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Monday, March 25, 2013

Monday Bat-inee: Batman & Robin


Are you ready for the last “Monday Bat-inee” for this month?  I hope you are, because we’re concluding this look back on Batman month by featuring the last edition of the original Batman film franchise which began twenty-four years ago.

Unfortunately, many also believe that the film in today’s spotlight was easily the worst installment in the entire Batman franchise.  I can’t say that I disagree with that statement, as it’s easily my least favourite of all the Batman films as well.  But, the reason why I feel this way?  It may surprise you.

When you talk about why a movie fails, there are a lot of reasons why.  Sometimes, the casting might be a little bit off, and actors either deliver their lines flatly, or they share no chemistry with anybody else.  And, sometimes the actor just doesn’t suit the part, no matter how hard they try to make it work.  A lot of people seem to feel that this is what happened in this film, and again, I don’t disagree with them.  For me, it’s just not the main reason.

Then there’s the whole idea that the director and crew of a film can make or break it.  Certainly, Joel Schumacher was no stranger to the Batman franchise, as he directed 1995’s “Batman Forever”, which was a huge summer blockbuster that year.  Yet, for whatever reason, his second stint as director of a Batman film flopped.  I didn’t have any issue with the direction of the film, aside from the fact that there were obvious goofs with synchronizing the dialogue with the moving lips of the actors...but that’s more of a goof-up with the sound/editing crew, not necessarily the director.


If you honestly want my opinion as to why the 1997 film “Batman & Robin” flopped at the box office, it’s that I felt that at that time, the Batman franchise was getting a bit stale.  I’m not saying that the movie shouldn’t have been made at all...I think it could have worked, had the franchise taken a bit of a break, and the movie was released about five years after “Batman Forever”. 

When I was growing up, all the successful movies that I knew of had three installments.  There was the original, as well as two sequels.  And, that to me was perfectly fine.  Any more than that and you run the risk of getting bored with the series.  At least, I thought so, until the Harry Potter series proved me wrong somewhat.

But the theory makes sense, doesn’t it?  The “Lethal Weapon” franchise was perfect when it was a trilogy.  There was no need to make a fourth, as far as I was concerned, and the fourth film is my least favourite of the bunch.  The same deal goes with the “Naked Gun” series.  The first two films were genius, and while “Naked Gun 33 1/3” was fairly entertaining, the formula felt a bit bland by then.

As far as I’m concerned, the original Batman series should have ended with “Batman Forever”.  At least that way, it could have ended on a somewhat high note.  Instead, “Batman & Robin” sort of left a bad taste in my mouth because it didn’t seem like it was as good as the previous three films.  It may just be my opinion, but the whole film seemed to be slapped together in an editing suite in just twelve hours. 

But when director Christopher Nolan rebooted the Batman series (with Christian Bale as Batman/Bruce Wayne) in 2005 with “Batman Begins”, it offered a fresh new look at a classic superhero movie, and the Batman love affair was renewed.  I think part of the reason for the success can be credited to the cast, crew, and the huge marketing blitz that surrounded the film during the summer of 2005...but I also believe that in the eight years that passed between “Batman & Robin” and “Batman Begins” gave everyone the chance to start all over, and refresh the series once more. 

Anyway, enough about my opinion.  We have a movie to discuss even though it was critically lauded.


“Batman & Robin” was released on June 20, 1997, and as mentioned before was directed by Joel Schumacher.  Once again, Michael Gough and Pat Hingle reprised their roles as Alfred and Commissioner Gordon.  Chris O’Donnell also returned to portray Dick Grayson/Robin.  The rest of the cast was completely different, and all I have to say is that some of the casting decisions made me sort of scratch my head a bit.


I didn’t really have anything bad to say about Uma Thurman’s performance as Dr. Pamely Isley/Poison Ivy, but I don’t have anything good to say either.  As someone who thought that Uma did a great job in “Pulp Fiction” and “Kill Bill”, her performance in this film didn’t do much for me.  I’d also like to say that I also had no issue with Alicia Silverstone who played Barbara Wilson (a.k.a. Batgirl), but she was more of a supporting character than a lead role, and I couldn’t really get a feel on her.


(Turns out that there was a reason why Alicia Silverstone didn’t have a whole lot of scenes...and you’ll learn the reason a little bit later.)


However, I fail to understand why Joel Schumacher was so insistent on getting Arnold Schwarzenegger to play the role of Mr. Freeze in the movie.  Not to make any puns here, but Schwarzenegger’s performance left me a bit...cold.  I mean, Terminator, yes.  Commando, yes.  Heck, I’d even admit to liking him in “Kindergarten Cop”!  As a Batman villain though?  Well, let’s just say that I would have been more accepting of other actors on the shortlist.


And, I’m sorry for those of you who love him, but George Clooney was the weakest Batman of the whole franchise.  I thought he was fantastic in "ER", and the “Ocean’s Eleven” series, but honestly, I was kind of hoping that Val Kilmer would have returned for this installment.  It might have made this film easier to watch, though I do give Clooney some credit for stepping into a difficult role and trying to make it his own.

(And, that’s despite the fact that I saw the Batman films out of order...just in case you were curious, the order for me was Forever, Returns, Batman, B&R...)

Anyway, I won’t bore you with details of the plot too much.  The plot was a bit hard to follow (which was another reason why I was sort of bored by the film), but the gist of it is that a doctor by the name of Victor Fries was desperately trying to save his wife’s life after she contracted a rare disease known as MacGregor’s Syndrome.  Unfortunately, an accident in a cryogenics lab caused Fries to become Mr. Freeze, a Batman foe who becomes dependent on a diamond-powered subzero suit.

Meanwhile, botanist Pamela Isley witnesses her mad scientist boss Jason Woodrue (John Glover) administer a strength serum into a convict, transforming him into “Bane” (Robert “Jeep” Swenson), and during an argument with him, she ends up getting pushed into a shelf loaded with deadly toxins.  The toxins do not kill her, but the chemical reaction transforms her into “Poison Ivy”, and after killing Dr. Woodrue, flees from South America with Bane to cause mischief in Gotham City.

Needless to say, when Poison Ivy and Mr. Freeze come together, they have their own separate agendas as they attempt to destroy Gotham City with their powers.  It’s up to Batman to save the day.  But what happens when Robin suddenly begins to rebel against Batman?  And, how does Barbara (Alfred’s college-aged niece) fit into the scene?

Again, I won’t reveal the ending...such as it was.  I never reveal endings in Monday Matinees, regardless of how good or bad the film is.

But, what I will reveal is some behind the scenes trivia in regards to this movie, and maybe it will give you some indication as to why the film wasn’t as successful as it could have been.  I know that I certainly learned a lot.

01 – According to Joel Schumacher, he and Val Kilmer had difficulty working together on the set of “Batman Forever”, and he remarked that he let him go from the project.  But in reality, Kilmer had signed on to work on the 1997 film, “The Saint”.

02 – The film was nominated for eleven Golden Raspberry Awards.  Alicia Silverstone actually “beat” Uma Thurman for the Award for Worst Supporting Actress!


03 – Although the Smashing Pumpkins also earned a Razzie nomination for their original song “The End is the Beginning is the End” which appeared in the film, it simultaneously won the Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance!  I guess if you had to win one of the two, a Grammy is better than a Razzie!

04 – I’m beginning to understand why I felt that the film was rushed.  The production wrapped up two weeks ahead of schedule.

05 – This film was Warner Brothers’ attempt to make the Batman franchise family-friendly.  Considering that it currently holds an approval rating of less than 15% on Rotten Tomatoes, I’m guessing that gamble failed.

06 – Interestingly enough, “Star Trek: The Next Generation” actor Patrick Stewart was considered for the role of Mr. Freeze.  In all honesty, I think I might have preferred him over Schwarzenegger. 

07 – Schwarzenegger reportedly spent six hours getting his Mr. Freeze makeup and wardrobe.  But, when you consider that his take home pay was twenty-five million dollars, I suppose it was worth the money!

08 – Despite the negative reaction of the movie, it still managed to make almost $240 million at the box office during the summer of 1997.

09 – There was supposed to have been a planned fifth installment of the original franchise entitled “Batman Triumphant”, which would have been released in 1999 with Clooney and O’Donnell reprising their roles.  But after the dismal response to “Batman & Robin”, the “Triumphant” project was scrapped for good.

10 – Although George Clooney was happy to play Batman in “Batman & Robin” (mainly because his cousin, Miguel Ferrer was a huge Batman fan), he later admitted that the film might have “killed the franchise”.

11 – Clooney filmed episodes of “ER” while working on “Batman & Robin”, and sometimes visited the set of “ER” in full Batman costume.  I wonder how Julianna Margulies, Noah Wyle, and Anthony Edwards responded to that...


12 – Sadly, Robert “Jeep” Swenson died of a heart attack just two months after the film was released, on August 18, 1997.  He was just 40 years old.

13 – This film had the heaviest Batman costume of the four within the original Batman series, weighing in at a whopping ninety pounds!

14 – Ever wonder where the production crew came up with the name for “MacGregor Syndrome”?  It was named after one of the film’s producers, Peter Macgregor-Scott.

15 – Bruce Wayne/Batman’s credit card has an expiry date of “Forever”, which is a nice throwback to the previous film.

16 – Another reference to “Batman Forever” can be found in the scene where Mr. Freeze is held in the prison evidence room...the costumes that Two-Face and The Riddler wore in the previous film!

17 – Other actresses considered for the role of Poison Ivy included Sharon Stone, Julia Roberts, and Demi Moore.  I’ll admit that Demi Moore would have made an interesting choice, but not so much the other two.

18 – Jesse Ventura makes an appearance in the film, meaning that “Batman & Robin” was a film that contained two future U.S. Governors.  Ventura became Governor of Minnesota in 1998, and Schwarzenegger became the Governor of California in 2003.

19 – A lot of Alicia Silverstone’s scenes were edited out of the film because Alicia had gained a few pounds while shooting the film and her costume had to be refit.  When the media turned the story into a scandal at Silverstone’s expense, Schumacher vehemently stood up for the actress at every opportunity.  While I’ll admit that Schumacher’s vision for this film wasn’t executed as well as it could have, I’ll also admit to having a ton of respect for him based on his defense of Silverstone.

20 – Before Clooney was given the role of Batman, David Duchovny was considered for the role.

21 – Believe it or not, two extras on set were arrested and fired after they tried to sell bootlegged footage of the film taken from security cameras!  Whoops!

22 – In the ‘TOO MUCH INFORMATION’ files, Clooney admitted to peeing inside the Batman suit on at least one occasion!  Though, to be fair, it took a long time for Clooney to get out of the heavy costume.

23 – If the picture of Barbara’s mother in the film looks vaguely familiar, it’s because the image is that of Gloria Stuart, who played the elderly Rose in 1997’s “Titanic”.

24 – Nicole Kidman was supposed to play Poison Ivy in “Batman Forever”, but when Schumacher realized that there would be too many Batman villains in one movie, Poison Ivy was added to “Batman & Robin” instead

25 – Mr. Freeze makes about 27 puns related to ice, snow, and freezing during the film...which in my opinion, was 24 puns too many.

26 – Before Alicia Silverstone was cast as Batgirl, Christina Ricci was considered for the role, but she was busy filming “The Ice Storm” at the time.


27 – When asked what prop he would like to take home from the movie set, Clooney responded with Elle Macpherson (who played Bruce Wayne’s love interest, Julie Madison).

And, that wraps up our final Monday Bat-inee.  Did all of you enjoy this series this month?  If so, let me know!  If I get enough feedback, I’ll consider doing the rebooted film series at a future date!  J

Sunday, March 24, 2013

Jann Arden and her "Insensitive" Success Story


You know, when I was choosing topics for this weekend, it was really not my intention to have all three topics for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday be Canadian themed. And, yet, that is exactly what has happened.

And, it's not even July the first!!!



Truth be told, I am very proud of my Canadian heritage. I'd love to say that I want to visit many countries in the world, but I can't see myself living anywhere else other than Canada. I think that's why whenever I have the opportunity to talk about a Canadian subject in this blog, I take full advantage because I love the country of my birth so much.

Even if the opportunity came up to relocate to another country, I would still find a way to keep my Canadian background alive, whether it be wearing a toque wherever I go, to introducing locals to the delicacy known as the poutine.



(That's french fries, cheese curd, and gravy, for those of you who don't know what a poutine is.)

Anyway, today's blog topic deals with a Canadian artist who has had quite the career for herself. Since her debut album was released in 1993, she has racked up seventeen Top 10 singles in Canada, won eight Juno Awards, earned a star on Canada's Walk of Fame in 2006, and was inducted into the Canadian Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame in 2007.

But although she has had much success in her native Canada, she didn't have that much luck in the United States. The only single release that ended up making the Top 20 was this single, which hit the charts in 1995.



ARTIST: Jann Arden
SONG: Insensitive
ALBUM: Living Under June
DATE RELEASED: August 10, 1994
PEAK POSITION ON THE BILLBOARD CHARTS: #12

NOTE #1: I couldn't find the actual release date for “Insensitive”, so I opted to use the release date for the album instead. In the United States, it was released in late 1995.

NOTE #2: Although the song peaked at #12 in the United States, it became a #1 hit for Arden, as well as her most recognized song.



Now, here's the deal with Jann Arden. The song “Insensitive” is a rarity for her, in that it is one of the few songs she did NOT write herself.

The story goes like this. At the time, Jann Arden was based out of Calgary, Alberta, Canada (she was born in Springbank, Alberta almost fifty-one years ago, on March 27, 1962), and she went to a club where a woman named Anne Loree was performing. One of the songs she was singing that night was a song she penned in the aftermath of an unhappy fling with the chef of the restaurant that she worked at as a waitress. The way that Anne Loree described the songwriting process can be found on her official website (www.anneloree.com).

I sat down at my electric piano in the basement of a rented house I shared with four roommates, broke and broken hearted, full of pain and angst, and wrote 'Insensitive'. It took me probably less than half an hour and I walked away feeling much better for it and much hipper to Prince Charmings who aren't really into you.”



Probably one of the most candid, yet brilliant explanations of what a song is about if ever I heard one. No wonder Jann Arden fell in love with the song, and asked Loree if she could sing her own version on her upcoming sophomore album, “Living Under June”. Loree gave her blessing, and the song was the second release from the album following “Could I Be Your Girl”.



The song was wildly successful in Canada, peaking at #1 in January 1995, but it took some time for the song to chart stateside. Part of the reason why the song was so successful was because it was included in the soundtrack of the film “Bed of Roses”, which starred Mary Stuart Masterson and Christian Slater.

The song was also successful in other countries as well. It became a #1 hit in Australia during the summer of 1996, and believe it or not, the song actually began charting in Italy before climbing the charts in Canada. It peaked at #14 in December 1994, aided by the fact that it was used in an Italian jeans commercial.

And, the song itself won the Juno Award for Single of the Year in 1996.

ADMISSION: After reading all of the information about “Insensitive”, I am now starting to understand why I thought the song was on the radio forever. By all accounts, it was in the Top 20 for nearly two years all around the globe!



And, that's really all that I have to say about the song “Insensitive”. So, to close off this piece, I thought that I would offer up some interesting facts about the woman who sang the song. After all, Jann Arden has lived quite an interesting life, and has had a ton of experiences along the way. Many of them were good...but a few of them were painful. That said, the sense of humour that Jann Arden has displayed through it all has been remarkable. I've always believed that the people who have gone through a lot in their lives turn out to be some of the most interesting adults in the world, and I think that description can apply to Jann.

Anyway, I'm babbling on, so let's just get on to some of things you may (or may not know) about Jann Arden.

  • Did you know that she once owned a restaurant in Calgary, Alberta known as “The Arden”? Sadly, the restaurant closed up shop in the mid-2000s.
  • Did you know that she was once escorted off of a VIA Rail train in March 2012 because she brought her dog on board? She was enroute to a concert in Ottawa, and the story made headlines all across Canada.
  • Did you know that her birth name is Jann Arden Anne Richards?
  • Did you know that she appeared as a guest star on the Canadian sitcom, “Corner Gas”, and is a frequent contributor to “The Rick Mercer Report”? Here's a clip of her and Rick Mercer below.



  • Did you know that she has taken part in several performances of “The Vagina Monologues” all across Canada?



  • Did you know that one of Jann's brothers is currently serving a life sentence in prison, and that her song “Hangin' By A Thread” is dedicated to him? He was convicted of murder right around the same time she scored her record deal with Universal Records in 1992.
  • Did you know that Jann Arden absolutely hates being on the red carpet for award shows? In an interview that she gave to The Globe and Mail in early 2012, she joked that when people asked her “who are you wearing”, she would respond with “Winners” (a discount outlet store here in Canada), adding that her bra was purchased at Walmart!



  • Did you know that she recorded an album of mostly cover songs? The album, “Uncover Me”, was released in 2007, and contained covers of songs by Janis Ian, The Mamas and The Papas, Cat Stevens, Dusty Springfield, and Petula Clark, among others. A second album of covers was released in 2011, appropriately called “Uncover Me 2”.
  • Did you know that Jann's song, “Run Like Mad” was originally used as the theme song for international airings of the teen drama “Dawson's Creek”? It aired during the first season, but was replaced by Paula Cole's “I Don't Want To Wait”.
  • Did you know that she poked fun at Pamela Anderson at the 2006 Juno Awards? After hearing Pamela Anderson ranting about being against the seal hunt in Canada, she responded by jokingly telling the audience that her brassiere was constructed entirely of seal eyelids! Yikes!
  • Did you know that Jann Arden is also a talented writer? She's released two books of poetry and personal reflections, an autobiography, and is a fairly regular contributor to Elle Magazine Canada. But, then again, when you consider that she wrote a lot of her own songs, this isn't much of a shocker.
  • Did you know that although Jann Arden officially made it big in the mid-1990s, she actually recorded her first single thirty-three years ago? The 1980 single, “Never Love A Sailor” never charted here in Canada.
  • Did you know that the majority of music videos that Jann recorded were directed by Jeth Weinrich? He directed all of Jann's music videos between 1993 and 2000.

Saturday, March 23, 2013

Remembering Mr. Dressup


I want to tell you a story about my community arts centre because it happens to be the place where some of my fondest childhood memories were born...and it also happens to be connected to today's blog subject. I'm trying to make this blog more personal so that all of you can get to know why I am such a pop culture addict, and what makes my mind tick.

(And, believe me, that can be a scary thought.)




The truth is that throughout my early childhood, I reckon that I went to our community arts centre dozens of times. In some cases, we went there on school field trips, but sometimes my parents would take me down to special events that were going on in our town. And, while I would be here all day if I went on and on about every event I went to in great detail, I do want to provide a partial list of some of the concerts and plays that I saw as a child (keeping in mind that I was a little boy and my tastes weren't quite that sophisticated back then).

Among some of my favourite memories at the community arts centre were...

  • Seeing a stage production of “Charlotte's Web” when I was in the second grade (we were reading the book in class that year).
  • Seeing a stage production of “Winnie the Pooh” in the third grade (we read that book the same year).
  • Watching Eric Nagler performing in concert (I was sick with the flu when Sharon, Lois, and Bram came, and this was my make-up show!)
  • Seeing Robert Munsch (and meeting him after the show) when I was eight years old. Truly the highlight of this blogger's life, and the incident that likely spawned his interest in reading and writing!)
  • Performing at the Lions Club Music Festival with our grade seven/eight concert band (and doing incredibly well)!
  • Watching multiple re-enactments of “Polka Dot Door Live” at the Arts Centre (I had a bit of an obsession with the show when I was kindergarten aged).
  • I even attended a taping of the classic lottery television show called “Wintario”...and despite the fact that Greg Beresford didn't let me push the button to start the lottery drums, I still had a great time. The ticket that I was holding ended up winning ten bucks! Of course, I was too young to redeem it, so my mom had to do it for me.

That's quite a lot of memories from one little place, isn't it? I think that's why I will always have a soft spot for my little community arts centre, no matter how old I get.

There's one more memory that I have to share with all of you. And, this memory is one that I will forever cherish. It's one of the earliest memories that I have of the arts centre, and why it means so much to me now is because the person that I went to see that day is no longer alive.





I can't remember what year it was that I went to go and see Mr. Dressup performing at the Arts Centre. I want to say that I was five or six at the time. Mr. Dressup was one of my favourite television shows to watch at the time, and when I heard that he was coming to town, I practically begged my mom to get tickets for us to go see him. If I remember correctly, my mother actually borrowed the money from my grandmother so that she could make it happen, which looking back on it now makes the memory even more special.

It was such a wonderful show. Mr. Dressup brought everything with him. He brought his Tickle Trunk, he brought his easel that he used to draw things on, and he even brought Casey and Finnegan's treehouse, along with Casey and Finnegan themselves! It was like I was watching the popular television series that aired on CBC Television come to life right before my eyes. It was a memory unlike any other, and I will always carry that memory with me as long as I am able to remember it.

Of course, now that I've written it down and posted it for all to see, I guess I always will have that permanent reminder.




Anyway, since I brought up the television show, let's talk a little bit about it, shall we?

Now, I get that a lot of you reading this in the United States and overseas have no idea who Mr. Dressup is, and to that I say that I am sorry that you never got to experience this show, as it truly was one of a kind. But, as I understand, some states that were close to the Canadian border could pick up the show, so maybe some of you living in Washington, Michigan, Pennsylvania, New York, and Maine might have seen it.

The show debuted on CBC forty-six years ago, on February 13, 1967. The show was developed and produced by Daniel McCarthy, and its star was an actor by the name of Ernie Coombs.

TRIVIA: I'll bet you didn't know this, but Ernie Coombs was born in Lewiston, Maine, making him American by birth. He moved to Canada in the mid-1960s, where the CBC was interested in creating an early draft of the television series, Mister Rogers Neighborhood! After all, Coombs was an understudy of Fred Rogers. That project didn't work out as Rogers would move back to the United States in 1966. But, Coombs stayed, and after a couple of years on the series “Butternut Square”, he landed the iconic role of “Mr. Dressup”. Ironically enough, the show debuted one year before Fred Rogers launched “Mister Rogers Neighborhood” on PBS.

Anyway, Mr. Dressup became one of the longest running programs in Canadian history airing for nearly three decades before wrapping up production on February 14, 1996. And, each episode usually featured one of three things.




Firstly, there would always be some sort of skit or a play that would be performed in each episode that was based on a story or a fairy tale. And, Mr. Dressup would always act out the play by dressing up in costumes.

(Hence the nickname Mr. Dressup.)




And, where were the costumes found? Well, they were found inside of Mr. Dressup's magical Tickle Trunk. It was magical because everything inside of the trunk was made in Mr. Dressup's size, and contained almost all the pieces necessary for Mr. Dressup to act out the story appropriately.

And, in the case that he was missing an item? Well, that set the stage for the second part of what was found in every episode.




Mr. Dressup would often show the viewers at home how to do a craft that was related to the skit that he would perform in each episode. Whether it was a magic want, a hat, or something else, we would all make the crafts along with him. And, what was great about Mr. Dressup was the fact that he made the instructions so easy to understand, so we could follow along with him at home. I even remember making a couple of Mr. Dressup crafts in my youth, and did them flawlessly thanks to his easy instruction.

And, then we have the third constant of the show...a visit from Casey and Finnegan. Usually, Casey and Finnegan could be found in the treehouse outside, but sometimes they came inside Mr. Dressup's house to visit him.




Casey and Finnegan were created by puppeteer Judith Lawrence, and she voiced Casey, as well as other puppets that would appear on the show including Aunt Bird and Alligator Al. She stayed on the show for several years, but retired from performing in 1989. So, considering that I was eight in 1989, knowing that I very well could have seen one of the last times that Judith Lawrence would perform as Casey and Finnegan live made that memory even more special.

TRIVIA: Just to clarify, Finnegan was the dog...but Casey's gender was never really identified. Casey was chosen as the character's name, as the name was gender-neutral. Just for the record, I always assumed that Casey was a boy.

The show was also aided by some human guest stars as well...perhaps one of the most frequent people to appear on the show was voice artist Alyson Court, who began appearing on the show at age eleven! She appeared on and off the show until 1994.

And, when Judith Lawrence left the show, the treehouse set remained, but a community center set was added, along with some brand new puppet characters, which included Chester the Crow (Karen Valleau), Truffles (Nina Keogh), Granny (Jani Lauzon), and Lorenzo the Raccoon (Bob Dermer). The change was done gradually, so that viewers could transition to the new characters. 

By the time the show wrapped up in 1996, Coombs had begun touring college and university campuses all across Canada, talking to college students who had grown up watching him on television. Sadly, on September 10, 2001, he suffered a serious stroke, and eight days later, Ernie Coombs passed away at the age of 73.




It's been almost twelve years since he passed away, and I remember being very sad hearing the news. Many Canadians were still on edge over the terrorist attacks that took place a week prior, and to have a Canadian icon pass away one week later...well, it was a sad day knowing that the man that made generations of children happy was no longer here. It was comforting to know that repeats of his show aired as long as five years after his passing, with the final airdate of Mr. Dressup on CBC being September 3, 2006.

But even though Mr. Dressup is gone, his legacy remains. Both his Tickle Trunk and Casey and Finnegan's treehouse are on display in Toronto, and on what would have been Mr. Dressup's eighty-fifth birthday, on November 26, 2012, Google Canada designed a special Google doodle on its homepage to honour Mr. Dressup's memory.




A fitting tribute to a beloved Canadian classic.

Friday, March 22, 2013

Canada's Worst Driver


I talked about my fear of driving a couple of entries ago, and how that paralyzing fear has kind of impacted my life. My fear of getting behind the wheel of a car has probably closed a lot of doors in my life, and at some point, I want to try and get more comfortable behind the wheel so I can do more with myself. Of course, in order for me to do this, I will need to find someone who is patient enough and willing to sit beside me while I attempt to overcome that fear. Whether it means going to take courses, or finding someone who will not grab the wheel while I drive, I've come to the conclusion that I need to do something, or else I would have to find a community with a decent public transportation system.

I'm certainly not going to sugarcoat things. I am a very inexperienced driver. I will not make the claim that I am the best driver in the world because let's face it...I would be lying through my teeth. At the very least though, I am not one to delude myself with visions of grandeur over my driving abilities. I own up to the fact that I suck.

Of course, not everyone in the world is as honest about their lack of skills as I am. There are some who feel that they are much better at driving (or anything for that matter) than they really are. Some people might have a learning disability that prevents them from understanding road signs, or may have vision impairment issues that may require prescription glasses or contact lenses. Some people may have passengers who are “backseat drivers”, and who do more harm than good. Some people might have had a traumatic experience with driving before, and have forgotten crucial driving skills.

And, then some people are just complete morons.

Around the world, there have been several television shows that have gathered all of these people into one parking lot where we viewers at home can watch them smash into cardboard courses, chip and tear the paint off the sides of the cars, and run over several cardboard cutouts of pedestrians. And, unfortunately, for most of these shows, they are done solely for entertainment purposes, where we're supposed to laugh, and make fun of people for being absolute morons. And, to me, that's not right because they could be very good people outside of the show (just terrible drivers). Even more frustrating is the fact that the bad drivers never seem to learn anything from their time on the show. They're just there to provide entertainment. I'm specifically pointing at the American version, which I found to be quite tacky and ignorant.

Fortunately, in my home country of Canada, our version is much superior (at least in my eyes it is). I mean, sure, you have the entertainment value of it. The reactions of some of the bad drivers are sometimes priceless, and there certainly are a lot of laughs to go around. But unlike other shows, this show teaches you critical skills, such as what to do if you do a skid on an icy corner, or learning how to drive both automatic and standard transmission vehicles, or even what the meaning of certain road signs are. And, there's no feeling more rewarding than seeing the happy expressions on people's faces whenever they grasp a concept and pass a challenge.

Of course, not everybody passes the challenges...



Ah well...such is life when you are nominated for Canada's Worst Driver, which is the subject of today's blog.



As of 2013, Canada's Worst Driver has aired for eight seasons. Debuting on October 2, 2005 and hosted by Andrew Younghusband since the show's inception on Canada's Discovery Channel, the show has been educating bad drivers and putting them through a strict rehabilitation program where they learn how to drive in a straight line, how to reverse, how to swerve and avoid, how to drive a multitude of vehicles from a SmartCar to a school bus, and how to drive around a course with a gigantic tank of water strapped to the roof!

I'm serious! Have a look!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lu29MsYBlc

Now, mind you, the odds of one careening down a major highway with enough water to fill a child-size pool on your roof are slim to nil, but there is a point to that and all the other challenges. The challenges are meant to instill confidence in the drivers, while teaching them basic driving tips, such as knowing where your wheels are, and looking where you want to go.

At the end of each episode, a panel of judges along with Andrew review the footage of all of the nominees (who are nominated by family members or friends), and make the decision as to who deserves to get their licenses back (the drivers are forced to hand them over to Andrew once they arrive at the driver's rehabilitation centre). Usually, at the end of the episode, one person will graduate from the program and drive back home. But sometimes, nobody is eliminated, and sometimes, circumstances prevent the person from finishing rehab (more on that later).

Regardless, at the final episode of each season, the remaining drivers are taken out on one final drive in a major city to test them on what they have learned. Cities that have been in the spotlight in past seasons have included Montreal, Toronto, Barrie, and Niagara Falls. Whoever does the best on the final road test will be the final graduate. Whoever does the worst overall, will be named Canada's Worst Driver.

Since eight seasons have already aired, we have eight...no, wait...we actually have nine people named Canada's Worst Driver (in one season there was a tie). Just for posterity purposes, I'll provide the list of people who have “won” the title of Canada's Worst Driver over the years, obscuring their last names, as I will be typing in their home location beside their names.

2005 – Chris F. - Mississauga, Ontario
2006 – Henrietta G. - Rockland, Ontario
2007 – Jason Z. - Vancouver, British Columbia
2008 – Ashley V. - Medicine Hat, Alberta
2009 – Angelina M. - Sudbury, Ontario
2010 – Lance M. - Ottawa, Ontario
2011 – Shirley S. - Port Caledonia, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia
2012 – Kevin S. - McBride, British Columbia & Flora W. - Edmonton, Alberta

(NOTE: Considering that half of these drivers are from my home province, is it any wonder why I get the heebie-jeebies behind the wheel?)

In each case, all of the Worst Driver's had some sort of flaw. Lance was too emotional behind the wheel, Ashley had temper issues, Angelina was the most distracted driver the show ever had, and Kevin only had one eye!

And, certainly if you watched some of the drivers in action, you might get an idea as to why they were eventually given the title of Canada's Worst Driver in the first place. Take a look at Season 4's Ashley, and Season 6's Lance in action below...




However, there have also been some fantastic success stories over the eight year history of the show. Arun from Season 5 was on his way to failing everything in the early episodes, but by the end of the season, he had a perfect drive in the city challenge. In season 6, Brad went from causing several accidents which lead to his being banned from driving by his own wife to being a more confident motorist. And, in season 7, we met Aaron Cheshire, whose story touched a lot of people's hearts. Listen to the story below.



Despite the trauma that came from that near-fatal car accident, Aaron persevered, and became the final graduate of his season. His story was truly heartwarming, and you could tell that Aaron got a lot out of driving rehab.

Unfortunately, there are also some people who have appeared on the show who never really seemed to learn from their mistakes. The four people you'll meet below are some of the ones who were NOT named Canada's Worst Driver, but probably could have been had they stuck around. In two cases, they were named the runner-ups of their seasons, but the other three were either expelled or dropped out of rehab.

Be very cautious of these people. I hope that since their shows aired, that they have reformed their bad ways and are great drivers. In case they haven't, be on the lookout for these faces.

SLY (Season 7)

Okay, it's bad enough that Sly was a complete technology addict, getting distracted by his ringing cell phone and his GPS device to get him where he needed to go. But once he got onto the rehabilitation centre, he caused a lot of grief and a lot of fear to the crew of the show. Do you remember that clip I posted a couple days ago of the man who punctured his gas tank while doing a course? 



Yep. That's Sly. How Shirley ended up being named Canada's Worst over Sly is a mystery that I don't know if I'll figure out.

DALE (Season 6)

Oh, Dale, Dale, Dale...first things first, you need to do some serious brushing up on your road signs. For starters, I will let you know that on Canadian highways (and I am guessing the same holds true in America), a question mark means that an information/tourist area is ahead. Listen to her describe her thoughts on what the sign means.



Oh, yeah...she almost KILLED THE HOST!



SCOTT (Season 6)

With this one, I think actions are probably better than words.



NOTE: Season 2's Colin was also expelled from his season on similar grounds.

DONNA (Season 4)

According to the epilogue of Donna's final episode, she “thanked” the show for being responsible for getting her license permanently taken away. While I don't know for sure if this was the truth, Donna certainly had it coming given some of her confessions in front of the camera.

  • She gets a “high” running through stop signs.
  • She gets a “high” speeding through red lights.
  • She has admitted to striking pedestrians and cyclists.
  • She has even admitted to drinking and driving (but only when she goes to the Bingo hall).
  • And, as if that weren't bad enough, she even fell asleep behind the wheel and almost crashed her car due to her being under the influence.

No wonder she turned in performances like these ones below.



After seeing that, would YOU trust her to have her license back? I can't say I would feel comfortable about it.

So, in conclusion, I think Canada's Worst Driver is a great show. Yes, it's entertaining, but it also teaches you crucial skills, and builds confidence.

More importantly, it also teaches bad drivers that sometimes their actions have consequences.