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Thursday, March 28, 2013

The Nucleus of Negativity


This Thursday Diary entry is going to be one that is needed for me to look back on. It's not so much a message to anyone in particular. It's more like a personal reminder for me not to fall back on old patterns, and move forward with my plans for a better future for myself.

March 28, 2013

The decision that I have made to make my life a better one this year has not been an easy one to follow through on. Certainly, it's a decision that I have thought about for quite a long time, and it's only been now that I've come to the conclusion that it can definitely be possible to make some huge changes that will better myself.

But, I will be completely honest with all of you reading this. It's one thing to say that you want to make changes, and it's one thing to put forth the effort and commitment to make sure that you get everything that you want in this life. But sometimes, that isn't enough.

In order to really have a shot at making sure that the decisions that you're planning on making are the good ones, you almost need to have a driving force behind you at all times. In a lot of cases, many people have found the courage to make these decisions based on the love and support of loved ones and close friends. And, in a lot of cases, many people find strength in positivity. It's no secret that a positive attitude is always the key to success in life and, as long as one is optimistic about things, the possibility of dreams coming true will be greater.

But what happens when you don't really have a large support system at your fingertips, and you don't really have anyone in your corner to keep you on the right track towards making those dreams come true? And, what happens when you're in a situation where you try with all your might to stay positive and you can't because everyone else around you is a Debbie or Darryl Downer?

I would think that it would be difficult to find the courage and the strength necessary to make life-changing decisions, wouldn't it? When one doesn't have anyone standing by the choices they make and supporting them on their journey, it's easy to have the attitude of “why should I try to make my life any better if there isn't anyone else to share my joy and successes with me?”

And, I would also think it would be difficult to put on a happy face, when everywhere you look are frowns and tears, and you hear the words “woe is me” inserted into every conversation.

How do I know this? Because I've been one of those people who have experienced this phenomenon hands on.



It's a little vortex that I like to refer to as the “Nucleus of Negativity”.

If you've ever taken physics, then you probably know the definition of the word nucleus. Even though I only lasted four weeks in my physics class before I dropped the class because of it being too complex for my mind to process, I did learn that a nucleus is the core of an atom.

So, if the nucleus is the core, then obviously whatever surrounds the nucleus will have an effect on the heart of the atom, right? I suppose in a way, it's kind of comparable to the human heart inside of a body. In order to keep the body going at its maximum health, you feasibly have to keep your heart as healthy as possible. You do this by doing things that will keep your body healthy and happy. You drink milk, you exercise, you eat all the right foods.

In short, if you treat your body with tender loving care, then your body should continue to give you TLC right back.

And, I'm not just talking about physical health either. The same principle applies towards mental health as well.

If you're surrounded by positive people, and have lots of support, then feasibly speaking, you should have a better shot at making good decisions in your life, right?

Well, I've come to the conclusion that a lot of the reason why I have been making excuses for why I don't do anything to change my life is because I have been caught in the Nucleus of Negativity for quite some time. And, when one gets stuck in that trap, it becomes incredibly difficult to get out of it. Believe me, I know from experience.



I'll be the first one to admit that when I was younger, I had the worst attitude towards life in general. I can admit that now. Back in those days, I couldn't.

And the reason why I couldn't was because I was stuck in that negative zone and was unable to find my way out of it. I don't really need to go into detail over what my teenage years were like, because you already know all of it, and I promised myself that I wouldn't talk about those days as I have already made peace with it. I plan to keep that promise, but I'll state that having a negative frame of mind was easy at that time.

A little bit too easy, looking back on it.

But just fast-forwarding ahead a few years, I'm finding that my mood for the day is largely based on the moods of others. If I'm around people who are in a wonderful, positive mood, then I tend to be quite positive myself. On the flipside, if I am surrounded by negativity...well, guess what happens?



And, I'm at the point in my life where I can't handle being around constant negativity any longer. Because when others are in a negative frame of mind, it causes me to fall into that trap, and I become a negative person myself. Let's be honest here. Nobody likes being around a negative person. I'm fairly sure that when I was younger, I was always in a pessimistic mood because I kind of expected it. Whenever anybody said anything nice to me, or paid me a compliment, I laughed it off, or I became all defensive, insisting that I wasn't deserving of it. Who does that anyway?

Well, looking back on it, I did. And, sometimes I still do.

And, that's one of the many drawbacks to being trapped in the Nucleus of Negativity. It causes you to question everything about yourself, and it implants feelings of self-doubt and anger over things that may not necessarily be your fault or in your control. And, because of that, some people might feel the need to try and spread that negativity around to other people in the hopes that they can rid themselves of their negative feelings by passing it onto someone else.

Of course, we all know that doesn't work. If anything, it just increases the intensity of the negativity.

So the question becomes...how can I break free of the Nucleus of Negativity? How can I find my way back to building up a positive attitude again?

Well, the answer may seem incredibly simple upon reading it, but I've found that the best way to get out of the Nucleus of Negativity is to avoid getting stuck in it in the first place!

I'm being serious here!

When I was growing up, I probably tried to befriend people who didn't exactly have my best interests at heart. In fact, a lot of them kind of used me for something, and once they got it, they cast me aside. Not exactly what one would call a healthy friendship, right? But yet, I kept coming back for more because that was all that I had known. The worse I was treated, the more I came to expect it. It really wasn't until I entered adulthood and came across people who really did care that I began to turn my whole life around, and started to look at the world through a positive filter. Of course, it took me some time to get to that point because I was still stuck in the middle of that negativity nucleus.



I'm at a point in my life where I feel as though I am getting better at staying positive, but I do have setbacks now and again, as everyone else does. But, I know now that I don't want to spend the rest of my life with a black cloud of negativity hanging over my head. I need to maintain the drive and ambition that is powered by positivity so I can find my ticket to happiness.



If that means that I sit at a lunch table by myself with my iPod to drown out the gossip, the finger-pointing, and the constant complaining, then that's what I will do. Because it's too easy to fall into that trap.



If that means that I have to take a brisk walk from one end of town to the other to cool down after dealing with people within my own family who are constantly down, then I'll strap on my running shoes and walk, walk, walk. Because it's too easy to fall into that trap.



If that means that I have to turn off people's news feeds on social networking sites and log off of these sites to watch something funny on YouTube, then that's what I will do. Because it's too easy to fall into that trap.

I'm at an age and a time in my life where negative people are no longer welcome in my life. Everyone is entitled to a bad day every now and again, but when people do everything to bring you down, I'm not okay with it. Nor am I okay with being in a situation where everyone around you is complaining about everything.

I don't have it in me to deal with negativity anymore. I need to stay positive at all times...and I know that in order for me to do that, I need people in my life who will support me, and stand by me, and offer me their blessing in choices that I have to make for myself so I can continue to grow and develop.



And, I think that next Thursday, I'll talk about that in greater detail...

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

The Tales of Beatrix Potter


Can you believe that Easter Sunday is just four short days away? I tell you, whenever Easter falls in March, I think it screws all of us up. But, according to several sources, Easter can fall anywhere between March 22 and April 25. The earliest Easter I remember fell on March 26, and the latest I can recall was on April 24. It's one of those magical holidays that can fall anywhere within a five-week period, and occasionally, it can fall in March, as is the case for 2013.

With Easter fast approaching, I thought that I would use this blog space to speak about a subject that is loosely related to Easter-themed symbols and icons. Mind you, the books by today's featured author aren't quite Easter related, but there's enough symbolism present that I can do a fairly good job tying the two themes together.
And, as always, this post was actually inspired by a childhood memory.

You know how almost every fast food place in the world seems to have a children's menu complete with toys, games, and activities? I think I probably have explained this before, but one of the reasons why I hung around McDonald's so much in my youth was because of the lure of the McDonald's Happy Meals. It certainly wasn't because I liked the energy surrounding McDonald's, and it sure as heck wasn't because of the food (which, coincidentally I cannot stand these days). It was because of the wonderful toys and games and puzzles that were included within each Happy Meal. I amassed a small collection of these toys, and played with them almost every day in my youth.

Well, the promise of toys upon every visit wasn't limited to just fast food outlets in my store. There's a barbershop/salon chain in town that gives out free crayons and finger puppets, and I will be the first one to admit that if I weren't in my thirties, I would totally take advantage. There was a supermarket chain that existed years ago that helped me build a complete set of encyclopedias back in the day (which unfortunately are now twenty-five years out of date).

Believe it or not, even gas stations took advantage of offering up toys and games when people dropped by to fill up their cars with gas. And, one particular gas station had a series of books that were available to purchase for $2.99 each when you bought gasoline from them.

If memory serves me, it was the local Shell station (I only remember the name because there was another time in which they gave away Sesame Street figurines the year before), and there were twenty-three different pocket-size books available to buy. Because my family were very loyal to their friendly neighbourhood gas station, it took a lot of convincing to get them to drive out of the way to purchase gas from the Shell station just so they could have the chance to purchase the books for me. Even so, I didn't get the complete collection. If anything, I think I only ended up with a quarter of the books that were offered.



But, since that works out to approximately six books, I think it's enough to do a blog entry on the late children's author, Beatrix Potter.

Yes, there was a time in which Shell stations offered people a chance to read to their kids while filling their tanks with gas by selling Beatrix Potter books at the front checkouts. And, you know something, it was a brilliant idea. Growing up and reading the books, I'll be the first to admit that the books are classic tales with morals, lessons, and just a smidgen of humour, and I'll always have a soft spot for the literary works of Beatrix Potter.

Before I go ahead with the books that I have read of hers, why don't I give off a brief biography of Beatrix Potter.

She was born in Kensington, London, England, on July 28, 1866. She was raised in a Unitarian family, and much of the inspiration behind many of her books was influenced by her childhood. She and her brother had several small animals as pets, and Beatrix used to observe them very closely, even drawing up sketches of them. Her family also took frequent holidays to Scotland, and the English Lake District, which helped Beatrix grow to love the natural world.

Throughout her formative years, Beatrix Potter took private art lessons and was an all around good student, becoming skilled in languages, science, history, and literature. Over time, Beatrix experimented with several forms of illustrating, discovering that watercolour was what she liked working with best. After experiencing some great success from illustrating greeting cards, and booklets, she published the first of twenty-three books in 1901. At first, she had intended to publish the book privately, but within a year, she had inked a deal with Frederick Warne & Co. to have the book circulated as a small three-colour illustrated book to the public. Over the next twenty years, she would have several works published, and she would also use the money to purchase several English farms in the hopes of preserving the countryside she grew to love. In fact, her love for the countryside was so great that upon her death on December 22, 1943, she left her entire fortune to the National Trust, which used the money to preserve most of the land that makes up the Lake District National Park in England.

So, let's talk about some of the stories that helped Beatrix Potter become a star of the literary world. Of the 23 original works that she wrote, I read and owned five of them. And, what better way to illustrate the tales of Beatrix Potter than talking about my own personal experiences with them.



THE TALE OF PETER RABBIT (1902)

This was Beatrix Potter's first book, and as it so happens, it was the book that introduced me to the world of Beatrix Potter. Of course, everyone has heard of the various tales, songs and stories that have been told about Peter Rabbit, but in Potter's version, Peter Rabbit is one naughty bunny. And, right off the bat, the story begins on a disturbing note as we are introduced to the Rabbit family. Let's see...there's a mother rabbit, and her babies (Peter and his sisters)...but no father. Turns out that Father Bunny's fate was a gruesome one. While he was out gathering food for the family, he was trapped by Mr. McGregor, and baked into a pie and eaten!

As I said, disturbing.

Anyway, Peter's mother warns the children not to go anywhere near Mr. McGregor's garden, but the temptation of fresh carrots, delicious lettuce, and savoury herbs proved to be too much for Peter to resist, and he snuck into the garden against his mother's wishes only for him to almost become the next victim of Mr. McGregor's serial killing spree.

INTERESTING FACT: The book was created based on a letter that four-year-old Noel Moore written in September 1893, which asked Potter to create a story that starred a rabbit named Peter. This book was so successful that it has been translated into thirty-six different languages, and has sold 45 million copies since it was first published in 1902, making it one of the best-selling books of all time.



THE TAILOR OF GLOUCESTER (1903)

This book was Beatrix Potter's third, and the main character was a tailor (obviously). He sends his cat, Simpkin out to town to purchase some food, as well as cherry-coloured silk needed to fashion a waistcoat to be worn by the mayor on his Christmas Day wedding. But while Simpkin is gone, the tailor discovers that the mischievous cat has imprisoned several mice underneath various teacups, and lets them go. When Simpkin discovers what the tailor has done, he plays a little game of hide-and-seek with the cherry-coloured silk that the tailor needs to finish the coat!

To add to the stress, the tailor falls ill just days before the wedding, and he is worried that he won't be able to finish the coat. But when he gets help from an unexpected source, he (and Simpkin) realize the value of friendship, and all turns out well.

INTERESTING FACT: According to Beatrix Potter, this book was one of her favourites to create. I can see why. This book happens to be one of my favourite Beatrix Potter books too!



THE STORY OF A FIERCE BAD RABBIT (1906)

Book number nine in the series sort of reads like an animal version of the Highlights Magazine feature “Goofus and Gallant”. In this book, we're introduced to a pair of rabbits...a good, kind, Gallant rabbit, and a fierce, bad, Goofus rabbit. In all honesty, this is a perfect book to illustrate the battle between good and bad, and it also shows the comeuppances one might face if they stay fiercely bad for far too long. The Gallant Rabbit is happy at the very beginning of the book. His mother has given him a nice, yummy carrot to snack on. Unfortunately, Goofus Rabbit didn't get his carrot allowance (likely because he was bad at home), and he decides that he wants Gallant Rabbit's carrot, even resorting to violence by way of scratching him badly. But, if you think that Goofus Rabbit gets away with his mugging, a hunter with a gun proves otherwise.

SPOILER ALERT: Don't worry. Goofus Rabbit doesn't bite the big one...but he loses more than just his face...



THE TALE OF JEMIMA PUDDLE-DUCK (1908)

Jemima Puddle-Duck is the star of Potter's twelfth book, and in this tale, Jemima wants to hatch her own eggs, but the wife of the farmer who owns the land that Jemima calls home doesn't think that a duck is capable of being a good sitter, and she snatches the duck eggs and places them in the hen house so that the hens can hatch them instead. So she straps on a poke bonnet and ventures away from the farm so she can hatch them herself on her own terms. An independent woman...I like that.

But what happens when she comes across a stranger who tells Jemima everything to get her to trust him, only for him to be proven as a wolf in...um...fox fur? Will anyone be able to help her and her eggs? It's a classic tale of pursuit and prey, and the story is filled with so many twists and turns that you never know how it will go until you reach the end.

INTERESTING FACT: The book remains one of Potter's most famous works, and it inspired the creation of an original Jemima Puddle-Duck doll complete with a bonnet and shawl. One can only imagine how much a mint-condition original doll would go for in auction these days!



THE TALE OF JOHNNY TOWN-MOUSE (1918)

This was one of the last books created in the original twenty-three book series, and it is essentially a retelling of the classic Aesop fable “The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse”. The story actually doesn't start with the introduction of Johnny Town-Mouse though. We're instead introduced to Timmy Willie, the country mouse who ends up on a one-way ticket to the city after falling asleep in a hamper of vegetables after gorging on a feast of peas.

Somehow, Timmy Willie finds himself at a dinner party hosted by Johnny Town-Mouse, who invites Timmy to stay with him for a while. Later in the series, Johnny Town-Mouse pays a visit to Timmy out in the country. Though both mice didn't have a lot of fun away from home, they did seem to form a friendship. The story gives perfect meaning to the phrase “It's a nice place to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there”.

And, those are just five of the stories that Beatrix Potter told. Although I only owned five of the twenty-three books, I did eventually read all twenty-three books through libraries, online resources, and other sources. And, if one day I become a father, I will seek these books out to read to my kids because they are absolute perfection in my eyes.

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

March 26, 1973


Are you all ready for another Tuesday Timeline entry?  Today is March 26, and as it happens, a lot happened on this date throughout history! 

I won’t waste any time here.  Let’s kick this off by wishing the following celebrities and famous people a happy birthday!  Turning one year older are Sandra Day O’Connor, Leonard Nimoy, Alan Arkin, Wayne Embry, James Caan, Nancy Pelosi, Diana Ross, Richard Tandy (ELO), Steven Tyler (Aerosmith), Martin Short, Leeza Gibbons, Philip Brown, Chris Hansen, Jennifer Grey, Billy Warlock, Eric Allen Kramer, Roch Voisine, Michael Imperioli, Kenny Chesney, James Iha, Leslie Mann, T.R. Knight, Amy Smart, Natalia Livingston, and Keira Knightley.

And, here are some of the huge events that happened throughout history on this date.

1484 – William Caxton prints his translation of “Aesop’s Fables”

1812 – Caracas, Venezuela is destroyed by an earthquake

1830 – The Book of Mormon is published in Palmyra, New York

1885 – The Metis people of the District of Saskatchewan under the leadership of Louis Riel begins the Northwest Rebellion against Canada

1931 – SwissAir is founded as Switzerland’s national airline

1934 – The United Kingdom introduces the driving test

1942 – The first female prisoners arrive at Auschwitz concentration camp in Poland

1967 – The first of many Central Park be-ins takes place in New York, with approximately ten thousand people taking part

1979 – Jimmy Carter, Anwar al-Sadat, and Menachem Begin sign the Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty in Washington D.C.

1982 – A groundbreaking ceremony takes place in Washington D.C. for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial

1990 – Fashion designer, Halston, dies of an AIDS-related cancer in San Francisco, at the age of 57

1997 – Heaven’s Gate cult leader Marshall Applewhite and thirty-eight of his followers were found dead following a mass suicide

1999 – Dr. Jack Kevorkian is found guilty of second-degree murder in Michigan following his administering a lethal injection to a terminally ill man

2005 – Paul Hester, of Split Enz and Crowded House commits suicide by hanging at the age of 46 following a long battle with depression

Okay, so maybe March 26 wasn’t exactly the most...shall, we say, positive date in history.  However, I think you’ll agree that the date that I have chosen to spotlight is one that is surrounded by many accolades.


And, that date is March 26, 1973.

It was 40 years ago today that a little daytime drama premiered on CBS.  Who would have thought that it would have grown into a huge juggernaut of a series, which has ranked at the top of the daytime ratings for almost a quarter of a century?  Believe it or not, this series had a very slow growth, almost getting cancelled by the creator of the show just a couple of years into its run!  But, throughout the 1980s, it grew its audience, and became the cream of the daytime crop.  Even though the man behind the show passed away a few years ago, and despite many changes in production staff, the show has survived and thrived, continuing to be the most-watched daytime drama in the United States.

And, since it happens to be celebrating its 40th anniversary today, I’ll add in some pieces of trivia about this show that you may or may not have known.  I was intending to do 40 pieces, but then the blog would be too long, so I’ll narrow it down to a little more than half that number.


Ladies and gentlemen, on March 26, 1973, the world was introduced to “The Young and the Restless”.



Introduced onto the CBS daytime schedule by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell, the series is set in a fictionalized version of Genoa City, Wisconsin, and details the trials and tribulations of some of Genoa City’s most interesting residents from high society to working-class people.  The program initially began as a half-hour serial when it debuted in 1973, but by 1980, it had expanded to a full hour, airing in most American markets between 12:30 and 1:30 in the afternoon.

Originally, the serial focused on two distinct families...the wealthy Brooks family, and the working-class Foster family.  And, I think that this formula was quite successful at the beginning, as every social class was represented.  There were always characters that people could relate to, no matter what social background you were in at the time.  And, this continued long after both families were mostly written out.  As of 2013, the action now seems to focus on the Newmans, the Abbotts, the Winters, the Baldwin-Fishers, and the long-running rivalry between Jill Foster Abbott and Katherine Chancellor...a rivalry that has lasted thirty-nine of the show’s forty years on air!

“The Young and the Restless” was created as a more youth-oriented show, for the purpose of competing against other newly created soap operas “General Hospital”, “All My Children”, “One Life to Live”, and “Days of our Lives”.  Initially, the show was pitched to CBS executives under the name “The Innocent Years”, but changed the show title to “The Young and the Restless” to reflect the youth and the mood of the early 1970s.


It seems hard to believe, but the show was at the bottom of the ratings for the first few years of the show’s run, and William J. Bell almost considered pulling the plug on the show during the late 1970s...but he was convinced to keep the show going, and the patience and love that he gave to the show as its head writer helped bring the show to the #1 spot in late 1988, where it has remained ever since.

William J. Bell served as the head writer of the show for twenty-five years, retiring in 1998.  He stayed on the show as an executive producer for the series until his death in 2005.  After a revolving door of executive producers and head writers, the show now employs Josh Griffith as head writer.  Its executive producer is now Jill Farren Phelps, who had previously worked on “General Hospital”, “Another World”, and “Guiding Light”.

At any rate, “The Young and the Restless” has had a very rich history over its 40 years, and has told a lot of stories.  As of March 20, 2013, the show has aired 10,125 episodes!  It still has a way to go before it catches up with the over 18,000 episodes that “Guiding Light” produced, but that is still an impressive number!

And, in honour of the show’s 40th anniversary, here are 25 bits of trivia about the show.  You might know some of these already, but some may surprise you!


01 – The longest running cast member of the series is Jeanne Cooper, who has played Katherine Chancellor since the autumn of 1973.  The now 84-year-old actress will be celebrating her fortieth anniversary with the show in November 2013!  She also made history when she had a facelift on the show back in 1984!

02 – Although Jill Foster is the only original character to still remain on the series, she has been played by three different actresses.  Brenda Dickson originated the role in 1973.  She was replaced by Deborah Adair from 1980-1983.  Dickson returned the following year, and left once more in 1987.  Since 1987, Jill has been portrayed by Jess Walton.


03 – Jill and Katherine have had one of the longest soap opera rivalries of all time.  This is just one of their MANY fights.


04 – The longest serving male cast member of the series is Doug Davidson, who has played the role of Paul Williams since May 19, 1978.


05 – The iconic theme of “The Young and the Restless” is a piece that was originally called “Colton’s Dream”.  When a montage of Olympic gymnast Nadia Comeneci aired on ABC Sports with the theme playing in the background, the composition was renamed Nadia’s Theme.  It has been the official theme during the entire run of the series, and has remained unchanged barring a brief three year period where a remix was used in the early 2000s.

06 – Several actors and actresses have gotten their big breaks on “The Young and the Restless”, which include David Hasselhoff, Wings Hauser, Cam Gigandet, Eva Longoria, Michael Damian, Eddie Cibrian, Tom Selleck, Lyndsy Fonseca and Shemar Moore.


07 – William J. Bell wasn’t the only Bell to have a connection to “The Young and the Restless”.  Bell’s daughter Lauralee has played the role of Christine “Cricket” Blair off and on since July 1983.


08 – Arguably, one of the most famous couples to appear on the program has been the on-again, off-again coupling of Victor Newman (Eric Braeden) and Nikki Reed (Melody Thomas Scott).  But, did you know that Melody Thomas Scott is the SECOND actress to play Nikki?  She was originally portrayed by Erica Hope from 1978-1979.

09 - Oddly enough, Nikki’s date of birth is listed as June 1960...which would mean that given the rate of “Soap Opera Rapid Aging Syndrome (SORAS)” that has happened on the series, she would have given birth to daughter Victoria at the age of thirteen!

10 – Victoria is currently played by Amelia Heinle, but the role was originated by Heather Tom, who currently appears on another William J. Bell creation, “The Bold and the Beautiful”.  And, she’s not the first actress to appear on both shows.  Don Diamont, Darlene Conley, Ashley Jones, and Jennifer Gareis also appeared on both shows as different characters.


11 – Sometimes, characters from Y&R will cross over onto “The Bold and the Beautiful”.  Adrienne Frantz (Amber), Sean Kanan (Deacon), Eileen Davidson (Ashley), Tracey E. Bregman (Lauren), and Kimberlin Brown (Sheila) have appeared on both series as the same character.  In fact, Bregman and Brown had catfights on both shows as the characters of Lauren Fenmore Baldwin and Sheila Carter!  Have a look at one below!


12 – Currently on “The Young and the Restless”, Victoria is married to Billy Abbott (Billy Miller).  But if the actors who originally portrayed them were still on the show, it might be quite awkward, as Heather Tom’s younger brother, David, originated the role of the grown-up Billy Abbott in the 1990s!

13 – Did you know that Jessica Collins (who plays new character Avery Bailey Clark) trained at Le Cordon Bleu, and has a blog where she posts her favourite recipes?  You can visit it HERE if you like.


14 – Kristoff St. John (Neil Winters) is the longest running African-American actor on the soap, having been on the series since 1991.  He won a Daytime Emmy for his work just one year after joining the series.


15 – The youngest person to win a Daytime Emmy for their work on “The Young and the Restless” was Camryn Grimes (Cassie Newman), who was just ten when she won in 2000.  The oldest person to win is Jeanne Cooper, who won the Lead Actress award in 2009 at the age of eighty!

16 – The series has been nominated for a whopping 334 Daytime Emmy Awards, winning 111 of them as of March 2013!

17 – The series won the Outstanding Drama Series award seven times.  The first year that the show won the award was in 1975, the most recent in 2007.


18 – The late Terry Lester originated the role of Jack Abbott in 1980, but quit nine years later after clashing with executives over his dwindling airtime (which Lester blamed on Lauralee Bell).  Peter Bergman (above) assumed the role in 1989, and has played the role ever since.

19 – The show has been on location in several different locations over its 40 year history.  The show filmed in New Orleans to resolve the love triangle between Sharon (Sharon Case), Nick (Joshua Morrow), and Adam (Michael Muhney), and recently, the show filmed on location in France to show the wedding of Lily (Christel Khalil) and Cane (Daniel Goddard).


20 – When Victoria Rowell left the series in 2007 (her character of Drucilla Winters was thrown off a cliff in her final scene above), she insinuated that the departure was caused by on-set tension between herself and Michelle Stafford (Phyllis Summers).  It’s alleged that one of the actresses spit on the other one, and that’s what caused the fireworks.  It’s not known how true the story is, but you know, Drucilla’s body was never found...I suppose there’s always room for her to return...

21 – Tonya Lee Williams (Olivia Barber) once appeared as a regular cast member of the Canadian series “Polka Dot Door” in the 1980s.


22 – Some of the sets on “The Young and the Restless” have been a mainstay for several years.  The Crimson Lights set has been regularly seen since 1994, the Chancellor Mansion has been on air since near the very beginning, and the Newman Ranch was a mainstay for decades...well...until Sharon Newman burned it down in 2012...


23 – One of the most shocking plots that the show ever did involved the characters of David Kimble (Michael Corbett, above) and Nina Webster (Tricia Cast).  After Nina shot David in self-defense, David faked his death and went on the run.  He intended to get plastic surgery to look like David Hasselhoff (ironically a cast member of the series himself), but when he woke up, he found that the surgeon had carved the word “KILLER” into his forehead!  In true soap opera fashion, David Kimble's ultimate fate was getting squashed to death in a garbage compactor!

24 – One of the most convincing psychopaths to ever appear on the show was Tricia Dennison (Sabryn Genet).  Her final act on the show was shooting Ryan McNeil (Scott Reeves) at his own wedding!  Here’s a clip of Tricia below.


25 – Finally, here’s a cast photo of the current Y&R cast.  How many can you name? (BTW, Jerry Douglas, who plays John Abbott, has been playing a ghostly version of John following the character’s death in the mid-2000s!)


Happy 40th birthday, Y&R!  

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