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Tuesday, June 25, 2013

June 25, 1963

I can't believe that this is the last Tuesday Timeline entry that I'm going to be doing for the month of June. When you look at it like that, it seems almost sad.

You know what, screw sadness. I'm all about happy, happy, happy. So instead of looking at it as the last Tuesday Timeline for the month of June 2013, let's view it as the first Tuesday Timeline of the summer! Because almost everyone I know loves the season of summer.

I myself consider myself a fan of summer. Well, okay, maybe I could do without the shirt-soaking humidity...but everything else about the summer I'll happily take.

So, today's date is June 25, and like all Tuesday Timelines of the past, we'll start things off by talking about some major events that took place on this date throughout history.

So, sharpen your pencils and take accurate notes, because this is the history lesson of the day.

253 – Pope Cornelius is beheaded at Centumcellae

1741 – Maria Theresa of Austria is crowned Queen of Hungary

1788 – Virginia becomes the tenth state to ratify the United States Constitution

1876 – Battle of the Little Bighorn; George Armstrong Custer dies

1910 – Igor Stravinsky's ballet “The Firebird” premieres in Paris, France

1928 – Peyo, creator of The Smurfs, is born in Brussels, Belgium

1940 – During World War II, France officially surrenders to Germany

1947 – The Diary of a Young Girl (better known under the title of The Diary of Anne Frank) is first published

1949 – The cartoon short “Long-Haired Hare”, starring Bugs Bunny, is released in theatres

1950 – The Korean War begins with the invasion of South Korea by North Korean troops

1967 – The first live global satellite television program, “Our World”, is first broadcast

1978 – The rainbow flag is first flown as a symbol of gay pride at the San Francisco Gay Freedom Day Parade

1981 – Microsoft is restructured to become an incorporated business in its home state of Washington

1991 – Slovenia and Croatia declares its independence from Yugoslavia

1993 – Kim Campbell is chosen as leader of the Progressive Conservative party of Canada, and becomes the first female Prime Minister of Canada

1997 – An unmanned Progress spacecraft collides with Russian space station Mir

2009 – The entertainment world lost a couple of legends as actress Farrah Fawcett passed away at the age of 62 and “King of Pop” Michael Jackson died at the age of 50

2012 – The final steel beam of 4 World Trade Center is lifted into place in a ceremony

So, that's what happened on June 25 as far as events go. Now, let's take a look at who happens to celebrate a birthday on June 25.

A very happy birthday to June Lockhart, Eric Carle, George Murdock, Carly Simon, Jimmie Walker, Tim Finn (Split Enz), Mario Lessard, Anthony Bourdain, Paris Themmen, Ricky Gervais, Doug Gilmour, John Benjamin Hickey, Jackie Swanson, Lucy Benjamin, Angela Kinsey, Scott Maslen, Carlos Delgado, Linda Cardellini, La La Vasquez, Busy Phillips, and Lauren Bush.

Oh, and there's one more person who is celebrating a birthday today...and as it so happens, it's a milestone one!



This person was born fifty years ago today on June 25, 1963.

And, in his five decades of living, he has been through it all. He's had several chart-topping singles, both as a part of a pop duo, and as a solo artist. His music videos were almost the equivalent of watching an episode of “America's Next Top Model”. And, let's just say that the way that he came out of the closet was something out of a TMZ expose...before TMZ was even created.

Despite it all, and despite some recent health scares, this man has persevered, and has cemented his place in pop music history in both North America and his native UK.

Now, his birth name was such that you'd need a translator to pronounce it. And, I'm afraid that I can't even type the full name out without butchering it, so I am having to look up the name on Wikipedia, of all places.

According to this man's birth certificate, he was born Georgios Kyriacos Panagiotou. And, that's quite a mouthful to stamp on the face of a compact disc or even pronounce.



It is any wonder he decided to change his name to “George Michael”?

That's right. Today is the day that George Michael turns the big FIVE-OH! So, why not devote this Tuesday Timeline entry to the singer who achieved fame as a solo artist, and who had success as one half of the duo that he formed with childhood friend Andrew Ridgeley.

George Michael...this is his life!

So, George was born on June 25, 1963 in East Finchley, North London, and grew up in Kingsbury, North West London. When he was in his early teens, his family relocated to Radlett, Hertfordshire, and George was enrolled as a student at Bushey Meads School in London, where he would first meet a boy by the name of Andrew Ridgeley. The two became instant friends, both bonding over their shared dream of making it big in the music industry. In fact, George Michael would often perform cover versions of Queen songs on the London Underground to make a little extra money on the side while he was in school.

When both Ridgeley and Michael turned eighteen in 1981, the duo decided to form a musical partnership together, and they came up with the name “Wham!”. Their first release in June 1982 was a single entitled “Wham Rap! (Enjoy What You Do)”, and the single was actually one of the first British singles to utilize the fairly new technique known as “rapping”. Two mixes were used for the single...a clean “Social” mix, and an “Anti-Social” mix, which had some dirty lyrics. Unfortunately, the duo's single didn't really make much of an impact on either the UK or US charts. But, as time passed, “Wham!” made their way to the top of the charts.

Their debut album, “Fantastic” was an instant success in the United Kingdom, as the album spawned three Top 10 US hits. And, their success in the United Kingdom was enough for both Michael and Ridgeley to be included on the 1984 Band-Aid relief single, “Do They Know It's Christmas”.

UNRELATED TRIVIA FACT: “Wham!” wasn't the only group to sing on the Christmas record. Bananarama was also present at the recording. Who would have thought that nearly thirty years later, Andrew Ridgeley would be in a romantic relationship with Bananarama member Keren Woodward? This has nothing to do with George Michael, mind you, but it's an interesting fact, nonetheless.



But 1984 was a very big year for George Michael, and for “Wham!” for that matter. That was the year that the band released their second album, “Make it Big”. And, make it big, they did. Would you believe that from the release of the album's first single, “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go” that the boys of “Wham!” began to develop a North American following? The song topped the charts in both the United Kingdom and the United States, and it prompted everyone to go out to boutiques all over the world, searching for the perfect “CHOOSE LIFE” T-shirt. Even my then twelve-year-old sister was very much into “Wham!” as I frequently heard that song, “Careless Whisper” and the song below blasting from her record player.



ARTIST: Wham!
SONG: Everything She Wants
ALBUM: Make it Big
DATE RELEASED: December 27, 1984
PEAK POSITION ON THE BILLBOARD CHARTS: #1 for 1 week

PERSONAL NOTE: The reason I chose to use “Everything She Wants” for this entry is because it's really the only song by “Wham!” that I absolutely love.

Of the four singles that were released stateside from “Make it Big”, three reached #1 status, and one peaked within the Top 3. I'd say that's a smashing success, wouldn't you? It certainly put “Wham!” on the same level as “Duran Duran” and “Tears for Fears”.

However, as time passed, it became very much apparent that Andrew Ridgeley's presence in “Wham!” was fading, as the media turned most of their attention towards George Michael instead. Back in 1985, he was considered to be one of the biggest sex symbols of the whole world. Personally, I always thought his hair resembled a gigantic Frosted Flake, but that was just my opinion. Regardless, women all over the world swooned over him (well, minus my sister, who actually preferred Andrew Ridgeley). And, George Michael was beginning to release solo singles while still involved with “Wham!”. Although “Careless Whisper” appeared on the “Make it Big” album, only George Michael sang the lyrics on the record, officially making it his first solo single. He released another single in 1986, “A Different Corner”, which also did quite well on the charts.

By 1986, the writing was on the wall, and late that year, Ridgeley and Michael parted ways, as “Wham!” went Ker-Blam. However, the band still managed to release one parting single, 1986's “The Edge of Heaven”.



By 1987, George Michael's solo career was well on its way, though nobody really predicted just how huge it would become. His first solo project after “Wham!” ended was a duet that he did with legendary soul singer Aretha Franklin (I Knew You Were Waiting For Me). And, throughout the spring and summer of 1987, George Michael cut his hair, grew a beard, adopted a new wardrobe of jeans, sunglasses, and a leather jacket, and began recording new material for his first solo album, “Faith”.

And, right off the bat, the new album sparked controversy even before it hit store shelves on October 30, 1987. A few months prior to the album's release, the first single was issued as part of the soundtrack for “Beverly Hills Cop II”. The single was “I Want Your Sex”, which could best be described as a song about passion, love, and perhaps the biggest subject of all, monogamy.

Nothing wrong with that, right?

Well, except for the fact that Casey Kasem refused to read out the single's full title whenever it was played on his countdown show.

And, except for the fact that MTV had to play the sexually suggestive video after hours.

And, except for the fact that radio stations refused to play the single at all.

Okay, so maybe the single wasn't exactly the smartest choice to issue as the album's first. But despite all that drama, it still managed to peak at #2. Go figure.

Still, I think that had George Michael issued THIS single as the album's first release, it would have made all the difference.



ARTIST: George Michael
SONG: Faith
ALBUM: Faith
DATE RELEASED: October 12, 1987
PEAK POSITION ON THE BILLBOARD CHARTS: #1 for 4 weeks

It didn't take long for “Faith” to make it to the top of the charts. In fact, the follow-up singles (“Father Figure”, “One More Try”, and “Monkey”) also reached #1, making “Faith” one of the biggest selling albums for not only 1987, but 1988 as well. I even think that “Faith” was still a top ranking album throughout 1989 as well, but I can't be certain. As of 2013, “Faith” has reportedly sold over twenty five million copies worldwide, and is frequently appearing on critic's list as being one of the best albums of the 1980s.



But even though George Michael ended up having a wildly successful run of hit singles, and a financially successful world tour in 1988, the idea of being a sex symbol and an idol for millions of teenage girls bothered him, and when he released his next project, “Listen Without Prejudice: Vol. 1” in 1990, he had decided that he would not release any music videos for the new album. He eventually did agree to release a promotional clip for “Freedom '90”, but refused to appear in the video, leaving supermodels Christy Turlington, Linda Evangelista, Naomi Campbell, and Cindy Crawford to lip-synch the lyrics instead. He would later use many of the same models for his 1992 single “Too Funky”.

It wasn't until the late 1990s that we would understand why George Michael felt uncomfortable being regarded as a heartthrob for millions of women.



I think the signs started becoming clear roughly around 1994, when George Michael performed the song “Jesus to a Child” at the MTV Europe Music Awards, which instantly became a number one hit in the United Kingdom. The song itself would not be released as a single until the fall of 1995. Now, back then, the song was shrouded in mystery, as the only thing that the general public knew was that the song was dedicated to a man named Anselmo Feleppa, who had died a year prior to George Michael writing the song. Anselmo Feleppa's cause of death was complications from AIDS, and George Michael was reportedly very worried.

As he should have been...considering that Feleppa and Michael were lovers at one time.

Of course, the public learned the truth one day in April 1998 when George Michael was arrested after soliciting a male undercover cop in a men's public washroom in a Beverly Hills park. Shortly after that, Michael announced that he was, in fact, gay. He even recorded a single entitled “Outside” shortly after that incident, poking fun at the arrest.



Truth be told, I think that while the arrest may have been the most humiliating experience of George Michael's life, it may have also been the one thing that he needed to have happen the most. George had always suspected that he was gay since he was young, and initially, he only told a few close friends (including Andrew Ridgeley and one of his sisters) that he was bisexual. But the older he grew, the more he realized that he was gay, and by 1998, I think that he may have sort of wanted to get caught, because once the secret that he had kept for years was out in the open, he began to breathe a little easier. He could finally be true to himself for the first time ever, and I can only speculate that the arrest was simultaneously the worst thing and the best thing to ever happen to him.

These days, George Michael is still recording music and performing concerts. Although he's had some health scares in recent years (in 2011, he was hospitalized with severe pneumonia, effectively canceling his tour dates until early 2012, and in 2013, he was involved in a car accident in which he sustained a head injury), George Michael has proven to the world that he is still a star in the music industry. And, for the first time in his fifty years, I think he is absolutely one hundred per cent comfortable with who he is, and I think that's to be celebrated.




Happy 50th, George Michael!

Monday, June 24, 2013

The Brave Little Toaster

This Monday Matinee is all about the subject of bravery. And, appropriately, I am typing this blog entry out as I just finished watching Nik Wallenda SUCCESSFULLY cross the Grand Canyon on a tightrope without any safety cables to hold him up! I tell you, that was probably the most nerve-wracking piece of television that I can recall seeing in my life!

I gotta tell you, the whole time, I was shaking like a leaf. I was actually debating on whether Nik Wallenda was incredibly foolish for even attempting such a feat knowing that he could lose his life right then and there with one misstep, or whether he was incredibly brave for doing such an incredible thing that kept tongues wagging.

Keep in mind that this is the same Nik Wallenda who made headlines a little over a year ago for walking across Niagara Falls on a wire from the American side to the Canadian side...only that time he did have a proper safety harness to keep him from plummeting to his death. The fact that he attempted this walk across the Grand Canyon without one made me incredibly nervous for him. But, throughout it all, he kept his cool, and he kept a good rhythm as he marched on that rope. His ambition was to be the very first person to cross the Grand Canyon on a wire, and that goal certainly paid off.

I would imagine that as I am typing this right now, the Wallenda family is off celebrating Nik's greatest achievement to date, and I would imagine that Nik himself is absolutely thrilled of the successful walk. I know millions of people who watched it live on television feel the same way.

So, now that I've talked about the feelings of bravery that Nik Wallenda demonstrated up on that tightrope (because let's face it, you have to have some cojones to walk above a gigantic chasm in the middle of the planet's surface), it's time to talk about today's feature presentation. And, it happens to be an animated feature where the main character also happens to be someone who is very brave.

Or, maybe I should say...someTHING.

Yes, the hero of the story is a household appliance that many people wouldn't even consider to be much of a hero in the first place. I mean, yes, in an everyday situation, you could use this appliance to heat up frozen waffles, toast bagels and slices of bread to a golden brown, and make Pop Tarts even more delicious. But, really, aside from Pillsbury naming a strudel after this device, there's really nothing else that makes this appliance synonymous with strength and heroism. I mean, even though it may seem like the most popular gift to bestow upon a newlywed couple, I reckon that it's also the appliance that makes the most appearances at garage sales and flea markets all over Canada and the United States.



Of course, I'm talking about the toaster.

But while most toasters are doomed to making Eggos and bagels piping hot, the toaster in this movie does so much more than that.

Hence the reason why this toaster has a movie named after him.



Today's blog entry will be looking at the 1987 film “The Brave Little Toaster”.

Released on July 10, 1987 and directed by Jerry Rees, “The Brave Little Toaster” was one of those films that I felt was very underrated when it first came out. Did you know that the film was based on a best-selling book of the same name, written by the late Thomas Disch in 1980? It's true! But, it took a few years before the film was actually made, with Hyperion Pictures backing the production in 1986.

And, did you know that the film's premiere was actually at a film festival?

The Brave Little Toaster” was shown at the 1987 Los Angeles International Animation Celebration, and then just one year later was featured as one of the films at the coveted Sundance Film Festival.

INTERESTING TRIVIA: According to Jerry Rees, the Sundance judging committee was considering honouring “The Brave Little Toaster” with the prestigious honour of Best Film, but he was told that had they given the honour to a cartoon film, they felt as though some would not take the festival seriously, and so the honour instead was given to “Heat and Sunlight”.

(I have never even heard of “Heat and Sunlight”...have you?)

Whatever the case, “The Brave Little Toaster” was very well received by film critics, and currently holds a 75% approval rating on the Rotten Tomatoes website. It was nominated for an Emmy Award in 1988. And, when the film was released on home video in the summer of 1991, it instantly became a best-selling home video throughout much of the 1990s.

And, why wouldn't it be? It was a film that had a lot of heart and soul...things that you wouldn't expect to see in a film about household appliances.

And, if you listen very closely to some of the voice actors who appeared in the film, you might realize that the film was the starting point for a lot of great careers. The late Phil Hartman voiced a couple of characters in the movie. So did Jon Lovitz. Mindy Sterling (who you might know best as Frau from the Austin Powers trilogy) also voices a character. And, you may even hear Thurl Ravenscroft's baritone vocals throughout the film as well (Ravenscroft being most well known for voicing Tony the Tiger for several decades in a myriad of “Frosted Flakes” advertisements).



How grrrrrrrrreat!

So, here's how the story goes...and I suppose the best way to describe the plot of “The Brave Little Toaster” is that it has a lot of similarities with the 1995 Pixar film “Toy Story”...only instead of the main characters being toys, the stars of the film are a toaster, a vaccum cleaner, a desk lamp, an electric blanket, and a radio.



Toaster (Deanna Oliver), is the leader of the group, a two-slice toaster who has a lot of leadership qualities, and has a warm interior that contrasts with the hard, cold exterior.

(What do you expect from something that makes toast for a living?)

The five appliances “live” at a log cabin, which is owned by its owner, Rob (Wayne Kaatz), and they are more than happy to serve their master whenever he needs them. If he needed to read in the dark, Lampy (Timothy Stack) was there to throw a little light on the subject. If he was cold, Blanky (Timothy E. Day) could keep Rob warm. If Rob wanted to listen to some rock music or find out the weather, he could turn on his classic radio (Lovitz). And, if he wanted to control the dust levels inside his cabin, he just plugged in Kirby (Ravenscroft) to suck up all the pesky dustbunnies.

TRIVIA: Although Radio frequently burst into song during the film, the singing voice was actually provided by Jerry Rees. Lovitz wanted to do the singing voice, but his commitment to “Saturday Night Live” prevented him from doing both.



For a while, things went very smoothly. The appliances loved serving Rob, and Rob's life was certainly more convenient with Toaster and the gang around. But when Rob hasn't come back to the cabin for several months, the rest of the appliances become a little worried that maybe he has abandoned them.

So when they discover that Rob has sold the cabin, the appliances are worried that Rob has completely forgotten them, and has cast them aside...

...and that just doesn't sit well with Toaster, who refuses to get “burned”.

(I know, I'll ease off on the toaster puns.)

So, Toaster decides that if Rob won't come back to the cabin, they'll just have to come to him instead. And, what follows is an elaborate plan to get to Rob's new apartment in the city.

Somehow, they manage to attach a car battery to an office chair, which the appliances use as a sort of vehicle, and they set out towards the city, using Radio's signals as a sort of compass to steer them in the right direction.



But, don't let the happy video up above fool you into thinking that the journey was smooth and easy. No, these five little appliances run into all sorts of bad luck along the way.

  • They survive a really terrible thunderstorm which nearly blows Blanky up into the heavens.
  • They try to cross a waterfall (ironically enough the same way that Nik Wallenda did last year), only to plummet to the bottom of the river. They survive, but they lose their wheels.
  • They get trapped in quicksand.
  • They are rescued by an appliance store owner, where they are almost completely disassembled
  • They are mislead by the modern appliances in Rob's new apartment that they are old and worthless, and are thrown into the garbage!
  • And, they find themselves trapped in a junkyard, where they face their biggest enemy to date...a metal crusher who lives solely to feast on the half-dead shells of once useful cars.


You know, come to think of it, re-watching that “Worthless” song clip, it kind of makes me very sad.

But, the ending of this film is quite good. And, while I won't spoil it for you all at home in case you haven't seen the movie yourself, I will say that there's a reason why the movie is called “The Brave Little Toaster”.

Some more interesting facts about the movie...

  • The majority of the cast all got their start in the California based sketch comedy group, “The Groundlings”.
  • Phil Hartman voiced the hanging lamp after legendary actor Peter Lorre.
  • Jon Lovitz recorded all of his lines in just one session!
  • The last line in the movie was spoken by Timothy Stack...who ad-libbed it!
  • Deanna Oliver's son was deployed to Afghanistan, and at the ceremony, some of the soldiers had actually brought toasters for her to sign!
  • The film was supposed to run 20 minutes longer than what was eventually shown.

And, finally, to conclude this entry off, I want to talk about bravery.

I think that everyone has a little bit of bravery inside of themselves. They just might not know it until it happens. We are all capable of doing extraordinary things. I mean, look at Nik Wallenda. You have to have a lot of bravery to attempt to walk across the Grand Canyon on a wire. Granted, he did train for years leading up to this moment, but at the end of the day, he did it.

And, even going above all that, do you know just how many policemen, firefighters, and military servicemen there are risking their lives every day to save the lives of others, keep crime off of the city streets, and protecting the freedom and rights of countries all over the world? To me, that shows incredible bravery too.

I believe that bravery of all kinds should be rewarded. And, that's why I have a bonus treat for you.


If you click HERE, you can watch the entire movie of “The Brave Little Toaster”. You're welcome.

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!