met Mr. Moose up above, but Mr. Moose also had a friend named Mr. Bunny Rabbit. Both puppets were controlled by puppeteer Cosmo Allegretti. Allegretti was also the man behind Dancing Bear and Grandfather Clock.

Other characters included the Banana Man (played by Sam Levine), and Debbie Weems as Debbie. Before Kevin Clash hit it big on Sesame Street as Elmo, he worked on Captain Kangaroo during the show's later seasons. And, John Burstein even brought his popular “Slim Goodbody” character to the program as well. In case you're wondering who “Slim Goodbody” is, have a look.



Oh, and of course, there was Mr. Green Jeans (played by Hugh “Lumpy” Brannum), who was a common fixture in the world of Captain Kangaroo. And, just to clear an urban legend up, Mr. Green Jeans did NOT father Frank Zappa. 



I always liked Mr. Green Jeans though, and I told my mother that I had wanted to meet him as well...but by that time, Mr. Green Jeans had passed away (Hugh Brannum passed away in 1987).

And, would you like to know some of the celebrities who made an appearance on the program over its 29-year-history? Here's a small list.

Shari Lewis & Lamb Chop, Ruth Buzzi, Charlotte Rae, Dr. Joyce Brothers, Phil Donahue, Marlo Thomas, Andy Griffith, Carol Channing, Dolly Parton, John Denver, John Ritter, Penny Marshall, Cindy Williams, and Andy Williams.

Perhaps some of my favourite segments in Captain Kangaroo were the cartoons and special features that aired during the program. Two of the ones I remember are these ones.

Brushing your teeth was never so much fun when you had the “Toothbrush Family” around to help you out. With an entire family of toothbrushes having a whole bunch of adventures such as rescuing someone from the drain, or waterskiing around the rim of the sink, the adventures were endless. And, who could forget the catchy theme song?



Then there was the classic segment “Picture Pages”!



Picture Pages” starred Bill Cosby as the man with the magic pen that made electronic noises each time he wrote with it. I was so enamored by that pen, and I begged my mother to see if she could get me that pen for my birthday, but alas, I never received one. So, I had to make do with drawing a face on a piece of paper, cutting it out with safety scissors, taping it onto the end of a pencil crayon, and pretending to make the same noises as the pen that Bill Cosby used. I know, I was a strange kid. But, hey, it kept me from getting into trouble.




Unbeknownst to me, the program also aired episodes of “Simon in the Land of Chalk Drawings, which was one of my all-time favourite programs. The difference was that Bob Keeshan would narrate the show instead of the original narrator. For some reason, I don't remember watching episodes that featured this program, but if I had, I would have loved Captain Kangaroo even more.

And, of course, other programs such as “Ludwig” and “The Undersea Adventures of Captain Nemo” aired during Captain Kangaroo.

Captain Kangaroo was a show that had a lot of heart to it, and a lot of the reason why this was the case was because of how much Bob Keeshan cared. It's been almost nine years since Bob Keeshan passed away (he died in January 2004 at the age of 76). But, I'm sure that his legacy will continue to live on. In fact, his death may have been one of the few celebrity deaths that I shed a little tear at, because he meant a lot to me.

One final bit of trivia in regards to Bob Keeshan. Did you know that his grandson, Britton Keeshan became the youngest person in the world to climb Mount Everest in 2004? He carried pictures of his grandfather the whole climb up, and buried a photo of the two of them together on the summit.



I can't think of a better way to honour a family member. I'm sure that somewhere up there, the Captain was smiling brightly.

Friday, August 31, 2012

Dy-"Nasty" - The Catfights of Carrington Mansion


Rivalries.

I imagine that at some point, we have all had at least one rivalry with someone. Someone who for dozens of reasons end up irking you to the point where your sole mission is to destroy the other person in hopes that it will make things better.

Unfortunately, what ends up happening is that it ends up making things worse.

I'll likely admit that in my life and times, I have had a couple of rivalries with a couple of people...mostly in elementary school. There were these group of boys in my seventh grade class who made it their mission to make my life a living nightmare. They called me names, and they hurt my feelings on a number of occasions. But, not all of them were that bad. One of them I even made peace with after graduating high school. However, the ringleader of these four boys and I had a little bit of a rivalry. He hated me...and well, I'll readily admit that I hated him back. Whenever he insulted me, I tried to one-up him back (which looking back on it was quite stupid on my part, but at least I can admit to that now. It was seventh grade, after all, and I think most of us made bad choices when we were thirteen).

The only saving grace about my own rivalry with this one boy is that we never actually blew up at each other enough to inflict physical violence upon each other. Of course, in my case, the emotional scars were much more devastating than any physical scars, so I suppose it's a moot point. Happily, those scars are healing for me, and continue to do so.

The only reason why I state that I was grateful that my rivalry never resorted to physical violence is because I am proud of it. Physically attacking someone that you don't like in the world is probably one of the most cowardly things that one can do (well, unless of course you're defending yourself). But even so, watching two people fighting each other, trying to pull out the other person's hair, or knock out the other person's teeth...some may get a rush out of it, but I find it very uncomfortable in real life.

On television though, I can't seem to get enough of television catfights. There's just something about watching a huge brawl on a television show that keeps you glued to the screen. It's like a horrible car accident. It's a terrible thing to come across, but you can't divert your gaze onto something else.

And, well, today's blog topic deals with a fictional television rivalry that was so heated that there were no less than four catfights between the two women featured in the program! That's a lot of nail scratching, dress tearing, and bitch-slapping!



The show that we're going to look at is the long-running ABC drama series “Dynasty”. Premiering on January 12, 1981, “Dynasty” was a serial that was created by Richard & Esther Shapiro, and produced by Aaron Spelling. The show was originally to be titled “Oil”, and was set to air in the fall of 1980, but due to the writer's strike of 1980/81, the premiere was delayed. But with the airing of the three-hour premiere, the show began its rise to the top, staying within the Top 20 between 1981 and 1986. The show also launched the careers of several actors and actresses, including Heather Locklear, Emma Samms, Jack Coleman, and Catherine Oxenberg.

And then there are these two.


 
Meet Krystle Grant Jennings Carrington and Alexis Morrell Carrington Colby Dexter Rowan, played by Linda Evans and Joan Collins. These two women had tempers the size of their shoulder pads, and they had so much venom towards each other that just one comment could send both of them into a gigantic rage. Which was painful for the characters, but great ratings for television.

So, how did the battle between Krystle and Alexis begin?


 
Well, it all began in season two, which originally began airing in the fall of 1981. At the time, Krystle was still a newlywed to her insanely rich husband, Blake Carrington (John Forsythe). Krystle was the former secretary of Blake, and many of the storylines dealt with Krystle trying to adjust to her brand new rich, privileged life. It didn't help matters much that Krystle often sparred with Blake's daughter Fallon (Pamela Sue Martin/Emma Samms). Luckily, she did have one ally in Blake's son, Steven (Al Corley/Jack Coleman), whom she adored.

But in the second season, somebody new would end up crossing Krystle's path. Someone who would end up causing Krystle misery over the next decade.


 
That somebody was Alexis. And for Blake, Alexis was no stranger. Alexis was Blake's ex-wife, and the mother of Fallon and Steven. And, when Alexis first appeared on “Dynasty”, she did so in grand fashion, when she appeared as a surprise witness for the prosecution after Blake was charged in the murder of Steven's ex-lover. After the trial, Alexis became a presence in the lives of the Carrington family, much to the chagrin of Krystle.

At first, it was annoyances and petty bickering between the two. But one day, things would take an ugly turn. When Krystle was horseback riding, Alexis shot a rifle into the air, which spooked the horse enough to knock Krystle onto the ground. On top of that, the horse dragged her several feet as a result. Watch the clip below.


 
This accident proved very costly for Krystle, as the fall caused her to have a miscarriage. Now, I would be one to wonder why she would knowingly ride a horse if she knew she was pregnant, but again, this was the 1980s, where television characters purposely lack common sense in order to keep the ratings up.

No matter how you look at it though, the miscarriage devastated Blake and Krystle. But Krystle didn't put the pieces together until a few episodes later. Turns out that a chance encounter with someone in the kitchen helped Krystle figure out what happened...and once she knew, what followed was this memorable scene.


 
Okay, a couple of things about this catfight. First, Joan Collins has really terrible aim. She had two chances to throw a vase filled with flowers at Linda Evans, and she missed both times? Seriously? Secondly, was it just me, or did people dress really horribly in the early 1980s? I used to think that seventies fashions were bad. Yikes.

And, lastly, I have to admit, that whole catfight made me laugh uncontrollably. I don't know whether it was the flying pillow feathers, Krystle knocking Alexis out cold with one throw to the wall, or the horrible choreography, but this fight was just bad!

However, I can definitely see why Krystle would want to do severe bodily harm to Alexis. After all, if I were a woman, and I found out that someone was responsible for my miscarriage, I would probably want to go after her myself. And, this fight set the stage for many more fights during Dynasty's nine season run.

If you thought that studio fight was craziness, check out some of these other fights that these two have gotten in over the years.

Certainly those of you who were into “Dynasty” at the time remember their first catfight. But, the one fight that ended up being the most remembered among fans of the show must be this one, which takes place at a lily pond just outside of the Carrington estate. Apparently Krystle is there just minding her own business when Alexis arrives to get under her skin. She succeeds.


 
Of course, this sort of catfight has been re-created in other shows since. I can think of “Melrose Place” doing something similar ten years later...


 
...but back in the 1980s, if one wanted to see a great catfight, “Dynasty” had them in spades. I should also note though that Krystle and Alexis weren't the only ones to get involved in catfights on the show. Let's see...who else fought...

Well, there was Fallon vs. Sammy Jo...


 
...and there was Alexis vs. Dominique...


 
...and there was Alexis vs. Sable...


 
...and Krystle vs...Krystle?!?


 
(Yeah, apparently one of the Krystles was a doppleganger. Go figure.)

And, we won't even go into that whole Mordavian Massacre storyline. I'd need another blog entry to go into that storyline in detail. I never watched “Dynasty”, but I read about this story, and all I can say is...bizarre.

Of course, no duo ever came close to having as many battles as Krystle and Alexis. Their feud even outlasted the original series run! When “Dynasty” aired its last episode on May 11, 1989, people thought that would be the last that we would see of Krystle and Alexis. But when a reunion was filmed in 1991, the viewers would get at least one more chance to see these long-time enemies duke it out one last time.


 
Wow...who knew that a mannequin's arm could make such an effective weapon?

So, what has happened to these two actresses since “Dynasty” went off the air? Well, Joan Collins is still very active in the acting world. She acted in a few shows, performed in pantomimes, and was a regular on the soap opera “Guiding Light” from 2002-2003. She is also the author of several books and novels.

And Linda Evans semi-retired after she left “Dynasty” in 1989. She still acted in various plays, and even competed in (and won) the UK version of “Hell's Kitchen”. She has also hosted informercials for a product called “Rejuvenique”.

But in 2006, both Collins and Evans reunited with each other on stage to perform in the play
“Legends!”. The tour went all across North America, and ended its run in May 2007 after running for thirty weeks.

But just as life imitates art, shortly after “Legends” wrapped up, Collins published an article entitled “Why I'll Never Work With Linda Evans Again!”

Maybe that's why the catfights worked on “Dynasty”. Perhaps in real life, they hated each other...and apparently still do.


 
To conclude this piece, I'll post a link to Joan's article right HERE. Judge for yourself.

Thursday, August 30, 2012

The Last Confession? (a.k.a. I need YOUR help!)




THURSDAY CONFESSION #35: This is going to be the final Thursday Confession for the Pop Culture Addict's Guide To Life.

Oh, don't worry. I'm still continuing with the blog. I'm not pulling the plug on the whole thing...just Thursdays.

You see, I think that I have come to the conclusion that I really don't have much more to confess to all of you. For the most part, I have been an open book to all of you. I really am a person who has very few secrets, and if there is honestly one thing that I can confess to all of you, it's that my life hasn't exactly been scandalous. This is more than likely a good thing for myself, but not so much for the blog, as after thirty-five confessions, the well has essentially gone dry. That's not to say that I won't bring back this Confession feature at a later date...I very well could if something significant ever happens to me. But for now, I need an idea for a new Thursday feature. And, well...I'm going to need your help for this one.

You see...I need ideas for a new theme day, and I thought that I could ask my readers for suggestions. I'll take suggestions here, as well as on my Facebook and Google+ pages from all of you during the whole month of September, and then I'll put it to a vote. The theme day that gets the most votes will be chosen as the new Thursday theme indefinitely beginning in October.

But, for this to work...I need ideas. I am completely stumped And, I need to stop ending every sentence with an exclamation point!

So, I guess that since today is the last confession, I might as well do something to end it off on a high note...and what better way to do it than spouting off a list of ninety-two mini-confessions.

Now, you are under no obligation to do this survey yourself...at 92 questions, I don't blame you one bit for not wanting to participate! But if you really want to, I have no problem with it. I just wanted to do it for fun (and because I have a little bit of time to kill). Besides, it will allow all of you to get to know this blogger slightly better than you already do now. It's up to you to decide whether that is a good thing or not.

Anyways, here is the list of questions...my answers will be in bold.
    1. ONE OF YOUR SCARS, HOW DID YOU GET IT?
    Just click on the February 14, 2012 entry in the blog which you can access right HERE to see.

    2. WHAT IS ON THE WALLS IN YOUR ROOM?
    A couple of original prints from Archie artist Dan Parent.

    3. WHAT DOES YOUR CELL PHONE LOOK LIKE?
    It is a Samsung. I don't know the model except that it is a pay-as-you-go.

    4. WHAT MUSIC DO YOU LISTEN TO?
    I have very eclectic tastes and will listen to almost anything...except gangster rap.

    5. DO YOU KNOW WHAT TIME YOU WERE BORN?
    7:35 in the morning.

    6. WHAT DO YOU WANT MORE THAN ANYTHING RIGHT NOW?
    To improve my living conditions and career options at the same time. Not too much to ask for, is it?

    7. WHAT DO YOU MISS?
    I miss my college days...but if I have my way, I will be recreating those moments in 2013.

    8. WHAT IS YOUR MOST PRIZED POSSESSION/S?
    The 2,500+ comic books that I have accumulated over a 25 year period...and before you judge, you all knew that I was a nerd before you started reading this blog. :)

    9. WHAT IS YOUR ZODIAC SIGN?




    10. DO YOU GET CLAUSTROPHOBIC?
    Only if I am in a mosh pit, or there is a lot of people packed inside a building.

    11. DO YOU GET SCARED IN THE DARK?
    I was when I was younger...not so much now.

    12. THE LAST PERSON TO MAKE YOU CRY?
    As much as I hate admitting this, a family member.

    13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE COLOGNE / PERFUME?
    Never wear it, and I believe some perfumes make me sneeze.

    14. WHAT KIND OF HAIR/EYE COLOR DO YOU LIKE ON THE OPPOSITE SEX?
    No importance to me whatsoever.

    15. WHERE CAN YOU SEE YOURSELF BEING PROPOSED TO?
    I would think that I would do the proposing, but if someone proposed to me, I wouldn't care where it was. Well, okay, maybe not a garbage dump.

    16. COFFEE OR ENERGY DRINK?
    Blecch. Neither.

    17. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE PIZZA TOPPING?
    Pepperoni, Cheese, Bacon Bits, Mushrooms.

    18. IF YOU CAN EAT ANYTHING RIGHT NOW, WHAT WOULD IT BE?
    The wonderful combination of peanut butter and chocolate.

    19. WHO IS THE LAST PERSON YOU MADE MAD?
    A cop-out, but I made myself mad recently. 

    21. WHAT WAS THE FIRST GIFT SOMEONE EVER GAVE YOU?
    My baby blanket...which I still have 31 years later.

    22. DO YOU LIKE ANYBODY?
    I like a lot of people...loving them is the challenge for me.

    23. ARE YOU DOUBLE JOINTED?
    Nope.

    24. FAVORITE CLOTHING BRAND?
    If it fits me, I like it.

    25. WHAT'S YOUR DREAM CAR?
    A Smart Car. (don't laugh, I'm serious.)

    26. DO YOU HAVE A PET RIGHT NOW?
    Not since July 2010.

    27. WHAT KIND IS IT?
    I used to have a cat. He passed away though.

    28. WOULD YOU FALL IN LOVE KNOWING THAT THE PERSON IS LEAVING?
    You'd have to define leaving first...are they going to school? Going to war? Going to die? Need more info. 

    29. WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO TELL SOMEONE HOW MUCH THEY MEAN TO YOU?
    Expressing it through words and feelings. Which I need work on, admittedly.

    30. SAY A NUMBER FROM ONE TO A HUNDRED:




    31. BLONDES OR BRUNETTES?
    Is this like a Betty vs. Veronica type question? Makes no difference to me.

    32. WHAT IS THE ONE NUMBER YOU CALL OFTEN?
    The order desk at the company that ships my store milk. What a life I live...LOL!

    33. WHAT ANNOYS YOU MOST?
    Intolerance and cruelty towards others.

    34. HAVE YOU BEEN OUT OF YOUR COUNTRY?
    Yes. Just recently, matter of fact.

    35. YOUR WEAKNESSES?
    Battling low self-esteem for the better parts of two decades. I am turning that into a strength though.

    36. FIRST JOB?
    Painting fences.

    37. EVER DONE A PRANK CALL?
    Everyone must have done at least one!

    38. WHAT WHERE YOU DOING BEFORE YOU FILLED OUT THIS?
    Trying to figure out what to do this confession on...

    39. IF YOU COULD GET PLASTIC SURGERY WHAT WOULD IT BE?
    At this point in time, I don't need any. Am very anti plastic surgery anyway.

    40. WHY DID YOU FILL OUT THIS SURVEY?
    To kill time and to add things to this blog entry.

    41. WHAT DO YOU GET COMPLIMENTED ABOUT MOST?
    My acerbic wit. Or, so I would like to think.

    42. WHAT WOULD YOU DO IF ALCOHOL BECAME ILLEGAL?
    I rarely drink, so it wouldn't be an issue for me.

    43. WHAT DO YOU WANT FOR YOUR BIRTHDAY?
    I'd like a huge party, to tell you the truth. It's been years since I had a proper birthday celebration.

    44. HOW MANY KIDS DO YOU WANT?
    At least one.

    45. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE?
    Um...yeah...the #1 name for boys for 1981.

    46. DO YOU WISH ON STARS?
    No, I wish FOR stars...I wish for Snooki to disappear, for instance.

    47. WHAT DID YOU DO THIS MORNING?
    Wrote this.

    48. WHAT DID YOU LAST EAT?




    49. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING?
    Yes...and apparently I have been told that for a man, I have immaculate penmanship. Not bragging either, that is truth.

    50. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT?
    Turkey.

    51. ANY BAD HABITS?
    Okay...I admit that I bite my fingernails, and I am trying to kick that habit.

    52. WHAT IS YOUR MOST EMBARRASSING CD ON THE SHELF?




    53. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON, WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU?
    I think I could be now...ten years ago, not a chance.

    54. HAVE YOU EVER TOLD A SECRET YOU SWORE NOT TO TELL?
    No...but if I knew it was one that was putting my friend in danger the longer it was kept, I'd blab it.

    55. DO LOOKS MATTER?
    Not as much as personality. A person could be a Cover Girl model and have an ugly disposition.

    56. HOW DO YOU RELEASE ANGER?
    In spurts. I was one who kept it bottled up inside. Didn't work.

    57. WHERE IS YOUR SECOND HOME?
    I'm still trying to find my FIRST home!

    58. WHAT ARE YOU WEARING?
    Polo shirt and shorts...will be changing to work uniform soon though.

    59. WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE TOY AS A CHILD?


    60. HOW MANY NUMBERS ARE IN YOUR CELL PHONE?
    Four...LOL!

    61. DO YOU USE SARCASM?
    Yes, I have.

    62. HAVE YOU EVER BEEN IN A MOSH PIT?
    No, and I hope I never am.

    63. WHAT DO YOU LOOK FOR IN A GUY/GIRL?
    Honesty.

    64. WHAT ARE YOUR NICKNAMES?
They are too embarrassing to admit here.

65. WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM FLAVOR?
Mint Chocolate Chip.

66. WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE COLOR(S)?
Purple, Blue, Green.

67. WHO/WHAT DO YOU MISS MOST RIGHT NOW?
Friends who live away from me.

68. HOW MANY WISDOM TEETH DO YOU HAVE?
I have all four.

69. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS?
Not required.

70. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO?

In all likelihood, it's NOT Madonna, but whoever did this demo made it addictingly irresistible not to play.

71. LAST THING YOU DRANK?


    72. LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE?
    A friend of mine from Long Island.

    73. THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE IN THE OPPOSITE SEX?
    Eyes are the windows to the soul.

    74. FAVORITE THOUGHT PROVOKING SONG?



    75. FAVORITE THING TO HATE?
    Hate is a strong word, but I strongly dislike bullies.

    76. FAVORITE DRINK(S)?
    Diet Dr. Pepper, Raspberry Lemonade, Iced Tea.

    77. FAVORITE ZODIAC SIGN:
    Taurus.

    78. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE SPORT?
    Is bowling a sport?

    79. WHAT IS YOUR HAIR COLOR?
    97% dark brown, 3% grey. Just being honest.

    80. EYE COLOR?
    Brown

    81. HEIGHT?
    6'1”...not quite 6'2”

    82. SIBLINGS?
    Two...both older than I am.

    83. FAVORITE MONTH?
    Toss-up between May and October.

    84. YOU LIKE SUSHI?
    Don't know...never mustered up the courage to eat it.

    85. LAST THING YOU WATCHED?


    86. FAVORITE DAY OF THE YEAR?
    February 29, because they are so rare.

    87. ARE YOU TOO SHY TO ASK SOMEONE OUT?
    Is the sun hot?

    88. SUMMER OR WINTER?
    Winter.

    89. KISSES OR HUGS?
    Both

    90. RELATIONSHIPS OR ONE NIGHT STANDS?
    Relationships.

    91. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU BOUGHT?

    92. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING?
     

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Dan DeCarlo's "Josie and the Pussycats"




Have any of you heard of a comic book artist named Dan DeCarlo?

If not, I will talk about him a little bit as a bit of an introduction to the blog topic that I have chosen to discuss for today.  After all, without Dan DeCarlo, we wouldn’t have our topic for today, would we?

Anyway, Dan DeCarlo was born in New Rochelle, New York on December 12, 1919.  After graduating from high school in 1937, DeCarlo attended Manhattan’s Art School League for three years before being drafted into the United States Army in 1941.  He was stationed in Great Britain where he worked in the motor pool, and draftsman.  He also exhibited a talent for art when he used to paint company mascots on the noses of various airplanes used to fight in combat missions during World War II.

At some point, DeCarlo was also stationed in Belgium where he would eventually meet his future wife on a blind date shortly after the Battle of the Bulge.  Shortly after that date, the two married, and by 1948, the couple were back in the United States, the parents of twin boys, Dan DeCarlo Jr, and James DeCarlo.



About a year prior to that, DeCarlo had made the decision that he wanted to pursue a career in art professionally, and he had gotten his big break in 1947 being hired by Timely Comics.  Under then editor-in-chief Stan Lee, DeCarlo’s first gig was the teen-humour series “Jeanie”.  This was followed by a ten year stint on another comic book, “Millie the Model”, and worked on a short-lived syndicated comic strip “Willie Lumpkin”.

Yet, his biggest break would not come until the late 1950s, when DeCarlo would take on the job that would make him a fixture in the comic book world for over four decades.

At the time, he began freelancing for Archie Comics, looking for extra work.  Back then, he got very little pay, but he genuinely enjoyed the work.  But when he finished his work with Archie Comics and took on another job, the people at Archie Comics wanted to know why he didn’t contact them for more work.  DeCarlo explained that he needed more creative control, as he felt that they just wanted him to draw just like Bob Montana (the original artist that created the likeness of Archie back in the early 1940s).  When they convinced DeCarlo that he could use his own style, he changed his mind, and took on a more permanent job with Archie Comics.

What DeCarlo did was completely give the characters of Archie Comics a more modernized look that kept updating through the decades. 



Whether it was the 1960s...



...The 1970s...



...The 1980s...



...or even the 1990s, Dan DeCarlo helped make the Archie titles more updated, as well as much sexier.  I dare you to find a Betty and Veronica story set during the summer that does NOT have either of them in a little bikini swimsuit.  And, before you go thinking that he objectified women, might I add that he also drew the male characters in Speedo swimsuits as well. 



Certainly, the Archie titles were the ones that made Dan DeCarlo a huge star (in particular with the Betty and Veronica title).  However, Dan DeCarlo also had a hand in some other popular creations as well.  He created the Sabrina The Teen-Age Witch serial in 1962, and twenty years later brought a bit of controversy to Archie Comics by introducing the fiery red-headed bombshell Cheryl Blossom to the Archie universe.

And, then there’s this story about how another popular comic creation came to be created by DeCarlo.

You see, when Dan DeCarlo first met his wife, they found it difficult to communicate with each other using words.  She was originally from France, and when they met, she couldn’t speak a word of English.  So in order to communicate with her, he drew pictures for her, which immediately broke the ice.  It was an ingenious idea that worked like a charm...but little did Dan’s wife know that she would become the inspiration for one of Dan’s finest creations! 

After they had gotten married, the DeCarlo’s went on a cruise ship, and for whatever reason, Dan’s wife believed that it would be fun to bring along a costume to wear on the cruise.  This costume ended up being a cat suit!  I have no idea why she would bring a cat suit on the cruise or what the intention was, but I can only imagine.  Whatever the reason, the costume inspired Dan to do some sketching, essentially sketching his wife wearing the costume.  He thought nothing more of it until one day when his wife came home wearing a new hairstyle with a bow tied in it...and with that, Dan incorporated the hairstyle onto his new creation.

When it came time to naming his new character with the cat suit and hairstyle, no other name would have fit other than the woman who inspired the look in the first place.

And with that, the character of Josie McCoy was born, inspired by Dan DeCarlo’s wife, the late Josie Dumont DeCarlo.

Dan DeCarlo had intended to sell the creation to be used as a syndicated comic strip, but decided to focus solely on Willie Lumpkin instead of trying to do two comic strips at the same time.  When Lumpkin was cancelled, DeCarlo tried to shop the comic strip again, but was turned down.  However, Dan also had his job with Archie Comics by this point, and when he pitched the idea to take Josie and turn her into a comic book series to then Archie Comics head Richard Goldwater, he greenlighted the series, with a special preview of the comic book printed in Archie’s Pals N Gals #23.



A month later, the comic book series “She’s Josie” debuted in early 1963, where in addition to Josie, we met all of her friends, which included the following;

Melody – A beautiful, buxom blonde whose attractiveness can cause a 32-car pile-up in a matter of seconds.  She has a sweet disposition, but also has the negative stereotype of being a “dumb blonde”.

Pepper – A glasses-wearing, short-haired girl who has brains by the ton, but often ends up being incredibly cynical.

Sock – Pepper’s boyfriend, who is strong in body, but not very bright.

Albert – Josie’s boyfriend, a real beatnik character

Alexander Cabot III and Alexandra Cabot – The Cabot twins who are rich in money, but have overinflated egos.



The series would undergo a name change in 1965, when the title was simplified to being “Josie”, but the plot lines would remain the same for the first six years of the title.

Well, that was until 1969, when major changes began to be made.

It was decided that the cat costume that Josie DeCarlo wore on that cruise ship would be incorporated into the storyline as Josie decided to form an all-girl band.



An all girl band named “Josie and the Pussycats”!

Before that could happen though, a shake-up was needed within the comic.  For starters, some of the characters were removed from the series, never to be seen again.  The birth of the Pussycats meant a permanent exile for Pepper, Albert, and Sock.  Melody would remain with the series as the drummer for the Pussycats, and the Cabot twins would also be a huge part of the series.

In addition, three new characters were added.  In a throwback to Sabrina, Alexandra would get a cat named Sebastian, who could perform magic tricks.  Alan M, a blonde haired folk singer who ends up being caught in a love triangle between Josie and Alexandra was also added to the series.



The third addition was Valerie Smith, who eventually became the third Pussycat in the forty-fifth issue of “Josie and the Pussycats”, and who became one of the first African-American characters to regularly star in an Archie Comic title (Chuck Clayton did not arrive until the 1970s).

The plot lines for the Josie and the Pussycats comic were also tweaked with the new changes.  Sure, there were lots of stories where Josie and the gang dealt with a lot of teenage problems such as dating, homework, and school dances...but with the band angle, we also saw the band performing in various places all over the world.  We even had a few Archie crossovers where Josie and the gang would visit Archie, Jughead, Betty, Veronica, and Reggie in Riverdale, U.S.A.



The series continued until 1982.  After 1982, the series would later appear in one-off books in “Archie Giant Series Magazine” (1983-1990), a mini-series (1993-1994), and “Archie & Friends” (2001-2005).

Currently, Josie and the Pussycats are making appearances in the long-running “Archie” title, where Archie and Valerie begin dating each other in issue #608, so the Pussycats are not going away any time soon. 



The comic book series also spawned a Hanna-Barbera television cartoon, “Josie and the Pussycats” in 1970, running for two years before being retooled as “Josie and the Pussycats in Outer Space” in 1972.



And in 2001, a live-action film based on the series was released which starred Rachael Leigh Cook as Josie, Rosario Dawson as Valerie, and Tara Reid as Melody.  The film wasn’t that great, and I didn’t care for how the film was produced, but I will hand credit to the casting directors...Tara Reid made a great Melody.

Sadly, it was this movie that kicked off the beginning of the end for Dan DeCarlo’s collaboration with Archie Comics.  While the film was being produced in early 2001, DeCarlo had gotten entangled in a battle with Archie Comics over the creation of Josie, and the battle reportedly got so heated that Archie Comics terminated DeCarlo’s employment with the company after over 40 years of service.  Later on in the year, a federal district court ruled that the copyright to the creation of Josie and the Pussycats was owned by Archie Comics, seconded by the Second Circuit Court of Appeals.  The U.S. Supreme Court rejected an appeal filed by the lawyer of DeCarlo on December 11, 2001.

One week later, DeCarlo passed away from pneumonia at the age of 82.  He was predeceased by his sons (who also worked at Archie Comics as artists during the 1980s), and survived by his wife Josie (who passed away in March 2012).

I think that comic book figure Paul Dini (who was one of the last artists to work with DeCarlo before his December 2001 death) said it best when he described DeCarlo’s passing as tragic.  According to him, he was “at an age where many cartoonists are revered as treasures by more beneficent publishers”, and that Dan “felt spurned and slighted by the owners of properties that prospered greatly from his contributions.”

It seems that in the eleven years since DeCarlo’s passing, we may never really know what the real story behind his termination is.  The only thing that I will say is that his work on the Josie series, as well as the Archie series, will be greatly missed.  Although considering that a lot of the Archie Digest titles are now reprinting classic DeCarlo cover gags on their front covers, it’s safe to say that his legacy will live on through the millions of pages of art he created for the company.



And besides, if Josie and the Pussycats keep on making appearances in the Archie title, then in some ways, the legacy of the DeCarlo family will never truly die.