This week's edition of the Thursday Video Blog entry continues the trend that I had going on all week long in this blog, which is saying goodbye to the old, and hello to the new. And, this blog entry is no exception, as this will be the final entry of dissecting and understanding the year gone by. Only in this case, it's more of a personal level.
Over the past five or six days or so, I've been talking about 2013 strictly on a level of pop culture. The television shows of 2013 that made us obsess over what was going to happen the following week, the music of 2013 that made us get up off of our seats and dance away, the movies of 2013 that were worth paying the thirty-six bucks in snacks to go and see. Yeah, all that was fun, and I certainly hope that you've enjoyed reflecting back on the year as I have. This is really the first time I've done a retrospective at the end of the year, and I certainly plan on doing it every year.
But as you'll see in this video blog - the first of 2014 - 2013 was a really weird year, but for all the good reasons. I do apologize for the beginning of the video...I was distracted by my video game admittedly (though it strangely fit). But other than that, I think it all worked out, and by the end of it all, I'll explain why 2013 was a fairly solid year.
And, just on a purely superficial note, when I started off the year, I had 100,000 page views. I'm ending it off with almost a quarter of a million. Here's hoping that 2014 is just as much of a success - not necessarily because I like to brag over silly numbers, but because my writing is slowly, but surely getting out there. It kind of makes me feel somewhat justified in knowing that this is eventually what I want to do for the rest of my life.
Anyway, take care, everyone, and beginning tomorrow, we go back to normal - well, whatever your normal is...
I
don't know...there's just something about the very first blog entry
of a brand new year that gets me all giddy inside! Maybe it's the
rush of hanging up a new calendar. Maybe it's the joy of starting
fresh. Maybe it's the new car smell. Whatever the case, 2014 is
finally here, and with the arrival of 2014 comes a year with brand
new opportunies and brand new outlooks.
But,
while we're welcoming in the year 2014, we are still paying our
respects to the year gone by, as we resume the Best and Worst
countdown of the year gone by after taking yesterday off.
Today
we're going to take a look at the world's biggest news stories and
reflecting back on what ultimately became a topsy-turvy year. After
all, had Harold Camping been correct, we likely should have never
seen the year 2013 ushered in at all. Of course, maybe we could
speculate that he was actually trying to predict his own death, as he
ended up passing away in November of this past year.
(At
least he had a better track record than psychic Sylvia Browne, who
predicted that she would die at the age of 88, but really only lived
to be 77.)
So,
I think we can all agree that 2013 had its definite highs, and some
tragic lows...and everything in between. From North America to
Australia, it seemed that every place in the world had its big news
story.
(Well,
except where I live, in which the biggest news story that happened
here was of an ice storm that really didn't do much damage here.
Toronto, Ontario, on the other hand...)
So,
let's have a look at what happened over the course of the twelve
months and three hundred and sixty-five days that made up 2013, shall
we?
We'll
go in chronological order.
January
16 – As many as forty people
were killed during a hostage crisis at a natural gas facility in
Algeria. The hostage crisis began on January 16 and lasted until
January 20.
February
15 – People who lived in
Chelyabinsk, Russia got a rude awakening when a meteor exploded over
the city, shattering windows, crushing cars, and injuring people. By
the time the dust settled, it was estimated that at least 1,500
people were injured, and over 4,000 structures needed repairing. The
meteor was the most powerful to strike the Earth's atmosphere in over
one hundred years.
February
21 – Scientists in the United
States use a 3D printer to create a living lab-grown ear from
collagen and animal ear cell cultures. It is hoped that this
technology can assist in transplants and fixing ear related traumas
in the years to come.
February
28 – For the first time in
nearly six hundred years, a Pope (Pope Benedict XVI) resigns. He
would be succeeded by Pope Francis on March 13.
March
27 – Canada becomes the first
country to withdraw from the United Nations Convention to Combat
Desertification.
April
15 – Runners and spectators
of the Boston Marathon were shaken up after two bombs were detonated
yards from the finish line. Three were killed, and another 264 were
injured in the blast. The bombs were placed by two brothers who were
Chechen Islamist immigrants. One brother would later die in a
shootout with police. The other is still in police custody.
April
24 – An eight-story building
located near Dhaka, Bangladesh collapses, killing over eleven hundred
people, and leaving another 2,500 injured.
May
13 – Canadian astronaut Chris
Hadfield returns to Earth following a well-documented social media
journey about his experiences aboard the International Space Station
(which lasted from December 2012 until May 2013.)
June
6 – American Edward Snowden
discloses operations engaged by a United States government mass
surveillance program to news publications. He would later flee the
country, and is reportedly living in Russia, where he has been
granted temporary asylum.
July
3 – It's chaos in the country
of Egypt as President Mohamed Morsi is deposed in a military coup
d'etat, which sees once peaceful protests erupt in violence.
July
6 – Tragedy strikes the small
community of Lac-Megantic, Quebec, Canada, after a train derailment
ignites mislabeled petroleum cars and a gigantic explosion wiped out
a section of the entire city. Forty-seven people were killed in the
blast, and at least thirty buildings – including the town library,
archives building, and a crowded bar/restaurant – were completely
destroyed. It is considered one of the deadliest train accidents in
Canadian history.
July
22 – The world rejoiced as
Prince George Alexander Louis of Cambridge is born. The happy
parents – Prince William and Princess Catherine – show off the
baby the following day as Catherine leaves the hospital.
August
21 – Reports surface that
Bashar al-Assad, the President of Syria, has allegedly gassed several
neighbourhoods surrounding Damascas in the Ghouta chemical attack,
which kills and sickens thousands of people.
September
21 – The Westgate Shopping
Mall in Nairobi, Kenya becomes a battleground as al-Shabaab Islamic
militants storm the crowded mall, leaving 62 dead and over 170
injured.
November
5 – Canadian press have a
field day as disgraced Canadian Senators Patrick Brazeau, Mike Duffy,
and Pamela Wallin are suspended from their duties over the Canadian
Senate expenses scandal. The trio are allowed to keep all of the
benefits associated with their duties however, which angers some
Canadian citizens.
November
8 – Typhoon Haiyan strikes
the Philippines and Vietnam, killing over six thousand people. It is
one of the strongest tropical cyclones ever recorded.
November
12 – The piece “Three
Studies of Lucien Freud”, painted by artist Francis Bacon, is sold
at auction for $142.4 MILLION...setting a new world record for an
auctioned work of art.
November
15 – In what was considered
to be one of Toronto Mayor Rob Ford's worst kept secrets, Ford
admitted that yes, he did smoke crack cocaine. He was rewarded for
his honesty by having most of his mayoral powers stripped away on
this date. A media circus complete with late night talk show hosts
poking fun at him shortly followed.
November
24 – The world breathed a
sigh of relief as Iran agrees to limit their nuclear development
program – in exchange for sanctions relief.
December
14 – Chinese spacecraft
Chang'e 3 becomes the first spacecraft to soft-land on the moon since
1976.
So,
those were the events that shaped 2013. Now you understand what I
mean by having it as one of the most unusual and controversial years
so far. All you'd have to do is mention Obamacare and Tea Party in
the same sentence and watch the arguments fly.
(NOTE:
Please don't argue because I just happened to write both Obamacare
and Tea Party in the same sentence. I was just doing it to
illustrate a point. Whoops, I just did it again. My bad.)
Now,
let's take a look at the world of sports. There were no Olympics
this year (though there was a lot of controversy over the 2014 Winter
Olympics being held in Russia given that country's stance on gay
marriage...which I'm sure we'll hear more about as we get closer to
the opening ceremonies), but we did have a Super Bowl, World Series,
and Stanley Cup! So, who won this year?
THE
2013 STANLEY CUP WINNNERS ARE: CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS
THE
2013 SUPER BOWL WINNERS ARE: BALTIMORE RAVENS
THE
2013 WORLD SERIES WINNERS ARE: BOSTON RED SOX
And,
finally, we're going to end this blog off on a sad note, as we pause
to remember the famous faces who passed away during the year 2013.
So, let's take a moment to remember those we loved and lost in the
world of entertainment, politics, and sports.
JANUARY
1
- Patti Page, 85 - singer
7
– David R. Ellis, 60 - director
9
– James M. Buchanan, 93 – American Nobel economist
FEBRUARY
1
– Ed Koch, 88 – former mayor of New York City
17
– Tony Sheridan, 72 – singer
19
– Armen Alchian, 98 – American economist
19
– Robert Coleman Richardson, 75 – American Nobel physicist
28
– Donald A. Glaser, 86 – American Nobel physicist
MARCH
5 –
Hugo Chavez, 58 – Venezuelan president
6 –
Alvin Lee, 68 – guitarist
7 –
Peter Banks, 65 – guitarist
28 –
Richard Griffiths, 65 – actor
APRIL
4 –
Roger Ebert, 70 – film critic
8 –
Margaret Thatcher, 87 – former British prime minister
11 –
Jonathan Winters, 87 – actor/comedian
26 –
George Jones, 81 – country music singer
30 –
Deanna Durbin, 91 – singer
MAY
2 –
Jeff Hanneman, 49 – guitarist
8 –
Jeanne Cooper, 84 – actress
26 –
Jack Vance, 96 – author
31 –
Jean Stapleton, 90 – actress
JUNE
6 –
Esther Williams, 91 – actress/swimmer
9 –
Iain Banks, 59 – author
15 –
Kenneth G. Wilson, 77 – American Nobel physicist
19 –
James Gandolfini, 51 – actor
JULY
13
– Cory Monteith, 31 – actor/singer
19
– Mel Smith, 60 – comedian/actor
20
– Helen Thomas, 92 – journalist
22
– Dennis Farina, 69 – actor
28
– Eileen Brennan, 80 – actress
AUGUST
5 –
George Duke, 67 – keyboardist
8 –
Karen Black, 74 – actress
10 –
Eydie Gorme, 84 – singer
20 –
Elmore Leonard, 87 – novelist
24 –
Julie Harris, 87 – actress
31 –
David Frost, 74 – journalist/broadcaster
SEPTEMBER
1 –
Tommy Morrison, 44 – boxer
2 –
Ronald Coase, 102 – British Nobel economist
12 –
Ray Dolby, 80 – engineer/inventor
18 –
Ken Norton, 70 - boxer
19 –
Hiroshi Yamauchi, 85 – former president of Nintendo
OCTOBER
1
– Tom Clancy, 66 – author
10
– Scott Carpenter, 86 – astronaut
16
– Ed Lauter, 74 – actor
25
– Marcia Wallace, 70 – actress
27
– Lou Reed, 71 – singer/songwriter
NOVEMBER
2 –
Walt Bellamy, 74 – basketball player
30 –
Paul Walker, 40 – actor
DECEMBER
5 –
Nelson Mandela, 95 – former president of South Africa
9 –
Eleanor Parker, 91 – actress
10 –
Jim Hall, 83 – guitarist
14 –
Peter O'Toole, 81 – actor
15 –
Joan Fontaine, 96 – actress
16 –
Ray Price, 87 – country singer/songwwriter
And,
that wraps up the news of 2013.
For
tomorrow's entry...I talk about my own personal triumphs and
struggles of 2013 via video blog. Enjoy what 2014 has to offer.
It's only just begun!
Can
you believe that it is the FINAL day of 2013? 24 hours from now, it
will be a brand new year, filled with brand new possibilities!
And
since a new year is ripe with new possibilities, I've decided to
usher in a brand new look for the upcoming year. For almost three
years, I've more or less kept the same logo with text floating over a
gigantic scalene triangle.
This year, I've blown up the
triangle. And what was left was an ethereal background filled with
lots of purple, blue, and pink splotches. And, I also changed the
colour and appearance of the font, which is now white and italicized.
I wasn't sure how it would look until I posted it on the blog, but
it actually turned out really well.
As of right now, that's
the only change I plan on making for 2014, but I might tweak the
background colours around a smidgen...just to make it match with the
colour scheme of the logo. But I won't be worrying about that just
yet. I still have a Tuesday Timeline entry to write, after all!
And,
given that today is the last day of 2013, I really wanted to make
this Tuesday Timeline very special. I even managed to find a way to
make the Tuesday Timeline fit in with the theme of today!
Of
course, before we begin this final Tuesday Timeline of 2013, we
should probably take a look at how New Years' Eve went on other years
of the calendar. So, let's have a look throughout history, shall we?
1600
– The British East India Company is founded
1695
– Homeowners board and
brick up every window in their houses in England, after a window tax
is imposed
1759
– Arthur Guinness signs a 9,000 year lease at £45
per annum, and begins brewing pints of Guinness
1775
– British forces repulse an attack by Continental Army General
Richard Montgomery during the American Revolutionary War
1796
– Baltimore, Maryland is incorporated at a city
1831
– Gramercy Park is deeded to New York, New York
1857
– Ottawa, Ontario is selected by Queen Victoria herself as the city
that would eventually become the capital of Canada
1862
– Abraham Lincoln signs the act that would bring the state of West
Virginia into the Union
1878
– Karl Benz submits a patent for his two-stroke gas engine
1879
– Thomas Edison demonstrates incandescent lighting to a public
display in Menlo Park, New Jersey
1909
– The Manhattan Bridge opens
1923
– The chimes of Big Ben are broadcast on radio for the first time
by the BBC
1943
– Singer/songwriter John Denver (d. 1997) is born in Roswell, New
Mexico
1944
– Hungary declares war on Nazi Germany during World War II
1946
– President Harry S. Truman officially proclaims the end of
hostilities in World War II
1948
– Disco singer Donna Summer (d. 2012) is born in Boston,
Massachusetts
1960
– The farthing coin ceases being legal tender in the United Kingdom
1967
– The Youth International Party is founded
1983
– The AT&T Bell System is broken up by the United States
Government
1985
– Singer/songwriter Ricky Nelson is killed in a plane crash outside
De Kalb, Texas at the age of 45
1988
– Mario Lemieux becomes the only NHL player to score a goal five
different ways – even strength, shorthanded, power play, penalty
shot, empty net
1993
– Transgendered teenager Brandon Teena is murdered by two men in a
barn in Nebraska – the incident inspired the 1999 film, “Boys
Don't Cry”
1999
– ABC launches a 24-hour long broadcast of New Years Eve
celebrations all over the world in preparation for the arrival of the
year 2000
2004
– The tallest skyscraper in the world – Taipei 101 – is opened
(it would hold the record for nine years before the Freedom Tower in
New York City broke that record in May 2013)
And,
on the subject of celebrity birthdays, I certainly have a long list
of them today! Happy New Years Eve birthday to Anthony
Hopkins, Barry Hughes, Sarah Miles, Sir Ben Kingsley, Taylor
Hackford, Neil Ross, Barbara Carrera, Diane von Furstenberg, Burton
Cummings, Tim Matheson, Joe Dallesandro, Steve Rude, Bebe Neuwirth,
Val Kilmer, Don Diamont, Lance Reddick, Scott Ian, Michael McDonald
(the
comedian, not the singer), Nicholas
Sparks, Lisa Joyner, Gerry Dee, Joey McIntyre, Donald Trump Jr,
Bronson Pelletier, and
Gabby
Douglas.
Wow.
That's a lot of birthday cake to go along with the champagne corks
popping at various places on New Years Eve, huh?
So,
what day in history will we be looking back on today? Well, here it
is, complete with the new logo scheme!
December
31, 1907!
So,
we're going back exactly one hundred and six years in this edition!
Quite a long time ago! And believe it or not, although this
tradition began 106 years ago, it is still going on as of 2013!
Or,
I guess I could say 2014 starting tomorrow!
And,
it's a tradition that I believe that most of you have at least
watched on television. Well, at least you have if you live in North
America.
Now,
how many of you remember watching the ball drop in the middle of
Times Square in New York City? I imagine some of you probably took a
flight to New York City to watch it in person, but for most of us,
we've probably sat at home watching the ball drop in the comforts of
our own living rooms while snacking on chips and dip and ginger ale,
because it was the closest thing that looked like champagne that you
could find.
(Oh,
sorry...that's how I usually spend MY New Years Eve. Don't judge.)
The
ball drop symbolizes the true moment in which everything changes.
When the calendars switch from December to January, when the calendar
year goes up one digit, and when we say goodbye (or good riddance for
some people) to the old year, and hello to the brand new year.
Throughout the whole event, the large crowd is entertained by musical
artists, bands, and hosts who reflect on the year gone by.
And,
as we well know, the most famous broadcast of the New Years Eve ball
drop was Dick Clark for many, many years. After Dick Clark's stroke
in 2004, Ryan Seacrest stepped in as the permanent host of the New
Years' Eve special, although Dick Clark continued to appear as a
special guest until his death in the spring of 2012.
I
just know that as long as I've been alive, I always remembered the
ball dropping down over Times Square as being a New Years Eve
tradition. But, do you know exactly when that tradition began?
Although
December 31, 1907 wasn't the first New Years' Eve celebration to be
hosted in Times Square (the first ceremony actually took place four
years prior, in 1903), it WAS the first celebration that implemented
the famous “ball drop”, that so many of us looked forward to
watching as kids (or adults, if you like). And the ball drop was
implemented after the founder of the New Years' Eve celebration in
New York City solely on the purpose of drawing a larger crowd to the
area.
You
see, prior to the inaugural ball drop in 1907, the owner of the New
York Times – Adolph Ochs – wanted to do something special to
celebrate the opening of the brand new offices of the newspaper on
the last day of 1903, which at that time were located at One Times
Square (the building in Times Square that has that larger-than-life
Coca-Cola logo on it). And his idea to celebrate was with an
elaborate fireworks display on the roof of the building as a way of
ringing in 1904 in style. And, it seemed to work, as almost a
quarter of a million people turned out to watch the display. This
tradition went on for three years, but by the time 1907 rolled
around, Ochs had made the decision that fireworks weren't enough. He
needed something more...
...like
maybe a gigantic electric ball cascading down towards the roof of the
building, perhaps?
The
idea was actually suggested to Ochs by Walter F. Painer, whose
occupation at the time was that of chief electrician of the New York
Times building. His inspiration for his “time ball” idea came
from seeing the Western Union Building using the same technology for
an unrelated event. Immediately, Ochs sought assistance from
Artkraft Strauss to create the ball to be used for the first ball
drop.
And,
just what ingredients were used for the very first ball? Well, a
whole lot of wood, a whole lot of iron, and approximately one hundred
incandescent light bulbs. The ball measured around five feet in
diameter, and weighed close to seven hundred pounds! That's one
gigantic ball!
Once
the ball was completed, it was hoisted atop the flagpole by six men,
attached by a rope. As well, the ball would be the necessary item
needed to complete an electrical circuit that was attached to the
roof of the building. Once the ball touched the roof, the connection
would cause a giant five foot sign to light up, wishing everybody in
New York a happy 1908!
As
it so happened, the ball drop was a huge success, and in the end, it
did get Ochs his wish. More and more people began to attend the ball
drop every year, and long after the New York Times vacated their
offices at One Times Square, the building still remained the site of
the ball drop for years to come.
And,
since we're on the subject of the ball drop, why not go over some
trivia about the ball itself?
1
– The ball has been redesigned a total of four times since it was
first brought out in 1907. In 1920, the ball was completely redone
in an iron frame. In 1955, the third edition used aluminum. The
fourth redesign took place in 1999 with halogen bulbs, Waterford
Crystal, mirrors, and strobe lights. Currently, the ball is
constructed with LED lights and crystal, and has been in use since
2008.
2
– Sometimes the ball has been redone specifically for a certain
theme. In 1981, the ball was illuminated completely in red with
green on top to resemble a big apple (for the city's “I Love New
York” theme). In 1991, the ball was illuminated in red, white, and
blue lights to salute the troops that participated in “Operation:
Desert Shield”.
3
– In 2002, the crystals on the ball were engraved with the names of
nations and organizations that were affected by the terrorist attacks
of September 11, 2001.
4
– In 2012, Dick Clark's name was permanently engraved on the ball
to honour his memory and to preserve his commitment to the Rockin'
New Years Eve party that Clark had hosted for nearly four decades.
5
– The 1988 ball drop was a rather unique one. To accommodate the
leap second (that comes with the arrival of a leap year every four
years), the ball drop was the only one to last sixty-one seconds.
6
- The 1995/1996 New Years' Eve ball drop was almost a complete
disaster, as the ball actually got stuck for a few moments while in
mid-descent!
7
– The only two years in which the ball did not drop at all were
1942 and 1943, as wartime lighting restrictions were in effect during
World War II. A moment of silence at midnight was substituted
instead.
8
– As you well know, New York City gets very cold during the month
of December. But, do you know what the coldest temperature ever
recorded was during a ball drop? It took place during the ball drop
of 1917, where the temperature plummeted to a frosty 1 degree
Fahrenheit (that's -17 C for you Canadians out there).
9
– In contrast, the warmest ball drop ever recorded were in the
years 1965 and 1972, where the temperatures were a balmy 58 degrees
Fahrenheit (14 C).
10
– It has only ever snowed seven times during the Times Square ball
drop. The earliest was in 1926, the latest was in 2009.
And,
as we head into another New Years' Eve celebration, we look ahead at
the future, wondering what joys and wonders the year 2014 will bring
us.
Only time will tell.
And, that wraps up the final
Tuesday Timeline of 2013. Tomorrow will be the first blog entry of
2014, and on that day, we'll take a look at some of the news events
that impacted the world throughout 2013. You won't want to miss it!
With just two days to go in the year 2013, we're smack dab in the middle of a seven (well, six) day feature on the best and worst pop culture events that took place over the course of the year. So far, we've examined the following pop culture topics... 12/27/2013 - Best and Worst of 2013: Television 12/28/2013 - Best and Worst of 2013: Video Games 12/29/2013 - Best and Worst of 2013: Music And today's plans? How about dinner and a movie? Or, at the very least, raiding your pantry of its supply of popcorn, jujubes, nachos, and cherry coke and having a movie night at home. Believe it or not, there were a total of 281 films released in theatres (and that does NOT include the made for television movie "Sharknado" either). And, naturally, I have not seen all 281 films that were released in 2013. If anything, I've probably seen less than five per cent of the films. However, I'm not going to let a minor fact like that prevent me from talking about the best and worst films. I've also read reviews, seen the previews, and actually asked customers about their thoughts. And, I've also kept close watch on the sales of both the DVD and Blu-Ray versions of all the New Releases (as of right now, movies from September 2013 are going to be released on video format within the next month). I know exactly what movies are big sellers...and which movies were complete flops. Are you ready for this retrospective? Okay, let's start with a best...and worst. A simultaneous and conflicting point, if you will. THE BEST FILMS OF 2013 - BY THE NUMBERS The good news is that 2013 was a very profitable year in the film industry, with the top film making a total of $1.2 BILLION dollars worldwide!
The bad news is that it seemed as though the pool of creativity and imagination is in further danger of running dry. Believe it or not, of the Top 10 highest grossing films of 2013, seven were sequels, and one was a total reboot of a classic film series. Heck, I may as well say it...the Top 5 films of 2013 were all sequels.
But hey, at least a sequel is better than a total remake. I'm looking at you specifically production crew of "Carrie". My goodness, that film's already been remade like three or four times! Why another version! And, what is the deal with the "Evil Dead" remake? I mean, yes, it was incredibly scary and gruesome, but as far as I'm concerned, you cannot have "Evil Dead" without Bruce Campbell. But then again, maybe I'm just spoiled. For what it's worth, here's the Top 10 of 2013.
1. IRON MAN 3 2. DESPICABLE ME 2 3. THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS 6 4. THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE 5. MONSTERS UNIVERSITY 6. MAN OF STEEL 7. GRAVITY 8. THOR: THE DARK WORLD 9. THE HOBBIT: THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG 10. THE CROODS Okay, so I will make the following statements. I loved Despicable Me 2, Iron Man 3, Monsters University, and Gravity. And, apparently others share my point of view. The rest of the Top 10 I have not seen, and in a couple of cases, I have no desire to see. Though, I will give credit where credit is due. I have not seen the Hunger Games sequel, nor have I seen the original Hunger Games. However, I do know hundreds of people who are obsessed with these films (based on a series of books), and they have actually told me to check them out. I'm considering it, because I really haven't heard anything negative about the series at all.
And, while I'm not really a huge fan of "The Fast and The Furious" series of movies, I can safely say that I sell at least a dozen copies of any of the six films in the franchise at any given time, and that "The Fast and The Furious 6" was one of the top selling DVD's at the store I work at. Though, admittedly a part of it could be because of the tragic death of star Paul Walker, who was ironically killed in an automobile accident in November. ENOUGH WITH THE 3D ALREADY! You know, I get it. 3D is here to stay. Even some modern television sets and Blu-Ray players have 3D capabilities. But at the same time, I think that Hollywood is maybe pushing the 3D envelope just a little bit too much. It was bad enough that every other film was released in 3D format in movie theatres, but then to release classic films like "Jurassic Park", "Top Gun", and "The Wizard of Oz" in 3D on top of that? What next? "Driving Miss Daisy" in 3D?
(Though I suppose that I can point out one good thing about the 3D obsession. It did help the 1993 film "Jurassic Park" reach the one billion dollar mark overall! And, I must admit, I think Jurassic Park would look cool in 3D. The "Wizard of Oz", on the other hand...) ZOMBIES ARE COOL AGAIN I'll have to admit, the success of "The Walking Dead" has certainly re-ignited Hollywood's obsession with zombie films. One needs look no further than the Brad Pitt summer blockbuster "World War Z" to confirm that zombies are alive and well in Tinseltown! That movie alone made a little over half a billion dollars in 2013!
But there are other zombie films that are worth mentioning. One of my favourites is the 2013 film "Warm Bodies", which is sort of a re-telling of Romeo and Juliet in which the zombified "R" falls in love with the much alive "Julie". There were also a couple of films made with a little bit of British flavour, including "Cockneys vs. Zombies" and "Stalled". Let's face it. 2013 was never a better year to be a reanimated dead guy...or gal, as the case may be. 2013: THE YEAR OF THE ANIMATED MASTERPIECE
2013 was a stellar year for animated films. Three of them (Despicable Me 2, Monsters University, and The Croods) were among the Top 10 films of 2013, and it appears as if the Disney film "Frozen" is well on its way to becoming a classic. I wouldn't be surprised if "Frozen" ends up unseating "The Croods" at the rate it is going. I have heard incredibly good reviews about "Frozen", and am debating on whether or not I should see it. Maybe I'll wait until it comes out on video. There's also the film "Epic", a beautiful breathtaking film that was based on William Joyce's "The Leaf Men and the Brave Good Bugs". For little girls (and little boys, if you like), there were brand new "My Little Pony" and "Monster High" movies released in 2013. The Smurfs decided that they needed a sequel which was delivered in the form of "Smurfs 2". The weather forecast once again called for "Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs 2". Ryan Reynolds brought a snail named "Turbo" to life in the movie of the same name. And just when you thought "Cars" was great, Disney decided to go ahead with the next big movie sensation, "Planes". Admittedly, I liked "Cars" better, but "Planes" wasn't too bad. And Disney also re-released quite a few movies on DVD and Blu-Ray this year, including "Robin Hood", "The Sword and the Stone", "Oliver & Company", and "The Little Mermaid". But, you better grab 'em while you can...they won't stay outside the vault for long.
WHAT IS UP WITH DESTROYING THE WHITE HOUSE? Apparently 2013 is the year in which the White House seems to be the target of mass destruction. While it was never completely obliterated as it was during the 1996 film "Independence Day", the films "Olympus Has Fallen" and "White House Down" certainly damaged the iconic structure enough for it to at least be considered for a makeover on "Trading Spaces". Well, that is, if that show were still on, anyway. THE BIOGRAPHY NETWORK: 2013 STYLE Currently, we're seeing a biographical film at the box office with the release of "Saving Mr. Banks", a film which depicts the story of how Walt Disney ended up making the classic 1964 film "Mary Poppins". And this is admittedly a movie that I am interested in seeing if for no other reason than the fact that "Mary Poppins" was one of the first films I remember enjoying in my early childhood. But there were other biographical films that are worth mentioning.
First things first, you have to take time out to watch the film "42", starring Chadwick Boseman and Harrison Ford. The film depicts the struggles and triumphs of baseball player Jackie Robinson, who broke through the colour lines to become the first African-American baseball player to play on a Major League Baseball team. It is such a fantastic movie. I highly recommend it. Ashton Kutcher also starred in a biographical film, taking on the role of Steve Jobs in the film "Jobs" - which admittedly I didn't like that much...as was the case for many film critics who slammed the film. Though, I do have to admit. Kutcher did actually kind of look like the young Steve Jobs, so at least he had that going for him. As well, there were two separate films made about Nelson and Winnie Mandela - timely, given that Nelson Mandela passed away in early December at the age of 95. For what it was worth, both films were released before Mandela's passing. BOX OFFICE BOMBS Until now, most of the movies I've mentioned have been given mostly positive comments. And, for those that weren't, I did try to be nice about it.
That said, there's no hope for these stinkers.
BULLET TO THE HEAD: Okay, Sly. You were awesome in your eighty-six Rocky movies and twenty-seven Rambo movies. And, at 67, I admit that you look better than other men your age. But, this movie really shouldn't have been made. I mean, this film was your worst opening weekend gross in over three decades! I like you, Sly Stallone...but maybe you should consider putting action movies on your "Murtaugh List". I don't care how popular "The Expendables" get. Keep making more movies like this, and your career will become expendable! A GOOD DAY TO DIE HARD: Basically, I have the same exact message for Bruce Willis too. Die Hard = awesome. Die Hard 2 = just as awesome. Die Hard 3 = losing steam. Seriously, why even bother with this one?
THE INCREDIBLE BURT WONDERSTONE: You'd think that a film that had both Jim Carrey and Steve Carell would do really well at the box office. Unfortunately, the movie bombed, just coming short of breaking even at the box office. The copies of Burt Wonderstone now collect dust on the DVD shelves at my workplace, but at least Carell rebounded with "Despicable Me 2". THE HOST: Once upon a time, an author by the name of Stephenie Meyer created a little book series known as "Twilight", which became a global phenomenon in the early 2010s. So, naturally, once Twilight was over, Meyer hoped that her new project, "The Host" would also make a stellar film. It didn't. Though despite the critics panning the film, it did at least make eight million in profits. SCARY MOVIE V: Making a "Scary Movie" without Anna Faris is like making "Shrek" with Gilbert Gottfried as the voice of Princess Fiona. Just plain awful. THE BIG WEDDING: Here's hoping that if a sequel is made, it's called "The Big Divorce". None of the cast had any chemistry with each other - especially the people playing the bride and groom.
THE GREAT GATSBY: Maybe I'm slightly jaded because I liked the original motion picture adaptation of this film one hundred per cent better, but I just wasn't feeling this one. And, that's surprising to me, since I normally like Baz Luhrmann's work. At least the film had financial success at the theatres...I certainly haven't sold many copies of the film at my workplace. AFTER EARTH: ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ GROWN UPS 2: WHY?!?!?!?!?!? And, to close off this blog entry...one final sad note.
THE DEATH OF ROGER EBERT Roger Ebert's death on April 4 marked the end of an era. As a kid, I relied on Siskel & Ebert's movie reviews to help me decide what movies I would drag my parents to. The duo worked well together until Siskel's death in 1999, and Ebert also shared chemistry with his new partner, Richard Roeper. Certainly the last few years of Ebert's life were filled with hardships, but despite all the pain and surgeries he endured, Ebert continued to do what he did best, which was offer up his opinions on various films. Roger Ebert truly loved his job, and he truly loved the movie industry. And, how can you not love someone who has the passion? He'll be greatly missed. So, that wraps up our look back on 2013 films. Tomorrow, the Best and Worst list takes a breather as I present the final Tuesday Timeline of 2013!
Hey...I had to slip ONE minion reference in this piece somewhere!
The
special look back on the year known as 2013 continues with a musical
interlude. After all, this is Sunday -
the day of the week that is typically reserved for the discussion of music.
And,
let me tell you...2013 was one HUGE year for music. As someone who has not really listened to Top 40 radio in
approximately a decade, I must say that 2013 was actually not a bad year for
music. I even have a few songs from
2013 downloaded onto my iPod! Before we continue with this look back on 2013 in music, I am going to be posting the previous two links so that you can keep up with this retrospective of the past year. 12/27/2013 - Best and Worst of 2013 - Television 12/28/2013 - Best and Worst of 2013 - Video Games Feel free to peruse those lists at your leisure. I even invite you to make comments about my choices or to come up with highlights of your own. So, shall we get on with the look back at the year 2013 in music? Yes? All right, let's get on with it, beginning with the biggest night in music history! THE 2013 GRAMMY AWARDS You know, I'm going to rank the 2013 Grammy Awards as being a mixed bag. As far as the actual ceremony goes, I thought it sort of lacked something. And this is coming from a guy who has watched the Grammy Awards nearly every year since the late 1980s (I missed the 2011 edition, as I was still in intensive care following a not-so-routine surgery). But as far as the big winners of the night, well...I suppose it almost made up for it. Record of the Year: Somebody That I Used To Know/GOYTE f. KIMBRA Album of the Year: Babel/MUMFORD AND SONS Song of the Year: We Are Young Best New Artist: fun. Best Pop Solo Performance: Set Fire To The Rain/ADELE Best Pop Duo/Group Performance: Somebody That I Used To Know/GOYTE f. KIMBRA Best Pop Vocal Album: Stronger/KELLY CLARKSON Best Traditional Pop Album: Kisses on the Bottom/PAUL McCARTNEY Best Country Album: Uncaged/ZAC BROWN BAND Best Country Solo Performance: Blown Away/CARRIE UNDERWOOD Best Country Duo/Group Performance: Pontoon/LITTLE BIG TOWN Okay, so maybe fun. isn't my favourite band ever, and I honestly got more annoyed by Mumford and Sons "I Will Wait"'s repetitiveness than anything. But, I have to admit that I do like that Adele song. And, to have two former American Idol winners taking home a Grammy Award? Sort of gives a smidgen of credibility to an aging reality show, don't you think? In fact, let's listen to a song from Carrie's successful album. The track is "Two Black Cadillacs", and it reached its peak on the country charts in early 2013.
And since I've posted the first song, let's post some more!
SELENA GOMEZ - Come and Get It Released: April 7, 2013 Selena Gomez had a really stellar 2013. Her latest album "Stars Dance" was a big seller in both record stores and on iTunes (I know that I stocked a lot of copies of her CD when it was first released in the summer of 2013). And, one way that I could tell that it was a huge hit was when I was working in the seasonal section and I heard this song playing in every radio of cars that drove by the outdoor soil compound! The single eventually peaked at #6 on the Billboard charts, and #1 on the dance charts. This album also marked a transition of sorts for Selena Gomez. She turned 21 years old this past year, and her Disney Channel series "Wizards of Waverly Place" ended, so it's quite clear that she could have gone one of two ways - The Hilary Duff way or the Lindsay Lohan way. Fortunately, aside from an incident in which she goofed up at a concert and swore in front of a bunch of kids, Selena seems to be heading down a good road. Course, in 2014, I could end up eating those words, but hey, I actually like her. Maybe it has to do with the song "Who Says" being an anthem for self-esteem and anti-bullying that has to do with it. This next person though? Well...let's just post the video, keeping in mind that it might not really be suitable for preschoolers and young children.
MILEY CYRUS - Wrecking Ball Released: August 25, 2013 Oh, Miley, Miley, Miley...you seem to have taken a wrecking ball to your Disney past this year, haven't you? Surprisingly enough, your actions have probably made you more popular and relevant than ever before...even though your cavorting naked in your music video is hardly considered original. Ever hear of someone called Madonna? She managed to make it happen first with her "Express Yourself" video which came out three years before you were even born! Now, here's the wacky part that I find hard to believe. When listening to the song on the radio, I actually don't hate it. Wrecking Ball is certainly a powerful song with good lyrics. And, believe me, when it comes to Miley Cyrus, she certainly can perform a great ballad. And, I suppose that in a way, she did have huge success with this single. Despite the mixed reviews, the single did chart at #1.
But, everyone by now knows that Miley Cyrus seems to be well content on shooting Hannah Montana to death and burying her corpse in an oil drum to be buried in the Disney child star graveyard. She says controversial things on Twitter, does controversial things in her video. Uses controversial foam fingers in a controversial performance at the MTV Video Music Awards.
And, apparently she was on the shortlist for TIME Magazine's Person of the Year issue! Go figure. Although, I can show you what the supposed song of the year is. And as it so happens, it is linked to Miley's controversial VMA appearance!
ROBIN THICKE, T.I, PHARRELL WILLIAMS - Blurred Lines Released: March 26, 2013 Ah, yes...the most requested, most played, most parodied song of the year. No wonder I have a hard time listening to it for more than once a day!
Truthfully, I actually don't mind the song itself. It was the music video that I wasn't overly a fan of. I know a lot of people were saying that the video was extremely controversial given that the dancers in Robin's video were topless and scantily moving around in seductive poses. But, honestly, I found it boring as heck. I mean, the Twitter hashtags randomly appearing? Lame. The dancing girls? Been done before a million times. The song itself was fantastic, but the video was an absolutel snoozefest as far as I'm concerned.
And yet, it was the most requested song and video of the year. Go figure.
To be honest with you, I can't really call myself Robin Thicke's biggest fan. I mean, he's all right, I guess, but for some reason, I can't get past the fact that his dad played Jason Seaver on "Growing Pains".
(TRIVIA: Robin's younger brother Brennan voiced the role of Dennis Mitchell in the 1980s cartoon series "Dennis The Menace". Not really that interesting a fact, but it does go to show that show business definitely ran in the Thicke family tree.) Though I will say this. My own personal favourite song of 2013 happens to come from one of the guys whom Robin recorded "Blurred Lines" with.
PHARRELL WILLIAMS - Happy Released: November 21, 2013 I have to confess. I loved this song from the moment I first heard it on "Despicable Me 2". And, part of the reason why I love this song a lot is because it's one of the rare songs that got me feeling up and in a good mood amidst a sea of depressing songs and lukewarm pop music. And, besides, the music video has minions in it!
But here's something quite interesting about this single. It has done well in Europe and overseas. It reached the top of the charts in The Netherlands and France, and hit the top ten in the UK, Australia, Denmark, and Ireland. Yet, here in North America, the song remains unreleased.
Sheesh...is it any wonder why I tend to listen to music from the UK and Australia. It appears that those nations still have musical taste! Well...with one exception, I suppose...
ONE DIRECTION - Best Song Ever Released: July 22, 2013 Okay, I have a confession to make. I've never really cared for boy bands. To me, whenever I think of bands I like, I think of Stone Temple Pilots, U2, R.E.M., Collective Soul, and even classic bands like The Beatles, Badfinger, and The Rolling Stones.
And although I can probably find at least one song that I like from bands like the Backstreet Boys (Shape of My Heart) and 98 Degrees (Give Me Just One Night), I still wouldn't go out of my way to buy a whole album of songs, or concert tickets to see them live amidst a sea of screeching prepubescent girls in the audience.
One Direction seems to be the latest boy band who seems to be exploding in popularity. The band seems to be part of a modern day British invasion (they started making music right around the same time that Adele, Ellie Goulding, and The Wanted did), and they have had successful album and DVD sales. After all, their latest album "Midnight Memories" seems to be selling quite well at my store, and I can attest to seeing several 12-year-old girls getting their parents to buy them the new One Direction movie when it was released on DVD and Blu-Ray a few days ago.
That said, I have to admit that having a song entitled "Best Song Ever" is quite ballsy and cocky, even if the song really isn't about One Direction boasting that they have the best song ever. Unfortunately, the song peaked at #2 on the Billboard Charts, making it rather ironic that a song entitled "Best Song Ever" could never really be that.
EMINEM - Berserk Released: August 27, 2013 I don't know if I could really consider this a "comeback" album of sorts, as Eminem never really left the music scene. But when word got out that Eminem was releasing his seventh studio album in late 2013 - his first in three years - fans certainly salivated with delight until the album's release was made official in November 2013. And, I can certainly attest to the popularity of the album - the first day it was released, we sold out completely.
(Thereby proving that the compact disc format isn't completely dead yet.) And, I'll have to admit this to all of you right now. I am an Eminem fan. Certainly his songs do require some rather creative radio edits due to the language found in the songs...but at least Eminem has one thing that a lot of carbon copy, cookie-cutter, manufactured pop groups don't have. And, that is the fact that all of his songs are written by Eminem himself, and are filled with so much emotion that built up from years of a tough childhood and adulthood. And certainly, Eminem's trouble with the law and personal life have been well documented in the tabloids. These days though, Eminem seems to be on the road back. Even I've noticed that his songs aren't as angry and hate-filled as they used to be, which is a good sign.
BEYONCE - XO Released: December 16, 2013 Beyonce Knowles may just have very well had the best kept secret in the music industry - much to the chagrin of retailers who have launched a campaign to refuse to stock her album on store shelves (I'm looking at you, Target and Amazon). It was pretty much given that Beyonce was overdue to release a new album. It had been some time since her last project, and everyone believed that 2013 would be the year in which she would do exactly that. After all, she would perform at the Super Bowl this past year and stage a reunion with her Destiny's Child bandmates Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams if she didn't have something up her sleeve. What we didn't know was that Beyonce had planned to release the album on her terms. In her own way.
So when people who have iTunes accounts logged on and saw that Beyonce's new album had apparently been released on December 13, it caused a major uproar. There were no announcements by Beyonce, or any of the associates that Beyonce worked with. Somehow, Beyonce managed to release an album digitally on iTunes without anyone else knowing about it! Fourteen singles and seventeen music videos were released in secrecy on the thirteenth, and by December 14, the buzz had generated 1.2 MILLION tweets on Twitter and had several celebrities commenting about the secret release in complete shock and hysteria!
It was as if Beyonce had played the ultimate April Fools Day joke in December...and she caught everyone off guard. It's unknown at this time how well the album will eventually do, but I have to say that it was a genius marketing strategy. Well played, Beyonce. Well played.
LADY GAGA - Applause Released: August 12, 2013
On the flipside, whereas Beyonce completely kept her latest project underneath her hat, Lady Gaga couldn't promote the album enough! She did press tours, talk show interviews...pretty much everything that an artist would do in order to get people talking about the album.
And when her "Artpop" album finally did come out, it was released in several versions. There was the standard CD, a Deluxe CD with added songs, and a special Lady Gaga package which had the Deluxe CD with added songs plus a T-shirt (that likely nobody over the age of nineteen could squeeze into).
But, Lady Gaga forgot one thing. You could promote the hell out of the album all you wanted, but if the material wasn't good, it didn't really matter all that much. I'm not saying that Lady Gaga's "Artpop" is horrible...I'm sure it's quite good. But the lead single "Applause" certainly didn't measure up to her previous singles "Poker Face", "Bad Romance", and "Born This Way".
CHER - Woman's World Released: June 18, 2013 I'm only adding this particular single in because of the fact that at my store, I cannot keep this particular album in stock! We get copies in, and they automatically are sold out within a twenty-four hour period! I get more questions about this Cher album than I do any other musical artist! Of course, I do also happen to live in a town that is more or less considered a retirement community, and most of the people who live in town more or less grew up watching the Sonny and Cher show on television!
That said, while I can't call myself a major fan of Cher, I will say that I don't mind this single. To be truthful, I thought Cher had a rather unique singing voice that definitely stood out in a sea of Madonna wannabes. I don't see myself going out to buy her latest album (which is good since it's always sold out at my store), but if she happens to be playing on the radio, I'll leave it on.
And, besides all that - plastic surgery aside - Cher still looks fantastic at 67 years of age.
And, to conclude this look back on music in 2013 - a year which saw Michael Jackson's doctor released from prison and Justin Bieber announcing his retirement from the music scene at the ripe old age of 19 - here's one final song which was released in late 2012 by a teenage artist from New Zealand who is reportedly considered to be a frontrunner at the 2014 Grammy Awards.
LORDE - Royals Released: November 22, 2012 Coming up tomorrow, we'll pop some popcorn and buy some oversized Kit Kat bars to go over the Best and Worst in 2013 film.