Search This Blog

Tuesday, May 07, 2013

May 7, 1939


All right, everyone. I'm gonna start this edition of the Tuesday Timeline a little bit differently than I have in the past. I'm going to provide you with some background music, courtesy of British singer Paul Young.



(No, the subject of this blog entry is not Paul Young...but the song happens to be related to the real subject of this Tuesday Timeline.)

So, let's get into it. Today's the seventh of May, and there are quite a lot of historical events associated with today. The day is linked to the Hundred Years War, World War II, and the recovery of a famous piece of artwork. Don't believe me? Have a look at the list of happenings for May 7...

1429 – Joan of Arc ends the Siege of Orleans returning with a shoulder wound caused by an arrow to lead the final charge, marking a turning point in the Hundred Years War

1664 – The Palace of Versailles is inaugurated by Louis XIV of France

1718 – New Orleans, Louisiana is founded by Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Baptiste

1824 – Vienna, Austria hosts the world premiere of Ludwig von Beethoven's Ninth Symphony

1846 – The oldest surviving weekly newspaper in America, “The Cambridge Chronicle” publishes its first edition

1901 – Hollywood legend Gary Cooper is born in Helena, Montana

1919 – Argentinian actress and First Lady Eva “Evita” Peron is born in Los Toldos

1945 – V-E Day – Germany's participation in World War II ends following General Alfred Jodl's unconditional surrender in France

1946 – Tokyo Telecommunications Engineering is founded with 20 employees, but you might recognize the company better by its other name, “Sony”

1952 – The concept of the integrated circuit (the basis for all modern computers) is first published by Geoffrey W.A. Dummer

1986 – Canadian Patrick Morrow becomes the very first person to climb each of the Seven Summits

1992 – Space Shuttle Endeavour is launched on its first mission

1994 – Edvard Munch's “The Scream” painting is recovered undamaged after it had been stolen three months earlier

1998 – Mercedes-Benz purchases Chrysler for the hefty sum of $40 billion dollars, forming the merged company DaimlerChrysler

2002 – Famous Triple Crown winning racehorse “Seattle Slew” dies at the age of 27

And, I also want to wish a very happy birthday to the following famous people...Jim Lowe, Terry Allen, Richard O'Sullivan, Robin Strasser, Thelma Houston, Randall “Tex” Cobb, Amy Heckerling, Peter Reckell, Michael E. Knight, Adam Bernstein, Traci Lords, Eagle-Eye Cherry, Breckin Meyer, Katie Douglas, Mark Furze, Natalie Meija (Girlicious), and Alexander Ludwig.

Oh, and I also want to wish another gentleman a happy birthday as well.



And, this man was born 74 years ago today on May 7, 1939.

Now, here's an interesting piece of trivia in regards to today's Tuesday Timeline subject. You know the song that you heard at the very beginning of this piece? Well, that particular song is entitled “What Becomes of the Broken Hearted?”. As you have heard before, the song was covered by Paul Young, and used on the soundtrack to the 1991 film “Fried Green Tomatoes”. What's interesting is that when Whitney Houston and Kevin Costner were filming the 1992 movie “The Bodyguard”, Whitney was originally going to perform that song in the film. But when word got out that “Fried Green Tomatoes” was going to use that same song in their film, Whitney instead ended up singing Dolly Parton's “I Will Always Love You”, which became one of Whitney's biggest chart-toppers.

Anyway, I'm sure you have already noted that Paul Young's version was NOT the original. You see, the original version of the song was recorded by today's blog subject. The one that turns 74 today. Do you want to hear the original version now? Let's have a listen.



ARTIST: Jimmy Ruffin
SONG: What Becomes of the Broken Hearted?
ALBUM: Jimmy Ruffin Sings Top Ten
DATE RELEASED: June 3, 1966
PEAK POSITION ON THE BILLBOARD CHARTS: #7

(For comparison's sake, Paul Young's version barely missed the Top 20.)



But, that's fine. Today's subject is Jimmy Ruffin, and arguably, the song above was his most famous single. But there's more than meets the eye when it comes to this Collinsville, Mississippi native.

Jimmy Ruffin was the oldest of two children, and appropriately enough, his younger brother David also found success in the music industry (David Ruffin was a member of The Temptations between 1964 and 1968). When Jimmy and David were children, they began singing with gospel group “The Dixie Nightingales”, and by the time Ruffin was in his early twenties, he had gotten the attention of Motown Records, in which he began recording singles for its subsidiary Miracle Records.

Ruffin was forced to put his singing career on hold for a couple of years after he was drafted for service in the United States Army. Ruffin served in the Armed Forces until 1964. In a surprising twist, that was the year that Motown Records actually asked Jimmy Ruffin if he wanted to replace departing Temptations member Elbridge Bryant. But before Jimmy could respond, the band had heard David sing, they hired David instead of Jimmy!

Gee, I hope there wasn't any sibling rivalry because of it...

But you know what? As bad as losing the opportunity to sing in one of Motown's biggest success stories was, he managed to get over it. Because just two years after the younger Ruffin was given the greatest opportunity ever, the eldest Ruffin was offered a song that was meant for another band altogether.

The song “What Becomes of the Broken Hearted?” was originally meant for “The Spinners” to record.



(The Spinners, of course, being the band that recorded the big hits “It's A Shame” and “I'll Be Around”.)

Well, the story goes that Ruffin was so enamored with the song that he persuaded the writers to record it himself. After all, the song's subject is one that many of us have lived through...unrequited love.

Believe me, that song could possibly act as a potential theme song for this blogger. Well, either that one or Kylie Minogue's “I Should Be So Lucky”.



So, you already know that the song peaked at #7 on the Billboard charts. But, the song also reached #6 on the R&B charts, and peaked within the Top 10 on the UK charts. Ruffin also scored at least two more hits on the charts between 1966 and 1967.

However, by the time the 1970s rolled around, Jimmy Ruffin was finding that his popularity was waning, and he moved to England to further his career and establish himself to the United Kingdom audience. The tactic seemed to work, as he had several huge hits, and had a thriving career there during the 1970s and 1980s. And, although his brother David died in 1991 from drug related complications, Jimmy became an anti-drug advocate in his memory.

In fact, Jimmy Ruffin, at the age of 74, is still recording and performing music today. In fact, according to a couple of sources, he has a new album of material in the works that is estimated to be released in the near future! In fact, one source stated that the album was set to be released today! May 7, 2013.

Again, I can't confirm or deny this story...but if it did happen to be 100% truthful...then, what a great birthday present for Jimmy Ruffin!

Happy birthday, Jimmy!

Monday, May 06, 2013

Stepmom


I thought that for today's Monday Matinee, I would choose a movie that had to do with the subject of mothering. Since Mother's Day is this upcoming Sunday, I wanted to make sure that I had at least one film spotlight that focused on a mother raising their family.

Well, you happen to be in luck, because today's film features two mothers.

Well, okay, it features a mother and a stepmother.

But I'm sure most of you won't mind. After all, stepmothers are mothers too. And, contrary to popular belief, not all stepmothers are as wicked, cruel, and evil as the one portrayed in the classic tale of “Cinderella”. Still, I can't imagine that becoming a stepparent can be a job that is easy. Sometimes it can take months, years, or even an entire decade for children to accept a stepparent into their lives.

Now, I can't really claim to have much knowledge on families that have stepparents and stepchildren. I am not in a relationship with anyone who has had children from a previous marriage or relationship, nor am I a part of a stepfamily (my parents have been married since 1965). But, I have known several people who are part of a stepfamily, and in most cases, they have gotten along swimmingly. There are always exceptions to every family, but I just wanted to point out that not all stepfamilies are destined to fail.

In the case of today's Monday Matinee flashback, this is especially true. I would imagine that in the case of a divorce, it would be hard enough to deal with life as a newly single person, trying to do the best job they can to raise their kids in an uncertain situation. Now, imagine having your ex-spouse getting involved in a relationship with another person, and finding out that they are getting married. And, then imagine that something devastating happens to you in your own personal life, and before you know it, your whole life is thrown into freefall, all the while knowing that although you might not be ready for it, your spouse's new partner might be the very key to holding the family together.



That was the situation that the key players in the Chris Columbus film, “Stepmom” were faced with.



Stepmom” was released on Christmas Day, 1998, and featured the acting talents of Susan Sarandon, Julia Roberts, and Ed Harris. The film did make three times its budget, but had lukewarm reviews from the general public. Regardless of this, Susan Sarandon won the San Diego Film Critics Society Award for Best Actress, and Ed Harris won the National Board of Review Award for Best Supporting Actor.

As for Julia Roberts...well, she didn't win any awards for this film...but don't feel too bad. She would win an Academy Award just a couple of years later.



Okay, so as I explained before, divorce is never an easy thing to deal with, especially when you have a family. For formerly married couple Jackie and Luke Harrison (Sarandon and Harris), their separate lives are intertwined with trying to help their kids deal with the situation. However, Anna (Jena Malone) and Ben (Liam Aiken) are not making it easy for either side.



To complicate things, while Jackie is trying to cope with her divorce, it seems that Luke has moved on a lot quicker than she, as he is already dating fashion photographer Isabel Kelly (Roberts), a woman who happens to be almost twenty years his junior.

One of the things that Isabel attempts to do is establish a relationship with Anna and Ben. After all, if Isabel and Luke were to get married, she would be their stepmother. While Ben seems to be receptive of Isabel's intentions (despite the fact that he could be a bit of a mischievous urchin at times), Anna wants absolutely nothing to do with Isabel, and freezes her out at first, frustrating Isabel immensely. Still, Isabel loved Luke, and was determined to keep trying to reach out to the kids.



Of course, making the situation even more intense for Isabel is the reception that Jackie has given Isabel since their first meeting. Jackie gave Isabel more than just a cold shoulder...she gave Isabel such a deep freeze that if you looked really closely at Isabel's face, you may see traces of freezer burn!

Though, to be fair, Isabel is not the only target of Jackie's frosty attitude. Jackie seemed to have some simmering feelings of anger and disdain for her former spouse either. All of the frustration and in-fighting between Jackie, Isabel, and Anna does not sit well with Luke, and he decides to let everyone know where he stood by proposing to Isabel, right on the spot!

So, imagine being Jackie, trying to process this information. It was bad enough that Isabel would soon become a permanent part of the family whether she liked it or not. But then she would receive the news that nobody ever wants to hear.

Jackie had cancer. Terminal cancer. Untreatable cancer. Nobody knew just how much longer she would have, but the hourglass was almost out of sand, and Jackie would soon have to come to terms with the fact that she only had a few months left.

And, of course, Jackie is angry, devastated, and wants to blame everyone around her for her latest setback...especially Isabel. But as the film progresses, Jackie and Isabel begin to understand each other, and...well...that's all I'm gonna say right now!

I can't reveal EVERYTHING, can I?

But, did you know that “Stepmom” was not the original title for the film? Other names for the movie that were rejected were “Goodnight Moon”, “Promises Kept”, and “Always, Always”.

Come to think of it, “Stepmom” was probably the best title of them all.

Here's another interesting piece of trivia. Did you know that there's a particular scene in the film where Isabel sings a song to Ben entitled “If I Needed You”? It's actually a song that was recorded by Lyle Lovett...a man who married Julia Roberts in 1993. The marriage did not work out, but I'm guessing that the relationship between Lovett and Roberts is still somewhat amicable.

The film was dedicated in memory of Irene Columbus. Irene was the mother of director Chris Columbus who passed away from cancer the year before the film was released.

And believe it or not, this was the first feature film to premiere on the WB Network!

So, yeah...”Stepmom” may not have been a box office favourite, and it may not be known as one of the best films of the 1990s, but I will say that I've seen the movie, and I thought it was decent. If anything, it is a tale of friendships that you wouldn't expect, heartbreak that could be indescribable, and strength that people might not expect others to have in the time of crisis.

In my opinion, this film has every emotion presented within it. And, I think that to have a great movie, you have to have that emotion so you can get involved with the characters and plot.  

Sunday, May 05, 2013

Spotlight on Santana


Good morning, everybody, and a very happy Cinco de Mayo to everybody here!



Translated from Spanish to English, Cinco de Mayo means...well...the fifth of May!  And, Cinco de Mayo is a very important day in Mexican history.

No, contrary to what many believe (including myself up until very recently), Cinco de Mayo is NOT Mexico's independence day.  That day doesn't come until September 16.  But it was on this date in 1862 that Mexican armed forces pulled off an upset of sorts and won the Battle of Puebla against the French.  Since that victory, no European country have made an attempt to invade North and South America since, and over the years, the date has become a huge celebration for people all over the United States.

In short, Cinco de Mayo is a great excuse to kick back on a lounge chair in the warm spring breeze sipping a mojito.

So, considering that today is Cinco de Mayo, I came up with the idea to make the subject of this blog for today Mexican themed.  After all, there are quite a few popular entertainers, actors, and media figures who hail from Mexico.



They even have Mexico's Next Top Model!  Geez, does EVERY country need to have a modelling competition?  I tell you...

Anyway, since Sunday is the day in which we spotlight musical artists and groups, I thought that I would choose someone who has been in the music industry for almost fifty years!  And, he still happens to be going strong.  Though, admittedly you might not realize just how many songs he was a part of.  You see, even though he didn't really do much singing, his legendary guitar skills could be heard in songs from the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, and 2010s!  



Yes, today we're going to be taking a look back on some of the biggest success stories of Carlos Santana.

Now, Carlos Santana became a full-fledged American citizen in 1965, but he was born in the community of Autlan de Navarro, Jalisco, Mexico on the Viente de Julio, 1947.

(That's July 20, 1947, for those of you who were wondering.)

Right off the bat, Carlos Santana proved that he knew how to play a musical instrument.  His first instrument was the violin (which he began playing at age five), and moved on to the guitar three years later at age eight.  At the time he began playing music, Carlos was initially disheartened over the lack of Latino artists in American rock music, but later cited the late Ritchie Valens as a strong influence on him.

When Carlos was a teenager, he moved to San Francisco, California with the rest of his family (who had moved beforehand), and he graduated from high school in 1965, the same year he received his American citizenship.  He did have the opportunity to pursue higher education at a couple of schools, but he opted not to go, believing that he could pursue a full and rewarding career in the music industry.

In 1966, it seemed as though fate was determined to make Santana a star, as a series of interesting coincidences helped Carlos get his career started.  Being one who loved music, Santana was a frequent spectator at Bill Graham's Fillmore West (a popular San Francisco music club at that time).  On one particular Sunday, a performance was supposed to take place with blues artist Paul Butterfield as the main headliner.  Unfortunately, Butterfield was too intoxicated to go on with the show, and Bill Graham had to think quickly to come up with a replacement act.  He tried to assemble a band with musicians that he had gotten connected with through previous bands that had played there, but as luck would have it, Carlos' name was suggested to Graham via Stan Marcum (who was then the manager of Carlos Santana), and once Santana took to the stage, everyone, including Graham, were blown away at his talent.

Some time later, Santana formed the band that was named after his last name, "Santana", and one of their biggest breaks as a band came at the legendary Woodstock music festival of 1969.  In the case of Santana, their appearance at the music festival was unique, as they were invited to perform before they had even released their debut album.  And, this had actually worked out to their advantage.  Their debut album was released just weeks after the festival wrapped up, and the album immediately went to the #4 position on the Billboard 200.

No longer were they just a popular San Francisco club attraction.  They had hit the big time, and Carlos Santana was loving every minute of it.



And, well, here are just four of the many hits that Carlos Santana had a hand in.  Not all of them became #1 hits, or even Top 5...but they are some of the songs that most everyone probably knows.



BLACK MAGIC WOMAN
Album:  Abraxas
Year Released:  1970

Believe it or not, the band "Fleetwood Mac" had released this single two years earlier, in March 1968.  Though it was a mild hit in the United Kingdom (peaking at #37), the arrangement by Santana performed much better, peaking at #4.  The version by Santana was actually recorded as a medley, along with Gabor Szabo's single, "Gypsy Queen".  The song blended a variety of genres which included jazz, Latin, and Hungarian folk music!  I know, the combination is kind of weird, but for whatever reason, it worked like a charm.  



HOLD ON
Album:  Shango
Date Released:  August 14, 1982

I think that the main reason why I loved this song so much is because of the music video, which is kind of surreal, and a little bit creepy (that mime guy that appears periodically kind of gives me the creeps).  I think that the celebration scenes could also kind of mimic a Cinco de Mayo celebration, which also works for the theme of this blog.  But the song is one of my favourite Santana songs, and it peaked at #15 on the Billboard Charts in 1982.  But, did you know that the song was ALSO a cover version?  The original version was recorded in 1981 by Canadian singer/songwriter Ian Thomas.  I don't recall Thomas' version, unfortunately.  Whatever the case, Santana proves his guitar playing skills in spades in this video clip.  

By the way, if you have ever wondered who the main vocalist is on "Hold On", it is Scottish born singer Alex Ligertwood.



SMOOTH
Album:  Supernatural
Date Released:  June 29, 1999

Do any of you remember just how popular a band Matchbox Twenty were back in the late 1990s?  Matchbox Twenty seemed to be a popular band back when I was in high school.  I think that when I turned on my radio in my room to listen to while I did homework assignments, you could pretty much count on at least two Matchbox Twenty songs being played.

These days, you don't really hear too much from them, but back in 1999, the band was at its peak.  And, when lead vocalist Rob Thomas teamed up with Carlos Santana in 1999 to release a collaboration called Smooth, they were doing it at just the right time.  1999 was the year of the Latin explosion on the pop charts, as artists like Ricky Martin, Enrique Iglesias, and Jennifer Lopez all had huge hits in 1999.

"Smooth" was no exception.  The single helped net Carlos Santana several Grammy Award nominations (he ended up winning EIGHT in 2000 alone), and the song stayed on the top of the Billboard charts for TWELVE weeks between October 1999 and January 2000...making it not only Santana's longest running #1 hit, but his very FIRST #1 hit!  Now, that's definitely something to celebrate.



THE GAME OF LOVE
Album:  Shaman (Santana)/Hotel Paper (Michelle Branch)
Date Released:  September 17, 2002

Ah, can I share with you something?  I love Santana, but I also liked Michelle Branch as well.  I don't know what it is about her, but she was a huge part of my life soundtrack in the early 2000s.  So, for Michelle Branch to team up with Santana on a single, that was like frosting on the cake for me!

And, it remains another favourite song of mine.

The song peaked at #5, and was another big success for both Santana and Branch. The song could also be found on each of their individual albums, which likely doubled the sales of the single.  I'd call it smart promotion for both parties to put their duet on their respective albums.  It worked for Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan in their native Australia, after all.

NOTE:  On the Adult Contemporary Charts, the song performed even better, peaking at #1 on two separate occasions!

So, that's my own personal list of Santana favourites for this Cinco de Mayo.  Do you have any favourite Santana songs?

(And, yes, I deliberately showcased one song from each decade to illustrate his career longevity.  What can I say?  The man's a guitar genius!)

Happy Cinco de Mayo, all!


Saturday, May 04, 2013

Sharon, Lois & Bram's Elephant Show


As far back as I can remember, my life has always been filled with music. I am very seldom without my iPod - which is a bold admission to make considering that before I received one as a Christmas gift, I boasted that I didn't need one to make me happy!

But, hey...what's life if we can't admit that sometimes we can be wrong? I STILL refuse to get an iPhone though.

Anyway, as I said before, I am very seldom seen without my iPod, and whenever I am in a location in which there is no music playing, I feel a slight bit uncomfortable. My clock-radio is even set so that when the alarm goes off, it is set to my favourite radio station.

Really, I couldn't imagine a world without music. That's why I will be the first one to support the arts in schools. As someone who was more creative than mathematical, I loved the fact that there were lots of choices to express my creativity.

It's really hard to pinpoint when my love of music really began, as I was surrounded by it for as long as I can remember. When I was a baby, my parents always had their record player going, with classic country albums and songs from the seventies (weirdly enough, two styles of music that I don't really listen to much these days). One of my sisters really liked classic rock and blared it from her bedroom...and the other had a mad crush on one of the Taylors from Duran Duran and on the guy from Wham that was not George Michael, so I frequently heard their songs playing as well.

As I said, I heard a lot of different kinds of music from a variety of different genres, which could explain my eclectic tastes in music these days.

I think that my love of music sort of gravitated towards my television viewing habits as a child. To me, a children's show was incredibly dull and boring if there wasn't a healthy dose of musical interludes mixed in with it. That's why my earliest childhood memories involved a lot of “Sesame Street”, “Mr. Dressup”, and “Today's Special”.

And, today's blog entry is a show that I watched religiously from start to finish. I was three years old when it debuted, and was seven when it ended, so I was definitely within the core target audience the entire time. Of course, the trio of musicians who hosted the show had been entertaining children for years prior to the creation of their own television series. They released their first album together in 1978, and over the years released a total of more than 40 albums overall! And, even though all three members of the trio are now in their seventies, they still regularly perform concerts all over Canada and the United States.

One of my very first memories was listening to their 1981 album (which coincidentally happened to be released the same year that I was born). And, here it is below.



Sharon, Lois & Bram's “In The Schoolyard” was frequently heard at my house in the early 1980s. After all, with songs like “Peanut Butter & Jelly”, “Punchinello 47”, “Matthew, Mark, Luke & John”, and “Love Somebody/A Bushel and a Peck”, it was just the perfect soundtrack to keep me from screeching my head off at all hours of the night! And, yes, the album was actually in record format!

But it wasn't until 1984 that people would be able to invite the trio into their homes every week on CBC and TVOntario.



That was the year that “Sharon, Lois & Bram's Elephant Show” debuted on television. For the first couple of years, the show was originally broadcast to Canadian audiences only, but beginning in September 1987 (when Canada was broadcasting season four), the Nickelodeon network began airing the series as well, so American audiences could experience the fun of the Elephant Show as well.



But, just why was it called the “Elephant Show”?

It's very simple. It was named after one of the trio's most famous songs, “One Elephant”. Here's a clip of the song below. You'll quickly figure out that the song was also used as the theme for the show during its entire run.



It was just one of the hundreds of songs recorded by Sharon Hampson, Lois Lilienstein, and Bram Morrison. Sharon and Bram were Toronto natives, while Lois was originally from Chicago. And, their mascot for the entire duration of the series was a gigantic dancing elephant. Paula Gallivan was the woman behind the elephant costume, while Scott Irvine supplied her “voice”, courtesy of a tuba.

Each episode of “The Elephant Show” featured at least three child actors. Some were only there a few episodes, but others became recurring characters. I'd say that Marlow Vella, Cara Pifko, and Fayez Muhtadie appeared on the program the most of them all.



Singer/songwriter Eric Nagler was also a regular fixture on the program, also appearing in all sixty-five episodes of the series along with Sharon, Lois, Bram, and Elephant. After the series wrapped up in 1988, Eric would end up getting his own television series, “Eric's World”, which ran from January 1991 until January 1996.

TRIVIA:  I met Eric Nagler once when I was five years old.  For the record, he was a very nice guy, and had so many interesting tales to tell.  Even called me by name, which was an added touch!

And, what made the show even more interesting was the fact that on almost every episode, there would be a special guest star who would come in to share stories, songs, and good times with the group. Some of the most well known stars to appear on the program were actress Jayne Eastwood, comedienne Andrea Martin, Royal Canadian Air Farce performer Luba Goy, mime Bob Berky, children's entertainer Fred Penner, and singer Taborah Johnson.

Each of the episodes dealt with a specific theme, and educated children on various topics over the show's five year run.

Some of the examples of the show educating children are...

  • When it is raining outside and the gang is stuck inside the house, they come up with ideas on how to pass the time inside.
  • The gang spends the day at the Metro Toronto Zoo, where they learn about animals...as well as the importance of staying together in a public place after Elephant and one of the kids get lost.
  • Sharon, Lois, and Bram swap places with the children, who quickly learn that adult responsibilities aren't quite as easy as they thought.
  • Elephant learns that there are other foods to eat besides peanuts after the gang take a tour of Toronto's legendary Kensington Market.
  • Kids were invited to solve the mystery of the missing cookies, when all but one of Lois' batch of cookies disappear.
  • The kids learn all about the joys of cooking, and the adults learn what the best cleaning solution to use to get whipped cream off of the living room furniture. Just have a look below.



  • The kids even get a behind the scenes look at how a record is made when they get invited to the studios courtesy of Sharon, Lois, and Bram.

The show also dealt with social issues as well, devoting a whole episode towards raising awareness for UNICEF, a cause that the trio began championing since 1988.



Even after the show wrapped up production in 1988, Sharon, Lois, and Bram continued to perform concerts and make public appearances all over Canada and the United States, including one coveted gig at the 1994 White House Easter Egg Roll & Hunt, where they had breakfast with President Bill Clinton and First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton. The trio even started up another television series for CBC, “Skinnamarink TV”, which aired during the late 1990s.

Sadly, personal events took place in the trio's later years, which caused one member to retire from the group, and health issues threatened the futures of the other two. In 2000, Lois Lilienstein decided to leave the group. As the eldest member of the trio, and still reeling from the loss of her husband a short time earlier, Lois decided to part ways with Sharon and Bram, although the group has since reunited for benefit concerts and film festivals.



Sharon Hampson also dealt with the loss of her spouse, Joe Hampson in 2006, in which Lois filled in for her concert dates while she dealt with her grief. Hampson is also a breast cancer survivor, having beaten the disease three times.

As for Bram, he too had to take a leave of absence from performing after experiencing some hearing loss around the mid-2000s. It turned out that the hearing loss was caused by a benign tumor, and underwent an experimental procedure to prevent further hearing loss.

But, Sharon and Bram have persevered, and are still well respected in Canada. In fact, Sharon, Lois, and Bram were given the Order of Canada in 2002, an honour that was doubly special given that Lois Lilienstein was American-born, making her one of the only non-Canadians to receive the accolade.



All in all, my childhood would not have been complete had it not been for Sharon, Lois, Bram, and a giant dancing elephant. And, I can't think of any other way to end this blog off than with the epic closing song at the end of each episode.


Friday, May 03, 2013

Kate & Allie


May 2013 is off to a brilliant start around these parts. I am actually sitting here in my living room with the A/C on, as the past couple of days have been absolutely beautiful out. With temperatures well into the eighties (or twenties, if you happen to go by the Celsius gauge), and sunshine all around, I say bring on the heat!

Seriously, this winter was the longest one yet (and for some of you, it still hasn't ended). I'm happy to look forward to those hazy summer months.

And, since we just kicked off a new month, I thought that I would do something special for May.

Truth be told, there are quite a few special days in May this month, depending on the region you happen to live in. If you live in Mexico for instance, your independence day is coming on May 5 (also known as Cinco de Mayo).

In Canada, we have Victoria Day, which celebrates the anniversary of the birth of Queen Victoria. The holiday always falls on the third Monday in May, so this year, it's on the twentieth.

One week later, the United States of America celebrates Memorial Day, on May 27 this year. And, on May 18, the United States also celebrates Armed Forces Day.

Hmmm...May 18 is Armed Forces Day. I shall have to keep that in mind.

Of course, there's one more very special day that happens to fall on the second Sunday in May. This year, the date to save is May 12.

I'm talking about Mother's Day, of course. And for the record, I have a very appropriate subject for that particular entry on deck.

But why should I stop at just ONE entry dedicated to mothers all over the world?

That's why I made the decision to talk about famous fictional mothers during every Friday in May. After all, there have been hundreds of sitcom mothers, all of them raising their children the best way they know how to different results.

I wanted this blog to celebrate the accomplishments of these fictional mothers, mainly because I wanted to showcase that no matter what your background or financial status, or living situation is, women can be fantastic mothers to their kids, and raise them just right...even through the rebellious periods and temper tantrums that kids tend to have right through their eighteenth birthdays.

To kick off the series of special mom themed Fridays, I thought that we would take a look at a show that did extremely well during its six season run on CBS. It was a show that changed the definition of family dynamic, opened the doors for a lot of women, and unlike most sitcoms of the day, portrayed two single mothers as intelligent and self-sufficient women who didn't necessarily need a man to get by in life (although by the end of the series, one of the women did find love).




The two women were Kate McArdle and Allie Lowell, played by Susan Saint James and Jane Curtin.




And, the show that both of them starred in was the 1984-1989 sitcom, “Kate & Allie”, the subject of today's blog and the first feature in our special month of fictional supermoms.




Kate & Allie” debuted on CBS on March 19, 1984 as a mid-season replacement, and when it was first put on the schedule, only a half dozen episodes were produced. But CBS executives must have saw something special in the series, and the audience really seemed to enjoy it as well. It's debut episode was #4 in the Nielsen ratings on that particular time slot, which for a brand new show was fantastic.

It seemed as though creator Sherry Coben had struck gold, as a full season order was immediately commissioned for the following 1984/1985 season. The show would run for an additional five years, ending its run on May 22, 1989.




As far as traditional families go, the family that Kate and Allie portrayed was definitely not that. Both women were newly divorced, with children of their own, and both Kate and Allie had been friends since grade school. Since both of their families were living in New York City at the time (and since New York City is considered to be one of the most expensive cities in the world to live in, even back in 1984 standards), they decide to live together in a brownstone located in the heart of Greenwich Village.




To add to the fun were the children of Kate and Allie, who caused both of their mothers stress, and turned their hair more and more gray with each passing year. But, to both the credit of Kate and Allie, they loved their children more than anything and they would do everything to ensure that they had a bright future.

Kate's daughter was Emma McArdle (Ari Meyers), a typical teenage girl who loved music, boys, and talking on the phone. But she was also very intelligent, and went to Yale University (Meyers left the series during season five and her character was written out).

In an ironic twist, Emma's best friend was Jennie Lowell (Allison Smith), Allie's daughter who dressed a little more plainer than Emma, and was a little bit quieter than Emma, but ended up having some rather interesting storylines. Rounding out the cast was Allie's son, Chip (Frederick Koehler), the youngest member of the McArdle-Lowell family, who was well-mannered, but had a bit of a bratty streak once in a while.




One of the things that the show did very well was portraying women as the main breadwinners of the household. From the very beginning of the series, Kate had a successful job working at a travel agency, where her main objective was to get everyone she worked with to treat her seriously. While Kate was bringing home the bacon, Allie initially stayed at home to cook the bacon, as well as the other domestic duties that were a part of every day life. It was a role that Allie was accustomed to, as she was more or less a housewife/stay-at-home mother during her entire marriage. But as the series progressed, Allie began to understand that there was a whole new world out there waiting for her, and that she didn't have to settle for being the domestic goddess of New York City. Her independence and self-confidence grew over the years, and by the beginning of the fifth season, Allie was ready to go out into the workforce. Her dream came true during the show's fifth season, as she and Kate started their own catering business.

Even Kate and Allie's daughters seemed to learn something from their mothers during the course of the serial. For Emma, she tried running for class president, has to deal with the unwanted affection from a boy in her class, and having to deal with her mother's disapproval of another boy she starts dating. And, for Jennie, she has to deal with peer pressure, the pressure to have sex with her boyfriend, and enduring sexual harassment from her boss at a croissant shop. Even Chip had some interesting storylines over the series, which featured Chip having to fight against a bully and trying to adjust to life with a part-time father.

The show was unique in that each episode opening was different. Sure, the intro started off with the same shot of New York's skyline with the same opening music. But each episode began with a cold open, devoid of a laugh track which showed Kate and Allie having a conversation about living in New York during the 1980s. Since the show was one of the few sitcoms to film entirely in Manhattan, it made perfect sense to have on-location shots.

In fact, one episode screened in 1987 was filmed entirely outside, and dealt with Allie trying to find her way home after leaving behind most of her personal belongings inside a taxi cab. The episode focused on the homeless of New York, and was actually an episode produced with the cooperation with the Coalition for the Homeless.

The show was also rewarded with several Emmy Award nominations, with Jane Curtin herself winning two for Best Actress in a Comedy Series, and the show ranked within the Top 20 shows during most of its run.

And, so we close the book now on Kate and Allie...two women who really embraced and celebrated life in the 1980s as the independent, strong, carefree women that most wanted to be during that time period.

Thursday, May 02, 2013

Finding Gratitude in a Thankless Job


Sometimes, a Thursday Diary entry will just pop up out of nowhere. In this case, a temporary transplant to a different department inspired this post. Don't worry though...it's going to be “mostly” positive.

May 2, 2013

Can I just say that my shift at work yesterday was one of those shifts that left me absolutely confused? I felt as though I was on an episode of Doctor Who, or an extra in that lame movie “Hot Tub Time Machine”, and had warped back in time exactly eight years ago, to May 2005.

Now, May 2005 was one of those months in which my life was not exactly where I wanted it to be. I was just about to turn 24 years old, I was probably at what was my heaviest weight ever, and I had been at my current workplace for a grand total of seven months.

In short, I was a retail newbie.

Now, here's the deal. I never actually worked inside the store when I started my job at my current place of employment. For the first year or so, I was sort of the player behind the scenes, so to speak.

The perks were that I got to spend a lot of time in the great outdoors (sort of similar to the job that I currently hold), and that I got to stay in my own little world most of the time. Truth be told, it was sort of nice to be away from all the hubbub of the business of the store every now and then.

But there were a ton of cons in addition to the pros.



I'm talking about the thirteen months that I worked as a store standards associate. Thirteen months that began with a Christmas season, and ended with a Christmas season. And, let me tell you, it was by far one of the worst positions that I have ever worked!

I began that job in December 2004, two weeks before Christmas. And, I won't sugarcoat it, it probably would not have been my first choice at a job.

Now, some of you are wondering “what exactly does a store standards associate do?”

Well, if you are asking that question, allow me to enlighten you.

A store standards associate...


  • Goes out into the parking lot to bring in all of the shopping carts that have been either left behind in shopping cart corrals, or scattered all over the lot...regardless of whether it is sunny, rainy, windy, snowy, hot, cold, or lukewarm. I'm pretty sure that the workplace draws the line at collecting carts in a hurricane, though. That would be unsafe.



  • Inspects the washrooms on a semi-regular basis each day to make sure that they are at their height of cleanliness. Easily the WORST part of the job.



  • Responds with a mop and bucket whenever they hear a page for a clean-up. But, just to get this out of the way, a clean-up means that you have spilled an entire case of juice, or spilled a bottle of motor oil at the cash register, or heaven forbid, cleaning up vomit or worse. A clean-up does NOT include a splash of Tim Horton's coffee that could easily be cleaned up with a single piece of paper towel.



  • Having to help customers load heavy, awkward, and expensive purchases into their cars, trucks, vans, or trailers. These include but are not limited to curio cabinets, futons, flat screen television sets, gazebos, patio sets, mattresses, pool tables, treadmills, trampolines, barbecues, etc...

So, as you can see, store standards is not one of those jobs where you can take the time to sit back and smell the roses. You worked, and you worked damn hard.

Or, at least that was the idea.

You see, part of the main frustration with the store standards position was not so much the work that was associated with it. Sure, the work was tiring and monotonous, but the way I looked at it, it was a job, and I had the belief that if I gave it my all, people would eventually take notice. And, the work itself was nothing that I couldn't handle.

Some of my co-workers on the other hand...well...let's put it this way. Their general apathy towards the whole job made me want to lie down in the middle of the parking lot, set the cart pusher to radio control, and arrange it so that it would run over me.

(Well, okay, it never got THAT bad. That was merely a gross exaggeration on my part.)



Just to get this out of the way (and just to prove to you that my disdain for store standards was somewhat justifiable), I will tell you that there was one incident in which I had stayed out for nearly four hours on a day where the mercury was right around 35 Celsius, and I was almost passing out from dehydration (which admittedly was my own fault for not drinking enough water prior to my shift beginning). And, when I came in, the store standards guy who was supposed to be working with me (who had called in sick the last few days) not only was found shopping inside the store, but had the audacity to send someone else to ask me if I would take his extra shifts for him!!!

CONFESSION: I'll be the first one to admit that had I not been feeling so poorly at the time, I likely would have done something to him that would have gotten me fired. Thankfully, it turned out to be a one time thing, as I completely ignored him after that incident.

And, can I just say that sometimes, those carry-outs that I had to partake in were more frustrating then they really should have been, depending on the circumstances behind them?

Sure, most of them were easy-peasy, and they slid right into the vehicles with little to no difficulty whatsoever. But, let me ask you this. Have you ever tried to squeeze a barbecue inside the back of a Pontiac Sunfire? It can't be done unless you remove it from the box! And, that's frustrating.

Or, have you ever tried to load up a package that is 50 x 45, and the space that you have to work with is significantly less than that? It can't be done unless there is a rope handy to tie it to the roof, or use the rope to tie down the trunk.

Or, have you ever tried to cram an entire patio set inside a Mitsubishi? It can't be done. Ever. Even if you take it out of the box, disassemble all of the pieces that make up the table, chairs, and umbrella, and stuff the bits and pieces inside the car. You can't do it. Take it from someone who knows.

Let's put it this way. When I got the chance to move into the food department in January 2006, I literally jumped at the chance to move on from that job. And, I thought that once I had left that position, there would be no way that I would ever go back...

...well, that is until yesterday when staffing issues forced me to fill in for a day.

But, you know, a job is a job, no matter what it is. It may not have been my ideal work position, but I got it done without “much” complaining.

Hey, we're only human, right?

If anything though, going back to the department I started in (and didn't have the most positive memories of, honestly speaking) was a wake-up call of sorts. It kind of reminded me how far I have come over the last few years, and how much I have grown since then. I'm not the same person I was eight years ago. At the same time, going back to how it used to be has taught me that I should never forget where I came from. I suppose for some people, they would have pitched a fit over having to go back to the one place they hated the most...and, honestly, five years ago I would have likely been one of them.

To be completely honest, I think everyone in the world should, at some point in their lives have to go back to the one job that they hated the most, and work at least one shift in that job, just so people can have more appreciation for the work that they do now.  I know that after working store standards for a day, I value my current position in the store a lot more than I used to...

...well, my current position for about two weeks, anyway.  

I'm not going to lie to you, I wasn't the most thrilled person last night...but it would have made me look even worse had I refused. And, sometimes it takes that perspective to realize that maybe gathering shopping carts every once in a while isn't as bad as it is made out to be.

Though, let's make it clear, I don't want to do it again. :D

Again, we're only human, right?