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Sunday, July 14, 2013

Behind the "Bus Stop"

One thing that fascinates me about music history is looking up information about what happened on a specific date. I think that was one of the motivations behind why I decided to come up with a Tuesday Timeline every week.

I'm sure that most of you have tried to look up what song was #1 on the day you were born, the day you got married, the day you graduated high school, etc. And, yes, I have done this for my own personal dates as well.

Okay, so as of right now, I don't have a wedding anniversary as I have never been married. But I do have a bit of an obsession over knowing what happened in the world of music on my birthday.

Like, for instance, did you know that the #1 song the day that I was born was “Bette Davis Eyes” by Kim Carnes? And that it was a #1 hit for nine weeks total? These days, it almost seems unheard of for a song to top the charts for so long!

Other artists who have had #1 hits on my birthday in subsequent years have been Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder (“Ebony & Ivory” - 1982), Simple Minds (“Don't You Forget About Me” – 1985), Paula Abdul (“Forever Your Girl” - 1989), Madonna (“Vogue” - 1990), Janet Jackson (“That's The Way Love Goes” - 1993), Mariah Carey (“My All” - 1998), Santana (“Maria Maria” - 2000), Gwen Stefani (“Hollaback Girl” - 2005), The Black Eyed Peas (“Boom Boom Pow” - 2009), and most recently, Macklemore and Ryan Lewis (“Can't Hold Us” - 2013).

Mind you, I didn't list ALL the #1 hits that have charted since I was born. I would take up way too much space doing it that way.

Of course, it's not just chart history that fascinates me. I get interested in release date history as well. I may be the only one who has that much fascination with my birthdate and how it coincides with major music history.

Like, for instance, on my 18th birthday, the Backstreet Boys released their hit album “Millennium”, which included the hits “I Want It That Way”, “Larger Than Life”, and “Show Me The Meaning Of Being Lonely”. Not that I really enjoyed the Backstreet Boys growing up at all, but given that the album sold thirty million copies worldwide, it is a fact that should be noted.

Another interesting note is that on my 13th birthday, Lisa Marie Presley tied the knot with...Michael Jackson! Yes, the much lampooned marriage between Elvis' daughter and the youngest member of the Jackson 5 was much lauded and lampooned in the media, and by 1996, the couple had called it quits. Still, it was one of the most talked about news stories of 1994...well, at least it was until O.J. Simpson's white Bronco chase just a month later.

And, then there are all of those artists who decided to record music and release singles on my birthday. Just take a look at the list of songs that were recorded on my date of birth.

1963 - “Louie Louie” - The Kingsmen
1964 - “House of the Rising Sun” - The Animals
1966 - “Got To Get You Into My Life – The Beatles
1967 - “We Love You” - The Rolling Stones

Now, those are some classic bands and songs right there!

But, there's also one more song that was recorded on my date of birth...and this one happens to be the featured song of the day for the Sunday Jukebox – recorded on May 18, 1966.




ARTIST: The Hollies
SONG: Bus Stop
ALBUM: Bus Stop
DATE RELEASED: June 17, 1966
PEAK POSITION ON THE BILLBOARD CHARTS: #5

The reason why I've chosen this song to spotlight is because of all the songs that were featured on the above list (which I found on a website listing the trivia for Oldies Music), this one is my favourite of the bunch. It's a perfect song for the summer months, and it takes people back to a time in which the pop charts weren't dominated by guys rapping about their “honeys” with their pants so low you can see what colour boxer shorts they're wearing and people spelling song titles with internet acronyms and random numbers.

(In case you haven't figured it out yet, I've largely ignored the Top 40 charts for the last ten years or so. Either I'm getting too old to understand what kids like these days, or I have more refined tastes when it comes to music.)




Anyway, “Bus Stop” was initially released as a 7-inch 45 rpm single in June 1966, and by September 1966, reached its peak position at #5. The song charted at the same position in the United Kingdom, #3 in Norway, and in Canada, the song was a #1 hit for the British based band. And because the song became such a hit in Canada and the United States, a special compilation album was released in October 1966 entitled “Bus Stop”. That album contained the hit single, plus some unreleased and lesser-known singles that the band released between 1963 and 1965.




The Hollies were founded by childhood friends Graham Nash and Allan Clarke. They first began performing as a duo in the late 1950s and by 1962 – after recruiting other band members Eric Haydock, Don Rathbone, and Vic Steele – and began dubbing themselves as The Hollies following a gig at Manchester's Oasis Club.

TRIVIA: The inspiration behind the band's name? The late Buddy Holly, who had died three years prior, in February 1959.

By the time the band was signed onto Parlophone Records in 1963, Rathbone and Steele had decided to move on to other projects, but they were replaced by two former members of The Dolphins, Terry Hicks and Bobby Elliott. And after the band released their own version of the song “Stay” - originally performed by Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs – their popularity in the UK began to rise.

It took a little bit longer though for The Hollies to land onto the American charts. And, it wasn't until the band released “Bus Stop” that the band earned their first Top 10 hit there.

The song itself was written by a man named Graham Gouldman (who would later go on to become a member of the band 10cc). Gouldman had already earned a reputation for being a proflic songwriter back in the mid 1960s, having penned singles for Herman's Hermits and The Yardbirds. As well, he wrote an earlier single for The Hollies back in 1964 entitled “Look Through Any Window”.

But when it came time to write the lyrics for “Bus Stop”, it wasn't until 2006 that Gouldman finally revealed where the inspiration came from.

Gouldman claimed that he was inspired to write the song while riding in the bus as a passenger. And, one thing that you might not realize was that the opening lines of the song were not written by Gouldman, but by Gouldman's father!

Yes, Hyme Gouldman was a prolific writer in his own right. He was, after all, a playwright. But when Graham had told Hyme that he had come up with a title for a song (“Bus Stop”), Hyme immediately came up with the opening lines “Bus stop wet day, she's there I say, please share my umbrella”. With Graham already coming up with a brilliant opening riff to the song, it seemed to flow flawlessly, and soon enough, the younger Gouldman had the song completely written.

Of course, as Graham Gouldman later explained, Hyme was always offering up some advice on the song compositions his son wrote. It was Hyme who came up with the Herman's Hermits title “No Milk Today”, and it was Hyme who thought up the title for a 10cc hit, “Art for Art's Sake”. So, it was only natural that the partnership between father and son would lead to one of the biggest hits of The Hollies' career.

And, that's our look back on the song “Bus Stop”. It's a shorter than normal entry for today...but that's only because I have a lengthy blog post planned for the Monday Matinee. Besides, I'm sure some of you will appreciate the shorter blog entry.

Saturday, July 13, 2013

Mario Party!!!

Summer is in full swing, and I am sure that for most of you, your plans for the next three months include a lot of outdoor activities.

And, why wouldn't they? With the temperatures ranging between 20-35 C on any given day between the months of July and September (well, unless you live in the Southern Hemisphere, where you're experiencing winter right now), it is the perfect time for outdoor activities.

How many of us have gone to the beach on a hot summer day and just lay on the beach watching the waves crashing along the shore? How many of us have grilled burgers, hot dogs, chicken, and steak on the barbecue because it is way too hot to cook anything indoors? How many of us have tried to beat the heat by walking to the local ice cream shop to eat a banana split or drink a frozen fruit slushie to cool off? I'm guessing that the answer is...well...all of you!

Yes, summer can be some of the best few months of the entire year, and because it is so short, it's important to make every minute of each summer count.

So, I'm sure that most of us can understand the frustration that we all have when the baby blue skies suddenly become black, and when we see flashes of lightning streaking across the sky followed by a torrential downpour. Nobody wants to have rain falling down at an outdoor wedding, a baseball game, or a camping trip.

And, I'm sure that the people of Calgary, Alberta and Toronto, Ontario certainly don't ever want to see another raindrop fall again. Both cities were hit hard by heavy rains which caused major flooding in both metropolitan areas, and in the case of Alberta, entire communities are still rebuilding. In fact, if you click HERE, you can find a website where if you want to, you can donate some money to help the people there who may have lost everything in the floods. No obligation, of course. Just posting the link here in case you want to help out.

Anyway, on a typical normal rainy day in which we get the standard average rainfall in a day, it can be a real bummer. I suppose that some people would go outside and play in the rain regardless of how much falls (and actually, I will be one to admit to running around in my backyard when it was raining, as I found it fun). But not all of us were willing to just get soaked outside just for the fun of it, especially if there were strong winds or the risk of a thunderstorm.

So we stayed inside and resigned ourselves to be bored for a few hours.

Of course there were always things that you could do inside. And I suppose that one of the most common ways to pass the time on a day with uncooperative weather was to play a board game like Monopoly, Clue, Twister, or Trivial Pursuit. For a while, these games could keep an entire family of four entertained. But the problem with board games was the fact that eventually people grew tired of them. I know that whenever I played board games, I would usually get incredibly bored and/or restless after the second or third time because each game went exactly the same way. There's only so many times that one person can pass go and collect two hundred bucks before wanting to throw hotels at your competitors. There are only so many times you can accuse Mrs. White of murdering someone with a lead pipe before you yourself wish someone would clobber you over the head with a wrench to put you out of your misery. And, don't even get me started on Trivial Pursuit. I have seen many games of Trivial Pursuit end in a brawl over a silly question about which Chicago Cubs baseball player scored the most home runs in 1984.

(And, no, I do not know the answer.)

So, how do you make board games fun again?

Well, provide that a thunderstorm didn't knock out your power, Nintendo came up with an ingenious way to take the boredom out of board games using some of their most popular and liked characters.

Hence the reason why we're going to have a party.



A MARIO PARTY!!!




Now, Mario games have almost always been universally well-received. And, there doesn't seem to be a Mario game that doesn't seem to have at least one sequel. There were three Super Mario games for the Nintendo Entertainment System, another two games for the Super Nintendo, and several more for the Nintendo 64, GameCube, Wii, WiiU, Game Boy, Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS, and Nintendo 3DS.

(WOW...that is a lot of Nintendo consoles!)

Would you believe that since the Mario Party game was first released on the Nintendo 64, it would still be considered a huge success? Including the versions released for Nintendo's hand-held consoles, there have been a total of TWELVE different Mario Party games made with a thirteenth version set to be released for the Nintendo 3DS later this year!!!

That's a lot of partying!

Of course, some Mario Party games performed better than others. The original name, the second sequel, and the DS version all scored very well, while the version released for the Game Boy Advance tanked. But I suppose that's true with all video game franchises. Loved Final Fantasy VI, VII, IX, and X, but despised anything after XI.

(I still have not yet played Final Fantasy VIII.)

But this isn't the Final Fantasy blog. It's the Mario Party blog.

It seems hard to believe, but it's been fifteen years since the first game of the Mario Party franchise came out. On December 14, 1998, Nintendo released the game for the Nintendo 64 system in Japan. North American gamers had to wait until February 1999.

Now, I know what some of you may be saying. For those of you who have played at least two or more of the Mario Party series, you may think to yourselves that all of the games are the same. And, in some ways this is true, as all of the games feature worlds designed like a standard board game complete with dice. But the plot of each Mario Party game is slightly different.




In the original Mario Party game, the plot of the game is to determine who out of Mario, Luigi, Wario, Yoshi, Princess Peach, and Donkey Kong will be the superstar of Mushroom Kingdom by playing a series of large board games complete with several minigame options. In the second game, Princess Daisy and Waluigi were added as characters. And, in the later installments of Mario Party, Bowser would cause all sorts of havoc, and the games would include boss battles between the player and Bowser's minions.

The objective of each game board of Mario Party was to go around the board to collect as many stars as possible. The player with the most amount of stars at the end of a series of turns (depending on the game you play, each board can have a minimum of ten rounds and a maximum of thirty) will win the entire game.

And, how do players earn stars? Well, there are several ways.

The most common way to earn stars is to go around the board and pass a star checkpoint. If you pass the checkpoint at exactly the right time, you will earn one star...provided that you have enough coins to purchase one.




That's right. In a lot of the Mario Party games, you will have to collect coins in order to earn a star. Coins have been a huge part of the Mario franchise since the first Super Mario Brothers game was released in 1985 so it's almost expected that you will have to get your hands on a whole bunch of them in the Mario Party series.

Now comes the next question. How do you earn coins in Mario Party?

Well, I'm glad you asked. And, to answer this question, I am going to use examples from the game Mario Party DS, one of the games in the series that I have played quite a bit.




Most of the times, you can get coins simply by landing on the right space. In this case, landing on a blue space will earn you three coins. But be careful...landing on a red square will cause three coins to be taken away.

In the case of Mario Party DS, you can also earn coins through other spaces as well. If a friend of yours lands on a golden space, the friend can share coins with you. But be careful, because if those squares turn purple, then the friend turns to foe, and you will have to fight them for coins.




In addition, there are green question mark spaces which are kind of similar to the Chance cards that one can find in Monopoly. Depending on what green space you land on, you can either win a bundle of coins, or lose everything.

Now, if you happen to get through the first round and you still have all of your coins, you still shouldn't get comfortable. Because at the end of every round, you will have to play one of the many minigames that are included in each version of Mario Party. Some minigames are as easy as pie, and others will prompt you to toss a controller out of a window. But if you succeed at the minigame, you could earn as much as thirty bonus coins each time depending on what the minigame was. As the game continues, sometimes you might even have to play a minigame to keep your hard earned stars in your possession.

Here are just a sample of a few of the minigames that can be found in various Mario Party titles. There are usually anywhere from fifty to eighty minigames found on each game.

Here is a sampling of minigames from the original Mario Party from 1998.



From Mario Party 4 from 2002.



From Mario Party 7 from 2005.



From Mario Party DS from 2007.



And, finally from Mario Party 9 from 2012.



So, you see...each minigame differs between game to game. And, the best part about it is that nine times out of ten, you have absolutely no control over what minigame you get to play as it is all controlled by the computer. You could be in the lead, and all it will take is epic failure in one minigame for you to lose that lead. It's very easy to do.

Now, at the end of each game, the stars are tallied, and you automatically think that the person with the most stars wins the game. But did you know that you can also earn bonus starts by meeting a set of criteria while you played the game? If you landed on more green squares than anyone else, you got a star. If you won more minigames than anyone else, you got a star. And, in this game, sharing your coins could earn you a star if you did it more than anyone else.

And, that's not all. Some Mario Party games have tournament options where you can challenge opponents to a series of minigames in random order where you can win bragging rights.

Seriously, with Mario Party, you always have a party as you will literally never play the same exact game twice. Seriously, pick up at least one of these Mario Party games. You may just be the best party host ever with it!

It sure beats Checkers and nursing war wounds caused by a Trivial Pursuit breakdown.

Friday, July 12, 2013

Sitcoms - Hawaiian Style

This is a post about the fiftieth state to join the United States of America, as well as its influence on pop culture - particularly in the world of television.




Of course, I'm talking about the state of Hawaii.

Hawaii joined the United States on August 21, 1959, becoming the last state to join the union.  And, when I think of the state of Hawaii, I think of a lot of things.  I think of palm trees scattered all over the place.  I think of sitting on a deck chair on one of Hawaii's many beautiful beaches sipping on a cocktail.  I think of watching the waves crashing along the shore as surfers try to stay balanced in order to 'hang ten' the best they can.  I think of the unique plant and animal life that resides in Hawaii.  I think of pineapples, coconuts, hula girls, grass skirts, leis made out of flowers, and of course, those button-up, short-sleeved shirts with various patterns of bright, garish colours.  

Is it a stereotypical view of the Hawaiian islands?  Perhaps.  But, it's really all that I have to go on.

You see, I've never been to Hawaii in my entire life.  I would absolutely love to go down there someday, just to get a glimpse of all of the things that Hawaii has to offer.  It really does look like it is one of America's most beautiful states, and I definitely want to make it a mission to travel down there at some point in my life.  Whether I fly down there for a few days, or whether I decide to go on a cruise ship that encircles the Hawaiian islands, I would absolutely jump at the opportunity to enjoy the sights and scenes of Hawaii.

(Hmmm...maybe I should add that to my bucket list.  Must see Hawaii.)

I suppose that part of the reason why I have had such a desire to visit Hawaii is because of the various television shows that I have seen that have featured Hawaii.  

Any time I happen to turn on an episode of the new version of "Hawaii: Five-Oh", starring Alex O'Laughlin and Scott Caan, I am just in awe of the scenery that is featured in almost every external scene.  Mind you, that image is frequently shattered whenever someone gets killed off on that show, or whenever they get arrested.  But, still, in scenes in which none of those things happen, it's all good.

And, of course, "Hawaii Five-Oh" is not the only television series to film entirely in the state of Hawaii.  The original series of "Hawaii Five-Oh" (1968-1980) also filmed there.  So did the television series "Lost".  "Magnum P.I." also filmed in Hawaii, and so did the last few seasons of "Baywatch".  So, Hawaii has been a major influence on the world of television, especially within the last ten years or so.

Now, all of the above series that I have talked about in this blog so far have been dramatic or action serials.  What about sitcoms?

As it so happens, I have found several examples of television sitcoms that have filmed at least one episode entirely in Hawaii.  In some cases, the Hawaiian vacation that the sitcom families take part in start off with a huge disaster, but usually have a happy ending.  And sometimes, the trip to Hawaii has no major mishaps aside from the odd case of family squabbling.

So have a seat on the beach.  I'll grab you a coconut shell filled with fresh pineapple juice and a green cocktail umbrella sticking out of the top while I dust off my VHS and DVD collection for a special look back at sitcoms - Hawaiian style!



THE BRADY BUNCH
"Hawaii Bound" - September 22, 1972
"Pass the Tabu" - September 29, 1972
"The Tiki Caves" - October 6, 1972

Here's a story of a lovely lady, who spent the first part of season 3 in Maui!



Okay, so Florence Henderson didn't go to Hawaii alone.  The entire Brady clan (including Alice) flew down to Hawaii for three episodes of fun in the sun.  In this three-part episode, Mike Brady is sent down to Hawaii to check on how a construction project is going, and his firm is generous enough to send the entire family down as well!  The Brady girls seem to enjoy themselves very well.  Marcia and Jan seem to have a great time on Hawaii, while little Cindy is serenaded by legendary Hawaiian icon Don Ho.  The Brady boys on the other hand...well, not so much.  Greg is involved in a really bad surfing accident, Peter nearly gets bitten by a tarantula, and Bobby almost gets crushed by a wall.  It wouldn't have anything to do with that Tiki statue that Bobby took from the construction site, now would it?  The Tiki statue that supposedly curses its holder with bad luck forever?  Well, when the Greg, Peter, and Bobby find themselves in a world of trouble in the third part of this special Hawaiian themed episode, it's up to the girls to inform Mike and Carol about what is going on before it's too late.



THE JEFFERSONS
"The Jeffersons Go To Hawaii - Part 1" - November 9, 1980
"The Jeffersons Go To Hawaii - Part 2/3" - November 16, 1980
"The Jeffersons Go To Hawaii - Part 4" - November 23, 1980

Poor George Jefferson.  If medical physicals were graded the same way that spelling tests were graded, he would have gotten a big fat "F"!  Beginning with the second episode of the show's seventh season, George and Louise book a flight to Hawaii in order to eliminate all the stress that could potentially give George a fatal heart attack.  But, as we all well know from watching sitcoms, very rarely does a sitcom vacation turn out the way that anyone planned.  It was bad enough when Florence decides to go to Hawaii with them, but when George and Louise discover that their neighbours Tom and Helen are staying at the same hotel they are, it certainly doesn't equal a nice, relaxing vacation.

Highlights of this four-part episode include George contemplating giving up his deluxe apartment in the sky for an island hut on the beach, George and Tom ending up shipwrecked on an island, and George coming to terms with the fact that a project that he is tied with could spell absolute disaster for the island natives.  It certainly is a Jeffersons episode worth watching, for sure.



GROWING PAINS
"Aloha - Part 1/2" - September 18, 1987

Have you noticed a recurring theme with the Hawaii episodes?  Almost all of them have aired right around the beginning of a season.  And, "Growing Pains" is certainly no exception.  This was the third season premiere, and in it, we see the entire Seaver family taking a vacation to Hawaii.  But of course, every member of the Seaver family has their own problems once they arrive.  Maggie is preoccupied with work, and Jason struggles to get her to relax.  And, Mike meets an attractive Hawaiian tour guide named Melia whom he is absolutely smitten with.  But when Mike discovers that Melia has a daughter, will Mike's feelings absolutely change?



FULL HOUSE
"Tanner Island" - September 22, 1989

Okay, maybe there's some prerequisite about every sitcom's third season premiere being set in Hawaii.  This episode was the third season premiere of "Full House", and the entire Tanner family fly down to Hawaii where their main goal is to enjoy themselves.



It's just too bad that Danny's clipboard of fun is causing more anger within the family than anything.  Joey falls in love with a Hawaiian girl, but for whatever reason things prevent him from even saying so much as "hello" to her.  Fairly new couple Jesse and Becky see Hawaii as the one place in the world where they can truly have a romantic time, but once they arrive on the Hawaiian islands, they do nothing but bicker.  And when the family accidentally gets stranded on what they think is a deserted island, can D.J., Stephanie, and Michelle work together to try and smooth out the adults problems so they can find a way back home to San Francisco?



SAVED BY THE BELL
"Saved By The Bell: Hawaiian Style" - November 27, 1992

I am sort of cheating in a way, because this actually aired as a two-hour television movie.  But on syndication packages, this movie has been divided into four half-hour episodes.  Either way, the one thing you might notice is that this movie seems to have research all of the sitcom episodes that were shot in Hawaii of the past and combined them into one huge movie.

Zack ends up falling in love with a girl named Andrea (Rena Sofer), who in turn has a daughter named Jennifer.  Kelly's grandfather (Dean Jones) owns the "Hawaiian Hideaway", which is in the path of a greedy land developer's plan to expand his luxury resort.  The entire gang decides to work at the Hawaiian Hideaway while luring guests out of the luxury hotel so that Kelly's grandfather can stay in business...which includes hijacking Mr. Belding's tour group in the process.  In the end, the Bayside kids, Mr. Belding, Kelly's grandfather, and Andrea team up to fight against the land developers who want to knock down the Hideaway.

NOTE:  This movie marks the final appearances for Tiffani-Amber Thiessen and Elizabeth Berkley, who left the series shortly after the movie was filmed.  Their roles were replaced by Leanna Creel for the original series' last season.



STEP BY STEP
"Aloha - Part 1" - February 19, 1993
"Aloha - Part 2" - February 26, 1993

February Sweeps are a good time to have very special episodes of sitcoms, and "Step by Step" decided to celebrate their second season's February Sweeps by planning a trip to Hawaii.

In many ways "Step by Step" has its similarities to "The Brady Bunch" in that both shows feature a blended family.  But whereas the Brady Bunch all got along with each other, the Lambert-Foster crew were still very much a disjointed family unit during the show's second year on air - which of course lead to much of this two-part episode's humour.

Anyway, there are no cursed Tiki idols.  But there is a marriage proposal as then seventeen year old Dana finds herself falling head over heels in love with someone she had just met who automatically decides that Dana is the one for him.  After giving Dana a huge diamond ring, she is ready to give it all up for a man...but will her mother stand in her way?  It's a battle of the ages as Dana and Carol have it out, with Dana wasting no time in pointing out her own mother's hypocrisy.

In other happenings, J.T. and Cody get involved in a treasure hunt, and Mark, Brendan, and Al enter a sand castle building competition.  Riveting stuff, no?

So, those are just a few of the sitcom episodes that not only took place in Hawaii, but also inspired my desire to visit Hawaii.

One of these days, it'll happen...hopefully.

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.