Here
it is. Valentine's Day. A day in which we are supposed to spend as
much money as possible in order to make our special sweethearts fall in love
with us all over again. A day in which
we're supposed to give enough chocolates to our loved ones so that they may
develop diabetes one day. A day in
which we find out that if a man doesn't go to Jared to get a diamond pendant
for his sweetheart, she'll dump him for some guy named Jared.
In
case you haven't figured it out yet, Valentine's Day is not exactly my favourite holiday. I don't think I
ever really have tell you why.
I mean, yes, sucking on cinnamon hearts and giving out DuckTales cards
to your second grade classmates might have been fun when we were kids. But for anyone who is suffering from a
broken heart, a frosty heart, or who can't seem to give their heart to anybody,
Valentine's Day is just another reminder of that fact.
But
I'm trying to understand why I have such a hard time with Valentine's Day in
general. I certainly don't feel this
much passionate hatred over any other holiday.
I love Thanksgiving. I love
Canada Day. I love Christmas even
though the commercialism associated with it now is slightly
manic-depressive. Valentine's Day to me is just another day to me.
I think a large part of it is that I don't agree with the idea of devoting just
ONE day out of the 365 per year to show someone how much you love them. In most marriages that I know, if a person
was only putting effort into the romance 1/365th of a year, I have my doubts
that relationship would last a second year.
And while "The Simpsons" sort of spoofed that concept with the
creation of the fictional holiday known as "Love Day", I still think
that you don't need to buy red roses, chocolate covered strawberries, or
heart-shaped balloons to demonstrate love towards a person. It should be a daily thing.
Secondly,
if you really stop and think about the day, St. Valentine was locked in a
tower, stoned, and beheaded. If anybody
tried spending Valentine's Day the way that St. Valentine did, they'd probably
end up in jail! I'm not sure how that
translated to buy your sweetheart a chocolate Cupid...but I guess if they bit
off Cupid's head, it might be somewhat historically accurate.
And
lastly...the reason I don't have much love for Valentine's Day is sort of a
personal one. And while I don't really
like to dwell so much on the bad parts of life, I feel as though I want to do
it here so that people who may be in the same boat as me can feel as though they
aren't alone.
Valentine's Day is rough enough if you're single. Trust me, I've been single for what seems like forever. But if that was the only thing that was
bothering me about February 14th, I'd consider that to be a bit of an
overreaction.
The
truth is - and it's only taken me until a few years ago to realize this about
myself - is that the reason I don't have a significant other in my life is
because I have a hard time accepting love for myself.
I
mean, for people who have struggled with social anxiety and social depression
(something that I've openly talked about here in this space), it's not that
easy to get to meet new people. It's
even harder to try and present yourself as a confident and successful person
when you don't feel that you're either of those things.
Everyone
has gone through life wishing that they could change something about
themselves. Throughout my life, the
only thing that I want to change about myself is the fact that I wish I could
see myself the way that others see me.
And what I mean by that is seeing myself through the eyes of people who
like me...not the idiots who didn't.
I
don't exactly consider myself to be much of a catch for a lot of people. You know that website for single people
called "Plenty of Fish"? I was
the guppy that people threw into the ocean.
I think I lasted a few months before I realized how ridiculous the site
was. I feel the same way about
eHarmony, Match.com, Christian Mingle, OurTime, and Ashley Madison.
(Well, okay, if you're looking for love on Ashley Madison, you're clearly
looking in the wrong place.)
But you know, my idea of what love is meant to be is admittedly kind of
distorted. I know that people who fall
in love do so with all of their heart, but I don't know if I've ever felt that
way on a romantic level. And I think
part of the reason why could be because I've had a hard time finding things
about me that I consider attractive.
Believe me...Reggie Mantle I am NOT.
I
guess somewhere along the way, I guess I just sort of accepted the fact that I
don't really believe in the concept of soulmates, and that I don't believe that
there really is somebody for everybody out there. And, I think somewhere along the way, I sort of made the decision
that love isn't meant for everyone. At least
not the romantic, lovey-dovey, kissyface love.
And I mean, I'm just a couple months away from my thirty-sixth birthday. People always tell me that I'm still young
and that it will happen. But I'm of the
frame that if it's meant to happen, it will.
And if it does happen and I am in the right frame of mind, I believe
that it can be a beautiful thing.
But at this point in my life, I don't really need it or want it. And I'm starting to realize that it's okay
to feel that way sometimes, no matter what society seems to tell you. It's perfectly fine to be single, and
honestly, the way that I feel about love in general, I think it's probably the
best thing for me. I have to learn to
accept who I am first before I can open my heart to anybody else. And I think that society's version of love
doesn't necessarily have to match the way that I see it.
Love is love.
Whether it's for a spouse, a family member, a friend, a pet, or even
yourself, love is what matters on this day and every other day.
So you know what? I'm going to be my
own damn Valentine today. Happy
Valentine's Day to me!
Previously onJem Reviewed, the girls took a trip to Alaska to help Ba Nee's
pen pal save the home of her pet seal...and despite that plot description, it
turned out to be a pretty decent episode.
Let's
hope the next one goes off without a hitch.
This is Episode 47: Renaissance Woman.
So,
as predicted, this episode is set in jolly old England at a gigantic
Renaissance Faire. The Holograms have
been invited to perform at the festival which coincides with a street vendor
market and an archery tournament. It's
a nice idea, but considering that this is a Renaissance Faire, shouldn't the
Holograms have lutes and harps? I don't
think they had electric synthesizers in the 1600s. Danse and Rio are also in attendance, as Rio is helping with the
concert set-up and Danse is going to be...well, dancing.
It
appears as though the Renaissance Faire is the major event leading up to the
historic event that is going to take place at the castle. You see, the host of the event - Reginald Carfax - is turning twenty-one years old in a couple of days. And in addition to getting sloshed, he'll
become the Lord of Carfax County alongside his trusted advisor, Duncan Broadbent. I'm sorry, but whenever I
hear the name Carfax, I think of those commercials with the talking fox telling
you how you can find your perfect used car.
And, well...I'm pretty sure they don't have cars at Renaissance
Faires.
Interestingly
enough, the general public of Carfax County aren't too pleased with him taking
over the title. I wonder what that's
about. But, I suppose there's no choice
in the matter. His father died when he
was a toddler, and the edict states that the heir can only become Lord when he
turns 21.
Oh,
well...it's time for Jem and the Holograms to perform a song. And, pay close attention to Reginald in this
video.
This video for "Love's Not Easy" is accompanied by Jem Trivia. This song was actually
supposed to be used in Episode 20, but was left on the cutting room floor. It's finally heard in full here...which
means that for the first time since Episode 26, we have three brand new
songs. Mind you, they're all by the
Holograms as the Misfits are absent from this episode. But still...three new songs! This one's not too bad, though I'm
distracted by the fact that Reginald seems to have fallen for Danse. I swear, if Danse becomes the next Kimber,
so help me...
After
the performance is over, Jem and the Holograms take a break where they see two
soldiers clad in orange get confronted by a guy who is dressed like...Robin
Hood? Weird. Anyway, the Robin Hood lookalike manages to grab the money that
the soldiers are holding and takes off into the distance, leaving Jem and the
Holograms confused over what just happened.
Some
time later, the Holograms change out of their Maid Marian costumes and into
their Kylie Minogue outfits, and they're talking about what happened when in
the distance they spot two vendors complaining about how little money they have
collected during the Renaissance Faire.
I have a sneaking suspicion that our "Robin Hood" is going to
be making an appearance right about...
...see,
what did I tell you? Oh, and his name
is Robin Goodfellow. Logic
tells me that this is going to be the secondary protagonist of this
episode. I mean, the word good is
written in his name! It's a sign! And, well...he does live up to his name by
stealing from the rich and giving to the poor.
Oh, and surprise, surprise. He falls in
love with Danse too. Man, Kimber must
be seriously dying on the inside that she's not the object of everyone's desire
for Season 2. I suppose that Robin has
reason to fall for Danse...she seems to believe him when he tells her not to
trust Reginald. I get the feeling that
there's a story behind this, but now is not the time to discuss it.
No,
instead we're going to peek in on the archery competition where many have
entered including Jem and the Holograms.
Before we go judging their athletic skill though, we're treated to a
scene in which Reginald and Duncan are verbally bashing Robin Goodfellow. I guess this tells me that they're onto the
fact that he stole money from the guards the day before.
And
to try and trap Robin, Reginald announces that the winner of the archery
competition will win a bonus cash prize of five thousand pounds! I have no idea what the conversion rate is
between British money and North American money, but back in '87, I imagine it
to be a nice chunk of change. But Danse
has figured out the plan and she rushes off to try and warn Robin to stay away.
As
luck would have it, Danse happens to run into Robin in the middle of a dense
forest, and when Danse reveals that she trusts him, he tells her part of the
story. Robin does NOT trust
Reginald. Aside from tales of him
abusing his power to make himself richer (because really what politician hasn't
done the same thing), he also throws out his belief that Reginald is NOT the
true heir of Carfax County! Which of
course leads to the question...who is?
Danse tries to get Robin to stay away from the archery competition, but
Robin insists on taking part anyway despite the danger. You gotta hand it to Robin...he's certainly
stands for his causes.
As
predicted, most of the Holograms suck at archery. Kimber and Aja don't even seem to understand how to shoot the bow
and arrow, and Shana only manages to strike the ground. Raya seems to be the only one who grasps the
concept and scores a perfect bulls-eye!
Of
course, that bulls-eye gets overshadowed by the three that Robin Goodfellow
shoots in a row. And Robin's talent as
an archer all but seals his fate as Reginald spots him and orders his men to
take him into custody.
Mind
you, custody means he's locked up in the basement of the castle. But still, Robin's pretty much out of
commission, and Danse is very upset.
Danse
is even more upset when a little boy arrives with a message from Reginald
requesting her appearance at dinner the night before he becomes Lord of Carfax
County. She absolutely refuses to go
have dinner, lunch, breakfast, or even order off the dollar menu at Wendy's
with him! Can't say I blame her, since
he had her other love interest arrested.
And
with Robin behind bars, it leaves the soldiers free to collect a 90% tariff on
all the wages earned by the fair vendors!
90%?!? Not even Canada's carbon
tax is that steep!
It's here that Jem decides to contact Synergy and...wait for it...conjures up a
Robin Hood outfit of her own. Oh,
great. I suppose this makes Kimber
Friar Tuck and Rio Maid Marian.
And
with Jem dressed as Robin Hood, I suppose it's time for another song.
I'm not liking "To The Rescue" as much. Other than the fact that we see Raya's archery skills come in
handy once again, and that the vendors get their money back from the thieving
soldiers, the song itself is kind of dull.
Man, for an episode to have all original music, the music is quite
bland.
Though
the vendors - who are grateful to Robin...Jem, I guess - confirm what Robin was
saying to Danse. The future Lord is not
a generous soul and takes practically all of the earnings of the working class
people. Considering that the Lord is in
charge of all job creation in the county, they pretty much have no choice but
to live in poverty when he assumes the throne.
Danse isn't too shocked, given that Robin told her his suspicions that
Reginald had no claim to the throne, but Jem and the Holograms seem to think
that this is reason enough to bust into the castle of the future Lord Carfax
and rescue Robin Goodfellow. This
prompts Jem to tell Danse to reconsider Reginald's offer to have dinner with
him.Danse responds as if she'd rather
decapitate herself with a rusty old sword, but Jem seems to have the idea that
if Danse can distract Reginald long enough, it will allow them more time to
explore the castle to see if they can locate Robin, or discover the truth behind
Reginald's real identity.Begrudgingly,
Danse accepts.Though, I get the
feeling that she'll be armed with a can of pepper spray should he try anything
smart.
While Danse is schmoozing with Reginald, the Holograms decide that to avoid
getting all caught at the same time, they'll split up into two groups. Jem, Raya, and Aja will search the upper
levels of the castle, while Rio takes Kimber and Shana to the lower levels.
And of course, Jem's group happens to run into danger first as a group of
soldiers spot them and give chase through the castle's many hallways. But it's here that Jem remembers that she
has a secret weapon called Synergy, and she asks her to conjure up a hologram
of stampeding horses to scare the guards away, which works like a charm.
Of course, Jem is so distracted by the horses that she was proud of herself for
creating that she didn't realize that a second group of soldiers snuck up
behind them. Now Jem, Raya, and Aja are
locked up in a tower where Jem reveals that no hologram can help them escape
now. Way to state the facts, Captain
Obvious.
Oblivious
to the fact that half the Holograms are now locked up too, Danse and Reginald
share what could be considered one of the most awkward dinner dates ever. At least the food sort of looks good. Of course, when the subject of Robin
Goodfellow comes up, Reginald is disgusted that Danse seems to defend him at
every opportunity.
Reginald's
disgust grows even more when Duncan barges in and informs Reginald that the
Holograms have infiltrated the castle and have pledged their allegiance to
Robin. Duncan tells Reginald that Danse
can't be trusted, and sure enough, Danse has done a disappearing act. She actually climbs up on a ledge in front
of a portrait of who I am assuming is the previous Lord of Carfax. It's enough for her to stay hidden long
enough for Reginald and Duncan to leave.
Danse
tries to find a way out of the castle, but she is grabbed from behind! Oh great, it seems as though she's trying to
break Kimber's record for getting kidnapped too! Fear not. The man who has
grabbed Danse is Robin's right hand man, Jolly Jack. I think he must be the Friar Tuck of this tale.
It
appears as though Jolly Jack is useful though.
He and Danse successfully bust Jem, Raya, and Aja out of jail. But my question is...what happened to Rio,
Shana, and Kimber?
Well, it looks as if they have found
Robin's cell and are now working to try and help him escape. It seems as though they believe Robin's
theory about the Lord being an imposter, and they want to find a way to prove
it before the coronation begins at midnight.
Did I mention that midnight is only a few minutes away?
Oh
look! Kimber's found a crate filled
with cassingles of Roxette's "Dangerous". Too bad that song didn't get released until 1989! Oh, no, wait. They're just fireworks.
Because we really needed to have the word dangerous in big bold letters
to let us know that fireworks can kill you.
Rio even has to tell Kimber that they can't use the fireworks to let
Robin out of jail because he'll explode.
Gosh, how stupid does Rio think Kimber is? I mean, yeah, Kimber's brain isn't as well developed as the
others, but she's not a complete zombie here.
Luckily
before anyone can blow anything up, Jem's group arrives in time and Jolly Jack
rescues Robin. But they still have to
find a way to prove that Reginald is a big old fake.
Well, I suppose if they happened to come across a scene where a bunch of
Reginald's soldiers are putting up a brick wall where a prisoner is chained
behind it, that would be the decisive evidence they need! That prisoner looks very familiar
though. Have we seen him before?
The
Holograms haven't discovered this yet...but they seem to have found the secret
treasure hoard of Reginald in another cell. It seems as though Reginald's been a very naughty and greedy
boy. Unfortunately, this only serves to
prove that Reginald is a jerk. They
still have to find a way to prove that Reginald is NOT the true Lord. Rio seems to think that he has an idea to
stall for time and it appears as though the stolen money and the fireworks will
play a part.
It's
close to midnight and a large crowd has gathered in Times Square to watch the
ball dro...oh, wait. Wrong show. Actually, the very miserable crowd has
gathered at the castle square to watch Reginald become Lord Carfax. They seem to be miserable because they know
that once Reginald becomes Lord, they'll be destitute. You can't help but feel bad for them.
But
wait! Just as Reginald is about to make
his coronation speech, the fireworks light up the sky. And these fireworks seem to hold a surprise
for the townspeople. Pound notes fall
from the sky into the pockets of the poor subjects, and Reginald and Duncan are
visibly gobsmacked!
Well, it's not rocket science to see that Rio and the others are tying satchels
of money to each of the fireworks. It's
also not very safe! None of them are
wearing safety goggles or personal protective equipment! One false move, and Shana's football hair
will go up faster than a hydrogen filled balloon!
Naturally, Robin Goodfellow takes credit for the plan, telling the people of
Carfax that the money is rightfully theirs and that his next step is to
overthrow the Lord! Cue the customary
sword fight! I'll say this...this
episode is definitely action packed!
And it seems as though Jem has found the fake wall that holds the
prisoner. And the prisoner seems very
intent on getting to the coronation as fast as possible for he has some
shocking news!
Luckily, he manages to arrive in time before Reginald has a chance to harpoon Robin
right through the heart with a pointed spear!
Such a barbarian that one!
Remember how I said the prisoner looked familiar? Turns out, he's the Lord of Carfax! The real Lord! The one
that presumably died years earlier!
Yes, Reginald is a fake! Seems
as though Duncan is Reginald's birth father, and they saw an opportunity to
take control of Carfax County. They
kidnapped the REAL heir, cast him out as an orphan, and brought in Reginald as
the heir apparent instead! How evil.
And
the identity of the real Lord incumbent?
No other than Robin Goodfellow!
Or, should I say...Robin Goodfellow Carfax! You know, all this could have been avoided with one of Maury's
paternity tests. Just saying. The good news is that father and son are
reunited and Carfax County has a shot of really being prosperous once more.
At the real coronation ceremony where Robin is expected to become the new Lord
of Carfax, he's sharing a dance with Danse, and asks her to stay. Danse is flattered, but she lets him down by
saying that she needs to stay in the United States. At least Robin and Danse share one final dance with a song that
sounds like it could have been written in San Francisco in the '60s.
There's nothing too remarkable about "Flowers in My Hair"...but I
guess it works as the prerequisite happy ending music. As far as this episode goes, some have said
that it's one of the worst episodes of the show, but I disagree. It's not the best episode. It's kind of all over the place, and the
reveal at the end was quite anticlimactic.
But overall, the storyline was fairly interesting, and I think despite
some of the inconsistencies and jarring storytelling, it was fine. It's definitely not my idea of the worst
episode.
But next week, you'll see an episode that could be a contender for worst
episode ever. This screenshot offers
just a clue of what to expect.
Wayback Wednesday is here once again, and for
today's chosen subject, we're going to look at a woman who divided quite a few
people. Some thought she was a victim,
others thought she was a vixen, and some just didn't care one iota about
her. Unfortunately, her story does not
have a happy ending, and we'll talk more about that as we go ahead.
For
now, let's see what events took place on this day in history...
1587 - Mary, Queen of Scots, is
executed on suspicion of being involved in a murder plot to kill her own
cousin, Queen Elizabeth I
1837 - Richard Johnson becomes the
first Vice President of the United States of America
1865 - Delaware refuses to ratify the
Thirteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and holds onto that position
until 1901
1879 - Sandford Fleming proposes the
adoption of Universal Standard Time at a meeting of the Royal Canadian
Institute
1885 - The first government approved
Japanese immigrants arrive in Hawaii
1910 - William D. Boyce incorporates
the Boy Scouts of America
1915 - "The Birth of a
Nation" premieres in Los Angeles
1921 - Actress Lana Turner (d. 1995)
is born in Wallace, Idaho
1922 - Actress Audrey Meadows (d.
1996) is born in New York City
1925 - Actor Jack Lemmon (d. 2001) is
born in Newton, Massachusetts
1931 - Actor James Dean (d. 1955) is
born in Marion, Indiana
1937 - "Sesame Street"
composer Joe Raposo (d. 1989) is born in Fall River, Massachusetts
1948 - Singer Dan Seals (d. 2009) is
born in McCamey, Texas
1952 - Elizabeth II is proclaimed
Queen of the United Kingdom
1963 - As a direct result of the
Cuban Missile Crisis, travel, financial, and commercial transactions from the
United States to Cuba are made illegal by President Kennedy's administration
1968 - The Orangeburg massacre takes
place, sparking outrage within the Civil Rights Movement; also on this date
actor Gary Coleman (d. 2010) is born
1971 - The NASDAQ opens for the first
time
1974 - Mixed martial artist Kimbo
Slice (d. 2016) is born in Nassau, Bahamas
1981 - Twenty-one spectators are trampled
to death after a football match in Neo Faliro, Greece
1983 - A massive dust cloud descends
over the city of Melbourne, Australia, which blackens the sky and keeps
residents indoors
1986 - A train collision in Hinton,
Alberta kills 23 people and is Canada's largest train accident until the 2013
Lac-Megantic derailment
1990 - Singer Del Shannon passes away
at the age of 55
1993 - News magazine program
"Dateline NBC" is sued by General Motors, claiming that the show
allegedly rigged two of its cars to crash to demonstrate that the trucks that
GM manufactures are unsafe
2013 - A severe blizzard descends
over parts of the Northeastern United States and parts of Canada causing power
outages and traffic disruption
And now for the celebrity birthday portion of the blog, as these
celebs are turning one year older.
Happy birthday to John Williams, Ted Koppel, Nick Nolte, Robert Klein, Brooke Adams, Cristina Ferrare, Mary Steenburgen, John Grisham, Jim Neidhart, Marques Johnson, Dave Meros, Heinz Gunthardt, Dino Ciccarelli, Vince Neil, Joshua Kadison, Trinny Woodall, Sarah Montague, Mary McCormack, Alonzo Mourning, Seth Green, Jim Verraros, Cecily Strong, and Nikki Yanofsky.
Okay. It's time to see what date we're
revisiting this time around.
Ah, February 8, 2007. Exactly ten years ago today.
I know it doesn't seem like that much of a time jump, but at least I can
tell you where I was when this news broke out.
After all, I was 25. I can
remember things from when I was four!
Let's see...I was 25, I was working in the food department at my
job (not much of a stretch given that I currently work with fruits and
vegetables), and I had finally managed to get basic cable hooked up at my place
for the first time in seven years because that was the year that I earned
full-time status and could afford to do so.
So, 2007 was definitely a great year for me - at least financially
speaking.
Alas, it wasn't quite so lucky for our Wayback Wednesday subject. 2007 was actually the last year that she was
alive. It was ten years ago that she
died from an overdose of prescription drugs, and her death was the subject of
much media scrutiny for many years. I
remember that "Entertainment Tonight" talked about this story for
nearly a year after her death - which nearly made me regret my basic cable
subscription and made me avoid the program ever since - and it was such a media
circus that it was impossible for the recently deceased to truly rest in peace.
Now, mind you, her life seemed to be one scandal right after
another, so I can see why her death was covered so extensively. At the same time, we have to realize that Anna Nicole Smith was only human just like the rest of
us, and while she may have taken the criticism directed towards her in stride,
her family members that she left behind did nothing to deserve it.
I think I still remember the first time I saw Anna Nicole
Smith. Back in the early 1990s, I
recall getting really interested in popular music, and I would have my eyes
glued to Muchmusic to watch the latest music videos. The commercials that the station aired were naturally aimed at
pre-teens, teenagers, and young adults, and one such ad was for Guess Jeans.
Anna Nicole Smith was a Guess model for a couple of years, and I
distinctly remember seeing her commercial in between videos by the Stone Temple
Pilots and Sheryl Crow.
And of course, her modeling work didn't just stop at Guess Jeans. She also landed several magazine covers and
spreads in such publications as Marie Claire, Italian Vogue, Vanity Fair, and
Harper's Bazaar. And yes, she did pose
for Playboy Magazine as well - but this was months before she landed the
contract for Guess Jeans. It seemed as
though Anna Nicole was the new "It-Girl" for the 1990s.
But it was right around this time that Anna Nicole started making
headlines for all the wrong reasons. It
certainly got tongues wagging when Anna Nicole divorced her first husband in
1993 (with whom she had a son, Daniel), to marry an 89-year-old oil tycoon named
J. Howard Marshall. Many people speculated
that Anna Nicole was a gold digger and married Marshall only for his
money. But Anna Nicole defended her
love for Marshall and said that her feelings were genuine. The marriage ended in 1995 with the passing
of Marshall at the age of 90, and thus began the lengthy court battle between
widow Smith and Marshall's family over who would inherit Marshall's massive
fortune - a case that to my knowledge is still active in some manner.
Anna Nicole tried to overcome her financial woes by pursuing an
acting career, and one of her first movie roles was in the film "The Naked
Gun 33 1/3 - The Final Insult"...but as the acting roles dried up, Anna
Nicole turned to the increasing popularity of reality television to create her
own reality series.
To everyone's surprise (including me), "The Anna Nicole Show" was
initially very popular, with college students becoming instant fans. It is still considered to be something of a
cult favourite in the reality television world. However, I must state that I wasn't a real fan. To me, it just seemed to exploit the pain of
an already damaged woman, and even though some may argue that she brought it on
herself, I still feel that it was very uncomfortable to watch someone who had
obviously hit rock bottom. I suppose it
was almost merciful that the show only lasted two seasons before the plug was
pulled in June 2003.
Then came the birth of Anna Nicole's daughter, Dannielynn in
September 2006...and while it was a considerably happy moment for her, it was
overshadowed by the sudden death of her 20-year-old son, Daniel just three days
later. The cause of death was a
prescription drug overdose...something that Anna Nicole would understand all
too well just a few months later...
...for you see, on February 8, 2007 - Anna Nicole herself died
from an overdose of pills. She was just
39 years of age.
And that's when media outlets such as "Entertainment
Tonight" and "TMZ" descended on the story and reported every
last detail about it. It was like the
O.J. Simpson trial all over again the way that they went about it. I can't begin to tell you how much I wanted
to throttle Mark Steines and Kevin Frazier every time the came on the air and
rehashed Anna Nicole's death and who the father of baby Dannielynn was.
(It's Larry Birkhead, if you are at all curious.)
I mean, sometimes I think
it was ALMOST a good thing that the Kardashians came around because if not, I
think the media would have continued their unhealthy obsession with her!
Some will say that karma came back to haunt her, and some will say that she did
it all to herself. To be honest, I do
think that she ultimately was the one responsible for her own
trainwreck...however, we have to also understand why she boarded that train in
the first place. And now that
everything is out there in the open, I sort of feel a little bit of pity for
her. All she really wanted was to find
her own place in the world, and I don't know if she ever really found it. I just sort of hope that ten years after her
passing, she found the peace that she was trying to find.
It's
the term that we all use to describe people who are older than us or younger
than us who simply don't see things the way that we do because they lived
through a different time. I guess a
perfect example to describe this would be the younger generation's obsession
with technology, and how the older generation doesn't quite understand it
because they made it through life just fine without it.
I'm
sure most of us can relate to the clash of a generation in various ways. Whether it's cursing a younger generation
for being lazy, or cursing an older generation for being stodgy, I think we've
either been the person criticizing a generation, or we've found ourselves being
the target of a person criticizing a generation.
But, I've always been a little bit different in that regard. I suppose mainly because I've always found
that I can make friends easier with people who are at least ten or more years
older than I am, or I can make friends easier with people who are ten or more
years younger than I am.
But
when it comes to people who are my own age?
Forget it.
Now,
before I go on with my thoughts about this, I do want to make one
statement. It isn't as though I don't
have pals who are around the age of 35.
Truth is, the ones that I do have are incredibly special to me, and I do
appreciate every single one of them for being the good people they are.
But,
it hasn't always been easy for me to gel with the people who are the closest to
me in age. In fact, in some cases it's
been nearly impossible. I can recall
many recesses where I would stand around and talk to the yard duty teacher
because I didn't have anyone else to talk to.
They were all doing their own thing, and I was a little bit too scared
to approach them. Even as far back as
when I was in the first grade, I always hung around sixth grade kids. Partly because I knew they could beat up the
mean kids...but partly because I felt as though I had more in common with them
than I did the kids in my own peer group.
Heck,
a part of me wishes that I could have skipped ahead four grades like they did
with Junior in the movie "Problem Child 2". It never
happened...though I was reading at a ninth grade level in elementary
school. I guess we'll never know whether
I could have made it having skipped through all those grades. But that's beside the point.
When
I was kid, I struggled to befriend kids in my own age group. As a teenager, I struggled even more. By the time I was in my late twenties, I
started really not to care about that as much.
But at the same time, seeing most of my peers in my age group settling
down before I did...I don't think I would consider it to be feelings of
jealousy...more along the lines of, I wish I could just fit in and do things exactly
the way that they did so I didn't feel like I was a freak of nature within my
own birth year.
But
why do I feel this way?
Well,
I think a huge factor behind this comes from the fact that I was born during
the time that I was. And I don't mean
the early 1980s...I mean the actual time.
You see...I was born during a weird time within my family. Every single family has a cluster of
generations. Like, for instance, my
grandparents were mostly born during the 1920s. Then, my parents were born during the 1940s. But from here, this is where things get
complicated.
I
have two siblings. One was born in the
1960s, and the other was born in the 1970s.
I didn't come around until the 1980s.
I suppose my family went by the one child per decade rule. And because they were older than me, they
had both moved out by the time I was eleven.
So, having no siblings close to me in age was a detriment in how to
handle people my own age.
Now, to complicate things even further, my grandparents on my mom's side also
had wide age gaps in their family. My
mother's younger siblings are way younger than she was, and as a result, they
were right around the same age as my siblings.
On my dad's side, all of my uncles and aunts had children between the
late 1950s and late 1960s, so they were all relatively close in age. But my mom's siblings all waited to have
kids until the late 1980s and early 1990s.
And by that time, my siblings were starting families of their own.
What this meant was that we had a cluster of family members born between 1960
and 1975. We had another cluster of
family members born between 1986 and 2001.
And in between was me. Only me. I am the ONLY
ONE in my whole family that was born during the early 1980s. No cousins were even remotely close to me in
age. And, I have to tell you, in some
cases this really sucked. I never
really had anyone my age that I could relate to. Even when I was growing up, I always lived in neighbourhoods that
never had a whole lot of kids in it. It
was mostly senior citizens, or young families who had newborns. Again, nobody relatively close to my age to
hang around with.
I think that's part of the reason why starting school was sort of a traumatic
experience at first. Here were all of
these kids who were my age, and I didn't know how to behave around any of them
because this was more or less the first time I got to spend with them for at
least six hours a day. It was a
frustrating experience, and hard for me to cope with. I don't think I even made my first friend there until at least
October or November. That's how hard it
was.
I sometimes wonder if things would have been different had I been surrounded
with people my own age from the beginning.
If I had just lived in a kid-friendly neighbourhood, or if I had been
enrolled in a daycare program (something I never did as my mother was a
stay-at-home mom), or if I had family members who were my age. Perhaps I wouldn't find it so hard to
connect with people who are my age.
But, I suppose having pals who are older than I am or pals who are younger than
I am has its own set of advantages. I
guess looking at it that way, I'm not a complete social reject. But still...I guess it's just one of those
things that happened...and I can't change it.
I just know that if I become a parent...if I have more than one child, I won't
have them ten years apart!
When we last left Jem and the Holograms, they had spent some time in New Orleans for
Mardi Gras in what was a fairly decent episode. Let's hope the trend continues with the next edition of Jem Reviewed.
This
is Episode 46: The Middle of Nowhere. Oh, look...the animation is screwy again. This must be from Korea.
Unlike
most episodes of the series, we begin at the headquarters of Harvey Gabor - who
you might recognize as Phyllis "Pizzazz" Gabor's father. You know, the guy who apparently shares more
of a father-daughter relationship with Kimber?
Well, it seems as though Pizzazz and Eric Raymond (and really, this is
like the first episode in a while that we've seen Eric make an appearance) have
a proposition for Mr. Gabor.
Apparently, Eric has a plan to open a refinery in Alaska near the major
oil pipeline there, and his plan is to make vinyl records for a cheaper cost
and higher profit. Eric, by this point
in time it's 1987 where you are.
Records are on their way out and compact discs are where it's at. You're seriously wasting your time.
Apparently, Harvey seems to think the same thing, reminding Eric of the fiasco
that was the Misfits movie. Nice use of
revisiting past history there! Pizzazz
manages to swing Harvey over by telling him of the financial positives, and how
he could become a billionaire if he backs Eric on his idea...but he tells Eric
and Pizzazz that he better not be disappointed or else he'll walk away.
At the same time, Ba Nee is showing Shana a picture of her Alaskan pen pal
named Uto.
And, it's here that we get an unusual piece of Jem Trivia. Depending on the language you
speak, Uto could be a female or a male!
Now, in the English version, it's implied that Uto is female. But if you watch the French version, it's
made painfully clear that Uto is male!
For the sake of this entry, Uto will be female, but I can see how she
could be mistaken for being male. She
does have a gender neutral look. Uto is posing with her favourite seal named Naku, and it's here where we learn
that Uto is upset that some rich businessman wants to buy the island that Naku
lives on to build a factory, and that if the factory gets built, the seals will
lose their home. I can only imagine who
this businessman is...
At
some point during this conversation, Jerrica and Raya overhear Ba Nee talk
about how Uto lives in Alaska, and Jerrica remarks that Jem and the Holograms
will be touring there next week.
Jerrica asks Ba Nee if she would like to tag along with them, and Ba Nee
of course is over the moon. I wonder if
Ba Nee will end up nearly getting eaten by a polar bear.
The
Misfits and Eric are also on their way to Alaska...and it seems as though once
they are there, they head off to their destination via dog sled. I wonder how many Alaskan stereotypes we're
going to get in this episode? Anyway,
Pizzazz complains about the method of transportation and Eric explains that
there were no planes available and they had to travel by sled to the town that
is closest to the island. Naturally, a
plane flies overhead and Pizzazz blasts Eric for being cheap. Hah!
Inside the plane is Jem and the Holograms, Ba Nee, Uto, and their pilot, Sanders. No relation to the
Colonel. And the beautiful Alaskan
scenery inspires Jem to sing a song about it.
They say Alaska is called the "Land of the Midnight Sun" because
depending on the time of year, the sun will stay in the sky for practically the
whole day. This song of the same title
is absolutely beautiful...and it's one of those videos that would look
absolutely stunning if this were live action.
It's very cool. Both
figuratively AND literally.
The
Holograms' plane lands, and Uto's parents, Mr. and
Mrs. Keniak are
waiting for them. Also there is Uto's
brother George.
Okay...Uto and George? Those are
like the most random names ever!
Also
arriving at the same time is Eric Raymond, who confirms that he is the one who
wants to purchase the island (with backing from Harvey Gabor). And as Eric explains his idea, we see cracks
forming in the Keniak family. George
has no problem selling the island because he sees it as his ticket out of
Alaska. But Uto is firmly against it
because she doesn't want to see Naku lose his home. Mr. Keniak tells Eric that he will have a decision for him
tomorrow morning, which pisses Eric off, but Eric has no choice but to wait.
Later
that day, as the Keniak's clean up after dinner, Uto is still visibly upset
over the thought of Eric building his factory.
Ba Nee tells her to stay positive and that everything will work out. Raya comes up with the good idea for Uto to
introduce Ba Nee to Naku. Uto's mood
considerably shifts...until she remembers all the chores she has to do. But Kimber, Aja, Shana, and Raya all agree
to let Uto have the day off and they will fill in for her. Aw...that's really nice of them. And since Uto and Ba Nee need adult
supervision, Jem agrees to go with them to the island cove.
I guess it's a good thing Jem tags along because immediately Ba Nee wants to go
in the kayak by herself. But Uto
explains that there's a strong current around the north side of Attuk Island
which if they aren't careful, it will send them to some very dangerous places
filled with rocks and icebergs. Jem and
Ba Nee share a kayak which makes Ba Nee disappointed.
You
want to know who else is disappointed?
Harvey Gabor. He's not
interested in landing in Alaska once Eric tells him that the deal is
temporarily on hold, but when Pizzazz informs him that the deal will be signed
tomorrow, Harvey tells her that he'll be back then. He also once again tells Pizzazz not to disappoint him. Man, he sounds like he could definitely win
the Father of the Year award...not!
And,
I'm sure that the rest of the Holograms aren't very thrilled with George
either. While Kimber, Raya, Shana, and
Aja are chopping wood, George is sitting underneath a tree doing nothing. It's a wonder Raya doesn't go after him with
an axe, she's so angry! The Holograms
also question George about his stance regarding the sale of the island, and
George is awful defensive about it. He
makes the statement that the money could be handy in helping him leave Alaska,
but also to provide Uto with a college education. When Raya asks if there's a way that they could do that without
threatening the seal cove, George gets really rude and storms off. Wow...what a prince.
On
Attuk Island, Jem, Ba Nee, and Uto come across the beautiful scene of dozens of
seals playing with each other. Uto
comments that Naku is the seal that is darker than all the others and that he
usually is either the cause of mischief or part of a group that is. Naku sounds like a Misfit!
Fear not though...Naku's a nice seal, and he greets Ba Nee and Jem with
love. But while Uto and Jem are playing
with Naku, Ba Nee takes the opportunity to grab Uto's kayak and go out into the
water by herself...
...and
immediately gets caught in a whirlpool caused by the current that Uto warned
them about. Sigh...say it with me
everyone. What the hell, Ba Nee?
Jem
and Uto take the double kayak out to rescue Ba Nee, and with a little bit of
careful steering and help from Naku, they manage to get Ba Nee out safely. But in the process, the double kayak springs
a leak and starts to sink. Even worse,
Jem slips trying to pull Ba Nee to safety and knocks herself unconscious. Now Ba Nee and Uto are stuck in the middle
of an ice cold ocean with their adult supervisor passed out. Naku and his seal buddies help the three get
to shore (with Ba Nee losing her hat in the process), but unless they act fact,
they'll all die of hypothermia.
Back
in town, the Misfits are bored to death of Alaska and decide that they'll rent
some snowmobiles and cause some mischief leading to the reuse of another song
from way back in the second episode of the series.
The difference is very clear though.
The first time the song was used, the Misfits just caused a food fight
on Countess DuVoisin's yacht. This time
around, they're actually trying to kill people. Not very good.
After
they destroy half the Alaskan village, the Misfits pull over to do some
sightseeing and Pizzazz notices Ba Nee, Uto, and Jem in the distance and makes
the remark that they're in trouble.
Stormer's good side kicks in and she insists that they go get help. But Pizzazz seems to think that a better
idea would be for them to rescue them.
Roxy scoffs at the idea, but Jetta understands completely. If they save Uto, it might convince the
Keniak's to sell the land to Eric needed to build the factory. Very devious plan, but Pizzazz seems to
think it will work.
Back
at the Keniak's home, everyone is starting to get worried about Uto, as it's
been a long time since they left to go visit with the seals. The Holograms are also equally concerned
that Jem and Ba Nee haven't come back either.
Night is falling, and everyone knows that time is of the
essence, so a search party is immediately drafted.
And with the sky getting darker, and Jem still unconscious, Ba Nee is starting
to panic and worries that they will never be found and that they will be
permanent frozen popsicles. But Uto
tells Ba Nee not to worry, as she's got it covered. She always carries waterproof matches with her so that she can
start a fire. At the very least, it
will keep them all warm until help arrives.
Seems like Uto's very mature and skilled for her age.
Too
bad Jetta and Pizzazz don't seem to share the same qualities as Uto. After renting a motorboat to drive to the
island where Jem and company are, they get into trouble right from the get go. They too get caught up in the same current
that Ba Nee got caught in...only instead of a whirlpool, they find themselves
trapped in a strait filled with gigantic icebergs. The motor on their boat quits (something Jetta claims is because
it's American made, which admittedly got a chuckle from me), and they are on
the path of being squashed to death. If
an iceberg was powerful enough to sink the Titanic, then clearly a little puny
boat like Pizzazz and Jetta's wouldn't stand a chance.
As luck would have it, the icebergs lock together leaving a tiny area for
Pizzazz and Jetta to slip through unharmed.
But that was just one of many.
If they don't find a way out of the strait, their luck won't last. What is it with everyone getting themselves
into danger this episode?
Well,
at least Jem has regained consciousness, and is shocked that Ba Nee and Uto
have got the fire going. Good job! Now that they're all warmed up, Jem tells
everyone not to panic and to keep calm while Uto gathers more wood to build up
the fire so that they can be seen.
Meanwhile,
as part of the search party, Kimber and Shana are up inside the sea plane with
Sanders looking for any sign of life.
They don't come across Jem and the others...but they do spot Pizzazz and
Jetta struggling to get to safety.
Fortunately, they land the plane and scoop up Pizzazz and Jetta and fly off to
safety before they get squashed by another pair of icebergs. I'm sure it'll be quite a long time before
Pizzazz and Jetta decide to go anywhere with snow again (well, at least a
couple of episodes anyway).
And
in a boat traversing the straits in a separate area, George and Mr. Keniak are
out with Raya and Aja trying to see if they can find Jem, Uto, and Ba Nee. At this point, George is feeding himself
with a couple of big pieces of humble pie, and he regrets being so mean to
Uto. He wishes that they could find her
so he can attempt to make things right again.
As
they continue further down the strait, Raya makes an interesting
discovery. She spots three seals
playing with a multicoloured object, and at first George dismisses it as being
unimportant. But when Raya recognizes
one of the seals as Naku and the multicoloured object turns out to be Ba Nee's
hat, Raya makes the declaration that Naku knows where they are. George is skeptical, but Raya's pleas to
follow Naku don't completely fall on deaf ears, as Mr. Keniak decides to listen
to her. Wow, Raya's been an all-star in
this episode. She's definitely got to
be one of my favourites this season!
Turns out that Raya's hunch was right on the money. As the boat approaches the island, they spot the flames that Uto
made and realize that they have found everyone safe and sound, leading to an
emotional family reunion.
And of course, Ba Nee and Uto thank Naku properly, as it was he who saved the
day. You know, this scene alone is
enough to make me list this episode as a great one as well. Now, let's see how it ends. Will George be convinced that the deal that
Eric wants to make is a bad one? Will
Naku lose his home? Will Ba Nee ever
learn to stay out of trouble?
Well, we can answer two of those questions right now when dawn breaks and Eric
arrives to seal the deal. But in a
change of heart, George actually challenges Eric with a question. If they agree to the deal, will they
preserve the cove so that the seals can stay? Eric says absolutely not, as they need the cove to build the
shipping harbor, which is all that the Keniak family need to hear. They tell Eric to not let the iceberg hit
him on the way out and that they will NOT sell him the land.
Of course, this doesn't bode well with Harvey Gabor who basically calls his
daughter a failure (no wonder Pizzazz turned out the way she did), and tells
Eric never to contact him with another business deal again. I get the feeling that Eric will get nothing
but a frosty reception from Pizzazz the rest of their stay in Alaska.
It's time for Jem and the Holograms to move on, but Ba Nee is staying with the
Keniaks for another week so that she can get to know Uto and Naku better. They'll come back to pick her up once their
tour is over. For now though, it's time
for one last song.
Basically "Safe and Sound" works as a recap video of everything that
happened, and is essentially like a Season 2 version of "I Believe in
Happy Endings". The song itself
isn't one of their better ones, but I do appreciate the tone of the
single. It does show at least a happy
ending for the Jem and the Hologram portion of the show.
Not so much for the Misfits though...well, okay,
Eric. Pizzazz is so steamed at him for
ruining her father's plans and making her look like an idiot in his eyes that
they take off on the dog sleds back home WITHOUT him. Serves Eric right as far as I'm concerned.
You know, bad animation aside, I really liked this one. I've been critical of the Holograms in
recent weeks, but this one showed that they really were the good guys. And once more I find myself feeling sorry
for Pizzazz. All she wants is to gain
acceptance in her father's eyes, and it's heartbreaking to see how badly he
treats her.
Next week's episode should be fun. We
get to go to a Renaissance Faire!