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Monday, October 08, 2012

Pet Sematary




First things first...I would like to take the time to wish everyone in Canada a very Happy Thanksgiving!  I hope that as you are reading this entry, your stomachs are filled with turkey, stuffing, ham, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, pumpkin pie, and any other goodies that one enjoys on the dinner table.  I know that I have turkey leftovers on one side, and a bottle of Cherry Pepto-Bismol on the other as I write this entry right now.

You know, Thanksgiving is all about spending time with your family and friends, breaking bread, sharing plates of food, and just enjoying the company of each other.  As I grow older, I am incredibly grateful for every holiday that I can spend with my own family members, as I realize that having moments where all of us are together will become rarer and rarer as we all age.

I talked about this in my blog last Thanksgiving (which you can read HERE if you’re interested), but one of my favourite Thanksgiving memories involves having all of my mom’s family at my grandmother’s house for Thanksgiving.  It was early October 1991 (remember, I celebrate Canadian Thanksgiving), and my grandmother wanted to make sure that we all had the best Thanksgiving ever.  My grandmother and mother made almost all of the dishes that year, and everyone left well-fed, and with lots of grand memories.  It still doesn’t make sense to me that less than a month later, my grandmother would pass away of a sudden heart attack at the age of 66.

Even though it has been twenty-one years since her passing, there’s not a minute that I wish that she was still here.  She would have been 87 years old had she lived, and I’m sure that she would have loved to have met her great-grandchildren (the children of my siblings)...the great-grandchildren that she never had a chance to meet.

I’ll admit that there is a part of me that does wish that she could come back, if only for one holiday celebration.  But I suppose in some way, she is here in spirit.  After all, any time my mother makes my grandmother’s recipe for Jam-Jams (cookies filled with raspberry or strawberry jam), it’s almost as if Grandma is right there in the room with all of us.

I mean, I certainly wouldn’t go to the lengths that Louis Creed went to in order to bring back a departed loved one. 

Now, this is the part of the blog where I suspect some of you are wondering “who is Louis Creed”?  Good question.  He happens to be the main character of the book/movie that we’re going to be looking at today.  Granted, this book/movie has absolutely nothing to do with Thanksgiving...if anything it’s more of a Halloween movie.  But, since Halloween is coming up soon, I figure it’s worth it.


Stephen King wrote the novel “Pet Sematary” way back in 1983, and it was very successful, even winning the World Fantasy Award for Best Novel in 1984.

And on April 21, 1989, the book became a movie.


“Pet Sematary” was directed by Mary Lambert.  It was her second feature film where she was credited as director.  Prior to that, she directed music videos for Madonna, Janet Jackson, Chris Isaak, Debbie Harry, Whitney Houston, and Sting.  And, “Pet Sematary” did fairly well at the box office, making five times its budget.

The movie starred Dale Midkiff, Denise Crosby, Miko Hughes, Blaze Berdahl, Brad Greenquist, and the late Fred Gwynne.

In quite a few cases, the ideas that Stephen King came up with for the books he wrote were inspired from real life events, and “Pet Sematary” was no exception.  When he and his family were living in the community of Orington, Maine, his daughter’s cat was killed on the highway, which really upset her.  And, this event was what kicked off the events of “Pet Sematary” in both the film and the book.

For argument’s sake, we’ll be discussing the film, but one thing that I will say is that in my opinion, the film does follow the book quite accurately.


The Creed family moves to a brand new house that is situated along a highway where high speed truckers often speed down the road.  (The book specifically names the town that the Creed family move to is Ludlow, Maine).  The Creed family is Dr. Louis Creed (Midkiff), his wife Rachel (Crosby), and their children, Ellie and Gage (Berdahl and Hughes).  It doesn’t take long for the Creed family to make friends with their neighbours, as Louis befriends the elderly man across the street, Jud Crandall (Gwynne).


Jud shows the family the pet cemetery that is located behind their house (which is misspelled as “Pet Sematary”), and tells them that it is where the majority of children bury their deceased pets who died on the highway.  This causes some friction between Louis and Rachel, as Rachel doesn’t feel it is appropriate to discuss death in front of the children (it is explained in the book that Rachel was forced to watch the slow, painful death of her sister, Zelda, from spinal meningitis).

Shortly after the excursion to the pet cemetery, Louis Creed’s life begins to spiral out of control.  When Victor Pascow (Greenquist) is brought in to the medical center that Louis works at after being hit by a truck, Louis tries his best to save his life.  Before Louis can do anything, the head trauma Pascow has sustained prove too much, and he dies.  But before he expires, he grabs Louis and tells him that he will “come” to him.


Later that night, Louis has a rather strange vision of Victor Pascow, who warns him about the dangers of the pet cemetery near his house, and tells him not to venture past a certain point in the cemetery.  At first, Louis believes that it is all a dream...but can’t quite explain why he has dirt all over his feet when he wakes up.

Shortly after that, Rachel takes Ellie and Gage to Chicago to visit her parents, and while they are gone, a truck ends up running over and killing Church, the family pet.  Louis is devastated and heartbroken, and is absolutely sick to his stomach wondering how he is going to tell his daughter that their cat was dead.

Now here’s where things get a little bit creepy.  Jud takes Louis and the dead cat to the pet cemetery where he reveals that there is a section of the cemetery that was an ancient Micmac burial ground which supposedly has the power to bring dead things back to life.  With Jud’s instructions, Louis buries the cat in the cemetery and constructs a cairn, hoping that this will bring Church back to life.


The following day, Church magically comes back to the Creed residence, and at first, all seems well.  But Church isn’t exactly the same cat he used to be.  He moves a lot slower, he was much moodier, and he had the disgusting stench of decomposition lingering around him.  It was as if Church was alive, but dead.  Sort of like a zombie cat, only without the brain eating.

Louis is obviously disturbed by the whole thing, and starts second guessing his decision.  But Jud explained that he did the same thing when he was twelve years old after his dog Spot passed away.  Louis then asks Jud if a human being has ever been buried there, but Jud, almost acting offended by the question, coldly tells Louis that it isn’t possible.


Tragically, when Gage Creed accidentally wanders onto the highway while flying a kite, he gets run over by a truck and dies instantly.  Rachel, Ellie, and Louis are inconsolable, and suddenly the bizarre idea passes through Louis’ mind of burying Gage in the Micmac burial ground in hopes that he will come back to life just like Church did.  Jud strongly advises against the idea, saying that no good can come from bringing back the dead, even citing the example of Timmy Bateman, who ended up terrorizing the town shortly after his reanimation.  Jud tells Louis that “sometimes, dead is better.”

Still, when Rachel and Ellie take off towards Chicago for another visit with Rachel’s parents, Louis’ mind is completely gone, and he ignores common sense in the wake of getting his son back.  So Louis makes the decision to bury his son in the same place where he buried Church.  And, sure enough, Gage comes back to life.

But Jud’s haunting warning soon rears its ugly head...and before the night is over, two more will lose their lives, and Louis ends up in the battle of his life, as well as his sanity.  Who will prevail?  I won’t spoil the ending for any of you, but I will tell you that it is a bit of a surprise, and is left ambiguous so that you can use your imagination in regards to what happens.

I’ll tell you one thing.  I was nine years old when I saw this movie for the first time, and I was so freaked out by it that I couldn’t watch the ending of the movie for at least a decade, and I had nightmares for about one month straight.  It certainly is not a movie that I would recommend for kids.  But after waiting ten years to watch the movie again for a school project, I will admit that it was worth getting over the fear, because the ending was quite satisfying.  Some of you will agree, and others won’t.  But, if anything, this movie certainly makes me think twice about burying anything in the ground again.

In fact, after watching this movie, cremation doesn’t sound like a bad way to go out.

Sunday, October 07, 2012

Backstreet's Back, All Right?


Here is an interesting question to ponder for this edition of the blog...what happens to boy bands when they become men?

It’s a serious question.  I was thinking about this as I was coming up with possible topics for the month of October.  The year I entered high school was the year that the so-called “boy band explosion” began.  Now, there may have been instances of boy bands prior to my starting high school, particularly with “New Kids On The Block”, “Color Me Badd”, and “New Edition”.  But throughout my entire high school career, I found it quite difficult to listen to the radio, as it seemed as though every song that dominated the charts were by a boy band. 

And for whatever reason that irritated me to no end.

For one, I’ll readily admit that at the time, I wanted nothing to do with the whole boy band scene.  The songs were so overplayed, I couldn’t bear to hear them after six consecutive months, and whenever I happened to catch a music video by a boy band, I either changed the channel or rolled my eyes at it.

For another, I couldn’t really call them “boy bands” as most of the people in the bands were in their twenties and early thirties.  And as someone who is currently in his early thirties, the last thing I want anyone to call me is a “boy”.

(Of course, maybe that’s just me...maybe some men my age would enjoy that.)

Therefore it’s quite entertaining to see what has happened to some of these boy bands since their heyday.  A lot has changed since 1997, and I did a little bit of research into what has happened to some of the most popular boy bands since they were topping the charts.

One thing that I have noticed about boy bands over the last fifteen years is the fact that in a lot of cases, there has been at least one breakout star.  Take the band *NSync, for example.  Everyone knows that Justin Timberlake not only made it huge as a solo artist, but also has been serious about beginning a film career as well.  With 98 Degrees, Nick Lachey has broken out as a star...even though it took a brief marriage to Jessica “Chicken of the Sea” Simpson to get his name out there.  With the British boy band “Take That”, both Robbie Williams and Gary Barlow had successful solo careers in the British music scene, as has Ronan Keating of “Westlife”.

Unfortunately, the vast majority of boy bands seemingly fade away into obscurity.  When was the last time you ever heard of any news from “O-Town”?  “5ive”?  “BBMak?”  Not very often, I bet.

At the same time, you have bands who continue to stay together to make music long after they transform from boys to men...bands who may lose a member here and there, or whose members may release solo material on the side, but still manage to find a way to stick together through it all.

This is the story of one such boy band.

If you happen to be a fan of the Backstreet Boys, you are in luck because this blog entry is just for you.  If you aren’t...well, take comfort in the fact that I have a particularly gory horror movie planned for tomorrow.




Okay, so before we get started, we should probably introduce the Backstreet Boys first.  If you look at the picture above, from left to right we have A.J. McLean, Kevin Richardson, Brian Littrell, Nick Carter, and Howie Dorough.  

The story begins in Orlando, Florida.  Childhood friends A.J. and Howie met up with Nick while they were doing auditions for commercials, theatre productions, and television roles.  When the three of them got together and discovered that they could sing and harmonize a selection of soul classics, they formed a trio, and began performing.

At the same time, in the state of Kentucky, cousins Brian Littrell and Kevin Richardson developed a love of performing at early ages, singing in their church choirs and festivals whenever they could.  

I suppose you could say that the Backstreet Boys began as two separate groups...and it wasn't until Kevin ended up getting a job in Florida that the merge between the two groups began to take place.




To be more specific, Kevin took on a job at Walt Disney World in Orlando, taking on various jobs including dressing up as Aladdin and as a Ninja Turtle.  But once the costumes were stripped off, Kevin spent his nights trying to make it big in the world of music.  He ran into the trio of Carter, Dorough, and McLean after being introduced to them through a co-worker, and the trio became a quartet, as Richardson was brought into the group, with Littrell being the fifth and final member to join just months later.

By 1992, the five piece group was completed.  The eldest member at the time was Kevin, who was 21.  The youngest, Nick Carter, was not even thirteen.  And it was also in 1992 that the band would respond to an ad in a newspaper that would inevitably change their lives forever.




When Lou Pearlman placed an ad looking for people to audition for a new boy band, the five auditioned for the group, hoping that at least one of them would make it in.  Sure enough, A.J. was the first member to join the band after auditioning in Pearlman's own living room.  Little did the other four realize that over the next few months, they would end up becoming the other four members of the new group.

On April 20, 1993, the Backstreet Boys were officially formed, the name coming from an Orlando flea market named the Backstreet Market.  Just two weeks later, on May 8, the band performed their first gig at SeaWorld Orlando.  After performing several gigs at shopping malls and amusement parks for several months, the group ended up landing a record deal with Zomba Records in early 1994, and by mid-1995, the band were in the recording studios working on their debut album.

With assistance from Swedish based songwriters Max Martin and the late Denniz PoP, the Backstreet Boys went to work immediately on their self-titled debut, as well as their first single, "We've Got It Goin' On".  The single was released in September 1995 worldwide, and became a mild hit in the United States, peaking at #69 on the Billboard Charts three months after its release.  




But what was interesting about the Backstreet Boys when they first started out was the fact that although it took them some time to get recognition in North America, outside of North America, their popularity was huge.  "We've Got It Goin' On" reached the Top 5 in Germany, Switzerland, Austria, France, and the Netherlands.  And, here's a bit of trivia for you.  Did you know that the Backstreet Boys' debut album was released in Canada five months after it was released internationally?  It's true.  And although the Backstreet Boys quickly developed a following in Canada and all over the world, they were virtually ignored in their home country.

At least that's how it was...until 1997.

Seeing how popular the band was internationally, Lou Pearlman and Zomba wanted to see if that success could be duplicated within the United States.  The problem was that the band had already recorded their second album, "Backstreet's Back", which eventually saw an August 11, 1997 release.




It would be a bit silly to have the band's first American album be titled "Backstreet's Back" when nobody in America really had any idea who they were, never mind where they had gone.  So the decision was made to create an debut album solely for American audiences, taking songs from both albums, combining them together, and naming the album "Backstreet Boys".

Are we confused yet?

Anyway, one day after "Backstreet's Back" was released, the American debut hit the shelves in record stores all over the country.  And, considering that Halloween is coming up soon, why not do the feature on the spookiest music video that came from the very album?





ARTIST:  Backstreet Boys
SONG:  Everybody (Backstreet's Back)
ALBUM:  Backstreet's Back
DATE RELEASED:  June 30, 1997
PEAK POSITION ON THE BILLBOARD CHARTS:  #4



You know, I'll be the first to admit that time does sometimes makes things better.  When I first heard this song, I was not a fan at all, and I thought that it was largely forgettable.  But watching this video fifteen years later, I have to admit that it's not as bad as I thought it would be.  The music is somewhat catchy, and I'll be the first to admit that the costume designer was quite good in this video.  And, you can also tell that the Backstreet Boys had a lot of fun filming this video.

This song was really one of the first songs that gave the Backstreet Boys instant success worldwide, including the United States (the other song being the #2 smash "Quit Playing Games (with My Heart)".  Soon after, they became one of the most successful groups of the late 1990s, playing thousands of concerts, winning several MTV Video Music Awards and American Music Awards, and having millions of fans all over the world.  1997 was definitely one of those years that really cemented the Backstreet Boys as a serious act on the charts.

But 1997 was also a rather tumultuous time for the Backstreet Boys as well.  When it was discovered that their manager, Lou Pearlman, wasn't exactly being truthful about the band's earnings, Brian Littrell was the first one to file a lawsuit against Pearlman, eventually being joined by all the other band members except Nick Carter.  Although settlements were eventually made, this effectively ended the partnership between Pearlman and the Backstreet Boys, and Pearlman moved on to his next band, *NSync.  



(I wouldn't feel so bad for Pearlman though.  He ended up screwing over *NSync, as well as the other musical acts that he had managed, and nearly all of them ended up filing lawsuits against him.  He was eventually arrested in 2007 following his involvement in a Ponzi scheme in which he bilked investors out of a reported $300 million!  He's now serving a jail sentence with a release date scheduled for the year 2029...when Pearlman is 75 years old.)

Over the next few years, each one of the Backstreet Boys would end up having personal issues as well.  Brian Littrell had to undergo emergency heart surgery in May 1998.  The band lost their friend, Denniz PoP in August 1998 from stomach cancer at the age of 35.  A month later, Howie lost his sister to lupus.



TRIVIA:  In the music video for "Show Me The Meaning Of Being Lonely", Brian and Howie's personal issues were incorporated into the video, as well as a dedication for their late friend, Denniz.

On top of that, A.J. McLean checked himself into rehab to deal with alcohol abuse, while Nick himself was trying to overcome his own addictions to drugs and alcohol.  As for Kevin Richardson, fans were shocked when in 2006, he announced his departure from the band, making the band a quartet.

However, as of 2012, Kevin announced that he was rejoining the band, and as of now, the band is working on their eighth studio album, set for a 2013 release.  Prior to that, the Backstreet Boys teamed up with the members of the New Kids On The Block for a tour, calling themselves the NKOTBSB.  It's almost like one of those family reunions where one generation gets together with their younger counterparts.



So, what are my thoughts on the Backstreet Boys these days, now that they have become men?  Well, I will admit that they don't nearly annoy me as much as they used to when I was a teenager.  In fact, I can honestly say that there are a couple of songs of theirs that I actually don't mind ("Shape of My Heart" being one song in particular that reminds me of my college years).  Sure, they might have released fluffy bubblegum pop songs, and yes, they may have been manufactured as a generic boy band.  But each one of the Backstreet Boys had an individual story and brought their own "A" games to the table...and in the end, it's netted them a career that has almost lasted two decades.



I say give the BSB a little credit for that.

(Although, I still reserve the right to poke fun at them once in a while.  What genius decided that writing down one chorus and singing it several times in a row constituted a smash single?  "I Want It That Way"?  How about NO!)




Saturday, October 06, 2012

Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers


Now that we’re into the month of October, I think it’s time to get ready for the big holiday that is fast approaching.

If you’re lucky enough to live in Canada, we actually have two holidays that we celebrate in October.  Because our harvest season in Canada is six weeks earlier than that of the United States, we end up celebrating our Thanksgiving this coming Monday (in Canada, our Thanksgiving is the second Monday in October).

But for the rest of you reading this blog, another holiday is coming up at the end of the month.


I’m talking about Halloween, of course!  And, just as I have done last year around this time, I will be doing a heavy focus on some spooky songs, macabre movies, terror-filled television, and chilling cartoons.  Not every entry will be Halloween themed this month, but I’m sure that you’ll like the choices I have selected for this upcoming month.

(At least I HOPE you will anyway.)

I’m sure that most of you are really looking forward to Halloween, especially if you are a child.  After all, Halloween is probably the one holiday that most dentists dread the most with all of the candy bars, licorice twists, caramel chews, and Tootsie Roll Pops being given out to ghosts and goblins who wish to satisfy their desire for sweets.  Believe me...in the days when I used to go trick-or-treating, I would stay out from 5:30 in the evening to almost nine o’clock, trying to get as much candy as I possibly could before the lights were turned out for the night. 

I was very hard core when it came to Halloween candy.

As most of you know, there is a lot more preparation than just buying bags of candy.  You also have to buy a pumpkin that is suitable for transforming into a jack-o-lantern, and decorations that will transform your home into the spookiest house on the block.

And, of course, there are the costumes.

Whether you went to the local department store to purchase a store-bought costume, or had your costumes hand-made (most of mine were made by a variety of relatives including my mother, grandmother, and two sisters), choosing the perfect Halloween costume was incredibly important.  You choose the wrong costume, you were teased mercilessly for it.

The last year I dressed up in a costume and went trick-or-treating was Halloween 1993.  I only remember the exact date because there was a massive blizzard that year, and I was getting too big to go out much longer.  Even though I was only twelve years old in 1993, I was already 5’7”, and my voice was starting to crack.  Because 1993 was my last year getting free candy, I was not about to let a few snowflakes stop me from experiencing my final year of trick-or-treating.

If I remember correctly, 1993 was the year I dressed up as Jughead Jones...or, maybe it was the can of Coca-Cola.  I can’t really remember the exact order, but I did wear both costumes at one time.  But you could tell what the popular costumes were back in 1993.  There were lots of Disney Princess costumes...I seem to recall seeing a lot of Princess Jasmine in particular, since “Aladdin” had come out the year before.  Superhero costumes were also big that year, such as Spider-Man, Batman, and Superman.  Even old standby costumes such as ghosts, pumpkins, mummies, and spiders were still very much popular.


But in 1993, I also saw some rather weird costumes.  They were skin-tight costumes with what appeared to look like they had a white argyle print on the front of them.  They came in a variety of colours, such as red, pink, yellow, black, and blue and you couldn’t tell who was who, as they all wore elaborate masks with them.  To me, they looked like the Foot Soldiers from “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” after they had fallen into a vat of Crayola crayon wax.

Little did I know that these strange characters were part of a brand new children’s show that had debuted on both YTV and Global Television here in Canada.  It was a show that originated in Japan, and as of 2011 has undergone quite a few reincarnations and cast changes. 

For today’s blog entry, we’re going to take a look at the original series that kicked it all off.


Whether you loved them or hated them, today’s blog topic is all about the “Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers”, a show that debuted in the United States on August 28, 1993.


Well, okay...the AMERICAN version debuted in August 1993.  In reality, the show that inspired the Power Rangers was filmed exactly one year earlier in 1992. 

Some of the footage that ended up being edited into episodes of “Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers” came from the 16th installment of the long running Japanese series “Super Sentai”.

To bring the program to American audiences, scenes were filmed on a California soundstage, and were incorporated with the Japanese footage to create a story arc for the American characters that were introduced.

I’ll readily admit to not watching this program much when it was most popular.  At age 12, I watched a few episodes of it, but it didn’t really catch my attention.  Perhaps if I had been a few years younger, I would have had more appreciation for the show, but I had stopped playing with action figures and had moved on to video games around that time, so the show didn’t exactly appeal to me.  I imagine that there were millions of boys and girls who watched this program wanting to be Power Rangers themselves, and because of that desire, it lead to some rather controversial moments.  But, I’ll save that for later.

Anyway, the basic plot of “Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers” is this.  Two astronauts end up exploring the surface of a mysterious planet where they come across a strange extraterrestrial container.  The astronauts accidentally open the container, and release an evil alien sorceress named Rita Repulsa.  She and her minions were sealed in the container ten thousand years earlier by a sage named Zordon in an effort to bring the universe peace.  However, upon Rita’s release, she sets sight on conquering the nearest planet within the solar system.

Unfortunately for us, it’s Earth.

What’s worse, Zordon is unable to do anything about it as he (for whatever reason) is nothing more than a gigantic head in a tube.  It kind of reminded me of a low-budget version of “The Wizard of Oz”.  But Zordon hasn’t given up yet.  He orders his robotic assistant, Alpha 5 to look for five teenagers with attitude who can defend the Earth against Rita’s attacks.


And here’s a shocker...all five teens were found in the same city...the fictional Angel Grove, California.  The five teenagers were Jason Lee Scott (Austin St. John), Trini Kwan (Thuy Trang), Billy Cranston (David Yost), Zack Taylor (Walter Jones), and Kimberly Hart (Amy Jo Johnson).  All five teenagers had their own strengths and personalities.  Jason, for example, was a trained martial artist who often competed in tournaments.  Trini was trained in the art of kung fu.  Billy was the brains of the operation who knew all about electronics, machinery, and technology.  Zack was the stereotypical jock who dabbled in dancing and womanizing, and Kimberly was a trained gymnast who sometimes acted on impulse, rather than common sense, but had a heart of pure gold.

Together, these five were chosen to become the Power Rangers by Zordon himself.  They were given Power Coins, which could transform them into the Power Rangers, five soldiers who were strong enough to battle against Rita’s monsters.  In case you were wondering, the Power Ranger colours corresponded to the colours I highlighted each of the character names in the paragraph where I introduce all of you to the characters.  They were also given weapons that they could use to defend themselves against Rita’s monsters.  Some of the monsters were from Rita’s personal arsenal, but others were enchanted items (such as one of Trini’s dolls, for example).  Sometimes, Rita would use her magic to make the monsters grow to ten times their size, which sometimes lead to the Power Rangers using more brute force.


You see, with the teens transforming into the Power Rangers, they were also given robotic vehicles (kind of similar to what you may see on “Transformers”) known as Zords.  And each Zord was named after a particular prehistoric animal.  I did some research, and the five Zords were tyrannosaurus rex, sabre-toothed tiger, triceratops, mastodon, and pterodactyl (the colours of the Zords corresponded with the colour of the Power Ranger.  




If things got too hairy for the Power Rangers, the Zords could combine together to become the MegaZord, which could destroy almost all threats that Rita Repulsa sent.

(My goodness, I forgot just how cheesy this show really was...no wonder I only managed to get through two or three shows...)


As if dealing with Rita wasn’t bad enough, the gang also had to deal with school bullies Bulk (Paul Schrier) and Skull (Jason Narvey), who not only picked on them when they were living the lives of average teenagers, but who tried to find out who the Power Rangers really were.  But considering that both of them had the IQ of a sack of potatoes, they never really did succeed in either.


Jason, Trini, Billy, Zack, and Kimberly were the original Power Rangers...but over the show’s original three-year run, four original characters would eventually leave the show to be replaced with four new actors, and a brand new character was also added.  During season one, a new character, Tommy Oliver (Jason David Frank) enrolled as a new student at Angel Grove High, and he immediately forged a friendship with Jason and developed a crush on Kimberly.  But Rita initially brainwashed him into being an enemy of the Power Rangers.  Initially, he proves to be a major threat to the Power Rangers, but after he is defeated, and Jason breaks the spell Rita put on him, Tommy ends up becoming the sixth Ranger.  Initially, he starts off as the Green Ranger, but later becomes the White Ranger.  He also is the only Ranger to control two different Zords...firstly, the dragonzord, and then the tigerzord.


During season two, Austin St. John, Thuy Trang, and Walter Jones all left the show in a contract dispute, and three new cast members were brought in to replace them after Jason, Trini, and Zack left to attend a world peace conference.  The new characters were Rocky DeSantos (Steve Cardenas), Aisha Campbell (Karan Ashley), and Adam Park (Johnny Yong Bosch).  It is after this switch is made that the first of two Power Rangers feature films were released in 1995.  And in season three when Amy Jo Johnson wanted to pursue other projects, she left the show and was replaced by Australian actress Catherine Sutherland to play the second Pink Ranger Katherine Hillard.

The show was immensely popular between 1993 and 1994, as many kids watched the shows, bought the action figures, and wore the clothing.  But many parents were concerned about the level of violence that was being exhibited in the program, and some stations took drastic measures after some kids ended up getting hurt as a result of trying to imitate the moves shown on the program.  In one bizarre case in Norway, an eleven-year-old girl died after her friends murdered her while attempting to recreate a scene from the show (though later reports state that they were actually watching “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles”).  At any rate, YTV in Canada opted to pull the show after just one year on the air due to complaints from parents groups, and in the United States, the program was preceded by warnings, and were blocked by the then brand new V-Chip.  The show was also pulled from air in New Zealand.

It’s been seventeen years since the original reincarnation of “Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers” has aired, and I can think of several shows that were a lot WORSE in content than that...but it really was a big deal back then.  Then again, ABC Kids recently reaired the whole series as recently as 2010, so maybe time healed all wounds, so to speak.


And, mind you, the acting quality on the show wasn’t exactly Oscar winning...but it was a show marketed towards young kids, so I can sort of forgive that fact.  But there have been some success stories.  Amy Jo Johnson ended up acting in “Felicity” and “Flashpoint”, for example, and Johnny Yong Bosch is a key voice actor in the English dubbing of Japanese anime.


Sadly, not all the actors had such a happy ending.  In September 2001, Thuy Trang ended up dying in a car accident at the age of 27.  And, David Yost made the accusations that he was forced to quit the show after crew members of the show made homophobic comments towards him (he came out around 1999-2000), a claim that the crew has since denied.

But one thing is for sure...whether you loved the show or hated it, it certainly made a huge mark in 1990s pop culture.  So, I say that it deserves a space in this blog.

After all, it did influence one of 1993’s most popular Halloween costume choices.

Friday, October 05, 2012

Dark Shadows


I'll be the first one to admit that the year 2012 has been a bit of a bore in the world of film.

Certainly, there have been some runaway hits this year with “The Hunger Games”, the end of the “Twilight” series, brand new Batman and Spider-Man films, and “The Avengers”. But for the most part, it's been a year that has been lacking in creativity.

I mean, seriously, do we really need to re-release every single past movie in 3D? “Titanic” and “Finding Nemo” were just fine without it, thank you. And who came up with the brilliant idea to turn the board game “Battleship” into a movie? What next, “Connect Four : The Musical”? And, don't even get me started on my rant about “Magic Mike”.

I think that's largely why I have avoided movie theaters this year. For one, they can get rather pricey (I still cringe every time I have to pay $10 for a soda and buttered popcorn), but for another, there's really nothing out there that I really want to actively go out and see. I mean, I do like super hero films as much as the next guy, but I'm the type of person who would rather wait for the movie to come out on DVD. I'm not a fan of “The Hunger Games”, and for the life of me can't understand why it is so popular...but anyone who really knows me also knows that I tend to get into popular things when they no longer are popular (which is why I played a Super Nintendo well into 2003).

And, well...I can't say that I am a fan of the “Twilight” series either...though part of the reason why could be because I am not a 14-year-old girl.

(Not that I am implying that the film is only suitable for just 14-year-old girls...it's a movie for all audiences...but I did see an awful lot of teenagers standing in line for the first movie when I saw photos of the premiere in various cities all over the world. Just saying.)

In fact, the one movie that I really DID want to go and see this year only had a limited engagement in my hometown (I live in a fairly small community), and by the time I did get a day off from work to see it, the film had already packed up and moved on. I was miffed.



That movie was the film “Dark Shadows”, which was released on May 11, 2012. The movie starred Johnny Depp and Michelle Pfeiffer, and was directed by Tim Burton. Although the movie did get mixed reviews from film critics, it did manage to make over $236 million at the box office.

As a huge fan of Tim Burton (he seriously has not made one film that I hate), and who really likes Johnny Depp and Michelle Pfeiffer, seeing them all in the same movie was similar to opening up a present on Christmas morning. Unfortunately, I had to wait until the movie was released on DVD before I could watch it. But you know something, the movie was worth the wait, as I loved the whole thing from start to finish.

Just to summarize the plot of the film, Johnny Depp plays the role of Barnabas Collins, a man who has been turned into a vampire by an evil witch (Eva Green) in a fit of jealousy after he falls in love with Josette du Pres (Bella Heathcote). He is imprisoned in a coffin for almost two hundred years before being set free in the year 1972. There, he makes his way back to the family manor to find it inhabited by the reclusive Elizabeth Collins Stoddard (Pfeiffer). It's a dark tale filled with comedic moments, and we get to see Barnabas adjust to a brand new world, while coming face to face with his past.

Now, “Dark Shadows” was a great movie...but considering that today is Friday, I'm sure most of you are wondering why I have decided to open this blog entry with a brief description of a movie.

Would you believe that the movie was based on a television show of the same name that began airing 45 years earlier?

It's true. In fact, the movie “Dark Shadows” reunited four of the show's cast members on screen. Kathryn Leigh Scott, David Selby, Lara Parker, and Jonathan Frid all made cameos in the film. In fact, for Frid, the appearance ended up being his last on-screen appearance, as he died one month before the film opened, on April 14, 2012.



In fact, Frid ended up playing the very role that Johnny Depp played on that television program. But, I'm getting ahead of myself here.



Today's blog subject is “Dark Shadows” the television soap opera. The show aired on ABC from June 27, 1966 to April 2, 1971. Although the classification of the series was considered to be a soap opera, it was far unlike any other soap opera that has ever aired on television.



You see, “Dark Shadows” featured werewolves, vampires, zombies, plotlines that involved time-travel, witches, warlocks...even a parallel universe! The show ran for a little over twelve hundred episodes, and only lasted five years on the air. However, the show produced more episodes of content than most other science-fiction themed programs including “Star Trek” and “Doctor Who”. And until “Passions” came along in 1999, it was the longest-running daytime drama that had elements of the supernatural, ghosts, and witches.



So, how did “Dark Shadows” begin? Let's take a trip back in time to 1965, when show creator Dan Curtis had a bizarre dream one night. It was a dream of a young woman who was on a train going to some unknown destination. He told his wife of his dream and she believed that he had a wonderful idea for a new program. He decided to pitch his idea to ABC television executives who liked the idea enough to greenlight the production, and Curtis went to work hiring crew members.

The first person that Curtis hired was a man named Art Wallace. Curtis may have dreamt the dream that inspired the show idea, but he needed somebody to write a story based on the dream. So Wallace created the official show bible which was originally titled “Shadows on the Wall”. The title was later changed to “Dark Shadows” shortly before the show went on the air.

And the way that “Dark Shadows” began took place right off where Curtis' dream left off. A young orphan named Victoria Winters traveled by train to the town of Collinsport, Maine in an effort to discover more about her past. Once she arrives in town, she discovers that the town has a few secrets of its own...specifically at the very residence where she takes on a job.



With the story drafted, Curtis was responsible for finding the young actress to assume the role of Victoria. He ended up casting then unknown actress Alexandra Moltke, who was just nineteen at the time. Other actors and actresses who were cast in the show during the original casting process included Joan Bennett as Elizabeth Collins Stoddard, Louis Edmonds as Henry Collins (brother of Elizabeth), Nancy Barrett as Carolyn Stoddard (Elizabeth's rebellious daughter), and child actor David Henesy was cast as the youngest member of the Collins family, David Collins.

At the same time that the casting was being done, the crew was being hired as well. With Dan Curtis taking on the dual roles of creator and executive producer, Robert Costello was hired as a line producer, Robert Cobert created the musical score, Sy Thomashoff was responsible for the elaborate and dark sets on the show, and directing duties were shared between Lela Swift, John Sedgewick, and Henry Kaplan.



When “Dark Shadows” first began airing, it didn't exactly get off to a great start. At first, critics seemed bored by the show because of the fact that it seemed to focus so much on Alexandra Moltke, and because the show's storylines seemed to progress very slowly. But one thing that some people who watched the first episodes of the series noticed was that the first episode of the series seemed to mimic that of the popular television series “Peyton Place”. In fact, there were several examples of past literary works that were brought onto “Dark Shadows”, as several of the show's plotlines loosely followed the plots of these works. Some of these sources for plot inspiration included Jane Eyre, The Crucible, The Cask of Amontillado, The Pit and the Pendulum, The Tell-Tale Heart, The Lottery, Rebecca, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Nicholas Nickleby, Frankenstein, and The Picture of Dorian Grey.

It wasn't until 1967 that “Dark Shadows” began to attract attention from fans. Part of the reason why was due to the addition of Barnabas Collins...and with Barnabas' arrival came the decision to change the plots of “Dark Shadows” into more supernatural and macabre storylines that challenged the realism and romance that was present in other competing shows that aired at the time. But another reason why the show did so well was because of the time slot. Except for a brief period between the spring of 1967 and the summer of 1968, the show would air in the 4 in the afternoon time slot. At that time of the day, many junior high and high school students were home from school, and while their mothers (and grandmothers) were getting dinner ready, and doing household chores at that time, the kids would often take control of the television, choosing to watch “Dark Shadows”.

And for a while, “Dark Shadows” was one of ABC's most popular daytime dramas. It even ended up being one of the most watched shows during its time slot, beating CBS' “House Party” and NBC's “Match Game”.

Believe it or not, “Dark Shadows” ended up beating the brand new soap opera “One Life To Live” in the ratings when that show debuted in 1968!



And certainly, some of the show's earliest storylines were unlike anything that anyone had ever seen on daytime television, and as characters were fleshed out, the storylines became more and more addicting. From Victoria's arrival, to Burke Devlin seeking out revenge against the Collins family, to Elizabeth being blackmailed, to Barnabas' arrival, to Maggie's kidnapping, to a really strange plot involving a woman named Laura who was an immortal Phoenix who almost ended up killing David after bursting into flames! It seemed as though there was no limit to how dark and mysterious the show could get. By the end of the 1960s, “Dark Shadows” had become a cult hit and developed a strong following.

But as the sixties turned into the seventies, things started to go downhill.

It all started with a very unpopular storyline that began airing in 1970. For about six weeks, most of the main cast of the show were unavailable for the show as they were too busy filming the film “House of Dark Shadows”, and as a result, it caused the ratings to drop from a 7.3 to a 5.3. That's quite a stunning drop.



The introduction of a new soap opera, “Somerset” (which was actually a spin-off of “Another World”) also hurt “Dark Shadows”, as it aired in the same time slot on NBC, which also caused ratings to drop on ABC. Ironically, “Somerset” only lasted a grand total of three years...two years shorter than “Dark Shadows”.

By early 1971, the writing was soon on the wall for the future of “Dark Shadows”. Because the world was just entering a recession, ABC was looking for ways in which they could slash their budget, and decided to purge a few of their programs to save money. And, unfortunately for fans of “Dark Shadows”, the program was one of the first to be given the axe in 1971 due to its high production cost, and the fact that at that time, the 18-35 demographic were virtually ignored when it came to advertising for products during daytime television (and since “Dark Shadows” was made for that 18-35 demographic, network executives felt they could axe the program without compromising their revenues for advertising).

Despite outrage from fans, as well as a letter writing campaign, “Dark Shadows” aired its final episode on April 2, 1971...and because of the abruptness of the cancellation, a lot of unanswered questions were present, such as the parentage of Victoria Winters, for example.

It has been 41 years since “Dark Shadows” aired its final episode, and it still has a cult following today. There were a couple of attempts to reintroduce the series in 1991 and 2004, but nothing amounted to either attempt. And surprisingly enough, with the exception of one episode, all of the episodes of “Dark Shadows” are intact.

There was also a short-lived “Dark Shadows” comic that ran from 1971 to 1972, and of course, we have the 2012 film starring Johnny Depp.

In a way, I almost am sorry that I was born too late to appreciate this show when it originally aired...because if the movie version even remotely resembled the television series, I would probably have enjoyed it very much.

Do any of you remember “Dark Shadows”? Was it worth watching?