Okay,
let's begin Day #8 of the POP CULTURE
ADDICT'S ADVENT CALENDAR with a confession.
Today
is my workplace anniversary.
It
was twelve years ago today that I began my job at my current workplace. Well, okay, technically it's been almost a
year in my current area. I've been
bounced around so many times, I feel like those metal balls that you bounce
around a pinball machine not knowing whether I'll find myself scoring huge
points or going in a direction that leads to the dreaded TILT message.
But
I've been with the company for twelve years.
And while there are some things that I wish could have gone differently,
it has been a good run. I mean, it is a
job with full time hours and benefits - something that doesn't exist for a lot
of people this day and age. So, in a
way, I'm very fortunate to have that.
It's
funny that I started off as a Christmas temp hire, and I've stayed for twelve
years. I guess some things you don't
necessarily plan for in life. And while
I do believe that everything happens for a reason, I sometimes wonder what that
reason is. Often.
Again,
for the most part, things have been fine there. But because I was hired during the Christmas season, it does lead
up to the second part of the "SCROOGED" series - that's where I take
one thing about the holidays that I don't particularly like and rant about it.
In
this case, the rant I have is about the endless loop of Christmas carols that
play over and over and over again.
Now,
when I say Christmas carols, I actually don't mind the traditional ones. I can listen to almost any version of
"Silent Night" or "Holy Night" without feeling the urge to
snap candy canes in two. I can listen
to Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer without wanting to toss a Christmas tree into
a wood chipper. Hell, I could even
listen Band-Aid's "Do They Know It's Christmas" without wanting to
set fire to an entire gingerbread village.
It's
when they decide to make modernized versions of these Christmas carols in all
their auto-tuned glory that makes me want to spew vomit all over everything
green and red in the world. I mean, I
realize that every single singer in the world feels the need to release a
holiday album. But just because they
can doesn't mean that they should.
I really don't care about Britney Spears wanting a man dressed in a big red bow
underneath her Christmas tree. I don't
want to know what Destiny's Child wants for their 8 days of Christmas or
however many days they feel Christmas should last. And if I hear Mariah Carey's "All I Want For Christmas Is
You" one more bloody time, I'm going to tape her mouth shut.
ALL
RIGHT, WHERE'S MY DUCK TAPE?!?
Look,
in all seriousness, I never used to hate Christmas music this much...but when
you hear the same songs in a continuous loop for eight hours a day, it makes me
grateful that I can put my iPod in at my lunch break and crank up some Billy
Joel tunes that have absolutely nothing to do with Christmas. That gives me joy - and sanity - during the
holidays.
But
then again...if Billy Joel were to have some Christmas music out, it might sway
me to the positive point of view once more.
I
guess like almost everything Christmas related, it's better served in small
doses. Christmas carols, cookies, egg
nog, and yes, even gifts.
We're
at the end of the first week of the POP CULTURE
ADDICT'S ADVENT CALENDAR. This is Day #7, and since Wednesday is all about wishes, I thought I'd tell you a
story of a time in which I wished for something very special, and ended up
getting it underneath the tree. It's
going to be kind of a short story as I don't have too much time to spare, but
trust me...it's a nice story.
Believe
me, it's certainly a lot better wish than the ones that are currently in the
Sears Wish Book. I don't know what they
were thinking with that catalogue this year!
Anyway, when I was younger, I think I was one of those rare kids that preferred
art supplies to toys. Oh sure, the toys
that I did get, I loved very much. But
as a naturally creative child, I loved the idea of getting notebook paper,
coloured markers, construction paper...anything would work! And at Christmas, I usually was lucky enough
to get some of the higher-end products like the Crayola caddy, or the 96 pack
of Crayola crayons, or special art kits.
I relished gifts like that, and anytime someone would give me gifts like
that, it was a proven kid pleaser.
I
know this is going to make me sound strange, but while most kids dream gifts
were a Nintendo (something I bought myself), a bicycle, or a ski trip, my dream
gift was something a little more practical.
I
was always a fan of Laurentian pencil crayons as a kid. I was such a fan of them that at one point I
had the 24 pack of colours memorized with their corresponding number. That's how much I loved the products. And they were pencil crayons that lasted a
very long time. I think I still have
some kicking around from the 1980s that have miraculously survived!
But
while the 24-pack was something that was easily found and really cheap to buy -
you could not say the same for the 60-packs of Laurentian pencil crayons. There were 60 different colours of them
available, and they were priced extremely high. I want to say that back in the 1990s, they were easily around
twenty dollars a package, though I could be wrong about that.
Whatever
the cost was...I wanted a set. I wanted
a set so badly. I actually wanted them
as soon as I heard that one existed. I
think my aunt Heather had a set of her own that she used for school and I was
mesmerized by them. I may have even
pilfered a Light Orange #30 pencil crayon from her set when I was the tender
age of four. I couldn't help
myself. I just knew that I wanted one. Part of me was curious to know what the
other colours were and I wanted to see which ones would become my new
favourites!
But
growing up in a working class family, I knew that money was tight and that I
probably wouldn't get my hands on a 60-pack of Laurentians in my lifetime.
Well,
at least that was the case until Christmas 1990. That was the year that I got a present from Santa Claus and
inside was the 60-pack of Laurentians!
And, to say that I was excited about that gift would be an
understatement. I actually still had
some presents left to unwrap that I wanted to open up later because I really wanted
to use those pencil crayons anyway.
It's just as well anyway...those gifts ended up being socks and
underwear anyway. Only I would open up
the lamest gifts last.
(Though now that I'm 35, socks and underwear would be gifts that I would
definitely like and appreciate.)
I
just remember it being a great moment as a child...trying to memorize another
36 different colours and numbers, and seeing which colours I liked the
best. It's a bittersweet moment as
well, given the fact that Laurentian pencil crayons are no longer
manufactured. But I bought another one
for old times sake just before the company folded, and I still have it today -
even though they changed some of the colours to make them more colourful. I guess I could understand that though. Most of the colours in the 50-60 range were
different shades of grey and black.
So,
I'm sure you want to know my favourite colours of Laurentian pencil crayons,
huh? Okay, here's my Top 12, along with
the numbers.
The
POP CULTURE ADDICT'S ADVENT CALENDAR continues with Day #6 - as well as the Tuesday Timeline entry. It's the first one for the month of
December, and I'll tell you something...I had no shortage of topics to choose
from. The clincher is that I wanted to
try and make this Christmas themed...and that was the hardest part. But, I think I've found a way to do
that...even if it means talking about the final day of one singer's life.
Before
we get to that, let's have a look at some of the other events that took place
on the 6th of December.
1768 - The first edition of the Encyclopaedia
Britannica is published
1790 - The United States Congress relocates to
Philadelphia from New York City
1865 - The ratification of the Thirteenth
Amendment to the United States Constitution effectively bans slavery in the
United States
1877 - The Washington Post is printed for the
first time
1884 - Construction of the Washington Monument is
completed
1897 - London, England becomes the first city in
the world to host licensed taxicabs
1900 - Actress Agnes Moorehead (d. 1974) is born
in Clinton, Massachusetts
1907 - 362 coal miners lose their lives following
a mine explosion in Monongah, West Virginia
1917 - A munitions explosion occurs near Halifax,
Nova Scotia, killing 1,900 people
1947 - The Everglades National Park is dedicated
1953 - Vladimir Nabokov completes the novel,
"Lolita" - one of the most controversial pieces of literature ever
written
1955 - Baseball player Honus Wagner dies at the
age of 81
1967 - The first human heart transplant is
performed by Adrian Kantrowitz
1971 - The diplomatic relations between India and
Pakistan are severed, leading up to the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971
1989 - Fourteen women are gunned down by an
anti-feminist gunman at an engineering school in Montreal, Quebec
1993 - Actor Don Ameche passes away at the age of
85
2006 - NASA reveals photographs taken by the Mars
Global Surveyor that suggests the presence of liquid water on Mars
2010 - Canadian reporter and CityTV personality
Mark Dailey dies of kidney cancer, aged 57
2011 - Singer Dobie Gray passes away, aged 71
And,
for celebrity birthdays, we have the following people turning one year
older. Happy birthday to Patrick Bauchau, JoBeth Williams, Wendy Ellis Somes, Tom Hulce, Steven Wright, Nick Park, Judd Apatow, Torri Higginson, Ulf Ekberg, Craig Brewer, Noel Clarke, and Ryan Carnes.
So,
how far are we going back in time this week?
Well,
how about three decades less two years?
That would make the date December 6,
1988.
As
I mentioned before, this date is a sad one in the music industry. This was the day in which a real music
legend lost his life...and it came at a time in which he was experiencing what
could be considered one of the greatest comebacks in the industry.
Now,
for some artists, they make comeback albums every three or four years or
so. It seems like it's almost a joke of
sorts. But in actuality, this was an
entertainer who was in his prime in the late 1950s and early 1960s and hadn't
had another hit until 1988. Not only
did he have success as a solo artist, but he had joined a supergroup that had
formed the year before with Jeff Lynne, Tom Petty, Bob Dylan, and George
Harrison.
Who
knew that Roy Orbison would have had such a
career resurgence at the age of 52?
Even he seemed surprised at the idea of people responding so well to
him. After all, this was a man who
started his career in 1957 with a voice that was unlike any other male voices
heard on the radio at that time.
Whereas most of the male artists at that time had a defining masculinity
about him which could be heard in their vocals, Orbison's voice showed a little
bit of vulnerability, and almost seemed operatic in comparison.
And
yet, it seemed to fit in very well during the early 1960s. He had hit after hit with songs like
"Only The Lonely", and "Crying", and "Oh, Pretty
Woman". He even released a few
Christmas singles such as the one heard below.
Throughout the 1970s, his career stagnated a bit, but by the time 1988
rolled around, he had jumped in full swing with his work with The Traveling
Wilburys, as well as recording a brand new album entitled "Mystery
Girl". By late 1988, the tracks
were all completed and Orbison was set to release the album sometime in
1989. It was the first new album that
Orbison had released in ten years, and thanks to his work with the Traveling
Wilburys, fans were anticipating the release.
But
what the public didn't know was that Orbison hadn't been feeling very well in
the weeks leading up to his death. In November
1988, he had been experiencing chest pains.
He confided to his friend, Johnny Cash, about this and Cash had
reportedly encouraged Orbison to get checked out by a doctor, but Orbison
decided to ignore the advice and went ahead to Europe. There, he accepted an award as well as
performed in Antwerp, where he performed one of his newest singles, "You
Got It".
From
there, he conducted a series of interviews for television, flew back to the
United States to perform shows, and by the 4th of December, he was physically
exhausted from the stressful schedule.
He returned to his home in Henderson, Tennessee to recuperate from it
all. He planned to stay there until
after the holidays were over, and from there, he would fly out to London to
film some more videos for the Traveling Wilburys. At least, that was what the plan was.
Sadly,
two days later, on December 6, 1988, Orbison suffered a massive heart attack at
the age of 52. The tabloids had
suggested that Orbison had worked himself to death, but Orbison had had heart
troubles as far back as ten years prior to his death. In many ways, the stress certainly didn't help him out, but my
opinion is that Orbison's health had been a ticking time bomb for several
years, and it's unfortunate that he died when his career was going so well.
But his legacy continues on. His last album, "Mystery Girl" was
released in February 1989, and that song that he performed in Antwerp became
Orbison's final hit.
I'm
really excited to talk about Day #5 of the POP CULTURE ADDICT'S ADVENT CALENDAR because this is a personal
story that I want to share with all of you.
You
know how when I first announced the schedule for this blog, and how I would
devote Mondays to events that took place at school during the holidays? I think part of the reason why I want to do
this is to remind people that there was a time in which schools actually
celebrated the holidays and we did lots of fun things during the last week of
school before Christmas. Not all
schools seem to do this now because of fear of offending people who don't
celebrate Christmas, which I think is wrong.
But I also think it's wrong for schools to ignore all the other holidays
as well, and that's what's leading to today's school memory.
The
scary part of this memory is that I remember exactly when this memory took
place. It was Christmas 1991. And, what's even scarier is that this was 25
years ago. I can't believe I'm old
enough to remember things that happened that long ago, especially since as a
10-year-old during that time, I thought that it would take forever to reach the
age of 25! Anyway, the only reason I
remember the date well was because it was a couple of months away from the 1992
Winter Olympics, and our school decided to do something special in preparation
for the event.
I
guess you could say that we put on our own Olympic games that year.
I
honestly don't know who participated - I want to say it was grades 1-8, as my
school at that time had kids from kindergarten to 8th grade under one
roof. But we were all divided up into I
believe thirty-six teams, each containing at least three kids from each grade
level. Each team was represented by a
country that was taking part in the Olympic games.
My
team? We were the Swedes, ya! We represented the land that gave us ABBA,
Ikea, meatballs, and a crazy chef Muppet that liked the word BORK! I would have rather been on Team Canada, but
at least Sweden had similar weather to us.
And besides, the Swedish flag was easy to draw and colour!
And
of course the week long event concluded with a winter fun day, where all
thirty-six teams competed against each other in Olympic style events for
kids. I think my team finished in the
middle of the pack, but it was still a decent showing.
But
I think the part that I liked the best were the events leading up to the huge
fun day. My elementary school had
eighteen gathering places for students - the various classrooms, the gym, the
library, and the computer lab. And each
of these classrooms were used as various stations for us to move around with
each classroom having a different activity.
Now, because we had 36 teams, this meant that two teams were in each
classroom at any given time, so in a way, I guess the teachers were trying to
teach us lessons in diplomacy. After
all, competing against other nations is one thing, but you also have to be a
good representative of your own nation by treating those in other countries
with dignity and respect. It's a lesson
that I think schools need to teach more than ever.
And
in each classroom, we were given activities that were linked to the countries
that we had to represent. I do believe
I made a Swedish Santa ornament at one of these stations, and I think that I
still have it today. I just don't
remember what box I put it in, because it's gone missing and I'm still
unpacking boxes in the garage from when I moved in the summer of 2015!
And
of course, we learned all about the various Olympic sports that were performed
as well, and it was a real great way to get us excited about the upcoming
Olympics...
...even though in 1992, Canada only won seven
total.
This
is Day #4 of the POP CULTURE
ADDICT'S ADVENT CALENDAR, and since today is Sunday, I'm going to be featuring some sort of
musical interlude that has to do with the holiday season.
But
for the first installment of this, I'm going to do something a little bit
different, and talk directly to those of you who might be celebrating Christmas
away from home, or those of you who have a loved one who is away. This is definitely the song for you.
Trust
me...I think we can all agree that there have been times in which we have been
separated from a loved one for the holidays.
A snowstorm might have struck on Christmas Eve preventing you from
flying home. Your husband might be
deployed to another country because of his service in the military. Or perhaps you have a parent who is
hospitalized or in a nursing home and they cannot come home. Whatever the case, it can definitely be
harder on you during the holidays - a time in which families are supposed to
come together, not be apart.
(Given
the recent political climate that is happening in the United States, it seems
as though more and more people are spending the holidays alone whether it be by
choice or not.)
Well,
in 2010, "American Idol" runner-up Katharine McPhee decided to record
a song that symbolizes the feelings that one might have when it comes to
missing someone over the holidays.
The
song is called "It's Not Christmas Without You", and it appears on
her third studio album "Christmas Is The Time to Say I Love
You". I'll post the song here
below. Have a listen, and we'll talk
about it later.
ARTIST: Katharine McPhee SONG: It's Not
Christmas Without You ALBUM: Christmas
Is The Time to Say I Love You DATE RELEASED: October 12, 2010
You
know, I keep forgetting that Christmas albums are released as early as October
now. Talk about pushing the season!
Anyway,
back to the song. The music video
debuted on Vevo in December 2010, and in addition to McPhee (who can now be
seen in the CBS television series "Scorpion"), actor Joel David Moore
of "Avatar" fame makes an appearance as her love interest who can't
make it home for Christmas.
But
you know...we don't even need the video to show McPhee's disappointment in the
song. We can hear it in her voice, as
well as in the lyrics. I mean, I get
it. When you see wreaths on doors, and
sparkling Christmas lights on the tree, and carolers singing on the streets,
it's a once-a-year event that you really want to spend with someone you
love. Knowing that someone isn't there
with you makes it seem less magical.
But, in many cases, these feelings don't have to
be forever. I think in many cases,
there are things we can do to try and get our minds off of the fact that our
loved ones can't make it home this Christmas.
And I know that they wouldn't want us to feel sad...they'd want us to
try and enjoy the season as best we can, be it through volunteering, or baking
treats for the neighbourhood. It won't
be exactly the same, but it can still fill your heart with joy. And with absence making the heart grow
fonder, it just gives you a reason to get excited for the following year!
Here
we are with Day #3 of the POP CULTURE
ADDICT'S ADVENT CALENDAR! And if I'm correct with my
scheduling, I'm supposed to talk about a holiday special, either in television
or movie form.
I
think because I'm crunched for time this weekend, I'll stick with a television
special. After all, they generally run
shorter.
So,
today, I'm going to share with you a classic Christmas tale that many of you in
the United States might not remember seeing.
Truth be told, I missed the original run when it aired, as it was in
December 1980 and I was still in the womb at that time. But in Canada, this was the television
special that kicked off a long-running Canadian animated series that I
absolutely adored when I was a kid, and still love today. In fact, there's a part of me that would
love it if CBC decided to bring this show back.
Of
course, maybe I also want them to bring back the colour changing markers that
they released around the same time as the show too. Those markers were the best invention ever!
No, I'm talking about the Canadian cartoon series "The
Raccoons". I did an entry about
them around Canada Day one year, but it was more or less a generic entry. This time around, I'll be talking about the
television special that kicked off the Raccoons series - "The Christmas
Raccoons"!
This
is the episode that introduces us to married couple Ralph and Melissa Raccoon,
their best friend Bert, the antagonist Cyril Sneer, his son Cedric, and a human
family consisting of the father, Ranger Dan, and his two kids Julie and
Tommy. Oh, and we musn't forget the
family pet, a giant dog named Schaeffer.
So,
the story begins with a bit of a mystery.
Ranger Dan is noticing that pine trees have been disappearing at a
rather alarming rate - even more than in previous years. I suppose it could have something to do with
the fact that the story starts two days before Christmas and many people who
use real Christmas trees usually decorate them the week before the big day. But with trees disappearing at such a high
rate, it's enough for concern.
But
Ralph, Melissa, and Bert are completely oblivious to the tree mystery. They're too busy decorating their own home
for the holidays - a gigantic pine tree that they lovingly call the
"Raccoondominium". I like
it. Very catchy!
It's not until the Raccoons discover the news
about the disappearing trees that we learn who is behind it. The evil, materialistic, greedy Cyril Sneer
is the one who is chopping down all the trees because he thinks that he can use
the wood from the trees to make a huge profit.
Of course, not everyone seems to agree with Cyril's plan. Cyril's own son Cedric thinks that it is a
really terrible idea because he will soon eliminate the entire forest and then
there will be no trees left to harvest.
But Cyril decides that chopping down trees is the way to go, and just to prove
a point, he levels an entire row of trees one by one - and one of those trees
happen to be the Raccoondominium! And
to make matters worse for the Raccoons, the Raccoondominium is taken away by
Ranger Dan's children as their brand new Christmas tree!
So, with the Raccoons homeless, Cyril filled with greed, and Christmas just
around the corner, is there any hope for a Christmas miracle in store?
The answer is YES! And, as a special
bonus treat, if you CLICK HERE, you can watch the special live! But take advantage of it while you can
because who knows how long it will be up!
Hello,
everybody! This is not only the 37th
episode review for the cartoon series, Jem, but it's also Day #2
of the POP CULTURE ADDICT'S ADVENT CALENDAR!
Last week, we watched Jem and the Holograms thwart the plans of a magician who
wanted to take over a show. I wonder
what will be in store this week?
Let's find out in Episode 37: The Jazz Player!
It's
nighttime at Starlight Mansion, and you know what that means! Lindsey Pearce's video show is on. And as a bit of a switch, Lindsey has
decided to invite the leader of a popular jazz band of the 1940s, Taps Tucker, for an interview and a performance.
Most of the girls in the room are thrilled to watch the show, but Kimber
feels as though it's too old-fashioned.
Kimber, have you learned nothing from the Bobby Bailey thing? Sheesh?
However, after 40 years, Taps Tucker still has it. He plays his lucky trumpet - the one he never leaves home
without, and plays a fantastic jazz solo.
It's enough to make Kimber eat her words and the rest of the Starlight girls
to become mesmerized by the sweet sound. Unfortunately,
that performance is interrupted by four rude women who think that jazz is out
and they are in.Can you guess who they
might be?
Ah, yes. The Misfits. Ironically, they're playing the same song
that they played when they were trying to evict Bobby Bailey from his
home! And once again, I'll state that
if they were singing about an ex-boyfriend, "Jack, Take a Hike" would
be a killer tune. Used in this context,
it's tasteless and rude.
Lindsey
seems to agree with my perspective, telling the Misfits that they've once again
blown the chance to be interviewed on her show, and that's enough for Jerrica
to shut the television off in disgust.
However, the Holograms come up with a brilliant idea. Since Taps Tucker still sounds great, why
not reunite the old band together for one more album. After all, Shana makes the remark that jazz was making a comeback
in the late 1980s (something that was actually true at the time), and it might
be a great surprise to bring Taps Tucker back with his band for one more jam
session.
But
when Jem and the Holograms track down Taps Tucker, they find that his life
isn't really all that fantastic. He's
living in a crummy old apartment with holes in the walls and dingy furniture. Which to me, I call shenanigans on, because
you'd think that he would at least get some royalties from his songs. He must have not had a great record company
backing him. At
first, Taps isn't sure he wants to go ahead with the reunion mainly because
it's been 40 years since they were last together. But Jem can be quite the persistent devil and tells him that she
knows a man who owns a jazz recording label and that if he agrees to reunite
the band for a comeback album, it might change his fortunes around. Eventually, Taps accepts Jem's offer, and
Jem gives Mark Rockwell a call.
As
it so happens, Jem calls right in the middle of a business deal between Mark
and Eric Raymond, who is making his own pitch for a jazz record
collection. It seems as though Eric has
been working on this pitch for a while, so naturally he'd be upset that Jem is
trying to butt in. Mark explains that
he only has enough resources to support one project, so he makes Jem a deal. If they can get the Taps Tucker Band together
in 24 hours time, he'll go with them.
Should they fail, Eric will get the deal. That's not a whole lot of time for Jem to work. It seems slightly unfair - but keep in mind
that Eric did get to Mark first.
Of
course, Eric and the Misfits aren't worried.
They plan to use Techrat to find out where each of the members of the
band are so they can make them disappear.
Nice, hacking into the database system to locate people. I'm pretty sure that's a crime.
But I guess Jem and the Holograms don't seem to worry about getting arrested
either because they make Synergy do the same exact thing! I'm thinking that there really should have
been an episode where Techrat tries to hack into Synergy. That would have been epic. But instead, we get the addresses and
workplaces of the three members of the Taps Tucker Band. Ace O'Toole, the saxophonist, isn't too far away. He lives in a small place called Duke's
Landing, so Jem sends Shana out to retrieve him. Bassist Dave Wilson is in Houston, Texas, so
she books a flight for Kimber to retrieve him.
And Aja's going to Seattle, Washington to meet up with Joey London, the drummer of the band.
But
as the girls are prepared to leave for their respective destinations, Ba Nee
arrives with the telephone. Taps Tucker
is on the line and he has bad news.
Someone broke into his apartment and stole his trumpet! Gee, I wonder who was responsible for
that? Whatever the case, Jem decides to
stay in town to locate Taps' horn, and she keeps Raya with her in case she
needs back up.
Now,
flying out to these locations is one thing, but the hard part is convincing the
band members that a reunion would be fun.
But in Aja's case, she needs not try too hard because Joey gives her an
emphatic yes! Seems as though Joey's
life has gone downhill and he owes a lot of money to a lot of loan sharks. The reunion could be what he needs to pay
back the money he owes.
But
Eric's already sent the Misfits out to wreak havoc...and Stormer is busy
sabotaging Aja's car so that they'll be stranded. But Stormer also notices a couple of creepy men entering the
apartment and wonders what's going on.
You
know those loan sharks that Joey owed money to? They're here to collect.
Fortunately, Aja kicks them both in the no-no spot and it allows her and
Joey to escape. But with Stormer
sabotaging the car, they're forced to hide in Seattle's underground city to
avoid getting caught. This doesn't look
good for Aja and Joey.
Over
at Duke's Landing, Shana is surprised to learn that Ace O'Toole has done very
well for himself and is legitimately happy in what he's doing. He's opened up a bar in the tiny coastal
town and his pride is his boat which he takes out every day. He's so happy that he doesn't feel the need
to reunite with his old band, and tells Shana this to her disappointment. But Shana does agree to go out on a tour in
his boat, hoping that she can somehow convince Ace to change his mind.
Roxy
and Jetta are upset that they went there for nothing, but they decide that
while they're in town, they'll empty out the fuel in his boat and disable radio
communications. What harm could come
from that?
Well, when Ace and Shana are out on the boat, they are unable to hear the storm
warnings, and soon both of them find themselves in the middle of what could be
called a mini-hurricane! Boy, those
Misfits know how to cause trouble!
In
Houston, Kimber meets up with Dave Wilson at the Astrodome, where he cleans the
stadium after every game or concert.
Not surprisingly, Dave decides that ANYTHING would be better than
cleaning the hundreds of toilets at the Astrodome, and he happily accepts
Kimber's invitation to reunite with his old band.
But before they can leave, they discover that every single door
is locked and it doesn't take a genius to figure out how that happened, as
Pizzazz appears on the jumbotron to let them know that they are trapped like
rats.
And
in this edition of Jem Trivia, I'll let you know that
this is only one of TWO episodes that features two songs by the Misfits (the
other one was the very first episode).
I do have to admit that "Trapped" is a great song...but I
question how all four Misfits could appear at the same time when they're
scattered all over the place. They must
have stolen a copy of their video when they were thrown off Lindsey's
show. And with Techrat tagging along
with Pizzazz, we know how they assumed control of the electrical panels.
Back
in Duke's Landing, the storm is violently shaking the boat, and it causes Ace
to fly over the side! Fortunately,
Shana is a strong swimmer, and swims out to save Ace's life. She seems to have enough strength to drag
Ace back to the boat. If this isn't
enough for Ace to change his mind about going back to the reunion, he must have
a heart of stone.
The
loan sharks have Aja and Joey surrounded, and they appear ready to turn both of
them into hamburger. But Stormer's in
the area too, and she is feeling might guilty for her role that she
played. She just wanted to keep them
from coming back in time, but she never wanted them to get hurt. So she causes a distraction by breaking a
window in the opposite direction which causes the loan sharks to flee. This gives Aja and Joey time to catch a cab
and get to the airport. Stormer looks
on, knowing that Eric will give her a hard time...but in the end, her good side
won out. Nicely played, Stormer.
And
in Houston, Dave seems to have an idea as to how they can get out as well. It's true that all the doors are sealed with
electric locks...but if they can cut off the power, then maybe the doors will
open back up. Dave finds the circuit
breaker, shuts it off, and the whole place goes dark. Techrat and Pizzazz are left confused wondering what was going
on, while Dave and Kimber make their great escape!
Back
home, Jem and Raya are with Taps trying to figure out who would steal Taps'
horn. Jem seems to have the idea that
the other person who was trying to get the deal with Mark might have tried to
sabotage the reunion on purpose, so she gives Mark a call to find out who the
other person is. When Mark tells her
that Eric Raymond is the second party, Jem and Raya quickly deduce that Eric
stole Taps' horn. Well, d-uh!!!
Of
course, Jem and Raya can't very well go into Misfits Music and ask Eric for the
horn back, so they need to resort to some trickery. They have Synergy disguise them as exterminators, and they tell
Eric that the building is infested with termites and that he needs to leave the
office immediately. Of course, Eric
tells them to bug off, but Raya does a fantastic job yelling at him and making
him feel guilty until he agrees to leave.
Once
he's gone, Jem and Raya look around the office and discover that Eric has Taps'
horn stashed away in a cupboard. But as
soon as they grab the horn and put it in their bag, Eric returns and accuses
the exterminators of stealing from him!
Well if that isn't the pot calling the kettle black!
Jem quickly manages to create a hologram of Taps' horn to fool Eric and Raya
can't resist yelling at Eric again for his false accusation! But Jem reminds Raya that as soon as they
leave, the hologram of the horn will disappear, so they need to get out fast!
Sure enough, the hologram of the horn vanishes, and a furious Eric runs out
into the hallway to try and catch the thieves.
He passes by a couple of weird looking potted plants that seem to be
completely out of place in his search.
Oh, that's because those plants are really Jem and Raya. Synergy's disguises are getting better!
Jem and Raya arrive back at Taps' apartment where Kimber, Aja, Joey, and Dave
have already arrived. And while Taps is
happily getting reacquainted with his former bandmates, Jem is worried that
Shana and Ace haven't arrived yet. They
decide to go down to Mark's office, hoping that they will be meeting him there.
Of course, we know that Shana and Ace are stuck in the middle of the
ocean. The storm is over, but they have
no way of getting back to shore. Ace is
extremely grateful to Shana for saving him, and Shana remarks that he can thank
her by agreeing to the reunion. Thankfully,
the coast guard spots Ace's boat and tows them to safety. The question is...can Ace and Shana make it
back to Los Angeles in time to stop the deal between Mark and Eric from going
through? I guess it all depends on how
far away Duke's Landing is from Los Angeles.
I
imagine it must be somewhat far, as when four-fifths Jem and the Holograms and
three-quarters of the Taps Tucker Band arrive at Mark's office, they see one
whole Eric Raymond smiling with glee that not everyone is there. Jem begs Mark to give them more time, but
Mark is a man of his word, and even though he believes that the Taps Tucker
Band would be a bigger draw for him, Eric legitimately did get to him first, so
he has to do what he feels is right.
But
before Mark can finish signing the contract, Shana and Ace arrive just in time,
and the Taps Tucker Band is reunited once more! Isn't it grand that Jem believes in happy endings? Of course, Eric is pissed and tries to justify that Mark signed his
contract...but Mark simply states that he never finished signing it, and shreds
the contract that he had with Eric to pieces right in front of his smug
face. Tough luck, Eric.
Mark
immediately signs the Taps Tucker Band to a new contract, and with that, the
first single is released - with a very special collaboration with a very
special band.
The song "Jazz Has" is a song that I kind of like. It blends the old with the new, and it's
definitely a new sound for Jem and the Holograms, but Britta Phillips' voice is
the main attraction of this single.
And to thank Jem for all her hard work, Taps Tucker reveals that he's going to
dedicate their comeback album to all of the Holograms. How nice!
I have to admit, I love this episode.
And in a way, it's a nice episode for the Christmas season. After all, isn't bringing back family and
friends for a celebration what the holidays are really all about? Of course, there's no Christmas lights or
egg nog in this episode, but it's still a nice one.
Coming up next week, the Holograms are filming a video for a contest hosted by
Xanthos about goodwill and friendship.
But when one of their pivotal team members gets seriously injured during
the filming, can she recover in time to get the job done?