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Thursday, April 25, 2013

The Awesome Customer Appreciation Post!


This is one of those Thursday Diary entries that had a last minute change over the last 24 hours. I was initially going to be talking about my first few days in a new area of the retail store I work at. But then something happened on my shift yesterday that kind of changed the topic ever so slightly.

Some of you who know me best might have an idea of what I am talking about...but it's not exactly what you might think. Confused? Read on!

April 25, 2013

Well, as I type this diary entry out, it is raining. Hard. I mean, enough rain that could fill up a flowerpot or quite possibly even one of those sandboxes or swimming pools. But, hey, at least with the rain falling, I don't have to worry about watering the cedar trees and hanging geranium baskets today!



Yes, as of today, I will have been in the Garden Centre area for a grand total of four days!  And, no, the image above is not our Garden Centre...just a stock image.

You know, I will honestly say this about the Garden Centre. It is a job that is not to be taken lightly. There are lots of perks to being in that department, but there is a lot of hard work involved as well...and that hard work is not necessarily for everyone.

Have you ever tried to cram an entire cedar tree into the back of a small car? I had that experience yesterday, and lemme tell you, I was so amazed that I ended up getting the whole thing inside! But, as long as the customer left with a smile on their face, it was worth the effort.



Or, have you ever tried to load a patio set inside a minivan only to find that the umbrella just doesn't quite fit? It took a bit of creative thinking as to how to arrange things in a way that all the boxes would fit comfortably, but you know what? I figured it out. Actually, the customer came up with the idea himself, and it worked perfectly fine. It was one of those rare happenings where teamwork between customer and employee worked miracles. In the end, the customer left with what he purchased in a good mood, and my stress levels remained at a neutral level.

(The only other alternative really was taking every piece out of the box and loading them in that way...which is a major pain in the butt to do. Trust me on that one. But even if it did resort to that, I'd do it.)



Even something as simple as loading bags of dirt, fertilizer, crushed clay, and mulch into the cars, trucks, vans (and in one case, even a trailer), could be very tiring, depending on just how many things you had to load into a vehicle. My very first experience in the soil compound was one of those instances in which I had to throw all fears and doubts to the wind. Imagine going out there for the first time, and having a car pull up saying that they wanted 40 bags of Black Earth Topsoil!!! And, that was my FIRST experience loading soil into the back of a truck.

But, to be completely fair, I really only ended up loading about half of that. The customer helped me load the other half. And, while we were loading up the vehicle, they were chatting to me about how nice a day it was, and just being very nice and kind. The guy even thought that I looked 25, which made this nearly 32 year old man smile in amusement and pride.

(It seems hard to believe that just a few years ago, I would have gotten so upset over the fact that someone would think that I looked young for my age. Now, I think to myself...cool!)

Anyway, that was basically the common theme of the last few days in the garden soil compound. I'd load up their cars with bags of dirt, and they would respond with gratitude and kindness.



And, that's really what I want to talk about. Appreciating customers who are pleasant, happy, and wonderful all around people.

Let's face it, for those of us working in retail, you're going to experience all sorts of people. There are going to be some who try to pull the wool over your eyes, trying to scheme their way to huge savings. And, yes...there are going to be some customers who are naturally grouchy, who complain about everything and anyone if things do not go their way, and who have a major attitude problem the minute they walk through the front doors of the store, and who take out their bad days on other people to make their days just as unpleasant.

(Yeah...I had one of those recently. 'Twas not a fun experience.)

But you know something? Who cares about those negative Nellies?

I suppose that I could have used this space to vent about this “charming” customer that I had to deal with not too long ago. But why give them attention? I certainly don't like to reward negative behaviour. All that does is put me firmly into the Nucleus of Negativity I despise so much.

Truth is, I'd rather talk about the customers that did put a smile on my face. Because A) they far outweigh the bad customers in number, and B) they are just simply more fun to talk about.

Why wouldn't I reward customers who treat people with kindness and respect? I know that there are some instances in which some places of employment have customer comment cards in which they can give kudos to employees who went above and beyond to service them (and yes, my workplace is one of those that does). But, I think it would also be interesting to reward customers who give employees kindness and courtesy.

In fact, I'm going to make a really big confession here. I typically am nice to most customers, and I will try to help them out whenever I can, even if there are times in which I don't know the answer. But if you cop an attitude with me at any time, then you will likely see my mood change as quickly as one of those mood rings from the 1970s. I'll still keep my composure and serve you to the best of my abilities, but know that I am silently turned off by you. And, also know that I have never claimed to be an actor, so there may be times in which my poker face might appear slightly disturbed.

Of course, most people never get to see that with me. Because most people that I serve are genuinely nice people!

So, that's why I talked about the coolest customer service experiences that I have experienced. I'd rather they get the limelight instead of the one nasty person.

I'd rather talk about the woman who was so grateful that I helped her find the pesticides that she let out a whoop! She had been looking around the store for several minutes and was getting frustrated, but she asked me very nicely where it was kept, and she looked relieved to find it.

Or, I'd rather talk about the long line of cars inside the soil compound, all of which wanted at least ten or more bags of topsoil, and all of the drivers worked together with me to load up four different cars with dirt at the same time. The teamwork between employee and customers was outstanding. I had never seen anything quite like it in my entire time in retail (not even when I was in the dairy department). It certainly not only made my job a lot easier, but I ended up serving all the customers in half the time in the process!

Or, I'd rather talk about the nice man who just wanted to buy a tree, but ended up buying several packages of seed and fertilizer. He was one of the nicest guys ever, and he actually kept apologizing for taking up so much of my time, and keeping me from other duties! There was no apology needed as far as I was concerned! I was just doing my job. He was the one who actually made me feel great about myself for being such a help to him!

You see, when a customer leaves in a good mood (regardless of whether they leave with nothing, or they leave with a huge order), I know that I've done a great job. Sometimes, the customer can leave slightly unhappy, but at least they're respectful about it, and in some cases, they don't blame me for what happened. And, that's true with every department. Sometimes things happen that are out of our control, and we can't really do anything about it. That's just how things are at almost any business in the world. You just dust yourself off and deal.

I think life is far too short and precious to spend it being negative towards other people. Why would you waste your time making other people feel bad when you can brighten up their day?

Shortly after I had that unpleasant encounter, I had several people who were in fantastic moods and who actually made me chuckle a couple of times! Soon enough, I had “nearly” forgotten how badly that other customer had made me feel.

(Hey...I said nearly.)

But, it has given me an idea for this post in the coming weeks.  I shared with you some of my positive customer experiences (and if I get any more, I will share them here as well). 

I am also interested in hearing YOUR stories.  Have you had customers that have made your day just a little brighter?  I would like to hear those stories too!

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Go Fly A Kite!


I'm kind of on a time limit tonight, so this entry will be considerably shorter than what you might be used to. Who knew working outdoors would tire a person out so much? I'll be sharing more about that story tomorrow!

For now, here's today's entry.




Have you ever told someone who has been invading your personal space to go and fly a kite? Next time you hear someone tell you that, give them a big hug and thank them for the wonderful suggestion!

DISCLAIMER: Yeah, that suggestion? Scrap that one. Depending on the person, you might get a black eye, a bloodied nose, or a marriage proposal.

But, in all seriousness, I think that one of my all-time favourite outdoor activities to do during the spring and summer months was flying a kite. I still remember the very first kite I ended up receiving. If I remember correctly, it was purple and silver, and it had a really super long string. Whenever the wind picked up, and it was strong enough to keep a kite up in the air (but not so strong that it could smash a window or blow a garbage can down the street), I loved it! Seeing that kite flying high up above the air, trying to keep it up as long as possible...that was just one of those moments that defined childhood to me. Sometimes, the wind would be so blustery that it felt as though the kite would lift me up off the ground and take me sailing across the sky! Of course, that never happened. I would have to think that the kite would have to be huge in order to lift me up off the ground, and I honestly don't think that I would be able to lift it!




I should also note though that when I was flying a kite, I was always flying it under direct supervision from a grown-up. My parents and elder siblings would always make sure that I flew the kite in a nice, open area away from any sources of electricity like power lines. After all, we all know that a kite was included in one of Benjamin Franklin's most famous science experiment proposals.




You know the one that I am talking about right? The one with the kite and the key and the lightning storm? Benjamin Franklin published his theory in 1750 by claiming that lightning was electricity. Yeah, don't try that at home. Flying a kite in a thunderstorm is dangerous, and you should never attempt it. If lightning ever struck your kite, your hands could become crispy vittles!

Kites were also used in researching and developing innovations for the modern day airplane, and Orville and Wilbur Wright reportedly used them when they were designing the very first airplane.

Actually, kites have been around for thousands of years, if you can believe it. It is estimated that the kite first appeared in the country of China approximately 2800 years ago (so, circa 787 B.C.-ish). The earliest kites were made out of silk fabric and bamboo, and by 549 A.D., paper kites were being flown. It would take quite a long time for kites to be introduced into North America, but thanks to the hypothesis that Benjamin Franklin had come up with, as well as the fact that the Wright Brothers used them, we can estimate that by the 18th century, kites had found their way onto every continent in the world.

Well, except Antarctica, that is.

Most modern-day kites manufactured these days are made of printed polyester and lightweight wood (although in some cases, silk is still used). Though I suppose you could buy kites from the dollar store that are made from plastic. I wouldn't recommend those ones though. I once had a kite that boasted clear as day that it was “Easy-To-Fly”. Seriously, it had the words “Easy-To-Fly” written across the front!

Do you think it was easy to fly? Hardly. I got so frustrated with that kite that I wanted to rename it to “Never Flies, Even In Gale Force Winds”. Though it wasn't a complete loss. The kite did become a wall decoration for my childhood bedroom for a few years.

Kites could be traditionally found in either a diamond shape or a glider-type shape. The silver and purple one I loved so much was shaped like a glider. “Never-To-Fly” kite? It was a diamond shape. No need to ask which design I preferred, huh?




Kites can be made to look like almost anything. I've seen box kites, which have sails that are shaped like a box, I've seen kites that are designed to look like dragons, and I think I got jealous of one kid who had a kite that looked like Snoopy!

I wanted a Snoopy kite too!

Turns out that kites are used in a variety of celebrations all over the world, and depending on what part of the world you happen to be from, kites are a valuable addition to holiday festivities.

Take Asian countries, for example. Kite flying originated here, and clearly kites are still very popular. One of the most recent trends that has to do with kite flying involves a game known as “kite fighting”, which is when people try to use their kites to knock or cut other kites down.

Kite flying is also quite popular in Afghanistan (except during the period when it was still under Taliban rule), Pakistan, Vietnam, and India. In Greece and Cyprus, kite flying is a tradition for Clean Monday (the first day of Lent). And, kite flying is so popular in Brazil that it has almost become a necessity in some cases!

Who knew that so many people all over the world loved flying kites? But, then again, when you consider that kite flying has assisted in the fields of aviation, meteorology, science, broadcasting, athletics, military, and of course, entertainment, is it any wonder why the kite is held in such high regard?

So, the next time someone tells you to go fly a kite...do it!

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

April 23, 1928

Tuesday Timeline time! Tuesday Timeline time! Tuesday Timeline time!

And, for this week's edition of the 'line, we're going to be honouring a true blue living legend in stage, screen, and film! Curious to know who we're going to be talking about and what year we're flashing back to? You'll find out soon enough!

For now, why don't we have a look at what else happened on April 23 throughout history. Now, there's quite a few important events that took place on this date, and I couldn't list all of them here. So, I went with some of the more important ones.

1616 – William Shakespeare passes away in Stratford-upon-Avon, England at the age of 52

1661 – King Charles II of England, Ireland, and Scotland is crowned in Westminster Abbey

1897 – Lester B. Pearson, the 14th Prime Minister of Canada is born in Newtonbrook, Ontario

1910 – Theodore Roosevelt makes his “Man in the Arena” speech

1932 – The 153-year-old De Adriaan Windmill in Haarlem, Netherlands burns to the ground

1940 – A fire at the Rhythm Night Club in Natchez, Mississippi kills 198 people

1955 – The Canadian Labour Congress is formed

1968 – Students protest at Columbia University in New York City against the Vietnam War, leading to the takeover of several administration buildings

1985 – Coca-Cola introduces a new formula known as “New Coke”, which ends up becoming a colossal failure

1990 – Namibia becomes the 160th country to join the United Nations

1995 – Sportscaster Howard Cosell passes away at the age of 77 in New York

2002 – De Adriaan Windmill reopens after burning down seventy years earlier

2007 – Russian politician Boris Yeltsin passes away in Moscow, Russia at the age of 76

We're also going to take the time to wish Chuck Harmon, Alan Oppenheimer, Lee Majors, Joyce DeWitt, James Russo, Michael Moore, Jan Hooks, Valerie Bertinelli, George Lopez, Melina Kanakaredes, Barry Watson, John Cena, Kal Penn, Jaime King, Taio Cruz, Aaron Hill, Molly Burnett, Dev Patel, Matthew Underwood, Charlie Rowe, and Alex Ferris a happy birthday.

Now, you might be surprised at who I've included in the list of celebrity birthdays. Of the list, the final five are 25 and under. They may seem kind of young and haven't lived long enough to warrant much attention yet, but I do think that child stars should be recognized in this space. After all, today's blog subject was one of the biggest child stars in the entire world at one time.



And, today she blows out 85 candles on her birthday cake, putting her date of birth at April 23, 1928.

And to introduce this person to you...a personal story.

Unbeknownst to me at the time, my parents were really big on classic cinema. Until a few years ago, I never knew that they showed any interest in movies from the 1930s and 1940s. My mom never really watched many movies (well, except for “Grease” and “On Golden Pond”, her two all-time favourites), and my father only thought a movie was good if it starred John Wayne.

My father is kind of what you call one of those “urban cowboys”. No, actually, he'd be more suburban...yeah, that makes more sense.

Anyway, when my dad was younger, he and my Uncle Clark (who sadly I never met as he died six years before I was born) were watching a particular movie that was released before either one of them were born. The film was released in 1936, and the plot involved a sea captain rescuing a baby from the sea. The little girl grows up in the care of the captain and they live their lives in a lighthouse until a nosy old truant officer comes around and tells the captain that the girl needs to have a proper education. What's worse, because the Captain never took the steps to legally adopt the girl as her own, she could be taken away from his care forever unless drastic steps are taken. Of course, like most films from the 1930s, the ending is a happy one.

What was interesting about the film was that the main character was someone by the name of Helen “Star” Mason. At the time, my father had apparently fallen in love with the name “Star”, and he proclaimed to my Uncle Clark after watching the movie that if he ever had a daughter, he would name her after that movie character.

As it so happened, my father had two daughters (and a son, obviously), and he had almost convinced my mother to name their first born daughter “Star”. Unfortunately at the time, my maternal grandfather talked her right out of it, and my sister ended up with the name “Dawn” instead. But then six years later, my mother gave birth to my other sister, and this time around, my father got his wish, and she was named Star (albeit with an extra R at the end, which likely prompted some people to question whether my parents named her after a Beatle...which given the fact that she was born in 1972 would have made perfect sense.)



Anyway, the movie that served as the inspiration behind my sister's name was the 1936 film “Captain January”. And, the actress who played the role of Star was Shirley Temple.



Shirley Temple being the subject of today's blog...the one blowing out 85 candles on her birthday cake today.

I know, it seems almost insane to think that Shirley Temple would ever be that old, given that when we knew her best, she was that curly-haired sweetheart that could make the meanest man's heart melt into mush.

She was born April 23, 1928 in Santa Monica, California to Gertrude and George Temple, and she began her career at the ripe old age of THREE! Only the Olsen Twins could make the claim that they started their career younger than her.

In September 1931, Shirley's mother enrolled her in “Meglin's Dance School” in Los Angeles, California, and at the beginning of 1932, Temple already had a contract with Educational Pictures after there was a talent search at the dance school. Unfortunately, the company went belly-up just a year later, but Shirley's career was just beginning. When Shirley was barely six years old, she had signed a deal with Fox Film Corporation, and was loaned out to Warner Brothers and Paramount for cameo appearances in other films.

And, in April 1934, the film that helped make Shirley Temple a star was released.



The film was 1934's “Stand Up And Cheer!”, and Shirley's performance in the film was garnering rave reviews. Shirley found herself to be quite the charmer in her young age, with Fox heads promoting her long before the film was even released (which likely assisted in why the film could be considered Shirley's grand entrance, so to speak).

Soon after “Stand Up And Cheer!” was released, Temple's salary was bumped up to $1,250 per week (almost unheard of during the Great Depression). By the end of the year, she starred in the movie “Bright Eyes”, which featured this now-iconic song.



Shortly after Fox Films merged with Twentieth Century Pictures to become Twentieth Century Fox, Shirley Temple began to churn out four pictures a year, and by the time she was a teenager, she had featured in no less than thirty-two movies! Some of her most famous included “Curly Top”, “Poor Little Rich Girl”, “Dimples”, “Stowaway”, “Wee Willie Winkie”, “Heidi”, “Little Miss Broadway”, and of course, “Captain January”.



But going from a precocious young girl with ringlets in her hair, a song in her heart, and dancing dust in her shoes to a mature, beautiful young woman was not an easy one to make for Temple. The older she got, the less she got hired. As it happened, Temple's look ended up typecasting her forever, as she found that her movie projects just weren't being as well received as they had been back when she was a child. Shirley instead focused on school activities, and later, marriage and motherhood, before announcing her retirement from films on December 16, 1950.

But, don't think that this was the last time you would hear from Shirley Temple.

Although Shirley's first marriage to John George Agar did not last (it hit the skids in 1949, following the birth of their only child together, Linda Susan), she remarried just one year later...ironically enough on the very same day she announced her retirement from film making! Her second husband was Charles Alden Black. They had two children together, and stayed married until his death in 2005.



That's nearly 55 years of marriage, for those of you keeping score at home.

And, eight years after retiring from the film industry, Shirley Temple Black had found new life in television. During the whole of 1958, she starred in and narrated a program called “Shirley Temple's Storybook”, and made several guest appearances on several television programs throughout the 1960s and 1970s.

Temple would later go on to a career in politics when she began campaigning for the Republican Party in California. She even tried running for a seat in the United States House of Representatives in 1967, but lost to Pete McCloskey – a Democrat.

Oh, well...I don't think it really hurt her that much. She went on to serve on the board of directors of several companies including Disney, Del Monte, and Bank of America, and has been a spokesperson for UNESCO and The National Wildlife Federation, and has raised awareness for breast cancer prevention after her own battle with the disease in 1972.

She was even an official American ambassador to Ghana and Czechoslovakia!

And, of course, you can't deny her many contributions to Hollywood, which has netted her several honours, including her putting her handprints in the cement at Grauman's Chinese Theater, received her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1960, and was awarded a very special juvenile version of an Academy Award!

Not bad for a child star, don't you think?



Happy Birthday, Shirley Temple! And, to celebrate? Well, why not have a “Shirley Temple”...on me?



And, if you want to make your own, all you need to do is mix ginger ale with grenadine, and then add a cherry on top! They're just the thing to drink on a cool day, and because they're a non-alcoholic drink, you can go crazy on the Temples!

BONUS QUESTION:  What is YOUR favourite Shirley Temple film?

Monday, April 22, 2013

Erin Brockovich


Hello, everybody, and a very happy Earth Day to all of you out there!



For me, Earth Day couldn't be a more appropriate theme for me this year, as this is the day that I begin working in a brand new area where I will be helping sell bags and bags of it!

In all seriousness though, Earth Day has been one of those days that I really feel strongly about. After all, the Earth is (as of 2013 anyway) the only planet we have to live on. We all should be doing our part to preserve it so that our children, and our children's children, and our children's children's children can enjoy it for centuries to come.

Or, at least until the sun explodes, but I don't think we have to worry about that happening within our lifespan.

For as long as I can remember, I've always been environmentally conscious (though admittedly I could be doing more to preserve it). I've participated in Earth Day activities, and I am a firm believer in reducing, reusing, and recycling.

And, because I am a fan of Earth Day, I thought that I would use this space to talk about an environment related topic. And, since today is Monday, I thought of only one possible movie.



We're going to be taking a look at the 2000 film, Erin Brockovich, which starred Julia Roberts as the title character.

And, with this choice of topic...I will tell you that I may end up revealing...a MOVIE ENDING!

I know! I have taken such pride in not revealing film conclusions! But, since this movie is based on a true story, and since I plan on talking about the real Erin Brockovich, I may end up giving away the ending. But, I would still recommend this film anyway because it is fairly good.



So, to begin this look back on Erin Brockovich, I thought that I'd begin by doing a brief character sketch on the real Erin Brockovich...just so you all know how she ended up getting a movie made about her life.

At first glance, Erin Brockovich was not a person who really stood out. Born in Lawrence, Kansas on June 22, 1960 as Erin Pattee, Erin's career began in an industry that was completely different than the career path that she eventually took. In 1981, after graduating from Wades Business College in Dallas, she went to work as a management trainee for department store chain, Kmart. But after less than a year, she found that being a department store manager was not her calling, and she quit to enter beauty pageants, winning the title of Miss Pacific Coast in 1981.

Moving to California in 1982, by the early 1990s, Erin was in dire straits...and this is where the movie begins.

Erin Brockovich” was released in theatres on March 17, 2000, and was made on a budget of slightly over fifty million dollars. Don't worry though, it made five times its budget at the box office, and was one of 2000's most well-received films.

Julia Roberts' performance in the film was especially well received, with her winning a Golden Globe and an Academy Award for Best Actress!



Anyway, as the story begins, we're taken back in time to the year 1993. At that time, the real Erin Brockovich was very close to hitting rock bottom. She was a single mother of three children who was unable to find work, and on top of that, she was involved in a court case trying to sue a doctor for injuries sustained in a car accident. It was supposed to be a slam dunk case, and Erin's lawyer, Ed Masry (Albert Finney) was confident that they would win.

It's just too bad that Erin had a flippant, lousy attitude towards the whole thing. Maybe if she had behaved herself appropriately, the case would have gone in her favour. Instead, the judge ruled against her, and left without any other option, she practically forces Ed to hire her on his staff to “compensate” for the loss. Begrudgingly, Ed agrees, and Erin becomes his newest file clerk.

However, Ed's actions lead to something bigger...and when Erin spots some paperwork regarding Pacific Gas and Electric purchasing the home of a Hinkley, California resident, she seems concerned that there are medical records included in the file. Puzzled, she pays the resident, Donna Jensen (Marg Helgenberger), a visit. Donna simply explained the situation away, but she did mention that she is grateful to PG&E for supplying a doctor paid for from their own pocket, because she and her husband had been suffering from poor health as of late. She had been diagnosed with several tumours, and her husband developed Hodgkin's disease.



This immediately raises some red flags for Brockovich, especially when Jensen mentions the word chronium. So, Erin digs a little bit deeper and discovers a shocking truth...that the water supply in the whole community of Hinkley has been contaminated with hexavalent chronium...which is considered to be very dangerous to humans, and can lead to long-term health detriments, including cancer. She persuades Ed to continue pursuing the case and wins the trust of several people in Hinkley, but can she find a way to get the proof she needs that PG&E knowingly contaminated the water supply despite their claims that the chemicals that they use are safe.

What eventually happens at the end of the film is that a whistleblower finally comes forward, and leads to one of the most incredible courtroom showdowns presented in film. I don't want to reveal exactly what happened, but since it's well known that the real Erin Brockovich continues to fight for environmental rights, I would say that the end result was a victory, wouldn't you?

Of course, I've left out some key details. You still don't know how much of a settlement was given, and there's actually a nice surprise twist at the end involving Erin and her fee.

But, it's important to know that while the film version is mostly accurate in portrayal as to what really happened in the Brockovich case, there are some discrepancies. Erin Brockovich herself pointed out that while in the film, “Erin” used her ample assets (a.k.a. Her cleavage) to get people to trust her, Brockovich claimed that she never deliberately did such a thing...although she also admitted that it was entirely possible that some people were...swayed on their own.

Here's some more trivia.

01 – Director Steven Soderbergh was up for an Academy Award for Directing, but ended up losing...to himself! “Traffic” won the award, which was also directed by Soderbergh!

02 – The car crash at the beginning was achieved by digitally combining scenes of Julia Roberts driving the car and a radio controlled car being hit by a stunt driver.

03 – The real Erin Brockovich reportedly sold the rights to her story to Universal Studios for a modest $100,000.

04 – Julia Roberts forgot to thank one important person in her Academy Award acceptance speech...Erin Brockovich!

05 – Less than a year after she wrapped up filming, Marg Helgenberger won the role of Catherine Willows on CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. She would stay on the series until 2012.

06 – Erin Brockovich makes a cameo appearance in the film...ironically enough playing a character named Julia.

07 – Ed Masry also made a cameo in the film, appearing in a restaurant scene. He would pass away in late 2005.

08 – Aaron Eckhart's character George, was based loosely on a Mexican-American biker that Erin used to date.

09 – There's a bit of a goof-up in terms of chronology. The stamps that are used were worth 33 cents (then the postage rate for 1999). The film is set in 1993, when stamps were lower priced.

Sunday, April 21, 2013

They've Got "The Look" - The Roxette Story


Sometimes when it comes to picking topics for the blog, I get a mild case of writer's block.

No, actually, I don't think that's quite the word I want to use. I think I'm going to coin a new phrase.

Topic block.

I suppose in some cases, it makes a lot of sense. I have been keeping up this blog for almost two years now. Sometimes it gets harder and harder to come up with fresh ideas when there comes a time in which you believe you have used them all up.

So, for today's edition of the Sunday Jukebox, I thought I would use a rather unconventional method in choosing a song to spotlight. I would put my iPod on shuffle, skip ahead to song #421 (the number chosen because this entry will be posted on April 21), and go from there.

As it turned out, that method was a rather ingenious one, as the 421st song on my iPod had an interesting story behind how it became a huge hit in North America.

And that story begins roughly around the holiday season of 1988.

At the time, a musical duo was on tour promoting their second album all around Scandinavian Europe, particularly in their native country of Sweden. Although the duo had had several hit singles in their home country, and even released their 1986 debut album in Canada, they struggled to find an audience outside of their native country.

That is, until an American exchange student by the name of Dean Cushman inadvertedly helped the duo achieve their biggest worldwide hit ever.

At the time that Cushman was visiting Sweden, the duo had just released the third single from their album, “Look Sharp!”. Their previous two singles, “Dressed for Success” and “Listen To Your Heart” had already been released to some success in Sweden. Upon hearing the single on the radio, Cushman bought a copy of the album, and upon flying back home to America, sent the album to a radio station in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and asked them to play the single on the air. KDWB began to play the single, and within a few days, it made a huge impact on the radio station, as listeners kept calling the station requesting the song be played again, demanding to know who performed it.

By the beginning of 1989, the copy of the single had spread to other radio stations throughout the nation, and it eventually hit the top of the charts, despite the fact that the album had not even been released in the United States! By the time “Look Sharp!” was released in the United States later on in the year, it debuted at #50 on the Billboard 200 – a fantastic claim to fame for a new artist!



So, would you like to know what the song was that helped make “Roxette” a household name? It happens to be the one below.



ARTIST: Roxette
SONG: The Look
ALBUM: Look Sharp!
DATE RELEASED: January 12, 1989
PEAK POSITION ON THE BILLBOARD CHARTS: #1 for 1 week

I remember “The Look” being played almost constantly during my elementary school years. I think that during the period between 1989 and 1994, I must have heard that song playing approximately five hundred times. Not that I minded though. It was a great song back in the day, and it's still a good song today!



In fact, I'll actually admit to owning the “Look Sharp!” album back in the day. What can I say? There's just something about Sweden. Of course, they also brought us ABBA and ABBA lookalike band Ace of Base.

Anyway, less about them. More about Roxette.



Roxette is made up of the duo of Per Gessle and Marie Fredriksson. Both musicians can be heard singing vocals, though Marie tends to sing a lot more than Per did.

(Part of the reason I'm glad that “The Look” was chosen for my as the topic was because it's the perfect song that showcases both singers.)

The duo first met in the year 1979 in Halmstad, Sweden. At the time, both were committed to other projects. Marie was in the band Strul and MaMas Barn, while Per was enjoying success as a member of the band Gyllene Tider (at the time, one of Sweden's most successful bands).

TRIVIA: Per also worked on former ABBA singer Frida's album “Something's Going On”.

When Marie Fredriksson left her band in the early 1980s, she began singing background vocals for Gyllene Tider in 1981, and by 1984, she joined the band on background vocals again for their only English album, “The Heartland Cafe”.

That album was released in Sweden in February 1984, and sold a modest 45,000 copies in Sweden. Doesn't sound like a lot, does it? Though the English-language album did attract attention from Capitol/EMI, and they made plans to release six of the eleven songs on an EP record under the name “Heartland”. The only catch was that the band needed a new name, as Gyllene Tider didn't quite roll off the tongue.

(In fact, I'll be honest. I have no idea how to pronounce Gyllene Tider, and if I tried, I'd likely sound like the Swedish Chef.)



Bork! Bork! Bork!

Ahem...anyway, the band settled on their new American name after the title of a 1975 single from Dr. Feelgood.

Roxette.

Now, Roxette did attempt to break out into the United States market four years before their big break came. In 1985, the group released a single, “Teasing Japanese”, and the music video actually found its way to the MTV headquarters in New York City. But while the singles did well in their native Sweden, they fizzled everywhere else, and by the end of the year, the band had broken up, and Per and Marie split off to record solo albums recorded entirely in Swedish.

But Rolf Nygren, then the Managing Director of EMI, refused to give up on Per Gessle and Marie Fredrikssen. He came up with the idea that Per and Marie should begin singing together as a duo using the Roxette name that they used for the American release that never came to be. The two agreed to try it out, and their first single was a song that Per had initially written in Swedish, but had translated in English to become “Neverending Love”. It sold 50,000 copies in Sweden, and peaked within the Top 10 in 1986.



Riding on the wave of success, the duo went to the studios to record their first full-length album, “Pearls of Passion” in October 1986. And, once again, their songs did very well in Sweden, but not so much anywhere else in the world.

It wasn't until Dean Cushman brought over a copy of the band's second album back home with him that their big break in America came.

The Look” was only the first of many hits for Roxette stateside. Just have a look at the songs that they also released in North America as well as their peak position on the charts. In fact, if you click the links, you can hear these songs in full.


So, as you can see, their popularity in the United States lasted about five years. Their last Top 50 hit was nineteen years ago, and they have not had one since. However, they are still, wildly popular in their native Sweden, as well as all throughout Europe and Latin America. They have had hits in Europe as recently as 2010, when their single “She's Got Nothing On (But The Radio)” hit the top 10 in Austria and Germany.

But their career and their partnership together was threatened in September 2002 when Marie became ill. She suffered a concussion after falling in her home and striking her head. It was discovered shortly after that the reason behind the fainting spell was due to a brain tumour. Surgery was performed immediately, and Marie spent the next few years recovering. At that time, Per Gessle embarked on a solo career. By 2005, Marie's condition had improved enough for her to begin recording music again, and four years later, Gessle and Fredrikssen reunited as Roxette for the first time in nearly eight years.



And, that's our “look” back on Roxette.

Saturday, April 20, 2013

Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm


You know, I've been keeping this blog going on for almost two full years now (something that completely shocks even myself as I never expected for this project to last more than a few months), and over the past couple of years, I have talked about hundreds of topics.

Here's a bit of a confession for you all. For months now, I have kept up a word file on the topics that I will be planning on talking about for the next few months. The reason why I have done this is so I don't end up talking about the same topic twice. While I may end up doing more than one look at a various television show, or musical artist, I will offer up different perspectives or different points of view.



Therefore, it may seem a bit bizarre to admit that I have never done a blog entry on the long-running television cartoon series “The Flintstones”.

And, you know what? It's about time.




Problem is, there are so many possible options that I can take with this blog entry. So many possible ideas for topics that I could choose. After all, it was the world's very first animated prime-time series to air. The Simpsons may be currently on the air after nearly a quarter of a century, but they wouldn't be there had The Flintstones not paved the way.

What can I tell you about the show itself? Well, it debuted on ABC on September 30, 1960 and ran for five and a half years until April 1, 1966. It's first few seasons were filmed in black and white, but towards the middle of the series run, began to broadcast entirely in colour.




You also know that the main voice actors really became stars in their own right. Barney Rubble was voiced by Mel Blanc, Betty Rubble was voiced by Bea Benaderet, Wilma Flintstone was voiced by Jean Vander Pyl, and Fred Flintstone was voiced by Alan Reed.

TRIVIA: Alan Reed emulated his voice so that it would sound like Jackie Gleason's character of Ralph Kramden from The Honeymooners, and reportedly Gleason was considering suing the show and tried to get the show pulled from the air, to which his lawyer allegedly asked him how he would feel being the man who pulled Fred Flintstone off the air forever? Gleason dropped the suit after that!

But, for today's topic, I thought about doing a spotlight on two Flintstones characters that for some reason end up getting overlooked. And, no, I'm not talking about the Great Gazoo and Hoppy, the Rubble family pet.

I'm talking about these two gorgeous children below.




Meet Pebbles Flintstone and Bamm-Bamm Rubble, the offspring of the Flintstone and Rubble families.

Now, how both children came into the world were completely different. Pebbles Flintstone is the biological child of Fred and Wilma Flintstone. She was born on the February 22, 1963 episode (her actual birthdate was on the same day, only in prehistoric times. As for Bamm-Bamm, his arrival didn't come until October 3, 1963. Unlike Pebbles, who was born the natural way, Bamm-Bamm's arrival came after Betty and Barney wished upon a falling star for a baby. The baby came in the form of Bamm-Bamm, who was found outside the Rubble's front door in a basket.

Come to think of it, had the show been made in 2000s-era, I could easily see Bamm-Bamm on the “Rocky Povich” show trying to find his birth parents. Thank goodness that the 1960s seemed more innocent back then.

When Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm were infants, both of them were completely different in personality and charm. Sure, both babies were absolutely adorable, and their parents loved them with all their hearts. But Pebbles was definitely the quieter of the two. She was content crawling around the floor, babbling her cute baby gibberish, playing with Dino, and being the jewel of her daddy's eye.

Bamm-Bamm, on the other hand, was born with super human strength. He had a club which he frequently used to bash people over the head with, and he had enough strength to pick up Fred or Barney and throw them up in the air. Heck, for some reason, I imagine if he wanted to, he could pick Dino up by the tail, and lift him off of Fred whenever Dino jumped on top of him in one of his super-affectionate moods.

But let's face it...who in their right mind would want to interfere with a classic, recurring gag like that?

Bamm-Bamm would never use his club on Pebbles though. Despite their differences, Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm would become best friends from the minute they saw each other. They played together, they danced together, and believe it or not, they even recorded a record together!




The song was the 1954 classic “Open Up Your Heart (And Let The Sunshine In), written by Stuart Hamblin. On the premiere of the show's final season which originally aired on September 17, 1965, Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm sang the song at various points throughout that episode. It was sometimes even played during the closing credits of the show's final season. Though on the episode, the singing was all a dream that Fred had, in real life, a 45 was released on the song, featuring Ricky and Rebecca Page on vocals.

Now, the original Flintstones series ended in 1966, but if you thought that the adventures of Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm ended with the conclusion of the series, think again.

During the 1970s and 1980s, through a series of television specials and revival series, the world watched as Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm grew up into young adults. When they were pre-teens, both starred in the one-off specials “A Flintstones Christmas” and “The Flintstones: Little Big League”. In the latter, we learn that Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm are both quite good in the sport of baseball.




When Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm entered high school, an entire series was made following their adventures in high school, which came to be known as “The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show”, which ran for the duration of the 1971/72 season. On the series, Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm's friendship had blossomed into first love, and both of them had to deal with the average things that most teenagers at Bedrock High had to endure. For Pebbles' it was having to stay one step ahead of mean girl Cindy and her beau, Fabian, and for Bamm-Bamm, it was trying to balance time between Pebbles, and his friends Penny, Wiggy, and Moonrock.

Interestingly enough, in this series, Pebbles proves time and time again that she is Daddy's Little Girl, as like Fred, Pebbles often gets herself and the rest of her friends involved in plans that tend to become epic failures, just like her dad. She even adopted her father's “Yabba Dabba Doo” catchphrase...even though Pebbles changes it just a smidgen when she chants “Yabba Dabba Doozie” instead.

TRIVIA: In “The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show”, both Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm were voiced by two well-known stars at the time. Bamm-Bamm was voiced by Jay North, who played Dennis the Menace in the live-action series, while Pebbles was voiced by “All in the Family” actress Sally Struthers.

And, finally, in adulthood, three specials were aired on ABC (all in 1993) that depicted what happened to Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm. And, I remember being twelve years old and watching all three airing!

(I am a huge fan of The Flintstones, in case you can't tell.)




Anyway, in “I Yabba Dabba Doo”, Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm get married, despite the fact that Fred and Barney end up losing all of the wedding money. And, in “Hollyrock-A-Bye-Baby”, Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm have moved to Hollyrock so that Bamm-Bamm can pursue his dream of being a screenwriter, and at the end of the show, Pebbles gives birth to twins, Roxy and Chip.

And, that's our look back on Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm...a love affair born out of the Stone Ages. If only all of our relationships could be as pure and loving as theirs...