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Sunday, February 23, 2014

The Story Behind "All The Man That I Need"

Okay, so just before I go ahead with today's scheduled blog entry, I just wanted to take the time to give a huge shout of support to all the athletes that competed in the 2014 Winter Olympics held in Sochi, Russia.  Certainly the Olympics weren't without their share of controversy (broken hotel rooms, the protests, etc), but one thing is for sure.  Those who did compete and won a medal should feel proud.  And, hey, those who walked away empty-handed this year should still feel proud.  As far as I'm concerned, anyone who makes it on the Olympic team deserves a pat on the back.

A special shout-out goes to my birth country of Canada for winning ten gold, ten silver, and five bronze medals in the games.  You all did our country proud, and I am sure that Canadians everywhere are saluting you today!

And, now...on with the show.

It's time for another edition of the Sunday Jukebox today...and this week will go much like all of the others for the year 2014 thus far in that each song that is featured in this and every Sunday was a song that topped the charts.

After all.  Every single artist loves to have a number one hit single, don't they?

Well, for today's look back through music history, we're going to go back to a palindrome of a year, as today's song flashback hit the top of the charts in February 1991.  The song topped the charts in both the United States and Canada that year, and interestingly enough, the singer who performed this song was not the one who wrote the song.  In fact, the song was actually written and recorded over a decade earlier in 1980 - which was five years before our featured singer recorded her debut album.

On a sad note, February ended up being the cruelest month for our featured singer, as it was a little over two years ago this month - February 11 to be exact - that she drew her last breath.



By now, I'm sure you have guessed that today's featured singer is the late Whitney Houston, and yes, I am in absolute agreement that her death was absolutely preventable and that had she sought help and really made it a mission to get clean, she might very well still be here with us.  Of course, none of us really knew what transpired the afternoon of February 11, 2012 that lead to Whitney's drug overdose in a hotel room...and perhaps we might never know.  The only thing that we're all certain of is that a woman with real, genuine talent is no longer here because drugs destroyed her life, and she let it happen.

It's such an ugly ending, no matter how you spin it.

I suppose that if there is one thing that is positive about this (and really, there's not a whole lot of positive feelings floating around when someone dies), it's that Whitney Houston managed to release dozens of singles and successful albums which showcase her at her prime.  I think that any of the songs that she released between 1985 and 1998 were among some of her best, and I readily admit that I have a few Whitney Houston songs downloaded onto my iPod. 

(Well, mostly the ones you can dance to such as "How Will I Know", "So Emotional", and "I'm Your Baby Tonight".)

But there happens to be a couple of ballads on my iPod as well - and, I suppose that in my opinion, Whitney Houston sang best when she slowed things down instead of sped things up.  If that at all makes any sense.  I'm not sure exactly.

But what I am sure of is that I really wanted to showcase Whitney in a ballad instead of a dance song because I think that she really showed just how talented she was when she sang love songs and powerful songs that had meaning, like "I Have Nothing", or the now eerily ironic song "Greatest Love Of All".



And, then there was this single...released at the tail end of 1990 and hit the top of the charts beginning the week of February 23, 1991.



ARTIST:  Whitney Houston
SONG:  All The Man That I Need
ALBUM:  I'm Your Baby Tonight
DATE RELEASED:  December 4, 1990
PEAK POSITION ON THE BILLBOARD CHARTS:  #1 for 2 weeks


So, are you ready for the discussion of "All The Man That I Need"?  It's quite the powerful song, and we have a lot to talk about. 

Starting with the origin of the song.

As I mentioned before, the song was originally written in 1980 by Dean Pitchford and Michael Gore, and was meant to be a single for singer Linda Clifford's album, "I'll Keep On Loving You". 

And, just who exactly was Linda Clifford?  Well, she was a former Miss New York State who embarked on a career as a disco/rhythm and blues artist who had several chart-toppers on the dance charts between 1977 and 1981.



Well, Linda Clifford did record the single in 1981, and she did release it one year later.  However, the song failed to chart.  Sister Sledge tried to strike gold with their version of the song which was released months later, but it too never did that great.

It seemed as though "All The Man That I Need" was destined to become a song that would never have its day.  Despite the fact that a few people recorded the song in hopes of making it a huge success, nobody really knew how to take the song and make it their own.

At least not until Whitney Houston decided to take a turn at recording the single.

But do you know exactly how long it took for Whitney Houston to finally get the go-ahead to record "All The Man That I Need"?  Believe it or not, it took three whole years!



You see, at the time, Whitney Houston was signed exclusively to Arista Records, which was headed by record producer Clive Davis.  And Davis really was the man who supported Whitney's career from day one, and was the main force behind Whitney's rise to fame in the 1980s.  

Clive Davis was also really good friends with Dean Pitchford, one-half of the songwriting duo that penned the single "All The Man That I Need".

Both men met each other for dinner one night in 1987, and although it was unknown as to who initiated the conversation, the topic of "All The Man That I Need" came up, and Pitchford handed Davis a demo of the single, believing that if any one of Arista's singers could make the song a huge success, it was Whitney Houston.  Davis took the demo tape, listened to it, and agreed with Pitchford that Whitney could do wonders with the ballad.

The whole problem was timing.



You see, in 1987, Whitney Houston had just finished releasing her second album, "Whitney".  And, by the time that Clive Davis had received the demo tape, there was no time to squeeze in another single.  So, this meant that a painstakingly long three-year wait was in place.  The "Whitney" album came out in 1987.  Whitney spent all of 1988 filming music videos for the album, and embarking on a world tour to promote the album.  And, then in 1989, she began production on her third album, "I'm Your Baby Tonight", in which she finally received the go-ahead to record the single, which was produced by Narada Michael Walden.

And happily for Pitchford and Gore, the single finally became a hit, thanks to Whitney Houston.  And, the song was also rewarded with a nomination for "Best Female Pop Vocal Performance" at the 1992 Grammy Awards, but lost out to Bonnie Raitt's "Something To Talk About".

TRIVIA:  The black and white tinted music video was directed by Peter Israelson, and the saxophone solo performed in the song was courtesy of smooth jazz musician Kenny G.

But perhaps one of the best things about the song were all of the positive reviews from critics, who easily named the song as one of the best ones from Whitney's third album.  Greg Kot of the Chicago Tribune said of the song that Whitney had provided "the soundtrack to a million love affairs", while New York Times' reviewer Stephen Holden described the song as a "hunk of gargantuan pop bombast swathed in echo and glitzy astral twinkles".

Not quite sure what that means, but I'm guessing it's pretty good.

But I mean, just looking at the song's lyrics, I can see why it became a hit.  I know that we're now living in an era in which women proudly proclaim their independence from being a part of a couple, and insist that they don't need a man to be happy.  And, that's good!  I absolutely applaud the attitude that you don't need to be coupled up to have a happy, productive life.

But you know, sometimes I think we all want to have that experience where we are with someone that we love more than anything in this world, and that's good enough.  I know I've been looking for that experience for longer than I care to admit, as I'm sure many others have.  And, those who have found it...well, I definitely salute you.



And, I think that's the whole idea of the song "All The Man That I Need".  As I said earlier, the song was written by Pitchford and Gore specifically for Linda Clifford.  The backstory of the song is that years before Clifford had even crossed paths with Pitchford and Gore, Clifford had gotten out of an emotionally destructive marriage, and she had since gotten remarried to a man who she loved with all her heart.  Pitchford and Gore claimed that the song "All The Man That I Need" was written in no time because after seeing how happy Clifford was, the song kind of wrote itself.

And although it took a decade for the song to become a huge hit, the message is made loud and clear.  It's a song all about the pure love, joy, and comfort in being with someone who treats you with honesty, kindness, and respect.  Here's hoping that we all have someone in our life come along and make us feel that way.

Oh, and one final note to point out.  A few years after Whitney's version topped the charts, the late Luther Vandross released his own version of the song...with obvious pronouns swapped.



Saturday, February 22, 2014

My Most Favourite Book Memories

Some of my all-time favourite gifts that I have ever received have been in the form of books.

I know that I certainly used to be one of those kids who would climb underneath the Christmas tree to go through any and all gifts that were mine, and do a little detective work on them.  And, usually I could tell if the present was a book.  If it were a hard-covered book, it would be a thin, but non-flexible package.  And if it happened to be a paperback book, it would be a little bit more bendable.

(Not that I actually tried to bend my Christmas or birthday gifts.  I did try to chew the corners out of the gifts, but I never actually bent them.  And, do not judge me.  I bet some of you did the same thing I did when you were children.)

Truth be told, I not only enjoyed getting books as gifts, but I also enjoyed giving books as well to family members.  I've given comic books and magazines as gifts to my niece and three nephews.  I bought my sister a hard-cover version of "Charlotte's Web", and my other sister has received several anthologies of Garfield comic strips from me over several birthday and Christmas celebrations.

I realize that with the invention of Kobo and Kindle e-readers that books are starting to become less popular for gift giving, but as long as I live, I will never transition to the digital age.  There's something about books in general that makes me incredibly happy. 

In fact, some of my most favourite places that I have ever been to in my entire life have all had to do with books. 

And, that's exactly what this topic is all about for today.  My all-time favourite book themed places.

I think that I've always had a love of reading and writing.  It took me a while for me to improve my penmanship.  When I first began writing, my R's looked like half a square, my S's were backwards, and I could not write a number four to save my life.

(Interestingly enough, the number 4 is now my favourite number to write.)

But my love of reading was implemented at an extremely young age.  In fact, my parents and sisters can all vouch for me here, but I learned how to read before I learned how to talk!  I stayed silent until I was three, but could easily tell the difference between Reader's Digest and Jughead With Archie Digest at the supermarket checkout counters!  Apparently my mom would ask me where the book was located by saying the title, and I would point to it every time.  Not exactly sure why I couldn't say it at the time, but I suppose I had my reasons for not speaking.  Maybe I was just shy.  Maybe I'm still shy.

And, maybe I'm just babbling.

Anyway, there were lots of places that helped satisfy my love for reading.  And to begin this trip down memory lane, why don't we start at one of the first places that I remember falling in love with books?



Ah yes.  The town library.  I can't even begin to tell you just how many hours I spent in that place.  In fact, I still have my library card!  Sadly I haven't renewed it in a few years because I've lately been buying books that I want to read.  I should go about getting that card renewed again someday.  I had forgotten just how much I loved that place.

I don't really remember how old I was when I first started going to the library.  All I remember is that every Thursday afternoon, my mom and I would walk from our house to the library where I would check out ten children's books every week (ten being the absolute maximum number of books I was allowed to check out per visit).  I even insisted on carrying all ten books by myself the entire journey home, but my mother insisted on helping me.  Which was probably a good thing in retrospect because had I dropped one of the library books in a mud puddle, we would have had to pay for a replacement copy - and money was quite tight then to be able to do that on a regular basis! 

But really, that library was a wonderful place.  The books kept me quiet, the head librarian was such a nice lady, and I always felt safe there.  And when my third grade class started going to the library every Thursday afternoon, it was just like old times!  And, because I had gone there so often, I always told my classmates where they could find the second-best books in the whole place.

(Hey...I wanted the best books for myself!)

In comparison, our elementary school library was just as good as far as set-up (we had a red bathtub in the middle of the storytime circle in the library that all of the kids fought for), but the public library had more selection of books.  If I had my choice, I would totally pick the public library over any school library.

However, my school just happened to be the source of another book memory.



How many of you were lucky enough to have the Scholastic Book Fair arrive at your elementary schools?  Well, for me, having the Book Fair come to school was like the equivalent of Santa Claus coming down the chimney on Christmas Day.  There were so many books, and so many book accessories (like bookmarks and pencil cases) that I literally wanted to buy every single one.  In fact, whenever I knew that the book fair was coming, my parents purposely doubled my allowance that week so that I could get the opportunity to go.

(My parents reasoned that spending their money on books was far healthier than wasting their money on renting Nintendo games from the corner store.)

And, there was one instance in which I will always remember.  Parent-teacher interviews were being held at school during a P.A. Day, and the school did something rather unique.  They kept the book fair open during regular school hours so that while the parents and teachers were talking about their children's progress in school, the kids could spend the day at the Book Fair.  Well, because my last name begins with "T", I was always the kid whose parent-teacher interview was scheduled last.  So, my mom decided that she would take me to the school early so that I could spend the whole day at the Scholastic Book Fair.  I tell you, I don't remember how many books and accessories that they had at that fair, but I think I easily spent twenty to thirty dollars on books that day.

(Which might not seem like a lot now...but back in 1992, twenty dollars bought at least four books, plus a couple of shiny pencils.)

Some of the stuff that they had on display at these Book Fairs were quite unique, interesting, and quirky.  Believe it or not, they even had Archie comic books on sale at the Book Fair.  Mind you, those books were written completely in French, so I couldn't really make out what they were saying...but I kind of regret not picking up at least one.  You know, just to have it for a conversation piece.

But speaking of Archie Comics...you all know that I am a...well...obsessed fan of the comic series.  And in this final place that influenced my love of books, this place is where I happened to build the bulk of my collection.



Welcome to "Book Trader".  Previously known as "Walkabout Books".  Previously known as "Mulberry Hill Books".  The name might have changed over the years, as well as the colour of the store (it used to be a royal purple colour back when it was "Mulberry Hill Books"), but the store is one of the best stores in my town to buy used books.

I don't know how some of you feel about used book stores, but I absolutely love them!  The smell of used books, the feel of used books, the PRICE of used books...absolutely wonderful.

And to think that I would have never known that the book store would have existed had my sister not dragged me into that shop looking for previously owned true crime novels.

You see, back when my sister was in high school, she developed a love for true crime and mystery novels, and rather than spend twenty dollars on one book, she would rather spend twenty dollars on five previously owned books.  It didn't matter in the slightest if the books were dog-eared, had wrinkled covers, or even a little bit of water damage on them.  If the books were complete, and the price was low enough, it was good enough for her.

Well, while she was looking through the true crime books, my gaze turned towards the kids section.  And, when I turned and saw the huge stack of Archie Comic Digests from a period of twenty years just sitting there, begging to be bought, my heart felt like it was going to come out of its chest.  From that moment on, I was in love with that store!




And, I think my sister kind of noticed that I was just staring blindly at the stack of Archie comics because she offered to buy me a couple of books with the change she had left over.  So, she had something like two bucks left in her pocket, and that was enough to buy two books.  So, I decided on a couple of Jughead comics (he is my favourite character), and that was that.

But then I came back the following week with my allowance and bought a whole bunch of Betty and Veronica Digests.  And then I went the following week to score a couple of Archie Double Digests.  And, over the course of over twenty years, I would say that this store was responsible for netting me exactly half of my current comic collection.

Of course, comics weren't the only things they had on sale that I bought.  I bought a couple of pop culture books from that store, as well as some cassette tapes and CD's, as they sold old music as well.  But ultimately, it was the comic books that I was after.  And, the people who own the store got to know my by name and face.  I admit that as I grew older, and my comic collection grew more complete, I've been spending less and less time there...but I still pop in once in a while.  After all, some of the comics that are falling apart will need replacing at some point! 

So, those are three of my all-time favourite book memories.  Do you have any book places that made you smile?  Tell me about them here!

Friday, February 21, 2014

Episode Spotlight: The Facts of Life - "Who Am I?"

I've decided to do another episode spotlight for this edition of the television themed blog.  And, in this blog entry, we're going to be talking about self-identity, and how sometimes the people we associate with might make us question exactly who we are?

Confused?  It's not really that hard to understand.

I'm sure that most of us have all felt influenced by people at some point in our lives, whether we hang up their posters on our walls, whether we listen to their music or read their words, or simply being around an older family member.  All of the people we encounter in our lives, whether they be family, celebrity, or fictional character shape us into being the people we were meant to be.  And, I know that in my own life, there are a core group of people who I was influenced by.  Mind you, in the recipe of human personality, we are all the main base in which the final product is made.  The people who influence us are just the seasoning and flavouring that make us more...well...us.

And I would hope that in most cases, the flavours and spices that we add to our personalities blend well together and create something that is delectable, palatable, and enjoyable.

But what happens when you add an ingredient into the mix that completely spoils the taste of the personality that you wish to display to the world?  What happens when you let someone into your life that completely tries to improve an already decent recipe and ends up making it incredibly hard to stomach?

I mean, just think about it for a second.  Suppose you let someone into your life who is nothing but a toxic influence on you.  Suppose that person talks you into doing things that you don't feel comfortable doing and you do them anyway because he/she won't like you unless you do.  It's almost akin to being in a sort of abusive relationship - only in this relationship physical violence need not be present.

And, sometimes a person might come into your life who may appear to have the best intentions when it comes to friendship, but ends up being a wolf in sheep's clothing.

And, sometimes you might not even be aware that the person might be a negative influence on you until they change you so much that you alienate people who used to be your friends.  I know that when I was young and impressionable, I probably ended up losing a couple of really good friends because I found myself charmed by people who were nothing but bad news, and ultimately I ended up paying the price for it.




Well, in today's episode spotlight, we're going to be taking a look at a classic episode from the NBC television sitcom "The Facts of Life".  I've done a couple of blog entries on this show in the past, and it's probably one of the shows from the 1980s that I enjoyed watching because it dealt with real issues and focused on realistic problems.  It also happens to be the longest running sitcom of the 1980s, airing for nine seasons between 1979-1988.

Well, for this entry, we'll be taking a look at a season two episode.  As you well know, the second season was the one that introduced us to Jo Polniaczek, and it was the season that really began to see a surge in ratings.



In this episode, the star of the show this time around is the character of Dorothy "Tootie" Ramsey, played by Kim Fields.   And, in this episode, Tootie ends up asking herself the question "Who Am I?"

Okay, so I have to say that before we begin discussing this episode which originally aired on December 17, 1980, I have a bit of a disclaimer here.  Of the core four girls of the Facts of Life (Blair, Tootie, Natalie, and Jo), Tootie was my least favourite.  It had nothing to do with Kim Fields' acting ability.  I thought that she did a wonderful job with the role.  I just found that the Tootie character was written to be a little bit whiny and somewhat on the self-centered side.  In some cases, she could even be worse than Blair!  But, I keep telling myself that Tootie was the youngest of the girls, and then it all makes sense.

(And, besides...I liked Tootie better than some of the Season 1 girls that were dropped.  Molly was one-note and I couldn't stand Sue Ann.  But again, nothing to do with the actors themselves.)

That said, I will say that Tootie ended up getting some storylines that were quite serious in nature.  She had a meltdown over not being able to go and see Jermaine Jackson in concert, she feared that she was losing her hearing, she ended up befriending a child prostitute, she was involved in a car accident which had her intoxicated brother behind the wheel, and she almost became a child model who was almost coerced into posing nude at the tender age of eleven!

Wow, for a woman who had a wacky nickname, she sure had some serious storylines.

And in the episode "Who Am I?", I would say that Tootie had to face the exact situation that many others have faced.  Imagine having an identity crisis over the colour of your skin, and wondering who your real friends are because you're so confused over who you are because of people who consistently tell you that you should act a certain way or else you can't consider yourself truly proud of your heritage.



So, before I continue with the discussion, have a look at the episode HERE.  All twenty-two and a half minutes of it.  I'll take a break while you watch.  We'll talk about it later.  And, try not to make too much fun of the music at the end of the episode.  1980 was a transitional year in which disco didn't know whether it was still in or fading out.

All right.  So it comes as no secret that Tootie is black.  And, it also comes as no secret that Tootie's three best friends are white.  Heck, you could really consider Eastland to be a place in which there aren't a whole lot of visible minorities.  The only other non-white student that I can recall appearing in the series on a semi-regular basis was the character of Miko, played by Lauren Tom.



But prior to this episode airing, Tootie didn't see that as a problem.  She considered Natalie, Jo, and Blair to be like sisters to her.  And, since they were all forced to share a bedroom together at the beginning of season two, Tootie felt closer to them than ever before.  Tootie also shared a really close bond with her former house mother and then dietician of Eastland, Edna Garrett, who as it turns out is also white.

And, again, this is fine for Tootie, and when the episode began, she saw nothing wrong with making a dress for Blair, and helping Natalie find a partner for an upcoming dance contest that was being held at Eastland that weekend.

But then Tootie crosses paths with a boy named Fred, and all heck breaks loose.

Now, one thing right off the bat that Tootie and Fred seem to have in common is skin colour.  Both of them happen to be black.  But whereas Tootie didn't see it as being an issue, Fred seems to feel differently.  For some reason that was never really explained in the episode, Fred seems to have some sort of prejudice against Caucasian people.  And, when he discovers that Tootie happens to be friends and is living with three of them, he is completely shocked at what he perceives to be Tootie's white friends using her, and he claims that Tootie is completely ignoring her black heritage by continuing her friendship with them.  In fact, he is so touchy over the situation that he completely shows his racist side by remarking that mixing colours together is absolutely the worst thing that Tootie can do.

Now, initially, Tootie is completely believing that Fred is a jerk (and rightfully so, might I add).  Unfortunately, when Tootie is left alone to think about Fred's words, she starts to wonder if maybe Fred was right about everything.  And, with Tootie facing an identity crisis over the colour of her skin, she begins to make choices that leave her friends puzzled.

She makes Blair a dress with obvious African inspiration, and while Blair admits that she likes it, she does have reservations over wearing it, which makes Tootie very defensive.  Tootie decides that she can't be the dance partner of a Caucasian boy named Carl because of her feeling weird about being paired up with a boy of a different background, so she decides to let Carl down so that she can take Fred to the dance.  And, Tootie is so worried about who she is that she decides to hang out with other girls at Eastland who are black while shunning Natalie, Jo, and Blair.  It all becomes a big mess, and by the end of it all Tootie is left feeling even more confused than ever before. 

It really boils down to Mrs. Garrett taking action and trying to convince Tootie that she should not have to change herself in order to get someone to like her because she already had three very good friends who did like her regardless of what colour skin she had.

And when the scenes at the dance contest began, Tootie was already beginning to have second thoughts about who she picked as her date for the dance contest.  She was beginning to get bored and annoyed at Fred's constant complaining about the white people at the dance, and when she realized that her dance partner was a complete dud (Fred can't dance to save his life), Tootie decided to ditch him and go back to dancing with Carl, which transformed Fred back into his racist, less than charming self.

But I think that if you watch the end of the show, the situation resolved itself...and Tootie finally came to terms with who she really was.

Thursday, February 20, 2014

Faith, Hope, and Charity


One of the best things that I have found in regards to doing one blog posting a day for nearly three years is the opportunity for me to see just how much I have changed over the last three years.  And, I'll admit that one of the changes that I have noticed in myself during the whole process.  I guess one of the realizations that I have made about myself is that I am probably a lot happier than I was a few years ago.

Mind you, I'm not like Ned Flanders kind of happy.  That would be downright scarily-arrily.  Okelee dokelee doo?

(Yikes...I even scare myself sometimes!)

And, why am I looking at life through rose-coloured glasses lately?  Well, admittedly one of the reasons is to annoy those chronically negative Nellies who complain about EVERYTHING and ANYONE!  Seriously, as a reformed negative Nellie, I understand completely why I drove some people away.  It's more fun to drive negative people away with kindness and happy thoughts than scaring positive people away with the black cloud of gloom and death.

But, here's another more serious and less selfish reason for all of you.

I find that giving back to the community or supporting causes is a wonderful way to feel better about things.  Anybody who has ever participated in charity events or took part in great causes probably knows how good you feel afterwards.  It makes you feel as though you've done such good in the world, and I think that it makes people feel like they are a huge part of something.




And, in this Thursday Video Blog entry, I make an announcement about the latest charity endeavour I've signed up for, as well as talking about other charity events that I've taken part in over the last few years.  You'll also learn why I got involved, why it took me a long time to get involved in causes, and how I completely bungled the ending of this video entry.  Watch it, and I will clarify.


Now, what I meant by that last part is...I managed to do a lot of fundraising last year for the Relay for Life, and I plan on doing it this year as well.  But what I wanted to say was...would anyone be upset if when our team page is posted online, if I provided a link to it so that you have the option to donate to the cause?  It's not an obligation, mind you...but if you really wanted to support a great cause, I would like to have the link available in case you wanted to help out.  After all, I know many of us have lost people to cancer, and I know that everyone in the world is looking for a permanent cure for the disease.

So, what do you think?  Good idea?  Bad idea?  No opinion?

Wednesday, February 19, 2014

Bravely Default



I hope that you're all looking forward to another edition of the "Whatever Wednesday" portion of the week.  As many of you know, this is the blog entry that is decided entirely on fate. 

In most cases, the six suspect cards of the board game Clue could be considered some of the most dangerous fictional characters you could ever come across.  After all, in any given game of Clue, you know that at least one of them murdered Mr. Boddy.

In this case though, the Clue characters are our friends, and each card represents one of the theme days that are present in the blog.

So, which direction will the blog be going this time around.  Will we draw the card with the scarlet hue and talk about music?  Will I spill my guts with a plum coloured suspect?  Or, will I colour this blog a nice shade of mustard yellow with a movie review?



Well, for some reason, I'm seeing green.  Mr. Green, to be exact.

And, because I've selected Mr. Green, this obligates me to use this space to talk about a toy or game.  Green after all is the colour that represents the first two weeks of the Saturday Smorgasbord.

And, well...for today's blog entry, I'm going to be talking about a video game.  If video games aren't your thing, you're free to skip this blog if you like.  But, for those of you who are looking for a decent (and recent) video game that is hours of fun and is quite challenging without being impossible, then I think I have a recommendation for all of you.

Before I continue with this entry, I want to tell you a little bit of a story about my own experiences with video gaming.

Ever since I was a little kid, I always remembered loving video games in all their forms.  I think the first time I ever played a video game, I was four years old.  My mom had signed me up for a computer class and I was clearly the youngest kid in the whole room.  But I don't think anyone really cared all that much.  I honestly don't remember too much about that experience anyway except for a few major details.

I remember that my photo was taken and published in the newspaper, but unfortunately I don't happen to have a copy of that photo as my parents can't seem to remember what they did with it.

(If any of you reading this blog entry are from my hometown and happen to have any old issues of the Brockville Recorder and Times from 1985 lying around, and remember seeing a picture of a four-year-old boy playing on an extremely retro computer, let me know.  I'd love to get that picture back.)

But, that is beside the point.  I'm just saying that when I was a kid, I was fascinated by video games.  I would go to the corner store to check out the new arcade games, I got my first video game console at the age of eight (which admittedly was one that was manufactured years before I was born but still loved), and I admit that I love to play video games whenever I have a free moment.

But there are some video games that I love playing more than others.

I'll be the first one to admit that some of my favourite games to play are role-playing games.  A really good role playing game has a complex, but rewarding storyline, lots of puzzles and sidequests to figure out, and characters who are sympathetic, yet powerful at the same time.  And, of course, the longer the game takes to play, the more enjoyable it can be.

Seriously, I played a game of "Final Fantasy IX" a few weeks ago, and by the time I completed the whole thing, it took me a total of 71 hours, 12 minutes, and eight seconds.

(Of course, this was not in one sitting.  Trying to play a video game for nearly three days straight would kill me.)

Of all the role playing games that I have played (and believe me, I've tried all of them at least once), I was always a huge fan of the "Final Fantasy" series of games.  I played the first game when it was released for the original Nintendo system when I was nine years old, and while I didn't quite understand how to play it at first, I did like the mechanics of the game, which was to discover new areas of a mystical world and slaying beasts and monsters in order to get further in the game.  By the time I played the fourth installment of the game, I had a handle on how to really play the game, and despite tweaks here and there, I followed the game series and was a loyal fan...

...well, at least I was up until a few years ago.



I always said that one of the reasons why I loved "Final Fantasy" so much was because it often had a really rich, complicated, and rewarding storyline to accompany all the random battles and somewhat linear pathways in the earliest stages of the game.  And up until the tenth installment of the game (which was released twelve years ago), I would say that all the "Final Fantasy" games were like this.

But then they started tweaking with the formula with "Final Fantasy XI", making it more like a multi-player online game - which I'm not a fan of.  And, "Final Fantasy XII" was a huge disappointment in that the game seemed to throw storyline out the window and made it a complex mess of random battles and open sandbox exploration.  Some people might like sandbox type games, but I am not one of them.  I was so frustrated with "Final Fantasy XII" that I gave up playing it midway through and never bothered finishing it.

Although, I suppose a huge part of why I don't like the newer versions of "Final Fantasy" games is that they have lost all their charm.  Part of the reason why I loved the earlier games were because of the story.  I also liked the fact that the setting of most of the earlier games were in olden times from medieval kingdoms to steampunk villages (though admittedly I didn't mind the modern day setting of "Final Fantasy VII", as the plot of that game was captivating).  The newest games lack the warmth and the depth of their parent and grandparent games.  There's no plot development, the characters are one-dimensional, and the ultimate goal of the game is pointless.

I was left feeling a little bit crushed.  I wondered...would there ever be a "Final Fantasy" like game released ever again?  One that was fun to play, had challenging puzzles to solve, and a storyline that had more twists and turns than an episode of "General Hospital"?

Actually, there is.  And in North America, that game was just released twelve days ago.

Of course in places like Japan, it's been out for a couple of years.  But the version that was eventually released in North America on February 7, 2014 is all sorts of awesome, and it really reminded me of the old-style "Final Fantasy" games that I used to play as a kid.



Ladies and gentlemen...I present to you "Bravely Default".  A game with a lot of story, a lot of action...and one of the most bizarre names that I've ever seen for a game.  Yet, given how the battles are, the name does make sense.  But, of course, I'm getting ahead of myself.

This game - which is as of right now only available for the Nintendo 2DS and 3DS systems - is what classic "Final Fantasy" used to be for me.  And, I suppose it makes sense, given that the game was developed by the same company that created the "Final Fantasy" series over a quarter of a century ago.  If I had to give a game that "Bravely Default" closely resembles, it would be almost similar to "Final Fantasy V" in that you control four main characters, you have to protect crystals, and you can change job classes midway through the game.

So, what's the ultimate goal of the game?

Well, I just mentioned it in the previous paragraph.  Obviously there are crystals - four in all - and each crystal represents an element.  There's an earth crystal, fire crystal, wind crystal, and water crystal.  In the world of Luxendarc, the four crystals are being protected by sacred guardians known as 'Vestals'.  And, naturally you would expect that the four Vestals would be our main characters.



Well, you'd be only 1/4 right.  Sure enough, the Vestal of Wind, Agnes Oblige (Agnes' name actually has an accent over the "E", but I have no idea how to make them pop up on this keyboard - I tried the ALT codes, and it isn't registering for whatever reason)...

Um...where was I?  Oh yeah, Agnes Oblige.  Anyway, when the game begins, we learn pretty quickly that Agnes is the Vestal of Wind, and for whatever reason, we learn that a group known as the Knights of the Eternian Sky is pursuing her with the intent to capture her - dead or alive.  We also learn that the crystal that Agnes is supposed to protect has been taken over by darkness, as have all the other crystals in the world.  And, the fates of the other three vestals is not known.  Meanwhile, the Knights of the Eternian Sky have taken matters into their own hands, storming the city of Caldisla in hopes of trying to capture her.



But Agnes will soon discover that she is not alone.  Also staying in Caldisla is a man by the name of Tiz Arrior, who is staying at the Caldisla Inn after suffering a loss of his own.  A great chasm opened up not too far from Caldisla, which completely destroyed Tiz' hometown of Norende, and killing all of Tiz's family and friends.  When Tiz learns of Agnes' plight, he joins Agnes in her quest to rid the crystals of darkness while confronting other forces of evil.



There are other characters who join the party as well.  You have a character who goes by the name of "Ringabel", who seems to suffer from some sort of memory loss.  He can't even remember his own name!  But he carries with him a journal that seemingly tells the future.  It's a handy tool to have when trying to figure out where to go next, or how to defeat a certain boss.

And, there's Edea Lee, who actually begins the game on the side of enemy territory but has a change of heart after being disgusted by the Sky Knights behaviour and seeing that Agnes is not as evil as she initially thought.



Oh, and Agnes also has a companion with her in the form of a fairy named Airy who is introduced as Agnes' protector and who aids the party in determining where the locations of the crystals are.  But throughout the game, Airy's main goal is to help Agnes restore light to the crystals...in fact, she seems a little too eager to make that happen.  Let's just say that things aren't always what they seem...

The gameplay of "Bravely Default" is standard for role-playing games.  Enemies try to come at you and hurt you, and you try to kill them first by jabbing pointy things at them, or casting a few elemental spells at them, or summoning a monster that will turn them into sushi.  But there are a couple of tweaks to the system.



For one, the reason why the game is called "Bravely Default" is because it implements two commands that you can use in battle.  "Brave" allows you to take up to four turns at once in one go, but the con is that you have to miss the next three turns in battle.  "Default" allows you to defend yourself from enemy attacks, lessening any damage taken.  Depending on what kind of battle you're facing, knowing when to "Brave" and knowing when to "Default" is key to success.

And the second bonus is that you can change job titles.  Of course, the four main jobs that you can practice are White Mage (healing magic), Black Mage (offensive magic), Monk (physical fighter), and Knight (swordsmanship techniques).  But there are other jobs that you can learn along the way by defeating mini-bosses.  You can manipulate time with the Time Mage job, steal items with the Thief job, and exploit enemy weaknesses with the Ranger job.  There are twenty-four different jobs that can be learned in "Bravely Default" - half of which you learn within the first twelve hours of gameplay.

That's all that I have to say about "Bravely Default".  If anything, I hope that my review will make you check it out.  And, just on a personal note, that game has been sold out at my store for several days now.  So, I would think that means that the game is a hit...

...or they didn't send us enough copies. 

Tuesday, February 18, 2014

February 18, 1957

All right.  Today's Tuesday Timeline entry was a bit difficult for me, as I was having a tough time selecting a decent topic of discussion.  I ended up just choosing someone at random to focus on.  Interestingly enough, I ended up doing a topic about the television show that made our featured Tuesday Timeline feature famous nearly three years ago.  So, for those of you who may have been reading the blog back then, it might seem like a bit of regurgitation for you.  But for those of you who are new to the party, it'll be like a brand new entry!

(Well, okay, this entry will feature more of the person and less of the show, making it mostly new.  But anyway, I'm babbling again, so what do you say that I just get on with it, shall I?)

So, what sorts of things happened in the world on February 18?  Well, let's have a look!

1814 - The Battle of Montereau takes place during the Napoleonic Wars

1861 - Jefferson Davis is inaugurated as the provisional President of the Confederate States of America

1865 - Union forces under Major General William T. Sherman set the South Carolina State House ablaze during the burning of Columbia

1878 - The murder of John Tunstall by outlaw Jesse James sparks the Lincoln County War in New Mexico

1885 - "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn", written by Mark Twain, is first published in the United States

1911 - The first official flight with air mail aboard takes place in the area originally known as British India

1919 - Actor Jack Palance (d. 2006) is born in Pennsylvania with the birth name of Volodymyr Jack Palahniuk

1920 - Game show host Bill Cullen (d. 1990) is born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

1930 - Clyde Tombaugh discovers Pluto while studying photographs that were taken the previous month

1943 - The Nazis begin arresting members of the White Rose Movement during World War II

1950 - American director John Hughes (d. 2009) is born in Lansing, Michigan

1954 - The Church of Scientology is established in Los Angeles, California

1969 - Everybody on board Hawthorne Nevada Airlines Flight 708 are killed following the plane crashing into the side of Mount Whitney in California

1970 - The Chicago Seven are found not guilty of charges that they incited riots at the 1968 Democratic National Convention

1978 - The first Ironman Triathlon competition is held on the island of Oahu, Hawaii

1979 - Snow falls over the Sahara Desert near southern Algeria for the first - and thus far ONLY time in recorded history

1991 - Terror strikes Paddington and Victoria stations in London as the IRA detonates bombs in both areas

2001 - NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt is killed when his car gets into an accident at the Daytona 500

2006 - American musician Bill Cowsill dies of emphysema in Calgary, Alberta at the age of 58

2007 - Sixty-eight people are killed when terrorists bomb the Samjhauta Express in Panipat, Haryana, India

And, for these lucky celebrities and famous faces, they're turning one year older today.  So a big birthday wish goes out to Toni Morrison, Yoko Ono, Dick Duff, Ab McDonald, Judy Rankin, Dennis DeYoung, Cybill Shepherd, Randy Crawford, Juice Newton, Robbie Bachman, John Travolta, Tony Anselmo, Matt Dillon, Dr. Dre, Molly Ringwald, Raine Maida, Jillian Michaels, Sarah Joy Brown, Ike Barinholtz, Chelsea Hobbs, Todd Lasance, and Maiara Walsh.



Oh, yeah.  Today's blog subject is also celebrating a birthday today.  And she was born fifty-seven years ago today on February 18, 1957.

Okay, so let's go over some of the things that she did in her career.  She has made several appearances on sitcoms over the years.  She even appeared in a couple of movies (though critics raked her over the coals, unfortunately).  She has written a best-selling biography, started up her own yarn company, was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2006, and believe it or not, she currently holds a Guinness World Record!

Okay, so the title of world's most frequent clapper might not seem like that big of a deal to some of you.  But nevertheless, she has held that record since 1992 - twenty-two years and counting.

And, perhaps the one job that she is best known for in her career is one that she began a little over thirty-one years ago in December 1982.  And, her very presence on television has made people want to buy vowels, spin a wheel, and solve a puzzle.

Interestingly enough, the very first time this lady ever made a television appearance was also on a game show.  Only instead of hosting the show, she was actually a contestant.  A really bad contestant.

Let's just say that she came on down...and never left.



That clip of "The Price Is Right" originally aired on June 20, 1980.  And, it's just a shame that then 23-year-old Vanna White never did get a chance to play "Cliff Hangers" or "Any Number" or "Dice Game".  But hey, when you consider that just a couple of years later on December 13, 1982, she would be given the chance to replace departing hostess Susan Stafford on what is considered to be one of the most popular game shows of all time.  Have a look at Vanna's first iconic appearance on "Wheel of Fortune".



Wow..."Wheel Of Fortune" circa 1982 was way different than it is now!  But one thing that hasn't changed was just how charismatic and beautiful Vanna White is.  She was just as much of a natural charmer back then as she is now.



And today she turns fifty-seven years old!  I know!  57!  I have a hard time believing it myself.

So, I've already started the wheel spinning so to speak.  I've talked about how she made her first appearance as a really lousy contestant, and transitioned into one of the most recognizable and respected faces in the history of game shows.

What I haven't really touched upon is some of the personal stories along the way that helped her get to that point.



We all know that Vanna got her start turning letters on the big board (and here's some trivia for you - the very first letter she made appear on the puzzle board was a "T").  And, now Vanna gets the chance to take it easy since the board was turned into a touch-screen board in the mid-1990s.  But, I bet you didn't know that Vanna White was not the name that she was given at birth!

When Vanna was born fifty-seven years ago in Conway, South Carolina, her birth name was Vanna Marie Rosich, born to Joan Marie and Miguel Angel Rosich (her father was Puerto Rican).  Sadly, Vanna's father abandoned the family when Vanna was still a child, but her mother remarried a man named Herbert Stackley White, and Vanna made the decision to take his name as her legal last name when she was young.



And, of course, we all know that Vanna White was made the permanent hostess of "Wheel Of Fortune" alongside host Pat Sajak in 1982.  But did you know that she also dabbled in several sitcom appearances.  She made memorable appearances in "Married...With Children", "Full House", "227", and believe it or not, she served as a guest timekeeper at WrestleMania IV!  She also tried her hand at acting in films as well - particuarly in 1994's "Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult" and a 1988 television movie "Goddess of Love".  But the movie career didn't exactly pan out as TV Guide reviewed her performance as being "wheely" bad.



Oh, well.  Somehow, I don't think her feelings are hurt over it that badly.  I often wonder just how much money she makes per letter, anyway.

And, for what it's worth, Vanna's made it to almost every single taping of "Wheel Of Fortune" since she began working there thirty-one years ago - with two notable exceptions.

For one week in 1986, former hostess Susan Stafford filled in for Vanna White who had taken time off to grieve the loss of her fiance.  At the time, she was engaged to former soap opera actor John Gibson, but tragically he was killed in a plane crash on May 17, 1986 at the age of 37.  It reportedly took some time for Vanna to properly grieve his passing, and it certainly took a while for Vanna to open her heart to love again.  But in 1990, she met and fell in love with George San Pietro.  They got married in December 1990, and enjoyed their honeymoon during January 1991 - in which Tricia Gist substituted for her during that period.



Unfortunately, that marriage dissolved in 2002.  But the good news was that she did give birth to son Nicholas in 1994, and daughter Giovanna in 1997.



And Vanna White has proven that she has business skills as well, taking her love of knitting and crocheting to a whole new level by creating her own line of yarn with the brand name "Vanna's Choice"!

While I can't say that she'll be crocheting any of the dresses that she will wear on "Wheel Of Fortune", I think it's a fair bet to say that she's moved on from not winning on "The Price Is Right" quite nicely.




Happy birthday, Vanna White!