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Friday, July 05, 2013

Where Everybody Knows Your Name

Okay, so I'll be the first one to admit that I was having a little case of writer's block this Friday.

It isn't very often that I can't think of a decent topic to write about in this space, but I think that the excitement of snapping some shots of my town followed by posting said photos in a virtual scrapbook made me lose my train of thought for a moment. When it came down to writing my blog, I was stumped over what I should write about.

So, you know what I do whenever I get stumped on topics (and it's NOT an all-request day)? I pull out this baby.




BAM! I introduce you to my secret weapon behind this blog. People Magazine's “1000 Greatest Moments in Pop Culture 1974-2011”! I bought myself this book not too long after I began this blogging venture, and since then, I have referred to this book often. I have selected so many topics just by perusing this book alone.

I guess you could say that in some ways, this People Magazine retrospective is kind of like my own personal pop culture bible of sorts.

So, to choose today's television feature, I decided that I would randomly open the book to a specific page, and choose a section that had to do with prime time TV. The book begins with the same year that People Magazine began (1974), and runs until the year the book was published (2011). So with thirty-seven years of pop culture information to choose from, I knew that it was a fool proof solution.

So, I opened up the book randomly to page 77, which happens to be the section that talked about everything that happened during the year 1993. And, listed at number #512 was this entry...

IT'S A DOG EAT DOG WORLD, AND I'M WEARING MILKBONE UNDERWEAR”
Cheers” - and the wisdom of Norm – ends after 11 seasons and 270 episodes.

Of course! “Cheers”! I haven't done an entry on “Cheers” yet (which absolutely shocks even me as that show was HUGE on television!)

Oh well...I'm making up for lost time.




So, yes, “Cheers” (the creation of James Burrows, Les Charles, and Glen Charles) ended its run on NBC on May 20, 1993...but eleven years earlier, on September 30, 1982, “Cheers” debuted...rather horribly.

When “Cheers” started airing on television during the 1982/1983 television season, it debuted on the Neilson ratings at #74. Unfortunately, there were 77 shows on the schedule for that year, making “Cheers” a prime target for cancellation early on in its run.

Given that information, how the heck did it end up lasting for eleven years and 270 episodes?

Well, the opinions shared by critics of the time period literally saved the show from the axe. Though viewers weren't initially responsive to the program, television critics fell in love with the show from the pilot episode, and consistently gave it glowing reviews, which helped persuade some people to give the show a fighting chance. The show also had success at the Emmy Awards, with Shelley Long winning for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series, and multiple production Emmy Awards for directing, writing, and title design.

And, how could you not give an award for title design? “Cheers” remains one of my all-time favourite sets of opening credits. Ever! Have a look for yourselves below!




God...thirty-one years later, and I still love that song.

And, when you consider that then-head of NBC programming Brandon Tartikoff stood by the show, and promoted it heavily after the first season's shows were filmed, it was inevitable that “Cheers” would one day rise to the top. And in the end, Tartikoff got his wish, as the show hit the #1 spot during the show's 1990-1991 season. So, not only did the show rise from the bottom to the top, but for the show to achieve such a feat on its NINTH season...why that was absolutely miraculous!

Truth be told, “Cheers” was in the Top 10 ranked shows from 1985 until the show was cancelled in 1993.

I think that part of the reason why the show was extremely popular was due to the brilliance of the cast that starred in “Cheers”. Although the show was frequently subjected to cast changes, no matter who was in the cast at any given time, they found instant chemistry with each other. Here's a picture of the original cast from 1982.




Starting at the top and going clockwise...

Carla Tortelli (Rhea Perlman) - a cocktail waitress at “Cheers”.  While she'll never win any awards for stellar customer service, she might win the award for most likely to get pregnant. Carla ended up having a total of EIGHT children – four of whom she gave birth to while on the show (to accommodate Perlman's maternity leave from giving birth to the children she had with Danny DeVito).

Norm Peterson (George Wendt) – a struggling accountant who spends most of his free time drinking at the bar. He was originally named George, and only had one line during the pilot episode, but the character was renamed Norm, and had a much bigger role.

Diane Chambers (Shelley Long) – the leading lady of the series, Diane is a graduate student who is forced to become a cocktail waitress at “Cheers” after she is unceremoniously dumped by her fiance. While she considers herself a member of Boston's upper crust and therefore only wants to associate with Boston's most elite and rich...there's something about Sam Malone that Diane simply can't resist.

Sam Malone (Ted Danson) – the star of the show and bartender/co-owner of “Cheers”. At one time, Sam had a promising career as a star baseball player, but his alcoholism ended that career goal. Therefore, it seems kind of...well...stupid for Sam to work as a bartender where he is constantly surrounded by booze. But alcohol addiction isn't the only addiction Sam has. He's also a player off the baseball diamond as he is constantly seducing every single woman he sees.

Cliff Clavin (John Ratzenberger) – like Norm, he is also a regular at the bar. Unlike Norm, he has a job as a postal worker, and he seems to possess a “know-it-all” attitude...which causes much frustration and anger between himself and the other “Cheers” patrons.

Coach Ernie Pantuzzo (Nicholas Colasanto) – the eldest cast member of the series, Coach is a friend of Sam, a former coach, and senior bartender on the staff of “Cheers”. While Coach is always ready to lend an ear, he isn't exactly the brightest penny in the roll. Often he gets involved in a situation in which his naivety almost causes the loss of the bar!




As the show progressed, the cast would lose Nicholas Colasanto (who passed away in February 1985) and Shelley Long (who left the series in 1987), but gained the cast members Kelsey Grammer (Dr. Frasier Crane), Woody Harrelson (Woody Boyd), Bebe Neuwirth (Lilith Sternim), and Kirstie Alley (Rebecca Howe).

And, for a show as successful as “Cheers” was, you know that the behind-the-scenes stories about the show and place where “everybody knows your name” had to be just as interesting and good. And, certainly after researching the show on imdb.com, I would agree with that statement.

Just have a look...

01 – Did you know that Fred Dryer and Julia Duffy were frontrunners for the roles of Sam and Diane? Obviously neither got the roles, but both would later go on to appear on “Cheers” in guest roles.

02 – Sam Malone was supposed to be a retired football player, but that was changed to an alcoholic former baseball player when Ted Danson won the part.

03 – Both John Ratzenberger and Kelsey Grammer were initially hired for just seven episodes...they ended up staying the rest of the series!

04 – The only three characters to have a contract role for the entire length of the series were Ted Danson, Rhea Perlman, and George Wendt (Ratzenberger initially started as a recurring character).

05 – The show probably would have gone on for several more seasons, but it was Ted Danson's decision to leave the show at the end of the show's eleventh season that caused NBC to pull the plug.

06 – Kirstie Alley had gotten pregnant during the show's tenth season, and writers were planning to write the pregnancy into the show by saying that the child was Sam's. Sadly, Kirstie miscarried, and the story was dropped.

07 – Every single lead actor and actress was nominated for at least one Emmy Award. Six ended up winning statuettes – Shelley Long, Ted Danson, Kirstie Alley, Rhea Perlman, Bebe Neuwirth, and Woody Harrelson.




08 – Kelsey Grammer would later star in the television series “Frasier”, which debuted in 1993. That series also lasted eleven seasons, which meant that Grammer had played the same role in two different series for a combined total of twenty years (remember, Grammer didn't join “Cheers” until season three).

09 – Norm's real first name was Hillary.

10 – John Ratzenberger initially auditioned for the role of George (which later became Norm, and which was won by George Wendt). But producers liked him so much that the part of Cliff Clavin was especially written for him.

11 – There was one episode that was filmed, but did not air on network television. The episode (Uncle Sam Malone) was specially produced for the U.S. Treasury to encourage the purchase of American savings bonds.




12 – Longtime writer of the series, David Angell, was one of the casualties in the September 11, 2001 attacks. He and his wife were on Flight 11, which crashed into the World Trade Center.

13 - “Cheers” was initially supposed to be set at a hotel...but when most of the scenes took place at the hotel bar, the setting was changed to a Boston pub.

14 – Nicholas Colasanto had a picture of Geronimo hanging in his dressing room. After his death, that picture was moved to the set of “Cheers”.




15 - “At Seventeen” singer Janis Ian was once offered the role of Carla Tortelli. She turned it down to record an album, which was a commercial failure.

16 – Kirstie Alley's character was originally written as an ice queen...but due to her rapport with the cast of “Cheers”, as well as Rebecca confesses that she has feelings for Sam while drunk, her character became a lot more zany and crazy, which audiences seemed to enjoy.

17 – Jay Thomas was cast as a love interest for Rhea Perlman's character. His character was named Eddie LeBec. However, his character was killed off shortly after making some rather unflattering comments towards Perlman...and Perlman just happened to be listening to every word! Can we say...whoops!

18 – Ted Danson would later go on to star in the CBS series “Becker”. Rhea Perlman would later guest star on an episode of the series.

19 – Carla's full name is Carla Maria Victoria Angelina Theresa Apollonia Lozupone Tortelli LeBec! Say that five times fast!!!

20 – Every single cast member from “Cheers” reprised their roles for at least one episode of “Frasier” - except Scientologist Kirstie Alley, who claimed that her beliefs clashed with psychiatry (Dr. Frasier Crane was a radio psychiatrist).




21 – Kirstie Alley stayed on the series one season longer than Shelley Long.

22 – Sam was incredibly vain when it came to his hair. In reality, Ted Danson wore a hairpiece because his own hair was thinning!

23 – Because of the 1988 writer's strike, several episodes of “Cheers” were never filmed, including the scheduled cliffhanger in which Sam Malone discovers that one of his former girlfriends was HIV positive.

24 – John Lithgow turned down the role of Dr. Frasier Crane.




25 - Most of the actors and actresses of "Cheers" reprised their roles in an episode of "The Simpsons".  One notable exception was Kelsey Grammer with good reason...he already had a semi-recurring role on the series playing Sideshow Bob.  The show also spoofed the classic theme song, which you can hear above!

26 – Actresses who auditioned for the role of Rebecca included Sharon Stone, Kim Cattrall, and Marg Helgenberger.




27 - When Shelley Long left the series, two separate endings were filmed to confuse the audience!  

Thursday, July 04, 2013

Blurred Colour Lines - Big Scandal in the Big Brother House

I want to take this opportunity to wish all of my American readers out there a happy 4th of July. It seems hard to believe that the United States of America is turning 237 years old today! Personally speaking, I don't think it looks a day over 169, but that's just me.



At any rate, happy birthday, America! And, to throw my support to the American Independence Day, I'm doing my blog in red and blue today.

(I would have also used white, but it doesn't really show up that great against a yellow background.)

Now, for this edition of the Thursday Timeline...well, I'll be honest with you. This diary entry is going to feature some fireworks, and it will open up some recent controversy that is going on within the world of network television...and one of television's most successful reality shows is smack dab in the center of it all.

This post combines one of my guilty pleasures with one of the things that I absolutely despise in this world. And, well...I have my own thoughts about the scandal. Comparing it with a similar scandal that took place just weeks earlier, it just makes me swallow things with an incredibly bad aftertaste lingering on.

But, let's start at the beginning of this blog entry, shall we?

July 4, 2013

I get a lot of ribbing for being one to admit that I am a huge reality television fan. Particularly from those people who constantly tell me that reality television isn't “real”.

Okay, so maybe there are some examples in which the definition of “reality” is slightly warped, depending on the show that you're watching. I highly doubt that I will ever be stranded on an island with seventeen of my closest friends, going to Tribal Council to vote someone off the island. I'm fairly confident that I will never find myself singing on stage in hopes that Adam Levine or Blake Shelton will spin their chairs around and give me a standing ovation. And, it is unlikely that I will find myself handing out long stemmed roses to twenty-five girls reeking of desperation in hopes of finding my future spouse.

So, why is it that I find myself fascinated by reality television? I don't think I can truly give out a reason for it except that I'm quite fascinated by human behaviour. Granted, a lot of these people put on a show of bravado and overinflated ego when the cameras are on...but when the cameras turn off, it's amazing just how many people can show their true colours when they think that nobody is watching.



I think that's why I am such a fan of “Big Brother”. The reality show currently airs in several different countries all over the world, including Canada, the UK, Australia, and of course, the United States. Since the year 2000, “Big Brother” has aired on CBS, and remains one of the network's most successful reality programs (other than “Survivor” or “The Amazing Race”).

Now, the way that “Big Brother” works is similar to the plot of the George Orwell classic “Nineteen-Eighty-Four”. You have between ten and sixteen houseguests locked inside a house for at least seventy days, but no more than ninety, and each week, at least one houseguest is evicted from the house via a vote (the first season America chose, the subsequent seasons were chosen by the remaining houseguests). The last houseguest standing will win a half million dollar cash prize.

The show is filmed by using cameras that are placed all over the house in every room. And for the episodes of “Big Brother” that air on CBS, the weekly events of the program are edited and censored for network television and pre-packaged into three separate episodes per week. The television clips showcase all of the competitions (Head of Household, Have/Have Not, Power of Veto, etc), as well as some of the most important developments that take place within the house (strategic plays, house battles). But again, the stuff that viewers see on television is heavily edited and censored, so we only get a little taste of what is happening in the house.

If you have the funds (and absolutely no life), you can subscribe to the live feeds brought to you by the CBS webcams that are placed in the house, where viewers who want to know everything that is happening in the house at any given time can check in on the house whenever they want. And, this is where things get a little sticky.

(NOTE: I have NEVER subscribed to “Big Brother” feeds. As much as I am a fan of the show, I do not have the time or the desire to watch a 24-hour-long episode of “Big Brother”. I am getting my info from various websites like Joker's Update, Zap2It, or even the official Big Brother Facebook page.)




This year marks the show's fifteenth season, and this year's theme is all about supersizing. The show has sixteen houseguests (one of the bigger casts the show has seen), lasts ninety days (the longest season ever), and instead of two people being nominated for eviction, there are three.

And, so far, this season has gotten off to a rather explosive beginning...and not for good reasons either.



Of course, I do have to say that there are some good points to note regarding this season so far. I do have my early favourites, though they are not many. I don't like the fact that the oldest houseguest of this season is just five years older than I am, but I do like the fact that this houseguest (Helen) is one of the houseguests that I enjoy watching, and I hope that she goes far. Judd's kind of quiet, but I do enjoy seeing him. I think Andy is pretty funny, and I think that Nick is definitely someone to watch out for, as he seems very intelligent. And, even though former contestant Rachel Reilly wasn't one of my all-time favourite players, her sister Elissa (who is one of the contestants for this season) is slowly winning my seal of approval.

Now, if you're keeping count at home...that's only five out of sixteen houseguests that I have on my like list. There are some people in the house that I am kind of indifferent to. I don't dislike them or hate them, but they really haven't made much of an impression on me. But, that's normal, as some people on these types of reality shows sometimes need a couple of weeks to really put themselves out there.

But some of the houseguests that are in the house have not exactly been the kindest, most understanding people out there. And, if you're just watching the show on CBS, you probably have no idea of what the controversy regarding “Big Brother 15” is all about. But, if you watch the live feeds, then you know that some of the houseguests have been behaving in a disgusting and foul manner. And, the way that CBS has handled the controversy leaves a lot of people out there (including myself) crying “double standard”.

I suppose I should explain.

Now, everyone knows that in the real world, there are some people out there in the world who are extremely closed-minded about others. And, “luckily” for us, this season of “Big Brother” seems to have a whole bunch of them all gathered up in one house.

Let's take a look at Jeremy, for instance. Now, watching the television broadcast only, you'd never know that he makes derogatory comments towards women and acts like a complete neanderthal. But he does. If you only watched the network broadcast of “Big Brother”, you'd never know that Spencer has made comments that are incredibly homophobic.



And if you did not watch the live feeds of “Big Brother 15”, you would never realize that the houseguests of Aaryn (above left), GinaMarie (above right), and David have made so many racist and homophobic comments towards their fellow houseguests that there is now a petition going around, begging CBS to eject at least one of them from the game.



Well, as of this writing, David is no longer in the game, being the first evictee of the season. But Aaryn and GinaMarie still remain in the game, and they are presumably still making pointed jabs at their competitors with a little dash of bigotry mixed in.

In fact, some of the comments that both women have made in the house were so blatantly racist and so incredibly disgusting that I refuse to write them here in this space. There are plenty of links online that you can find via Google if you really want to know the truth about what it is that they really said. Just be warned...it ain't pretty.

The only thing that you need to know is that in this case, their actions have netted both of them some karmic retribution. The modeling agency that represented Aaryn dropped her as a client because of the comments that she made, and GinaMarie has also lost her job as a pageant coordinator as a result of her own comments. And, both women will now have to deal with the fact that whenever their names are entered into a Google search, the word “racist” will forever be linked to them.

And neither one will realize the gravity of what has happened until they are evicted from the “Big Brother” house. Hopefully, both will also be served a nice slice of humble pie when they realize that their true colours shone through and earned themselves a nice little pink slip for their trouble.

But here is what is frustrating about this whole scandal. And, it's nothing to do with the houseguests. It's to do with the network that broadcasts “Big Brother” and chooses the cast for the season.

Now, granted, I realize that CBS probably wasn't setting out to cast the most racist houseguests in the history of the show. But since they have, the one thing that many expected would happen is that CBS would at the very least air part of the conflicts that were going on in the house. I realize that the offensive words would have to be censored out (and rightfully so), but we all expected that the network would at least air portions of the racial slurs that were uttered by the worst offenders.

But they haven't. If you're watching the show only on CBS, the worst fight that you would have seen was the one where some of the houseguests broke their promise to drink any alcohol until after the Have Nots regained their food privileges.

To CBS' credit, they have issued a statement saying that they don't condone the actions of certain houseguests, but at the same time, they have also made the decision not to even mention a snippet of what is even happening in the house. It's almost as if the show seems like they want to sweep every comment that Aaryn, GinaMarie, and anyone else who has used racial slurs or terms that are homophobic under the rug, choosing to instead edit them as sympathetic sweethearts, as opposed to bigoted and entitled people.

And, that's where I call shenanigans...especially in comparison to the Paula Deen scandal.



Everyone knows about the Paula Deen thing. Once upon a time, Paula Deen was the darling of “The Food Network”, charming audiences all over the world with her southern home cooking and tasty vittles. Her obsession with butter was well documented in the culinary world, as was her subsequent weight loss after being diagnosed with diabetes, but through it all she continued to ink a place for herself in the culinary hall of fame alongside legends such as Wolfgang Puck, Julia Child, Gordon Ramsay, Rachael Ray, and Lidia Bastianich...



...well, that is until Paula Deen made an off-the-cuff statement where she admitted to saying the “N” word, and admitted to making other similar comments that were rather...um...questionable. Now her contract with Food Network has been cancelled, and she has lost her sponsorship from Target, Walmart, Smithfield Hams, and JC Penney, among others...all in the time frame of one whole week.

And of course everyone knew all about the Paula Deen scandal. Before Paula Deen arrived at the soundstage where NBC's “Today” show is taped, “Entertainment Tonight” and other media outlets like TMZ already had broken the story, and many media sources basically raked her over the coals in about as much time as it takes to button up a shirt. There's a lot of debate going on over whether Paula Deen deserved this kind of treatment because of what she said, and while some people feel that she deserved everything she got, others are more sympathetic towards her, saying that it seemed more like a witchhunt. I'll admit myself that lately I think that the Paula Deen scandal has evolved into complete silliness (like, how much more misery can we pile on top of this woman), but at the same time, I don't think that her comments should be swept underneath the rug either. She made the comments, and is now facing the consequences for it by being made a public example.

So, why isn't the same treatment given to the “Big Brother” houseguests, who in my opinion have said far worse and more damaging statements than Paula Deen has? It's a complete double standard for CBS to seemingly excuse their bad behaviour by not making it as much of a public spectacle as the Paula Deen case.

But on that note, I think that's precisely one of the main reasons why I was always so fascinated by “Big Brother”. It's the fact that when the show ends, and the live feeds kick back on again, you get to see people for who they really are. Mind you, some people do try to mind their P's and Q's when they realize that yes, they are being watched by cameras twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week...but some just let it all fly out, without any regards for anybody or anything, as Aaryn and GinaMarie have displayed over the first two weeks of the program.

And, I suppose that's one of the many flaws towards having complete free speech. It's a right that everybody has, and it is a right that is held very dear to many people's hearts. But as I wrote about before, free speech has its hidden costs. And some people may have to learn the hard way of those costs.

In this case, both GinaMarie and Aaryn will now find themselves on the unemployment line because they exercised their right to free speech in a way that was hurtful to not only those they were living with in the house, but to an entire portion of the population in general.


I hope it was worth it, ladies.

Wednesday, July 03, 2013

Diner - By Request

I must say that I am really happy that I have started up the “All-Request Wednesday” feature, because many of you have given me some fantastic ideas. I really do appreciate all of you for writing in to me via Facebook and Google+ and sending me your ideas. In fact, I am actively encouraging all of you to keep sending me your ideas on what you want to see in this blog.

In fact, why don't you also use the comments section in this blog to share with me your ideas on what subjects you want to see in this blog on a future Wednesday entry? I am always looking for new ideas, and I appreciate every one you send me!

Now, for this edition of All-Request Wednesday, I'm going to be taking a request from someone from Europe! (Well, okay, actually she was born in Canada, but works and lives in Italy). And, I want to extend a grazie to Cathy S. of Italy for giving me today's suggestion.

Before I go ahead with Cathy's great suggestion, I want to ask all of you something. And, I really want you to think about this answer, because for some of you we could be going back in time at least two or more decades.

Did you have a hangout during your teen years that you liked to go to?

I mean, in the world of pop culture, there are several examples. Archie and the gang hung out at Pop's Chocklit Shop, the Saved by the Bell gang hung out at The Max, the Happy Days crew had Arnold's, and the Winslows from Family Matters would spend time at Rachel's Place.

But, can you think of where you and your friends decided to hang out while you were teenagers?

I was really never one who did much hanging out in my own teen years (unless you could consider walking over to the local convenience store for a Slush Puppie with all the other kids as hanging out). But I think I know quite a few places in my hometown that could be considered hangout places.

There was the ice cream/tourist place on Block House Island which helped people meet and greet each other while indulging in frozen treats. And, well...I suppose that Dairy Queen has kind of become ice cream/tourist place 2.0 depending on the time of year one visits it.

Another place that some of the teens used to hang out at when I was a teenager was the local shopping mall. Back in those days, Walmart was the anchor store, and the food court was bustling with activity and delicious food. A lot has changed since then, but one thing I can say is that the food court still has delicious food...even though none of the original restaurants that were there fifteen years ago remain.

But you know something? There's a part of me that wishes that I had been born about ten years earlier than I was because there was one place in town that I used to love going to when I was a kid, and I would probably have loved to have hung out there in my teenage years.



Do you remember Woolworth's Department Store at all? We had one in town. And, I have likely told you several tales about how much I loved shopping in the toy department, and being able to choose whatever package of bubblegum I wanted to bring home with me whenever I took a trip to Woolworth's.

But the best part of Woolworth's was the awesome lunch counter. For some reason, I always found it a real treat to get one of those cheeseburger platters complete with french fries and gravy because it was a rare treat that I didn't get a chance to eat every day, and it was always a fun atmosphere. You got to sit on those awesome stools, watching the staff interacting with the customers. It was a really exciting time.

And, one memory that I had when I was a kid was seeing groups of teens hanging out at the lunch counter just having a good old time. I always thought to myself that when I was a teenager, I would have the same opportunity to do the same with my friends, but unfortunately, our Woolworth's location shut down when I was eleven. Still though, I think that's why I have such a love of 1950s style diners. The Woolworth's lunch counter kind of reminded me of being at one.



And, when you stop and think about it, I think that almost every teenager in the world has that one special dining establishment that they associate with their high school years. Whether it was a greasy spoon diner, a hot dog stand, or a Burger King franchise, we all had those special places where many of us spent our coming-of-age years.

And, that's why Cathy's idea is one that I wanted to feature, because her idea was about a movie that came out when she was a teenager herself...and it happened to take place at a diner.



In fact, that's the name of the movie. “Diner”, produced by Jerry Weintraub and directed by Barry Levinson.

As the tagline of the film promised when it was released nationwide on March 5, 1982, “suddenly, life was more than french fries, gravy, and girls”. And with a wonderful story and impressive casting, is it any wonder why “Diner” was one of the most well loved films of the year?

The film was set in Baltimore, right around the holiday season of 1959. Specifically, the days preceding the New Years Eve celebrations, which saw the end of the 1950s and the beginning of that turbulent decade known as the 1960s. And, the film depicts twentysomething men who have been friends since childhood, coming to terms with their adulthood, as well as the changing relationships that they have with each other.



The six friends are...

Edward “Eddie” Simmons (Steve Guttenberg) – a die-hard Baltimore Colts fan whose own wedding to Elyse on New Years Eve, 1959, is the event that is bringing all five men together again...but will Eddie be able to go through with the wedding?

Laurence “Shrevie” Scrieber (Daniel Stern) – the only member of the six-man diner crew who has already gotten married to Beth (Ellen Barkin), and who works as an electronics salesman...but when Eddie begins to ask Shrevie” for marriage advice, he may have to come to terms with the fact that he got married for all the wrong reasons.

Robert “Boogie” Sheftell (Mickey Rourke) – the womanizer and gambler of the group who finds himself in extreme trouble at the start of the film, and he is forced to confront the fact that his quest for fast money has gotten him off course.

Modell (Paul Reiser) - the timid one of the bunch - a very nice guy whose insecurities often prevent him from expressing what he really wants out of life.

Timothy “Fen” Fenwick Jr. (Kevin Bacon) – the rich kid of the group who has a trust fund as large as the hatred he has for his wealthy family, and who has dropped out of college to 'find himself'

William “Billy” Howard (Tim Daly) – the best man of Eddie, he is back in town to not only stand up for Eddie at his wedding, but to find out where things stand in his relationship with his girlfriend, Barb.

All six of these men have one thing in common with each other. They all loved to hang out at their...well...hangout. A diner that was located at the corner of Reistertsown Road and Rogers Avenue in Baltimore known as “Fells Point Diner”. And, because the film was titled “Diner”, most of the action took place at that very diner.

Now, I know what you all are thinking. How can a movie about six guys reuniting at a diner be anything other than...well...dull and boring?

Well, “Diner” certainly was not dull and boring. Not with scenes like this one...



...and this one...



...and even this one...



...or how about this one?



Now, I've purposely posted these clips randomly because of a couple of reasons. One, I think that all of these scenes are very well acted, and fit well within the film. And, secondly, because I think that in order to get a real feel of how good this movie was, you really would have to watch it in full by yourselves, because watching this film for research purposes, I can see why Cathy wanted to see a blog entry on this movie. It's a great film, and it seems to fit in with my opening spiel about teen hangouts. Everyone has a place in the world where they feel most confident and safe. For the guys in “Diner”, it was Fells Point Diner. Everyone has that one special place that they speak very fondly of because of the memories associated with the place. And for Eddie, Shrevie, Boogie, Billy, and Fen, those memories will always remain, even as they grow older.

By the way, just to put things into perspective, all of the men who had starring roles in the film were in their twenties or thirties when this film was shot. Therefore it makes me feel incredibly old to know that Steve Guttenberg and Kevin Bacon are now 54, Daniel Stern is 55, Tim Daly is 57, and Mickey Rourke is now 60! Funny how time flies, isn't it?

Since we're on the subject, since I usually provide trivia for Monday Matinees, why don't I do the same with today's subject too? After all, “Diner” is a movie, right?

01 – Did you know that many of the scenes in the film were improvised? Barry Levinson encouraged the actors to make up their own lines in order to make scenes more believable.

02 – Actor Michael Tucker (“L.A. Law”) played Bagel in the film, and he talks in his native Baltimore accent in the film.

03 – The diner scenes were filmed last on purpose. Levinson wanted the cast to get to know each other first before filming all of them together on screen.



04 – You know the scene in which Eddie forces his fiancee to pass a football quiz before he will marry her? Turns out that scene was loosely based on a real-life moment in Barry Levinson's family! His own cousin allegedly did the same thing Eddie did. Kind of makes one wonder if that marriage worked out...

05 – Paul Reiser (who played Modell) didn't actually plan to audition for the movie at all. He accompanied a friend to the casting call. While he waited for his friend to audition, he was convinced to come back the next day to give his own audition, and the rest is history.

06 – Elyse's face is NEVER seen during the entire film.

07 – Believe it or not, the movie was almost never released as MGM believed that “Diner” would be a complete flop. It was only after Pauline Kael of “The New Yorker” gave the movie rave reviews that MGM did an about face and released the movie.

08 – This was the first movie project that Kevin Bacon worked on after leaving the soap opera “Guiding Light” in 1981 – ironically enough, he played the role of another guy named Tim on that show!

09 – Kevin Bacon was not in the best of health when he went to audition, as he was very ill. But believe it or not, that helped him win the role of Timothy Fenwick as he believed that as a trust fund kid/slacker he would be half-drunk, so he went ahead with the audition. He felt lousy that day, but it earned him the part!

10 – Would you believe that on the set of “Diner”, there was a trailer known by the cast as “the comraderie camper”? It was used by Levinson to keep the actors there whenever any friction developed between them.

11 – The main actors in “Diner” met a week prior to the film being shot in Baltimore, and the majority of the actors would hit the Baltimore night-life to hang out at bars and clubs and schmooze with women. The lone exception was then newlywed Daniel Stern, who just like his character in the film stayed away from the excitement.

12 – Apparently, there is talks to bring “Diner” onto the Broadway stage as a musical, and names linked to the project include Levinson and singer Sheryl Crow.





13 – There's a bit of a goof in the final scene of “Diner”. The music that plays is Bobby Darin's “Beyond the Sea”. The problem is that chronologically, it would be an impossibility. The film's ending takes place on January 1, 1960. The song “Beyond the Sea” wasn't released until months later.

14 – A television pilot was commissioned in 1983 based on the film by CBS, but it didn't become a full-length series.


And, that's our look back at “Diner”.

Tuesday, July 02, 2013

July 2, 1986

We are officially at the halfway mark in the year 2013. It seems hard to believe that 2013 is half gone! It's true what they say. The older you get, the faster time flies by. Like sands through the hourglass, so are the days of our lives. And, it's kind of scary to realize that time flows so quickly.

I think that's one reason why I love doing the Tuesday Timeline so much. It allows me to go back to a time in which I remember time flowing by ever so slowly...when the only things I had to worry about was deciding whether to use forest green or jungle green to finish colouring my pictures. Or, it allows me to go back in time to a period before I was born, and learning about all of the cool discoveries and pop culture trends that were in vogue back then.

So, let's take a look at what was going on in the world throughout history on this, the second day of July.

1698 – Thomas Savery patents the first steam engine

1776 – The Continental Congress adopts a resolution severing ties with Great Britain; Declaration of Independence would follow two days later

1777 – Vermont becomes the first American territory to abolish slavery

1881 – President James Garfield is shot by Charles J. Guiteau; succumbs to an infection two months later on September 19

1897 – Italian scientist Guglielmo Marconi obtains a patent for the radio in London

1900 – The very first zeppelin flight takes place near Friedrichshafen, Germany at Lake Constance

1932 – Dave Thomas, founder of Wendy's, is born in Atlantic City, New Jersey

1937 – Amelia Earhart and her navigator Fred Noonan go missing on Earhart's mission to be the first pilot to go around the world; their bodies are never found

1950 – Kyoto, Japan's “Golden Pavilion” at Kinkaku-ji burns to the ground

1962 – The first Walmart store opens up in Rogers, Arkansas

1964 – Lyndon B. Johnson signs the Civil Rights Act of 1964

1976 – The Fall of the Republic of Vietnam

1993 – Actor Fred Gwynne dies at the age of 66 from pancreatic cancer

1995 – Krissy Taylor, the sister of model Niki Taylor, is found dead in Pembroke Pines, Florida at the age of 17

1999 – Mario Puzo, author of “The Godfather”, dies at the age of 78

2002 – Steve Fossett becomes the first person to fly a non stop solo flight around the world in a hot air balloon

We also have a list of celebrities who are celebrating a birthday today. Among them are Pierre Cardin, Polly Holliday, Richard Petty, Larry David, Saul Rubinek, Pete Briquette (The Boomtown Rats), Jerry Hall, Bret Hart, Jose Canseco, Ozzie Canseco, Monie Love, Troy Brown, Michelle Branch, Ashley Tisdale, Dev, Margot Robbie, and James Forde.

There's also one more celebrity birthday that I want to discuss, and it happens to be someone who has recently been in the news for all the wrong reasons. And, I just want to preface that this blog has never been one that likes take advantage of other people's misfortune, so if you're expecting a piece where I rake someone over the coals, it won't be happening here. While I will be talking about some of this person's bad choices, it won't be in a sneering tone. It will just be stated matter-of-factly. I want to try and keep this blog as positive a mood as I can.



So with that, I will state that this person was born on July 2, 1986.



And, I will also state that this person happens to be the troubled actress/singer Lindsay Lohan.

Now, for this edition of the Tuesday Timeline, I will be trying to do one of those “looking at the bright side” entries. I believe that for every mistake a person makes in their lives, there is an equal positive to counteract the negative...and in Lindsay Lohan's case, I will hope to showcase that for every negative action, there can also be a positive action. So, with that, on with the Tuesday Timeline.



You already know the basics about Lindsay Lohan. You know that she was born twenty-seven years ago in New York City to Michael and Dina Lohan. She's the oldest of four children (her younger siblings Michael Jr., Ali, and Dakota also dabbled in modelling or acting when they were children as well), and she began her career at the age of three, appearing in ads for Calvin Klein Kids, Jell-O, Wendy's, and Pizza Hut. When Lohan was just ten years old, she appeared in the NBC soap opera “Another World” for one year playing the role of Alexandra Fowler. She left the series in late 1997 to appear in Disney's remake of the 1961 classic “The Parent Trap”, and Lohan's performance was rewarded with a Young Artist Award in 1998, as well as a three-film contract from Disney. And, so, at the tender age of twelve, Lindsay Lohan was well on her way to becoming the next Shirley Temple or Hayley Mills.

So, what happened? Well, a lot of things.



Lindsay's parents were incredibly angry and volatile towards each other during their whole marriage. Although they had split up several times during Lindsay's childhood, their divorce was finalized by 2007. But with reports of Michael Lohan being incredibly abusive, and having been thrown in jail numerous times, and Dina Lohan starting up a reality show to put Lindsay's sister Ali in the spotlight, is it any wonder why Lindsay would end up hitting rock bottom on a couple of occasions? If I grew up in a family like that, I don't think I would be nearly as well adjusted. It certainly would explain such instances as the infamous theft of a necklace, the instances in which she has checked herself into rehab, and going from one of the most sought after actresses in Hollywood to being barely unemployable.

I mean, yes...Lindsay is a grown woman now, and she is capable of making her own choices and facing her own consequences. And, I am most certainly not excusing her bad behaviour, and whatever consequences that come from that bad behaviour are whatever she has to endure in order to hopefully save her from herself. But back in the late 1990s and early 2000s when she was just a child...I don't know. I have to give her a lot of credit for having to go through that drama at such a young age. And, you know, I suppose in some ways, I can probably consider her to be a kindred spirit of sorts because she handles her frustration with things the same way I kind of do. In my case, I sometimes use this blog as a soundboard for what is going through my mind, and in most cases, it makes me feel a lot better. And, in Lindsay's case, she wrote a song about it.



ARTIST: Lindsay Lohan
SONG: Confessions of a Broken Heart (Daughter to Father)
ALBUM: A Little More Personal (Raw)
DATE RELEASED: October 18, 2005
PEAK POSITION ON THE BILLBOARD CHARTS: #57

Okay, so the song only peaked at #57, and was given mediocre reviews from critics. But I thought it was a necessary thing for Lindsay to do at the time. Clearly, she had a lot of anger towards the situation that she was in, and she needed a way to vent that frustration out. Hence came this single. I have to think that after she released this single, she probably felt better about herself for getting that anger out.

Like I said, this blog entry will be focusing on more of the positive aspects of Lindsay Lohan's career, as well as looking at the brighter side of things. I'm a positive person (mostly), and I always try to see the good in everything.

For instance, it seems hard to believe nowadays with her portrayal of Elizabeth Taylor in the 2012 television film “Liz & Dick” getting slammed by critics that at one time, Lindsay Lohan was a really wonderful actress – a budding ingenue who was expected to do great things with her life. And before it all began to spiral out of control, she was exactly that.



Her role in 1998's “The Parent Trap” was merely the first of many film projects that earned Lohan rave reviews. She appeared in another remake film, 2003's “Freaky Friday”, which also earned much praise from critics and fans. It also remains the most commercially successful film she has ever starred in.



But what was the most critically acclaimed film that Lindsay Lohan was a part of? Well, that would be 2004's “Mean Girls”, in which Lindsay was awarded the 2004 Teen Choice Award for Breakout Movie Star. But more importantly, critics applauded Lohan's performance in the film for showing “plenty of charm, verve, and deft comic timing”.



Of course, she has other success stories in film as well. “Confessions of a Teen Drama Queen”, “Herbie: Fully Loaded”, and “A Prairie Home Companion” were also well received, and cemented Lohan's status as the next 'it' girl.

But it was right around this time the the first of Lohan's problems began to be broadcast. She had had a couple of high-profile break-ups with “That 70s Show” star Wilmer Valderrama and restaurant owner Harry Morton, and she had begun to miss filming shoots because of constant illness. It certainly caused problems on the set of 2007's “Georgia Rule”, where the director of the film was so annoyed by Lindsay's demeanor that he actually wrote her a scathing letter which was made for public view, calling her out on her “excessive partying” and her unprofessional behaviour.

Though, again...looking at the bright side, Lohan's performance in “Georgia Rule” was such that I personally didn't know that there WAS so much turmoil behind the scenes. I guess that could be partly due to the strength of the cast that appeared in the film, which included Jane Fonda and Felicity Huffman.

And, I'm pretty sure that Lindsay Lohan should probably never drive a vehicle ever again, as I have probably lost count of how many car accidents that she has sustained in her entire life.

And, yet, she managed to drive Herbie in “Herbie: Fully Loaded” with the slightest of ease. Go figure.

But, I suppose again, looking at the bright side of things...she hasn't killed or seriously injured anyone else.

(I'm really trying to keep this positive...believe me, I am.)

I guess if there's one thing that all of us can learn from the rise and fall of Lindsay Lohan, it is this. All of us are human beings, and for the most part, most of us never hit rock bottom in that we are left completely out of control of our own lives and have no idea of how to get out of it. But, I'm here to tell you that it is so easy to have that happen, and many times, we are caught off guard when it does.

And, I suppose that if I do have an ounce of sympathy for Lindsay Lohan, it's because I know how it feels to hit rock bottom. Okay, so maybe I've never been to rehab. Maybe I haven't smashed several cars. And, the closest that I've ever gotten to a jail cell was in sixth grade when my class went on a field trip to the local police station. But, I know how it feels to be completely and totally alone, without any support, feeling as though the world is against you. I know what it's like to have no prospects for the future because of the inability to handle your own problems. And while my definition of rock bottom is completely different from Lindsay Lohan's situation, I have felt as though I've hit rock bottom in some format. And, it's taken me a long time to claw my way out.

And, I think that it's going to take an extremely long time for Lindsay to do the same. But, she's already taking steps to try and repair her damaged credibility by staying out of the tabloid spotlight, and she's slowly taking on more acting roles in television to improve her image.



Here's hoping that as Lindsay Lohan turns 27, she will find a shovel and start digging upward.