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Tuesday, June 21, 2016

June 21, 1975

It's time for another installment of the Tuesday Timeline, and the only thing that I can say about this week's topic is that it is all about love!

I just hope the weather holds out long enough for me to get this all typed out.  As I write this, the sky has turned black and we're expected to get thunderstorms and quite possibly a tornado.  So, my ability to post this really depends on whether or not I still have power - or a house, for that matter.

For now, let's have a look at the events that took place on this date in history that I didn't choose.  A lot happened on June 21!

1734 - Marie-Joseph Angelique is put to death in Montreal after being convicted of setting the fire that nearly destroyed the whole city

1749 - The city of Halifax, Nova Scotia is founded

1788 - New Hampshire is admitted as the ninth U.S. state

1791 - Louis XVI begins the Flight to Varennes during the French Revolution

1854 - The first Victoria Cross is awarded

1877 - Ten Irish immigrants convicted of murder - known as the Molly Maguires - are hanged

1900 - China formally declares war on the United States, Britain, Germany, France, and Japan in the Boxer Rebellion

1919 - Two people are killed by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police after they fire a volley into a crowd of unemployed war veterans who gathered together as part of the Winnipeg General Strike

1921 - Actress/singer Judy Holliday (d. 1965) is born in New York City; also born on this date is actress Jane Russell (d. 2011)

1925 - Actress Maureen Stapleton (d. 2006) is born in Troy, New York

1944 - Director Tony Scott (d. 2012) is born in Tynemouth, England

1945 - The Battle of Okinawa ends

1954 - British soap actress Anne Kirkbride (d. 2015) is born

1964 - Members of the Ku Klux Klan murder civil rights workers James Chaney, Andrew Goodman, and Mickey Schwerner; Edgar Ray Killen is convicted of manslaughter exactly 41 years later in 2005

1970 - The largest American bankruptcy takes place on this date as Penn Central declares Section 77 bankruptcy

1982 - A not guilty verdict by reason of insanity is given to John Hinckley for his assassination attempt on Ronald Reagan in March 1981

2001 - Actor Carroll O'Connor passes away at the age of 76

2006 - The newly discovered moons of Pluto are named Hydra and Nix

2008 - American puppeteer Kermit Love passes away, aged 91

2012 - A boat carrying over 200 refugees capsizes in between Christmas Island and Java, killing 17, and leaving 70 missing

And happy birthday to the following famous faces!  Turning another year older are Wally Fawkes, Bernie Kopell, Eddie Adcock, Don Black, Mariette Hartley, Joe Flaherty, Lyman Ward, Dan Henning, Marjorie Margolies, Ray Davies, Brenda Holloway, Meredith Baxter, Michael Gross, Ian McEwan, Joey Kramer, John Paul Young, Nils Lofgren, Marcella Detroit, Berkeley Breathed, Kathy Mattea, Kip Winger, David Morrissey, Doug Savant, Lana Wachowski, Gretchen Carlson, Mancow Muller, Carrie Preston, Sonique, Juliette Lewis, Pascal Rheaume, Craig Lowndes, Shelley Craft, Sarah Slean, Chris Pratt, Brandon Flowers, Edward Snowden, Kris Allen, Sharna Burgess, and Lana Del Rey.

That's a lot of June 21 birthdays!

All right.  It's time to check and see what date we'll be looking at this week.



Ah, June 21, 1975.  A good year indeed.  Or at least that's what I've heard.  I wasn't born yet.

But I suppose you could say that as far as 1975 was concerned, it was the summer of love...at least it was on the music charts.  During the summer of 1975, everyone did a little bit of "Jive Talkin'", they did the Hustle, they were "Fallin' in Love", and they even did a little dance, made a little love, and got down tonight!

Of course, the song that kicked off the summer of romance hit the top of the charts forty-one years ago today.  And that song was also the song that had the longest chart run of the year - four whole weeks at the top!

Come on.  Let's listen to that song together.



ARTIST:  Captain & Tennille
SONG:  Love Will Keep Us Together
ALBUM:  Love Will Keep Us Together
DATE RELEASED:  April 1975
PEAK POSITION ON THE BILLBOARD CHARTS:  #1 for 4 weeks

Ah, yes.  "Love Will Keep Us Together".  The debut single for Daryl Dragon and Toni Tennille - otherwise known as Captain & Tennille.  This pop duo entertained people throughout most of the decade known as the 1970s, but this song will forever be known as their signature hit.



But did you know that this song was actually a cover version?



The original version was recorded two years earlier by singer-songwriter Neil Sedaka.  He's the guy that brought us "Calendar Girl", "Happy Birthday, Sweet Sixteen", and "Laughter in the Rain".  Though the single was recorded in 1973, it was never released in the United States (which could explain why so many think that "Love Will Keep Us Together" was a brand new song when it was released in 1975).  Sedaka's version of the song was released in some parts of Europe - most notably France.



Also in 1973, the UK first got their taste of the song courtesy of singing duo Mac and Katie Kissoon - who just happened to be brother and sister.  Yeah, that's not creepy.  That's not creepy at all.

Anyway, their version also failed to make an impact on the American charts as well, though in the Netherlands, their song peaked at #12.

Enter Captain & Tennille, who released their version to much fanfare...though if the Captain was the one who was steering the ship, "Love Will Keep Us Together" would NOT have been the song that they would have preferred to have as their debut.  Instead, the Captain believed that their version of "I Write The Songs" (made famous by singer Barry Manilow later that year) would have been a better choice.  But when the single peaked at #1 on the Easy Listening charts on June 7, 1975, Captain & Tennille knew that they were on the verge of something big with that single.

Two weeks later, the song peaked at #1 in the United States.  It would also chart at the top of the Canadian and Australian charts later that year.  And it would eventually be the song that kicked off the recording careers of Captain & Tennille who would later go on to release "Muskrat Love", "Can't Stop Dancin'", and "Do That To Me One More Time".  The song was even translated into Spanish and peaked at #49 on the charts - one of the few instances in which the same song released in two different languages would chart on the Billboard 100!

It turns out that the song could have very well have been a personal statement for the duo.  Having been involved as a couple in real life when they recorded this song, Captain & Tennille would get married on November 11, 1975 - just a few months after the song peaked at the top of the charts.

Sadly, love didn't keep these two together.  After thirty-eight years of marriage, Toni Tennille filed for divorce from the Captain in January 2014 - and the Captain himself had no idea that she had even filed until he was served with the divorce papers!  Although nobody really knows why the divorce went through, it is speculated that a neurological condition that the Captain was experiencing was preventing him from performing.  Whether or not that had anything to do with the split, who can say?

But back in 1975, Captain & Tennille were very much in love.  And I'm sure that this song has been playing at wedding receptions ever since.

Sunday, June 19, 2016

Popular

This could end up being one of the most ironic statements that I have ever made in this blog space, but I really dislike the word "popular".

It's quite ironic, given that the "POP" in "A Pop Culture Addict's Guide To Life" stands for popular.

I mean, it's not like I don't like the word popular in the same context that most people don't like the word moist.  Truth be told, I know a lot of people who don't like the word moist.  It makes me wonder why that Canadian band Moist would ever think it to be a good name.

Anyway, back to the word "popular" and why I don't like it.

Interestingly enough, the reason why I don't like the word isn't because of the fact that I never really saw myself as being popular.  Truth is, I'd be the first one to tell you that I'm not popular.  That's the way I sort of like it.  I don't need to have an entourage of people telling me that I am great - because, let's face it.  That'd get real old, real tiring, and real creepy real fast.

The reason I don't like the word popular is because I feel that it is an impossible word.  Because when it comes down to popularity, it is fleeting and doesn't always last forever.  If it did, I'm sure that CSI, ER, or any other show that ranked at the top of the Nielsen ratings would still be on the air today.  The popular cheerleaders don't always stay popular after the rah-rah-rahs and sis-boom-bahs are uttered.  The football jocks of yesteryear fade away to make room for the fresh young blood.  And eventually people come to the realization that they only need to have the love and respect of a few select people instead of everybody in the world.  I think it's an absolutely pointless quest to try and become the most popular person because there are always going to be people who don't agree.

I mean, I can think of a few people that I know who think that they are popular, but in reality not a lot of people care too much for them.  I'm not going to reveal who those people are...but I've met a few who are like this.

The thing is that life is not meant to be a popularity contest.  It's nice to be liked, but understand that getting the whole world to fall in love with you is an impossible situation. 

I suppose that when it comes to the lives of fictional high school students Sam McPherson and Brooke McQueen, popularity either came naturally or it was something that you had to work on. 



Interestingly enough, the two names I dropped came from the short-lived television series "Popular".



The show aired between September 29, 1999 and May 18, 2001, and I do recall it being a show that a lot of people watched.  I was in my OAC year when the show debuted so certainly it was a byproduct of my generation.  Despite the show's success (it was created by Ryan Murphy who also was the creative genius behind "Nip/Tuck" and "Glee"), it only ran for two years, mainly because it was featured on the struggling WB Network.  All in all, the show itself wasn't terrible, aside from the fact that the show's storylines became more like an episode of "Passions". 

It is a classic case of what happens when you blend the popular in-crowd with the geek squad.  Brooke McQueen (Leslie Bibb) is the popular cheerleader who is adored by nearly everybody at Kennedy High School.  She will do anything to stay popular, no matter how bitchy or insecure she might come across as.  On the other side, you have shy and incredibly intelligent Sam McPherson (Carly Pope), a young woman who has her circle of outcast friends and is quite content with not wanting anything more than that.

Two polar opposites with two different upbringings.  Now, imagine if the two were brought together by something unexpected...like say, a marriage?

When Brooke's father gets engaged to Sam's mother, and Brooke and Sam are forced to live in the same house together, tensions flare.  Immediately, both girls declare that they hate each other and they both make it a point to try and break their parents up so that they can go back to the way things used to be.  And you know what?  They almost succeed in doing exactly that at the end of the show's first year. 

But here's the great part about "Popular".  By the second season, the girls have a major change of heart and decide that their family deserves to stay together, and they even become closer as a result.  Even more interesting is the fact that both of the girls' social circles expands as both girls and their sets of friends start hanging around together.  Some examples include Harrison John (Christopher Gorham), a socially awkward individual who slowly breaks out of his shell and ends up falling for both Brooke and Sam.  We have Nicole Julien (Tammy Lynn Michaels), the incredibly brash and manipulative head cheerleader who is known as Kennedy High's pot stirrer, but behind that social piranha exterior is a wounded and insecure person.  There's Carmen Ferrara and Lily Esposito (Sara Rue and Tamara Mello), two friends of Sam's who start out as part of the unpopular crowd but somehow find a way to move up the social ranks.  There's Josh Ford (Bryce Johnson), the quintessential school jock who softens up the moment he gets involved with Lily.  



And, well...there's Mary Cherry (Leslie Grossman), and well...Mary Cherry is such an enigma of a character trainwreck that I would need an entire blog entry to dissect her incredibly unbelievable personality.  But while she may come across as completely insane, she does provide ample amounts of comic relief.

And you know, when it comes down to popularity, the whole quest for it just seems like one huge comedic moment.  It's almost like a sitcom filled with karmic retribution and a storyline that will never end because the quest for total popularity is one that cannot be won.  Though the good thing about "Popular" is that it certainly did a great job spoofing the very quest to be popular.  I only wish it had a chance to go on.

And, well...there's a particular reason why I decided to talk about "Popular"...and sadly, the reason is one of sorrow.



One of the stars of the show, Ron Lester, passed away on June 17, 2016 at the age of 45.  On the show, Ron played the role of Michael "Sugar Daddy" Bernardino, afootball player who simply wants to be respected and find love despite the fact that he knows his size was a major factor.  Believe me, I could totally relate to Sugar Daddy's concerns. 

As many well know, Lester underwent gastric bypass surgery in 2001, dropping over 300 pounds as a result, and undergoing several cosmetic surgeries to remove excess skin as a result of it.  Unfortunately, fourteen years after the surgery, Lester developed problems with his kidneys and liver, and went into hospice care in early 2016.



May he rest in peace.

Friday, June 17, 2016

Jem Reviewed: Episode 13 - The Music Awards - Part 1

When we last left off with Jem Reviewed, the Holograms won a fashion contest thanks to Shana's designs and a little help from Synergy.  Let's see what happens this week.



Why, it's time for another two-parter episode.  Like we didn't have enough of those!  This is Episode 13:  The Music Awards - Part 1.



The setting is one of the many bedrooms inside of Starlight Mansion.  And inside the bedroom are three of the Starlight Girls.  Playing with the Jem doll - and a nice tie in with merchandising courtesy of Hasbro - is Ba Nee.  Brushing Ba Nee's hair is a new girl we haven't met yet named Krissie.



And standing in front of the mirror annoying both Ba Nee and Krissie is another Starlight Girl named Deirdre.  And Deirdre is a huge fan of Jem.  In fact, with the posters plastered all over her bedroom wall, one might say she's obsessed.  Wouldn't it blow her mind to know that she's been living with Jem all this time?  But of course she'll never find out.  She has a hard enough time telling RIO!  But of course, Deirdre is determined to learn the guitar well enough to one day play on stage with Jem.  Too bad with the way she's playing, that won't happen until the year 2017...which back in 1986 was decades away!



Lindsey Pearce's show is on, and it's here that one of the plots is introduced - the one that this episode is named after.  There's an awards show celebrating music (I'm assuming that it's the American Music Awards, as the Grammys are usually held in February and this episode screened in September), and in the category of Best New Rock Group, Jem and the Holograms have been nominated for the award - which makes all the Starlight Girls shriek with glee.



But guess what?  The Misfits are also nominated in the same category.  And since Jerrica Benton took over Starlight Music and ousted the Misfits from the company, that very well could be the only award they get.  I'm also thinking that the episode might have aired out of order...I think it probably should have been sandwiched in between "Starbright: Rising Star" and "The World Hunger Shindig" for it to make sense...but that could have been an oversight.



At any rate, Pizzazz decides to take matters into her own hands and practically begs her father to buy her a record company.  Because when he bought that movie studio for her seven episodes ago, that worked out SO well!  But having learned nothing from that fiasco, Harvey Gabor does what Pizzazz wants, and makes some calls.  This isn't good.

But we've got no time to worry about that now.  School starts very soon, and Jerrica has taken all twelve Starlight Girls to Target to get the hottest fashions from 1986!  Time for a song to commemorate this occasion!



It's been said that this video is one of Christy Marx's least favourites, and I can see why.  It's a lot like the music video for "Something Is Missing In My Life".  There's nothing wrong with the song "She Makes An Impression".  If used properly, it could have packed a punch.  But somehow watching a group of junior high students and grade schoolers shopping for clothes that Punky Brewster would reject just makes this video kind of...meh.



Deirdre thinks she's hit the jackpot when she finds a dress that looks exactly like Jem's.  Oh yeah, like some junior high school will let you wear that around the hallways.  Jem's hemline isn't exactly long, you know.  But to Deirdre's frustration, Jerrica seems to be caught up in other things for her to notice Deirdre.  My guess is that her heart probably stopped when she saw the final bill.  Happens all the time when you're shopping for twelve.  And they haven't even gone to Staples yet for school supplies!



After the shopping excursion has ended, Jerrica goes back to work to make up for all the money she spent on Vuarnet T-shirts and rainbow coloured toe socks when her secretary Joanie alerts her to something going on across the street.  It doesn't take long for Jerrica to realize that Pizzazz's dream has come true.



Across the street in the blackest, darkest, tallest office building that you could imagine is "Misfits Music".  Oh, that's cold.  Opening up across the street from your competitor.  That's like opening up a Krispy Kreme donut shop in the same shopping plaza as Dunkin' Donuts!  With all of this happening, and the stress from the upcoming awards show, this is too much for Jerrica to handle.

Jerrica calls for Aja, Shana, and Kimber to meet in Synergy's room, but before they get there, Deirdre is trying to show Jerrica the cool new chords that she has learned.  Once again, Jerrica brushes her off, and this time, Deirdre is venting her frustrations to Krissie and Ba Nee.  She's quite upset...and honestly while I would say she has reason to be, this behaviour of putting the band over the girls is nothing new for Jerrica.  Unfortunately.



Once inside Synergy's room, the Holograms request Synergy's assistance in using special effects to try and get an edge on the Misfits at the Music Awards, and as shown by this screenshot, she definitely delivers.



But outside of Starlight Mansion, a limousine pulls up.  And inside the limo are the Misfits, Eric Raymond, and some weird looking dude with a creepy voice who simply goes by the name of Techrat.  But if Christy Marx had her way, Techrat would look even weirder.  In this edition of Jem Trivia, Christy's initial sketch of Techrat was supposed to be more androgynous.  Think either David Bowie in his Ziggy Stardust phase or Boy George.

Well, Techrat - in addition to being very creepy - is also very handy with technology.  His latest invention is a little box that can reportedly take any electronic item within a certain area and make them go out of control.  The device would most certainly screw up Jem's appearance at the Music Awards, but Techrat has to test it first.

When he turns on the box outside of Starlight Mansion, everything goes haywire.  Lights flicker on and off, Deirdre's electric guitar starts making weird noises, and a blender explodes all over Starlight Girl Delaree...who I think might only have like two lines in the whole series.



Synergy also starts to go crazy, and the light show turns into deadly lasers that could divide the band into twenty-eight equal pieces!  Jerrica tries to get close enough to Synergy to unplug her, but those lasers are shooting at her very quickly and unpredictably for her to do anything about it.



Fortunately, luck - and Pizzazz's "Gimme Gimme Gimme" attitude strikes at the right time, and she tries to get control of Techrat's invention so she can play with it.  Techrat, who can't stand to be touched, is very aggravated by Pizzazz's forwardness, and in the scuffle, the invention gets smashed into a million pieces, stopping the craziness inside the mansion.

Once everything has calmed down, and Synergy explains that the outside interference caused her to go loco, Jerrica suspects the Misfits are responsible, which makes her resolve to beat them even stronger.



The rest of the Starlight Girls tell Jerrica and the others what happened, and Jerrica tells them not to worry, as it was just a freak electrical mishap.  But once again, she brushes Deirdre off, and Deirdre loudly complains about Jerrica in front of the whole group.  Surprisingly enough it is Ashley that acts as the voice of reason, and explains that Jerrica is very busy, and that she's doing her best.  But Deirdre doesn't believe Ashley, and remarks that Jem would never brush her aside like Jerrica does.



And where is Jem?  Well, she's on her way to a mysterious location with Rio, Video, and the rest of the Holograms.  What's so special about a house on a simple residential street?  Video explains that the Holograms have to meet with someone who may be able to improve their choreography skills in their live concerts.



And...wow...I know she's a cartoon character, but she is absolutely stunning.  She can really dance too.  Have a look!



The video for "When It's Only Me And The Music" is stunning.  Visually, it's near perfection.  And as far as the song itself goes, it once again proves that Jem and the Holograms' strength is with ballads.  Absolutely beautiful.  In fact, just as "Designing Woman" might be my favourite Misfits song, I think this one might be my favourite Jem song so far!



Once the song ends, and Jem and the others applaud the mysterious woman, the woman seems shocked and then flattered by the attention.  Video introduces the group to Giselle Dvorak.  But her stage name is...yep.  You guessed it.  Danse.  Oooh la la...she uses the French spelling too!



Turns out that this wonderful dancer with the multi-coloured hair also has a huge heart as well.  When she's not working as a dancer on rock videos and stage productions, she works at a place called Haven House - the location where they are now.  Haven House is a place where teenagers who have run away from home go to stay.  The space is limited and there aren't enough beds for everyone, but they do the best they can with the resources they have. 

The reason why Danse wanted to meet with Jem and the Holograms is because she needs their help.  Haven House is putting on a benefit at Stouffer Stadium where all proceeds will go towards the house, and Danse thinks that if Jem performs at the benefit concert, it would be a big help.  Jem, of course, doesn't hesitate in saying yes.



Back home, Jem and Rio are discussing the plans for the benefit concert, and Rio is thinking of trying something new with the lighting on stage, but Jem makes the mistake of telling Rio that they've got it covered - not realizing that Rio doesn't know about Synergy.  Actually, there's not much Rio knows.



All Rio knows is that he's upset that Jem seems to think that someone else is better than him, and this leads to a small fight between the two of them.  And of course, Deirdre picks the worst time to try and show Jem how to play guitar because Jem snaps at her and brushes her off again, causing Deirdre to cry.



We see Deirdre shredding all of the posters on her wall, and crying about how much she hates everyone, and how she is going to run away from home to get away from everyone.  Ba Nee thinks it to be a fun adventure, and decides she wants to run away too.  Yeah, never mind the fact that Jerrica tortured herself making a movie to pay for an operation that ALLOWED YOU TO SEE!!!  That's gratitude for you!



Krissie attempts to make Deirdre see the error in her ways, but Deirdre insists on taking off.  Krissie, unable to change her mind, agrees to go with her - but before they leave, Krissie leaves a note for Jerrica explaining the situation.  At least ONE of the three are thinking sensibly.  But when Deirdre announces that they'll be going to hide out at the Misfits, I shake my head.  Did Ashley not tell you ANYTHING about what happened to her when she ran away?  I mean, you might be able to get in good with Stormer, but Pizzazz and Roxy?  Yeesh...



And there's also a scene that seems tacked on where a man throws his son out of the house and orders him not to come back ever again.  I don't know why they do this...I mean, what are the odds of this having anything to do with the storyline?



Completely oblivious to what is going on - as usual - Lindsey is meeting with Jem and Danse to discuss the benefit concert for Haven House.  Apparently, it's being held on August 3, 1986 - which seems like an eternity ago, doesn't it?  But it's nice of Lindsey to agree to promote the cause on her show.

But no episode would be an episode without conflict.  And this conflict is a huge one.  The night of the Haven House benefit is the same night as the Music Awards.  And as Lindsey explains to Jem, skipping out on the Music Awards could mean career suicide.  Unfortunately, Jem seems to agree with Lindsey, and breaks Danse's heart by telling her they can't make the benefit.  Danse takes the news with disappointment, but handles it really well.  A lot better than I would handle it.



Seriously, Jem...you can't go back on a commitment you made to Danse just to puff up your ego and win an award!  Who do you think you are?   Pizzazz?  This is why Jem/Jerrica aggravates me sometimes.

Speaking of Pizzazz, Deirdre, Krissie, and Ba Nee arrive at Misfits Music, and Stormer immediately recognizes them as Starlight Girls.  Deirdre explains the situation, and while Stormer is assigned to watch them, Pizzazz and Roxy make a phone call.



The phone call they make is to a child protective services officer named Jack Sobieski.  The fact that Pizzazz of all people is reporting a crime against child welfare is hysterical comedy in itself.  But unfortunately, Pizzazz's call to CPS does make Mr. Sobieski very suspicious, and he vows to take the matter seriously.  Seems to me like Jerrica is about to receive a cosmic bitchslap any time now.



Sure enough, Jerrica's finally ready to hear Deirdre's song - only to see the bedroom floor covered with bits and pieces of Jem posters.  If this weren't a cartoon, that would be very creepy.  Ashley runs in with the note that Krissie left behind explaining that they ran away from Starlight Mansion, and before you know it, Jerrica is swallowing a huge slice of humble pie.  I hope it tastes really bitter, Jerrica.  Believe me, you kind of deserve it.



Back at Pizzazz's mansion, would you believe that the Misfits are making Deirdre, Ba Nee, and Krissie do chores?  They thought that by running away from Starlight Mansion that they'd never do chores again!  Silly kids!  But Pizzazz does tell them that because of their work, they have earned free tickets to their concert that night...which Deirdre sees as justification for running away.



Meanwhile, everyone at Starlight House is going all over the city trying to find the missing girls.  They check the video arcade, the local diner, and even a bus depot.  Still no luck.

At this point, Jerrica realizes that she's made a terrible mistake - well, actually she's made terrible mistakes.  As in plural.  But that's all semantics now, and she now has to do what is right.



The first thing she does is make things right with Danse, and they tell her that no award is worth having the wonderful opportunity to play a charity gig, and Danse happily accepts their recommitment to the cause.  But when Danse asks what changed their mind, the Holograms are a little too chatty and tell her everything that happened with Deirdre, Krissie, and Ba Nee, which I find to be a bit much considering that they only met yesterday.  Why Danse could be an undercover cop and all four of them would be thrown in jail!  Whatever the case, Jem believes that if the girls see them perform at the benefit concert, it will make them come back home.



Outside of the arena where the Misfits are performing, we see a scalper trying to sell Misfits tickets for outrageous prices.  Well, okay, maybe fifty bucks doesn't sound like a lot now, but it was worth a small fortune in 1986.  I'd have to lose 50 baby teeth to make that much back then!  That kid that was thrown out of his home earlier in the episode crashes into the scalper, and he swipes one of the concert tickets, angering the scalper.  But before he can get his hands on the kid, the kid enters the concert hall, and the scalper threatens to deal with him later. 



And Krissie and Ba Nee are starting to get angry with Deirdre, and try to convince her that staying with the Misfits is not a good idea, but Deirdre refuses to listen to reason until after the concert.  They have a hard time seeing the show, so Deirdre spots a nearby antenna, and the three girls decide to climb up on it to get a better view as the Misfits start their set.



I have to say, "I Am A Giant" is a kick-ass song with a creative video.  I think this may be the only video in the Jem series that has actually utilized black and white so far.  It's very stunning, and Pizzazz as an Amazon woman would be one scary sight!

Krissie on the other hand is scared of heights, and she realizes that she wants to climb down.  But she loses her footing and falls off the antenna with Deirdre screaming in horror!





But we don't get to see Krissie go kersplut on the ground, as the TO BE CONTINUED graphic gets superimposed over her look of pure horror.  We'll have to wait until next week to see what happens next.  And believe me, I'll have plenty of opinions in that show too.

Tuesday, June 14, 2016

June 14, 1777

I present to you a historic moment in the Tuesday Timeline feature.  This is officially the furthest that I have ever gone back in time with the Tuesday Timeline - well, aside from that April Fools Day joke I pulled a few years back.  Trust me though...this history lesson will be worth it.  Especially if you live south of the Canadian border.

I'll leave you with that thought as we take a look at some of the events that took place throughout history on June 14.

1158 - Munich, Germany is founded by Henry the Lion

1287 - Kublai Khan defeats the force of Nayan and other traditional Borjigin princes in Manchuria and East Mongolia

1775 - The United States Army is founded under the original name of the Continental Army

1789 - Bourbon is first produced by Reverend Elijah Craig

1900 - Hawaii becomes a territory of the United States - it would become an official state fifty-nine years later

1907 - Women in Norway are granted the right to vote

1928 - Ernesto "Che" Guevara (d. 1967) is born in Rosario, Argentina

1940 - Paris, France falls under German occupation forcing the Allies to retreat during World War II

1945 - Brazilian director Carlos Reichenbach is born - he would die on his 67th birthday in 2002

1949 - A rhesus monkey named Albert becomes the first monkey to go into outer space

1954 - Dwight D. Eisenhower signs a bill that places the words "under God" into the United States Pledge of Allegiance

1964 - Railway workers at a London station are shocked to find a twelve-year-old girl inside of a tea chest alive; she decided to mail herself to The Beatles!

1967 - Mariner 5 is launched towards Venus on the same day that The People's Republic of China tests its first hydrogen bomb

1985 - TWA Flight 847 is hijacked by Hezbollah shortly after taking off from Athens, Greece

1986 - A deadly accident takes place at the West Edmonton Mall in Edmonton, Alberta after the Mindbender roller coaster smashes into a concrete pillar after failing to go around a loop - three people are killed

1994 - Riots break out in Vancouver, British Columbia following the Stanley Cup Playoffs in which New York Rangers win the championship against the Vancouver Canucks; over 200 are arrested and damage is estimated at $1.1 million - on the same day, composer Henry Mancini dies at the age of 70

1997 - Actor Richard Jaeckel dies at the age of 70

2002 - An asteroid misses the Earth by a narrow margin - only 75,000 miles!

2015 - 6,500 acres are destroyed following a wildfire near Willow, Alaska

And the following famous faces are turning one year older today!  Happy birthday to Don Newcombe, Marla Gibbs, Jack Bannon, Jonathan Raban, Joe Grifasi, Donald Trump, Hiroshi Miyauchi, Jim Lea, Alan White, Eddie Mekka, David Thomas, Will Patton, Paul O'Grady, Nick Van Eede, Boy George, Chris DeGarmo, Yasmine BleethTraylor Howard, Campbell Brown, Faizon Love, Eric Desjardins, Steffi Graf, Heather McDonald, Dominic Brown, Sutan "Raja" Amrull, Alan Carr, J.R. Martinez, Siobhan Donaghy, Kevin McHale, Lucy Hale, and Courtney Halverson.

Now, as I mentioned before, this is the oldest Tuesday Timeline date that I have ever talked about in this space.  It's so old, we're going back over a couple of centuries!



How about we take a look at what happened exactly two hundred and thirty-nine years ago today on June 14, 1777?

Yep.  We're going back to a time in which Canada wasn't a country, and the United States was just a few weeks shy of celebrating its first birthday as a unified nation.  Of course, back in those days, America was only made up of thirteen colonies/states - Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, and Virginia.

When the United States officially became an independent nation on July 4, 1776, the nation needed its own flag to symbolize the event.  The only problem was that back in 1776, the Continental Congress wouldn't legally adopt any flags that contained a star shape in a blue field.  As a result, the first flag of the United States looked something like this.



In the corner was the British Union Jack - the country that America declared its independence from - and the red and white stripes represented the colonies that declared its independence from Great Britain.  Count the stripes and you will see that there are exactly thirteen.

That design would last for eleven months before the Continental Congress would pass a new bill regarding the design of the flag.  That bill was passed on June 14, 1777.  During that time, Congress had a change of heart over the inclusion of stars in the flag design, so the decision was made to remove the Union Jack from the original design, and instead place thirteen stars inside of a solid dark blue background representing the first thirteen states to join the union.



The design of the American flag is credited to New Jersey resident and naval flag designer Francis Hopkinson.  Though some may say that this is false, it is widely believed to be true, as Hopkinson was the only one to make that claim during his own lifetime and reportedly sent several letters and bills to Congress supposedly proving it.  But there are some who also claim it to be false, as Hopkinson's original design had seven white stripes and six red stripes (the opposite of what the current American flag holds), as well as six pointed stars instead of five.  At this point in time, it's hard to say what the real truth was, as nobody living in 1777 is still alive.  But it is generally believed that Hopkinson came up with the concept.



It is also widely believed that Betsy Ross was the first person in the country to sew the American flag after being given a pencil sketch by George Washington himself - a design that was like Hopkinson's plan except the stars were five pointed and arranged in a circle.  However, there is no evidence that suggests that Betsy Ross was given that design, or even was responsible for sewing the flag at all.  In fact, some descendants of flagmaker Rebecca Young claim that Young was the one who sewed the first American flag, not Ross.

Whatever the case, the first American flag was publicly raised in June 1777 and remained the flag's symbol ever since.  Though, the original design was modified with the creation of each state.  The first amendment was made in 1795 with the addition of Kentucky and Vermont to the Union, and twenty-five subsequent redesigns were made over the next two centuries - the final one being made in 1960 with the addition of the fiftieth state, Hawaii.

And the fifty star design just happens to be the one that has lasted the longest - nearly 56 years and counting.  So, unless something drastic happens such as Quebec separating from Canada and becoming the fifty-first state, I suspect this design will continue to hold true.

So, whether you refer to it as "Old Glory", the Star-Spangled Banner, or simply the American flag, know that it was on this day 239 years ago, it was first introduced.





Which could explain why "Flag Day" has become an American holiday.