Hello, everybody! We are currently in the final week of 2013, and I decided to do things a little bit differently this time around. For the last week of the year, I wanted to do a retrospective of the year gone by. In the world of pop culture, 2013 was a year that was filled with ups and downs, and I thought that it would be good to have a look back on some of the highlights (and lowlights) of the year.
I will be doing this every day this week (except for the December 31 entry, which will be a Tuesday Timeline), and the event will conclude on Thursday, January 2, 2014. For now, here's the list so far.
12/27/2013 - Best and Worst of 2013 - Television
Okay, I know that we only have one entry on the retrospective list for now, but I will be adding to this list over the next few days.
Like, for instance, today is Saturday, which is typically known as the day of the week known as the Saturday Smorgasbord - a day in which the subject changes from week to week. Now, normally, on what is supposed to be the fourth Saturday of the month, we would be taking a look at a book or magazine to study. But because it happens to be the final Saturday of the whole year, I thought I'd switch it up a little bit to present you with...
...THE BEST AND WORST VIDEO GAMES OF 2013!
Now, I'll tell you this much. In 2012, I would not have been able to even write this entry because I was still stocking milk. And, somehow, I don't think that any of you would have been all that thrilled to read a list on what the fifteen biggest selling cheeses are.
Now that I'm in electronics , I think I have a really good understanding of what video games and video game consoles were the most requested gifts underneath the Christmas tree this year! And, that's what this blog is all about.
Now, keep in mind that it's very hard for me to give objective reviews on most of these items, as I don't own any of the three major video game consoles (though I do have a Nintendo 3DS). I'm just going by what I have seen in the months that I have been in my current department
So, shall we go ahead with the list? I'll start off with video games and work my way down to the consoles themselves.
GRAND THEFT AUTO V - PS3, XBOX 360
Remember when the biggest selling video game was Super Mario 3 back in 1990? Those days are now over. The new record holder is the extremely violent and graphic "Grand Theft Auto V". And, as someone who was working electronics when it first came out, I can tell you that I must have sold at least twelve dozen copies of it in a time frame of 48 hours! And I live in a small town!!!
Now, here's the deal. I haven't played Grand Theft Auto V, and really don't have any desire to play it either as I'm not a huge fan of violent shoot-em-ups. But, hey...the numbers don't lie. The game is still wildly popular three months after its September 17 release date, and it was certainly one of the most anticipated video games of the year. I suppose the only con about the game is that it forced people to buy external hard drives and flash drives because the older XBOX 360 and PS3 consoles did not have enough memory to load the game properly. Of course, I suppose retailers were happy to do the extra business.
Other standout video games this year for the PS3 and XBOX 360 console were "Battlefield 4", "Call of Duty: Ghosts", and weirdly enough, "Farming Simulator"! Imagine, a video game that teaches you how to farm without going outside!
POKEMON X/Y - Nintendo 2DS/3DS
Nintendo had a rather lacklustre year when it came to consoles. The only one that Nintendo released was the Nintendo 2DS - a less expensive version of the 3DS that could play 3DS games without the 3D effect. With me so far?
As far as games went, though, Nintendo made up for a lack of console ideas. "Super Luigi U", "Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon", "Super Mario World 3D", and two new Zelda games for both the Nintendo Wii U and Nintendo 2DS/3DS were all big sellers over the course of the past six months.
But the biggest selling game for Nintendo had to be the much anticipated release of Pokemon X and Pokemon Y, which was released just months ago. The popular video game series known for its slogan "Gotta catch 'em all" proved popular with gamers everywhere, as I recall many people pre-ordering this game at least two months before it was released! In fact, both games sold in excess of four million copies just a few days after its October 12 release date!
As far as gameplay goes, both X and Y are very similar in gameplay (though when the game was first released, we sold more "Y" than "X" at a rate of 2:1. But as far as the Pokemon you can catch in the series, some Pokemon are only available in X, while others are only available in Y. So, this makes it necessary to swap games with friends so that they can get all of the Pokemon possible. Nice little marketing strategy by Nintendo!
And, speaking of marketing strategies...
SKYLANDERS: SWAP FORCE - Nintendo Wii, Nintendo Wii U, Nintendo 3DS, PS3, PS4, XBOX 360, XBOX One
I actually have a personal story to tell you in regards to this video game series. And no, I haven't played it, but I probably know more about it than I really should because I was the one who set up the display for them when the game was released on August 18.
And what a disaster it was!
I quickly discovered just how popular Skylanders was when I had a crowd of people come in while I was setting it up and rummaging through the boxes of Skylanders figurines before I could set them up properly! But, you know, I have to admit that if I were twenty years younger, I too would be all over those Skylanders too.
Anyone who has ever played the original Spyro trilogy on the PlayStation console might know a bit about Skylanders. After all, Spyro is considered one of the main characters of the Skylanders world. And, in the latest installment of Skylanders, you can play with a variety of characters - provided you bought the starter pack, which contained three figurines, a platform, and the game itself at a price of $75!
Told you that it was a marketing strategy. Buy the starter pack, then buy the dozens of figurines that go with it to make your game more fun.
To add to the fun, some of the figurines could swap tops with other Skylanders. And whenever you swapped them, your Skylanders could gain more abilities which could be very advantageous for getting through the actual game.
On a lesser scale, Disney came out with their own version of the game called "Infinity", which used characters from Disney movies such as "Cars", "Toy Story", "Tangled", "Monsters Inc.", "The Incredibles", and "The Nightmare Before Christmas". It didn't do quite as well initially when it came out, but I do recall that I sold out of the figurines for the Infinity game a few days before Christmas this year, so I suppose that it's starting to pick up steam.
ACE ATTORNEY: DUAL DESTINIES - Nintendo 2DS/3DS
Now, I've made it known that I am a huge fan of this game series, produced by Capcom. And, the last game that was released in North America was all the way back in 2009. So, to say that a lot of fans of Phoenix Wright, Miles Edgeworth, and the other motley crew of characters introduced in the series were looking forward to this game would be like saying that Donkey Kong loves bananas.
But there was a twist. Players who wanted to play the game could only play the game by downloading it from the Nintendo eShop onto their 2DS or 3DS machines, which made some fans cry out in protest. They really wanted to have the cartridge to play whenever they wanted.
However, I kind of like the fact that Capcom released it the way they did. For one, it likely cost less downloading it than it did buying it from a video game merchant. And for another, it had an additional case that you could download approximately a month after its October 24 release. And, for fans of the series, I have to say that it's one of the best releases yet of an "Ace Attorney" game. With Phoenix's magatama, Apollo Justice's perceive ability, and new character Athena Cykes' Mood Matrix, bad guys had better beware.
Seriously, it's worth downloading. It's quite a challenging game, but well worth it in long run.
PLAYSTATION 4 vs. XBOX ONE
Okay, so out of all of the innovations released in the year 2013 for the world of video games, this one was certainly the most anticipated of all. With the release of the PlayStation 4 on November 15, and the XBOX One released on November 22, I seem to remember a ton of people waiting in line for both consoles, eager to be one of the first ones to get their hands on them. And, I can only speak for the store that I work at, but let me just say that in the supply vs. demand aspect of things, we had great difficulty keeping both in stock.
With the PS4, we received about two large orders of them - one in November, one in December - and we sold out of PS4's within 24 hours of each delivery. With the XBOX One, we would get several small orders of half a dozen a piece, which seemed to not sell as well as the PS4, but we still sold out of them over time.
Personally speaking, I think a September release date would have been better, as the companies could have had more time to perfect and release more consoles so that more people could purchase them without worrying about any glitches or bugs. But, then again, I don't work for either Sony or Microsoft, so my opinion means nothing.
So, here's the million dollar question. Which is better? PS4 or XBOX One?
Well, according to sales, it seems to be the PS4. It is a hundred dollars cheaper, and according to various reviews, it offers more special features at a lower price than the XBOX One. However, as far as game selection goes, I would say that the XBOX One has far more titles available than the PS4.
And one major point of contention...neither console appears to be backwards compatible - yet. So, if you're prepared to buy either console, you keep in mind that you won't be able to play your old PS2 games on them at all.
As for Nintendo Wii U, it's still selling relatively well. The company seems to be doing more business by creating special Mario and Zelda bundles at a more affordable price. If ever I get enough living space, I will likely buy a Wii U. It has more interesting games that I would more than likely play!
So, that's a brief look at video games of 2013. Most of them were given positive reviews, but there are some negatives to throw in as well. Ultimately, most gamers will have a sense of loyalty to one company and one company alone. For me, it would be Nintendo, though I don't mind Sony products (I had a PlayStation 2 way back when). Never have played an XBOX product, so I have no opinion either way.
What do you think, gamers? What gaming systems do you play? And, what were some of your favourite games to come out of this past year?
Well, coming up on tomorrow's blog, we're going to be polishing off our CD's, firing up our mp3 players, and downloading some iTunes cards onto our iPods and iPads, because we're going to be looking at the musical sounds of 2013! Enjoy!
Saturday, December 28, 2013
Friday, December 27, 2013
Best and Worst of 2013 - The Television Portion
All right! We're just a
few days away from saying goodbye to the year 2013, and this week,
I've got a special treat for you!
You know how in most
cases, I have brought up pop culture references from the past? In
some cases, I've gone so far back through the history books that many
of you were not born yet when the event took place.
(Case in point...the
oldest year that I have ever done in a Tuesday Timeline entry was
1888!)
Well, since the year 2013
is almost at a close, I thought...why don't I do a retrospective list
of the year gone by? Why don't I make a list of all the best of 2013
moments, and the worst of 2013 moments (which of course is
subjective, as these are merely just my opinions and may not
necessarily match yours), and celebrate this past year in style?
Now, granted, 2013 was a
rather weird year in the world of pop culture. We've had everything
from wacky celebrity marriages, to celebrity Twitter meltdowns, to
sudden celebrity deaths, and we quickly learned what “twerking”
really was. As I said, it's been an interesting year.
And, on this...the first
day of this retrospective of 2013, we'll be taking a look back at
some of the television moments that really defined the year 2013.
We'll take a look at the good, the bad, and the downright ugly that
took place over the course of this year, and to begin with, let's
take a look at how some shows concluded. After all, in 2013, we said
goodbye to quite a few shows.
BREAKING BAD
Of course, we all knew that Walter White's life of crime would come to a grotesque and tragic end. What we didn't know was that it wouldn't be the cancer that killed Walter White, but a fatal gunshot wound after a clash with a neo-Nazi gang who kidnapped Jesse and left Walter with only a fraction of the earnings he made while making a living as a drug dealer and manufacturer.
It was a truly tragic end for a character who only wanted to ensure that his family was well taken care of after he was gone. And the series finale could be considered one of the finest series finales of all time.
DEXTER
If only the series finale of Dexter only ended in such a fashion. When the eighth and final season of Dexter concluded, it made lots of people feel as though they had been cheated.
As everyone knows, Dexter is someone who has an unhealthy fascination with blood and who possessed unhealthy homicidal tendencies. He worked as a blood splatter analyst for the police department in his day job, and by night, he goes out and murders people who have committed unspeakable crimes against humanity. I guess you could call him an angel of sorts...cleaning up the streets of Miami by murdering those who caused the most damage. The very definition of irony, don't you think?
Anyway, the television series "Dexter" did very well in the ratings early in its run, and it eventually saw itself getting renewed year after year with compelling storylines and great character development. But when it was announced that the eighth season would be its last, everyone expected an ending that would have been explosive. And to the credit of the writers of the final episode, it started off that way. With Dexter's sister suffering a stroke which has left her in a vegetative state, Dexter being forced to abandon his girlfriend and child, and him seeking out to kill the man responsible for shooting his sister, which caused her to go into the vegetative state, Dexter comes to the conclusion that all he does is hurt people, and therefore can't live the happy life he wants. So, he pulls the plug on his sister, murders the man responsible for her death in prison, and sets out on a boat in the middle of a storm to kill himself.
So, imagine our shock when we not only learn that Dexter is not only alive, but working as a LUMBERJACK of all things! I mean, I suppose I understand that Dexter was living a life of solitude - something that he actually craved - but come on! Had the show left the last scene as Dexter heading out to sea, it would have made more of an impact. That extra lumberjack scene ruined the whole finale, as far as I'm concerned.
GOODBYE, ALL MY CHILDREN AND ONE LIFE TO LIVE - AGAIN
In 2011 and 2012 respectively, ABC cancelled both All My Children and One Life To Live - two shows that aired for well over forty years - to replace them with a cooking show starring Mario Batali and the guy from What Not To Wear and a talk show hosted by Katie Couric. In 2013, production company Prospect Park resurrected both shows for an online audience, which made soap fans rejoice. And for what it was worth, many of the cast members returned, having high hopes for the shows online.
Unfortunately, in-fighting and lawsuits within Prospect Park productions caused both shows to be cancelled yet again in late 2013. And, needless to say, if I were part of the cast and crew of either show, I would be absolutely pissed off.
MEANWHILE, IN SOAP OPERA LAND...
In December 2013, The Young and the Restless reached a major milestone. Since 1988, the daytime serial has been the #1 daytime drama, watched by more people than any other soap opera. Congratulations on being #1 for 25 years!
Although, given that as of 2013, four soap operas remain from the twelve that were on the air when Y&R first hit the top of the ratings heap, I suppose it's not really that big of a deal.
Though, on a sad note, the show lost a great talent in Jeanne Cooper, who played the role of Katherine Chancellor for thirty-nine of the show's forty year history. She passed away on May 8, 2013.
THE REVOLVING DOOR OF TALENT JUDGES
It's been a tumultuous year for reality television as several judges left their posts to be replaced by other people.
I guess one of the shows that really didn't see much backlash was "The Voice". Arguably the best talent show on the air these days, fans seemed to accept Shakira and Usher as suitable replacements for Christina Aguilera and Cee-Lo Green. Even though Aguilera and Green returned for the following season, I think that the new judges really worked well together. I suppose it also proves that Blake Shelton and Adam Levine have chemistry with just about anybody.
Which is certainly more than I can say for the train-wreck known as American Idol. I don't know which producer thought that putting Nicki Minaj and Mariah Carey together in the same room was a good idea, but the infighting between the two overshadowed the actual talent competition, which was a waste. We can only hope that Keith Urban, Jennifer Lopez, and Harry Connick Jr. can breathe new life into an aging, stale show.
As for the X-Factor, I'm kind of happy that Demi Lovato stayed and Britney Spears left. Did anyone really understand her ramblings?
DEJA VU ON HAWAII FIVE-0
Once upon a time, in 1968, a television show debuted which was called Hawaii Five-0. Sometime during that series' sixth season, in 1973, the episode "Hookman" aired, which featured a man who was killing off members of the Honolulu Police Department because he blamed them for the loss of his hands. Flash forward 40 years later, and the current reboot of Hawaii Five-0 re-enacted the script word for word using the new actors of the series. It was an interesting look back through history to redo a script from the original series and put a modern twist to it. It seemed to work out well, as Hawaii Five-0 still receives huge ratings.
(CONFESSION: I admit that when I heard that they were remaking Hawaii Five-0, I didn't think it would last. I'm happy to admit that I was wrong. It's actually a decent show.)
MEET THE MOTHER
One of the most frustrating things about the show How I Met Your Mother was the fact that we were in season eight, and we still had no idea who Ted married. And, by the time the eighth season finale aired in May 2013, people were starting to not care.
And then we finally met the girl with the yellow umbrella (no relation to the man with the yellow hat from Curious George). Played by Christin Milioti, she was just simply credited as the "girl with the yellow umbrella" in the credits. When the show announced that the ninth season would be its last, it was decided that Christin would join the cast as a regular for the last season, which depicts how Ted ends up proposing to the woman who would become his future wife.
The funniest thing? We still don't know her name as of December 2013. She's just known as "The Mother"!
VALERIE HARPER'S BRAVE FIGHT
You really think that the diagnosis of leptomeningeal carcinomatosis (a.k.a. a rare form of brain cancer) was going to stop television actress Valerie Harper from living? Hardly. The inspirational story of Harper - who has so far outlived the three months to live diagnosis that she was originally given in the spring of 2013 - showed that she still had some fight in her from appearing on an episode of "Hot in Cleveland" to participating on the latest season of "Dancing With The Stars", Valerie Harper has shown all of us that she is a fighter, and we all respected and loved her for her bravery and honesty regarding everything that she was going through.
PAULA DEEN'S NOT-SO-BRAVE COMMENTARY
On the flipside, Paula Deen ended up losing her contract with The Food Network after uttering some not so kind racial slurs in the presence of her employees. Even though these events took place some time before, I do understand why The Food Network let her go. After all, the Food Network is a business, and if someone is representing the business in a negative fashion, then the business has every right to distance themselves from controversy.
Just as A&E has done with the recent Duck Dynasty scandal after Phil Robertson was suspended from the series for uttering controversial statements about homosexuality. Again, I do understand that people have the right to free speech, and that's all that Deen and Robertson were doing...but regardless, it doesn't make the comments that they said acceptable. Even though I don't support what they said, I certainly won't get mad with people if they decide to continue watching Duck Dynasty while cooking with Paula Deen cookbooks.
THE DEATH OF BRIAN?
But just because Brian died...didn't mean he stayed dead. And, just a few weeks later, Brian was brought back to the show, courtesy of Stewie's time machine. And, all was well. I certainly hope that guy who got the R.I.P. Brian tattoo didn't feel too silly.
THE DEATH OF MRS. K...
Although The Simpsons still has yet to address the future of Mrs. Krabappel, the world was saddened to hear of the death of Marcia Wallace a few weeks ago. And, to honour Wallace's memory...this simple, heartwarming blackboard gag.
THE TWELFTH DOCTOR
Finally, I don't think there was a dry eye in the house when Matt Smith (The Eleventh Doctor) left the series and regenerated into Peter Capaldi on Christmas Day, 2013.
On that note, can you believe that Doctor Who just celebrated its fiftieth anniversary this past year? That's a lot of TARDIS-travelling and Daleks!
So, that wraps up our look back on 2013 in television. Coming up tomorrow, we take a look at the world of toys and games. Which were the top toys of 2013? What video games smashed records all over the world? And, just how much did people want a PlayStation 4 or XBOX One?
Thursday, December 26, 2013
A Comparison Between a Fictional Pigeon Lady and a Real Blogger
So, how many of you are suffering from post-holiday depression now that Christmas is over for yet another year?
I'll be the first to admit that I sometimes get that way within the first week after the holidays. Once Christmas is over, everything and everyone goes back to normal, and it's somewhat sad to see. How just a day before, everyone was happily singing Christmas carols, and laughing and telling jokes, and now we're right back to pushing people out of the way to grab items for those after-Christmas sales.
(And while we're on the subject, what is the deal with people who absolutely have to go shopping on the day after Christmas? Did you not get enough on Christmas Day? Sheesh. Talk about commercialism run amok!)
Anyway, for this edition of the day after Christmas blog, I decided that I'm not quite ready to let go of the Christmas spirit just yet. In fact, today's video blog essay deals with a character from a film that I admit that I've already covered in this blog before.
Now, here's the kicker. What if I told you that the Pigeon Lady from "Home Alone 2" and I have a LOT in common? You wouldn't believe it, would you?
Well, here...let me explain.
Okay, so maybe I didn't explain it as clearly as I had intended. But perhaps this photo below best sums it up.
And therein lies the problem that I have had my entire life.
You see, I came to a bit of a conclusion yesterday. Don't get me wrong, Christmas Day was fantastic - one of the best ever, actually. And, I don't need to be told that I completely spoiled my niece and nephews...I know that I did!
But that's the thing...I spoil them because I really don't have anyone else to. I have no children of my own because I am currently not in a relationship with anybody.
And, I'm not in a relationship with anyone because I never trusted anybody enough to take that chance.
But, Kevin McCallister said a very wise thing. If I don't ever trust anybody, then how will I know what true joy is. And, while I admit that I love my moments of solitude...life would be a lot more fun if I had somebody to share it with.
So, maybe what I need to do for next year is put myself out there. I mean, I don't see myself putting an ad on Match.com anytime soon...but I suppose that there are ways around that.
I suppose if the alternative is living in a park with birds swooping around me...what is there to lose?
I'll be the first to admit that I sometimes get that way within the first week after the holidays. Once Christmas is over, everything and everyone goes back to normal, and it's somewhat sad to see. How just a day before, everyone was happily singing Christmas carols, and laughing and telling jokes, and now we're right back to pushing people out of the way to grab items for those after-Christmas sales.
(And while we're on the subject, what is the deal with people who absolutely have to go shopping on the day after Christmas? Did you not get enough on Christmas Day? Sheesh. Talk about commercialism run amok!)
And, this is the character!
Now, here's the kicker. What if I told you that the Pigeon Lady from "Home Alone 2" and I have a LOT in common? You wouldn't believe it, would you?
Well, here...let me explain.
And therein lies the problem that I have had my entire life.
You see, I came to a bit of a conclusion yesterday. Don't get me wrong, Christmas Day was fantastic - one of the best ever, actually. And, I don't need to be told that I completely spoiled my niece and nephews...I know that I did!
But that's the thing...I spoil them because I really don't have anyone else to. I have no children of my own because I am currently not in a relationship with anybody.
And, I'm not in a relationship with anyone because I never trusted anybody enough to take that chance.
But, Kevin McCallister said a very wise thing. If I don't ever trust anybody, then how will I know what true joy is. And, while I admit that I love my moments of solitude...life would be a lot more fun if I had somebody to share it with.
So, maybe what I need to do for next year is put myself out there. I mean, I don't see myself putting an ad on Match.com anytime soon...but I suppose that there are ways around that.
I suppose if the alternative is living in a park with birds swooping around me...what is there to lose?
Wednesday, December 25, 2013
Concluding the Calendar - Video Style!
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Well, here
we are! The twenty-fifth and final day of “THE
POP CULTURE ADDICT'S ADVENT CALENDAR”! And, since this
is the grand conclusion of the advent calendar, I thought that rather
than use an ornament, I would go ahead and make the final day logo a
Christmas angel that can be found on top of many Christmas trees all
over the world!
I trust
that most of you out there in the world are busy with Christmas
celebrations and traditions. I know that my entire day is
essentially booked up solid with Christmas dinner, Christmas gift
exchanges, and Christmas traditions, so as a result, this particular
entry is not going to be very long at all.
In fact,
I'm actually kind of breathing a sigh of relief for today because in
addition to it being Christmas Day, it is also time for a Whatever
Wednesday entry. And, although some might not consider purple to be
a colour that really represents Christmas (well, unless you happen to
shun traditional Christmas decorations for a more modern look at the
holiday), today's Clue character card happens to be Professor
Plum!
Now, if
you've been following along with the Whatever Wednesday feature, then
you'll know exactly what that means. When I draw the Plum card, it
means that I open up to all of you via a diary entry.
Or, in
this case, a video blog entry.
Yeah, yeah...I know what you're saying. You're probably thinking that I'm a bit of a hypocrite doing a video blog entry for Christmas when just last week, I was wishing that people would actually put down the electronic devices so that they really could enjoy the holiday season with their loved ones.
Yeah, yeah...I know what you're saying. You're probably thinking that I'm a bit of a hypocrite doing a video blog entry for Christmas when just last week, I was wishing that people would actually put down the electronic devices so that they really could enjoy the holiday season with their loved ones.
Well, what
if I told you that this video was actually filmed on Christmas Eve
night at approximately 11:00pm? Technically, the video was not done
on Christmas Day, so technically, I'm still holding true to my word!
(Though,
I'm trying to figure out what to do for the Boxing Day video blog...I
guess I'll have to wait until after midnight to film that one...or
just write out an entry. And, I'm rambling when I really don't mean
to. I blame it on an overdose of Terry's Chocolate Orange – the
Mint edition.)
So, what's
the subject of today's video blog entry? Well, a holiday greeting of
course! Look! I even decided to wear my Christmas PJ's especially
for the occasion!
Now, to
end off this blog entry for today, I do once again want to wish all
of you the very best for your holiday plans. I hope that you enjoy
the blessings of the season, that you enjoy the company you're with,
and that you stay safe on the roads as you make your way to your
holiday destinations. And, I suppose that if you get some Christmas
swag along the way, that's cool too, though it should never be the
basis of a happy holiday.
I also
want to continue showing support to those families who are still
affected by the December 2013 ice storm which clobbered parts of
Ontario, Quebec, the Maritimes, and parts of the United States. As I
understand, some of you still do not have any power at your homes at
all, and I just want to extend my thoughts to all of you, hoping that
the lights come back on sooner rather than later. Believe me, as
someone who lived through the Ice Storm of 1998, I sympathize.
And,
with that comes the finale of the advent calendar for 2013. But,
don't worry. This next week of entries will act as a countdown of
sorts. Because in the last week of 2013, every single entry (barring
the Tuesday Timeline) will feature either a movie, television show,
event, or song that I feel defined this past year. Consider it a
flashback of the year gone by. And, it will run from December 27,
2013 until January 2, 2014!
Until then, MERRY CHRISTMAS
TO ALL, AND TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT!
Tuesday, December 24, 2013
December 24, 1955
Happy eve before
Christmas, everybody! I can't believe that we're on the
twenty-fourth day of December already! Just one more day to go
before we open up presents, sing Christmas carols, and gather
together with our families and enjoying their company...
...or, at the very least,
setting aside one day of the year where you promise that you will not
kill them.
It also happens to be the
second last day of the 2013 edition of “THE
POP CULTURE ADDICT'S ADVENT CALENDAR”.
Can you believe that we're almost finished wrapping up yet another
Christmas season? I know that I am conflicted. I'm happy that we're
celebrating Christmas...but sad to see it end. Christmas – despite
the fact that I work a job in retail which can be quite frustrating
during the holidays – is still one of my all-time favourite
holidays, and I imagine that once December 26th
rolls around, I'll be having a little dose of post-holiday blues.
I'll likely be talking about that a little bit later this week.
But
for now, I have a Christmas Eve blog to write. And, since Christmas
Eve falls on a Tuesday this year, it's time for a holiday version of
the Tuesday Timeline! So, let's go ahead with the events that took
place throughout history on Christmas Eve.
640
– Pope John IV is elected
1777
– The island nation of Kiritimati (Christmas Island) is founded by
James Cook
1814
– The War of 1812 officially ends with the signing of the Treaty of
Ghent
1818
– The first performance of Silent Night takes place in the Church
of St. Nikolaus in Oberndorf, Austria
1826
– The “Eggnog Riot” begins at the United States Naval Academy
(I almost selected this topic to write about before I discovered
another topic to cover instead!)
1851
– Fire destroys the Library of Congress
1906
– Reginald Fessenden transmits the very first radio broadcast
1914
– A “Christmas Truce” between Germany and Great Britain took
place during World War I
1922
– Actress Ava Gardner (d. 1990) is born in Smithfield, North
Carolina
1939
– A Christmas Eve appeal for peace is made by Pope Pius XII during
the first year of combat for World War II
1968
– The crew of Apollo 8 enters into orbit around the Moon – the
first humans to achieve such a feat
1969
– Charles Manson is granted the right to act as his own lawyer at
the Sharon Tate/Leno and Rosemary LaBianca murder trial
1974
– Darwin, Australia is nearly obliterated as Cyclone Tracy makes
landfall
1992
– Peyo (b. 1928) – the creator of The Smurfs – dies at the age
of 64
1994
– The hijacking of Air France Flight 8969 begins
2003
– Spanish police thwart an attempt by ETA to detonate explosives
inside Madrid, Spain's Chamartin Station during the afternoon hours
of Christmas Eve
2012
– The world says goodbye to two American actors – Charles Durning
and Jack Klugman
And,
the following famous faces are celebrating a birthday this December
24th.
So, on the slices of cake (or yule log, if you will), you can find
candles being blown out by Mary
Higgins Clark, Barry Chuckle, Lemmy Kilmister, Nicholas Meyer, Steve
“Red Green” Smith, Warwick Brown, Timothy Carhart, Clarence
Gilyard, Anil Kapoor, Kate Spade, Darren Wharton, Mary Ramsey, Mark
Valley, Diedrich Bader, Ricky Martin, Stephenie Meyer, Ryan Seacrest,
Louis Tomlinson (One Direction),
and Melissa
Suffield.
So,
now that we have that all out of the way...which year will we be
going back in time to visit?
Well,
it happens to be December 24, 1955!
How many of you reading this remember trying to stay awake all night long on Christmas Eve, hoping to catch a glimpse of Santa Claus sliding down your chimney and laying presents underneath the Christmas tree? I have to admit that when I was a little kid, I always seemed to have a very hard time staying asleep on Christmas Eve night. I would always want to stay up as late as possible to see if I could catch Santa in the act. I even staged a camp out right next to the cookies and carrots that I left for Santa and the reindeer for a snack one year, determined to catch a glimpse of him. Somehow, I ended up falling asleep, and when I woke up, I was in my bedroom and the cookies and carrots were gone.
He had to have carried me upstairs to bed without waking me. Yep. That was it. Somehow, Santa sprinkled sleeping powder all over me and carried me upstairs to bed so that I wouldn't interrupt him in scattering more gifts underneath the tree. That had to be it.
Okay, okay. So when I was a kid, my attempts to chat with Santa fell flat. And, believe me, I'm sure that I'm not the only one who tried to find out when Santa would come and visit our homes. After all, I'm sure almost all of us tried to stay up late at some point hoping to see him.
And, on December 24, 1955, the method in which we could try and track Santa down was first established!
I'm sure most of you kids nowadays can find out exactly where Santa Claus is at any hour of the day with just a click of a mouse or the touch of a screen, thanks to the feature known as "NORAD Tracks Santa". It's been an institution for nearly six decades, after all. And, if you click HERE, then you can see exactly where Santa is flying right now! Go on, click the link! As of right now, Santa is apparently flying over Tokyo, Japan as I post this (circa 8:50 a.m. EST)!
But did you know that when the program first began, it originated in an ad for a department store?
These days, the department store chain known as "Sears" is somewhat struggling in a rather interesting economic period. But for many decades, Sears was somewhat synonymous with the Christmas season. How else can you explain why Sears' "Wish Book" catalogue is considered to be one of the first signs that the holidays are fast approaching. Oh, the stories I could tell of flipping through that book, writing my initials beside every toy and game that my little heart desired.
Well, in 1955, the Sears location in Colorado Springs, Colorado put a full length advertisement in the newspaper which was specifically addressed to children. And, as luck (and a quick Google search) would have it, I just so happen to have that very advertisement below! Have a look!
So, according to the ad, kids could call the number up above (in this case, it would be 632-6681), which would allow them to speak with Santa himself!
(Actually, come to think of it, I remember that there was a show that aired on YTV with the title "Santa Calls", which allowed kids to call into a television studio, in which Santa would be hosting a show. Funny how silly things can jog silly memories, huh?)
It was a nice idea...but unfortunately, Sears goofed up in a HUGE way. You see, when they printed off the ad, they inadvertently gave out the incorrect phone number! My guess is that it was a minor error (two numbers got mixed up, for example). But Sears was not getting any phone calls at any time on December 24.
Instead, the calls were being made to the Colorado Springs' Continental Air Defense Command (or CONAD, as it was referred to). Manning the switchboard that night was Colonel Harry Shoup, who was at first confused as to why little boys and girls would be calling him, asking him about where Santa Claus was.
Now, most people whenever they get a phone call from someone who was intending to call someone else would hang up after telling them that they had dialed the wrong number. But Shoup was not like most people. In fact, he decided that he would give the kids what they wanted. He actually got his operators to assist him in answering every single call that came in from a child by tracking down Santa's location and updating the child on where Santa was in the world. It was a lovely gesture on all of their parts, and for years afterwards, Colonel Shoup was known as the "Santa Colonel".
Who knew that a mix up with phone numbers would spawn a yearly tradition that is observed just about anywhere where people celebrate Christmas? By 1958, CONAD had been replaced with the North American Aerospace Defense Command (or NORAD), but the tradition of tracking down Santa Claus remained.
As time passed, more and more options for tracking Santa's journey across the world were added. People could listen to the radio and hear up to date broadcasts, television meteorologist would interrupt the weather to talk about where Santa was, and as recently as 2011, had fan pages on Facebook and a Twitter account! Talk about updating for the twenty-first century!
Now everybody knows that Santa has his helpers. After all, his elves help him make all the toys for good little boys and girls, and he also has representatives all over the world pitching in at malls, holiday parties, and charity events to wish everybody a Merry Christmas. Well, the NORAD Tracks Santa event is no exception! The program is run entirely on volunteer basis, where thousands of people volunteer their time to answer calls and e-mail messages. And, I imagine that they need those volunteers, considering that between the hours of 2:00 a.m. on December 24 and 3:00 a.m. on December 25, an estimated 70,000 calls and 12,000 e-mails are sent out!
And, just who makes up this group of volunteers? Well, military personnel, civilians, and even a few celebrities! Did you know that Michelle Obama has volunteered for the program by answering telephone calls the last two years? So, just imagine...when you call and ask where Santa is, the First Lady of America might just be the one taking your call!
The NORAD site also contains a lot of other cool features. You can play games while you wait for Santa, you can watch Santa through the "SantaCam", and you can also track down the places that Santa has already visited (as well as just how many gifts Santa has delivered, which as of 8:50 a.m. has reached 828 MILLION!)
And to think that this annual tradition began with a misprint in a newspaper ad! Talk about a mistake paying off in the long run!
And with that, I wish all of you a safe and merry Christmas Eve. But, don't wait up for Santa TOO long. You don't want to miss the final day of the advent calendar! As far as the topic...well, I'm gonna surprise you!
Monday, December 23, 2013
A Mom For Christmas
Well,
we're on the final few days of “THE
POP CULTURE ADDICT'S ADVENT CALENDAR”,
and I think that I have a great way to conclude the event. We have a
television movie that is just plain weird, a Christmas Eve themed
Tuesday Timeline, and a special surprise for Christmas Day itself.
But
first things first, we have a Monday Matinee to talk about. This is
the entry that is all about the made-for-TV movie that is a bit
peculiar, but magical. It's a good entry to talk about for Day #23
of the calendar, because I get the feeling that not a lot of people
know about it. And for those of you who might have seen it, it'll be
a refresher to one of the strangest holiday movies ever made.
In
case you haven't quite figured out the theme of the movie, it's all
about strange magical happenings and how even the most bizarre things
can bring forth Christmas miracles.
This
movie originally aired on NBC on December 17, 1990, and its star was
a woman who knew all about the joy of “magic”.
(Well,
okay. The movie that we are discussing is not “Xanadu”. For
one, that movie came out in 1980 in movie theatres and was a
notorious box office bomb. However, since the theme of the movie was
all about magic, I figured that it would fit the theme.)
The
movie is called “A Mom For Christmas”, and in addition to Olivia
Newton-John, the movie also starred Douglas Sheehan (of “Knots
Landing”), Doris Roberts (of “Everybody Loves Raymond”), and
Juliet Sorcey.
And,
the movie's title reflects a wish that a little eleven-year-old girl
made one Christmas season. A wish that by all accounts should never
have come true...but did anyway, because of a little something known
as Christmas magic.
But,
you know...why don't I just begin this entry off by posting this
LINK. Clicking here will take you to a link to the full movie.
So,
the movie begins inside of a high-end department store, and right off
the bat, you can tell that it was filmed in either the late 1980s or
early 1990s just based on the décor of the store. With the big
Cosby show style sweaters, neon lights on the walls, and bright
colours, it almost appears as though the movie has been replaced with
a Debbie Gibson music video.
Or,
I suppose I should say, an Olivia Newton-John video. That is
actually her singing in the opening song that plays in the department
store.
And
inside said department store is a sad little girl named Jessica
(Sorcey) who is wandering the girls' wear department, watching all
the other little girls shopping with their mothers, and she is
feeling very much left out. Her own mother passed away when Jessica
was a toddler, so she essentially grew up without a mother. Sure,
her father Jim (Sheehan) has tried to give her the best life possible
as a single parent, but because he has been working so hard to give
Jessica everything she needs, he doesn't really have a whole lot of
time to spend with her. So, as a result, Jessica has become quite a
bit of a loner, and quite often the target of bullies and mean girls
who go out of their way to make her feel bad. Jessica does have a
friend in Stephanie (Erica Mitchell), who tries to make her feel
better, but since Stephanie still has her mother in her own life,
it's very difficult for Stephanie to really understand what Jessica
is going through.
In
fact, it seems as though there's only one person in the entire world
who can understand what Jessica is feeling. That person is a store
employee named Philomena (Roberts), who happens to have a bit of
magic inside herself as well. You see, inside the department store
is a wishing well, which allows kids to pick out a small present. I
guess you could call it a holiday promotion of sorts. And, Jessica
and Stephanie decide to take part. Most of the boxes in the well
have nothing inside of them, as Stephanie quickly figures out. But
Jessica ends up getting a box that allows her to have one holiday
wish granted by Philomena herself.
So,
when Jessica finally meets up with Philomena to redeem her wish,
Philomena tells her that she can wish for anything that she wanted
for the holidays. As luck would have it, this conversation takes
place right in front of a beautiful looking mannequin (who
surprisingly enough looks like Olivia Newton-John), and Philomena
listens intently as Jessica wishes for a mother during the holidays.
But,
that was nearly impossible. Jessica's mother had passed away, and
with Christmas just a few days away, it would take a Christmas
miracle for Jessica's wish to come true.
However,
what if I told you that the Christmas miracle would come in the form
of that very mannequin that Jessica made the wish in front of? And,
what if I told you that the mannequin (who apparently has the name of
Amy) just dropped by the house after midnight the very night Jessica
made that wish, announcing that she was here to spend Christmas
vacation with her and Jim? Well, Jim was quite shocked, and didn't
exactly know what was going on...but Jessica knew. And, right off
the bat, Jessica and Amy became firm friends.
Of
course, since Amy had spent most of her...well...life...as a store
mannequin, she didn't exactly know how to act in the human world.
Jessica did her best to try and teach her things, but there's really
only so much life experience that an eleven-year-old girl has.
Though, I have to admit that it was kind of funny seeing Amy toss
litter inside of a mailbox, and I have to agree that it was
hysterical to see Amy give fashion advice to what appeared to be a
city socialite, who was not all that impressed by Amy's advice at
all!
Oh,
and there's also the fact that Amy seems to talk to the other
mannequins inside of the department store, even calling them by name.
She described all of the personality traits of each mannequin to an
excited Jessica, explaining to her that when the lights go out at the
department store each night, magic happens.
And
one night after Jessica and Amy go touring around the neighbourhood
to see all of the beautifully lit Christmas displays, they sneak into
the department store after hours so that Amy can introduce her to all
of her “friends”.
Perhaps
the coolest friend that Amy has is the mannequin who is placed inside
of a car dressed like a chauffeur. His name is Wilkins (Jim
Piddock), and let's just say that he gives both Amy and Jessica the
ride of their lives...inside the department store!
Of
course, it takes a while for Jim to warm up to Amy. Amy certainly
does try her best to make the holiday a happy one for both Jim and
Jessica, but her idea of decorating for the holidays almost cost them
everything. I suppose it was kind of cute idea to have the tree
decorated with household objects like clothespins, small toys, and
tea bags. But the idea of lighting the tree with freshly lit
candles? Bad idea. In the 1800s, it was all the people had. In the
1990s, the option of electric strings of lights was much safer. Had
Amy used those, she wouldn't have started a fire which completely
burned down a corner of the living room – destroying all of the
photos of Jim with his first wife in the process! It took some time
for Jim to deal with that loss, but he eventually began to warm up to
Amy by the time Christmas came.
And
I'm sure that Jessica didn't really appreciate Amy revealing a crush
that she had on a boy TO the boy in question...but Jessica quickly
forgave Amy for that little mishap...and hey, it did kind of work out
in the end for Jessica and her crush. Somewhat.
Whatever
the case, Jessica was pleased as punch that Amy was fitting into the
family quite nicely, and Jessica was so caught up in the excitement
of having a mother to talk to, share secrets with, and love that she
almost forgot that her wish was only available for a limited time
offer. You see, Jessica soon realized that her wish was only good
until midnight on December 26th.
As soon as Christmas ended, Amy would turn back into a mannequin
permanently. A really cruel joke, especially given how much Amy had
bonded with both Jim and Jessica. Desperate for the magic to last
beyond Christmas for years to come, Jessica begged Philomena to help
her keep Amy in her and her father's lives. After all, Philomena did
help assist Jessica in bringing Amy to life. Unfortunately, there is
very little Philomena can do on her own. She is only capable of
granting holiday miracles. However, she leaves Jessica with the
message that if she and her father hold on to Amy tightly, then there
could be a small chance that there would be enough love generated in
hopes for her to stay in the world as a human being.
But
with time running out and Amy seemingly resigned to her ultimate
fate, can Jim and Jessica reach Amy before the Boxing Day sales take
place?
Well...don't
look at me! I provided you with the link to the movie. Watch it
yourselves and tell me how it ends!
And,
do stay tuned for the penultimate day of the advent calendar.
Because on the twenty-fourth day of the advent calendar, I will be
sharing with you a holiday tradition that originated on Christmas
Eve. A tradition that many boys and girls look forward to each
year...
Sunday, December 22, 2013
Snoopy's Christmas
Here we are on Day #22 of
“THE POP CULTURE ADDICT'S ADVENT CALENDAR”,
and as of right now, we're still bathed in light. We've been getting
some really wacky weather over the last couple of days (in the
formation of freezing rain), and the last time we had a major
freezing rain spell was “Ice Storm '98”, which knocked out power
in my area for at least a week! All signs say that this storm will
not be AS bad, but I don't want to take any chances. I suppose worst
case scenario, I can use my iPad to post my blog for today.
So,
we're on Day #22 and the final Sunday Jukebox entry before Christmas.
And because it's the final holiday song of the season, I really
wanted to go all out and choose a song that was well-loved and
incredibly symbolic. But, what song would actually make people sit
up and take notice? Which song would be universally well-liked
enough to have everybody singing along to the chorus and getting into
the spirit of things?
Maybe this one?
Maybe this one?
Hmmm...not
bad. But I prefer Eartha Kitt or Kylie Minogue's versions over
Madonna's. How about this one?
Um...yeah,
no. Okay, maybe this one?
YIKES!
That's just plain disturbing! Sorry Cheeky Girls!
What about the Charlie Brown Christmas Special? Oh, sure, today's song was never really featured in the television favourite - which has remained a holiday staple since its debut in the 1960s.
But what if I told you that one of the biggest stars of the holiday special ended up being the star of a single that originally debuted in 1967?
Well, Snoopy - the lovable beagle whose best friend is a bird named Woodstock and whose worst enemy is the annoying Lucy Van Pelt - became so popular that a particular group from Ocala, Florida decided to record a series of songs about him...including this holiday themed favourite below!
ARTIST: The Royal Guardsmen
SONG: Snoopy's Christmas
ALBUM: Snoopy and His Friends
DATE RELEASED: October 1967
PEAK POSITION ON THE BILLBOARD CHARTS: N/A
(I should probably note that while circumstances prevented the single from charting on the Billboard Hot 100, the single did become a #1 hit on the "Best Bets for Christmas" chart!)
Anyway, would you like to know more about the band known as "The Royal Guardsmen", as well as the inspiration behind the song?
Okay, so the band was formed in Florida in the mid-1960s, and they adopted their name as kind of a spoof towards the British invasion that was taking place right around this time with The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Who, and The Dave Clark Five making their mark on the pop charts. After all, what name sounded more British than the Royal Guardsmen, right?
The band's original line-up consisted of Bill Balough, John Burdett, Chris Nunley, Tom Richards, Billy Taylor, and Barry Winslow. And, they had a bit of a tough time trying to get their name out there without the assistance of a familiar cartoon beagle.
It's not as though they didn't try. But when their first single failed to make a dent on the pop and rock charts, the group decided that they would make their second single one in which they inserted Snoopy into the lyrics...and ended up getting into a small battle with the Peanuts creator in the process.
That song was "Snoopy vs. The Red Baron", which actually became a #2 hit on the Billboard charts during the first week of 1967! And, just as the song lyrics said, the single was inspired by the Peanuts cartoon strip in which Snoopy imagines himself as a fighter pilot locked in combat with the Red Baron. You know the comics I mean? Where he pretends his doghouse is a plane and he puts on his helmet and shoots the enemy before the enemy can shoot him? I used to love those comics!
But here's the shocking twist. Around the same time that the song was gaining speed on the charts, Charles M. Schulz and United Features Syndicate threatened the band with a copyright infringement lawsuit, claiming that the Royal Guardsmen had used the name Snoopy without permission or an advertising license. Of course, the band did lose their case, and the punishment was quite swift - all publishing revenues for the song would go to United Features Syndicates.
But here's the funny part about the whole thing. Charles M. Schulz actually liked the song, and not only allowed the band to record more Snoopy songs, but he even did the illustrations on the album covers! Have a look!
And, this lead to the Christmas follow-up for the song, "Snoopy's Christmas". And, here's an interesting bit of trivia about this song. It's loosely based on a true story that took place during the first World War! Or, at the very least, it makes reference to the event that took place during the first year of combat in 1914.
You see, on Christmas Day, 1914, German and British soldiers initiated "The Christmas Truce". Soldiers exchanged small gifts with each other, bodies were cleared from "No Man's Land", and some soldiers even engaged in friendly football matches. It was a rare moment of cease-fire during the war that would eventually span a four year period.
Interestingly enough, the "Christmas Truce" were the German soldiers...and in the song, it was the Red Baron himself that extended the olive branch to Snoopy.
So, with that, I close the chapter on another Sunday Jukebox entry. And, provided that the ice doesn't knock out my power, stay tuned for Day #23 in the advent calendar. And in this edition, we'll be looking at what I consider to be one of the weirdest made for television movies I've ever seen...
Stay safe, Ontario! And, don't go out unless you absolutely have to. This freezing rain can be quite nasty.
Stay safe, Ontario! And, don't go out unless you absolutely have to. This freezing rain can be quite nasty.
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