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Thursday, July 11, 2013

The Hometown Tourist

I'm going to be the first one to admit that some of you have more than likely have already seen these snapshots already...especially if you have me friended on Facebook. But for those of you who don't know me nearly so intimately (and keep in mind, I do use the word “intimately” very loosely), then you're in for a treat, because this Thursday Diary entry will probably allow you to get to know me a little more than you might think. And, in the course of this entry, I learn something about myself...as well as where I come from.

July 11, 2013

Happy Seven-Eleven Day!

You know, under normal circumstances, I would celebrate 7-11 day by heading out to the 7-Eleven store to buy one of those infamous Slurpees, and drinking the whole thing. It is summer after all, which is the perfect time to indulge in a cool drink like a Slurpee.

There's just one problem. My hometown does not have a 7-Eleven. Not one. In fact, if I remember correctly, the closest 7-Eleven that I know of is located in Ottawa, which is a good hour and a half drive from here. At least.

In fact, for the longest time (and you might already know this if you have read any of my previous blog entries circa 2011 or so), I was one of those people who didn't think that my town had much of...well...anything. And, a 7-Eleven was just scratching the surface.

My hometown is a town that many consider to be the retirement capital of Canada. Which, granted, considering how calm and quiet the town is most days, I can definitely see why so many would be attracted to this place. It is a great place to live if you're looking for somewhere nice to spend your golden years.

But for people my age or thereabouts...many have asked the following question.

What do we do here? Why is this place so dull? Why is there nothing here for young people?

Believe me. At times in my life, I've asked myself the same question.

It's not so much because of the fact that I wish we had a 7-Eleven here. We already have Mac's and Beckers, so I don't think that we really need one. But I was thinking that it would be nice to have more opportunities here. I wish that we had a better variety of college courses available for people my age to take. I wish that there were more events for people my age to mingle at. I wish that there were social gatherings for single people to attend just to meet other people.

And, maybe there are places like that in town, but nobody has ever informed me that these places or events even exist here. It's hard to be a thirty-two year old single man in this town.

(But then again, I suppose it's hard to be a thirty-two year old man anywhere in this world. Still, I'm dealing with it okay.)

But last week, I decided that I would change my way of thinking a bit. And, all that it took was putting some fresh batteries inside of my digital camera, checking my memory card inside of the camera to see if there was enough space on it for more photos, and going out for a nice, long walk to snap some pictures of town.

Why did I decide to do this? Well, there are a couple of reasons.

One, it's been a really long time since I went out around town and snapped some photos. Truth be told, I misplaced my camera during the entire year of 2012, and just now found it three months ago, and I wanted to check and see if it still worked. And, as you'll see, my camera works beautifully.

(Well, at least it does during the day. My flash bulb only works half the time, so I will have to see if I can get a replacement.)

So, last Thursday, I decided to embark on a little bit of a project. What if I saw my town through the eyes of a tourist? What if I decided to ditch my previous feelings about the place I call home for one day and saw the city through the eyes of someone who was arriving in town for the first time?

That was the premise behind my tour of the city last week. And, here are some of the highlights.

(Mind you, I didn't post EVERY picture I snapped. If I loaded this blog entry with every picture I took, I would probably break my blog. I snapped over two hundred, after all! For this entry, I'm going to do a Top 10 list.



10 – BROCKVILLE MUSEUM

I'm going to start my tour by talking about our museum. Established in 1981, at first glance, you might not believe that it is a museum as it kind of resembles a lot of the houses that are parked alongside the waterfront. But if you go inside, you'll see artifacts dating all the way back to 1832 (the year of the town's founding). I remember visiting the museum a few times when I was in elementary school, and have nothing but fond memories every time I went. Believe me, the building may look small, but good things do come in small packages.



09 – BROCKVILLE LIBRARY

First things first, this is not the original entrance of the library. Sometime during the 1990s, the library was completely renovated and the old entrance was removed (though the old door was transformed into a huge picture window which remains). The reason I am posting the picture of the library is because some of my fondest memories happen to have been at this very location. I still remember walking to the library with my mom every Thursday to check out the maximum number of books I could check out each week (which was ten), and then going back to the library the following week to check out ten more.



08 – COURT HOUSE SQUARE FOUNTAIN

There's a place in town called Court House Square – a beautiful area where our law offices, and main court house is located. And in the direct center of the square is this fountain. Now, I have to admit that this fountain was the site of one of my most interesting moments during my teen years. I don't have too many happy memories of my high school years, but I will say that one of the more pleasant ones was myself and my entire graduating class jumping into this fountain and splashing each other for Grad Goodbye Day. I don't remember who I splashed, but I certainly got drenched by the end of it!



07 – WHERE I GREW UP

This was my childhood street. In the background, you can see the town hospital (where I had my gall bladder removed), and the other brick building was the place where I attended school between grades nine and OAC. And, if you can make out the house with the small porch and the third floor attic window...well, that was where I lived between the ages of five and nineteen. Though I want to stress that my childhood home looks better now than it EVER did when I was living there. Still, even though the house wasn't in the best condition, it was home...and part of me still kind of misses it.



06 – HARDY PARK

I'm going to say that some of my fondest childhood memories were born right in this very park. Despite the fact that there were signs telling you NOT to feed the birds, when I was a kid I pretended that I “couldn't read” them, and fed the hungry ducks anyway. The pathways that encircled the shores of the St. Lawrence River were always great for pictures (see the sailboat picture up above), and the playground was where the Teddy Bear Picnic was held every year. If memory serves me, it was one of these picnics where a clown handed me a yellow balloon, which I took with me to the parade that was going on just an hour later.

And, speaking of parades...

05 – KING STREET



Welcome to Downtown Brockville, the home of some of the biggest events that have ever taken place in town. While some of them were not happy moments (such as a couple of fires that devastated the core of the city back in the mid-1960s and early 1970s), most of them were. Whether it was browsing the racks and shelves that were set up during sidewalk sales, watching the Canada Day parades that the former town festival Riverfest put on marching down the street, or sipping hot cups of cocoa while waiting for Santa Claus to make his appearance at the annual Santa Claus parade, King Street was the place to be. And, can I show you one of my favourite places on the entire street? It's ranked at #4.



04 – BOOK TRADER

Now, this bookstore downtown has been through a number of name changes over the years. When I first began shopping at this store at the tender age of nine or ten, it used to be called Mulberry Hill Books, and the entire storefront was painted purple. Then a few years after that, the purple walls were coated with black paint, and the name changed to Walkabout Books. These days, the book store is now known as Book Trader.

So, why have I singled out this store in particular? Well, as you well know, I am a huge collector of comic books. And, this store offered used digests for an incredibly low price. I remember wanting to go to this bookstore every month, and spending practically my whole allowance on Archie digests. Of course, there's going to come a time in which I will eventually get all the Archie digests ever made...but even after that day comes, I'll still shop in this bookstore, as they carry used books of every genre, as well as DVD's and CD's. Believe me, this is one store you want to see.



03 – BROCKVILLE CENOTAPH

This monument (which can be found just outside of Court House Square), was erected shortly after the conclusion of World War II. The cenotaph is designed to honour the memory of the people who fought for our freedom and who sacrified everything to ensure that we all continued to have it. Every November 11, all of the elementary school let out shortly before 10:00 am so we could walk to the cenotaph to observe the Remembrance Day ceremony and lay wreaths at the base of the cenotaph. Very moving ceremony.



02 – BROCKVILLE CITY HALL AND MARKET SQUARE

I grouped both of these together because they are so close to each other.



Okay, so first, we have City Hall, which is the place where town council meetings are held, and which is the place where I would always watch the fireworks on Canada Day (from the fire escape, which at that time, nobody kicked me off of). It's also the place in town that has the iconic clock tower, which has been incorporated in every single logo that the town has.



Beside City Hall is the famed Market Square, where three days a week during the summer months, street vendors, artisans, and food growers would set up shop and sell their wares to tourists and locals. The best time to go down to Market Square is definitely Saturdays. There's just a great vibe down there.

01 – BLOCK HOUSE ISLAND

They always say that a picture is worth a thousand words...so these shots of Block House Island will be my words on what I think is the best place in Brockville to hang out at. I just wanted to end this note off by saying that capturing the beauty and excitement of my hometown on a summer's day makes me really appreciate the town where I grew up and in which I currently live. Sometimes we're surrounded so much by the negativity regarding the economy and other things that we forget just how good we have it here. Pretending to play the role of tourist rejuvenated my feelings for my hometown, and I recommend that everyone do this in their own communities too. While I may not remain in this town forever, I will state that this experience has made me realize not to forget where I came from...because as you've all seen, it's a pretty darn nice place.


So, to conclude, some more pictures from Block House Island. Thanks for sharing the virtual tour with me.


Wednesday, July 10, 2013

Actors Who Tried Singing and Failed...and Vice Versa

This week's All-Request Wednesday topic is going to be a fun one! I can feel it!

As you all well know, you have the power to control what I talk about on Wednesdays, and there are a couple of ways in which you can send me suggestions for this and every other Wednesday. You can post your request in the comments section of this or any other blog entry that I have done. I'll promise that I'll do my best to read every single one.

I also have a Google+ account, and am considering re-opening a Twitter account so that I can get more requests in.

Or, you could post a request on the official Facebook page...or if you happen to have me friended on Facebook, you can leave a request there, as Frank B. of Alberta, Canada has done for today.

And, Frank, I thank you for sending me today's topic.

In my blog, I have talked about people who I have dubbed “double threats” or even “triple threats”. These are people in the entertainment industry who have started off their careers filming movies, or releasing albums, or dancing in a Broadway production, but are also just as talented in other areas. Gifted actors who are also gifted singers. Dancers who do just as good a job acting on stage as they do with their two-step. Singers who can deliver the goods on a motion picture without having to sing a note.

And there are very, very few people who can manage to become a double/triple threat.

One example of someone who I can consider successful in both is Jennifer Hudson. The American Idol contestant who didn't even place within the Top 3 during her season is certainly making up for lost time. We already knew that she could sing, and sing very well...but who would have thought that she could act as well? Hudson stole the show in the movie “Dreamgirls” and earned herself an Academy Award for her role!

Or, how about Bette Midler? She's done quite well for herself releasing singles such as “The Rose” and “Wind Beneath My Wings”, but she's also made a name for herself as an actress – starring in movies such as “The First Wives Club” and “Hocus Pocus”.

In the world of Disney movies and television show, while these names could be argued, I would say that Selena Gomez, Zac Efron, and Miley Cyrus have successfully balanced a music career with acting. All three have had huge successes over the years (in the case of Gomez, she has the current #1 song on the Hot Dance Charts), and if they play their cards right, they can continue to have that success.

And, Will Smith is another name that you could add in as a double threat, releasing hit movies and hit singles at steady pace. Heck, if you wanted to add in his dance moves in the various music videos he has shot, he very well could be a triple threat!

Even Justin Timberlake is someone to watch out for. He's had a successful music career, and is easily the most successful member of *Nsync, but he's also showing that he has some acting chops as well.

But those are just a few examples of people who have managed to succeed in two different formats of entertainment. The truth is that not everyone can be a “double threat”. Some people should just stick with what they know and go with that. And, I'm not saying this to be mean. I'm saying this because it's the truth. I know that I have a way with words, and that I could be a great lyricist or songwriter. But to actually sing those words? Yeah, they call me “tone deaf” for a reason.

The following people that we'll be focusing on were already skilled in one thing (be it dancing, singing, acting, etc), and decided to branch out into something new...only for their efforts to fail miserably.

That's what this blog is all about. Actors who tried to be singers who failed and went back to acting. Or singers who tried to act, but failed, and went back to singing.

Confused yet? Don't be. It will all make sense the minute we begin. Why don't we start with...



MARIAH CAREY

Mariah Carey has pipes, and she knows how to use them. That much is clear. How else could you explain the fact that she has had one #1 hit during every year of the 1990s (barring 1994)? She's had eighteen #1 hits so far during her career, and several more Top 10 hits. Basically, she had music down pat.

But when she decided to make the jump into acting...well, let's just say that it was a step in the wrong direction.

We got a little taste of her acting ability in her 1997 video for “Honey” and her 1999 video for “Heartbreaker”, but it wouldn't be until 2001 that she would show off her acting ability in the film, “Glitter”.



Maybe it was the fact that Mariah Carey suffered a breakdown that year. Maybe it was the fact that the film was released right around the September 11 terrorist attacks. Whatever the case, Mariah Carey's performance in “Glitter” bombed terribly. She even won the Golden Raspberry Award for her performance in the film.

Since then, Mariah Carey has sort of redeemed herself by starring in the critically acclaimed film “Precious”. But I still have a hard time seeing her as a singer/actress when she clearly shows more strength in her singing.

JENNIFER LOVE HEWITT

For what it is worth, Jennifer Love Hewitt's starred in quite a few popular television shows over the years from “Party of Five” to “Ghost Whisperer” to “The Client List”. Her feature film projects are significantly lesser known, but she was the star of “I Know What You Did Last Summer”, which was a huge hit.



But the same couldn't be said for her music, even though Jennifer Love Hewitt has a pleasant enough voice. As far as I know, she's only ever had two singles playing on the radio. 1998's “How Do I Deal” and 2004's “Barenaked”. Neither one really made much of an impact here in Canada. Though I hear that she's a much bigger star in Japan of all places, where she's had singles charting there since 1992.

And, speaking of actress whose singing careers exploded in Japan...

ALYSSA MILANO

Again, Alyssa Milano is one who has been in seemingly everything over the years. And considering that she was the first celebrity starlet that I ever had a crush on, I'm going to try and be gentle here. Now, you all recall that Alyssa Milano was a part of the successful 1980s sitcom “Who's The Boss?” where she delighted audiences as Samantha Micelli, daughter of Tony Danza's character. But she also proved to be able to handle drama as well as comedy with her subsequent roles in “Melrose Place” and “Charmed” respectively.

But did you know that she also sang as well? I didn't until I saw this video.



I'm guessing that like most girls of the era, she was trying to be just like Tiffany. Unfortunately, Alyssa Milano was a zero-hit-wonder here in North America (and if all of her videos were like this one, I can sadly see why). In Japan though? All FIVE of her studio albums went platinum! Go figure.

MADONNA



You knew that she was coming, right? After all, she is widely considered by many to be one of the worst actresses in the entire world.

Her choreography skills and albums were brilliant. Madonna became a real chameleon of pop music, reinventing her image at exactly the right time, and earning herself several #1 singles, seven Grammy Awards, and countless MTV Video Music Awards.



And, you know what? I don't think all of Madonna's acting performances were as bad as people claim. I loved her part in “Desperately Seeking Susan”, her role in "Who's That Girl" wasn't that terrible, and her take on Breathless Mahoney in 1990's “Dick Tracy” was passable. But then I see her in movies like "Shanghai Surprise" and "Swept Away", and I think to myself...ah...now I see why her movies are panned.

LEONARD NIMOY

You know...this really doesn't require words. As Spock, Leonard Nimoy excelled. As a film director, Nimoy excelled even more.



As a singer...well...you be the judge.

WILLIAM SHATNER

Somewhere in between “Star Trek” but before “T.J. Hooker”, William Shatner embarked on a brief career in singing by doing “justice” to a classic Elton John single.



This is one of those cases in which his performance was so bad, it almost became good. And, as time passed, it wasn't the only time that William Shatner would dust off his vocal chords and “sing” to his heart's content.

LISA WHELCHEL

Okay, so these days, Lisa Whelchel is probably most known by this generation as the Survivor castaway who came in third during “Survivor: Guatemala”. But for those of us like me who were around for the crazy decade known as the 1980s, we all remember Lisa Whelchel for her role as Blair Warner in the television series “The Facts of Life”.



Ah, but there was one instance in which Lisa Whelchel embarked on a career as a contemporary Christian artist. Case in point, this single that she released in the early 1980s. Do you remember it? Well, neither do I! But, if there's one thing that I can say that was positive...it was that Lisa had a fairly decent singing voice.

And, well...that's about it.

STEVEN SEAGAL



Some of you might be questioning his acting ability, as the majority of films that featured him didn't really show him acting as much as they did him kicking somebody's butt. But if you thought his acting was questionable...you should get a kick out of his singing ability.

JOEY LAWRENCE



Okay, so Joey Lawrence may not be an Oscar winning actor, but his career has spanned three decades, and he has appeared in some long running television series such as “Gimme a Break!”, “Blossom”, “Brotherly Love”, and “Melissa & Joey”. And, I suppose you could also throw in his appearance on the ABC reality series “Dancing With The Stars”.



So, I suppose it was inevitable that Joey Lawrence would release a single in 1993 entitled “Nothin' My Love Can't Fix”. Unfortunately, that single didn't help Joey Lawrence become the next Marky Mark...but then again, it's not like Mark Wahlberg has been hurting for work since he showed everyone his “Good Vibrations”. And, neither has Joey Lawrence.

JESSICA SIMPSON




I feel bad for even including her on this list, given that today is her birthday, but it needs to be done.  A few years ago, Jessica Simpson was once a rising star in the world of pop music.  With singles like "I Wanna Love You Forever", "Irresistible", and "A Public Affair", Jessica certainly had made her mark.

I don't know whether it was the "Newlyweds" reality show that she starred in with then husband Nick Lachey that may have been the catalyst (and which spawned the infamous "Chicken of the Sea" conversation), or what, but somehow, her acting skills didn't translate onto the big screen...especially since she was poorly cast as Daisy Duke in the film remake of "The Dukes of Hazzard".  And, somehow, I don't know if Nancy Sinatra appreciated the take that Jessica had on her hit song from 1966.




But I suppose what Jessica did find a way to make a mark on the television industry as a judge on the NBC reality series "Fashion Star", so maybe in the end, she had the last laugh.

LINDSAY LOHAN

Okay, so I just talked about her a few days ago, and the train wreck that her life has seemingly become now. But in her prime, she was quite the little actress, and I believe that if she can clean herself up for good, she can find her way back. Hollywood may be a fickle industry, but in the right circumstances, it can be forgiving.



But, I think Lindsay should probably stick to acting, as her music career fizzled out after a couple of years. And, that is no rumour.

DAVID HASSELHOFF



Do I really need to say any more than “Hooked on a Feeling?” Didn't think so.



And, to end off this note, a video by someone who many consider a...um...zero threat. But, as for me, I would never say anything so terrible. I'll let you decide.



Tuesday, July 09, 2013

July 9, 1955

I am going to kick off this edition of the Tuesday Timeline by wishing my sister a happy 41st birthday today. Granted, I really doubt that she is actually going to see this blog, but I just wanted to get the message out there just in case.

Today is the ninth of July, and I'll admit that I was having a tough time choosing a topic for this week. I had to search through a number of different sources for ideas, and it took me a bit of time to really come up with an appropriate topic.

And, let's just say that for a Tuesday Timeline entry, this topic choice could not be any more perfect.

Of course, we have some business to take care of first before we propel ourselves back through time. So, let's begin with this look back on July 9 with celebrity birthdays.

I want to wish a very happy birthday to the following famous faces; Ed Ames, Brian Dennehy, Richard Roundtree, Dean Koontz, Chris Cooper, John Tesh, Jimmy Smits, Tom Hanks, Marc Almond, Kelly McGillis, Jim Kerr (Simple Minds), Courtney Love, Pamela Segall Adlon, Scott Grimes, Enrique Murciano, Dani Behr, Jack White (The White Stripes), Fred Savage, Ashly DelGrosso, Jacob Hoggard (Hedley), Kiely Williams, and Mitchel Musso.

(Oh, yeah...O.J. Simpson was born on July 9 as well...but I consider him more INFAMOUS than famous.)

And, what was going on in the world throughout the history books on this date? Well, lots of things!

1572 – Nineteen Catholics suffer martyrdom for their beliefs in the Dutch town of Gorkum

1776 – George Washington ordered the Declaration of Independence to be read aloud in New York City for the first time to members of the Continental Army

1793 – The Act Against Slavery is passed in Upper Canada, and slave importation is prohibited in Lower Canada

1810 – Napoleon annexes the Kingdom of Holland as part of the First French Empire

1816 – Argentina declares its independence from Spain

1850 – Millard Fillmore becomes the 13th President of the United States following the death of Zachary Taylor

1863 – The siege of Port Hudson ends during the American Civil War

1877 – The inaugural Wimbledon Championships opens

1918 – The deadliest rail accident in the United States occurs when an inbound local train collides with an outbound express, killing 101 people in Nashville, Tennessee

1922 – Johnny Weissmuller swims the 100 metre freestyle in 58.6 seconds, breaking a world record

1944 – British and Canadian forces capture Caen, France during the Battle of Normandy

1946 – Original lead singer of AC/DC Bon Scott is born in Forfar, Angus, Scotland

1956 – Dick Clark becomes the host of a television program entitled “Bandstand” - which would eventually evolve to become “American Bandstand”

1958 – Lituya Bay is struck by a megatsunami with a wave measuring a height of 524 metres – the largest wave in recorded history

1962 – Andy Warhol's “Campbell's Soup Cans” exhibition opens at the Ferus Gallery in Los Angeles

1981 – Donkey Kong is released in arcades by Nintendo; marks the very first appearance of the character that would come to be known as Super Mario

1986 – The Parliament of New Zealand passes the Homosexual Law Reform Act legalizing homosexuality in New Zealand

2004 – Actress Isabel Sanford passes away in Los Angeles, California at the age of 86.

Okay, so which year will be be turning back the calendar pages to?



July 9, 1955.

1955 was a year in which a new kind of music was just making its way onto jukeboxes, record players, and radios everywhere.

That music was good, old-fashioned, rock and roll.

And, on July 9, 1955, one of these rock classics hit the #1 spot on the charts...at a time before the Billboard 100 ceased to exist (the Billboard Hot 100 didn't start ranking songs until November 1955).

What was interesting about the song was that the band who made it famous wasn't the band who first recorded the single.

The song history dates all the way back to 1952, when songwriters James E. Myers and Max C. Freedman penned the lyrics (although some music historians claim that Freedman was the sole composer). And, in late 1953, the song was offered to man who had had success earlier in the year with his song “Crazy Man, Crazy”.



The band was “Bill Haley and His Comets”.

The band began performing the song at their live concerts, and were interested in recording the single. But for whatever reason, the record company that the band was signed to refused to give permission. In fact, according to Haley himself, the head of Essex Records (Dave Miller), reportedly tore the sheet music for the single into shreds – on two different occasions!

While this was going on, another group – Sonny Dae & His Knights – recorded the song instead. But while this version was a moderate success, Haley was still determined to record this single himself.

And, in 1954, Bill Haley got his wish.

After cutting ties with Essex Records, Bill Haley and His Comets signed onto the Decca Records label, who had no issue with Haley's band recording the very single that Dave Miller of Essex Records prevented them from recording. But when the band finally got around to recording the single, the band drowned out Haley's vocals, and a second session had to be recorded. But because the band was on a limited time frame (Sammy Davis Jr. was next in line to record material for one of his albums), the second version was more of a minimal arrangement, and the two separate recordings were merged into one single.

A single that appeared in the classic film “Blackboard Jungle”. A single that served at the theme song for the first season of “Happy Days”. A single that spent eight weeks at the top of the charts in the summer of 1955. A single that first hit #1 on July 9, 1955.



ARTIST: Bill Haley and His Comets
SONG: Rock Around the Clock
ALBUM: Rock Around the Clock
DATE RELEASED: May 20, 1954 (re-released in 1955)
PEAK POSITION ON THE CHARTS: #1 for 8 weeks

How timely that the Tuesday Timeline entry for today is “Rock Around the Clock”! And, why wouldn't it be? Although it was not the very first rock and roll record to be released, it certainly set the tone for what music would be like for many, many years. The song is ranked at #158 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the “500 Greatest Songs of All Time”, and the song is also widely considered to be the greatest song of the 1950s.



And, for the record, while the line-up of musicians has been questioned over the years, this was the official list of band members as stated on the official record sheet for the recording session.

BILL HALEY – vocals/rhythm guitar
MARSHALL LYTLE – string bass
JOEY AMBROSE – tenor sax
BILLY WILLIAMSON – steel guitar
JOHNNY GRANDE – piano
BILLY GUSSAK – drums
DANNY CEDRONE – electric guitar

But one thing that you might have noticed was that the song was officially released on May 20, 1954...a full fourteen months before the song became a chart-topper. Why did it take so long?



Well, when the song was first released, it didn't do that great on the charts, and was destined to be another forgotten hit. But then the film appeared on the soundtrack to the classic film “Blackboard Jungle”, which starred Glenn Ford, Anne Francis, Sidney Poitier, and Louis Calhoun. The film was released on March 19, 1955, and the song was featured in the opening credits. Teenagers flocked to the silver screen to watch the film, and as a result, they also purchased the album that the single appeared on, helping the song reach the top of the charts in July 1955.

BELIEVE IT OR NOT: The song hit its peak on the charts in the United Kingdom in January 1955 – a full six months before the song hit #1 in the United States, and a full two months before the release of “Blackboard Jungle”. The song peaked at #17 in January 1955, but was re-released in September of the same year performing much better on the charts, peaking within the Top 5.

The song was a huge hit all over the world, and the success of the single helped Bill Haley and His Comets secure a job performing the song on a couple of films...1956's “Rock Around the Clock”, and 1957's “Don't Rock the Clock”. And, believe it or not, a sequel of sorts to the song was recorded by the same band entitled “Dance Around the Clock” in 1964. Unfortunately, that song didn't do as well as “Rock Around the Clock”, but the fact that the song was so big that it deserved a sequel...that's almost unheard of, even in the year 2013.

In 1974, the song made a return to the pop charts when the single was used in the soundtrack for the 1973 film “American Graffiti”, which starred Ron Howard. And, later on, Ron Howard would star in the American sitcom, “Happy Days”, which also used “Rock Around the Clock” as the show's theme song for the first few episodes.

And, Bill Haley would continue to perform the single well into the late 1970s. Although in his later years, he often performed abbreviated versions of the song, dropping the second verse altogether. The lone exception being a 1979 performance of the song that he performed for Queen Elizabeth II, in which he performed the full version.

It was a sad day in the music industry when Bill Haley died of a brain tumour at the age of 55 on February 9, 1981. And after his passing came a wave of tributes from a special all-star performance on the 30th anniversary special of American Bandstand to a posthumous Grammy Hall of Fame award presented to Bill Haley in 1982. And, thirty-two years after his passing, Bill Haley's legacy continues to live on through the song that made him a star.

The song is estimated to have sold 25 million copies in total, and several artists have covered the song themselves including The Isley Brothers, Mae West, Harry Nilsson, The Sex Pistols, and even Alvin & The Chipmunks and Sharon, Lois & Bram, introducing new generations to a rock and roll classic.


A rock and roll classic that hit the top of the charts on July 9, 1955.

Monday, July 08, 2013

E.T. The Extra Terrestrial

I'm going to begin this blog entry by revealing three things about myself that I don't believe that I have ever revealed before on this blog.

Three little details that I've kept hidden until now.

But don't worry. These secrets are not major bombshells at all. In fact, I think that they're kind of lame myself. Of course, this is merely my opinion.

Okay, so here's secret #1. I have a weakness for anything that has the delectable combination of peanut butter and chocolate.

I mean it too. One of my favourite ice cream flavour is peanut butter chocolate chip. I used to dip pieces of Hershey bars into a jar of peanut butter. And, you don't even want to lock me inside a storeroom filled with Reese's Peanut Butter cups. I am telling you right now, that would NOT be a wise idea.



I even will readily admit to liking those little orange, brown, and yellow candies known as Reese's Pieces. They're kind of like an M&M, only instead of chocolate, they are filled with peanut butter on the inside.

Mind you, in recent years, I have embarked on an affair with Peanut Butter M&M's...but I still find myself seeking out a package of Reese's Pieces every once in a while. You know, for old times sake.

One secret down, two to go. Here's the second one.



I have always admired Drew Barrymore. Yes, she may have had a rather troubled childhood (being dragged to Hollywood parties by your own mother at an age when girls should be playing with dolls was the main cause, which lead to total emancipation from her mother in 1989), but these days, she's cleaned up her act in a huge way. While there were some movies that didn't do so well at the box office, I think that Drew Barrymore has done some fantastic work over the years. Her role in “Ever After” was critically acclaimed, and was highly praised by filmgoers. I liked her character in “Never Been Kissed” because I could totally identify with her character. I saw a little bit of MYSELF in “Josie Grossie”, and only Drew Barrymore could have done the role justice as Josie turned into a beautiful, yet eccentric swan. And, proving that she is a triple threat in the film industry, adding the titles of director and producer onto her resume.

Yes, Drew Barrymore is definitely the perfect example of taking the hardships that she was given, and transforming them into a rich and rewarding career. And, I feel no shame in admitting that I admire her wholeheartedly.

And, finally, secret #3.



I feel kind of deprived that I never owned a “Speak & Spell”.

The toy that was first introduced in 1978 was an educational one, and was just one of three toys in the initial line (the others being Speak & Read and Speak & Math), and almost every kid in my grade one class either owned a Speak & Spell or knew someone who had.

The only one in my class who didn't have one was myself.

It wasn't really because I needed one. My spelling skills in first grade were quite good, and considering that the toy was designed to teach children how to spell words that were commonly misspelled, it was a bit pointless for me to have one. But I didn't care. I really wanted one because I always did love toys in which you had to push a lot of buttons. Why else would I confess that my favourite childhood toy was my older sister's hand-me-down Merlin toy? And, why else did I become such a hard core video game player during my teenage years?

Okay, so those are my three secrets. My addiction to Reese's Pieces, my admiration towards Drew Barrymore, and how deprived I was as a child that I never received a Speak & Spell.

Hmmm...Reese's Pieces, Drew Barrymore, Speak & Spell. Reese's Pieces, Drew Barrymore, Speak & Spell. Where have I seen all three of those mentioned? What movie had all three of these things?

I think that this movie came out around the summer of 1982. I believe that it was a Spielberg production, and that the star of the film was a wrinkled beige creature with a limited English vocabulary who had an obsession with telephones, and could make something as simple as an ordinary bicycle fly through the sky.

It was a movie in which the main character had a craving for Reese's Pieces. It was a movie that starred Drew Barrymore, who was barely seven years old when the film was shot. And the Speak & Spell? It plays a very important part in the film's conclusion.

And, I already see some of you nodding your heads and smiles curling on your faces, as you know exactly what the movie is.

That movie was the biggest summer blockbuster of 1982, and the largest grossing film of all time until 1993, when “Jurassic Park” dethroned it.




Today's blog topic is “E.T.: The Extra Terrestrial”. The film, which was directed by Steven Spielberg and was released on June 11, 1982 starred Henry Thomas as Elliott, Dee Wallace as Elliott's mother, Mary, and Drew Barrymore as Henry's little sister, Gertie.

Other actors to appear in the movie were Peter Coyote, who played a government agent named Keys, and C. Thomas Howell, K.C. Martel, and Sean Frye, who played the three friends of Henry's brother, Michael (Robert MacNaughton).

Oh, and there was also the real star of the picture...the lovable alien with a face that only a mother (and a couple of children) could love. E.T., who was voiced by then 67-year-old Pat Welsh, a woman whose voice was very deep and raspy – a side effect from smoking two packs of cigarettes a day.

And, the inspiration behind the story of E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial came from Spielberg's own childhood.

When he was a young boy, Spielberg's parents divorced, and to fill the void of his father leaving, he invented an imaginary alien friend...someone who could be the father who he felt had left, and the brother that he never had. But it wasn't until 1981 that Spielberg decided to bring his childhood creation to life. After telling screenwriter Melissa Mathison about his childhood memory, including a failed attempt at a film project entitled “Night Skies”, she came back to him eight weeks later with the initial draft for what would become the biggest film of 1982. The draft was revised a couple of more times before the final script was given the greenlight.

And, looking back on my experiences with watching the film (I watched it a lot when I was a kid), I can definitely see similarities between the life of Steven Spielberg and the life of Elliott, a 10-year-old boy who is very lonely following the divorce of his parents. He tries to befriend Michael's friends, but they just make fun of him. Add to the fact that Elliott doesn't seem to have a whole lot of close friends at his own school, and you have a child who is desperate for friendship, but is too afraid to show it.

But then Elliott discovers something strange while he is going out on a pizza run. In the family's tool shed, Elliott hears some noises coming from within. At first, the creature is frightened by Elliott, and runs and hides...but when Elliott returns with a handful of Reese's Pieces, the alien decides that Elliott is good people, and moves right into his bedroom!



The following day, Elliott decides to fake an illness to get out of school for the day so he can play with his brand new friend, but he is forced to let Michael and Gertie in on the secret. The three siblings all agree to keep the alien's existence a secret from their mother, and this leads to some rather...interesting disguises.



There's also something very interesting that happens between Elliott and the alien. Because Elliott and the alien develop some sort of psychic connection between them, everything the alien does, Elliott eventually does too. So, when the alien decides that he has a craving for beer, well...



And, this leads to what is considered to be one of the most iconic scenes of the entire movie.



And, when the alien watches an old movie on television in which the two characters kiss on screen, it actually causes Elliott to make a move on a girl that he has secretly had a crush on.

Ultimately, the whole goal of the film is the idea that Elliott, Michael, and Gertie have to find a way to get their new alien friend back home – leading up to the “E.T. Phone Home” scene that you've seen posted up above. And, by using an old “Speak & Spell”, an old umbrella, tinfoil, and a coffee can, Elliott and E.T manage to find a way to create a communication device designed for the purpose of him contacting his home planet so that he can go back home.

But when the United States government catch wind of the alien's discovery, they begin to do their own investigation, putting Elliott's entire family at risk. But no bond is stronger than that between a human boy and his alien friend. And, by the end of this movie, you will be needing some Kleenex to get through it.

(Well...unless you HATED the film, that is.)

Here's some more behind the scenes trivia for you regarding the making of this film.

1 – It was always Steven Spielberg's intention to have a mostly all-child cast.

2 – Henry Thomas auditioned for the role of Elliott dressed up as Indiana Jones!

3 – Robert MacNaughton reportedly went through eight different auditions before he finally got the part of Michael!

4 – Drew Barrymore ended up winning her role after telling Spielberg a story about how she was the leader of a punk band! Her creative imagination (especially for a six-year-old girl) won her the part.

5 – The part of Henry's crush was played by Erika Eleniak, who later went on to star in the television series “Baywatch” from 1989-1992.

6 – The roles of the doctors in the government laboratory scenes in the film were played by actual doctors. Spielberg believed that the dialogue would be more natural coming from people who actually knew what the terms meant and how they were pronounced.

7 – There's a scene in the movie that was left on the cutting room floor in which Harrison Ford makes a cameo. And, you can watch it below!

8 – Believe it or not, the initial choice of candy that Elliott used to lure E.T. out of hiding was supposed to be M&M's, but they refused to let the product appear in the movie. So, Reese's Pieces were selected instead, and the promotion within the film lead to a 65% increase in sales. I suppose M&M's have since learned their lesson, as they became sponsors for Star Wars and Shrek.



9 – The communicator that was used in the film. Would you believe that it actually WORKED? Of course, the device was constructed by Henry Feinberg, who worked in science and technology!

10 – This was the feature film debut for C. Thomas Howell.

11 – The video cassettes were made from green plastic in an effort to prevent piracy. By 1989, the VHS copy had sold fifteen million units.

12 – When the film was re-released in 2002 for the 20th anniversary, you may notice one major difference. The guns that the men were holding in one pivotal scene were digitally replaced with walkie-talkies! Spielberg reportedly spent over $100,000 to alter the scene.

13 – Debra Winger provided E.T.'s temp voice, and she also appears in the Halloween scene, dressed as a monster! (She's the one carrying the dog).

14 – To simulate the noise of E.T. walking, Foley Artist John Roesch used a wet T-shirt that was stuffed with Jell-O!

15 – Michael Jackson once owned one of the E.T. puppets.

16 – Pat Welsh's salary for her role at the voice of E.T. was $380.

17 – E.T.'s plants were made from an interesting ingredient – fully inflated condoms.



18 – The Neil Diamond song “Heartlight” was reportedly inspired by this film.

19 – Corey Feldman was supposed to appear in E.T., but his part was cut when the script was revised. To make it up to him, Spielberg gave Feldman a part in his next project – 1984's “Gremlins”.


20 – The film was shot entirely in chronological order.