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Thursday, May 05, 2016

Regis Philbin's Finale - 2011 Television Moment

By now, most of you have heard about the kerfuffle that has been going on behind the scenes of the morning show "Live with Kelly and Michael".  But in case you haven't, here's a refresher.

For four years, Kelly Ripa and Michael Strahan have hosted a show together, and we were all lead to believe that they had terrific chemistry together and we all believed that the show that featured a former soap star and football player would last for years to come.

At least, that was the case until April 2016, when Strahan made the announcement that he would be leaving the show to join "Good Morning America" full-time.

The only problem?  He reportedly made the decision without informing his co-star, or executive producer Michael Gelman.  And this prompted Kelly Ripa to take some time away from the show to recover from the fact that she felt blindsided by the news.  And as news outlets reported the news, word got out that the chemistry between Ripa and Strahan might not have been as strong as we would have liked to believe.

As it stands now, Ripa has returned to the show that she has been a part of since 2001, and Strahan's last day on the show will be May 13.  Nobody has been announced to take Strahan's place yet, but some names that have floated around are Anderson Cooper, Neil Patrick Harris, and even Ripa's husband, Mark Consuelos.  Time will tell what will happen next.

But you know, I look at the way that this went down and I think that it was so vastly different from how things were five years ago.

You see, back in November 2011, Kelly Ripa had to say farewell to another one of her co-hosts.  And unlike the Ripa/Strahan kerfuffle, this one was more heartfelt and touching - at least, that's how it seemed to me when I was watching it.

And I suppose the fact that the co-host that was leaving had been a part of this program since it began over thirty years ago.



Yes, it was five years ago this week that Regis Philbin called it a day and hosted his final show with Kelly Ripa.  Back then, the show was called "Live with Regis and Kelly".  But some might remember when the show was called "Live with Regis and Kathie Lee", back in the days in which Kathie Lee Gifford was his co-star before she left to host "The Today Show" with Hoda Kotb.



And some may even remember the days before the program was syndicated before Kathie Lee was even a part of the show - when it was just known as "The Morning Show".  That's going way back!

But you know, I have to say that when it comes down to it, I did like the show when Regis and Kelly were hosting it - at least in the first few years anyway.  When Kelly first appeared on the show, she was one of the fill-in hosts shortly after Kathie Lee's departure in 2000, and although she was currently playing Hayley Santos on "All My Children" at the time she auditioned for the gig, she still wanted the job. 

In November 2000, Kelly Ripa was officially named the new co-host of Regis Philbin, and she began her job in February 2001.  Immediately, the show picked up in ratings - some sources say that ratings increased by 80% among the 18-34 demographic alone between 2000 and 2001!  And certainly, Kelly brought a whole new perspective to the show.  Certainly she had a lot of charm to her - at least I thought so anyway - and just to put into perspective how great a chemistry they had, I share some clips from the YouTube channel Our Daily Ripa.



Of course, Regis and Kelly's partnership lasted eleven years, and during their time together, they received many accolades from both fans and critics.  They even won a couple of Daytime Emmy Awards in 2001 and 2011 for Outstanding Daytime Talk Show Hosts.

But right around the time the duo celebrated their tenth anniversary together, Regis made the decision to retire from the show in early 2011.  That finale episode aired November 18, 2011.  And I thought it would be a good idea to post a link to that episode below.  I wonder if Michael Strahan's exit will be just as poignant.  I guess we'll have to wait and see...



Wednesday, May 04, 2016

Nintendo 3DS - Gaming in 2011

I have to admit that I never used to be a huge fan of handheld gaming.

When I was a kid, I loved video games.  I loved them a lot.  I had an Intellivision, a Nintendo, a Super Nintendo...and later on I graduated to Sony PlayStation.  But you probably have already noticed that all of those consoles required a television set to use.

I just was always more interested in video games that were on a big television screen instead of a tiny little screen.  And keep in mind that when I say television screen, I mean the 19-inch television screen that I got as a Christmas present in 1993.

As far as I was concerned, if I had a game console for a television, why would I want a handheld video game system?  I only ever played with two handheld games in my childhood - my sister's Merlin toy from the late 1970s that was a hand-me-down toy, and a Game & Watch electronic game...I believe it was Donkey Kong Jr. or something like that.  I never owned a Game Boy, Game Gear, Game Boy Color, PSP, or Game Boy Advance.  But I never really felt like I was missing out.

At least not until I received my first Nintendo DS for Christmas one year, and I absolutely loved it.  I still remember the first game I got with it too...Super Mario 64 DS.  It is still a very challenging game - and one I still play on occasion.

But in keeping with the tradition of this month being a celebration of five years in the past, I'm going to talk about the Nintendo 3DS.



The Nintendo 3DS is very similar to the original Nintendo DS.  It's a handheld device that has two different screens - one a display screen, and the other one a touch screen.  But the major difference is that you can have the ability to flick a little switch to make your games playable in 3D.

I will admit that I do like having the option to play in 3D, and sometimes when it comes to playing certain games, the 3D feature is a major asset.  But usually I play my games without it.

And the reason why I want to talk about the Nintendo 3DS is simple.  It was released in Japan in January 2011.  It came to North America a couple of months later.  And I purchased my 3DS in November 2011.

So just put that into perspective.  The Nintendo 3DS is now five years old.  And yet, it's still as popular as ever.

Okay, sure...the NEW Nintendo 3DS came out last year, and it now has the technology to play Super Nintendo games on a handheld device.  I'll eventually get one of these at some point, but for now, I'm enjoying the original 3DS I have.

It's red...the same exact colour as the Merlin toy my sister gave to me all those years ago!

Now, there are dozens of games that are available for the Nintendo 3DS...and some are more fun than others.

But what are some of my personal favourite games for the device?  Well, I think I'll give you eight of my favourites in no particular order.  Are any of your favourites on my list?



SUPER MARIO 3D LAND (2011)

I'm not going to lie...this was the main reason why I wanted the Nintendo 3DS.  The only other time I remember seeing Mario in 3D form was when I played Super Mario 64 DS!  To put it lightly, this video game is BEAUTIFUL and well worth the purchase of the 3DS.  It's like playing all of your favourite Mario levels in a 3D world.  The flagpoles from Super Mario Brothers are there, as well as the ghost houses from Super Mario World, and enemies from all the previous Mario games combined.  And the overall difficulty level is ridiculous.  It's challenging, but also fun at the same time.  I highly recommend it.



NEW SUPER MARIO BROS. 2 (2012)

Okay, so there really isn't much difference between this game and the first game for the original DS.  Both are basic platform games much like the classic Mario games, and the goal is to defeat Bowser and his children.  But there's an additional part where you can collect all different kinds of coins, and if you collect a specific number, something exciting will happen.

Well, okay, that's a bit of a stretch.  But I will tell you that as far as classic Mario games go, this one is definitely worth having.



MARIO KART 7 (2011)

Okay, I promise this will be the last Mario game in this list.  Really! 

I've always been a fan of the Super Mario Kart series ever since the first edition was released back in the summer of 1992, and I was not disappointed at all with the release of Mario Kart 7 for the 3DS.  There's something absolutely awesome about racing down brand new and retro tracks in the 3D format.  It almost sort of makes the ride that much more fun and realistic.  Plus with new characters to unlock and brand new items at your disposal, Mario Kart 7 never gets the chance to get boring!



BRAVELY DEFAULT (2014)

As someone who has always been a fan of role playing games like Final Fantasy and Chrono Trigger, I was sort of hoping that they would find a way to release both these titles onto the 3DS...but since they already did so with the original DS, those hopes were dashed.

At least until Bravely Default was brought over to North America from Japan a couple of years ago.  This classic RPG may only let you control four characters - Agnes, Tiz, Ringabel, and Edea - but what you can do with those four characters is absolutely phenomenal.  It's a classic tale of trying to save the world from evil with a really ingenious twist towards the end.  It will leave you wanting more.  It's a good thing too - Bravely Second was released in North America in April 2016!



TOMODACHI LIFE (2014)

I kid you not.  This is a game that I NEVER thought that I would like.  And yet for nearly six months, I played it every single day.  I couldn't help it.  It was like playing the Sims with Mii characters.  You could feed your Miis, dress them, have them go on dates, get married, and have children, all while living in a gigantic apartment building.  It was like having your very own soap opera in the palm of your hands - and you could write their stories.  It's not that hard to get completely engrossed into it.  Believe me...I know.



ACE ATTORNEY: DUAL DESTINIES (2013)

Most times when you purchase a game, you go to the nearest EB Games or Gamestop, purchase a hard copy, and go on your merry way.  The fifth installment of the Ace Attorney series did things a little differently when it came to the North American release.  Jumping on the success of downloadable content, Capcom released this game entirely online.  People could purchase this game through the Nintendo eShop, and provided that they had enough space in their memory, the game would always be available for them to download.  I was so lucky to be on vacation the week it came out because much like the other Phoenix Wright games, I couldn't stop playing it.

There was even an additional bonus case that one could download just a month after the original game was released.  It's well worth it just to see the breakdown of Marlon Rimes.  It's that awesome.  And Ace Attorney 6 is set to be released sometime in 2016.  I CANNOT WAIT!



DONKEY KONG COUNTRY RETURNS (2013)

Okay, so this video game is nothing more than a handheld port of the Wii game that was released in 2010.  But so what?  Not all of us had a Wii.  I know I sure didn't.  To me, this game was brand new.  And as someone who played the original Donkey Kong Country trilogy on the Super Nintendo, I expected the new game to be extremely challenging...but my goodness, the difficulty level is so amped up on this game that I still have not managed to complete it - and I bought the game three years ago!!!



THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: OCARINA OF TIME (2011)

Many of the Zelda games that were released for the N64, Gamecube, and Wii have been re-released for the 3DS...but Ocarina of Time is probably my favourite of the bunch.  When it comes to playing any game featuring Link as your main character, it's a fair statement to say that it will keep you entertained for hours - and yes, this game will definitely do that.  But seeing the remake of this game and comparing it to the original, and it is one beautiful game.  I get goose pimples just thinking about how awesome this game really is to play, and how the programmers must have worked overtime to make the scenes really pop!

So, that's my list of favourite Nintendo 3DS games.  Tell me...do you have any more to add?

Tuesday, May 03, 2016

May 3, 2011

It's time for another edition of the Tuesday Timeline - and surprisingly enough, I managed to find a topic that fits the theme of the month!  But before we go on with today's topic, let's have a look at the events that I didn't pick.

So, let's do this!

1715 - A total solar eclipse - visible across parts of Europe and Asia - occurs, predicted by Edmond Halley within a time frame of four minutes!

1802 - Washington D.C. is officially incorporated as a city

1830 - The Canterbury and Whitstable Railway opens

1849 - The May Uprising in Dresden begins

1867 - The Hudson's Bay Company gives up all rights to Vancouver Island

1877 - Labatt Park holds its first baseball game

1901 - Jacksonville, Florida is devastated by The Great Fire of 1901

1915 - John McCrae pens the famous poem "In Flanders Fields"

1921 - The country of Ireland splits into two; that same day boxer Sugar Ray Robinson (d. 1989) is born in Detroit, Michigan

1933 - Singer James Brown (d. 2006) is born in Barnwell, South Carolina

1937 - The novel "Gone With the Wind" wins a Pulitzer Prize for Fiction

1942 - Japanese naval troops invade Tulagi Island during the first part of Operation Mo which leads into the Battle of the Coral Sea during World War II

1947 - Canadian magician Doug Henning (d. 2000) is born in Winnipeg, Manitoba

1952 - CBS televises the Kentucky Derby - the first time the event is ever seen on live television

1957 - The decision is made by Walter O'Malley to relocate the Brooklyn Dodgers to Los Angeles, California

1960 - The European Free Trade Association is established

1973 - Construction of the Sears Tower (now named the Willis Tower) is finished - with a height of 1,451 feet, it becomes the tallest building in the world...at least for a little while anyway

1978 - The first digital commercial e-mail - otherwise known as spam - is sent out

1986 - A bombing at a Sri Lanka airport kills 21 and injures 41

1987 - NASCAR develops the restrictor plate following a crash by driver Bobby Allison at the Talladega Superspeedway in Alabama

1989 - Christine Jorgensen - one of the first people to ever undergo gender reassignment surgery from male to female - dies at the age of 62

1999 - An F5 tornado strikes portions of Oklahoma City, killing 45

2000 - The sport of geocaching is played for the very first time

2003 - The Old Man of the Mountain in New Hampshire collapses

As for celebrity birthdays, we have the following; Robert Osborne, Frankie Valli, Ron Popeil, Greg Gumbel, Christopher Cross, Bruce Hall, David Ball, Ben Elton, Marco Mendoza, Sterling Campbell, Amy Ryan, Bobby Cannavale, Jeffrey Sebelia, Josey Scott, Willie Geist, Christina Hendricks, Dule Hill, Jeff Halpern, Paul Banks, J. Tillman, and Cheryl Burke.

And, in addition to all those people...although he's been deceased for over fifteen years now, I want to wish my grandfather a happy birthday as well.  He would have turned one hundred years old today had he lived...

So...what date are we going back in time to today?



Well, in keeping up with the "five year old" theme, we're going back five years in time to May 3, 2011.  But don't think I'll be doing this for all five Tuesdays in May.  This just happened to be a fluke.

You know, I've never really had any experience with being a child actor.  The only time I've ever appeared on television was when a Canadian hypnotist came and hypnotized me on stage at my high school for a one-off special.  And I was eighteen at the time.

But I'm sure you've seen child actors who have done one of three things.  They've either transitioned well from child star to adult actor (think Fred Savage or Candace Cameron Bure).  They've lost their way, but found it again (as Jodie Sweetin and Drew Barrymore have proven).  Or sometimes they crash and burn and they can't find their way back again (pretty much the entire cast of "Diff'rent Strokes").

As for how I would classify this former child actor?  Well, I'd probably put him in the first category.  Certainly his childhood had a rough start, but he persevered, and managed to have a career that spanned no less than six decades. 



Sadly, May 3, 2011 would be the last day of Jackie Cooper's life.  The actor passed away at the age of 88 following a short illness.  But the legacy of work that he left behind would keep generations of fans entertained long after his passing.

After all, he did start his illustrious career at the tender age of seven!  Or at the very least, that was when he appeared in his first film - "Fox Movietone Follies of 1929".  It may have been an uncredited role, but it would be merely a taste of what was to come for the Los Angeles native, born in September 1922.

Reportedly, Cooper had been acting long before his appearance in his first film.  His grandmother used to bring him along to her own auditions in hopes that by having a baby around, it would convince talent scouts and producers to give her more work.  And while this seemed to work out, it often meant that Cooper was cast as well.

Of course, it made sense for Cooper to have a strong sense of belonging within his family.  When Cooper was just two, Cooper's father abandoned the family and never came back.  Now, you would have thought that a traumatic childhood memory such as having a parent abandon you would cause trauma for the young actor.  And I imagine that there were times in which he did have a hard time with it.



But you would have never known it from seeing him on screen.  After making a couple of uncredited film appearances in 1929, he was recommended by director David Butler to join the "Our Gang" comedy series of short films - which Cooper succeeded in joining.  For three years he transitioned from background player to lead actor within the series, and it was hard to resist not smiling at the crazy antics that Cooper and his character got into in the films - even developing a crush on a teacher!  Oh, how scandalous!

Perhaps his greatest achievement came in 1931, when Cooper was cast in the film "Skippy" - directed by his uncle, Norman Taurog.  Cooper's performance in the film was critically praised, and he did such a great job that he became the youngest actor to be nominated for an Academy Award - being just nine years old!

(It would be a record that Cooper would hold for nearly fifty years before 8-year-old actor Justin Henry was nominated in 1979 for "Kramer vs. Kramer".)

Unfortunately, Cooper did not win the award - he lost to Lionel Barrymore.  But that certainly didn't stop him from acting, though his career did slow down a bit as he matured.  During which time he left the film industry to serve in the United States Navy during World War II, where he received the Legion of Merit. 

Following the conclusion of the war, Cooper switched his focus from film to television and appeared in such series as " The People's Court with Patricia Breslin" and "Hennessey".  And for five years in the 1960s, Cooper became the vice president of program development at the Columbia Pictures Screen Gems TV division.

(It is also rumoured that Cooper was the one who decided to cast Sally Field as Gidget, but I cannot confirm nor deny this as fact.  Does anyone out there know if this is true?  If so, it would be an awesome story to tell!)

In his last few years, Cooper made several appearances in the 1970s-era Superman series, playing Daily Planet editor Perry White alongside Christopher Reeve and Margot Kidder.  And he acted all the way through 1987, where his last role was playing Ace Morgan in the film "Surrender".

He spent the last few years of his life quietly, and died peacefully in the company of his loved ones.  Now, I would say that this would be the most ideal way to go.

And that was the story of Jackie Cooper - a child actor who managed to stay on the straight and narrow for most of his life.

Monday, May 02, 2016

Celebrating Harry Potter In Film - 2011 Movie Moment

I still remember that fateful day back in 2001 when I was first introduced to the wonderful world of Harry Potter. 

A friend of mine had gotten free tickets to the Ottawa premiere of the movie "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone", and she had an extra one to spare and wanted to know if I'd like to tag along with them.

Of course, I never turn down free anything, so I jumped at the chance to see it.

There was just one thing.  I had never read any of the Harry Potter books prior to 2001.  I knew that they had existed, but I didn't have any time to get to read them.  So, I suppose you could say that I was going into the film as a real "muggle" of sorts.

And yet after watching that first film, I immediately wanted to read the book version, just so I could see how the film differed from the book and what have you.  And, I suppose you could say that was the catalyst towards my being a Harry Potter fan.

I read all seven books, and I watched all eight movies, being completely amazed at how such a wonderful story could be crafted as well as seeing how the three main young actors - Rupert Grint, Daniel Radcliffe, and Emma Watson - matured from little children to young adults. 



Of course, all good things must come to an end...and in July 2011, the final part of the movie based on the seventh book - "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" was released. 

I know.  It seems hard to believe that it has been five whole years since the Harry Potter film series concluded, and all of the actors went their separate ways (yet are all still quite active in the film industry).  But whether you've seen all the films or only watched one, I can guarantee that this collection will be entertaining generations for years to come.  And that is to the credit of J.K. Rowling who not only wrote all the books in the series, but also watched over every detail of the films to make sure that they stayed true to the book.

So, as a celebration of the Harry Potter film franchise that ended in 2011, I thought that I would post some behind the scenes trivia and facts that you might not have known - just as a little token of appreciation towards the films and books.  And since all month long, we'll be looking at topics from 2011, I thought that there was no time like the present!



1.  According to Daniel Radcliffe, he destroyed approximately eighty magic wands during the production of all the films because he kept using them as drumsticks.  That averages out to ten wands a film!  Hope they didn't cost too much money!

2.  On the subject of magic wands, each one created was between 13 to 15 inches long - and no two wands were ever alike!  That is amazing attention to detail!



3.  Obviously the scar that Harry Potter boasts upon his forehead isn't real.  It was applied to Daniel Radcliffe and his stunt doubles by talented make-up artists.  But I bet you don't know how many times that scar was applied.  Would you believe it was almost 6,000?  At least 2,800 of those times alone was on Daniel Radcliffe!

4.  Giving a new meaning to the term "Netflix and Chill", you would have to do a lot of chilling to binge watch the whole Harry Potter series...like oh...18 hours and 20 minutes worth of it!

5.  Seems as though magic wands weren't the only thing that Daniel Radcliffe went through a lot of.  Apparently Radcliffe used 160 different pairs of prop glasses for the whole series!  Though, to be fair, some of the scenes required Harry's glasses to break...



6.  While thousands of actors appeared in at least one of the eight film adaptations, only fourteen can boast that they have been in every single one; Robbie Coltrane, Warwick Davis, Tom Felton, Rupert Grint, Josh Herdman, Matthew Lewis, Devon Murray, James Phelps, Oliver Phelps, Daniel Radcliffe, Geraldine Somerville, Alan Rickman, Emma Watson and Bonnie Wright.

7.  The final part of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" is the shortest running film at just two hours and ten minutes.  The longest film is "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets", at two hours and forty-one minutes.

8.  It is estimated that over 25,000 pieces of clothing was used for the entire film series.

9.  Although the film series was nominated for several Academy Awards over its ten year history, nobody ever won one.

10.  The second part of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" is currently ranked as #8 of the world's highest grossing movies of all time.

11.  The same song that concludes the first film of the series is also used to conclude the eighth film.

12.  Although J.K. Rowling was unsure as to which characters would still be alive at the end of the seventh book and eighth movie, she did know one thing - Hagrid would definitely be a survivor.



13.  Emma Watson once revealed in an interview during the filming of the first film that she would NEVER kiss her co-stars in the movie.  And, by the end of the series, she kissed both Rupert and Daniel!



14.  It took several takes for the main actors to nail their kissing scenes.  While some only took a few takes (Ron and Hermione's only needed six), some took a lot more.  The kiss between Harry and Cho Chang?  THIRTY takes to get it right!

15.  J.K. Rowling had always intended to kill off a Weasley (in the case of both the book and film, it was Fred Weasley that was dispatched).  But would you believe that the Weasley patriarch and Ron himself were nearly killed off?  Luckily, Rowling opted not to, but imagine how that ending would have been if Ron weren't around to see it!



16.  Appropriately enough, this blog is being posted on May 2.  According to the books, the Battle of Hogwarts took place on May 2, 1998!  And no, I did NOT plan this.  It just happened that way!

Sunday, May 01, 2016

The Break-Up Of R.E.M. - 2011 Music Moment



Welcome to a whole new month, as well as a whole new look for A POP CULTURE ADDICT'S GUIDE TO LIFE!

Or...should I say...OLD look?

In case you haven't already noticed, the colour scheme has turned into dark blue and light pink.  Already this might seem like a drastic change, but there is a reason for it.

You see...when this blog first debuted five years ago in May 2011, the original colour scheme was blue and pink.  The reason I chose those colours were because those two colours were heavily used in my childhood years.  Every living room that I was in, every television show that I watched, and every classroom that I sat it had lots of blue and pink things inside of them.  I'm almost beginning to think that blue and pink were the official colours for interiors during the years of 1985 and 1992!



I even designed a logo based on those two colours...but I'm sure you'll agree that it was a...ahem...half-assed job at that. 

But five years later - and getting skilled with paint programs in the process - I've perfected that look and have brought an old sense of familiarity to the fifth anniversary of this blog.

And, as I mentioned before, this blog will be making everything five years old brand new again because for most of the month of May, all the posts will be from events and fads that took place during the year that this blog was founded - 2011.

And just for one month only, I'll be resurrecting some of the topics that I used to do five years ago.

So, this is the projected schedule for May 2016...

SUNDAY - SUNDAY JUKEBOX REVISITED
MONDAY - MONDAY MATINEE REVISITED
TUESDAY - TUESDAY TIMELINE
WEDNESDAY - VIDEO GAMES, TOYS, & FADS REVISITED
THURSDAY - THURSDAY TUBE TALK
FRIDAY - JEM REVIEWED!
SATURDAY - SATURDAY STORY TIME

So, given that today is Sunday, I should be talking about something music related.  And, certainly I will be. 

Now, 2011 was one of those years that had a lot of great moments.  It was the year that Lady Gaga empowered everyone to be proud of who they were when she released the self-esteem anthem "Born This Way".  Katy Perry broke records with her "Teenage Dream" album, even tying a record for having five #1 songs from the same album - a record that had been previously established by Michael Jackson in 1984.  And, it was also the year that Justin Bieber received an early Christmas present when his holiday album reached platinum status by the end of the year.

But 2011 was also a year in which several musical acts called it quits.  The White Stripes, silverchair, and Rx Bandits all hung up their musical instruments and disbanded that year.

But I think one of the bands that broke up in 2011 was one that absolutely shocked me - not because of the fact that they were a great band (at least in my opinion) that had been around since the year before I was born (1980), but because they were a band that I had listened to practically my entire young life. 

I still remember the very first song that I heard them playing.  By that point the band had started to get their songs played on the radio after years of merely being able to be heard on independent college stations.



The song was "Stand", and it was one of the songs that was in heavy rotation on the radio station I listened to back in 1989.  Although I was only eight years old at the time, I absolutely loved that single, and I wanted to know who it was that sang it.



Of course, the answer to that question is R.E.M.  And I happily considered myself to be a fan.

R.E.M. was made up of four members - lead singer Michael Stipe, lead guitarist Peter Buck, drummer Bill Berry, and pianist Mike Mills.  In January of 1980, Stipe, then 19, met Buck at an Athens, Georgia record store, where both men learned that they had similar musical interests.  Shortly after that, the pair befriended Mills and Berry, both students at the University of Georgia.  At that moment, the band that would come to be known as R.E.M. was born.

Their first gig was three months later at the birthday party of a mutual friend, and after writing and playing several songs, the four tried to come up with a name.  Some of the rejected names included Twisted Kites, Negro Wives, and Cans of Piss! 

Yeah, I don't know if I would have liked the band as much had they decided to name themselves Cans of Piss.

So, how did the band come up with the name R.E.M.?  Well, you can thank Webster's Dictionary for that one.  Stipe randomly opened up the book to the R section where the first entry was about rapid eye movement - or R.E.M.

Over the next year, R.E.M. found a manager, and was touring various venues around the Southern United States.  But back in 1980, alternative rock music was still a fairly new genre, and not a whole lot of support was given to alternative bands back in those days.



But the band kept going on, and in the summer of 1981, the band released their first single, "Radio Free Europe" with an independent label.  Only one thousand copies of the single were initially up for sale, and all one thousand copies sold out in no time.  Though the single never really made an impact on the major charts, that's not to say that the song wasn't a critical hit.  In fact, it was listed as one of the ten best singles of 1981 by "The New York Times"!

Two years later, R.E.M. made their first television appearance on "Late Night With David Letterman", where they performed the single "So. Central Rain (I'm Sorry)".  Although the track hadn't been named at the time of their Letterman performance, it would be the lead single off their 1984 album "Reckoning" - which to the band's surprise would peak at #27 on the Billboard 200 Charts.  An unusual feat for a college band!



It wouldn't be until 1987 and three albums later that the band would start to enjoy mainstream success with the album "Document".  And, I will say this.  "Document" is a great album.  In addition to two songs that are still very well represented on the radio ("It's The End Of The World As We Know It" and "The One I Love"), the album itself was a political commentary of several recent world events...and fans absolutely ate it up.

But it was during this time that R.E.M. broke off relations with their former record company, I.R.S., and signed on with Warner, which ultimately proved to be a blessing for the group as well.  While signed under Warner, the group had four hit albums in a row, "Green" (1988), "Out Of Time" (1991), "Automatic For The People" (1992), and "Monster" (1994). 

(And, yes...I owned all four albums at one time.  What can I say?  I was a fan.)

It also helped that R.E.M. wasn't afraid of trying new things either.  For their 1991 album, they used a variety of acoustic musical instruments and blended them together with standard instruments to create a brand new sound - notably featured on songs such as "Shiny Happy People" and "Losing My Religion".



("Losing My Religion" by the way was heavily used in the television show "Beverly Hills 90210" - particularly in episodes after Dylan left Brenda to be with Kelly.)



And later on in their career, the band took on the challenging role of creating the entire film score for the 1999 film "Man On The Moon", which featured their single "The Great Beyond".

Interestingly enough, the band had a hit in 1992 with the single "Man On The Moon", both songs written about Andy Kaufman.

But by the end of the 1990s, the band underwent a few setbacks.  First there was the departure of Bill Berry in 1997, due to fears regarding his health - he had passed out during a set in 1995 from a brain aneurysm.  And their albums after 1996 sort of suffered as a result.  While I did like their 1998 album "Up", many critics panned it, and it became one of their lowest selling records.  And during most of the 2000s, their music - while still good - also didn't do very well with critics and fans.

But there were some highlights.  In 2007, the band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.  And for the record, the band's final album together, "Collapse Into Now" was a huge hit, peaking within the Top 5 of the Billboard 200.

But the writing was on the wall by that point.  And on September 21, 2011,  the band officially announced that they were disbanding after twenty-one years.  Their record contract had been completed, and they mutually agreed that now was the time to walk away.

So, what has happened in the five years since R.E.M. sang their last song together?

Well, Bill Berry turned his attention to agriculture, and has been working as a farmer for the last few years.  He is married and a father of one child.

Peter Buck continues to record music.  What's interesting is that his 2014 album "I Am Back To Blow Your Mind Once Again" was only released on vinyl!

Mike Mills has also continued to perform music, and in 2012 contributed to a single that was aimed at preventing the building of a Walmart in Athens, Georgia!

As for Michael Stipe?  Well, he too has stayed within the music industry, contributing vocals to other artist projects...and in 2014, he was the one who inducted Nirvana into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.  But as Stipe was probably the most private person of all in the band, I imagine a lot of his private life has managed to stay private, so we'll leave it at that.

At any rate...R.E.M. managed to carve out a place in alternative rock...and in doing so, they had lots of fans who followed them every step of the way until September 2011.

I'm happy to say that I was one.

Saturday, April 30, 2016

Religious Freedom =/= The Right To Be A Jerk

I'm going to begin this entry by talking about an event that I remember from my childhood.  And yes, it's somewhat linked to the topic that I have chosen for today.

Do any of you that are around my age remember when McDonald's had birthday parties?  I know I certainly do.  After all, I had a party there when I was seven years old.

I'm not entirely sure why I wanted a McDonald's birthday when I was seven.  Perhaps it was because back in 1988, McDonald's food was still edible.  Or maybe it had to do with the fact that a couple of my classmates had McDonald's parties, and I decided that I wanted one too.  Either way, I spent my birthday with Ronald McDonald and six of my classmates. 

And I have to say for the most part, the party went off without a hitch.  We played on the Playland slides and equipment, we gorged on ice cream and french fries, and we even took a tour of the McDonald's kitchen to see how everything worked.  Granted, we were all seven at the time and we all thought it was the coolest thing ever.  Flash forward almost thirty years, and I'm thinking that anyone who ever worked at McDonald's should deserve a medal for putting up with what they put up with!

There was however, one tiny problem.

You see, the week that my party was booked was the same week that the men's washroom decided to malfunction.  I don't exactly know what happened, but it was deemed unusable that whole week.

What did this mean?  Well, for that one week, McDonald's was forced to turn the women's washroom into a unisex washroom.  This meant that certain stalls were reserved for men, and certain stalls were reserved for women.  I imagine it must have been an inconvenience for a lot of people, but I do understand McDonald's decision to do this.  The only alternative would have been to have closed the restaurant down while repairs were made, and that wouldn't have been a good option financially.

(Not to mention that my party would have been cancelled.)

Here's the kicker though.  Sure, it was a setback.  But nobody really complained about it.  At least, not back in 1988 they didn't.  When people have to go, they have to go, right?  I imagine the women weren't very happy to share a public bathroom with men, but at the same time, the stalls were all closed in.  Nobody could see anything that they didn't want to see.  And I imagine that for some of my friends at the party, they were just excited to see what the inside of a women's bathroom looked like!

But again, I reiterate the point that nobody complained.  We just dealt with the situation as best as we could.  I don't think anyone had any long-term effects from the week that McDonald's had a unisex bathroom.



So, I don't quite understand why people are in an uproar over Target making an announcement that anybody could use any bathroom that they so desired. 

Well, okay...let me clarify. 

When it comes down to it, most of us know what gender we are.  I know I'm male, so I will use the men's washroom - or if all the stalls are full, I'll use a designated "family washroom" in an emergency.  And yes, family washrooms do exist.  There's one at the store I work at.  Sometimes, that washroom has been a godsend.

But what happens if a person is confused about what gender they feel they are?  Or if a person decides to undergo gender reassignment surgery to become the gender that they feel that they should have been born as?  It's certainly a question that many people have wondered.

Some may say that transgender or questioning people should use the washroom as the gender that they were born as (which I don't believe is fair) and some feel that they should use the washroom as the gender they currently are (which I completely support).  And some just think that transgender people should have a bathroom of their own (which would be pointing out more attention to them which I don't really agree with).

Whatever the case, I just want to say that I really don't understand why there is such anger about it.

Some people claim that the idea to open up bathrooms to all genders is just asking for trouble.  My response to that is...why?  I mean, think about it.  Most people who go the bathroom aren't doing so to pick up a date.  They have to do things in there that really aren't appropriate to discuss inside of this blog!  I really couldn't care less if the guy in the stall next to me is really a male or not because I'm kind of doing my own thing, if you know what I mean! 

Besides, if I had someone staring at me trying to deduce whether I'm really male, I would think that would be more of a problem!

Some make the argument that it invites pedophiles into the opposite sex's bathrooms so that they can continue their deviant behaviour - and yes, certainly that is a legitimate concern.  But where did it say that all transgender people are pedophiles?  The vast majority of them are not!  And to be honest with you, I think anybody who does feel that way is a person that I most certainly do NOT want to know.

When it comes down to it, I think that transgender people have gotten enough abuse, and it needs to stop.  I get so angry when I see anybody get rights taken away from them because people do not understand their lifestyles or their cultures.  And, I especially get ticked off by people who claim to love their God and use that to justify being jerks towards people who don't fit into what they believe to be "normal".

Here's what's abnormal.  People who use religion as an excuse to hate people and to abuse their power to satisfy their own logic.  I think that's why I and many other people are outraged that states like North Carolina, Mississippi, and Tennessee are passing laws that deliberately deny people who identify as being a part of the LGBTQ community basic human rights.  To me, it's no different than it was back in the 1950s when skin colour dictated what water fountain a person drank from.

I thought we were supposed to improve on what history taught us, not go back in time and celebrate the worst of it.

To me, religious freedom means that a person has the right to practice whatever religion they feel best fits them, whether it be Catholicism, Judaism, Buddhism, etc.  It's even cool if you don't follow any sort of religion, as I certainly don't.  Religious freedom does NOT mean that you have the right to take away other people's rights because they clash with your own.  It doesn't mean that you have the right to bully other people who appear different from you because it's what the Bible tells you.  It doesn't mean that you have the right to kill someone else because they go against everything you stand for.  That's not religious freedom at all.  That's hate.

I think that the people of North Carolina, Tennessee, and Mississippi who do NOT have this much hate need to band together and get these politicians out of office.

Because this is an issue that goes beyond bathrooms...this is an issue of human dignity.  And believe me, no matter what gender you identify as, we all deserve that dignity.

After all...it wasn't a problem in 1988.  I just provided proof of that.

Friday, April 29, 2016

Jem Reviewed: Episode 6 - Starbright: Falling Star

Before I begin this edition of "Jem Reviewed", I'll state that when I first began this blog and did a general entry on Jem and the Holograms, I actually watched episodes 6-8...so as a result, I probably know those episodes the best of all 65.  The good thing is that I can be more detailed...and more snarky in the process!

Last week, we watched Jem and the Holograms win a movie contract, control of Starlight Music, and ownership of Starlight Mansion.  Today we get to see how the movie is made in Episode 6:  Starbright - Falling Star.




So, as the narrator recaps the first five episodes of the series, we learn that six months has passed since the Battle of the Bands.  And appropriately for Jem Trivia this week, the same holds true for the airing schedule!  The last part of the Battle of the Bands series aired January 12, 1986.  This episode originally aired July 3, 1986.  Almost exactly six months!  Freaky!



And, admiring the continuity Christy Marx has shown, Jerrica's looking a little more polished and her hair has gotten longer.  It's a subtle change, but a noticeable one.  Also, the animation quality has gotten better as well.

But as far as Jerrica goes, she remains the same.  A total control freak at the party announcing the movie, and ordering her foster girls to be her slaves.  Some girl named Becky is ordered to get more cups, to which I wonder what the party guests are drinking out of - cereal bowls?



Anyway, Countess Danielle DuVoisin has been looking for Jem, and so Jerrica does her whole "Showtime, Synergy" spiel, changes to her cotton candy haired alter ego, and meets Danielle and the rest of the Holograms in a bedroom.  Apparently, Danielle has been hard at work on a brand new line of Jem fashions - which is good since her last collection was ruined by the Misfits - and she wanted Jem to try on her latest creation.



That latest creation just happens to be a fancy pink evening gown that would make Susan Lucci jealous.  And, Rio's already salivating at the mouth seeing Jem in that dress.  I'm guessing he'd probably like to see her out of that dress too, but since this is a cartoon and not Japanese anime, I don't see that happening.

But before Rio can pounce on Jem, Mrs. Bailey, the lovable housekeeper of Starlight Mansion approaches and wants to get Jerrica to come to the living room for a moment.  Just like that, Jem turns back into Jerrica lickety-split and takes off with Mrs. Bailey leaving Rio standing there as if he has just taken part in the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge.



Mrs. Bailey takes Jerrica into the room where we meet another one of the Starlight Girls, a little Vietnamese girl named Ba Nee.  And fair warning, like Ashley, you'll see Ba Nee a lot.  Notice how Ba Nee is sitting extremely close to the television set?  Apparently this has been going on for some time, and Mrs. Bailey is concerned that Ba Nee may have a serious problem.  Nice to know that SOMEONE is looking out for the girls.  At least Jerrica tells her that she'll make an appointment with Ba Nee's eye doctor.

Once again, someone interrupts.  This time it's Anthony Julien, who wants to introduce Jem to someone.  Sheesh, can't Jem/Jerrica be ONE person for more than five minutes?



Once back into Jem mode, Anthony introduces her to videographer Vivien Montgomery - but she'd rather be called by her nickname of Video.  Because, you know, she makes videos.  At least she isn't called Porn Star.  As it so happens, Video is a fan of the band, and she is going to join the film crew of the Jem movie!  So, I'm guessing that we'll be seeing a lot of Video over the next three episodes.



Once more, Jerrica is being hunted down by Lela, and this proves to be a bit too much for Jem/Jerrica to take.  She walks through one of the walls of the mansion where Synergy's room is, and wants to make sure that Synergy isn't getting worn out to the point where she short circuits, explodes, and burns down their home again.  Synergy tells Jerrica not to worry, as the man who designed her - Jerrica's father - has prevented her from doing that.  However, as you'll see in future episodes, Synergy does have her weaknesses.



Anyway, once Jem changes back into Jerrica, Lela announces that they are out of ice.  THAT'S the emergency?  Sheesh, Lela...just go back to guarding the Honor Jar!  Jerrica sends Becky to get more ice, to which I would hope that Becky responds that her name ain't Britney bitch, and she's no slaaaaaaave for her.  But then I realize that this show was 15 years before 2001, so never mind.



Rio takes Jerrica aside, and tells her that he loves her, but Jerrica calls Rio out on the fact that he likes Jem too, and Rio makes the mistake of comparing Jerrica to an old pair of shoes.  Or, maybe Jerrica does that herself.  Who cares, it's time for a song.



You know what else I've noticed about episode 6?  The songs are more polished, more mature, and more sultry.  Seriously, I don't know how they got the line "is he making love to a fantasy" into the song, but kudos to them!  At any rate, I do like "Who Is He Kissing".



But I'm sure the Misfits don't.  In fact, Pizzazz is staring at the party through a pair of binoculars along with Roxy and Stormer.  Interesting fact #1...they seem to be staring at them from a mansion that is larger than Starlight Mansion.  Interesting fact #2...it appears that the mansion belongs to Pizzazz's father!  Who knew that Pizzazz was a rich spoiled brat?  I NEVER would have guessed!

You might be surprised to know that Pizzazz doesn't care that much about the wealth and money.  Instead, she wants to be famous and she wants to be noticed.  Perhaps this could explain why she is the way she is...we'll see.



Whatever the case, Pizzazz is absolutely upset that Jem and the Holograms won the movie contract because now they'll get all the attention.  So she does what she does best...get her father, Harvey Gabor, to buy the very studio that is making the Jem film.  Oh, this can't be good.

Sure enough, when Jem and the Holograms arrive at the movie studios, the man with no cojones himself, Howard Sands explains that someone else bought the studio, and has taken control of all the productions inside.



And you can only imagine the shock of Jem and the others when Eric Raymond and the Misfits are standing there.  And the news is grim.  With Harvey Gabor owning the movie studio, Eric announces that the only way that he will let the Jem movie continue is if the Misfits become cast members.  Naturally the other Holograms are upset at this, and naturally, Howard Sands comes up with a solution for the girls to quit the movie...



...but Jem announces that she's not going to be bullied by Eric Raymond, and declares that the show will go on no matter what!  If only she would have taken her foot and kicked Howard Sands in the face, that would have been even better!



So Jem, Kimber, Shana, and Aja arrive on set for their first day of shooting where they immediately walk in on an argument between Eric Raymond and Anthony Julien.  Jem makes a funny comment about how Eric is not a morning person and leaves them be.

Now, you might think that because Jem and the Holograms are sharing a movie set with the Misfits that things may be a little tense...and well, you'd be right.  The Misfits barge ahead of them in line for the make-up chairs, and this causes Aja to lose her cool.  I swear, if you let Aja at them, she'd rip off Pizzazz's hair extensions!



Inside the make-up area, Pizzazz is telling make-up artist Georgia about how much she hates Jem and proceeds to trash talk her.  Not very professional, Pizzazz.  Back outside, Kimber remarks that if the make-up artists go near Jem's face, they may disrupt Synergy's hologram which would be a catastrophe!



Jem comes up with some quick thinking and tells Georgia that she has brought her own make-up kit and she can put on her face herself - but Georgia is left thinking that Pizzazz was right about Jem being snobbish, and treats her very coldly.  I wonder if this little plot development will have any hand in the way the finale plays out.



We also find out that the leading man of the movie is a guy by the name of Nick Mann, who sort of resembles a young Val Kilmer or Mickey Rourke before his face was completely destroyed.  And as it turns out, Kimber and Pizzazz both have a major crush on Nick.  But when Pizzazz goes all diva like and orders a chair, Kimber nearly gets knocked out. 



Fortunately for Kimber, she is saved from injury by Nick's stunt double, a man named Jeff Wright whose hair is darker than Nick's.  Nick also happens to be smitten by Kimber.  Maybe it's the scarlet hair.  But Kimber rebuffs Jeff to try and get Nick's attention - only to be humiliated when Nick decides that he wants Jem instead.  Gee, I hope this doesn't make Kimber drive off in a huff again.



Outside the studios, a woman with pink and blue hair pulls up and announces that she is Montgomery and is here to pick up her studio pass. 



Less than a minute later, Video pulls up and asks for the same pass - and comes to a horrible conclusion that Clash is on the set.  But just who is Clash?

Oh, I see.  Clash is that pink and blue haired woman.  And the reason she's called Clash is because she has wrist bracelets that look like cymbals that cause a clashing sound when banged together.  She also happens to be Video's cousin.  And she is a HUGE fan of the Misfits.  Oh, great...another person out to sabotage the movie. 



Video tries to warn Jem and the others that Clash is on the movie set, but before she can explain what she looks like, Clash bursts in on the Holograms and smashes her cymbal bracelets so loud that Jem and Aja are visibly shaken.  This causes Anthony Julien to lose it and tell Clash to leave the set immediately.  This in turn causes Eric Raymond to tell Anthony that Clash and the Misfits are staying as per the rules of the amended contract. 



Anthony decides that he's done with the movie and quits as the director!  I'm sure that Shana will likely come over to his place for a little lovin'...ahem...tender care later.  For now, Eric announces that he will direct the film himself, which sends fear trembling through the hearts of the cast and crew.

But all Rio can feel is jealousy.  With Jem doing romantic scenes with Nick, you can see Rio's eyes turning as green as Pizzazz's hair.  And as Jem and Nick are filming their scene, a Jem and the Holograms song plays.



I must say...the ending of the video with Rio punching Nick in the jaw says a lot about both characters.  It tells us that Nick is a bit of a sleaze...but it also tells us that Rio has anger management issues.  And Eric nearly fires Rio on the spot!



Of course, Pizzazz - who is still in love with Rio despite also being in love with Nick - orders Eric to keep Rio on the payroll - making sure that Rio promises to be nice to Pizzazz right in front of Jem!  Now who's jealous?

I should also note that Mrs. Bailey has announced that Ba Nee's eye appointment is on the Saturday coming up.  It seems so random right now, but as we've learned in the Jem series, nothing is EVER random.



Whatever the case, a huge press conference has descended onto the movie studios, and Lindsey Pearce (who looks so much different from two episodes ago) is at the head of the media circus.  Lindsey interviews Eric and seems legitimately shocked and scared that Eric has taken over directing duties of the Jem movie.  And when Lindsey interviews Jem and Nick Mann about the movie, Nick takes the time to plant a huge kiss on Jem's lips...prompting Aja to make a smartass comment about Nick being shy.  




Yep, Aja's slowly becoming my favourite Hologram! 



Kimber becomes extremely jealous and starts to storm away, but Eric catches up with her.  He makes Kimber a promise that he will write in a scene for Kimber with Nick in the movie, and once again plays on Kimber's insecurities about trying to compete with Jerrica.  Once again, quintessential Eric Raymond strikes again.



The kicker seems to be when Pizzazz and Roxy hijack the press conference by revealing a giant banner that reads "THE MISFITS IN STARBRIGHT" with Jem and the Holograms in tiny lettering underneath.  Wow, that's low.  And, certainly Pizzazz taking great joy in humiliating the Holograms isn't sitting right with them.  This is turning out to be a war.



Howard Sands seems to also be at war with Harvey Gabor, with Harvey claiming that the Misfits are destroying the Jem movie and that Harvey needs to step in and reign in his daughter.  But for some reason, Harvey won't listen to reason.  Gee, I wonder where Pizzazz gets part of her personality from.

The final straw comes when Jem and the Holograms arrive on set to film a scene, but are shocked to see the Misfits performing their own song instead.  But to the Misfits credit, the song is an awesome one!



I mean, seriously.  Find one thing wrong with "Universal Appeal".  One.  I can't.  It's like the perfect Misfits song with one kick-ass video.  I told you the video production has gotten better in episode six!



Well, obviously Jem doesn't share any universal appeal towards Pizzazz and after a back and forth game of "let's attack the stars with stars", Pizzazz gets knocked to the ground and stares at Jem as if she wants to stab her right in the jugular.  But Jem decides that she's had enough of Eric and the Misfits and she, Aja, and Shana storm off the set announcing that they quit the film!  Eric tries to convince Kimber to stay, and Kimber hesitates for a bit - but in the end, she decides that no scene with Nick Mann is worth taking the abuse of the Misfits, and she quits too.



And while Georgia the make-up artist is like "sayonara, bitches", Video follows the band out and announces that she's quit the project too, saying that Eric isn't getting any of her footage.  It's actually kind of nice the way that Jem and the others make Video an honourary Hologram.  It makes me realize that yes, Jem and the Holograms can be genuinely nice.



Of course, the Misfits and Clash celebrate the fact that Jem and the Holograms have walked away, and Roxy spray paints over Jem's name.  So, that's that.  Jem's movie career is over before it even began.  What else could go wrong?



Well, a lot.  At Ba Nee's eye appointment, the doctor reveals to Jerrica that Ba Nee has a degenerative eye disease that she inherited from her parents, and the doctor gives Jerrica the grave news that in a matter of weeks, Ba Nee could lose her eyesight forever.



Cue the TO BE CONTINUED and Jerrica's shocked face - which has greatly improved since episode 1.

Tune in next week where we continue the Starbright saga.  Can anything be done to save Ba Nee's sight?  Will Jem rejoin the film?  And which two Holograms find themselves in major danger?  You'll have to wait until May 6th to find out!