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Sunday, June 23, 2013

Papa Don't Preach


Is it just me, or is the subject of teenage pregnancy a hotter issue than ever before?

Just think about it for a second. There are thousands of girls between the ages of twelve and eighteen who are getting pregnant each day of the week, and I think that almost everyone in the world probably knows someone who became a teen mom at some point in their lives. Maybe even some of you reading this blog entry right now had a child in your teen years. Believe me, I am not judging you on this at all. Just making a little observation.

To be honest with you, I have to give a lot of teen moms tremendous credit. Raising a child is hard enough when you're in your twenties or thirties...I couldn't even imagine someone trying to take care of a child at fifteen, sixteen, or seventeen. So, for those of you who have managed to do so, I salute you.

In some cases, some teen pregnancies are carried to term, and the child given up for adoption, as the mother may not have the resources to properly take care of her child. And, the always controversial option of abortion is also a possibility as well.

But, which decision is the right one for an expectant teen mother? Well, it's not really up for me to say, as I am not a teenager, nor do I have the biological parts to even give birth. The decision can only be made by the person who is carrying the child. And, that decision can be compounded by so many factors.


I would imagine that seeing television programs like “Teen Mom” and “16 and Pregnant” can be a bit of a double-edged sword, so to speak. On one hand, some may argue that these shows are absolutely disgusting, and that they actually promote and exploit teenage pregnancy. But on the other, some may say that the show perfectly demonstrates how hard raising a child as a teen mom really is.

I can also only imagine how hard it must be to maintain a social life when taking care of a child. I may be childless myself, but seeing how hard my mother and both of my sisters have had to work in order to raise their children, I really do believe people when they say that having a child changes everything. And, all the female members of my family were at least in their twenties when they started having children. Can you imagine putting your child first at the age of fourteen when you're still a child yourself? That would be a tricky, almost impossible situation for some unless you happen to have a very good support system at home.

But, what if you happen to be sixteen and pregnant, and you are so afraid to talk to your family and friends about it? You worry that they might not like the news. You worry that they won't accept the baby. You worry that your father will grab a Louisville Slugger and go after the hoodlum that got you into the situation in the first place. And, then once all that has passed, you're left with a decision. Do you keep the baby, or don't you...keeping in mind that you're likely going to be bombarded by your loved ones by opinions on what THEY would do if they were in your shoes, knowing full well that they have possibly no idea what you really are going through.

That's the scenario that is painted vividly in one particular song that was a big hit in the mid-1980s.

I know I've done at least a couple of blog entries on this female singer before, but this song has such a poignant message and a fantastic music video that I decided that I would make it the spotlight for today's Sunday Jukebox. It's a song that was written by a man named Brian Elliot, who came up for the inspiration for the song after overhearing some teenage girls gossiping about a teenage pregnancy outside of his music studio. The song was then handed over to a rising star, and it became the second single to be released from her “True Blue” album.



ARTIST: Madonna
SONG: Papa Don't Preach
ALBUM: True Blue
DATE RELEASED: June 11, 1986
PEAK POSITION ON THE BILLBOARD CHARTS: #1 for 1 week

NOTE: The song was also covered by Kelly Osbourne in 2002.




Now, as you all well know by now, Madonna is absolutely no stranger to controversy. She lost an endorsement deal with Pepsi after her “Like a Prayer” video ruffled a few too many feathers. Her videos for “Justify My Love” and “Erotica” were more or less banned from regular airplay on MTV. And, of course, there was that coffee table book with the provocative name “Sex”.

And, certainly when “Papa Don't Preach” was released in 1986, there was plenty of controversy to go around.

Some women's organizations, for example, were criticizing Madonna for seemingly encouraging teenage pregnancy...a claim that Madonna laughed off as being completely untrue. The song also caused Madonna to get into conflict with The Vatican, as she actually dedicated the song to Pope John Paul II. And, his reaction to the dedication was a public outcry, urging all Italian Madonna fans to boycott any and all tour dates in Italy during her 1987 “Who's That Girl” tour!




But, again...at nearly 55 years of age, Madonna has been surrounded by controversy, so this song was hardly going to make her hang up her microphone for good. In fact, Madonna's reaction to the controversy surrounding “Papa Don't Preach” can be summarized in an interview she gave to “The New York Times” shortly after the single was released,

Papa Don't Preach” is a message song that everyone is going to take the wrong way. Immediately they're going to say that I am advising every young girl to go out and get pregnant. When I first heard the song, I thought it was silly. But, then I thought, wait a minute, this song is really about a girl who is making a decision in her life. She has a very close relationship with her father and wants to maintain that closeness. To me, it's a celebration of life. It says 'I love you, father, and I love this man and this child that is growing inside of me.' Of course, who knows how it will end? But, at least it starts off positive.

That statement is essentially what the music video is all about.




So, we see Madonna as a teenage girl (which is a stretch, given that Madonna was actually twenty-seven when this video was filmed, but just go with it for now) wandering through the streets of New York City with something that is troubling her...and we don't exactly know what that it until a little later in the video.

Apparently, according to Madonna's T-shirt that she wears in the video, “Italians Do It Better”. And, well, in this case, the one time that Madonna did it with her boyfriend, she ended up getting pregnant. So, I guess the T-shirt didn't lie!

The problem is...how is she going to tell her father the news?




We see old home movies of a little girl playing with a stuffed Pink Panther toy dancing and cuddling with her father (portrayed by veteran actor Danny Aiello), and we quickly learn that the little girl grew up to be the young woman wandering the streets of New York with a lot on her mind...trying to inform her father that he's about to become a grandfather way before he was expecting to be one.

Now, you have to probably understand the situation that the father went through. You'll notice that Madonna had no siblings, and that there wasn't a mother in the picture at all. I can only speculate that the mother passed away shortly after giving birth to her one and only daughter, and that the reason why the father was so overprotective of his child is because she's all that he has left. So, looking at it from that perspective, it makes sense as to why Madonna would feel a little apprehensive over sharing her news.

But here's the thing. Not a whole lot of teenage girls who end up getting pregnant have the support of the boyfriend who assisted in getting them into the situation in the first place.



Yet in the video, Madonna has the support of her boyfriend.  After all, if you listen closely to the lyrics of the song, Madonna sings "he says that he's going to marry me, we can raise a little family, maybe we'll be all right, it's a sacrifice."

And, clearly the two are a very happy, loving couple.  We see that very clear in the scene where they're dancing on a boat as the band plays on.  And, while of course we don't quite see what happens to the couple once they have the baby, I think I'd like to believe that they stuck it out and raised their child together.

SCARY THOUGHT:  That baby that they would have had together would be 26 years old now!  I know...I made you feel very old, didn't I?  I know I certainly made MYSELF feel that way!

And, it's not as though Madonna in her real life ever catered to peer pressure or listened to anyone else who tried to tell her differently.  Fictional "teenage" Madonna refused to listen to her friends who told her to "give the baby up", and "live it up".  She just wanted some good advice...advice that she was not going to get from her peers.



Still though...telling her father is the one thing that she was not looking forward to doing, as she knew that the news would break her father's heart...especially since he worked incredibly hard to make sure that his little girl had the best life possible.  And, certainly when the news is revealed, he does not take it very well.  However, an ending is worth a thousand words, and as you see, things don't stay frosty for too long.

"Papa Don't Preach" easily became one of Madonna's most well-known singles, and was one of three #1 hits from the "True Blue" album.  The video for the single won the MTV Video Music Award for Best Female Video in 1987, and the video actually marked a change of image for Madonna, who trimmed her long dark hair into almost a pixie cut, dyed platinum blonde - a definite contrast from her "Like a Virgin", "Material Girl", "Crazy for You" days.

The song also hit #1 in several countries besides the United States and Canada.  The song also topped the charts in Great Britain, Australia, Belgium, Ireland, Italy and Norway, and was at the very least a Top 5 single in several other countries.  And, it was performed live in concert on several of Madonna's tours - most recently at Madonna's 2012 MDNA tour.



And, controversy aside, you have to admit that the song "Papa Don't Preach" was one fantastic song.  And, contrary to what other people have said, I really don't believe the song promotes teenage pregnancy at all.  If anything, it's a perfect song that depicts the feelings of anxiety that someone in that situation would naturally be facing.  


Saturday, June 22, 2013

Curious George

There's one thing that I want to talk about before I go ahead with this edition of the Saturday Smorgasbord.

Recently, the city of Calgary and the surrounding towns around it have been hit hard by excessive rainy weather, and as a result of this, a lot of the area is now flooded. At least reports, four people were considered dead, and thousands of people are now displaced from their homes and businesses. The scenes coming out of Calgary are devastating, and I can't even imagine what they're going through right now. So, I want to express my concern to the entire area affected by the floods, and am sending out my thoughts and prayers to the people of Southern Alberta.

And, now, onto this week's blog entry.

Since this is the fourth Saturday in the month of June, we're going to be taking a look at the world of literature. And, I'm hoping that many of you reading today's entry will have just as many fond memories of this book series as I do.

But before I go ahead with the blog, I want to tell you a little bit of a personal story.

When I was a kid, I think that I must have caused my parents and my siblings a lot of frustration and worry, as I was hardly considered to be the type of kid who would sit still in one place for very long. I was a very curious and inquisitive child, and it wasn't uncommon for me to make my way through every room of the house in a time span of just ten minutes.

Of course, just because I did make my way through the house faster than the speed of light didn't mean that I always did the most responsible things. Sure, I thought that I was helping out, but in actuality I ended up causing more trouble and damage than I really should have.

I remember one instance in which I found a snow globe in my eldest sister's bedroom, and I was completely mesmerized by snow globes and had to shake it constantly whenever I had the chance (to this day, I still love snow globes). Unfortunately, I ended up dropping the snow globe over the banister of the staircase and it went ka-blammo all over the hallway, sending shards of glass and little bits of fake snow all over the floor. Needless to say, my sister was not impressed, and my dad was incredibly angry!

But that was really the only thing I destroyed of hers. The other sister...well...I reckon I still probably owe her something like $500 for some of the things I ended up destroying with my curiosity. Let's see...I buried her Barbie dolls, I scribbled over a heart-shaped pillow, I cut up some of her Garfield books, and I destroyed her entire vanity filled with costly cosmetics and other hygiene products.

(Although, to be fair, that last one was a freak accident!)

And, as far as my parents and late grandparents go, my constant investigating of all things that did not belong to me was so apparent, it's a wonder that I didn't cause them to have a stress related heart attack. My grandparents cringed every time I went to their cabinet filled with knick-knacks and breakable collectables because I thought that they were awesome looking toys. My mom probably got so mad at me because it wasn't uncommon for me to rummage through the refrigerator and tear apart an entire head of lettuce to snack on (leaving a trail of lettuce leaves all over the floor from the kitchen to my toy box in the living room). And, I can't even begin to tell you how many times my dad screamed at me to stay away from his 1948 model acoustic guitar!

(Honestly, looking back at how I gravitated towards that guitar, it's a miracle that my father still owns it today, still in remarkable condition!)

But in many ways, although my curiosity almost always got me into trouble as a little boy, I wouldn't trade those experiences for anything. Always being one to be fascinated by new discoveries and wanting to know more about the world, and getting my hands dirty...well, that made me grow into the person I am now. And, it's only recently that I'm beginning to pursue my desire to be curious about everything and everything around me. I've always been one who loved to learn about new things, and I'm finding that I'm becoming more versatile and am capable of doing more than I thought I could because of my natural curiosity. After all, I wouldn't be moving towards a new job opportunity in electronics had I not been willing to learn how to use a cash register.

(Oh, yeah...that's right. I'm moving to my third department in a year. That's kinda exciting, right?)

So, is it any wonder that when I was a kid, I was drawn to a book series that also featured a main character that was just as curious as I was. He kept going to various places all over the city, and he was constantly getting into mischief. Mind you, he was never malicious in his intentions. He just wanted to help out, or have some fun. It wasn't his fault that he accidentally overdosed on ether, or threw pizza dough at random people, or sailed across the sky carrying ten thousand balloons. He was just going with the flow.

Although, I imagine the man in the yellow hat turned bright red with embarrassment over some of the trouble that his beloved friend got himself into.



But, such was the life of Curious George!

And, yes, we're going to be talking about that cute little monkey, Curious George in this week's edition of the Pop Culture Addict's Guide to Life!

From an early age, I was obsessed with everything that had to do with Curious George. Years ago, CBC used to air the old Telefilm cartoons that were made during the 1980s, and I would watch that show religiously alongside Mr. Dressup and Canadian Sesame Street. I would also make a trip to both my school library as well as my city's public library, checking out every Curious George book I could get my hands on. In fact, I believe that when my elementary school's library would have their annual book purging event where they sold the worn out, used books to the students at dirt cheap prices, I picked up a couple of coverless Curious George books to read. I didn't care...cover or not, Curious George stories were absolutely fantastic, and I simply had to read every single one.



Now, Curious George was born well over seven decades ago, the creation of husband and wife team Hans Augusto (H.A.) and Margret Rey. In 1940, the combat of World War II was well underway, and thousands of people fled the countries in Europe that were deep in the conflict. In June of that year, Margret and H.A. Rey fled Paris, France on self-made bicycles with very little possessions in their name, in an attempt to get out of town before the Nazis moved in (both Reys were Jewish).

One of those possessions was the manuscript for “Curious George”!

It wasn't the first time that the Rey's had written a story starring the cheeky little monkey. A year prior to their leaving France, they had published a story entitled “Cecily G. and the Nine Monkeys”, which many believe to be the very first appearance of Curious George...even though he was called “Fifi” at the time.

TRIVIA: Initially in the United Kingdom, when Curious George was first printed there, George's name was changed to “Zozo”, to avoid any negative comparisons. You see, at the time that Curious George was written, the UK was still under the rule of King George VI, and I don't think it would have been very classy to compare the King of England to a curious little monkey. It's only my assumption that the name was changed back to George following the real life passing of King George VI in 1952.

When Curious George first began being printed, initially only H.A. Rey was given full credit on the cover. The reason being that the children's book market was already saturated by female authors, and the Reys felt that having a male name attached to the book would make it stand out from the rest. Eventually, Margret's name was also added to the cover, with Margret being credited for the writing while the pictures were credited to H.A.



The first book in the series, “Curious George” was released in 1941, and this is the book that many of the book series most iconic images came from. The story begins as we see George living in an African jungle. He's a happy and carefree monkey whose only fault is that he is very, very curious. And, in this book, that curiosity lead to his capture by a man dressed entirely in yellow.



Yes, the man in the yellow hat was also in Africa...but not to snap pictures. Instead, he was there to take home souvenirs...like a little brown monkey.

Don't worry though. Lest you think that the man in the yellow hat is armed with a big yellow gun, think again. This man would never harm a fly, let alone a monkey.

The man takes off his yellow hat and leaves it on the ground as he hides behind a tree, hoping that the monkey would take the bait. Not only does George comply, but he ends up having a lot of fun with the hat...well...that is until the man in the yellow hat captures him.

Turns out that the man in the yellow hat wants to take George to an American zoo. But the journey to get there isn't exactly the smoothest ride. Let's see...he...

  • falls out of a boat into the water while trying to fly like a seagull
  • accidentally calls the fire department after seeing the man in the yellow hat use the telephone
  • gets thrown in jail by the fire department for calling them under false pretenses
  • breaks out of jail
  • grabs a whole bundle of balloons and ends up sailing across the skyline of the big city!


That last image is probably one of the most iconic ones in the whole series. Wouldn't you agree?

So, after all that, you might think that the man in the yellow hat is seriously reconsidering everything that he had to go through in order to bring George to America. But surprisingly, he is in great spirits, and he brings George to his new home at the zoo – after reimbursing the balloon vendor, that is.



But George doesn't exactly stay in the zoo for long, as in the second book, “Curious George Takes a Job”, he escapes the zoo and causes even more trouble than ever before! He eats an entire pot of spaghetti in a restaurant, he paints a jungle mural inside of a strangers living room, and in the escape attempt, he falls and breaks his leg. Then at the hospital, he accidentally opens up a bottle of ether, and well...



Needless to say, George's curiosity almost killed him off! Thankfully, the doctors and nurses revive him in time, and the man in the yellow hat decides to adopt him and bring him home. Even better, George's story was made into a film script and the second book ends with George watching his life story unfold on the silver screen!

The original Curious George series would continue for five more books, ending its original run in 1966. Eleven years later on August 26, 1977, H.A. Rey passed away at the age of 78. Margret would continue to be a huge part of the Curious George franchise, editing the series of children's books that were based on the 1980s cartoon series.



Here...I've posted links to four of the telefilms below. Maybe the stories will jog your memory.


Oh, that George!

Margret Rey would continue working on various Curious George projects until her death on December 21, 1996 at the age of 90. But even though the Reys are both deceased, Curious George continues to make a huge impact on the newest generations. A brand new animated series began airing on PBS in 2006, and that same year, a feature film which starred Will Ferrell as the man with the yellow hat was released, introducing children to the wonderful, curious world of Curious George.



And, in Harvard Square, Cambridge Massachusetts, a children's book store sits with the name “The World's Only Curious George Store, Harvard Square”, which features hundreds of pieces of Curious George merchandise which presumably includes books, DVD's, and stuffed animals.

Hmmm...I ought to find a way to get down there. I always wanted a Curious George toy!


And, to conclude this entry on Curious George, I thought I'd post this song from the film soundtrack!  


Friday, June 21, 2013

The Life and Times of James Gandolfini

Last month in one of my Tuesday Timeline entries, I talked about the series finale of the sitcom “Newhart”, in which many people believe was one of the best show endings of all time. And, it got me thinking about how other series concluded their runs. In most cases, the show endings ranged from satisfactory to brilliant.

On “Full House”, the show ended after Michelle fell off a horse and lost her memory (which granted, wasn't that big as she was like only seven or eight). But don't worry...she got it back. “Roseanne” kind of spoofed the Newhart “it was all a dream” ending by having the entire last season be part of a manuscript that Roseanne was writing as a fictional story. And, the “Dallas” finale ended on a cliffhanger that was not resolved for at least six or seven years after the final episode aired! How ironic that a television series that perfected the cliffhanger would end on the mother of all cliffhangers, huh?



And, I'm also reminded of the series finale of the television show “The Sopranos”.



Anyone who has watched that episode knows that the series finale ended on a peculiar note. It showed Tony Soprano, his wife Carmela, and his son AJ sitting down and sharing a family moment as some man watches them talking. As the man leaves to enter the restroom, the song “Don't Stop Believin'” by Journey begins to play, and Tony's daughter, Meadow Soprano enters the diner. Tony looks up...

...and that's where the show ends. The screen goes dark, there's a ten-second silence with a black screen, and then the closing credits begin to scroll.

The finale was purposely shot so that the audience would be able to come up with their own conclusions about what happened to the Soprano family. Maybe Tony and his family were gunned down. Maybe Tony and his family were blown up. Maybe Meadow was going to stab her father in the back by literally stabbing him in the back. Or, maybe...just maybe, the Sopranos would hold hands and sing Kumbaya to each other while they were sitting in the diner.

(Well, okay, maybe that last idea seemed a little too farfetched.)



The point is that the final episode of “The Sopranos” was one that ended abruptly. Sadly, the star of the show suffered a similar fate on June 19, 2013, as it was on this day that a heart attack would end his life abruptly at the age of 51.

Today, we are paying tribute to the late James Gandolfini, who passed away on Wednesday while vacationing with his family in Italy. He is survived by his second wife, Deborah, his thirteen year old son, Michael, and his eight month old daughter, Liliana.

Gandolfini's death sent shock waves throughout Hollywood as well as the entire world. Stars such as Edie Falco, Jamie-Lynn Sigler, John Travolta, and Brad Pitt all expressed their heartfelt condolences within hours of his passing, and logging onto Facebook yesterday, at least half of my news feed was clogged with articles about his death, as well as tribute pieces.

(The latter was what inspired me to do my blog on the life and times of James Gandolfini.)



Now, James Gandolfini was obviously most well known for his role as Tony Soprano, the New Jersey mob boss who has at least seven deaths linked to him throughout the series, who struggled to maintain his status within the criminal mob while being the devoted husband and father that he wanted to be. No wonder he was seeing a shrink during the whole series!  But he was more than that in his real life.

James Joseph Gandolfini Jr. was born on September 18, 1961 in Westwood, New Jersey to a lunch lady mother and a bricklayer father, both of whom had Italian ancestry in their blood. James' father even served in World War II and earned a Purple Heart for his services in the war. Because of his parents Italian background, as well as their belief in the Roman Catholic faith, James Gandolfini also embraced his Italian heritage, and would visit Italy as often as he could.

It seems almost fitting that Italy would be the place in which he would take his final breath.

After graduating as part of the Class of 1979 from Park Ridge High School (where his classmates awarded him the high school superlative of “Class Flirt”, Gandolfini earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in communications from Rutgers University. His large frame at the time helped him win a job as a bouncer at a campus pub, and worked as a bartender and club manager before pursuing the career that would make him a household name for the better part of a decade.

When Gandolfini was a young man, he befriended a man named Roger Bart (who was most recently in the ABC comedy-drama “Desperate Housewives”), and it was Bart who encouraged Gandolfini to try his hand at acting by enrolling in an acting class. It wasn't too long after that class that Gandolfini would land his very first acting role in the 1987 film “Shock! Shock! Shock!”

(Well, okay, so his role as “Orderly” was not a huge role where he said a whole lot...but like every single professional out there, they all had to start at the bottom and take whatever roles they could get, right?)

Besides, in the case of Gandolfini, his rise to stardom was slow, but very steady. He dabbled a little bit in Broadway when he took on a six-week role in “On The Waterfront” in 1992, and the following year, he landed the role of Virgil in 1993's “True Romance”. Virgil could be best described as a “brutal, woman-beating mob enforcer”, and James claimed that the inspiration behind personifying Virgil was a friend of his who also happened to be a hitman.

(Suddenly, the characterization of Tony Soprano makes a lot more sense now.)



Anyway, James Gandolfini landed several film roles during the 1990s. He starred as Russian mobster disguised as timid insurance salesman Ben Pinkwater in 1994's “Terminal Velocity”, landed a key role in 1995's “Get Shorty”, and in 1996, he once again played a mob enforcer in “The Juror”.

Now, there was a part of me that wondered if Gandolfini ever got frustrated with being typecast, as in almost every single role he took on, he played someone who either lead a mob, or someone who was a huge part of a mob. But, I think that James took it in stride. After all, he wouldn't have accepted the role of Tony Soprano if he had felt this way.

And, besides...it wasn't as though he played a mob boss in every movie he starred in. He played Lt. Bobby Doughtery in 1995's “Crimson Tide”, appeared in the romantic-comedy “Angie” in 1994 (where unfortunately, his character is kicked to the curb by Geena Davis), and in 2001, his comedic role in “The Mexican” earned Gandolfini the L.A. Outfest Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role!



But again, his most associated role was that of Tony Soprano. I'm not sure if Gandolfini knew that “The Sopranos” would do so well when it debuted on HBO on January 10, 1999, but it took off in a huge way, running for eighty-six episodes until the controversial series finale aired on June 10, 2007.

The concept of the show was more or less based on the life of show creator David Chase, and believe it or not, it was originally intended to be made into a feature film. But by the mid-1990s, while “The Sopranos” was still in its planning stages, the decision was made instead to turn it into a television series. And, for Chase, the challenge was to incorporate his own experiences of growing up in an Italian-American family in the heart of New Jersey into a mobster family. For example, his own relationship with his mother was very similar to the one that Tony shared with his mother, Livia (who was played by the late Nancy Marchand). And, the character of Dr. Jennifer Melfi (Lorraine Bracco) was based on the psychiatrist that Chase visited during his youth.



And, I think that part of the reason why “The Sopranos” did so well was because people could actually relate to it in ways that nobody thought possible. Okay, so maybe most of us haven't actually committed any crimes, or have shot a dozen people and secretly buried their bodies where nobody could find them. But, I am sure that most of us have had to deal with having overbearing parents who simply don't know how to let their children go. I'm sure quite a few of us have had to deal with the troubles of teenagers during their rebellious periods. In some cases, people have had affairs behind their spouses backs (just as Tony had done during his marriage to Carmela). And, yes, some people have gone to seek out advice from psychiatrists in order to decide what steps they need to take to move ahead in life.

The end result was a show that became the most financially successful cable television show to air, perhaps of all time. Many people today consider the show to be the best television series ever created. The show has earned a total of twenty-one Emmy Awards (of which Gandolfini won the award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series three times in 2000, 2001, and 2003), and several pieces of merchandise were released alongside the DVD collection sets, including books, a video game, and several successful soundtrack albums.

And, in 2013, the Writer's Guild of America declared the show to be one of the best-written television series of all time! What an honour!

Now, truth be told, I didn't really get into The Sopranos until the show's fourth season. And, even then, I was sort of a casual viewer at best. But, you know what, I have to give props to every single cast and crew member who worked on that series, as they made a show that was not only believable, but filled with heart and soul. And, I do believe that as the main character of the series, Gandolfini was literally the glue that held everything together, as his performance was nothing short of near perfection.

And, even after the series wrapped up in 2007, Gandolfini continued to work hard. He served as producer for two documentaries (“Alive Day: Home from Iraq and Wartorn: 1861-2010), and he continued to act in a variety of films such as “The Taking of Pelham 123”, “Where The Wild Things Are”, and “Zero Dark Thirty”. And, his work continued to be highly praised (well, save for the 2004 bomb “Surviving Christmas”) and he continued to be rewarded and honoured for his great work.

And, that was why he and his family were on vacation in Italy in June 2013. He and his family were to do some sightseeing in Rome before heading down to Sicily to receive an award at the Taormina Film Fest on June 22, 2013. Sadly, he would not make it to Sicily, as he died of a massive heart attack the evening of June 19.

May he rest in peace.



James Gandolfini

1961-2013

Thursday, June 20, 2013

Relay for Life 2013 - My Personal Scrapbook

Everybody has probably heard of the saying "a picture is worth a thousand words", right?  Well, in this special edition of the Thursday Diary, I thought that by sharing several pictures coupled with captions explaining the story behind the pictures that you would all get a better idea of what my experiences were like at the 2013 Relay for Life event that was held in my hometown on June 14 and 15.

This Thursday Diary is going to be structured a little bit differently than past ones.  For one, you will not see the classic Comic Sans MS font that you're accustomed to, as I think the regular font that I use will make more of an impact.

Secondly, this post is going to be extremely image heavy, and not so text heavy.  That's because I have a lot that I have to share with all of you, and I don't want to leave out any details.

And, lastly, this may very well be the most colourful entry that you will be exposed to.  That's because I'm trying to make this blog entry read like an actual scrapbook that you can leaf through.  Just imagine me using a 12-pack of Sharpies in different colours when you read each caption underneath the pictures.  Again, I think this is probably the best way that I have to present my experiences with the Relay for Life, so I hope you enjoy it.

NOTE:  This was the entry that I really wanted to write last Saturday, but was way too exhausted to type.  I'm making up for lost time.

So, let's begin with page one of this virtual scrapbook of the 2013 Relay for Life.


All right, so to begin this look back on the Relay for Life 2013 edition, why don't I begin by introducing our team!  These are the twenty people who came out to represent the Walmart Cancer Kickers this year.  From left to right, Top row:  Christina, Albert, Matthew (a.k.a. ME!), Paul, Jay.  Middle row:  Sarah, Lorrie, Roxanne, Marg, Evelyn, Dorothy, Brittani, Phil.  Bottom row:  Roy, Elaine, Linda, Carol, Heather, Theresa, Lloyd.


Here's another photo of us just before the Relay kicked off at 7:00 in the evening on June 14, 2013.  The banner that we were carrying was designed by Janice, who was the manager of the produce department up until a few months ago.  Looks great, doesn't it?  Now, I suppose that you're wondering what the number 75 means.  The answer can be found in the next photo...


This year's theme for the Relay for Life was all about the number seventy-five, as the Canadian Cancer Society celebrated its 75th anniversary in 2013.  Therefore, the various campsites that decorated their spots received bonus points for including the number 75 within our decorations.  We added the 75 into our banner, and our archway, which you can see in full in the next picture.


This is the site that we were given to use for this year's Relay for Life.  It was in a really decent spot this year, though admittedly we were a little bit too far away from the stage.  But that was fine by me, as I don't like music when it's too loud.  We chose blue and yellow as our two predominant colours to match the Relay for Life logo, although we as a team chose to wear lavender coloured T-shirts because the colour lavender is used to represent the fight against all cancers.


Many of the people who decided to enter the Relay for Life did so for a variety of reasons.  Many people who walked in the Relay are people who have either beaten cancer, or who are currently waging war against the disease.  For those people who stared cancer in the face and lived to tell the tale, they were given yellow T-shirts and participated in the Survivor Walk, which was easily the most heartfelt and emotional moment in the whole event.  I even found myself getting a little misty-eyed as the walk progressed, just to see just how young some of these cancer survivors were.  To see them go through something like that certainly puts things into perspective for sure.


The 2013 Relay for Life brought forth a record number of survivors participating in the Survivor Walk...over one hundred people registered!  And, on our own Walmart Cancer Kickers team, we were lucky enough to have four representing our store!  Dorothy, Roy, Elaine, and Evelyn certainly showed their strength and their passion for this event just by making an appearance in the Survivor Walk, and I absolutely salute them.  All four of these people are survivors, and that was why they Relay every year.  But every single person on our team participated for their own various reasons.  Allow me to share with you the reason why I took part.


Above are a pair of luminaries that I purchased at the event in memory of a couple of very special people.  The first luminary bag that you see is in memory of my co-worker Alex, who passed away from cancer on September 19, 2012 at the age of seventy.  He was a man who really helped me come out of my shell, and I will forever be in his debt for helping me look at myself through more adult eyes.  I still miss him every day.  The second bag (which is lit up) is in memory of my grandfather, who died of lung cancer on July 14, 2000 at the age of eighty-four.  Though my grandfather lived to be above average age, his last year of life was filled with so much pain.  It was tough to see him go through that.  My only regret in regards to the luminaries was that I didn't have enough to purchase one for everyone that I lost because of cancer.  I really wanted to buy a luminary for my friend "Pierette" who passed away a year and a half ago, and I really wanted to buy one for Pia, Mary Lou, and "Stew", all former co-workers who lost their fight against cancer over the last five years.  But, believe me, the thoughts of them were never far from my mind as I accumulated more laps around the track.


Speaking of laps, I thought that I would bring up this photo.  Next to my cute looking M&M's wristwatch is a purple ribbon that I purchased for two dollars (with all the money going to fight cancer).  Each time we did a complete circuit around the track, we would grab a bead to string through the ribbon.  Would you like to know how many I ended up with?  The answer a little bit later...


I'm posting this picture of Dorothy and Paul here for a reason.  You see, last year, Paul's wife Penny was a participant in the 2012 Relay for Life Survivor Walk, and Penny was still very weak from cancer treatments, so Dorothy supported her as she made her way the entire distance.  Sadly, Penny lost her battle with cancer just a few months ago, and the loss was very hard for Paul and his son, Jay.  So, Dorothy and the rest of the Cancer Kickers put our heads together and came up with a lovely tribute for Penny...


...a plaque that we presented to both Paul and Jay in honour of Penny.  You could just see the love and joy beaming from both of their faces, and I'm sure that they both made Penny proud.  It was a wonderful moment in honour of a wonderful woman.  I just wish that I could have gotten the opportunity to meet her, because she sounded like a lovely lady.


As the Relay went underway, what I found interesting was just how much effort other teams put in to their camps.  The picture up above is the team known as "Princess Lillian", and theirs was one hundred per cent interactive.  Walkers could play a beanbag toss, or pop a balloon to win a prize.  They even had a raffle going on, where a big prize was handed out at the end of the event!  I have to give them props for creativity!


As day turned into night, and the temperature dipped down into the single digits (Celsius), the Relay for Life planned a lot of events that would guarantee that the majority of people would stay up all night long.  One of the events was a Halloween trick-or-treating lap, in which we would dress up in costume and get candy from other people.  From left, Heather, Roxanne, Linda, Dorothy, Carol, and Marg got into the Halloween spirit four months early!


As well, there was a talent competition in which Relayers could show off their talents to the sleep-deprived crowd!  I really wish I had the video to show you, but I don't know how to post it in this blog...but Roxanne and Albert from our team did a ventriloquist act...complete with a little Gangnam Style thrown in for good measure!


And, here is a shot of me taken during the Relay for Life talent show at approximately two in the morning!  You can tell by the goofy grin on my face and the amount of beads I'm wearing that I was starting to tire out (and possibly that I was on a major sugar high from eating approximately a dozen and a half chocolate chip cookies that my mom baked for our team to snack on during the event).  But, I still managed to last the whole event with a smile on my face!  And, the glowsticks?  Well, let's just say that our trick-or-treaters were kind enough to share their loot with us.  I snatched a couple of Mars bars and a pair of yellow and pink glowsticks to wear around the track all night long!  


So, here we are...it's six in the morning, and this is my necklace.  I ended up getting two more beads added on top of that string after this picture was snapped (the glowstick holding the string together), but if you count each bead, you'll see that there are 32.  Add in the two extra beads, and you have 34 laps around the track!  My goal was to get at least one bead for every year that I have been alive, and I surpassed that goal by two!  Oh, and each lap around the track?  I've been told that the track was one quarter of a mile.  So, 1/4 of a mile times thirty-four laps equals EIGHT AND A HALF MILES!!!  No wonder I developed blisters on my heels!

So, how did we end up faring?


All 40 teams that participated in the Relay for Life did a phenomenal job, and the grand total for all teams that raised money was a staggering $132,205.91!  And, that was the figure at 6:45am on June 15, 2013!  I imagine the total has now climbed even higher in the five days since the Relay for Life!  Congratulations to all teams for supporting the Relay, and a very special thank you to our own Cancer Kickers, who raised well over six thousand dollars alone!  I am so proud of all of us!


All in all, I am really happy that I took part in the 2013 Relay for Life.  Although I was exhausted at the end of the journey, every step that I took that night was well worth it.  I met some fascinating people who I never would have met before, I listened to some live entertainment, I had fun spending time with my Walmart family getting to know them better, and most importantly, I was one of the many people who showed up at the event to send a message.  That with perseverance, attitude, persistence, and strength, that one day, cancer will only be found in the horoscope section.  One day, a cure for cancer will be found.  We just have to continue to hold on to hope.

(Or at least in my case, I can continue to try and get a decent picture of hope.  This effort took me several attempts to snap, and this was the best shot of "HOPE" that I could get.  Kind of symbolic, no?)

And, that is my scrapbook for the Relay for Life 2013.  I hope you all enjoyed it, and I hope that my pictures have told the story in a way that helped you all feel like you were a part of the Relay as well. It really was an event that I was proud to be a part of, and I will most definitely find a way to make it back next year.  Though, I think that I will definitely buy a better pair of walking shoes (ones that don't give me blisters), and I don't think that I will be walking as many laps.  And, I think that next year, I might take part in more of the Relay events.  

And, to conclude...one more video.




Wednesday, June 19, 2013

The Real Housekeepers of Studio City - A Request

One of the things that I wanted to stress in terms of the brand new All-Request Wednesday feature in this blog was the opportunity for people to have their say as to what they wanted to see. After all, this blog would be nowhere if it weren't for all of you reading this day after day. So, the Wednesday blog entries are my way of saying thank you to all of you out there by giving you the opportunity to have your say in what you want to see.

And, one of the things that I will absolutely encourage is promoting other people's projects, events, or special days within this space. After all, I think that promotion is the key to great success (if done correctly, that is).

So, for today's request, I'm going to offer up a little promotion for the person who suggested this idea.

First things first, this idea was suggested to me last Wednesday by Heidi P. of California, and when I heard her suggestion, I was intrigued to not only make it the subject of the day, but to give something that she has worked on some promotion.




So, I'm sure that most of you have heard of the whole franchise of television programs that deal with the “Real Housewives” of whatever county, right? Apparently, there are franchises that are set in Orange County, Atlanta, New York, New Jersey, Beverly Hills, Miami, and Vancouver.

BLOGGER'S NOTE: Okay, there are seriously SEVEN different versions of this show? Seriously? Not even “Law & Order” had that many spinoffs!!!

And, this might shock you (or not), but I have never so much have watched one full episode of any of these seasons. Ever. The idea of watching rich socialites acting like nothing more than trophy wives does not interest me in the slightest. Especially since most of the housewives are only famous because they appear on the program which seemingly promotes bad behaviour, overindulgence, and “First World Problems”.

Okay, okay, I'll admit that there have been a couple of success stories out there. Bethenny Frankel has become a wealthy businesswoman in her own right and is set to officially launch her own talk show in September, while NeNe Leakes has appeared in everything from “The Celebrity Apprentice” to “Glee”. But most of the others are...well...not exactly famous.

And, they sure as heck don't act like most housewives I know. You never see Kim Zolciak trying to do six loads of laundry. You never see Teresa Guidice swapping recipes with Caroline Manzo. And, somehow, I don't think I can picture Lisa Vanderpump sitting on a couch eating chocolates while catching up on episodes of “General Hospital”.

NOTE 1: The above descriptions that I just wrote are admittedly the stereotypical definition of “housewife” that one might have seen in 1970s sitcoms, but even so, I still have my doubts that you'd see the Real Housewives doing any of that stuff.

NOTE 2: Yes, I did have to look up the names of the Real Housewives. To me, they all kind of resemble the same woman anyway.

NOTE 3: I realize that by insulting the Real Housewives franchise, I have lost any right to become a spokesperson for Bravo. Ah, well. C'est la vie.

Of course, looking back at some of the people who have starred in television sitcoms, the so-called housewives didn't exactly do much housework themselves. I don't think I saw Angela Bower from “Who's The Boss” do much dusting. I don't think I remember Jane Jetson doing any dishwashing (well, except for those commercials she did for Electrasol). And, while Carol Brady may have been the world's most perfect mother, I don't even remember her doing much cleaning around the house either.

But then again, why would they? Not when they had people (or robots) doing all the work for them!

And, that's what today's subject is all about.




You see, Heidi and her husband have been working on a musical project entitled “The Real Housekeepers of Studio City”, and the musical recently had its debut performance in Los Angeles on June 9. In fact, you can visit the official website below.


CONFESSION: Okay, I admit. The banner is really cool looking!

Basically, the plot of the musical deals with what happens when a family from a fictionalized version of Studio City creates an ad for view on Craigslist, which attracts the attention of several sitcom maids. It is an original one-act musical, and it has been doing very well, if recent reviews are any indication.

Now, unfortunately, all of these performances are in the Los Angeles area, and Los Angeles is quite a ways away for me to actually check out the show for myself. However, if you are in the Los Angeles area, and you want to check this show out, just click on the link above. Tickets are still available, and the show is running until June 28, so there is still time for you to check it out! And, there are preview videos and pictures available on the website as well.

So, I thought that for this edition of the blog (and to tie it to the musical that Heidi helped bring to the public), I would do a feature on some of the housekeepers that are featured in this particular musical. Now, for time purposes, I'll only feature the ones that have been drawn into the banner, but judging by the description of the show, the musical does a great job representing several different housekeepers of all different backgrounds, genders...and in one case, machine.

So, let's delve into the lives of “The Real Housekeepers of Studio City”, shall we?




ALICE from “The Brady Bunch”.

If “The Brady Bunch” was on “Hollywood Squares”, Alice would always be center square. After all, she was always in the middle of the grid during the show's opening credits. And, I often think that the Brady clan would be absolutely nowhere had Alice not been there.

I literally see Alice as the glue that kept the Brady Bunch together, making her place in the center of the Brady grid even more symbolic.


I mean, think about it for a second. Alice had to prepare meals, clean the house, and look after six children that weren't even hers. And, she was more than just a housekeeper. She was more often than not the closest confidante for everyone in the Brady household, and almost always had just the right words to say in order to cheer people up, or make them feel special.
To me, Carol and Mike Brady were poseurs. Alice was the real star of the Brady house!




EDNA GARRETT from “Diff'rent Strokes”.

Of course, most of you probably know Edna Garrett best for keeping Blair, Jo, Natalie, and Tootie out of trouble in the long-running sitcom, “The Facts of Life”. But it certainly wasn't the first show to feature Edna. After all, Edna was the first of three housekeepers for the Drummond residence, as Edna happily served Philip Drummond, his daughter, Kimberly, and his two adopted sons, Willis and Arnold.

Now, Edna was considered to be fairly eccentric on both shows, but she had such comedic timing that one could overlook all of that. And, one thing that made her stand out was her ability to listen. She gave Arnold, Willis, and Kimberly some great advice over the years...advice that she would later take with her to Eastland.




NELL from “Gimme A Break!”

I recall doing an entire blog entry on this show quite some time ago, but just to briefly summarize what the show was about, Nell moved into the Kaminsky household to help the widowed Charles raise his daughters Katie, Julie, and Samantha after Nell made a promise to Charles' late wife that she would step in and take care of her family. And, Nell was one of the best housekeepers in the whole world. She loved the Kaminsky girls as if they were her own daughters, and when the Chief passed away, she still honoured her commitment to the Kaminsky girls until they were ready to go to college. And, even then, Nell still managed to show just how big her heart was when she agreed to take on a foster child named Joey to look after.

Granted, the addition of Joey Lawrence was solely to keep the show running...but it worked out well.

CONSUELA from “Family Guy”.

There's really not a whole lot to say about Consuela, so maybe this video will give you a bit of an idea as to what she is like.



Granted, I'm not sure if most people would like their housekeeper to steal their entire house, but man, oh, man, is she one tough broad!



ROSIE THE ROBOT from "The Jetsons"

Okay, so Rosie the Robot was considered to be a little old-fashioned for the setting of the Jetsons (but in the 1960s, she was the wave of the future).  Even now in 2013, Rosie the Robot has probably been successfully replaced by the Roomba.

But Rosie had character, heart, and passion.  Three adjectives that you wouldn't even think of using to describe a piece of metal that just happens to clean windows, scrub dishes, and make beds.  And, even though there were sleeker models of robot housekeepers out there, the Jetsons would never part with Rosie.  Rosie was a part of the family, and I don't think anyone in the Jetson household could imagine life without them.



LURCH from "The Addams Family"

Lurch, at first glance, might frighten you.  After all, he is almost seven feet tall and in some adaptations, he has the same skin colour as a zombified Smurf.  And, he's not exactly a master of communication.  His idea of speech involves garbled moans and somewhat broken English.  And, he isn't even really that agile, as his large size has made him quite clumsy.

But here's the thing with Lurch.  You'll never find a more loyal servant.  He is treated with nothing but kindness and respect by the Addams family, and he is very fond of both Wednesday and Pugsley Addams, both of whom he dotes on.  

And, while butlering might not exactly be Lurch's strong suit, he does play a mean harpsichord!

So, those are just a few of the housekeepers you'll meet in "Studio City".  Now I want to turn things over to all of you.

BONUS QUESTION:  Who are some of your favourite television housekeepers?  Berta from "Two and a Half Men"?  Tony from "Who's The Boss"?  Mr. Belvedere from...well..."Mr. Belvedere"?  I'm interested in hearing your thoughts!

And, keep sending me ideas for topics.  We are on Facebook and Google+!