Search This Blog

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

You Don't Know Jack


You know, I always told myself that no matter what happened, I would never get myself addicted to a video game application on Facebook of all places.

To me, Facebook applications are nothing but trouble, as far as I am concerned.  A lot of them suck you in with the promise of a good time, and at first, they are a lot of fun.  But then after a while, you need to accomplish certain things in order to progress to the next level.  Like, you need to have a particular item to be able to complete your dream kitchen in Cafe World, and the only way to get that item is to spam your friends list constantly with game requests asking you to help them out by signing up for the game. 

Yeah.  Just in case you weren’t sure...I don’t play games that have that annoying feature.  So, here’s a heads up.  STOP SENDING ME GAME REQUESTS IN WHICH I HAVE TO SPAM PEOPLE TO PLAY IT! 

I also don’t like the idea of games forcing you to spend actual money on tokens that can be used to “enhance” your gaming experience.  I mean, I suppose I COULD spend $25 to buy a bunch of apple trees for my Farmville game...but why would I do that when I can get a bag of REAL apples from the grocery store for a sixth of the price?  I mean, priorities, people!

But, so help me.  I got addicted to a Facebook game, and have played it at least once a day all this month of September.  I got so addicted to this game that I actually purchased a copy of the Nintendo DS version of it from eBay last night (at a relatively low shipping cost too, might I add).  And, I am so addicted to this game that I am going to devote a whole blog entry towards it.

I’d also like to thank my Facebook friend Sarah L for turning me onto this game.  If it weren’t for her, this blog entry would not have been written.

All right, here’s the topic of the blog.


That’s right, it’s the recent game phenomenon that goes under the title of “You Don’t Know Jack”...or, YDKJ, if you want to deal with abbreviations.

I got turned onto the game via a request on Facebook, but to my surprise, the game has existed a lot longer than I initially thought.  Would you believe that “You Don’t Know Jack” has been around for seventeen years, and that the idea was thought up some time before that?


If the idea for “You Don’t Know Jack” was born in the same year that Super Mario World hit the scene, Paula Abdul’s new day had a lot of promise, and the Soviet Union split up, what year was it?

A)     1981   B)   1986   C)  1991  D)  1996

If you said D, you obviously didn’t read the earlier paragraph, did you?

Of course, the answer is C.  Back in 1991, a multimedia company known as “Learn Television” had released a film entitled “The Mind’s Treasure Chest” for children.  The film received a lot of praise, and ended up winning some awards.  It was largely due to the success of this film that the company decided to branch out into the computer software market so they could use the technology to create a new learning experience for young children.

Teaming up with Follett Software Company, the computer game “That’s A Fact, Jack” was born.  It was a game that came in CD-ROM format that focused primarily on young adult fiction.  The game would give a title for a child to read, and then asked them questions based on what they had just read.  The game’s target audience was between the ages of 8 and 16, and it became a great learning tool.


It was around the time of the release of “That’s A Fact, Jack” that the idea that spawned “You Don’t Know Jack” was born.  Right around that time, the founder of Learn Television, Harry Gottlieb, had decided to make a couple of changes within the company.  With the company shifting focus from television and film to computer games, Gottlieb changed the name of the company to “Jellyvision”.  The second change came from a partnership that Jellyvision entered into with Berkeley Systems.  I could tell you what the changes were, but I think this statement on the Jellyvision official website does a fair enough job on its own.

“Way back in the early ‘90s, Jellyvision decided to test the waters of mainstream interactive entertainment by beginning a partnership with Berkeley Systems, of ‘Flying Toasters’ fame.  Berkeley Systems asked us if we could apply the concept of a game show to an adult trivia game.  Since no one at Jellyvision at the time liked trivia games, we tried to figure out how to make trivia questions fun and engaging to us.  When we realized that it was possible to ask about both Shakespeare and Scooby-Doo in the same question, “You Don’t Know Jack” was born.”

Really...Shakespeare and Scooby-Doo in the same question, eh?  Let’s see if I can try coming up with one that uses both.


If Scooby-Doo were to eat a Scooby Snack that was flavoured with the last beverage that Romeo drank, what would happen?

A)     Scooby-Doo would end up Scooby-Refreshed

B)      Scooby-Doo would end up Scooby-Dead

C)     Scooby-Doo would end up Scooby-Drunk

D)     Scooby-Doo would end up Scooby-Cured

Now, unlike the last question, I won’t reveal the answer right now.  Besides, you probably already know this one already, as I am not nearly as clever at the “You Don’t Know Jack” writers.

The first edition of “You Don’t Know Jack” was released on September 12, 1995, and the host of the game was the never seen Nate Shapiro.

TRIVIA:  And, here’s some trivia for all of you.  The voice of Nate Shapiro was provided by Jellyvision founder Harry Gottlieb.  And, keeping the business in the family, Harry’s brother Tom provides the voice of the most recent host, Cookie Masterson...also unseen.

Over the years, there have been a grand total of twenty different versions of the game released, the most recent being the Facebook application in early 2012.  But there have also been versions with only Sports trivia, versions geared towards teens and young adults, and even versions for video game consoles and mobile phones.


I think a part of the fun of the game is the fact that in some cases, you never know what kind of questions you will end up getting.  There’s one question type that pops up in more recent versions known as “Cookie’s Fortune Cookie Fortunes with Cookie “Fortune Cookie” Masterson”.  Literally, you hear Cookie eating a fortune cookie while he reads a fortune.  Then you answer a question that is related to the fortune inside the cookie.  Like this one.


“PRIME REAL ESTATE IS IN YOUR FUTURE”

If you were looking for a house that has a prime number in its address, which house should you buy?

A)    2 Rose Street

B)      15 Violet Street

C)     77 Tulip Street

D)     1989 Willow Street


Another popular question type that can be found in the game is the “Put The Choices Into Order Then Buzz In To See If You Are Right Question”.  I really wish I had video clips to insert into this blog, but all I could find was a clip of dancing fours, which makes no sense.  Oh well.  I can still ask this question.


Place the following video game characters into order beginning with the one that debuted first:  Sonic the Hedgehog, Spyro the Dragon, Samus Aran

A)     Sonic, Spyro, Samus

B)      Samus, Sonic, Spyro

C)     Spyro, Sonic, Samus

D)     Spyro, Samus, Sonic

Don’t worry.  I’ll post the answers later on.  Trust me.  I hope you’re keeping score.


There’s also a question known as the “Flickerpiss Nosescum”...ah, I mean “Ticklefish Western”...oh, wait, I know.  The Gibberish Question!  In that question, you’ll see a phrase that is written in complete gibberish...but in reality, the words actually rhyme with the words in the phrase.  An example can be something like “Quit cakes, you do mango”...if you really examine it, the phrase really is “It takes two to tango.”

Confused yet?  Try this one, courtesy of this screenshot from one of the games.


(If it’s too small to read, it goes “Flask snot butt four guntry ran two more flew.”)


Now, at the end of however many rounds you play for (depending on the version you play, the game can be anywhere from five to twenty-one questions), the last round will always feature a phenomenon known as the “Jack Attack”.  You’ll be given a clue, and your job is to select the choice that fits best with the clue.  For instance, if you’re given the clue of “City Nicknames”, and your clue is New York, you’ll want to buzz in the moment you see the words “Big Apple” flying across the screen.  Here’s an example of this below, although this example is not exactly the best one.


Now, you’ll want to be quick because you don’t want to miss the correct answer.  At the most, they only appear for four seconds.  And, also, you don’t want to click on the wrong answer.  You’ll get penalized if you do.

So, let’s do a “Jack Attack” right now, shall we?  I didn’t create this one, and the last three questions are repeats, so just answer the first seven, okay?  Good luck!


That’s about all that I have to say about the game “You Don’t Know Jack”.  Now, if you excuse me, I have a game to play.

Now for the answers to the questions, which are blended into this blog post.  Just scroll over them to see them.

2WO – Since Romeo drank a bottle of poison at the end of Romeo & Juliet, I think it’s a safe bet to say that if Scooby-Doo ate poisoned Scooby Snacks, he’d be as dead as the zombies in Michael Jackson's Thriller video..

3HREE – The number two is the only prime number on that list...and the only EVEN prime number.  A prime number is one that only can be divisible by itself and one.  15 is divisible by three and five, 77 is divisible by seven and eleven, and 1989 is a multiple of nine.

4OUR – Samus Aran from “Metroid” debuted in 1986, Sonic the Hedgehog’s first game came out in 1991, and Spyro the Dragon first hit PlayStation consoles in 1998.  So, the order would be Samus, Sonic, Spyro...or B.

5IVE – “Ask not what your country can do for you”.

JACK ATTACK ANSWERS:

Siegfried & Roy, Click & Clack, Frick & Frack, Heckle & Jeckle, Goofus & Gallant, Flotsam & Jetsam, Cheech & Chong

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

September 18, 2009


It's time for another trip back through time as we enter the time machine for the Tuesday Timeline. This week, the date we're going to be focusing on is September 18. It was quite hard to choose a particular event to focus on, because September 18 was a date in history that had quite a lot going on. First things first, we will talk about some of the famous people who are celebrating a September 18 birthday.

Happy birthday to the following celebrities...June Foray, Bob Toski, Robert Blake, Scotty Bowman, Jimmie Rodgers, Frankie Avalon, Fred Willard, Michael Franks, P.F. Sloan, Billy Drago, Otis Sistrunk, Rodger Beckman, Anna Deveare Smith, Chris Hedges, Tim McInnerny, Don Geronimo, Mark Romanek, Ryne Sandberg, James Gandolfini, Mark Olson, Joanne Catherall, Holly Robinson Peete, Ricky Bell (Bell Bev Devoe), Aisha Tyler, Lance Armstrong, Jada Pinkett Smith, Adam Cohen, James Marsden, Damon Jones, Travis Schuldt, Xzibit, Jason Sudeikis, Ronaldo, Alison Lohman, and Patrick Schwarzenegger.

There have also been a couple of celebrity deaths that took place on September 18. Jimi Hendrix passed away on this date in 1970. In 1986, Coronation Street star Pat Phoenix lost her life. And in 2001, Canada mourned the loss of Ernie “Mr. Dressup” Coombs.

Here are some of the other events that took place on this date.

1502 – Christopher Columbus lands at Costa Rica on his fourth and final voyage

1679 – New Hampshire becomes a county of the Massachusetts Bay Colony

1739 – The Treaty of Belgrade is signed

1759 – The British capture Quebec City

1793 – The first cornerstone of the Capitol building is laid by George Washington

1809 – The Royal Opera House in London opens to the public

1812 – The 1812 Fire of Moscow begins to die out after destroying nearly 75% of the city

1837 – Tiffany & Co. is founded as a “stationery and fancy goods emporium”

1850 – The Fugitive Slave Law of 1850 is passed by U.S. Congress

1851 – The very first publication of the New York Daily Times...later to be renamed The New York Times

1870 – Henry D. Washburn gives the geyser in Yellowstone its official name, “Old Faithful”

1873 – American based bank Jay Cooke & Company goes bankrupt, resulting in the “Panic of 1873”

1885 – Riots occur in Montreal following a protest against compulsory smallpox vaccinations

1895 – The “Atlanta Compromise” address is delivered by Booker T. Washington

1906 – A typhoon causes a tsunami which kills ten thousand people in Hong Kong

1911 – Russian premier Peter Stolypin is shot at the Kiev Opera House

1919 – Fritz Pollard becomes the first African-American person to play professional football

1927 – The Columbia Broadcasting System goes on the air

1948 – Margaret Chase Smith becomes the first female elected to the U.S. Senate without completing another senator's term

1962 – The nations of Trinidad & Tobago, Burundi, Rwanda, and Jamaica are admitted into the United Nations

1973 – Three more nations join the United Nations – the Bahamas, East Germany, and West Germany

1975 – After spending a whole year on the FBI's Most Wanted List, Patty Hearst is arrested

1977 – Voyager I takes the first photograph of the Earth and Moon together

1982 – Christian militia begin slaughtering six hundred Palestinians in Lebanon

1984 – Joe Kittinger completes the first solo balloon crossing of the Atlantic Ocean

1990 – Liechtenstein joins the United Nations

2001 – One week after the September 11 terrorist attacks, letters laced with anthrax begin appearing in the United States mail

2011 – Anti-bullying activist Jamey Rodemeyer takes his own life at the age of fourteen

So, what date are we going to be focusing on this week? Fear not...we aren't going back that far in time.



In fact, we're only going to take a look back three years in the past to September 18, 2009.

Three years ago, one of the world's longest running television programs aired its final episode, and with that episode ended seventy-two years of stories involving romance, joy, pain, and heartbreak. For seventy-two years, millions of people tuned in to watch the trials and tribulations of the residents of a mid-sized town as they interacted with each other. It was a show that began on radio and transitioned to television fifteen years after it began. And while the later years of the show were just a shadow of what the show used to be like (according to many fans of this program), one thing remained the same. The show was all about family and relationships.

Although the show has been off the air for three years, the show still remains the longest-running soap opera of all time, and will likely hold that record for some time (at least until the year 2033 when “Coronation Street” surpasses that record).



Today we are going to take a look back on the CBS soap opera “Guiding Light”.

The above opening that you watched was used between 1991 and 2002, but the program actually used several opening sequences during its run.



Guiding Light” began as the radio program “The Guiding Light”, which initially began on NBC Radio. Debuting on January 25, 1937, the program was created by Irna Phillips. The show was created based on the personal experiences of Irna Phillips, and initially began as a way for her to cope with the grief that she carried with her as a result of a personal tragedy. When Phillips was just nineteen, she had given birth to a baby that was stillborn. Devastated by the loss, Phillips began to listen to radio sermons given by Preston Bradley, the founder of the People's Church in Chicago. The church was one that promoted the brotherhood of man, and Phillips was so inspired that these sermons that they formed the core of the show that would come to be known as “The Guiding Light”. I suppose one could say that the sermons also inspired the soap opera's long-running tagline, which aired during the opening credits of the television soap opera during 2007 and 2008.



Wasn't that nice?

Initially, “The Guiding Light” aired on NBC Radio as 15-minute programs until November 1946. After that, the show switched networks to CBS Radio a few months later in June 1947. By 1952, the decision was made to begin airing the long running radio show on television. The premiere episode of the television adaptation of “The Guiding Light” began airing on June 30, 1952. What was interesting about the show begin broadcast on television was the fact that the radio program continued broadcasting as well. For the first four years that “The Guiding Light” aired on CBS television, the radio station aired the same program. The actors who were in the series at the time had to act out their scenes twice...once for television, once for radio. This continued until June 29, 1956, when the radio program was taken off the air, and aired solely on television. And “The Guiding Light” did incredibly well on television at first, being the #1 ranked soap opera between 1956-1958.



TRIVIA: In 1958, Irna Phillips left “The Guiding Light” to work on the newer soap opera “As The World Turns”, and her protege stepped in as head writer. That head writer? It was Agnes Nixon, who ended up creating the soap operas “All My Children”, “Loving”, and “One Life To Live” for ABC. She stayed on the position until 1965.

As the program entered the 1960s, several changes occurred that made the show stand out even more. In March 1967, the show began broadcasting in colour, and in 1968, the show was expanded to a half hour in length. In 1975, the show's title was slightly changed, dropping the word 'the', becoming just “Guiding Light” and in 1977, the show was expanded to an hour long broadcast, which remained until its final episode aired in 2009.

The show ended up winning its first Daytime Emmy Award in 1980 for “Outstanding Achievement in a Daytime Drama”. The show would end up winning a grand total of 38 Emmy Awards between 1980 and 2008. The show also kickstarted the careers of several big-named stars. Below is a list of the celebrities who appeared on Guiding Light, as well as the characters that they played on the serial. How many do you recognize?



Kevin Bacon – Tim Werner (1980-1981)
Laura Bell Bundy – Marah Lewis (1999-2001)
Matthew Bomer – Ben Reade (2001-2003)
Joan Collins – Alexandra Spaulding (2002-2003)
Ruby Dee – Martha Frazier (1967)
Mark Derwin – A.C. Mallet (1990-1993)
Taye Diggs - “Sugar” Hill (1997)
Calista Flockhart – Elise (1989)
Paula Garces – Pilar Santos (1999-2001)
Rick Hearst – Alan-Michael Spaulding (1990-1996)
Allison Janney – Ginger (1993-1995)
James Earl Jones – Dr. Jerry Turner (1966)



Melina Kanakaredes – Eleni Andros Spaulding Cooper (1991-1995)
Harley Jane Kozak – Annabelle Sims Reardon (1983-1985)
Bethany Joy Lenz – Michelle Bauer Santos (1998-2000)
Nia Long – Kat Speakes (1991-1994)



Hayden Panettiere – Lizzie Spaulding (1996-2000)
John Wesley Shipp – Kelly Nelson (1980-1984)
Brittany Snow – Susan “Daisy” LeMay (1998-2001)
Sherry Stringfield – Christina “Blake” Thorpe Marler (1988-1992)
Paige Turco – Dinah Marler (1987-1989)
Christopher Walken – Mike Bauer (1954-1956)
Cynthia Watros – Annie Dutton (1994-1998)
Michael Zaslow – Roger Thorpe (1971-1980; 1989-1997)
Ian Ziering – Cameron Stewart (1986-1988)
Kim Zimmer – Reva Shayne Lewis (1983-1990; 1995-2009)



That's quite a list of names, no? A lot of them ended up being forever associated with their roles on the show, such as the case with Kim Zimmer, who played the fiery Reva Shayne Lewis for several stints. After all, with scenes like the one below, it's easy to see why she made such an impression on the show.



However, Reva was also known for some rather “interesting” storylines throughout her time on “Guiding Light”. Her one true love was her beloved Josh Lewis (played by Robert Newman), but there were a whole lot of marriages in between the seven or eight that Reva and Josh ended up having on the show. I don't know how many to be honest...I'm too lazy to research it. But my sister, who was a huge fan of “Guiding Light” in her teenage years has told me that it was a lot!

Let's take a look at some other storylines Reva's been involved in. Okay, she ended up getting pregnant with her first child, and it was a Maury Povich type storyline where she didn't know who the father was. Then she had post partum depression and drove off a bridge where she was presumed dead for five years. Then she became Amish. Then she wasn't Amish. Then Josh's new wife tried to kill Reva in plane crash where she was presumed dead again. Josh, for some unknown reason decides to clone her. Reva comes back. Reva's clone commits suicide. She finds out she was a princess while she was away from Josh the first time, and is reunited with her son that she had with the prince of the country. And then she went back in time, and...

...yeah, apparently the last few years of “Guiding Light” sort of resembled an episode of “Doctor Who”. At least Kim Zimmer made it seem more believable than it was.



In all seriousness though, “Guiding Light” had a lot of groundbreaking, memorable stories that really kept audiences glued. It also had cast members that really tied the history together, such as Charita Bauer as the matriarch of the Bauer family, Bert Bauer.



Perhaps some of the most interesting characters were the villains of the program. Fans of Guiding Light must remember Roger Thorpe (Michael Zaslow), who was the epitome of evil. In the classic scene below, he ends up attacking his wife (or love interest? I don't know, I wasn't alive in the 1970s), Holly.



But, Michael Zaslow was such a great actor, and continued to be so despite being diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's Disease in 1997. Sadly, the producers decided to let him go shortly after (a move that angered just as many fans of the series as it did when popular character Maureen Bauer was killed off), but Zaslow found work on another soap, “One Life To Live”, where he worked until his death in 1998.



And Cynthia Watros as Annie Dutton was just scary to watch...however, her portrayal of the damaged, crazed nurse helped her win a Daytime Emmy, so she must have been quite convincing. Take a look and see what I mean (it starts around the 3:16 mark).



Before “Guiding Light” ended its run in 2009, the show touched upon some real issues. Drug addiction, racism, sexism, abortion, mental illness, alcoholism, AIDS awareness...these were all issues that the soap tackled, and they managed to do a brilliant job with it.  In later episodes, the cast would film scenes out of character, showing them working on Habitat for Humanity houses, or going on cast tours.



TRIVIA: Believe it or not, “Guiding Light” was even involved in a partnership with Marvel Comics, where the character of Harley Cooper (Beth Ehlers) was turned into a superhero called...wait for it...”The Guiding Light”. Yeah...I know...it sounded a bit lame to me too...but at the same time, for Marvel Comics to take interest in a soap opera, it had to have some cultural impact.

It's been three years since the longest running soap opera dimmed its lights forever, but for those of us who sat down in front of the television to catch up on what Reva, Josh, Harley, Roger, Holly, and the other residents of Springfield, Illinois were doing, the memories will always remain.

Always.



That's our look back on September 18, 2009.

Monday, September 17, 2012

Tootsie


I've got a question for all of you reading this right now. How far have you gone in order to land yourself a job?

Seriously...have you gone out of your way in order to land your dream job?

I imagine that most of us have at some point, particularly in recent years with the economy being the way that it is. We all have tried to do something that makes us stand out more from the competition.

I know that I have tried to do that whenever I have applied for jobs in the past. I'd always try to jazz up my resume so that it would stand out. I wrote cover letters explaining why I wanted the job. I even wore my best clothes to job interviews because I wanted to make the best impression possible. Sometimes it worked, and I ended up getting hired, and sometimes it didn't exactly work. But the important thing is that I did try. And I'm sure that when another job opportunity comes along, or whether I have to have an interview in regards to reapplying to college, or something else along those lines, I will likely do my best to try to stand out. After all, I have to keep telling myself that I have just as much of a shot as anyone else to do the best job possible.

But there are some instances in which people sometimes go above and beyond what is expected of them in order to land that dream job. I have heard of some people using social media in order to get the job of their dreams...using sites such as Twitter or Facebook to get their names out there. In yesterday's blog, I talked about Taylor Swift and her road to success, and one detail I forgot to mention was that she actually used her MySpace profile as a promotional gimmick to help her land concert gigs. Granted, MySpace in 2012 is about as current as the 8-track tape player, but back in 2006, it was a decent tactic. I've also heard of people buying ad space online to promote the company that they want to work for. I've even heard of people setting up demonstrations in front of the building of the place they want to work for to round up business, and it has actually worked out for them. But, I warn you...if you want to go that route, you may want to check the legality of it so that you don't end up getting put in jail for trespassing.

And then there's the idea that a man by the name of Michael Dorsey came up with. He ended up having a very difficult time finding work in his industry (largely due to his demeanor), and he was at his depths of desperation. What he ended up doing was something that was incredibly bizarre, but incredibly creative...and in the process, he learned a lot more about himself.

I should note that Michael Dorsey is a fictional character in the Monday Matinee feature that we will be discussing in this blog today. But what a character he was. He was larger than life, had creative genius...and looked good in a red sequined dress?!?



Yes, the movie that we're going to be looking at is the classic film “Tootsie”, which starred Dustin Hoffman, Jessica Lange, Dabney Coleman, Teri Garr, and Bill Murray.

Released on December 17, 1982, “Tootsie” was a movie that was produced and directed by Sydney Pollack, and was adapted by the team of Larry Gelbart, Barry Levinson, Elaine May, and Murray Schisgal (though Levinson and May were uncredited in the film's credits). It seems hard to believe that this movie was released thirty years ago, but a lot of people still have fond memories of this film.

And why shouldn't they? It was one of the few movies made within the last three decades that the United States Library of Congress deemed “culturally significant” and which was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry. The movie made over $177 million dollars during its initial screening, making it one of the most successful films of 1982. The movie was ranked by the American Film Institute as the second most funniest film of all time, earned ten Academy Award nominations, and one Academy Award win for actress Jessica Lange.



Tootsie” begins in the city of New York where we're first introduced to Michael Dorsey (Hoffman). His occupation is that of working actor, but his overinflated ego causes him to see himself as a thespian in the making. Initially, Michael had no trouble finding acting jobs, but he had one Achilles heel that prevented him from moving forward with his career.

He was a pain in the butt to work with.

You know those co-workers that you might have in your life that expect everything to be one hundred per cent perfect? The ones who go out of their way to be perfect no matter how much it may rub their colleagues the wrong way? We all have had them.

In Michael's case...he WAS that colleague.

His inability to work well with others and his perfectionist attitude gave him a really bad reputation all over New York City. Nobody would hire him. He couldn't get a job on a movie soundstage, sitcom, dramatic series, theatre production...he even got rejected from a television commercial because he questioned the idea of portraying a tomato!

Because of this, Michael ended up being unemployed for months. With the possibility of him living on the streets over his head, he knew that he had to find something fast. Luckily, Michael's friend Sandy (Garr) managed to alert him to a potential job offer. It turns out that a television program is looking for someone to play the role of a hospital administrator for an upcoming storyline, and Michael thinks that it could be the role that will get his career back on track. So he goes to audition for the role, which turns out to be for a soap opera “Southwest General”. Unfortunately, he once again loses out on the part.



Now it is here where Michael decides to grasp at the straws of desperation. He decides to audition for the job again...but this time, he changes his complete appearance. Instead of a thirtysomething actor, he donned a wig, a dress, and a high-pitched Southern accent to transform into actress Dorothy Michaels. And surprise, surprise...”Dorothy” ends up getting the part!

There are a couple of reasons why Michael ended up taking such a risk in order to get a job. First, it gave him money to live on. But secondly, he could use the money to help his friend Jeff (Murray) produce a play that he wrote entitled “Return To Love Canal”.

As Dorothy, Michael didn't realize just how huge a star that “she” would eventually become. A true test of his acting abilities stemmed from the idea that he would be playing a character that was completely unlike himself. As a result, Dorothy Michaels was feisty, had feminist tendencies, and a strong will...all traits that seemed to shock, yet delight the others who worked on the show. Within a matter of months, Dorothy becomes a television sweetheart.



Of course, keeping the secret proves problematic for Michael. Sandy almost busts his secret after she walks in on him in his underwear (at the time, he had the idea of trying on Sandy's clothes to get some fashion ideas for Dorothy's wardrobe), but he successfully covers by admitting that he has always desired her and wanted to make love to her. Michael briefly considers telling Sandy the truth, but decides against it, believing her to be too emotionally fragile for her to handle the truth.



To add to the stress, Michael ends up falling for his attractive young co-star, Julie Nichols (Lange). Nichols happens to be a single mother who is unfortunately shacked up with one of the directors of the soap opera, Ron Carlisle (Coleman), who has sexist and amoral beliefs. Michael tries his best to get Julie to notice him, but both times he tries, he fails. In an amusing scene, Michael even tries hitting on Julie, completely unaware that he is dressed as Dorothy, which leads to some awkward conversation.

Initially, only Jeff and Michael's agent (played by Sydney Pollack) are made aware of Michael's ruse, and they watch as the situation involving Michael continues to spiral out of control. The more lies that Michael ends up telling, the deeper the mess. It also doesn't help matters much that two men end up falling in love with “Dorothy”, one of whom is Julie's father Les (Charles Durning).

The climax of the film takes place when producers inform “Dorothy” that her character has proven to be so popular that they want to sign her for another year. And faced with the stress of keeping up the charade another year, Michael decided that enough was enough...which lead to this classic scene.



And I think that's a great place to end this discussion of “Tootsie”. You didn't think I'd reveal what happened AFTER the reveal, did you?

But I will say this. Michael ended up learning a valuable lesson in regards to how he treated other people...and I think that his experience in dressing as a woman helped him relate to them a lot better than he ever could as a man. I suppose in that aspect, Dorothy helped Michael grow up a bit.



So, what movie are we looking at next week? I'll give you some word association. Crocodiles. Australia. Knife.  

Sunday, September 16, 2012

Taylor Swift - Songs for a Teenage Generation


It’s Sunday, September 16, 2012, and you know what that means?  It’s time for another “Sweethearts of Country Music” feature.  I must say that when I first came up with the idea to feature more country music artists in this blog, I wasn’t exactly sure what kind of a reaction it would get.  I mean, I consider myself largely a rock and roll/pop/rhythm & blues kind of guy, so I readily admit that doing studies on a genre of music that I never really listened to was a bit of a challenge.  But, you know something?  I enjoy a challenge. 

As it so happens, it looks like you all seem to approve of this theme month as well, and I’ve gotten a few compliments on it.  And, you know what else I discovered?  I’m starting to get a whole new appreciation for country music as a whole.  How about that, huh?

Today’s artist is one that could be considered a modern crossover princess.  Not only has she had hits on the country music charts, but she has also managed to score quite a few hits on the pop charts as well.  She has sold millions of albums, and has won a slew of awards for her hard work. 

And she’s only twenty-two years old!

But there’s so much more to her than just her music and her awards.  It could be just my opinion, but today’s featured artist seems to be one of the most grounded young starlets today.  She may have been bestowed with tons of honours and accolades, but she hasn’t let that go directly to her head.  Her priorities aren’t about making sure she has the most expensive handbags or wanting to film a self-serving reality series.  She just wants to make good music that her millions of fans can appreciate, reflect on, and be inspired by.

But, when you’re greeting her in person, it might not be such a good idea to do this.


Boy, she went down hard, didn’t she?  Luckily Taylor Swift is such a good sport, and she has been back on Ellen DeGeneres’ show since that incident.


And Taylor Swift is the subject of today’s blog, as “Sweethearts of Country Music” month continues.

If you haven’t heard of Taylor Swift, you’re either dead, or have been in a coma for the last six years.  Ever since the young country singer broke into the music charts with the 2006 single “Tim McGraw”, she has had one hit right after the other.  She’s already released three successful albums, with a fourth album, “Red”, slated for release in October 2012.  She has sold 22 million albums, and has had fifty million song downloads worldwide.

So, where did Taylor’s story all begin?

Well, it began in the city of Reading, Pennsylvania on December 13, 1989.  On that day, Taylor Alison Swift was born to Scott and Andrea Swift.


TRIVIA:  Taylor was named after another famous “Taylor”...singer James Taylor.

Anyway, Taylor spent the first few years of her life in Pennsylvania.  Her first home was at a Christmas tree farm in Montgomery County.  When she was nine, the family relocated to Wyomissing, Pennsylvania, where Taylor attended elementary school and junior high.  During her summer vacations, she and her family would stay at a vacation home located in New Jersey.  Taylor Swift would later admit that a lot of her songs were directly influenced by the time she spent at her family’s vacation home in New Jersey.

Taylor Swift didn’t jump into the world of music and entertainment right away.  Her first love was horseback riding, and when she was a young girl, she actively competed in horse shows.  It wasn’t until Taylor was nine years old that she soon developed a love of singing and performing.  In those days, Taylor was keen on musical theatre, and performed in the Berks Youth Theatre Academy.  She performed in such productions as “Grease”, “The Sound of Music”, and “Bye, Bye Birdy”, and frequently went to New York City for vocal and acting lessons.  Unfortunately for young Taylor, she had many auditions that ended without a callback.  Eventually, Taylor decided to focus on a different style of music, hoping that it would get her noticed.

She decided to focus on country.

Throughout her pre-teen years, Taylor Swift often performed at various festivals and events in order to get her name out there.  She performed everywhere and anywhere...carnivals, coffeehouses, street fairs, karaoke contests, even Boy Scout meetings!  She was young, but she was also determined to succeed.  It also helped that she loved singing and performing.  When she was eleven, Swift ended up winning a talent contest singing a LeAnn Rimes song, and the prize was a beauty...she won the opportunity to appear as the opening act for Charlie Daniels!  For someone who was into the country music scene, this was a grand opportunity.  It would only be the first of many for Taylor Swift.

When Taylor watched a special on Faith Hill on television, Taylor was determined to go to Nashville...the place where Taylor believed dreams came true.  During one Spring Break, Taylor’s mother took her to Nashville, where she took a demo tape to several record labels...all of whom rejected her.  The whole experience was a sobering fact for the young singer, and she quickly realized that the only way she could get noticed was to think outside of the box.  One way that she accomplished this was by volunteering to sing the American national anthem, “The Star Spangled Banner” at the beginning of sporting events.  It was perfect for Taylor because it allowed her to sing in front of thousands of people without a record deal.  She also learned how to play the guitar at a young age in a rather unusual manner...she learned a few chords from a computer repairman! 

When Taylor turned fourteen, her family relocated to Hendersonville, Tennessee after her father asked for a job transfer.  Taylor recalled the experience as a huge sacrifice for her family to make, but she was also quick to point out that at no time did her family suggest that the move was to help Taylor establish a career...they instead promoted the move as a chance to live in a nice community with friendly people.

Just before Taylor and her family moved to Nashville, she had met with New York based music manager Dan Dymtrow, who ended up being a man who kickstarted Taylor’s career.  He ended up getting her a job working as a model for clothing company “Abercrombie & Fitch” as a model, and took her to meetings with various record labels.  At age fourteen, Swift was signed to RCA Records under an artist development deal.  She hadn’t even finished eighth grade when the contract was signed.  At first, Taylor enjoyed working with the experienced songwriters who were at RCA, especially Liz Rose, who would later admit that she was impressed by Taylor’s ability to create incredible hooks for songs.  But Taylor’s relationship with RCA Records (and Dan Dymtrow) was short-lived.  When RCA felt it was best for Taylor to wait until she was eighteen to release a debut album of independent material, the then 15-year-old Swift felt that it was too long to wait, and she left the record company, determined to launch her own career on her own terms.


And in 2006, a chance meeting with Scott Borchetta ended up being Taylor’s lucky break.  After seeing her performing at the Bluebird Cafe as part of an industry showcase, Borchetta immediately offered Taylor a recording contract to a brand new record label that he was starting up.  Taylor immediately signed herself onto Big Machine Records...one of the first artists to join the new record label.  Shortly thereafter, she began work on her self-titled debut album, “Taylor Swift”.

Little did anybody realize that this album would explode in popularity...after all, with songs such as the one below, it’s easy to see why this was the case.


ARTIST:  Taylor Swift
SONG:  Our Song
ALBUM:  Taylor Swift
DATE RELEASED:  August 22, 2007
PEAK POSITION ON THE BILLBOARD CHARTS:  #16
PEAK POSITION ON THE COUNTRY CHARTS:  #1 for 6 weeks

Funny story about “Our Song”.  Did you know that it was a last-minute addition to Taylor’s debut album?  The song was actually written by Taylor when she was in her freshman year of high school.  She initially wrote the song as her entry for the school talent show, and Taylor wanted a message that her peers could relate to.  At the time, she was dating a boy, and he noticed that they didn’t exactly have a song that they could associate with their relationship.  So, Taylor decided to write one.  It reportedly only took her twenty minutes to jot down the lyrics.  Taylor performed the song at the show, and several months later, Taylor was surprised to hear some of her classmates singing portions of the lyrics, and it was really the first instance that Taylor Swift realized that she may have a future hit on her hands.


But when the record company executives were putting the tracks together on the album, they weren’t sure that “Our Song” would be a suitable addition to the album.  Taylor insisted that the song go on the album because she had the feeling that it was meant to be a huge success.  In fact, Taylor insisted that the song be the final song listed on the album, as she felt that the lyrics “Play it again” would inspire the listener to do exactly that.  Subliminal advertising at its best!

And “Our Song” was definitely a hit.  Not only did the song manage to be a Top 20 hit on the Billboard Charts, but it also ended up topping the country charts for six weeks between December 2007 and January 2008 - Taylor’s very first #1 hit single.

The main praises that critics had for the song was its great hook, and very personal lyrics.  And, certainly “Our Song” was a song that had a lot of personal meaning for Swift.  But if you were to take a look at Taylor’s massive singles catalogue, a lot of her songs are very personal, and have a little bit of Taylor’s life experiences inside each one.


Take “Teardrops on My Guitar” for example.  That song is about a girl who has feelings for a boy, but for whatever reason they go unnoticed.  It was also based on a personal experience that happened to Taylor as well.  “Picture to Burn” was a song that was written by Swift during a shift at an after school job about a boy she thought was cocky and narcissistic.  “Love Story” was a modern retelling of Romeo & Juliet, in which Taylor sang about a boy that she was crushing on that her family didn’t exactly approve of (except that in the song, neither one of them died, obviously).  “Fifteen” was a song about heartbreak, and was a song that was based on the experiences that she and her friend went through during their freshman year of high school.  Taylor actually had to get permission from her friend to record the song due to the personal references (which she agreed to).


And then there’s the song “Mean”, which was released in March 2011.  If there was a song that was the best description of autobiographical, it would be this one.  It was written at a time in which Taylor was getting attacked by the media following a performance at the Grammy Awards with Stevie Nicks.  During that performance, some people made note of the fact that Taylor sounded a bit off-key.  While some publications made note of it, and explained that even the biggest stars could have an off day, some critics were ruthless, and savagely attacked her in the media.

And that was something that prompted Taylor to write “Mean”...as a response to these critics who were offering up criticism that wasn’t exactly constructive.  Although the song was a personal message to the worst critics of the bunch, the song also became a sort of anthem that promoted the cause of fighting against bullies...a cause that is near and dear to this blogger’s heart.


And certainly Taylor’s had to develop a thick skin over the years.  She did have Kanye West interrupt one of her acceptance speeches at an awards show back in 2009, after all.

But I think it is Taylor Swift’s fearlessness to talk about her personal life in her music that makes her such a huge influence to her fan base...young girls who have used Taylor’s songs as a soundtrack to their own lives.  Certainly every teenage girl has gone through having teenage crushes that have gone unnoticed, dating a boy that makes the wrong impression on loved ones, experiencing teenage bullying, and high school angst.  Knowing that one of their favourite stars have also gone through these issues and survived must give them some hope that they will survive their teenage years as well.

I think that’s what Taylor Swift takes the most pride in...not the awards, the #1 hits, or the millions of albums she sells...but the impact that her music has had on her fans.  And I think that’s why so many people enjoy her. 


Coming up next week, we take a look at a legend in country music.  She’s the godmother of a girl who likes to live the “best of both worlds”, she has her own theme park, and she spent part of 1980 working a “nine to five” job.

That’s coming up on Sunday, September 23.