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Monday, May 19, 2014

If I Were To Write My Epitaph.



Before I go ahead with today's Motivation Monday, why not have a listen to the seventh episode of our MOTIVE4CHANGE talk show?  I, along with my friends JOSHUA, CARINE, and JONATHON had a lot of fun recording this one.  We tried a whole bunch of different things this episode, and I hope you like what you hear.

In this case, the major topic was what message we would leave behind in the world if we were to die.  And, well, given that we aired this episode on my birthday, it seemed a bit morbid to talk about death on my birthday.  But such as it is, here's the episode.

EPISODE #7 - OUR DYING ADVICE TO THE WORLD - 5/18/2014



But, I do have to mention one thing.  Some of the audio was compromised while we were recording because the final product had some parts that were corrupted.  It was nobody's fault, but we ended up losing some of our recording.  So, just to show you exactly what I really wanted to say, I thought that I would just post a text version of the speech I wrote for this episode.  Enjoy!


I have to admit that when it comes to leaving my epitaph behind, I never really gave it a lot of thought.  For one, although I know that immortality is an impossibility, I also get sort of creeped out talking about death.  It just seems so finite, and I don't want to think about dying until a long time from now.  But one thing that I have learned is that not all of us have the luxury of time, and sometimes the things you leave behind are not necessarily possessions, but words.

So, the question is simply this.  If heaven forbid I end up dying tomorrow, what is it that I would want them to know about me?  What sort of misconceptions about me would I want to clear up with those I left behind?  And, what sorts of secrets would I take to the grave?

Well, okay...I don't have THAT many secrets.  I was just being dramatic.

Okay, so let's begin with the various misconceptions that people that passed through my life have believed about me during the course of my life, shall we?

MISCONCEPTION #1:  People in my life had the belief that I am "damaged goods" or "broken", and that because of that they felt a need to try and "fix me".

Here's a news flash for those people.  I wasn't born broken, but I certainly was made to feel that way by the very people who tried to "fix me" under the guise of friendship and compassion.  Please, let's not beat around the bush.  There is absolutely zero friendship and compassion in telling somebody that they will never amount to anything because they aren't like anybody else.  That goes towards the teachers who sent me out of class and forced me to walk around school hallways with books on my head because my walking on my tiptoes was too "abnormal" for them.  That goes towards the classmates who were ballsy enough to offer me "dieting tips" because they believed that they would like me more if I lost a few pounds.  Truth be told, as I matured, I discovered that I could never sustain a friendship based on superficiality and shallowness!

Though, this does lead to my second point...

MISCONCEPTION #2:  I made self-depreciating comments about myself because I am attention seeking and wanted people to notice me.

In all honesty, the reason I poked fun at myself, and made all sorts of sarcastic jabs towards me wasn't because of attention.  Hell, if I wanted the attention, I'd strip off all my clothes and go running through a crowded shopping mall.  I'm sure that would have gotten people's attention...and me a one-way-ticket to a county jail for a 24-hour accommodation. 

Truth is...I did it because it hurt a lot less when I said it instead of letting other people tease me and belittle me.  It was what I thought to be a really nifty defense mechanism.  The more I belittled myself, the less the comments from other thoughtless people would hurt, and the better I'd feel.

I guess this leads into point number three.

MISCONCEPTION #3:  That plan of action that I just described in MISCONCEPTION #2 was nothing more than a placebo.

In fact, it taught me that of all the enemies that I had in this life, I was probably the worst one.  What was I thinking with that advice?  Certainly not one of my smarter moments.

And, from there, we go on to my fourth point.

MISCONCEPTION #4:  I grew up in a family that didn't have riches, so therefore I was not worth knowing.

I have to state that this is absolutely not true.  In fact, I want to tell you something that I've never actually revealed here.  My childhood was certainly no bed of roses in school, but there were times in my early childhood education in which we endured a lot of hardships which included losing the home that my family was renting and having to move in with my grandparents for a few months, causing a lot of stress within three different generations of families.  I don't remember much about that time, but I do recall that the general mood was glum.  I hate to admit it, but I was secretly a little bit jealous of my classmates who had the big houses and toys filling their bedrooms, and who wore the latest fashions, and all of that jazz.  It didn't dawn on me that their lives could have been filled with a lot of anger, sadness, and pain.  A lot of the kids in my school seemed to judge people based on how much money they had, and since my family didn't have a whole lot, they didn't give me the time of day.  But you know something?  Somehow, I still think that I turned out all right.  At least I know the value of a dollar and at least I know how to save money for a rainy day.  Hell, there have been years in which I have survived monsoons, and still have come out money ahead!  I suppose that my upbringing had a lot to do with it, and I'm proud of my non-materialistic ways.

MISCONCEPTION #5:  I'm socially awkward because I have no people skills.

Actually, I'm socially awkward because of having social anxiety brought on by years of being treated horribly by peers (which unfortunately you'll run into no matter where you are), and by some adult figures in my life (who unfortunately were old enough to know better).  But thanks to those of you judgmental people for continuing to judge me even though you never once made an effort to include me or make me even feel human.  Good to know.

Now, I know what you're saying.  You're thinking that my epitaph is just me venting a lot of frustration over how things went in my life.  You're absolutely right.  I did vent a lot of frustration.  I guess it's because I kept things bottled up for so long that if I were to die tomorrow, leaving this message behind would be a kind of a wake-up call to those people who jumped to the wrong conclusions about me.  It would let them know that I am not the person they thought I was.  That I didn't need fixing.  That I had feelings that were more sensitive than other people's.  That I could be a social butterfly if I were treated like I belonged and that I was worthy of respect.

I guess that after I am gone from this world, I wouldn't want people to associate me with negative memories.  Instead, I want to see seen as sensitive, kind, intuitive, empathetic, and most of all, strong.

After all...you don't have to raise a wall, or push a car down a hill, or lift up a 500 pound barbell to show that you're strong.  You can measure a person's true strength just by measuring just how much they've had to go through in their lives.  And, I think that my legacy will be one of strength.  I may not show it, but I'm a lot stronger than most will ever give me credit for.

Most of all myself.

Sunday, May 18, 2014

Jumpin' Kris Kross



Well?  What do you think? 



As promised, I did mention that the site would be getting a complete overhaul this weekend, and as you can see, the site renovation is complete, and just six days ahead of schedule for the blog's third anniversary!


Well, okay, I have a confession to make.  I did plan to time this renovation for the eighteenth anyways.  I figure that since I'm turning another year older today that it was time for a fresh new beginning.  The renovation of the blog was just the first step.  I'm looking at 33 as being a transitional year.  Here's hoping that I can make it that way.  Of course, we never know what the future will hold.  All we can do is take things one day at a time.

Now, on with the subject of today's Sunday Jukebox.  Today is the day that I take a look back in time through the various songs that hit #1 on my birthday.  Won't that be fun!



The problem is...I can't do the blog on the #1 song the exact day I was born.  I already did a piece on Kim Carnes' "Bette Davis Eyes" when this blog was first started.  Too bad too.  It would have been a great song to feature.

Hmmm...maybe if I post the other 33 songs that hit #1 on my birthday, I'll be inspired to come up with the right song to discuss.  Surely there must be some song that I like enough to feature on this page.

I've already revealed the #1 song for May 18, 1981, so let's start off with 1982 and go from there...

1982 - Ebony & Ivory - PAUL MCCARTNEY & STEVIE WONDER
1983 - Beat It - MICHAEL JACKSON
1984 - Hello - LIONEL RICHIE
1985 - Don't You (Forget About Me) - SIMPLE MINDS
1986 - Greatest Love Of All - WHITNEY HOUSTON
1987 - With Or Without You - U2
1988 - Anything For You - GLORIA ESTEFAN & MIAMI SOUND MACHINE
1989 - Forever Your Girl - PAULA ABDUL
1990 - Vogue - MADONNA
1991 - I Like The Way (The Kissing Game) - HI-FIVE
1992 - Jump - KRIS KROSS
1993 - That's The Way Love Goes - JANET JACKSON
1994 - The Sign - ACE OF BASE
1995 - This Is How We Do It - MONTELL JORDAN
1996 - Tha Crossroads - BONE THUGS-n-HARMONY
1997 - Hypnotize - THE NOTORIOUS B.I.G.
1998 - Too Close - NEXT
1999 - Livin' La Vida Loca - RICKY MARTIN
2000 - Maria Maria - SANTANA
2001 - All For You - JANET JACKSON
2002 - Foolish - ASHANTI
2003 - Get Busy - SEAN PAUL
2004 - Yeah! - USHER
2005 - Hollaback Girl - GWEN STEFANI
2006 - SOS - RIHANNA
2007 - Makes Me Wonder - MAROON 5
2008 - Bleeding Love - LEONA LEWIS
2009 - Boom Boom Pow - BLACK EYED PEAS
2010 - OMG - USHER f. will.i.am
2011 - E.T. - KATY PERRY f. KANYE WEST
2012 - Somebody That I Used To Know - GOTYE f. KIMBRA
2013 - Can't Hold Us - MACKLEMORE & RYAN LEWIS
2014 - All Of Me - JOHN LEGEND


Well, right off the bat, I can eliminate the songs from 1982, 1985, 1986, 1990, and 1994.  I already did blogs on all of those songs already.  And, I'm going to just put it out there.  Many of these songs (particularly the ones released after 1995) are ones that I am not a fan of.  And, besides, 1995 was considered to be my worst birthday ever with two-fifths of my family being hospitalized due to surgery, so I really don't want to talk about that year.

So, you know...I came up with an idea.  Why don't I just pick the birthday that I remember the most and just go from there.  And, in fact, I can tell you exactly what it was.



It would be birthday #11...so that would take us to the year 1992.  For starters, my birthday fell on a Monday, which in Canada meant no school! (In Canada there's a holiday called "Victoria Day" which occurs on the Monday during the week of May 18-24, and every time my birthday falls on a Monday, I miss school).  But did you know that my whole fifth grade class actually got together to throw me a surprise party?  Believe it or not, it really did happen!  It's also one of the reasons why I have more fond memories of elementary school than I do high school.  It's hard for me to explain who came up with the idea for the party, and I don't know how they pulled it off...but it was a really kind gesture for all of the kids to get together to help me ring in birthday #11!  I never forgot that.  And, even though I haven't seen some of those kids in years, and even though some of the kids didn't quite get along with me...it certainly is a memory that I don't think I'll ever forget. 

(It also remains the only time that I remember ever having a surprise party thrown for me.  But hey, one birthday out of thirty-three isn't that bad of a track record.)

So, let's go back in time twenty-two years to the time in which my eleventh birthday took place, and see what the story is behind this #1 hit.



ARTIST:  Kris Kross
SONG:  Jump
ALBUM:  Totally Krossed Out
DATE RELEASED:  February 6, 1992
PEAK POSITION ON THE BILLBOARD CHARTS:  #1 for 8 weeks

Wow!  Kris Kross!  Remember them?  When I was in sixth grade, they were all over the radio!  And would you believe that "Jump" was their very first hit and that it stayed at the top of the charts for two months before being dethroned by Mariah Carey's "I'll Be There" in June 1992?  That's quite an impressive feat!

But not nearly as impressive as the fact that when Kris Kross were first hitting the music scene, the two members were only twelve and thirteen!



The story behind Kris Kross goes like this.  The two members of Kris Kross (Chris "Mac Daddy" Kelly and Chris "Daddy Mac" Smith) were discovered at an Atlanta shopping mall by then 19-year-old Jermaine Dupri in 1991.  At the time, Kelly was thirteen and Smith was just twelve.  Their voices had not yet hit puberty at the time, and yet, both of them were signed to Ruffhouse Records in early 1992.

The name Kris Kross was chosen as the duo's name for a number of reasons.  For one, both members of the band were named Chris, so that was a given that they would use their name in some format.  As for why they adopted the letter K instead of a C for their name, I'm not sure exactly what the reason was behind it.  But, I suppose that I can only speculate that they did it to distinguish themselves from singer Christopher Cross, who had several hits in the late 1970s and early 1980s with "Think of Laura", "Ride Like The Wind", and "Sailing".

Oh, and one other thing that the duo did that separated themselves from the mainstream involved their fashion.  Not only were their clothing items on the baggy side, but they also opted to wear them completely backwards as well.  I suppose that adds another dimension to the "Kris Kross" name, as the duo wore their clothes the opposite way of how most people did.  Personally, I don't know how people could wear their jeans backwards.  Wouldn't it be a heck of a time trying to get the zipper to go up?

Oh, well...I suppose wearing your jeans backwards is only ever so slightly better than wearing your pants down so low, people can actually see the button that is clasping the fly on your boxer shorts together.  But only slightly.



Anyway, let's talk about the single "Jump", which spent an astounding total of eight weeks on the top of the Billboard Hot 100 in the spring of 1992.  When it was released, it became the fastest selling single since 1977 to hit the music stores, and was the first song to spend eight consecutive weeks at the top of the charts in nine years.  Of course, Boyz II Men and Mariah Carey would double that run in late 1995 with their single "One Sweet Day", but back in 1992, it was a big deal.

I should also note that this song kept some other established groups from reaching the Top 40.  En Vogue's "My Lovin' (Never Gonna Get It)" and the Red Hot Chili Peppers' "Under The Bridge" only made it to #2 because of the success of the Kris Kross song.

(Which to me was sort of a shame as having a Red Hot Chili Peppers song hit the top of the charts on your birthday would have been the absolute pinnacle of awesomeness.  But hey, I admit I liked Kris Kross back in the day.)

Of course, the song wasn't without some minor controversy as well.  When Kris Kross first came out, they had a bit of feud going on with another rap group, "Another Bad Creation", and the initial pressing of the "Jump" single contained a sample of the "Another Bad Creation" single "Playground", which was a hit in 1991.  The song played, then you heard a scratching song, and then the song "Jump" played in full.  But this pressing didn't last too long, as the duo had to get rid of the "Playground" sample due to charges of copyright infringement.

Even so, the song still managed to sell a total of over two million copies, making it third best-selling song of 1992.  Not bad for a couple of kids.  They certainly achieved more than I did when I was twelve/thirteen.  At that age, I considered it a huge feat to completely beat "Final Fantasy VI" in a time of just under forty-eight hours!

One final note to add about this song.  As you know, the song hit the top of the charts in the United States.  But it also topped the charts in Australia, Belgium, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, and Switzerland.  And when the end of the decade charts were published for the 1990s, it was the twenty-third most successful song of the entire decade according to Billboard. 

After the success of "Jump", it earned the duo enough credibility to tour with Michael Jackson on his 1992 "Dangerous" tour, and they made cameo appearances in a Michael Jackson music video, as well as in videos released by TLC and Run-D.M.C.  They even had another Top 20 hit in 1992 with the single "Warm it Up", a third Top 20 hit a year later with "Alright", and a fourth Top 20 hit with "Tonite's The Night" in 1995. 



However, by 1996, Kris Kross had decided that enough was enough, and the two members of the band went their separate ways shortly after their third album was released.  Of course, by then both members of Kris Kross were almost eighteen, and it was only natural that they would want to try doing things on their own.  But after trying their hands at solo careers, the two members did reunite for a twentieth anniversary celebration for So So Def Recordings - a company owned by the very man who discovered Kris Kross, Jermaine Dupri.

Sadly, that concert, which was held on February 23, 2013 would be the final time in which Chris Kelly and Chris Smith would perform together.  Less than three months later, on May 1, 2013, Chris Kelly was found in his Atlanta home unconscious.  Despite efforts to save his life, Kelly died in an Atlanta hospital later that afternoon.  



Chris Kelly was only 34 years old.  The cause of death was linked to drug abuse. 

The day after Kelly died, Jermaine Dupri paid tribute to Kelly on his Twitter page, referring to Kelly as the son that he never had.  And Chris Smith - who had been friends with Kelly since they were in the first grade - was equally devastated.

But you know, even though one-half of Kris Kross is now gone, it's nice to know that the group still lives on in some manner.  Of course, "Jump" forever has a place in rap music history, but Kris Kross also inspired other hip hop and new jack swing artists find their way onto the charts.  I also believe that Kris Kross was one of the many groups that changed the way that music was presented during the 1990s.  I can honestly say that I'm still a fan of early 1990s hip hop and new jack swing music, largely because of the presence of Kris Kross on the charts.

And, hey...that song was #1 during one of my favourite birthdays ever.  How can I not love it?

Saturday, May 17, 2014

Bustin' Loose


First things first...get a good look at this blog right now.  Get a look at the light purple wallpaper background.  The light yellow boxes where the blog entries are written.  The Impact font that has been a staple of this blog for at least two years.  The purple and blue splotchy logo with the Italicized white "A POP CULTURE ADDICT'S GUIDE TO LIFE" enclosed within it for the last few months.  

Get a nice good look at it now...because this is going to be the last time you see this look.

Yes, this design served me well over the last two years (prior to that, I used a pink and blue motif during this blog's earliest days).  But, like all good things, it's time for a major overhaul.  And you've seen some of these changes in action so far with the slight changes in font, more use of colour, and the rearrangement of the theme days.

Well, this weekend brings forth the biggest change of all.  And sometime this weekend, that change will be implemented in what will be the biggest layout change that I've ever done with this blog.  New logo, new colour scheme, new everything!  I've definitely experimented with some various backgrounds and different colour schemes, and I think I found one to match the wicked cool logo that my MOTIVE4CHANGE co-host Joshua designed for me.  I am hoping that you enjoy the new look, and as always, I encourage feedback from all my readers!  After all, this blog is as much your creation as it is mine!  You guys and gals truly inspire me to do my best here.  I truly mean that.

So, anyway, that's enough about that.  Trust me when I tell you that you'll know when the changes come.  It will be that drastic. 

Now, let's talk about the new feature based on an old feature.  It's Saturday Night At The Movies!

And, this week, I've decided to pick a movie that was released approximately thirty-three years ago this week.  But thirty-three is such an odd number, don't you think?  Not thirty, or forty, but thirty-three.  Why the big deal about 33?



Well, I have a bit of a confession for you all.  This weekend, I happen to turn the big 3-3.  And, I have to tell you that I'm hoping that 33 is a good year.  It just seems like a number that could bring forth huge possibilities and huge changes.  This blog makeover is certainly only the beginning of that.  And, maybe if you're interested, I'll fill you in on some of the other changes that I'll be doing in my 33rd year of life.  But, only if you're interested.  I won't force you.

So, this explains why I wanted to feature a movie that was released in May 1981.  But here's the problem.  Apparently, May 1981 was NOT a good month for movies at all.  I hadn't even heard of a good 75% of the films that were listed as new releases during that time period, and the others that were there were films that I actually despised. 

I was about ready to give up hope and move right on to June 1981 when I came across one film on the list that I remember liking.  It's not my all-time favourite movie, but it's certainly the one movie on the list that I can talk about long enough to do a substantial blog on!

It's a film that was originally released four days after my actual birthday, on May 22, 1981, and the film starred the late Richard Pryor in a movie about an ex-con who is granted a second chance to live a crime-free life following the violation of his probation.



But the actual plot of the movie is nothing compared to the real-life dramatic incident that happened to Pryor during the filming of this movie.  We'll get to that a little bit later.



For now, let's talk a bit about the plot of the 1981 film "Bustin' Loose", the topic of this week's movie discussion.  In addition to Richard Pryor, the film starred Cicely Tyson, Robert Christian, and a whole lot of child actors.  You'll learn more about those kids in the next couple of paragraphs.

The film received mixed to mediocre reviews when it was released.  Some critics loved it, others didn't care for it.  But the movie ended up making a grand total of $31 million at the box office.  Which granted doesn't seem like a lot of money given that movies like "Avatar" reached the one billion dollar mark.  But keep in mind that money bought a lot more thirty-three years ago than it does now.

Anyway, Richard Pryor starred as convicted felon Joe Braxton, a man who does something incredibly stupid while on parole.  Needless to say, if you're out on parole for a crime, it might not be the best idea to steal a shipment of television sets from an electronics store.  Especially if you're dumb enough to get caught while doing it.

Now, I've never been in trouble with the law before, so I can only speculate what happens when a person violates the conditions of their parole.  But I'm fairly sure that any parole violators usually get the book thrown at them.

But here's the twist in "Bustin' Loose".  In this case, Braxton manages to get a second chance (after playing a game of good old reverse psychology on the judge who is presiding over the trial), and he ends up going on an adventure with his parole officer (Christian), a school teacher named Vivian (Tyson), and eight special needs children who have yet to be relocated to new schools after their old one (in which Vivian used to teach at) closed down.  Just to put into perspective what sorts of kids I'm talking about, let's break it down.  We have one kid who is desperate to learn how to drive even though he is completely blind.  We have another child who has an unhealthy obsession with torching things and watching them burn.  And we have a little girl who once worked as a child prostitute in Vietnam.

Quite the motley crew of characters, eh?

Anyway, the decision to take the children out to a farm that Vivian's aunt owns in Washington seems to be the most logical one, so Braxton decides to fix up an old school bus and take the kids to the farm himself.  And, naturally, Braxton ends up spending so much time with the children that he starts to find ways to help them express themselves better, and to help them cope in a world that frequently made them feel bad about themselves.

Now, that's really all of the plot details that I can give out at this time.  Anything else would be spoiling the film for you.  And, even though the movie discussion has switched from Mondays to Saturdays, I will state that the rules of me not revealing the ending to any of these films will remain firmly in place no matter what day movie discussions fall on.

But to make it up to you, I have a very interesting story to tell you about one behind the scenes moment that almost killed Richard Pryor!

Now, it should come as no secret that Richard Pryor had problems with substance abuse and alcohol.  It was well documented, especially in the early part of his career.  Abusing drugs and alcohol had been a coping strategy for Pryor to deal with depression.  Unfortunately, his dependency on alcohol and drugs lead to an incident that happened on June 9, 1980 while he was filming "Bustin' Loose".  He was attempting to freebase cocaine while drinking a bottle of rum.  Certainly not the greatest combination in the world.

And, certainly not the smartest thing that Pryor ever did.  During the process, he accidentally set himself on fire and instead of doing the stop, drop, and roll thing that you're supposed to do when your clothes catch on fire, he ran down the street screeching like a banshee before police came upon the sight and subdued him while putting out the flames.  By the time he was taken to hospital, he had fifty per cent of his body covered with serious burns, and he spent a total of six weeks recuperating in hospital.  Although reports differ from how things really went down (theories range from Pryor accidentally setting himself on fire in a drug induced rage to Pryor actually attempting to commit suicide), regardless, it happened.

Fortunately, Richard survived the incident, only to be diagnosed with multiple sclerosis six years later.  Still, he managed to live twenty-five more years, passing away in 2005 at the age of 65.

Reportedly with a smile on his face, according to his widow, Jennifer.

Friday, May 16, 2014

Baking in a Gluten-Free/Nut-Free/Egg-Free World


All right.  Before I go ahead with today's edition of the brand new Foodie Friday theme day, I wanted to do a little bit of self-promotion courtesy of an iPad mini, a white board, and a dream.  Now, granted, most of you who don't live in Ontario, Canada will likely not be able to get to this event, but for those of you who are, consider it my little piece of cross-promotion.



Once again I will be doing the "Relay for Life" event in my hometown, a 12-hour event which will have all participants walking around a track for cancer research.  I had such a great time last year with the event and I am definitely looking forward to participating in the event again this year with some of my friends from work.  And, because we're trying to raise money for cancer research, our team is definitely coming up with ways to try and raise money for the event.

And, what better way than with a cake walk and bake sale?  Or, as I like to call it, the "Cake 'n' Bake"!

Seriously, there's just something about bake sales that always have my mouth watering and my sweet tooth tingling with excitement!  As someone who admittedly has an out-of-control appetite for anything sweet, I've always loved a great bake sale.  And, while I always have maintained that my mother makes some of the greatest baked goods in the whole world, I must say that as long as a lot of love and care was spent on each individual cookie, brownie, nanaimo bar, or pan of baklava, I would be game to eating anything.



Well, anything that doesn't contain a strawberry, that is.  I have an allergy to strawberries.  Luckily, the strawberry is the only berry (and food for that matter) that I have an allergic reaction to.  In fact, it's not even that serious of an allergy.  I just develop several itchy spots all over my body that are the same colour as a strawberry.  It's more annoying than anything.

(And, it makes it really hard to buy yogurt, as 90% of all yogurt multipacks have at least three containers of strawberry yogurt in them.)

But, I'm just thankful that I have but ONE food allergy.  I don't know if it's just me that is noticing this, but aren't food allergies becoming more and more common these days?

Twenty years ago when I graduated elementary school, there was a time in which kids could bring peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch and the teachers wouldn't bat an eye.  These days, a kid brings in a peanut butter cookie and the school board treats it as if it's a weapon of mass destruction!

I honestly don't really know how to explain why there has been such an increase in food allergies as of late.  Whether it is due to the fault of pesticides, resistance to antibiotics, not enough exposure to probiotics, or simply the need to have excessively clean homes and businesses causing the rise...it's really hard to say.

But these days, you can't seem to go into a supermarket without being bombarded with lots of brand new labels on products.  Products boasting that they are peanut-free, gluten-free, sugar-free, egg-free, and dairy-free.  And, in some of these cases, these foods can also be taste-free!

It certainly makes preparing foods to sell at a bake sale that much harder.  For me it's easy enough to still select a treat.  All I have to do is choose foods that do not have strawberries in them.  But for people who have allergies to dairy, nuts, and eggs, it can be that much more difficult.  As far back as I could remember, my mom used all three of these things in almost every single thing she has ever baked.  I couldn't imagine not being able to eat any cookie, cake slice, or brownie that my mom makes because of an allergy to one or more key ingredient. 

I mean, surely there has to be some sort of baked treat that people with any kind of allergy could eat.  I just have to find them, right?

One problem.  My mother doesn't own any sort of cookbook that have recipes that are gluten-free, dairy-free, or nut-free.  So, where would I go to get recipes that people of all nutritional tolerances can enjoy?

Well, would you believe that my own workplace inspired today's recipe share?

You see, there's a magazine that is available at most stores in the retail chain that I work for.  It's a magazine that essentially is targeted towards the typical shopper at one of the stores - a woman in her late thirties/early forties with a couple of children.  It features fashion tips, crafts and games for children, ideas for things to make the holidays better, and of course, it has a whole section for recipes.

And, the best part?  The magazine is absolutely free.  You really don't even have to buy anything at the store to get the magazine.

But here's the thing.  The magazine is only available in Canadian stores.  And since most of my readers come from the United States, you probably won't know where to get this magazine unless you know how to download it onto your smartphone or tablet.

Well, I have a special treat for you.  I'm sure that the people who came up with the recipe page for this magazine won't mind if I scan the recipes from the latest issue on my scanner, and then post the recipes in my blog.  After all, the magazine is absolutely free, and I'm sure that the people who made the recipes up would be quite happy to see them traveling across the globe!

As it so happens, this month's edition of the magazine had a section that focused entirely on tasty treats that still tasted like the cookies and brownies you grew up with, but substituting other ingredients for the ones that would cause people to have serious allergic reactions.

Now, I myself haven't tried these recipes yet, but they certainly look very tasty on the page.  For those of you who do try the recipes, please let me know how they turned out!

For now, enjoy these recipes for Nut-Free Butter Tart Squares, Egg-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies, and Gluten-Free Brownies!  Bon appetit (and, don't worry, if you click on the images, you can blow the font up so that it is easier to read)!



And, I have one more final thing to say before I close the recipe book on another Foodie Friday.  If you have any recipes that you would like to spotlight in this space (it can be anything you want), by all means, you are more than welcome to send it to me.  I will give you full credit for your recipe, and you will have your recipe shared with people all over the world!  I'd call that a great trade-off!

And, I even have an e-mail address where you can send your recipes.  You can send them to
matthewwturcotte518@gmail.com or if you like, you can visit the "A POP CULTURE ADDICT'S GUIDE TO LIFE" Facebook page and leave a recipe there.  Or, you can just leave a comment below!  

Thursday, May 15, 2014

Sitcom Unemployment Line

Welcome to another edition of "Tube Talk Thursday", and in this edition of the blog, I thought that we would take a look at the world of television sitcoms.

And, well, in today's blog entry, I'll be talking about several different sitcom characters all with a common theme.

You all know that I have a tendency to do these kinds of blog entries once in a while.  Talking about a bunch of different shows instead of just one.  The reason why I like doing these entries is because I have the opportunity to compare and/or contrast the way that characters from different sitcoms would handle the same situations.  Would they crash and burn, or would they press through the pain to strive towards better opportunities?

Well, in today's blog entry, we will be talking about a situation that many sitcom characters have had to face over the course of their whole lives.  And, sadly in the real world, so many people have experienced this situation first hand.  In fact, I know quite a few people who are dealing with this scenario currently, and I can't imagine it being very easy on them at all.

The situation is the loss of a job.

It's a sad fact of life these days, but job security isn't what it used to be.  Five decades ago, people would find a job and in all likelihood stay in the job until they turn 55, 65, 68, or whatever age retirement is.  These days, job security seems to be more unstable than ever before.  Unless you happen to be the CEO of a Fortune 500 company or run your own successful business, I can't say that anyone in the world can ever say that their job is 100% secure.  A slow year in sales could mean chain-wide layoffs.  Bad business decisions can destroy a company from the inside out.  And, accounting fraud can completely bankrupt and shut down a whole business.  Note:  See Enron Scandal of 2001 for more information.

Do I feel secure in my own job?  In some ways yes, in other ways no.  In fact, lately I've been asking myself some questions, and the main one that flies through my mind is "if I were to lose my job tomorrow, would I have a plan to start all over again"?

Well, to be honest, if you had asked me this question five years ago, I would have no plans made at all.  But if I were to lose my job tomorrow, I think that I would be okay.  If anything, it would give me even more motivation to pursue my dreams.  I could take some time off and write a lot (I could probably write a book in eight weeks if I used the eight hours a shift I normally work to do nothing but write), or I could also check into other job opportunities.  I've built up a lot of things that I can now add to my resume that weren't there a decade ago.  I think if it came down to it, I would be a little bit lost if my job was terminated, but I would find a way out of it.

And, that's what I want to talk about in today's blog.  I'll be talking about people (albeit fictional ones) who have lost their jobs on television sitcoms, and the steps they took to survive a devastating blow.  I don't exactly know how this would go when I began writing this.  I guess my hope was that people could look at these situations that sitcom characters have experienced and realize that in some cases, the loss of a job wasn't necessarily the end of the line.  And maybe this is still what I intended to do...I don't know.

Regardless, let's have a look at some of the people who lost their jobs on their shows, but somehow found a way to come out ahead.




HARRIETTE WINSLOW - Perfect Strangers/Family Matters

No, that wasn't a typo.  The character of Harriette Winslow (played by JoMarie Payton) actually originated on the Miller-Boyett television sitcom "Perfect Strangers", and for a couple of seasons, she worked as an elevator operator at the Chicago Chronicle newspaper offices.  She frequently interacted with Larry Appleton and Balki Bartokomous and her character proved to be quite popular on the show.  She was so popular that when Miller-Boyett was creating another sitcom in 1989, they decided to spin Harriette off of "Perfect Strangers" and made her one of the stars of "Family Matters", which focused on the life of Harriette, her husband Carl, and her three children. 

And, wouldn't you know it?  On the second episode of "Family Matters", Harriette went to her bosses at the Chronicle for a raise, where she was promptly shown the door.  She was fired from her job, and thus explained why she would not return to "Perfect Strangers" for the rest of that series' run.  Naturally, Harriette was devastated, and Carl tried his best to cheer Harriette up.  But the only way that Harriette could be cheered up was if she landed another job, and she did...as a security officer for the very building that she was fired from!  How's that for going full circle?

Of course, the possibilities of getting let go from one job only to get a better job in the same exact workplace is EXTREMELY RARE.  So, let's continue with this discussion by talking about a pair of characters who actually made magic happen by QUITTING their jobs.




JOEY GLADSTONE & JESSE KATSOPOLIS - Full House

Okay, so throughout the show's eight year run, admittedly Jesse and Joey have had more jobs than Barbie...or so it seemed.  We all know that Jesse's big dream was to become the next big rock star, and we all know that Joey wanted to become a stand-up genius.  And, well...neither dream worked out (though Jesse did have that #1 hit in Japan).

But in between the gigs and the concerts, Jesse and Joey had day jobs that they worked to help pay the bills (well, I'm assuming they paid Danny's bills, since you know they never left the house during the show's run).  And, in the show's second season, Jesse and Joey teamed up to work in the advertising business.  With Jesse's musical talents, and Joey's natural ability to impersonate several celebrities and cartoon characters, the two were very successful for two seasons.  Well, that is until a woman who wanted the duo to promote a new line of men's fragrances came into their lives and changed everything about their campaign.  Certainly everyone has been in this situation before, you know?  Having something completely set up one way only for someone higher up than you completely changing it to their liking.  Frustrating, but there's not very much that you can do about it...

...well, unless you walk off the job like Jesse and Joey did.  The minute that Jesse learned that he would be promoted as a sex object, he and Joey had enough.  But was that the end of their careers as they knew it?  Hardly.

Joey ended up hosting a children's show for a year, and Jesse eventually bought The Smash Club.  And both hosted a radio program entitled "Rush Hour Renegades" which was a hit...which was surprising, given that it seemed as though nothing ever went right on that show!  But still, it's nice to know that these two men always strived for what they wanted out of a career...well, most of the time, anyway.

Let's see.  Who else can I feature?




ROSEANNE CONNER - Roseanne

I know some people might not see Roseanne Conner as that good of a role model.  She's loud, she's abrasive, she's stubborn, and she is not above using sarcasm and bluntness to get her points across.  But even though she doesn't always show it (and even though some people in the fictional community of Lanford are probably scared to death of her), she does have an insanely good heart and truly does want the best for herself, her husband, and their three children (even though Becky and Darlene probably have caused her more reasons to drink than anything).  And part of that motivation for Roseanne to keep things together was not to reject any job that came her way.  Roseanne would try almost anything once.  Though some jobs she quit, other job opportunities came after she was laid off, or fired, or had her job taken away because the business closed.  Here's just a sampling of the jobs she worked.

- Factory worker at Wellman Plastics
- Fast food server at a chicken restaurant
- Waitress at a department store cafe
- Hair Sweeper at a Salon
- Co-Owner of the Lanford Lunch Box

Of course, there were some heartbreaking moments for Roseanne along the way.  Did you know that when she quit Wellman Plastics, several others followed her after she staged a walk-out due to her boss being an egotistical control freak?  And, Roseanne almost landed a great job at a factory but had it cruelly taken away after the manager of the factory found out that she was computer illiterate?  Imagine Roseanne's sadness when a party was thrown in her honour with everybody believing that she had the job.  You think that it would have been mortifying for Roseanne.  Well, in a way it was...but in a way, it wasn't...

...because all of those other women that walked off the job that day ended up getting brand new opportunities that made them healthier, happier, and much better prepared in a financial sense...all because Roseanne had the guts to stand up for herself.  They learned to do the same, and they ended up doing very well.  And, by the end of the series, Roseanne herself came to some conclusions herself...even if the ninth season was kind of weird.

Anyway, those are just three examples right there from sitcom land.  Do you have any more to add?

Wednesday, May 14, 2014

Who Am I Wednesday #2

Well, here we are.  Another Wednesday, and another "WHO AM I WEDNESDAY" is on the docket, the day where you try to guess who I'm talking about based on a fictional diary entry, day planner page, or calendar page.

Hey...I am a master of pop culture.  I can find these things anywhere.  Or, at least make them up in the guise of them.  I make a much better actor when I imagine myself typing as them as opposed to standing on a stage pretending to BE them.

Now, because this topic is brand new, and didn't really get a whole lot of response, I'll explain it again.



It's a bit of a game, the "WHO AM I WEDNESDAY".  I'll pick a person, real or fictional, and I will write out a page from a journal or day planner, and your job is to pick out the clues from what is written on the page and guess who I'm describing.

Sounds simple right?

Again, there are no prizes available.  You forget that retail doesn't pay very much...ever.  This is strictly for fun.  And, honestly, I'm not sure if this will actually continue, so I'm just trying it out for a few weeks to gauge the response.  The other two new theme days are performing fantastic, so I'm still testing the waters.  Hope you don't mind!

Okay, so firstly, I will tell you the answer from last week's entry.  Remember the clues that were given...

- It took place on someone's sixteenth birthday.
- The person whose diary entry was posted talked about how her best friend forgot her birthday.
- It takes place in a city that has some sort of pyramid shaped office building.
- She talked about how her friend began neglecting her after she met her boyfriend in Spain during a foreign exchange program.
- Her nicknames for her best friend's family are Mr. T, Hairboy, and Squirt.
- She apparently once called her best friend a "geekburger".
- Her best friend has the name Donna Jo.

Have you figured it out yet?  Well, here's one more hint.



Hmmm...the "Full House" theme.  Oh, yes.  That show takes place in San Francisco, doesn't it?  And aside from the Golden Gate Bridge, the only other outstanding landmarks are Coit Tower, Lombard Street (that zigzag street), and the Transamerica Pyramid - which our diary scribe accidentally called the Transsexual Pyramid!

Okay, so she may not be the brightest bulb in the camera.  Another clue.  But she did go on that trip to Spain with her friend named Donna Jo.  And, I suppose Donna Jo could be abbreviated to D.J. 



Wait a minute.  Wasn't there a character on Full House named D.J. Tanner?  Why, yes.  Candace Cameron Bure played her for eight years!  But, who was D.J.'s best friend?



Oh, yeah!  It was Kimberly Louise Gibbler.  Otherwise known as just Kimmy.  And, as it so happens, Kimmy Gibbler was the subject of the very first WHO AM I WEDNESDAY!  



Oh, yeah...the elaborately crafted story?  It all came from a season six episode of the "Full House" series.  It was called "Birthday Blues", and it was the episode in which D.J. actually forgot Kimmy's 16th birthday and made her a hash brown and potato cake.  And the date of the diary entry is the day after that episode originally aired.  Pretty crafty huh?  I certainly did a lot of research on that episode!

(Thank you "Full House Reviewed" for the recap.  And, actually, check out the site.  This guy reviews every single episode of the series with a whole lot of snark.  If you haven't checked it out, click HERE!)

All right.  Now for today's edition of WHO AM I WEDNESDAY!  And for this one, we once again feature a fictional character.  This time, we're going to take a look at their day planner.  Hopefully you can figure out who it is by the clues left behind.

So, tell me.  Who is it?

SUNDAY MAY 11

5:45 AM - Wake up to the sound of birds singing

6:00 AM - Lay out best green suit for Sunday Church Services.  I can't be late, no siree!

6:20 AM - Get dressed.

6:30 AM - Get the kids up by singing them their favorite hymn.

7:00 AM - Eat a scrumptio-diddly-dumptious breakfast.

7:15 AM - Make a note - Buy some more gluten-free, sugar-free cereal.  It makes Roddy jiggly-wiggly at the breakfast table.

8:00 AM - Sit down as a family and watch Hour of Power before church services.

8:45 AM - Leave for church; blow a kiss to my beloved Maudie up in the heavens.  I still miss her.

9:00 AM - Head inside church, making sure to get the pew that is front and center.

9:30 AM - 11:00 AM - Become enlightened by the words of the Bible.

11:01 AM - Ask Reverend about bake sale.

11:03 AM - Ask Reverend about how to handle next door neighbor.

11:05 AM - Ask Reverend and his wife to dinner for the eighty-sixth time, hoping that he will say yes this time.

11:06 AM - Head home; must think of another approach to get Reverend home for dinner.  What if I make him a nice peach cobbler.  Yummy yummy yum!

12:00 PM - Prepare a nice lunch of non-fat, gluten-free, dairy-free pasta for the boys.  As for me, I'll settle for a slice of white bread with a glass of water on the side for dippin'! 

12:30 PM - Go next door looking for the microwave, garage door opener, and TV tray that were borrowed.

12:35 PM - Try again next week to reclaim my belongings.

1:00 PM - Spend some time in the garden prunin' and weedin' the roses, tulips, and daff-a-dilly-dills.

3:00 PM - Head next door to remind neighbour that undergotchies are not an outdoor clothing item.

4:00 PM - Movie afternoon with the kiddily-diddlies.  I think the Ten Commandments is a fine choice.

7:00 PM - Dinner.

7:30 PM - Beddy-bye!

Okay, people.  Who is this person?

Tuesday, May 13, 2014

May 13, 1950

Well, as I alluded to in last week's Tuesday Timeline entry, I will be doing something special for every Tuesday in May.  This month, every Tuesday Timeline will feature a birthdate of someone who has made an impact in the world of pop culture.  As you know, last week, I did a blog entry on George Clooney, who turned 53 one week ago.

And, in celebration of these birthdates, I will be attempting to find one fact for every year that this person has been alive in relation to their careers, personal lives, trivia facts, and other miscellaneous bits and pieces.  Last week when I did George Clooney, I managed to find fifty-three different trivia facts about George Clooney.  If you thought that was tough, you haven't seen anything yet.  Today's birthday spotlight is much older...which means more facts than ever before.

But, hey.  I love a challenge.

But first things first, we have to talk about the historical events of May 13 that changed our world...or at the very least, the world of pop culture.  And, for those of you who are lucky enough to see it, I've been using a lot of a specific font lately.  I wonder if that might have any significance to any future changes?

(For those of you who can't see it, the font is Kabel.  I tried to add it into the blog itself as a choice, but they want me to pay for installation...which is just crazy talk!  So, I'll have to find a different, more generic font, for the main body text.  The Kabel font will be used as emphasis, and will more than likely show up as a bolded version of the font I eventually use.  But here I am babbling about fonts when I should be talking about May 13 throughout history.  I'll be quiet now.)

1515 - Mary Tudor and Charles Brandon are married at Greenwich

1846 - The United States declares war on Mexico, leading to the Mexican-American War commencing

1861 - The Great Comet of 1861 is discovered by Australian John Tebbutt

1880 - Thomas Edison performs the first test of his electric railway in Menlo Park, New Jersey

1912 - The Royal Flying Corps is established in the United Kingdom (later to be renamed the Royal Air Force

1914 - American boxer Joe Louis (d. 1981) is born in Lafayette, Alabama

1922 - Actress Beatrice Arthur (d. 2009) is born in New York, New York

1939 - Bloomfield, Connecticut becomes the first American city to host a commercial FM radio station (WDRC-FM)

1940 - Winston Churchill makes his famous "blood, toil, tears, and sweat" speech to the House of Commons as Germany begins its conquest of France

1941 - Singer Ritchie Valens (d. 1959) is born in Pacoima, California

1954 - The Broadway musical "The Pajama Game" hosts its first performance

1961 - Actor/singer Gary Cooper dies of cancer six days after his 60th birthday

1972 - Actor Dan Blocker dies of a pulmonary embolism at 43, shortly after filming the thirteenth season finale of "Bonanza"

1989 - Large groups of students occupy Tiananmen Square, beginning a hunger strike

1994 - Johnny Carson makes his final television appearance on The Late Show with David Letterman

1995 - Alison Hargreaves becomes the first woman to climb Mt. Everest without the assistance of oxygen or shirpas

2000 - A fireworks factory explodes in The Netherlands, killing 22, wounding 950, and causing 450 million Euros in damage in the city of Enschede

2013 - American psychologist Dr. Joyce Brothers dies at the age of 85

I'd also like to take the time to wish the following celebrities a very happy birthday; Dominic Cossa, Harvey Keitel, Sam Anderson, Zoe Wanamaker, Bobby Valentine, Rosie Boycott, Mary Walsh, Steve Blackwood, Ravi Shankar, Dennis Rodman, Sean McDonough, Stephen Colbert, Tom Verica, Darius Rucker, PMD, Brian Geraghty, Neil Hopkins, Samantha Morton, Mickey Madden, Natalie Cassidy, Lena Dunham, Hunter Parrish, and Debby Ryan.



And, today's date - also a celebrity birthday - is May 13, 1950!

Oh, dear.  Looks like I'll be spending some time trying to find sixty-four different pieces of trivia about a songwriting legend.  And, when I say legend, I mean it.  He was barely in his teens when he began to wow the world with his incredible vocal talents, and at 64 years young, he shows no sign of slowing down.



Today's blog will heavily feature the song stylings of Stevie Wonder.  And in celebration of sixty-four years of Stevie, here are sixty-four pieces of trivia.  Hope you have some time to spare!

1 - Stevie Wonder's name at birth was Stevland Hardaway Judkins.  Try saying that three times fast!

2 - Stevie was born six weeks premature to Calvin Judkins and Lula Mae Hardaway in Saginaw, Michigan.

3 - Stevie's premature birth prevented his eyes from fully developing, resulting in permanent blindness.

4 - Stevie's last name was officially changed to "Morris" following his mother's decision to leave his father when Stevie was four.

5 - By the time Stevie was ten years old, he had already learned how to play the harmonica, piano, drums, and bass.

6 - Stevie is the third of six children.

7 - He earned his first recording contract with Motown's Tamla label.  At the time he signed the contract, he was just ELEVEN years old.

8 - It was producer Clarence Paul that was responsible for Stevie's stage name.  Because he was not yet a teenager when he was signed to Tamla, he was given the stage name of Little Stevie Wonder.



9 - Stevie Wonder's first album was 1962's "The Jazz Soul of Little Stevie".  The first of many, might I add.

10 - Stevie Wonder's first number one hit was a single called "Fingertips", which topped the charts on August 10, 1963...



11 - ...and this single made Stevie Wonder the youngest person ever to have a Billboard Hot 100 single, at just thirteen years old!

12 - The song also simultaneously topped the R&B charts - the first time in music history that this ever happened.

13 - When Stevie was a teenager, he tried his hand at acting, starring in "Muscle Beach Party" and "Bikini Beach".

14 - Did you know that in addition to singing, he also composed his songs for other artists?  He helped compose this 1968 single by "Smokey Robinson & The Miracles"...



15 - ...and this 1970 single by The Spinners.



16 - Stevie Wonder played the harmonica in Elton John's 1983 single "I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues.

17 - He also lent his harmonica stylings to Chaka Khan's "I Feel For You" in 1984.

18 - And, while we're at it, let's add this 1999 single by Sting to the list of singles in which Stevie played his harmonica!



19 - Throughout his whole career, Stevie Wonder managed to have ten singles go to the #1 position.  The first was "Fingertips", the last was his collaboration on the 1986 single "That's What Friends Are For" with Dionne Warwick, Gladys Knight, and Elton John.

20 - Stevie Wonder's first number one hit was in 1963.  His second was nine years later in 1972 with the single "Superstition".

21 - Stevie Wonder has released twenty-three studio albums total, his most recent being 2005's "A Time To Love".

22 - Performed at the funerals of Michael Jackson, Etta James, and Whitney Houston.

23 - He is estimated to have sold over 100 million records since he began recording music over fifty years ago.

24 - He has won a total of twenty-two Grammy Awards throughout his entire lifetime so far.

25 - In 1996, he also received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.



26 - His song "Isn't She Lovely" was inspired by his daughter, Aisha Morris, who occasionally sings with her father on concert tours.

27 - Stevie's youngest son, Mandla shares the same birthday with his father - fifty-five years apart!

28 - Stevie Wonder won an Academy Award for Best Original Song for his song, "I Just Called To Say I Love You" from "The Woman in Red".

29 - During his acceptance speech at the Academy Awards, Wonder dedicated the award to Nelson Mandela, who was still in prison at the time.  After that, Stevie Wonder's music was banned from South Africa.

30 - He became the second recipient of the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Pop Music on February 23, 2009.

31 - He sang at the closing ceremonies of the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta.

32 - In August 1973, Stevie Wonder was involved in a car accident in North Carolina which put him in a coma and caused him to lose his sense of smell and taste.  He made a mostly full recovery though (he still has no sense of smell).

33 - Stevie Wonder's height is listed as exactly six feet tall.

34 - Stevie was married twice.  His first marriage to Syreeta Wright ended after two years.  His second marriage to Kai Millard has also ended, with Millard filing for divorce just a few years after their 2001 wedding.

35 - His ex-wife Syreeta passed away in 2004 following a battle with breast cancer.

36 - Was the youngest ever recipient of the Kennedy Center Honors Award, being just 49 when he was presented the award on December 5, 1999.



37 - Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1989.



38 - In 1968, he recorded an album of instrumental jazz singles.  The album was entitled EIVETS REDNOW...Stevie Wonder spelled backwards.

39 - He was voted the 15th Greatest Rock 'n' Roll Artist of all-time by Rolling Stone.

40 - Stevie once remarked that he would have liked to have run for mayor of Detroit.  But obviously, that did not happen.  Would have been kind of cool though.

41 - Was a collaborator on the 1985 charity single "We Are The World".



42 - He has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, located at 7050 Hollywood Boulevard.



43 - His 1977 single "Sir Duke" was dedicated to his lifelong hero, Duke Ellington.

44 - His thoughts on drinking and driving?  He was quoted as saying "Before I ride with somebody who's been drinking, I'll drive myself."

45 - Named a United Nations Messenger of Peace in December 2009.

46 - His thoughts on Florida's "Stand Your Ground" law?  "Unless the Stand Your Ground law is abolished in Florida, I will never perform there again."



47 - His last solo #1 single was 1985's "Part-Time Lover".  I can't believe it's been almost thirty years!



48 - Appeared on an episode of Sesame Street in 1973 performing "The Sesame Street Song"!

49 - Did you know that Marvin Gaye played the drums on Stevie Wonder's "Fingertips" single?

50 - Stevie Wonder once performed alongside Jimi Hendrix during downtime at the BBC.

51 - Stevie Wonder was the very first person to own the E-mu Emulator.

52 - 1968 was an extremely busy year for Stevie.  Not only did he graduate from the Michigan School for the Blind, but he released FOUR albums that year!

53 - In 1980, Stevie Wonder launched a campaign to make Martin Luther King's birthday a national holiday.

54 - Although Stevie Wonder had several #1 singles by the time "I Just Called To Say I Love You" was released, that single became Stevie's first single to hit #1 in the UK!

55 - Received the NAACP Hall of Fame Award in 2008.

56 - Was one of the last guests to appear on Johnny Carson's "The Tonight Show".

57 - Appeared on Saturday Night Live in 1983.

58 - Appeared as a special guest on "The Cosby Show" in 1986.

59 - He is born under the sign of "Taurus".

60 - Is always seen wearing a pair of sunglasses.



61 - Scored a #1 hit with Paul McCartney in 1982 with a song all about racial harmony.

62 - The Red Hot Chili Peppers scored a hit in 1989 by covering one of Stevie Wonder's songs, "Higher Ground".

63 - The single "Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours" was the very first single that Stevie produced all by himself.  It was also the first single to feature his female backup singers.



64 - His single "You Haven't Done Nothin'" was a political statement song, aimed squarely at Richard Nixon!  Listen to the lyrics.  Clearly there's a lot of anger there!

And, that was a lot more challenging than I thought it would be!  I'll have to try and find a younger subject next week!

At any rate, happy 64th, Stevie!  I hope you have a great day!  And to end this really long Tuesday Timeline off...I'll post my all-time favourite Stevie Wonder song.  Enjoy!