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Friday, April 05, 2013

Magnum P.I.


In the world of Hollywood, it can be considered a success if you even land a bit part as an extra, or have one of your script ideas turned into a sitcom episode. I don't know much about the acting/screenwriting industry myself, but having a couple of friends who live in the Los Angeles area, I know that everything they tell me about making it big in the film industry is the truth. The film and television industry is one of the harshest and most fickle ones to break into. And, sometimes real talent can be hard to spot amidst the sea of stretch limos, sparkly evening gowns, and golden stars placed into sidewalks honouring the legends of Hollywood both living and deceased.

Yet, some people seem to find a way to get their talent and skill out there for public consumption. A good producer will have at least one success story...perhaps having a sitcom picked up for a couple of years, or having a dramatic series last more than thirteen episodes. But for someone to have a name in the industry, they'll have to have several success stories. They'll have to have their name attached to some of the longest running series in history, and the more credits they have attached to their resume, the better the chance they have of being offered more projects.

(Of course, that's not unique to the film industry...it's like this no matter what your job is.)



Certainly, one of the biggest producers to come out of Hollywood over the last three decades is Donald P. Bellisario. The 77-year-old producer/screenwriter from Pennsylvania has made a huge name for himself since beginning his career in the film and television industry in the mid-1970s. His name has been attached to some of the longest running, critically acclaimed, and most talked about dramatic series ever created. As of 2013, his most recent creation, “NCIS”, has been at the top of the Nielsen ratings for several years, and with the show currently in its tenth season, it shows no sign of slowing down. “NCIS” could also be considered Bellisario's longest running series, easily surpassing the other shows that he had a hand in creating and producing.

That's not to say that his other projects were failures, of course. Some people might not know this, but “NCIS” is a spin-off from another Bellisario project, “JAG”, which ran from 1995-2005. He was also the creator of “Quantum Leap”, “Airwolf”, and the lesser-known series “First Monday”.

But what about the project that got Donald P. Bellisario noticed in Hollywood? What was the one show that helped get his reputation of a successful producer/screenwriter started?

Well, that show happens to be the subject of today's blog.

The year was 1980, and Bellisario (along with his writing partner Glen A. Larson), went to work creating a crime drama that was set in the beautiful state of Hawaii. It certainly wasn't the first time that a series shot entirely in Hawaii. The long running original series of “Hawaii Five-0” ran for twelve seasons, ending its run in 1980.

But, this series would be quite a bit different.



The main character of this new series would be a private investigator who resides in the guest cottage of wealthy novelist Robin Masters. It is suggested that the arrangement between Masters and the investigator is one of quid pro quo. Many people speculated as the show aired that the investigator once did Masters a favour, and to repay him, he let him live on his estate while providing his expertise in security. Of course, he has to deal with the fact that the majordomo of the estate happens to be the one person who is the complete opposite of him personality wise. The clashes between the two are legendary, and probably aided in the success of the show.

But, what can you expect from Jonathan Quayle Higgins III and Thomas Magnum IV, the two main characters in the long running television series “Magnum P.I.”?



Magnum P.I.” was Bellisario's first creation, and considering that it aired from December 11, 1980 until May 8, 1988, I would say that he struck gold. The star of the show was Tom Selleck, who played the title character, and not only did the program make Bellisario a respected producer, but it aided Tom Selleck in becoming a well-known actor (as well as one of the biggest male sex symbols of the 1980s). Texas-born John Hillerman put on his best British accent to assume the role of Jonathan Quincy Higgins III, the majordomo of the “Robin's Nest” estate in which he and Magnum reside. The rest of the cast was rounded out by Roger E. Mosley (who played the owner of “Island Hoppers” helicopter chartering service, Theodore “TC” Calvin), and Larry Manetti (who played Orville Wilbur Richard “Rick” Wright, the owner of the Kamehameha Club).



What was very interesting about the series was that all four of the show's main characters had been involved in serving in the military at some point during their lives (a common Bellisario trademark). Magnum, Rick, and TC all served during the Vietnam War (Magnum was in the U.S. Navy, while Rick and TC were former Marines), and Higgins served in the British Army as a Sergeant Major. The show was actually praised by former servicemen, who were happy to see Vietnam veterans portrayed as human beings and not just “shell-shocked killers”.

What was also interesting about the show was the fact that the viewer never really did find out who Robin Masters really was, as his identity was concealed. Many viewers actually had the hypothesis that Higgins was really Robin Masters, as Higgins was always opening up Robin's mail, and how he calls Robin's Ferrari (that Magnum always drives in every episode) “his car”. Higgins even tells Magnum in the series finale that he is actually Robin Masters, but he ends up admitting before the episode airs that he made up the whole story.



The real truth was that there was a plan to actually introduce Robin Masters into the series at the very end...but the actor who was intended to portray him died just before the plan could come to fruition. Astute ears might recall hearing Robin Masters speaking over the speakerphone (similar to that of Charlie on “Charlie's Angels”), and believing that he sounded an awful lot like film legend Orson Welles. Truth be told, Orson Welles did provide the voice of Robin Masters throughout the show's run, and plans were made to bring him into the show for a cameo appearance. Unfortunately, his death in October 1985 prevented that from happening. His voice was heard one final time after Welles died, this time being provided by Reid Crandell.

It's interesting the trivia that you find out about television, isn't it?



Actually, Orson Welles wasn't the only famous name to be associated with the series. Until it was dethroned by NBC's “The Cosby Show” in the mid-1980s, “Magnum P.I.” was once the top-rated television series to air on Thursday nights at 8:00pm. This meant that the show attracted some huge names, as well as a couple of crossovers.

For instance, “Magnum P.I.” had a crossover episode with the CBS series “Simon & Simon”, which starred Jameson Parker and Gerald McRaney. Magnum also appeared in an episode of “Murder...She Wrote” alongside Angela Lansbury.



And, while we're on the subject of famous faces, did you know that the late Frank Sinatra made an appearance during the penultimate season of “Magnum P.I.”? He not only had a guest-starring role, but he got to choose the script of the episode that he could appear in. I remember seeing that episode years ago, but cannot remember what the plot of the episode was. I do remember that this song was playing in the first few minutes of the show though. Maybe that'll narrow it down.



(Heh...I can't remember plot details, but can remember the music playing in the episodes. I'm so weird!!!)

For what it's worth, other celebrities who have made appearances on “Magnum P.I.” while the show was in its prime (and who in some cases were up and coming actors and actresses themselves) were Carol Channing, Ted Danson, Dana Delaney, Shannen Doherty, Ernest Borgnine, Morgan Fairchild, Norman Fell, Phil Hartman, Pat Morita, John Ratzenberger, Mimi Rogers, and Sharon Stone.

There's just one more thing that I need to discuss before I close the chapter on “Magnum P.I.”, and that thing is how the show could have ended.

Initially, the episode that aired on April 15, 1987, “Limbo”, was supposed to be the final episode of the entire series. After seven seasons, the show was beginning to dip even lower in the ratings, and the decision was made to end the series after season seven. But the way that the show was initially planned to end outraged fans so much that Bellisario and his writing staff were forced to extend the series an additional season, and thirteen more episodes were produced, stretching the life of the series until May 1988.

But why would the original ending of the series cause such backlash and nasty comments from fans?



Well, if you knew that the main character of the series was going to be shot to death, I would imagine some of you would likely be perfecting your best “Comic Book Guy” voice and declaring the show to have the “worst series finale ever”. Well, that's exactly what happened. In the last episode of season seven, Magnum is critically injured in a gunfight at a warehouse, and becomes comatose. In the episode, he's caught in the place between life and death, and Magnum makes peace with the fact that he won't be coming back alive. He says his goodbyes, and heads off towards the light as a John Denver song plays.



Well, needless to say, killing off Magnum was not the way that fans wanted him to go, and they were very vocal with their displeasure of what had happened...which lead to the creation of one more season. In the season eight opener, “Infinity and Jelly Donuts”, which aired on October 7, 1987, Magnum awakes from his coma following the near-death experience he dreamed of while comatose.

I don't know...what do you all think? Do you think the show should have ended with “Limbo”, or were they right to go on with one more season? I leave the ball in your court!

Thursday, April 04, 2013

Handwritten Thoughts by a Man Around Town


I have decided to make this week's edition of the Thursday Diaries a little bit different than I've done in previous weeks. Because unlike other entries in which I have really thought about what I have wanted to say and worded it accordingly, this time around will be a little more...raw.

Confused? Keep reading. You'll see what I mean.

April 4, 2013

Hey, everyone! I know that last Thursday, I was going to talk about an appendix to the post that I wrote about the “Nucleus of Negativity”, but I've decided to hold off on that for one week.

I got inspired to do something this week, and I thought that I would share my inspiration with all of you out there reading this.

I have gotten the feeling that maybe I haven't been exposing myself to all of you as much as I wanted to in this space. After all, a diary is supposed to hold all of one's most confidential and secret truths about oneself.



(Though, admittedly, I'm kind of making those truths an “open” secret, defeating the whole definition of the word diary. But, I digress.)

Anyway, I thought that I'd use today to really showcase just what kind of crazy things go through my mind, and what inspires me to write about almost anything. So yesterday afternoon, I decided to walk downtown, bought a notebook and a four-colour pen at the local dollar store, a drink to sip on during the whole escapade, and jotted down everything that went through my mind as I walked through the city of Brockville, Ontario.

And, rather than type it all out neatly and spell checked and edited and wrapped with a nice red bow, I've instead decided to scan every page that I wrote on to post within this space in my own unfiltered words...in my own handwriting.

I'm a little nervous doing this, because I worry about how it will be received. But, you'll never have a better opportunity to witness who I really am by me posting my words on my blog. It's kind of like walking down a busy city street in nothing but my underwear. It's a little bit scary to have people looking at you when you're at your most vulnerable, but sometimes it's necessary for you to feel better about yourself, letting it all hang out.

Though, I will offer up a disclaimer. I will never be seen strolling through town in my boxer briefs. I would not only get arrested, but frostbite as well. Canada is still freakin' cold in April.

As always, I'll be providing pictures with the hand-written notes...and because I like to wear my iPod when I go out on walks, you'll even hear the songs that I was listening to while I was writing down my thoughts! So, feel free to give me either a thumbs up or a mocking laugh at my musical tastes. I can take it!




Okay, so the first destination that I went to was beautiful Block House Island. First, the song that I was listening to at the time.



And, now, my thoughts in ball-point pen. I warn you that because I used a four-colour pen, I experimented with colours, and not all of them might scan as well as I thought. If I do this again, I'll just stick with blue or black ink (though clicking on the images will blow them up to make them easier to read).







(Okay, just a little pause in between. I'm not kidding about the flock of Canada geese. There were literally a dozen of them hanging around Block House Island at the time I was writing this note. And, when I wrote that paragraph that contained the word “eek” in it, that was the precise moment in which I turned my head and saw a Canada goose literally parked right beside the bench I was sitting at staring at me. Right then, I knew it was time to take off.)



So, after the geese freaked me out, I took off to nearby Hardy Park, which took just a few minutes to get to. But, if you thought my experiences with the birds had ended...think again. To get in the mood, the song that was playing as I wrote part two of my journey.



(Again, you're gonna have to blow it up to read it with my promise that I will NEVER use green ink again.)




And, finally, we reach a part of my journey that takes place indoors. And, it is here that I come to a rather interesting conclusion about what I need to do. What's funny is that when I listen to my iPod, I always set it to “shuffle mode”, so you never know what songs you'll get. It's only fitting that as I jotted the last part of my journey down, this song came on.



And, with that, we go live from the 1000 Islands Mall (though that is an old picture, the Christmas decorations are long gone now...).




So, what do you think? Would you like to see more of the man around town feature? I'm thinking of trying this out once a month. Maybe I'll even go somewhere in town that I've never been before, and just write about it. But, of course, I would need some input from all of you first. Good idea? Bad idea? Please let me know!

And, I promise that next time, I'll solely use dark coloured ink. :)

Wednesday, April 03, 2013

Ode To Sidewalk Chalk


Hey, guys! I hope you're enjoying your April so far, because I have got a lot of special and fun blog topics on the docket for the next thirty days.

And, since 2013 has been a year of great experimentation with the Pop Culture Addict's Guide To Life, I thought that I would do what I have done over the last few months and select a common link between each of the entries within a theme day.

And, this month, I have chosen Wednesdays as the day in which all of the topics will be linked together in some manner.

So, what have I chosen to talk about on this and every Wednesday this month? Well, I'm glad you asked! And even if you didn't ask, I'm gonna tell you anyway because that's how I roll!

Depending on what part of the world you live in, you're either transitioning from summer to autumn, or you're leaving winter in the dust to move ahead to spring. Well, I'll be completely honest with you. Spring is coming extremely late to Ontario, Canada this year, as evidenced by the temperature of -5 Celsius that I was greeted with yesterday morning on my way to work. I'm seriously wondering if we actually set out clocks ahead all the way to next November, because it is way too cold to believe that the season of spring is two weeks old.

But, whatever the case is, I'm sure that spring will be arriving whenever it feels like it. When it finally does, I bet that a lot of you will be thinking about making outdoor plans, as the weather eventually warms up. I can see some of you breaking out the grills for the very first barbecue of the year, tuning up the lawn mowers to prepare for the growing grass, planting tulips, marigolds, and rhododendrons in the garden, and using bicycles and roller blades to get around town.

That's why I've decided to devote this month's Wednesday topics to items, toys, and activities that to me symbolize Springtime. Spring Break might be over for a lot of you, but this month, I'm going to be spreading the Spring Fever around for just a little bit longer, hoping that the more I talk about Spring, the quicker that it will actually get here!!!

Can you tell that I am thinking a little too much about Spring here?

And, I can't think of a better topic to kick off our Spring Activity feature than a toy that I used to play with all the time as a young boy. I suppose that you could say that I became quite the mini-Picasso when it came to these crafty art supplies. All I needed to have for a canvas was a driveway...or a sidewalk...or a brick wall...or even that one time that I drew all over my neighbour's fence and got in so much trouble for it. Whoops.



Yes, for this entry, I'm going to talk about my memories of sidewalk chalk. I'm sure that almost everyone here has used sidewalk chalk at least once in their lives. The number of ways in which sidewalk chalk can be used is endless.



I imagine that most of you have probably used sidewalk chalk to design your own custom made hopscotch courses and 4-square courts. I remember one time when I was in elementary school, I brought some sidewalk chalk with me to play with at recess, and I attempted to make the world's largest hopscotch course. I had intended to cover the entire paved surface of the playground with a hand-drawn hopscotch court...but by the time I got to square number fifty-six, the recess bell rang before I even had the chance to use it. I had fully intended on finishing it during the second recess, but a freak rainstorm washed away my hopes and dreams forever.

Oh, well...maybe I'll try to break that record again.

I also remember using sidewalk chalk to play a game that I actually invented when I was eight years old. When I was in elementary school, the playground was designed in such a way that all of the playground equipment was embedded in a pit that was covered with little white pebbles.

OFF-TOPIC NOTE: I wouldn't recommend sliding down a slide and landing on your knees. I still have the scars on my right knee from an incident in fifth grade where I had stones embedded in it.

Anyway, back on topic. Those stones were the inspiration behind the game that I invented all the way back in 1989 known as “Mini-Curling”. All you had to do was draw a bulls-eye target with sidewalk chalk on the pavement, and take a few of the pebbles and colour them in different colours using the chalk (I almost always used blue and pink, but any colour would do). Then you'd roll the pebbles as close to the bulls-eye as possible while the opponent would try to knock the pebbles of the opposing colour away from the center. It worked out quite well, and the best part about it is that when you were finished playing, the rain would wash it away.

Come to think of it, I always thought it would be cool to draw a board game on the pavement using sidewalk chalk, and by having ourselves as the playing pieces. It would not only be innovative, but also guaranteed to be an original game every time you played it, as you'd have to redraw it every time. It would take quite a lot of work, but the endless fun that one would have would be almost worth it.

And, of course, you can't forget the art of using sidewalk chalk to make chalk drawings.



You remember that television series for children known as “Simon in the Land of Chalk Drawings”? If you enter that name in the search box above, it should take you to the entry that I did on this show nearly two years ago. Well, in my youth, I watched that show so much that I often pretended that I was Simon, and I was visiting the land of chalk drawings to have fun and forget all of my worries and cares.

(Though to be fair, my worries and cares as a child involved not being able to go swimming in the rain or being forced to miss my favourite television show due to it being pre-empted by a presidential speech.)

I loved to draw lots of pictures with my collection of sidewalk chalk. I would draw houses, buildings, people, rainbows (and unfortunately for me, my rainbows would always be incomplete as back in my day it was near impossible to find red chalk), and lots of other designs and doodles. Of course, my drawing style at the age of eight wasn't exactly elaborate, and at best, my people were stick figures, and my houses looked as if they should have belonged in the community of Bedrock. But, some people take sidewalk chalk art very seriously, and they end up creating absolutely gorgeous – albeit temporary – designs.

Just have a look at some images of brilliant sidewalk chalk art that I found online through Google. You won't believe your eyes.



Love the bright colours!



The attention to detail is phenomenal!



The use of shading is quite incredible!



HOLY @#%&!!! That was made with just CHALK?!? It looks like it should be hanging up in the Louvre! Unbelievable!

The wonders that people can come up with using an item as ordinary as chalk are fantastic. Is it any wonder that I loved working with sidewalk chalk as a kid?

Of course, the one problem with sidewalk chalk is that it doesn't last forever. You almost have to grab a camera and snap a picture of your creation before it fades away.

And, take it from me. You do not want to leave an entire collection of sidewalk chalk outside all night...especially when you get a summer storm that lasts the whole night. I went outside to play with my sidewalk chalk the next morning, and it had disintegrated into a colourful mess. I was so upset!



Fortunately, the good people of Crayola have found a way to preserve sidewalk chalk by not only encasing it inside a plastic, waterproof tub, but making the chalk at least four times the size of ordinary chalk, so it would last longer.

Now kids and adults of all ages can enjoy playing with sidewalk chalk at their leisure. Isn't innovation great?

Tuesday, April 02, 2013

April 2, 1941


Welcome to the second day of April! And, welcome to another edition of the Tuesday Timeline! This is the first of FIVE Tuesday Timelines this month, so I hope you're all ready for this trip back through time.

And, this time, I promise you that there won't be as many problems with this entry as I had with the April Fools Day entry. Though, I can't guarantee you that the entry will be completely devoid of gags and humour. You'll understand why I have made this disclaimer as you read ahead.

For now, why don't we wish the following famous people a very happy birthday! I extend birthday greetings to Gloria Henry, Linda Hunt, Reggie Smith, Emmylou Harris, Pamela Reed, Gregory Abbott, Amelia Marshall, Buddy Jewell, Christopher Meloni, Keren Woodward (Bananarama), Clark Gregg, Roselyn Sanchez, Adam Rodriguez, Aiden Turner, Lindy Booth, Jesse Carmichael (Maroon 5), Bethany Joy Lenz, Ashley Peldon, and Lee DeWyze.

And, here are some of the events that happened on April 2 throughout history.

1513 – Explorer Juan Ponce de Leon first sights land, which eventually becomes the state of Florida

1792 – The U.S. Mint is established following the passage of the Coinage Act

1800 – Ludwig van Beethoven leads the premiere of his First Symphony in Vienna

1863 – The early beginnings of the Richmond Bread Riots take place

1865 – Confederate President Jefferson Davis flees Richmond, Virginia as does most of his Cabinet at the tail end of the American Civil War

1902 – The Electric Theatre, the first full-time movie theatre to open up in the United States, opens in Los Angeles, California

1912 – Just thirteen days before it sinks, the RMS Titanic begins sea trials

1956 – Daytime soap operas “As The World Turns” and “The Edge of Night” both debut on CBS

1972 – After being labeled a communist during the Red Scare and spending years away from the United States on a self-imposed exile, Charlie Chaplin returns to the country for the first time since the accusation was issued

1975 – Construction is completed on the CN Tower in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, becoming the world's tallest free-standing structure

1989 – Mikhail Gorbachev and Fidel Castro meet in Havana, Cuba in an attempt to mend strained relations between Cuba and the Soviet Union

1992 – John Gotti is convicted of murder and racketeering in a New York City courtroom

1998 – Thirty-three year old Rob Pilatus of disgraced music group Milli Vanilli is found dead in a Frankfurt hotel room, due to a drug overdose

2005 – Pope John Paul II passes away at the age of 84

That's quite a lot of history, isn't it? Kind of makes you wonder what year we will be going back in time to, huh?



Well, the date on today's time machine dial is...April 2, 1941!

Yes, we're going back in time to 1941 to commemorate the birth of a man who has had an impact in the radio world. He turns seventy-two years old today, and shows absolutely no sign of slowing down!

I'll also be the first one to admit that this guy probably had more influence on me than I really should admit!

Those of you who only know me through the blog will probably not know this...but those of you who do know me on a more personal level know that I can be quite goofy. After spending a lot of time taking life more seriously that I really should, I've developed a bit of this wacky personality that involves taking popular songs and rewriting the lyrics of them to make them bizarre, grotesque, and even mildly offensive. It's particularly bad during the Christmas season, where I tend to do a feature known as “The Bastardization of Christmas Past”.

And, if it weren't for this man's popular radio program which introduced me to other artists who enjoy a good parody as much as I do, my twisted holiday songs might never have been penned.

(You see, people? Now you have someone to blame!!!)



On April 2, 1941, a man by the name of Barret Eugene Hansen was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota. But, fans of his might know him by his other stage name...DR. DEMENTO!

Now, Dr. Demento's love for music was instilled into him at a very early age. His father, after all, was an amateur pianist. Because he was always surrounded by music, he began collecting records at a very young age. Dr. Demento estimated that he started his collection just before he became a teenager, aided by a local thrift store that sold them at just a nickel a piece.

He began attending Portland, Oregon's Reed College in 1959, and while he was there, he worked at the school's radio station, KRRC, where he worked his way up to General Manager of the station two years into his studies. After graduating from the college in 1963 (following writing his senior thesis on Allen Berg's “Wozzeck”, and Claude Debussy's “Pelleas et Melisande”), he began attending UCLA, where he earned a Master's Degree in folklore and ethnomusicology.

Following his graduation from UCLA, he settled into a home in Topanga Canyon where he lived with the members of rock band Spirit, and during this time, he worked at local radio stations while working a second job as a talent scout for Specialty Records and Warner Brothers Records.

It wasn't until 1970 when the Dr. Demento name was born, at a little old station from Pasadena called KPPC. When Hansen debuted the persona, he also made a little bit of a tweak to his playlist when he started mixing novelty records with rock and oldies music. Thanks to the positive reaction that he received from listeners, he got rid of the oldies rock and made his program 100% novelty. The show proved so successful that at the end of 1971, he moved to Los Angeles to work for KMET, where he debuted a four-hour long live program in 1972. That program would end up lasting for eleven years!

Dr. Demento's good fortune increased in 1974 when his weekly radio program became syndicated nationwide in a two-hour format. Initially, the show was produced by his manager, Larry Gordon, and in 1978, Westwood One took over the syndicated show production. Westwood One would continue to carry the show until 1992, with On The Radio Broadcasting taking over for the next eight years when Westwood One handed the reins off. From 2000 onward, Dr. Demento handled the syndication of his program himself under the name “Talonian Productions”. This continued until June 2010, when the terrestrial radio format aired its final show. But, fear not, Demento fans. The show still continues in an online format, and you can listen to the shows on his official website, which you can visit by clicking HERE.

So, who ended up getting more notoriety by having their songs featured on Dr. Demento? Well, this guy for one.



Yes, believe it or not, back when Weird Al Yankovic still went under the name of Alfred Matthew Yankovic, he handed a demo tape off to Dr. Demento in 1976 when he came to Yankovic's high school to speak with the students. Dr. Demento not only listened to the tape, but played it as well. Listeners of the Dr. Demento program loved Yankovic's parodies, and their interest helped secure Weird Al a record deal in the 1980s. He still continues to perform and record music today, and Dr. Demento has since appeared in several Weird Al videos as well as in the 1989 Weird Al feature film, “UHF”.



Another group that made tongues wag when they appeared on the Dr. Demento program was Spinal Tap. In the late 1980s, Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, and Harry Shearer appeared on the program completely decked out in their Spinal Tap attire, and stayed in character for the near three hours they spent chatting with Dr. Demento on his program.

Certainly other celebrities got the star treatment when they appeared on the Dr. Demento show. It's hard to forget Mel Brooks' appearance on the program when he was presented with a present, courtesy of Canter's Deli...an absolutely huge cheesecake!



But perhaps no celebrity was more influential on the Dr. Demento program than the late Frank Zappa. I mean, when you consider that he named his kids Dweezil, Ahmet, Diva, and Moon Unit, Zappa and Dr. Demento seemingly gelled together much like Reese's Peanut Butter and milk chocolate! Of all the guests that Dr. Demento had on his program, he admitted that Frank Zappa was one that influenced him the most, and Zappa appeared on the Dr. Demento show several times as a guest. When Frank Zappa died in December 1993 at the age of 52, Dr. Demento dedicated the next scheduled radio show in memory of Zappa, and played Zappa's music throughout the entire program...the first time in the program's history that Dr. Demento devoted an entire episode to a single artist.



Dr. Demento was a definite influence on the radio industry, and he also happens to have influenced my silly side as well...well, much to the chagrin of those closest to me.

And, he was born 72 years ago today, on April 2, 1941.

Monday, April 01, 2013

April Fools Day


Hello, everyone, and welcome to The Pop Culture Addict's Guide To Life...



...um, wait a minute. This logo is upside down. WHO DID THIS?



Oh, well. I suppose that I should be used to it, considering that it happens to be the first of April. April Fools Day.

This day means that for many people, they'll have to stay two steps ahead, and think quickly to avoid being tricked by their friends and family members.

But, do you know how April Fools Day came to be?

Well, it all began on April 1, 707. A man by the name of Lewis F. Lirpa was born on this date, but many people just called him “Loo” for short. Anyway, Loo is a very key figure in the historical sense, as he was known to have played the very first April Fools Day joke. Now, keep in mind that back in the eighth century, pranks and gags were quite primitive, but somehow he managed to pull it off. He decided to alter a map back to town and gave it to his worst enemy to get back home following an excursion. The end result? Instead of heading back home, the poor soul stumbled over a cliff and fell into a bottomless pit to his death below. And, that was how Loo F. Lirpa ended up being the very first person in the world to play an April Fools Day joke, the day named after the date of his birth.

Actually, I'm only kidding. That's not what happened at all. Just another joke I've played. Though, if the Loo F. Lirpa thing didn't do it (it's April Fool backwards), the date of birth would have. Flipping 707 upside down gives you “LOL”.

No, the real story is that there really isn't a story about how April Fools Day originated. Nobody really knows exactly how it started, but there seems to be a link between April Fools Day and Geoffrey Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, which was released in the late fourteenth century. So, needless to say, April Fools Day has been around for quite some time.

I can honestly say that I've fallen victim to an April Fools Day joke once, when somebody set my alarm clock ahead an hour and a half, and I showed up for school ninety minutes early thinking that I was ninety minutes late. Still never found out who did that to me, but since this happened while I was in university, it really could have been anyone. But, that was a minor prank. Thanks to the wonders of photoshopping images and people downloading prank ideas onto their mobile phones, people can plot elaborate pranks on their friends. There are even television shows that focus on people playing gags and pranks on each other such as “Candid Camera”, or this clip from “Just for Laughs Gags” below.



Now, it's important to know that in all of these examples, nobody got seriously injured or hurt, and I want to absolutely make it clear that if you are to prank someone on April Fools Day, you do it responsibly, and never put anybody in harm's way.

But what happens when April Fools Day comes around, and all of the pranks and tricks that are pulled can lead to death? Well, that's just what a group of college students had to face when they decide to spend the weekend at an island mansion. It seemed like it was all fun and games at first, but when the body count began to rise, could it be that they were trapped inside the house with a serial killer?



That's the basic plot of the 1986 horror film, aptly titled “April Fools Day”.

It's funny though...whenever I ask people if they have heard of this movie, not a lot of people claim that they have. I can understand why...it is considered to be a cult classic. Released on March 27, 1986 on a budget of five million dollars, the film actually made almost thirteen million! It was based off of the novel of the same name by Jeff Rovin. The film was directed by Fred Walton.

There are eight main characters within the film. We have Arch (Thomas F. Wilson), Chaz (Clayton Rohner), Harvey (Jay Baker), Kit (Amy Steel), Muffy (Deborah Foreman), Nan (Leah Pinsent), Rob (Ken Olandt), and Skip (Griffin O'Neal). And, as the film opens, we quickly learn that the setting is the luxurious mansion owned by the family of Buffy, and that the time period is the weekend leading up to April Fools Day.



TRIVIA: In 1986, April Fools Day fell on a Tuesday. Though, I suppose we could just imagine that the film was set two years earlier. Yeah, let's do that.

Muffy is absolutely excited about the weekend, and so are the other houseguests. As they tour the mansion's grounds, Muffy is busy setting things up for the weekend, and she happens to come across an old jack-in-the-box that she seems to remember from years ago. And, keep an eye open for that box. It makes a reappearance at some point during the film.

The seven houseguests meanwhile make themselves at home after arriving on the island via the ferry. Of course, the ride on the ferry isn't exactly the smoothest ride possible. I found a clip of the movie to show you exactly what I mean.



Um...okay, who substituted the scene from Titanic for my April Fools Day clip? I tell you, someone is playing a prank on me today!

Sigh...anyway, I suppose I should tell you that one of the deckhands on the ferry is brutally injured in a freak accident aboard the ferry, setting the scene for what was to come.

Sure enough, the danger happens almost immediately as the guests settle in for the first night at the mansion. Now, because the film is set around April Fools Day, Muffy has scattered a whole bunch of pranks and gag props all over the mansion. From whoopie cushions and dribble glasses to fake drugs and an audio tape of a screeching baby, the guests try their best to make the best of things and have a relaxing night. But by the next morning, half of the houseguests disappear, some of them even meeting a very tragic end. And, by the time the surviving houseguests begin to figure everything out, someone has tampered with the phone service, and are forced to stay on the island until Monday!

And, what happens when the group discover that the killer could be one of them? How will they cope? Will they escape injury? Will the killer be unmasked? And, what is the deal with that jack-in-the-box anyway?

Well, you know what? For the first time ever in a Monday Matinee, I won't keep you in suspense. I'm actually going to show you the ending of the movie right now! I know, it's crazy right? But, the truth is that the ending is so shocking and so unbelievable that I can't resist. Here's how the movie ends.



Yep. That's right. Apparently, the two surviving characters are both female. Something happens to them during the movie that traumatizes them so terribly that they have forgotten how to speak English, and are now forced to communicate only in Spanish. Clearly one of them is the murderer, and she uses her patented scissor kick attack to choke the life out of the other one. But, she's not willing to die without a fight, so they are left to attack each other...

...no, wait. That scene is from a telenovela. AUGH! I've been pranked again!

Sigh. Well, now I'm really upset. Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me. I'm too distraught to even reveal the ending now. But, I will state this. There's actually two different endings that were shot for this film. One of them follows the plot line of the book almost perfectly. And, the other one deviates from the book completely. Which ending will you see? Well, I can't tell you.

No, seriously, in all honesty, I'm just going to get pranked again, so it's best to keep this under my hat.

˙ʎɔlɐɯɹou ɟo ǝǝɹƃǝp ǝɯos ǝʌɐɥ llıʍ ʍoɹɹoɯoʇ ʇɐɥʇ ƃuıdoɥ s,ǝɹǝɥ  ˙ǝɟıl oʇ ǝpınƃ s,ʇɔıppɐ ǝɹnʇlnɔ dod ǝɥʇ ʇɐ sn ɟo llɐ ɯoɹɟ ʎɐp slooɟ lıɹdɐ ʎddɐɥ



Ah, DAMN IT!!!

Sunday, March 31, 2013

I Want Candy


Hello, everybody!



I'd like to take the opportunity to wish everybody a Happy Easter Sunday! For today, I have dyed this blog entry in the finest Easter pastel colours! And, I'll tell you something...Easter has always been one of my favourite holidays. You want proof? Have a look at this picture!



In case you're wondering who the goofy looking kid with the bowl cut and velcro sneakers is sitting on the Easter Bunny's lap...well...it's me! Or, at least it WAS me back in the mid-1980s. I don't exactly know what year it was taken, but I would estimate it to be circa 1987. Unfortunately, I have a lot less hair than I did back then...but the good news is that I have since upgraded to lace-up sneakers!

Of course, going to the mall to visit the Easter Bunny was just one of the many traditions that I enjoyed as a kid. I probably have mentioned this before, but my family was never really the religious type, and we never attended Easter services. While all of us are very much aware of the religious background in regards to Easter, my family believed in setting our own holiday traditions at home. And, a lot of these traditions happened to involve a mainstay at almost every Easter celebration.

Easter candy.



Seriously, a lot of my fondest childhood memories involve Easter treats. First things first, I loved to eat the Easter candy! What kid didn't like to have a breakfast comprised of nothing but marshmallow Peeps, pastel coloured M&M's, and chocolate bunnies?

But eating it was only half the fun. Trying to find it was the real joy of Easter morning! When I was younger, whenever the Easter Bunny came, he would always leave behind a trail of candy enclosed in those little plastic eggs. It wouldn't be anything major...just jellybeans, jujubes, and maybe a couple of Hershey's Kisses. And, as a little kid, that trail seemed to go on forever. It would begin at my bedroom door, down a flight of stairs, down the first floor hallway, and into the den, where the real hunt for Easter candy began.

You see, when the Easter Bunny came for a visit, he always used to hide my Easter basket in some of the most unusual places, and it was my job to try and locate them with clues that were attached to small pieces of candy, like miniature chocolate bunnies, or a Reese peanut butter egg. And, the clues were quite cryptic, and some were really tricky to figure out. Here's a sample of what I mean...

  • I control everything that you watch (located in the remote control holder)
  • I'm hiding behind your sister and your brother-in-law (hidden behind their wedding photo on top of our VCR)
  • I'm the place where “Sunlight” and “Tides” can be found (hidden in the laundry hamper)
  • You can turn me on to shed some light on the subject (hidden behind a desk lamp)

You see what I mean? Those were tough clues to figure out for a kid! Yet, the final clue once I figured it out would lead to the smorgasbord of Easter treats. And, I congratulated myself on a job well done...despite the one year that I found my basket before I solved all the clues.



And, of course, all of us kids had our all-time favourites when it came down to what Easter candy we liked best. My eldest sister was a fan of white chocolate bunnies. My other sister enjoyed Laura Secord eggs. I myself absolutely have to have some form of Cadbury Mini Eggs. And, of course, all three of us were addicted to Reese Peanut Butter Eggs.

So, why am I talking so much about candy? Well, there's a couple of reasons why. First off, it's no secret that Easter candy makes up a huge part of Easter Sunday celebrations. It's estimated that in the United States of America, people spent almost $2.1 BILLION on Easter candy in 2012 alone! And, it's also estimated that Americans consume sixteen billion jellybeans on Easter Sunday alone! No wonder people are always in a good mood on Easter...they're all on a sugar high!

And, the second reason why I have decided to talk about candy is because today's featured song happens to have the word “Candy” in its title. We're going back in time thirty-one years for this one.



ARTIST: Bow Wow Wow
SONG: I Want Candy
ALBUM: The Last of the Mohicans
DATE RELEASED: May 1982
PEAK POSITION ON THE BILLBOARD CHARTS: #62

Not a lot of people may know this about this American one-hit-wonder by Bow Wow Wow, but this song is actually a cover version. The original hit was actually recorded just one year before lead singer, Annabella Lwin was born! Back in 1965, a group known as “The Strangeloves” released the original version, which if you like, you can listen to below!



TRIVIA: The Strangeloves had a fictional back story. Although the band originated in New York City, they claimed to hail from Australia. They claimed to be former sheep farmers who went by the names of Giles, Niles, and Miles Strange. In actuality, their real names were Bob Feldman, Richard Gottehrer, and Jerry Goldstein. Their record charted within the Top 10 in Canada, and peaked at #11 in America. Ironically enough, it never charted in Australia!

Seventeen years after the original charted, a British New Wave band decided to try their hand at success by recording their own version.



Interestingly enough, Bow Wow Wow was formed with an ulterior motive aside from making music. Malcolm McLaren was the man behind the band, and in 1980, he decided that one of the best ways to promote the fashions that up and coming designer Vivienne Westwood had created was to have the band wearing them while performing. The band's original line-up comprised of guitarist Matthew Ashman, bassist Leigh Gorman, and drummer David Barbarossa (of Adam and the Ants fame). As for the lead singer, it took some time for the band to find someone suitable.

Six months into the auditions, the band eventually settled on Annabella Lwin, a young girl that an acquaintance of McLaren's discovered at a dry cleaning place. She auditioned, and secured the position of lead singer in 1980.



Oh yeah...did I mention that at the time she was hired, Annabella Lwin was just thirteen years old? That's younger than the age that Debbie Gibson, Tiffany, and Britney Spears was when they had their first single released!

Needless to say, Annabella's age proved to be a factor in regards to some controversy regarding the band's album cover for “The Last of the Mohicans”, which contained the single “I Want Candy”. The album cover was taken in late 1981, and was a complete re-enactment of the famous painting “The Luncheon on the Grass”, by Manet.

Just for the record, here's the original painting below...



...and here's the 1981 album cover, which would be used for the band's 1982 album...



Now, what if I told you that Annabella was just fifteen years old when that photo was taken? Of course, the album cover doesn't exactly reveal any naughty bits (I'm sure if it did, it would have been double the scandal and double the trouble for the band), but Annabella's mother was concerned that the album cover was exploiting a minor, and even got Scotland Yard to launch an investigation into the matter.

Eventually, the investigation was dropped and McLaren had to promise not to promote Lwin as a “sex kitten” in order for the band to tour outside of the United Kingdom. If he didn't, Annabella Lwin would have been forced to quit the band.

At any rate, Lwin stayed on with the band long enough to record the song that got them noticed, “I Want Candy”. The video itself is quite...um...sub-standard compared to the videos that have been released since, but keep in mind that back in 1982, it was considered revolutionary and artistic. It certainly got a lot of airplay on MTV, which helped cement its place in the history of New Wave.

The song is now considered to be one of the most recognizable singles of the 1980s, and thirty-one years later, people still speak fondly of it. Recently, it was ranked at #86 on VH1's “Greatest Songs of the '80s”, and it landed at #8 on VH1's “Greatest One-Hit-Wonders of the 80s”. And, I'll be the first to admit that it is a great song!

So, what happened to the members of Bow Wow Wow since “I Want Candy” put everyone on a New Wave sugar rush?




Well, David Barbarossa would go on to be a part of another band, the British-based alternative group Republica, fronted by Saffron. If you're not sure of who they are, they released a couple of singles between 1996 and 1997 entitled “Ready to Go” (above) and “Drop Dead Gorgeous”. He had also been working on his first novel, “Mud Sharks”, which was eventually released in late 2012.



Annabella Lwin was kicked out of Bow Wow Wow in the fall of 1983, and embarked on a solo career, which spawned 1986's “Fever”. She reconnected with the former bass player of Bow Wow Wow in the mid-1990s, and re-created the Bow Wow Wow sound with rotating musicians filling in for the departed members. She also did some philanthropy work with her musical talents following the devastating tsunami in December 2004.



Sadly, there was no happy ending for Matthew Ashman. Following Annabella Lwin's departure from the band, Bow Wow Wow reinvented themselves as Chiefs of Relief, and Ashman became the band's frontman. That band would break up five years later in 1988, and Ashman stayed away from the music industry for a few years. He had been attempting to make a bit of comeback by joining the line-up of the group Agent Provocateur, but just before the band could release their album, Ashman died of complications from diabetes in 1995. He was just thirty-five years old.

And, that is our spotlight on the New Wave group, Bow Wow Wow. Not exactly the most relevant subject to talk about on an Easter Sunday...but then again, I've always loved weird traditions. Now, if you excuse me...I want candy. Ah...an Aero Peppermint Lamb. Delicious!

HAPPY EASTER!