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Monday, February 17, 2014

Mary Poppins

I don't know what it is, but lately I've been on a classic Simpsons kick.

And, when I say "classic" Simpsons, I mean the first decade that the show aired.  Some of my all-time favourite episodes of "The Simpsons" come from the early years of the show (circa 1990-1999).  And, because I own most of these episodes on DVD box sets, I can watch them whenever I so desire.

And, I bet you're wondering what this has to do with today's Monday Matinee.  No, I am not doing the 2007 film "The Simpsons Movie", although I do admit that I did like it and could have justified making it a lengthy blog post.

However, I will state that a particular Simpsons episode did inspire my selection for this week's Monday Matinee.

Well...that, plus the fact that here in Ontario, it happens to be a statutory holiday known as "Family Day".  So, in this case, I decided to do a blog entry on a film that could be considered family-friendly.

Now, it seems hard to believe that "The Simpsons" have made a grand total of 541 episodes and counting.  It is now officially the longest-running show in prime time television.  Therefore, it's nearly impossible for me to select just one favourite episode from the whole series.  Many of them were wonderful - particularly during the early years.


But I will absolutely state that one of my favourite episodes of the series was the thirteenth episode of the eighth season of the series.  It originally aired on February 7, 1997, and the title of the show was "Simpsoncalifragilisticexpiala(Annoyed Grunt)cious". 

Try saying that title seven times fast!

It was an episode that featured a stressed-out Marge losing patience with her family to the point where her hair was falling out in huge clumps, and the family made the decision to hire a live in nanny by the name of Shary Bobbins to come and help out.  At first, the relationship between the Simpsons and Shary Bobbins was practically perfect in every way, and every single member of the Simpson family - and even many of the citizens of Springfield - were absolutely charmed by her positivity and her angelic singing voice.  Of course, when Shary tried to leave after fulfilling her commitment, the Simpsons went back to their boorish ways, and drove Shary Bobbins to get wasted with Barney Gumble in the Simpsons own living room.  She was then sucked into the engine of a jumbo jet on her way home and is presumed dead.  Or at the very least, maimed beyond recognition.


Now, there was just something about that episode I loved.  Maybe it's the fact that I am a huge fan of spoofs in general, or maybe it was because the episode was so well-written that it was entertaining...or maybe it was because the episode was so very much like a beloved children's film classic that I remember watching when I was really little.

A movie that is celebrating its fiftieth anniversary this year.

Now, there's been a renewed interest in this film so far this year.  In addition to it being the fiftieth anniversary of the movie, there was even a film released late last year entitled "Saving Mr. Banks", which starred Tom Hanks and Emma Thompson - which depicted the struggles that Walt Disney had in greenlighting the project and getting the approval from the author of the story, P.L. Travers - who reportedly despised the final product of the film adaptation.

I, on the other hand, have a soft spot for this movie.  It was probably one of the first movies that I remember watching on television, and I think I must have seen it at least three dozen times as I was growing up.  Maybe it was Julie Andrews' beautiful singing voice as she floated down towards the streets of London.  Maybe it was the fact that I wanted to have a nanny just like her.  Or, maybe it was the fact that I was kind of laughing at just how less than perfect Dick Van Dyke's Cockney accent really was.




At any rate, this entry is all about the Disney film "Mary Poppins", which was first released in theatres on August 27, 1964.  The film was filmed entirely on set at the Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, California and was directed by Robert Stevenson.  The film received a total of thirteen Academy Award nominations, and of those nominations, it won five - including the Best Actress Award for Julie Andrews!

Now, I don't really think I need to go over too much in plot detail (besides, the behind the scenes action is much more interesting anyway), but just to give you a little bit of a description, the story begins in London, England circa 1910.  And, while the film is called "Mary Poppins", we actually don't get to see her appear until approximately twenty to thirty minutes into the film.  Instead, we're first introduced to a character named Bert (played by Dick Van Dyke who is using one of the worst Cockney accents ever spoken in film - it's really quite atrocious).  And Bert is someone that you could consider a jack-of-all-trades but master of none.  When we first meet him, he is entertaining people outside of a park as a one man band, and naturally, some are interested, but others walk by wondering if the man they passed is really a Cockney or if he's an American pretending to be Cockney.

I promise I'll shut up about the Cockney thing.  For real.

Anyway, during one of his performances, he feels that the wind is beginning to change and this is the signal that his good friend is set to make a return any day now.

Who this friend is when he first mentions this little detail, we don't exactly know at the time...though given that the name of the film is "Mary Poppins", I think it's pretty much a no-brainer.




Meanwhile, there is turmoil going on at the Banks family residence.  Yet another nanny has made yet another grand exit, and the patriarch of the family, George Banks (David Tomlinson), and his wife Winifred (Glynis Johns) have had enough of his children's unruly behaviour.

The Banks family was considered to be extremely dysfunctional at the time.  Mind you, the definition of 1910 dysfunction wasn't nearly as bad as, say, dysfunction in the year 2014...but still, when you consider the two Banks children, Jane and Michael (Karen Dotrice and Matthew Garber), have chased away at least four different nannies due to awful tricks and pranks that they played on them.  




Little did Mr. George Banks know that the only reason why Jane and Michael acted out in defiance against the nannies that were hired for the family was because they really didn't want a nanny to watch them.  What they really wanted was their parents to make more time for them.  But when the children's kite gets destroyed, and they want nothing more than for George to fix it, he completely rebuffs their request and makes the decision to hire yet another nanny.  Michael and Jane decide that they want to have their own say over what kind of nanny they want, and so they design their own advertisement for what kind of nanny they really want to have in their care.  Unfortunately, George takes their letter, tears it to shreds, and throws it in the fireplace, believing it to be the end of it.



But then, some miracle happens, and all of a sudden, a woman clutching a black bumbershoot (that's umbrella in old-speak) descends down in front of the Banks household.  Her name is Mary Poppins (Andrews), and she immediately causes great concern for George Banks, who seems dumbfounded that Mary has responded to the ad that the children placed despite his ripping it up.  But Mary Poppins makes the promise to George that she will be firm with the children, and teach them right from wrong.

And, hey, if her rule seems to include songs and dances such as these examples below, all the better, right?




But as Mary Poppins soon begins to charm her way into the Banks family residence, it makes George ponder if he made the right decisions in his life.  He wonders if spending so much time away from his kids was really good parenting.  And when a crisis happens at Banks' workplace which could destroy everything that he has worked for, it's up to Bert and Mary to try and help the Banks family get through it the best way they know how.

And, I think that will wrap up the plot summary of the whole film.  It's much better to watch the whole thing from the beginning anyway.  But, there's lots of trivia that is associated with this film - some good, some bad, and some ugly.  Would you like to know what secrets emerged from behind the scenes of this film?  I know you do.

1 - Sadly, one of the child stars of this film died tragically young.  Matthew Garber contracted hepatitis while on vacation in India, and sadly passed away from complications of the disease in June 1977 when he was just 21.

2 - That's not Julie Andrews' real hair in the film.  She wore a wig.

3 - The film premiered at Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles, California.

4 - The character of Bert is actually an amalgamation of several characters that appear in the book version.

5 - Actresses who were considered for the role of Mary Poppins included Bette Davis, Angela Lansbury, and Mary Martin.



6 - Dick Van Dyke blamed his vocal coach J. Pat O'Malley for his less than practically perfect Cockney accent - as he claimed that O'Malley had a worse British accent than he did!

7 - This was Arthur Treacher's final film role - he played the role of Constable Jones.

8 - Was the top grossing film of 1965, and the highest grossing Disney film for two decades straight!

9 - Dick Van Dyke - in addition to playing the role of Bert - also played the role of Mr. Dawes.

10 - Disney's first DVD release.

11 - The planning and composing of all the songs were composed over a period of two and a half years.

12 - Since the film was first released on VHS in 1981, it holds a distinct record.  It's the Disney film that holds the longest status of "in-print" out of any other Disney movie.

13 - The first Disney premiere that Walt Disney attended since 1937's "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs".

14 - David Tomlinson had never sang professionally prior to the filming of "Mary Poppins", and was a little nervous about performing in the film.  I think he did well.

15 - Take a look at the scene in which all the prospective nannies are standing in a queue before Mary Poppins makes her arrival.  If you look closely, you'll see that the majority of them are male.



16 - You know that iconic scene which had Bert and Mary drawing with chalk which lead to the Supercalifragilisticexpialadocious song?  If author P.L. Travers had her way, it would have been removed completely!

17 - As incentive for completing the tea party scene, Matthew Garber - who was afraid of heights - was given ten cents per take.

18 - Julie Andrews provided the whistling for the robin during the "Spoonful of Sugar" scene.

19 - Julie Andrews was left hanging in mid-air during one lengthy scene.  Accidentally, one of the stagehands lowered her wire harness at a very fast speed, which made Andrews very upset.  When a crew member asked if she was down yet, I believe her exact words were something along the line of "you bloody well better believe she is!"

20 - Apparently, this would not be the only time that Julie Andrews would use the soundstage that Mary Poppins was filmed on.  Exactly thirty-seven years later, she would appear on that stage again filming 2001's "The Princess Diaries".

Sunday, February 16, 2014

I Am Everyday People

As someone who has always appreciated a great song, I always feel great delight in doing a Sunday Jukebox entry.  And, I am hoping that today's song selection will be a good one.  It is a song that promotes diversity, belonging, and acceptance - all qualities that could best describe the spirit of "BLACK HISTORY MONTH", in which a lot of entries this February will feature.

And, as I explained earlier, this year I'm going to be doing something a little bit different.  Every song that will be featured in this Sunday Jukebox special will be a #1 hit of some sort.  I haven't figured out how I plan on making this happen during October's Scare-fest or December's Advent Calendar yet, but I have got months to plan something for those two months.

But why look ahead to the future now?  It's February, so let's focus on the here and now...by talking about a song that hit the top of the charts 45 years ago this week.

Yeah, somewhere in my brain, that made sense.

Yeah, today's song hit the top of the Billboard Charts on February 15, 1969 and it stayed there for a whole month, being unseated by Tommy Roe's "Dizzy" in March 1969.  The song is considered to be a perfect anthem for racial harmony, and as far as the artists who made this song popular go...well, let's just say that they practice what they preach!

Okay, enough blabbering on.  Let's just go ahead with today's song spotlight!



ARTIST:  Sly & The Family Stone
SONG:  Everyday People
ALBUM:  Stand!
DATE RELEASED:  November 1968
PEAK POSITION ON THE BILLBOARD CHARTS:  #1 for 4 weeks

So, who exactly are Sly & The Family Stone?  Allow me to tell you.



They were a band that originated in the San Francisco area in the year 1967 - a year of great social unrest and activism.  Headed by singer/songwriter/record producer Sly Stone (born Sylvester Stewart), the band was the very first band in the rock world to have a line-up that was fully integrated and contained members of both genders.

Now, this might not seem like such a big deal nowadays, but in 1967 it was extremely noteworthy.  This was during a time in which segregation was slowly becoming a thing of the past in some states.  A time in which women were beginning to have more of a voice in the world.  A time in which people protested America's involvement in the Vietnam War.  And, Sly & The Family Stone certainly were the perfect poster children for those turbulent, yet groundbreaking times.

The band Sly & The Family Stone was actually a merger between two different bands.  Prior to forming that band, Sly Stone was the frontman of "Sly & The Stoners".  His younger brother Freddie was the lead singer of another band, "Freddie & The Stone Souls".

The two brothers decided that separate, they weren't going anywhere.  Together, they could really make their music even more beautiful and powerful. 

Hence the name "Sly & The Family Stone".

(Well, that, plus the fact that three-sevenths of the band's most recognized line-up were all from the same family.)



When Sly & The Family Stone first started up in 1967, the line-up was comprised of the Stone brothers, bassist Larry Graham, trumpet player Cynthia Robinson, drummer Gregg Errico, and saxophonist Jerry Martini.  Approximately one year later, Sly and Freddie's sister Rose joined the group as a singer/keyboardist.

And, at the tail end of 1968, Sly & The Family Stone would record the single that would become one of their signature hits.

Now, as I was saying before, the late 1960s were a time of great confusion and activism.  Five years prior to this song being made, Martin Luther King Jr. issued his "I Have A Dream" speech.  Earlier in 1968, King was assassinated on April 4, and his death lead to major riots in several cities across the United States, and sparked many protests for racial equality all over the world. 



In short, "Everyday People" could not have come at a better time.

The idea behind the recording of this song was all about Sly Stone's desire to see peace enacted all over the world.  He wanted to live in a world in which people weren't judged by the colour of their skin, the place where they were born, the people whom they loved, or the religion in which they believed in.  The theme of equality and respect for all certainly symbolized what the band was all about.  After all, the inclusion of Caucasian members Gregg Errico and Jerry Martini was proof positive that colour lines didn't exist in the world of Sly & The Family Stone.

The song also marked a departure of sorts for the band as well.  Known for their funk and psychadelic flavour that they infused into their earlier singles, "Everyday People" was more mid-tempo, and a much better fit for the Top 40 music scene and Billboard Charts. 

The song was notable for having nearly every single member of the band contributing vocals to the song.  Of course, Sly Stone was the lead vocalist, singing most of the words in the song, but once the chorus began, Sly, Freddie, Rosie, and Larry Graham would belt out the words "I am everyday people".

And, according to Sly Stone, the phrase "everyday people" was used as a way to tell the listener of the song that they did not consider themselves a part of a smaller, segregated group of people.  Rather, they wanted everyone to see them as parts of a bigger picture.  A bigger, more diverse picture in which everybody played a positive role.

Sly & The Family Stone certainly hoped that the message would permeate through their fan base as well, as it was one that they truly believed in.

I suppose that in some manner of speaking, "Everyday People" could be considered one of the first anti-bullying anthems to be recorded.  Not only did the song proclaim that racism was bad, but it also illustrated a powerful message that hate of all kinds was an exercise in futility.  I mean, in the grand scheme of things, should we exclude someone from a party because they happen to be a few pounds overweight?  Absolutely not.  Should we deny someone the right to get married because they happen to be in love with someone of the same sex or opposite race?  Absolutely not.  Should we deny somebody a job opportunity because they happened to be born a different sex or practice a different religion from everyone else?  I don't believe we should.  So, why would we waste the precious time that we do have on this Earth letting hatred and discrimination poison us from the inside out?  It doesn't seem like it would be a very fun way to live life, does it?

TRIVIA:  There's a line in the song that says 'different strokes for different folks'.  Not only did that become a bit of a catchphrase for the late 1960s and early 1970s, but that line was the inspiration for the title of the show that would come to be known as "Diff'rent Strokes".

At any rate, the song spent a month on the top of the charts, sold three million copies, and became an anthem for the civil rights movement as well as the signature song for the group.

Unfortunately, shortly after this single was released, problems began to arise for the band...and these problems would permanently destroy the unity and harmony within the band - ironically while they were promoting peace and harmony all over the world.

You see, the 1960s were a time of great social upheaval and many people chose to cope with it in a bunch of different ways.  Some chose to express themselves with music - which many did during Woodstock in 1969.  Some chose to express themselves with protests and sit-ins at major university campuses.

And, some chose to use drugs and narcotics to get through the days.

Sly Stone was one of those who fell into a life of heavy drug use.  By the time the 1970s arrived, he was a functioning drug user - he spent every waking hour high on drugs.  In fact, there were reports that Sly Stone would have guitar cases filled with cocaine for his own personal use.  Because of Sly's increasing addiction to cocaine, it caused him to miss quite a few shows that Sly & The Family Stone were scheduled to play.  These missed shows caused people to stop attending their concerts.  By the mid-1970s, their concerts - which used to sell out five years earlier - only managed to sell one-eighth of what the concert venues could hold.  Stone's repeated drug use also caused tension within the band.  Gregg Errico would be the first to leave the group, and the others soon followed.  By 1975, Sly Stone was essentially a solo artist keeping the Sly & The Family Stone name going, but due to poor sales of his future albums and his dependence on drugs, Sly Stone checked into rehab in 1984.  He did attempt a comeback of sorts in the mid-1980s, releasing a few singles here and there, but after getting arrested in 1987 for possession of cocaine, he disappeared from the music spotlight for almost twenty years.

His last public appearance in the music scene took place in 2006 - thirteen years after the band's 1993 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.  Sly & The Family Stone were supposed to play a special reunion performance at the end of the Grammy Awards, and organizers were worried that he would be a no show, as he missed many of the rehearsals.




He did end up making that performance...but he left after only three minutes on stage, making it one of the weirdest live performances ever shown at a Grammy Awards ceremony. 

Not much is known about what Stone is doing these days, but it was reported that in September 2011, Stone was reportedly homeless and living in a van near Los Angeles, California.  It's been two and a half years since then, and I have to wonder what is going on with him now.

Still...regardless of Sly Stone's personal problems, 45 years ago, he was a leading figure in making sure that all people were treated with dignity and respect...and that everybody had the power to become everyday people.

Saturday, February 15, 2014

My Little Pony - Friendship is Magic

I'm going to preface this blog entry by stating that I have absolutely no experience with today's topic at all.  I never did get into this particular toy - which later became an insanely popular cartoon series - when I was a child, and I certainly don't consider myself to be a fan of this particular topic presently.  I really had to do a lot of research on this show because I knew absolutely nothing about it, so I hope that I do it justice.

And, I suppose the reason why I opted to do this blog entry on something that I know very little about is because I was inspired to do so after reading a story that made the news recently...and this story is one that made me very sad.

Now, everybody knows that there are a variety of cartoon shows that have aired over the last six or seven decades.  And, most of them are designed for kids of all ages.  But, of course there were some shows that were designed specifically for target audiences.  And yes, sometimes those target audiences are gender specific.

When I was growing up, one of my favourite cartoon shows to watch was "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles", and to be honest, you could tell that it was a show that was meant for pre-teen and teenage boys to watch - though I did know quite a few girls who liked it as well.  Come to think of it, when I was growing up there were quite a few television shows that were catered to those of a male audience.  "G.I. Joe", "Transformers", "Samurai Pizza Cats".  Quite a lot, now that I'm thinking of it.

Similarly, there were also lots of shows and toys that were catered towards the female demographic.  "Barbie", "Care Bears", "Jem and the Holograms", "Strawberry Shortcake", and "Rainbow Brite", just to name a few.

So, what happens when the gender lines become blurred?

Well, in a perfect world, absolutely nothing.  If a girl wants to watch "G.I. Joe" and "Transformers", then I see nothing wrong with it.  Similarly, I'll be the first one to confess that the very first movie I ever saw in theatres was the 1985 film "The Care Bears Movie".  And, there's nothing wrong with that either.

But, unfortunately, society seems to have drilled it into people's minds that liking something that is catered to the opposite sex is grounds for being made fun of or bullied.  And, that's not okay.  Sometimes I look at society and think to myself...are we really that screwed up?



Case in point.  That story that I read in the news that I want to share with you.  I don't know if you've kept up with recent headlines, but there was a tragic event that took place in the state of North Carolina, all because a little boy was bullied for being a fan of "My Little Pony".

The name of the boy is Michael Morones.  He's eleven years old, and he has been a fan of the "My Little Pony" toys and television series for as long as his parents could remember.  And, these days, it's not really all that uncommon for males to enjoy "My Little Pony".  In some social circles, these male fans are known as "bronies" - a term that I myself had never heard of before I started reading this article. 

But anyway, the constant bullying and teasing that this little boy had to endure at the hands of some classmates was too much for him.  And, just a few days ago, he tried to hang himself in his own bedroom.

Thankfully, his parents managed to stop the attempt from happening, but the extent of the damage is not yet known, as the suicide attempt did leave him with some brain damage. 



Now, if you've been following along with this blog over the last few years, you know that I have absolutely no tolerance for bullies of any sort.  And, what happened with Michael Morones should never have happened in the first place.  And, for what?  All because he was shamed by a few kids who lacked the maturity or empathy to realize that guys could be fans of "My Little Pony" too?  It's just such a sad story that makes me angry and sad all at the same time.  Angry that a little boy should have to feel shame instead of pride for something that he loved, and sad that he felt the only way to escape the pain of being bullied was attempting to end it all.  There's just no need for that.

So, I made the decision to do this blog on "My Little Pony".  I wanted to do it to show support to Michael and his family.  And, after doing a lot of research on "My Little Pony", I'm starting to understand why both girls and boys love the show.  While I can't say that I'll be buying the toys or DVD's anytime soon...I can say that I did learn a lot about the franchise just by reading up on it for a few hours.  And, what I learned is that it's a great toy and series for kids of any age and gender to watch.

Okay, so many people know of the current incarnation of the "My Little Pony" series, which is entitled "My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic".  But the actual "My Little Pony" line started up long before that series debuted.  Truth be told, "My Little Pony" is actually as old as I am!



Debuting in 1982, the "My Little Pony" toy line was created by a trio of toy designers - Bonnie Zacherle, Charles Muenchinger, and Steve D'Aguanno.  Zacherle came up with the idea during the summer of 1981 when she was trying to create an ornamental design for a toy animal.  Who knew that when the first models of "My Little Pony" toys began appearing on store shelves in 1982 that it would grow to be the phenomenon that it currently is today.

Mind you, the "My Little Pony" toys of the early 1980s were far different than the "My Little Pony" toys of 2014.  In fact, I managed to find a commercial from the 1980s which featured "My Little Pony" dolls.  I bet some of the girls I went to elementary school will likely remember playing with these toys, and will maybe even remember this commercial themselves!



Yeah, when "My Little Pony" was first coming out, there were several different sub-categories of ponies within the main line.  They started out with "Earth Ponies" in 1982, and were subsequently followed by "Pegasus Ponies", "Unicorn Ponies", "Flutter Ponies", and "Sea Ponies".  Some ponies were even offered only through mail order, meaning that some varieties of "My Little Pony" figures were rarer than others.

This line of toys also inspired the original cartoon series of "My Little Pony", which ran during the 1986/1987 season.  Have a look at the old generation "My Little Pony" cartoon intro, if you like.  It's not like the "My Little Pony" you all enjoy today.



Now, just to give you an indication as to how successful the original line was, it debuted in 1983, and it lasted well into the mid-1990s.  It's estimated that millions of "My Little Pony" dolls were manufactured and sold at the peak of its popularity.  Mind you, they never quite became as popular as the Cabbage Patch Kid - which also debuted the same year that "My Little Pony" began to appear on store shelves - but it certainly could be considered one of the success stories of 1980s toy world.

But here's where the story gets interesting.  This toy line could be one of the very few in which its reboot became much more successful than the parent one.



Of course, I'm talking about the "My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic" line, which debuted in 2010.

Now, as far as target demographics go, not much really changed.  Marketing campaigns still targeted girls between the ages of 2-12.  The difference is that instead of there being generic ponies that didn't really have much in the way of personalities, there were a core group of ponies that shared a lot of good times together and had some interesting adventures.

And, for those of you who happen to be fans of "My Little Pony", these ponies really need no introduction.  For people like myself who have absolutely no idea who any of these characters are, here's a guide.  First, a picture of the six main characters of the new series.



Okay, so going from the top left and going clockwise, we have Pinkie Pie, Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Fluttershy, and Rarity.  There are other ponies in the world of "Equestria" that appear on a recurring basis, but these six are more than likely to appear in more episodes than any of the other ones.  And, each of the characters in "My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic" all share something special with each other.

The magic of friendship.  Hence the sub-title, "Friendship Is Magic".

So, obviously, in preparation for this blog entry, I had to actually watch an episode of "My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic".  And, true to my word, I did.  The episode I watched was the fourth season episode "Pinkie Pride", in which Pinkie Pie throws a party in Ponyville for Rainbow Dash's 'birthaversary', but nearly has her plans spoiled by party planner "Cheese Sandwich".

I'm not lying either.  That's actually the characters name.

But here's the interesting story.  It turns out that "Cheese Sandwich" only became inspired to be a party planner because he was invited to one of the greatest parties that he ever attended was one that Pinkie Pie threw...and once both of them realized that they worked better as a team, they ended up throwing Rainbow Dash one killer birthaversary party.

Now, keep in mind, that was just one episode.  It wasn't really enough to convert me into being a 'brony' (a man between the ages of 15-40 who is obsessed with 'My Little Pony').  But, I will also state that after watching the episode in full, I didn't hate it.  Sure, I could have done without all the singing...but looking at the big picture, it's a good show for kids to watch.  It teaches morals, it has great dialogue, and it also emphasizes co-operation, teamwork, and friendship - all things that make for a happier life.

And, you know what?  I think it's a really good show for kids of all ages - and genders - to watch.  Seriously, I think gender lines are meant to be blurred.  After all, some of the greatest cooks in the world are men.  And some of the greatest mechanics are women.  I don't think there's any shame in boys playing with dolls or learning how to play store, and I don't think that there's any shame in girls playing with Tonka trucks or Iron Man action figures.

As long as the child is happy with what they are doing, what business is it of anyone else's what they do with their personal time, or what hobbies they like.

You know, I actually had a family member actually tell me that I should downplay my love of comic books because it would make me a bigger target for bullies.  Boy, am I glad I didn't listen to them.  Oh, sure, I used to get picked on for liking the adventures of Betty and Veronica...but I always saw it as them being jealous that they didn't have the amount of comics that I had.  Whether or not that was actually the truth, I can't say.  But if people choose not to like me because I like something they don't, that's their loss.

And, I should also note that since Michael Morones tried to kill himself a few days ago because he was bullied over his love of "My Little Pony", online communities have set up support pages for him, and I even read somewhere that a group of men who consider themselves true blue 'bronies' have all gone to tattoo parlours to get images of Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie tattooed on their bodies to show support for Michael, and to show him and everyone else in the world that it's okay to love whatever you want.

This is a post by Matthew Turcotte - a person who probably won't become a brony - but has mad props and respect for those who are.

Friday, February 14, 2014

Post #1,001 - "Good Times"

You know, I know that today is supposed to be that day in which everyone is supposed to be all about love and romance and roses and those lovely little chocolates in the lovely red velvet boxes.  But, not me.  I'm not in love, I have no romance, rose thorns cut your fingers and the filling in those chocolates taste like toothpaste.

So, for me, this is just February 14.  One of the 365 days of the year in which you can love and honour your spouse, significant other, casual date, or heck, even a one-night stand if you so desire.  Because, really...only devoting one day of the year to love?  That's just crazy talk!

So, if you're expecting to see an entry that is chock full of red hearts and gorgeous bouquets of flowers...well, it won't be today.  Besides, I'd rather do an entry that celebrates "BLACK HISTORY MONTH" instead.  And, if it happens to feature some people who are in love, well so be it. 

I'm going to say this though.  I was actually inspired to do this blog - blog entry number one thousand and one, by the way - because I saw a few of my friends on Facebook chatting about it in my news feed, and I was quite intrigued by it.

So, before I continue with this blog entry, I just wanted to thank
Cathy S., Sharyn D., and Jeri-Ann A. for providing the inspiration behind today's topic.  Thank you!

A few days ago (I think it was nearly a week ago, come to think of it), one of the people mentioned (I think it was Cathy) posted a link on her own page which celebrated the anniversary of a particular television series.  This television series began a little over forty years ago, on February 8, 1974.

(Or, in terms of my own age, when I was -7 years old.)

Now, I will say that the discussion about this show on the page was lively, and I think I remember both Sharyn and Jeri-Ann sharing their own memories of this show, in which all three of them seemed to enjoy it a lot.

But as much as I wanted to join in the discussion, I couldn't because I had never seen the show before.  The show ended its run on August 1, 1979 - nearly a full two years before I was born.  And, would you believe that it was one of the shows that never actually aired in reruns on any of the stations that I remember watching as a child?  I mean, maybe on some channels it was syndicated, but none of the ones that were a part of our cable package. 

So, imagine my surprise when I was stocking box sets of television series and one of the shows that was featured was the very show that my friends were talking about!  It was the first two seasons of this particular show packaged up in one convenient DVD package, and the cost was something like twelve dollars for the lot.  I thought to myself...what if I bought this and watched a few episodes of it so I could talk about it in an upcoming Friday blog?  And, that's exactly what I did.

My opinion?  Certainly a lot of good times to be had. 

By coincidence, that also happens to be the name of the television show that we'll be looking at this week.



We're going to be featuring the television show "Good Times", which ran for six seasons on CBS.  Initially a mid-season replacement show, the show garnered enough ratings for it to be renewed for a second season, which would air during the 1974-1975 season.  And despite some major casting changes, the show still managed to stay on the air for the remainder of the 1970s.

And, here are the stars of the show as they appeared during the first three seasons of the show.



Starting from the bottom and moving clockwise, you have John Amos as James Evans Sr., Ralph Carter as Michael Evans, Bern Nadette Stanis as Thelma Carter, Ja'net Dubois as Willona Woods, Esther Rolle as Florida Evans, and Jimmie Walker as J.J. Evans.

There were also some additional cast members who would appear on the show (including the youngest member of a very musical family), but we'll get to that a little later.

"Good Times" was a show that was created by Eric Monte and Mike Evans, and was developed by Norman Lear - the man who was most famous for "All In The Family" and "Maude".  In fact, you might consider "Maude" as being the direct inspiration behind "Good Times", as Florida Evans once worked as Maude's housekeeper.  But when Florida's character was spun off onto "Good Times", her entire backstory was retconned.  She now became the matriarch of a family that was living in the projects of Chicago.  Even her husband's name and occupation were changed to suit the theme of "Good Times", which saw Florida's firefighting husband Henry changed to a man named James who had great difficulty finding work.

But you know, despite the fact that the family really had to struggle to make ends meet, and despite the fact that the family never knew what it was like to have disposable income, they still managed to have "good times" together as a family.  And although the Evans family had their grand share of hardships, they truly loved each other, and every member of the family had their own hopes and dreams for the future.  For instance, a recurring theme of the show was that J.J. wanted to become an artist, as he was always drawing sketches and painting pictures.  It is assumed that the family portrait that appears in both the opening and closing credits was painted by J.J. himself.  Is that not dy-no-mite or what?



Seriously.  That was J.J.'s catchphrase.  Dy-no-mite.

The more episodes I watched of "Good Times", the more I realized just how great a show it was.  The writing was absolutely brilliant, and the casting was dead on...although one thing that I found quite interesting was that when the show began, the husband/wife team of James and Florida Evans had quite the age difference in real life!  Esther Rolle was fifty-three when "Good Times" began, which matched up with the age that her character was supposed to be.  But John Amos who played Florida's husband was only thirty-four (although he did look older than that for whatever reason).  Still, that's nearly a two decade age difference!  The only other couple who had that much difference in age were George and Louise Jefferson!

And to make the ages even more weird, there were only eight years difference between John Amos and Jimmie Walker - who played father and son!  But again, for whatever reason, John Amos looked much older than thirty-four when the show began, so it worked.

Anyway, back to "Good Times".  As I was saying, the show certainly did have its moments of laughter and hilarity.  And certainly there were dozens of moments in the show which had people laughing out loud.  Practically any storyline involving J.J. was guaranteed to have some funny moments present.  But the show also wasn't afraid to tackle serious issues either.  After all, the show was set in the middle of one of Chicago's poorest neighbourhoods, and the Evans family went through situations that not a whole lot of people really had to deal with.  They had to deal with trying to come up with enough money to pay their rent and keep the children fed.  They had to deal with serious subjects like racism, sexism, child abuse,  gambling, and alcohol abuse.  Heck, in one episode of the series, one of the Evans children ended up getting shot when he got too close to a dangerous gang, and the entire episode featured James debating on whether or not he should get revenge.

And, I think that in the long run, doing those types of shows really helped educate people in what life in the "projects" was kind of like.  I mean, I realize that those who really did grow up that way will likely state that "Good Times" did exaggerate the idea of living in the projects, but you know, you have to give Norman Lear and the show creators a lot of credit.  There weren't a lot of shows on the air that even attempted to make a predominantly African-American family living in a housing complex while walking down the fine line known as poverty, and I think that "Good Times" truly showed that no matter what your income was, and no matter how tough things were that if a family worked together, they could have good times.

And, certainly, the Evans family was one of the closest families to be showcased during the 1970s - and a lot more believable than the Brady Bunch!

Alas, behind the scenes of this popular show, it wasn't all good times.  Initially, the show was supposed to be a starring vehicle for Rolle and Amos, and the children were supposed to be supporting characters.  However, when Jimmie Walker's character of J.J. exploded in popularity during the show's first season, the show was reworked so that all of the storylines revolved around him.  Now, it should be noted that neither Rolle nor Amos had issues with Jimmie Walker himself.  Both loved working with him.  But both of them were quite annoyed over the fact that the writers and producers seemed to dumb J.J. down to the point that he appeared to be a moron.  And for Esther Rolle, that didn't sit well with her at all.  She felt that by dumbing J.J. down, it gave off the stereotype that all black Americans living in poverty were that way, when clearly that was not the case.  And, I can definitely see the validity of her argument.

As for John Amos, he too felt that they were making J.J. appear less intelligent for the purpose of cheap shots and filler material.  But at the conclusion of the third season of the show, Norman Lear and the show's producers had decided that they were going to take the show in a new direction, and that new direction did not include John Amos' character.  John Amos later confirmed in 1976 that he was, in fact, fired from the show.  As a result, when the fourth season debuted in 1976, James Evans Sr. was killed off in an automobile accident, leaving Florida to raise her three children alone.  Which lead to this memorable scene below.



A quick explanation.  After Florida heard about her husband's death, she did not show any emotion whatsoever, and she pretended as if nothing had ever happened.  But when all that emotion built up inside of her and she couldn't take it anymore, she took out her frustrations on a crystal punch bowl and finally allowed herself to grieve properly.  Quite a powerful scene.

And, by the show's fourth season, Esther Rolle herself had decided that she didn't like the way the show was going either, and she quit the series at the end of season four with her character getting married to someone else and leaving Chicago.  But, somehow, the marriage must not have lasted, as Esther Rolle returned to the series just a year and a half later at the beginning of season six, where she remained until the series was cancelled.

To make up for the departures of Amos and Rolle, Ja'net Dubois became the show's lead character, and she was the one who acted as a surrogate mother to the Evans children.  And, a couple of new characters were added to the show as well.  Recurring character Nathan Bookman (Johnny Brown) was turned into a contract role right around the time that John Amos departed the show.  Thelma's boyfriend, Keith Anderson (Ben Powers) also became a regular character towards the show's end.  And a little girl named Janet Jackson - the youngest member of the Jackson family which also included Michael, Jermaine, Tito, and LaToya - joined the show at the beginning of season five as Penny Gordon, a girl who becomes Willona's adopted daughter when her real mother abandons her after abusing her most of her life.

Still, all these changes didn't do much to stop the declining ratings, and the show was cancelled in 1979.  Though everyone in the show did receive a happy ending...well, I suppose everyone except poor James Evans Sr, that is.




So, my ultimate take on "Good Times"?  It was a great show, and a show that definitely showed that happy families can exist anywhere in the world...even in one of the poorest neighbourhoods of America.

Thursday, February 13, 2014

What Doing 1,000 Pop Culture Addict Blogs Has Taught Me About Myself

February 13, 2014

I never thought that I would see the day that I would automatically launch into a diary entry.  Usually what I would do is start things off with an introductory paragraph, describing what my thoughts and feelings are, and then launching into the actual bread and butter of the whole shebang.

But then again, today is far from being a typical day here on "A POP CULTURE ADDICT'S GUIDE TO LIFE".

You see...today is a sort of celebration of sorts.  And, it's a celebration that I absolutely have to thank all of you out there reading this for...because if it weren't for you, this moment would not be happening.

Today happens to mark the one thousandth post that I have made in this blog since I began this blogging venture.



Yes.  You're reading this correctly.  1,000 posts!

Mind you, these are 1000 posts over a period of 998 days.  When I first began this blog, I actually did two entries on two days within the first week of the blog.  One was an introductory post, and the other was a post explaining that I was having problems with my modem just three days into this blogging venture.

(I know...the blog nearly ended after three days because my modem was failing me.  Luckily, I managed to fix the problem rather quickly.)

The point is that over the course of nearly three years, I have typed out at least one post per day over 998 consecutive days.  You'd be hard pressed to find that in this day and age - especially in a world where instant gratification through 140 character Twitter postings seems to be the norm.  And, while most of these blog posts have had to do with how pop culture has evolved over the last sixty, seventy years or so, I have gotten extremely personal in this blog as well.  I've told stories that I have never shared with other people before until now, and I've talked about all sorts of emotions that I have felt over the last three years.

But one thing that I never really revealed to all of you was the reason why I felt compelled to begin "A POP CULTURE ADDICT'S GUIDE TO LIFE" in the first place.  And, you know, I'm actually kind of surprised that I haven't gone into much detail about that because I could have sworn that I did at one point.

Must've been just my imagination.

Okay, so here's the real story behind the founding of "A POP CULTURE ADDICT'S GUIDE TO LIFE".  And, by real story, I mean absolutely positively 100% the TRUTH! 

(Not that I've ever lied on this blog before.  I haven't.  If anything, this blog is probably where I feel the most comfortable to express myself without feeling any sort of repercussions at all.)

Okay, tangent over.  The story begins.



The date was May 24, 2011.  I had just turned thirty years old six days prior to that date, and I was kind of in a slump.  I had just gotten back to work after spending eight weeks off on sick leave after my gall bladder tried to kill me back in February 2011.  And, I'm not going to lie to you.  Turning thirty was a really, really hard age for me.  I know that most people will tell you that age is nothing but a number, but when I was comparing myself to other 30-year-olds that I knew, there really was no comparison.  Most of them already had their lives well on track (or at the very least they APPEARED to).  They all had found careers that they were proud of, they had married their one true love or were currently in a serious relationship, and many of them had children of their own.

Now, myself at thirty?  I had none of those things.  Granted, I did have a full-time job (one I currently work today), which some people would consider very hard to come by these days...but I didn't really have a whole lot of other prospects.  I guess in some ways, turning 30 was one of those moments in which all the insecurities that I carried along with me throughout my formative years reared their ugly faces.  At 30 years old, I didn't really have anything that I felt that I could be proud of. 

I can admit to it now.  I couldn't back then.  And, I think that's one of the main reasons why I made the impulsive decision to start up "A POP CULTURE ADDICT'S GUIDE TO LIFE" in May 2011.  I wanted to have something that I could truly call my own.  I wanted to have control of at least one thing in my life, even when everything else was anything but.  I wanted to have something that people could remember me for.

And, believe me, my expectations were really low when I first started this blog off.

I mean, just have a look at the very first logo for this blog, which debuted the same day the blog did, on May 24, 2011.

LOGO #1 - MAY 2011 - MAY 2012

Isn't that the most professional logo that you've ever seen?  Beautiful, isn't it?  You want to know what I used for the logo?  I used a couple of glitter gel pens that I just happened to grab from a nearby pen case.  As it so happened, the two colours I chose were pink and turquoise.  As for the triangle in behind...well, I like triangles.  What can I say?

But again, I sort of just came up with the idea to do a blog within the time frame of a half an hour.  I wasn't really thinking of spending a lot of time on a desktop program to design the perfect logo...I just wanted to start up a blog.

SIDE NOTE:  Do you remember the original look of the blog?  Well, it was almost similar to the look that I have now, only the main colours of the blog were blue and pink.  I chose the colours of the blog after I drew the logo...again, planning the design was the least of my worries as I really didn't expect anybody other than myself to read it.  The colour scheme only lasted a year anyway before it changed to this.

LOGO #2 - MAY 2012 - DECEMBER 2013

In fact, I have another confession for you.  Do you know what the very first blog entry that I did after my welcoming post?  It was a post entitled "WHAT RALPH WIGGUM TAUGHT ME ABOUT MYSELF", and you can click HERE to read that first blog entry if you want.  Well, that confession is that I actually wrote that piece as a note on my own personal Facebook page approximately two years prior.  I just updated a couple of date references to make it appropriate for 2011 standards.

But I'll tell you...there was a reason why I wanted to start off with Ralph Wiggum as the very first blog topic.  In many ways, I was a lot like Ralph.  Ralph certainly can be a rather interesting sort of character.  Certainly he used to eat paste, red crayons, and everything else that wasn't food.  His teachers all disliked him.  And, whenever he tried to find friends or whenever he fell in love with someone, he would always get his feelings hurt.

In all actuality, Ralph may be a lot of things, but I like the kid.  Because inside his obviously scatterbrained personality lies a heart that is pure as gold.  And, there's really nothing wrong with Ralph Wiggum for being who he is.

And, I guess re-reading that first entry, there's really nothing wrong with me being who I am either.  I'm really glad that I did start my blog off with an entry on Ralph.  I figure that if Ralph Wiggum wasn't afraid to show off his genuine, yet misunderstood self, then there's no reason why I should be afraid to show off my genuine, yet misunderstood self too.

Now, I'll be honest with you.  That first week that I started the blog, I only managed to get 307 page views total.  That's a little more than 43 page views per day.  Some might think that is pocket change, but I was proud of every single one of those 43 pages views per day - even if 27 of them were mine.

Flash forward to February 2014 and I now average 500 page views a day, and have amassed a quarter of a million page views total.  That's insane! 

(Here's a couple signs that your blog is doing well.  One, when you enter the title on Google, it's in the Top 5 search results.  Two, you start getting people spamming your comments section with promises to hock their wares.  Believe me, that was exciting to see spammers on the site because it made me realize that people were finding the blog - and I got just as much excitement deleting said spammers from the blog!)

LOGO #3 - DECEMBER 2013-PRESENT

Anyway, the point is that I've done a lot of growing in the last two and three-quarters years.  I'm not the same person now that I was at post #1, or post #100, or post #518.  And, who would want anyone to be exactly the same as they were?  I've done a lot of soul-searching over the past three years, and I am excited to share this 1,000th post with all of you.  After all, this blog wouldn't be at 1,000 posts if not for you checking this space out.  The colour scheme may have changed to purple and yellow, and the logo looks a lot more professional than it used to...but it's still got a lot of heart, and I will continue to do this project for however long I feel is necessary.

I still have lots to talk about, after all.  These 1,000 posts have only scratched the surface.  I plan to talk more about that in the next few weeks.

So, I'm going to close this blog entry off with a personal video greeting (short but sweet...)



...as well as a song that was recently released last month.  Listen very closely to the lyrics.  They could be considered my motto for the upcoming year.




ARTIST:  Kylie Minogue
SONG:  Into The Blue
ALBUM:  Kiss Me Once
DATE RELEASED:  January 27, 2014
PEAK POSITION ON THE BILLBOARD CHARTS:  TBD