When
my family first got hooked up to cable television in the late 1980s, my entire
family was excited about it. Prior to
that time, we were stuck with the same basic twelve channels that had watched
for years - and at least two of those channels were French language and the
local public access station.
With
basic cable, our options expanded from twelve channels to almost fifty - and on
that note, can you actually recall a time in which having fifty channels was
considered a lot? And certainly
everyone in my family had their favourite channels. I was seven when we first got cable installed, so naturally I
gravitated towards YTV. My parents were
into CMT. A&E was also very popular
at my household. And, I am fairly
positive that we all watched the Home Shopping Network to make fun of it.
(You see, back in those days, they used this weird filming technique which
would skip every fourth film frame so it looked like the hosts were in
consistent stop motion animation. It
was funny as hell, and we were all trying to figure out whether it was
intentional or whether they had faulty video equipment.)
Of
course, by the time I became a teenager, my viewing focus shifted solely
towards MuchMusic - which one would consider to be similar (but not a cookie
cutter version) of MTV. Back in those
days, the music video channel (lovingly dubbed "The Nation's Music
Station" for several years) played music videos all day long and all night
long. Occasionally the station would
take breaks to air episodes of "Pop-Up Video", "Beavis and
Butt-Head", and certain music video award shows, but for the most part you
could count on being able to see your favourite music videos whenever you
wanted.
(And
if you couldn't see them, you could request them with Much On Demand - or
R.S.V.P. if you're really old enough to remember.)
Of
course these days, MuchMusic still plays music videos, but not nearly as much
as they used to. I suppose free video
sites such as YouTube, Vimeo, Vevo, and DailyMotion have kind of taken over the
way we download and watch media these days.
But oh, how once upon a time it was a network that really had its share
of charm and joy - not to mention a little bit of controversy along the way.
That's why when I spotted a book about the early days of MuchMusic at a
bookstore in a nearby town, I just had to purchase it.
The
book is called "Is This Live?", and while it is a collaborative
effort from past personalities of the music channel, the book was mostly put
together by former MuchMusic VJ Christopher Ward. And I'll tell you, if you are a music fan and ever wanted to
learn more about the Canadian music scene of the 1980s and 1990s, this is
definitely a must read.
Inside
the book is 328 pages (and yes, that does include the index at the back of the
book) of personal stories, eyewitness accounts, fun bits of trivia, and never
before heard tales of interviews that went wrong (and some that went
right). And, as I mentioned, there are
personal accounts from many of the former VJ's that used to work there. Some I can name right off the top of my head
are Erica Ehm, Denise Donlon, Steve Anthony, Michael Williams, Rick Campanelli,
Tony "Master T" Young, Laurie Brown, Natalie Richard, Ziggy Lorenc, Ed the Sock (yes, Ed the Sock) and J.D. Roberts, among others.
J.D.
Roberts, of course, being John Roberts - currently the chief White House
correspondent for FOX News. And to
think it was he and Ward who launched the music video station on August 31,
1984!
Of
course, the book itself isn't just about the VJ's and their stories. There is a lot of references to popular
artists back in the day and some of their favourite MuchMusic moments, behind
the scenes interviews about some of the videos that they filmed, and some other
hidden secrets. These artists include
but are not limited to Gowan, Platinum Blonde, Sass Jordan, Blue Rodeo, The
Spoons, Parachute Club, Glass Tiger, Corey Hart, Bryan Adams, Colin James, The
Northern Pikes, Sloan, Barenaked Ladies, and Maestro Fresh Wes. And, that's merely scratching the surface.
Of course, all of the artists I listed above are Canadian...but that's not to
say that they didn't reveal any secrets about international artists (keeping in
mind that I'm Canadian and to me America is international). There are some interesting tidbits about
Duran Duran, Madonna, Robert Palmer, and even some Paul McCartney and George
Harrison! Trust me, the interviews
alone are worth reading.
I
think my favourite part of the whole book was finding out how some Much
traditions originated. Now without
spoiling too much about the book in general, I'll leave you with some
interesting things you can expect to read in this book.
You can read about some of the VJ's favourite interviews of all time. HINT:
One of them involves The Temptations!
You can also read about some of the VJ's least favourite interviews. Let's just say that a certain band that wore
a lot of face paint didn't make the greatest of impressions.
You'll
learn about how long standing MuchMusic traditions kicked off - these include
the worst of video countdown called "Fromage" as well as the annual
Christmas Tree toss from the roof of the Much building (which I don't even know
if they do anymore, it's been a while since I have watched it).
You
will also learn more about some Much programming including the "Electric
Circus", "Outlaws and Heroes", and "The Power Hour".
Trust me.
If you're Canadian (and even if you're not), and you loved watching
MuchMusic (or are just a music fan in general), get this book. I loved reading every page!
Last
week was the fiftieth episode of Jem
Reviewed, where
we saw the Holograms and Misfits travel to Britain for different reasons. And with that, there are only fifteen
episodes of the series left to go.
Seems surreal, doesn't it?
And
without a doubt, this episode is probably one of the most emotional of the
whole series. This is Episode 51: Out Of The Past.
We
begin in the attic of Starlight Mansion, where Jerrica is doing a little bit of
cleaning. To me, it's the attic and I
would say, why bother? But Jerrica is
NOT me, so she must make sure that everything is spic and span. I'm guessing that she may be partially
related to Danny Tanner from "Full House". After all, by the time this episode aired in January 1988, the
show was a few months on the air.
Jerrica's
attention falls upon a black chest in the middle of the room. Luckily there is no key, so she opens it
with ease and to her shock finds some of her father's belongings. I'm surprised too given that those
belongings shouldn't exist as their old house burned down three years ago. But maybe they had Synergy make some
holograms of all their stuff so they could recopy everything. It could happen. Weirder things have happened on this show already.
The
rest of the Holograms walk upstairs to see what Jerrica has found, and she
holds up a black book with the initials EB on it. I'd say that it would be a journal that Jerrica's dear old dad (I
legitimately almost typed DEAD old dad, which wouldn't be wrong, but very
insensitive) wrote.
The
rest of the girls urge Jerrica to read the diary, and since Emmett's six feet
under and unable to object to the invasion of his privacy, Jerrica
obliges. The first entry takes place
when Jerrica was ten and it depicts Rio's first meeting with the Benton family. We hear Emmett's voice narrating each diary
entry, and it is here that we have our Jem Trivia for today. The person doing the voice of Emmett is
Wally Burr - who worked as the main voice director for the whole series!
We
are also introduced to Emmett's lovely wife Jacqui
Benton - who
admittedly looks like an extra from "The Mary Tyler Moore Show". Her look is sooooo 1970s! Jacqui announces that Rio is staying for
dinner which makes Jerrica's heart go flitter-flutter and Kimber making fun of
her. I'm surprised she doesn't remark
how outrageous the situation is. But at
least the rest of the girls get a chuckle out of it.
The next entry depicts the date when Emmett and Jacqui took Aja in as their
first foster child, and two things I need to note. One, Aja's last name is Leith.
And two...Aja's hair colour is a natural blue. Again, this is a show where Jem could win the Indy 500. I believe anything at this rate. Immediately, Jerrica and Kimber are upset
that Aja is moving in and pout about it.
At least until Jacqui sits down with them and explains that as a foster
child herself, she didn't want any other children to have to go through what
she did, so she made the decision to share their blessings with others. Wow...so the Starlight House for Foster
Girls was Jacqui's brainchild.
Interesting.
Right around this time, Emmett Benton launches Starlight Music - the record
company that has almost become a second home to the Benton sisters.
Not
long after Aja moves in, the Benton family take in foster child #2 - a lavendar
haired girl named Shana Elmsford.
Perhaps you've heard of her?
Unfortunately,
Shana's not exactly blending into the Benton family dynamic very well, and she
likes to keep to herself. Jacqui seems
to notice Shana's introverted side and believes that Jerrica can help, but
Jerrica is too busy complaining about Rio not noticing her to care. Wow, nice to see that Jerrica was just as
snotty back when she was a kid. Jacqui,
however, doesn't take her attitude and smacks her one in the face calms her
down by telling her that Shana could use her attention more than Rio. And, you know, the way that Jacqui handles
the situation is perfect because not long after, Jerrica takes Shana a tray of
food and initiates conversation.
In
addition to being the Carol Brady of the Benton household, Jacqui had some
musical talent (so that's where Jem and Kimber get it from), and one day she
performed a sold out concert which was recorded on a set of master tapes
courtesy of Rio and Emmett.
Unfortunately, that concert was recorded at least a dozen years ago, and
the master tapes have since gone missing.
The plan was for Jacqui to have recorded a debut album, but she died
before she could get in the studio - meaning that nobody ever really got a
chance to listen to Jacqui in her prime.
Jerrica is disheartened at first, but when Shana suggests that the master tapes
could be located somewhere within Starlight Music and that they could release
that concert as Jacqui's debut album, Jerrica is thrilled, and decides to put
that idea into action.
And
in what is really her only appearance as Jem in this episode, the Holograms go
on Lindsey Pearce's show to sing a song that Jacqui initially sang at that
concert.
Now, having not heard Jacqui's version of "First Love", I certainly
hope it was much better than this one.
I suppose that initially being recorded in the 1970s, that style of
music fit in with the era very well...but by 1988, that sort of song was very
much out of vogue. But, still...Britta
Phillips could sing a phone book page and make it sound decent. And when Lindsey interviews them, Jem and
Kimber bring up the record company's plan to release the concert recordings as
an album as soon as they locate the master tapes.
Of
course there are five little snags that could unfurl those plans and their
names are Jetta, Stormer, Roxy, Pizzazz, and Eric Raymond. It's especially personal for Eric Raymond in
a way since he lost control of Starlight Music to Jem and Kimber three years
earlier. Let's just say that when Eric
was kicked out of Starlight Music, he stole a few things from the
building. One of those things are
Jacqui's recordings. This...can't be
good.
Back
at Starlight Music, Jerrica, Kimber, Aja, Shana, and an extremely out of place
Raya are tearing the offices apart looking for the master tapes, and they
suggest looking for clues in Emmett's diary.
Jerrica doesn't seem to think it'd hurt and immediately flips open to a
page with the date of August 13 - the day that Lela became the third Starlight
Girl.
A
couple of weeks later on September 5 - Jerrica, Shana, and Aja are inside of a
treehouse located outside of the original Starlight House where Jerrica's
mother initiates a special toast complete with lemonade all around. It's a toast of friendship, and not only
does it solidify the friendship that all of the Holograms share with each
other, but it also shows us that while Emmett and Kimber might have had a
special relationship, Jerrica and Jacqui were just as close.
At least until one stormy night at an airport.
Jacqui at this point was going on the talk show and small concert
circuit to promote her as yet unreleased album, and as a result of this, she
was never really home a lot. When it
comes time for Jacqui's flight to depart, Jerrica won't have it and she refuses
to even give her a hug and a kiss.
Jerrica
irrationally tries to guilt trip Jacqui into staying by telling her that if she
loved her, she'd stay. Whether Jerrica
could sense that something was about to happen or whether she was being a
spoiled brat - well, I tend to think the latter. But Jacqui has to go, and so she boards Flight 909 thinking that
she will be back in a few days and by then Jerrica will have gotten over it.
But Jacqui never comes home again.
Judging
by the plane wreckage and the fact that Emmett is despondent in this above
image, I'm guessing that this is the moment that Jacqui's voice is permanently
silenced.And an extremely guilty
Jerrica cries in Rio's arms.Wow...this
episode really sucker punches you in the gut, doesn't it? And this was a kid's show? It's more like an episode of "The Young and the Restless" or "Ryan's Hope" or "Loving" or whatever soap operas aired in the 1980s!
Even all these years later, Jerrica is still broken-hearted over how badly she
treated her on what would be Jacqui's last day. I'm starting to understand why the quest to release Jacqui's
recordings on an album is so important to Jerrica. She feels as though it is the only way she can truly apologize to
her mother for how she behaved that day.
And just like that, I find myself not being so angry with Jerrica
anymore.
The diary picks up on February 8, where it has been a week since the plane
crash and Emmett is very depressed about it all. It's not until Jerrica, Kimber, Shana, and Aja enter his room and
tell him that they will pick up some of the responsibilities around the house
to help him out. But perhaps the most
touching moment of all is when a normally stoic Aja breaks down in Emmett's
arms and begs him not to send any of them away. Emmett reassures them that they will always have a home as long
as he is around and they gather around in a group hug with Emmett reaffirming
that Jacqui has been a good influence on his girls.
Does
anyone have a tissue? Seriously?
We
also get a chance to see one of the projects that Emmett has been working
on. It's in the infancy stages, but he
has managed to use computer technology to create holograms. Emmett states that his girls have given him
the strength to finish a top secret project - but we're going to have to wait
to find out what that is for now, as Jerrica has to take a phone call.
Oh, what a surprise. It's Eric Raymond,
and he has a deal that he wants to make with Jerrica now that he has control of
Jacqui's recordings. Of course, the
price that Eric has put on the recordings in mighty steep. His first deal is to sell Jerrica the tapes
for one million dollars! And Jerrica
knows full well that since most of the profits from Jem's concerts and records
go to the Starlight Girls, she doesn't have a million bucks to randomly give to
slimy businessmen. So, Eric makes a
second offer. If Jerrica gives away
controlling interest of Starlight Music to Eric, he'll give her the tapes -
which to me seems like a Catch 22 because if Eric gets Starlight Music back, he
won't release the album anyway.
The rest of the Holograms are disgusted but not surprised at Eric's latest
plot, and Jerrica suggests reading through the rest of Emmett's diary so that
they might come up with a plan to outsmart Eric. Interestingly enough, the next diary entry is all about Eric!
We
all know that Emmett hired Eric personally to be his second in command, and we
know that Emmett never really knew how evil Eric would eventually become. What we may not have known was that Jerrica
initially had a massive crush on Eric when she was just seventeen! Guys, say it with me. EWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!! Even Raya seemed shocked at this admission, but Jerrica admits
that she didn't know what she was thinking at the time.
The next entry talks about how Jerrica came up with the really stupid idea of
using Eric to make Rio jealous...but all that does is show Jerrica just how
ridiculous Rio's temper is. But hey, at
least he didn't kick a plant this time.
After
that entry, Kimber starts to tear up, as she notices that there aren't many
pages left. Sure enough, right around
the time that Eric and Rio developed their feud, Emmett starts getting sick
with his terminal illness. And as the
last few diary entries are read, we can hear his voice get weaker and weaker as
he gets closer to the end of his life.
Wally Burr does a fantastic job doing the voice of Emmett at this time,
I should also add.
Of
course, while Emmett is battling his sickness, we learn that he was building
Synergy. He notes that for fear of the
technology getting in the wrong hands, he has to keep it a secret - and that
includes Jerrica and Kimber at that time.
To protect his investment and his invention, he moves his workshop out
of Starlight House and into an abandoned drive-in movie theatre - the same
place where Jerrica and the others first meet Synergy.
And we also learn that Synergy is much more important to Emmett than we realize
- have you noticed that Synergy's face looks almost exactly like Jacqui
Benton's? That was the initial
idea...but when Emmett saw Jacqui's face in Synergy's monitor, he deemed the
image too painful, so he altered it so that it would look different, but still
have that familiarity to it. So,
Synergy is really a loving tribute to his departed wife...which means that
having Synergy as Jerrica's mentor would be as if her mother were still by her
side. Mind. Blown. Emmett also makes a note that he has
programmed all of Jacqui's voice recordings into Synergy's memory banks so that
Synergy could have a vocabulary that could rival Webster's Dictionary.
In Emmett's final days, he arranges for the musical instruments and Rockin'
Roadster to be moved to the abandoned Starlight Drive-in Theatre, and on May 30
- the final entry in the diary - he holds the JemStar earrings in his palm,
making arrangements for the earrings to be delivered to Jerrica after he
passes. Now, the date actually holds a
lot of significance. Way back in
Episode 32 - the episode where Jem gets gaslighted - she reveals that her
birthday is June 1. Wanna take a guess
that Emmett arranged for Synergy to deliver the earrings on Jerrica's
birthday? On the other hand, Jerrica
lost her father on or around her birthday.
That would make it simultaneously the best and worst birthday she's ever
had.
But
Jerrica is too overcome with emotion over the revelation that Synergy seems to
be her mother reincarnated. But before
she can say a word, Synergy projects herself into the room and tells Jerrica
that she is no more or no less than Synergy - a final gift of love from her
departed father. Synergy also tells
Jerrica that she has to make an incredibly difficult choice regarding the
master tapes. But after reading
Emmett's diary, Jerrica comes to a final decision and sets off towards Eric's
place of residence...however, before you start thinking that Jerrica is going soft, think again. She flatly tells Eric that she is not giving
him money, control of Starlight Enterprises, or a quickie in his bathroom. Okay, I made that last part up.
Jerrica seems to have the idea that if she talks to Eric about how important
the tapes are, he'll find it in his heart to give her the tapes no questions
asked. It's a nice thought. A stupid thought, but a nice thought. And Jerrica realizes just how wrong she was
about Eric when he callously takes the tapes and tosses them into the fireplace.
And with that, Jerrica smacks Eric across the face. Hard. The only thing that
would have been better would have been if she had brass knuckles on. I'd also consider it to be an even blow from
the time where Eric cuffed her one during Episode 5.
But
while hitting Eric Raymond might have felt great for a little while, by the
time Jerrica arrives back home she is in full-on meltdown mode. She tearfully explains to Kimber, Aja, Raya,
and Shana what happened, and Shana and Raya immediately comfort her and tell
her that it wasn't her fault. But
Kimber and Aja are off to themselves, and they seem to be more hopeful.
Remember the part in the diary where Emmett talked about programming Jacqui's
voice into Synergy's memory banks? Aja
and Kimber came up with the hypothesis that Emmett may have programmed a copy
of the concert into Synergy's memory banks and that the program might be so
deep in the banks that not even Synergy could bring it up without a little
help. This is good news, but Aja warns
Jerrica that it could be disasterous.
While Aja is just as much of an electronic genius as Techrat, the
technology that Emmett used is such that it proves a challenge for even
her. Aja even warns Jerrica that if she
screws up, she could completely kill off Synergy for good. But Jerrica seems to feel that any risk is
worth it - even if it means no more Jem.
And with Jerrica's blessing, they get to work disassembling Synergy.
Apparently
the process to hack into Synergy's memory banks is a lengthy process. Aja works through the whole night while the
rest of the Holograms fall asleep on the ground. But as Jerrica and company wake up to a new day, Aja goes
A-HA! Before long, a series of phrases
pop up on a computer screen.
Hmmm...one of them is First Love - the song that the Holograms performed
earlier in this episode. There's also a
song called Starlight, one called My Heart, and one called "Oh,
Jo". Wow, she wrote a song about
Nancy McKeon and she died before "The Facts of Life" went on the air!
But the titles also seem to link to mp3 files long before mp3 files
existed! Sure enough, Aja's theory was
true. Jacqui's songs were definitely
programmed into Synergy, and Jerrica couldn't be happier. To celebrate, Aja clicks on the one marked
Starlight, and we hear Jacqui singing the song that had the same title as her
home, her foster girls, and her husband's record company.
"Starlight" is definitely a stand out
song. I have no idea who performed the
vocals for Jacqui Benton (one theory I had was that it was Samantha Newark that
sang it, but I don't think that is true).
Whatever the case, it's a beautiful song, and one that definitely brings
a lot of emotion to the rest of the Holograms.
Even Raya sheds a tear even though she never met the woman in her
life! I'm thinking this probably should
have been a Season 1 episode because Raya really has nothing to do in this
episode.
Whatever the case, the songs have been found, and a tearful Jerrica tells
Jacqui that she loves her. Okay,
seriously, this episode is like a Barbara Walters interview. I am NOT going to let this show make me cry!
Within a few weeks, the recordings are transferred from Synergy to another
master tape, that tape is recorded onto records, cassettes, and CD's, and just
like that, Jacqui Benton's album becomes a huge success.
We end off at the album release party where Jerrica formally apologizes for how
she used Eric to make him jealous, and Rio doesn't seem to mind. The two kiss passionately as the other
Holograms (including Raya) hold up glasses of lemonade in front of a poster of
Jacqui Benton - making a toast to friendship similar to the one that they made
all those years earlier.
Okay, I'm calling it right now. This
episode is probably going to be my favourite episode of the whole series. They blended past elements with a decent
story to come up with one of the most emotionally satisfying episodes
ever. I absolutely love this one, and
it really should have been the season finale.
That's how great it was.
It probably would have made a better one than the next two episodes, which will
be featured over the next two Fridays.
Coming up, Jem goes Hollywood!
And Kimber is in yet ANOTHER love triangle. Oi.
Last
week's Throwback Thursday post was fun. Let's do it again this week...and the next
week...and the next week after that even!
Now
for today's entry, I can reveal to you that it is music themed. But by now you all know the drill. It was the same as it was on Tuesday
Timelines and Wayback Wednesdays. We're
taking a look at the other significant events that took place on this date in
history first.
So, what happened on the 9th of March?
Have a gander.
1796 - Napoleon Bonaparte and Josephine de Beauharnais
marry
1841 - The U.S. Supreme Court rules in the
"United States vs. The Amistad" case that the captive Africans who
seized control of the ship that was carrying them were taken into slavery
illegally
1842 - The first documented discovery of gold in
California is made in Rancho San Francisco
1910 - The Westmoreland County Coal Strike begins
1933 - Franklin D. Roosevelt submits the
Emergency Banking Act to Congress
1940 - Actor Raul Julia (d. 1994) is born in San
Juan, Puerto Rico
1943 - Chess champion Bobby Fischer (d. 2008) is
born in Chicago, Illinois
1944 - Tallinn, Estonia is attacked by Soviet
planes during World War II
1946 - Thirty-three people are crushed to death
during a football game inside Burnden Park Stadium in Bolton, England
1957 - A devastating earthquake strikes the
Aleutian Islands and causes a subsequent tsunami that strikes Hawaii
1959 - Barbie makes her debut at the American
International Toy Fair in New York City
1961 - Sputnik 9 successfully launches
1976 - The Cavalese Cable Car Disaster of 1976
occurs, killing 42 people
1977 - The Hanafi Siege takes place in Washington
D.C. - 149 are taken hostage, and two are killed
1982 - A group of people who call themselves
"Krononauts" host an event in Baltimore, Maryland where they discuss
the possibility of time travel
1996 - Actor/comedian George Burns dies at the
age of 100
1997 - Rapper Christopher "Notorious
B.I.G." Wallace is gunned down in a drive-by-shooting in Los Angeles -
Wallace was just 24 years of age
2011 - After thirty-nine flights, Space Shuttle
Discovery makes its final landing
And
I hope you love celebrity birthdays because there are a lot of them today! Happy birthday to Taina Elg, Walter Mercado, Keely Smith, Mel Lastman, Lloyd Price, Joyce Van Patten, Mickey Gilley, Mark Lindsay, Charles Gibson, Robin Trower, Jeffrey Osborne, Chris Thompson, Trevor Burton, Linda Fiorentino, Martin Fry, Lonny Price, Finn Carter, Juliette Binoche, Steve Wilkos, Brian Bosworth, Kimberly Guilfoyle, Emmanuel Lewis, Jean Louisa Kelly, Travis Lane Stork, Oscar Isaac, Matthew Gray Gubler, Julia Mancuso, Brittany Snow, Shad "Bow Wow" Moss, YG, and Domo Genesis.
See, I told you March 9th was a busy day in the maternity ward!
So,
what date will we be visiting this week?
Well, it's only 32 years ago. March 9, 1985. And I can tell you that this
was a date that particular song reached the top of the Billboard charts.
Unfortunately, it was released by a band that admittedly I'm not much of a fan
of. And the song that reached #1
thirty-two years ago is one that I believe has been played over and over and
over again.
(And no, the song wasn't performed by the Dave Clark Five. I actually like those guys. Plus, their heyday was twenty years before
the mid-1980s.)
However,
the song did stay at the top of the charts for three weeks. It was performed at the Live-Aid Benefit
Concert that took place in the summer of 1985.
And it was a song that was featured prominently in the 2008 film
"Horton Hears a Who!".
ARTIST: REO Speedwagon SONG: Can't Fight
This Feeling ALBUM: Wheels Are
Turnin' DATE RELEASED: December
31, 1984* PEAK POSITION ON THE BILLBOARD CHARTS: #1 for 3 weeks.
NOTE: The star indicates that this was the release
date within the United Kingdom. In
North America, it wasn't officially released as a single until January 23,
1985.
Now, when one thinks of REO Speedwagon, you probably don't think of the group
being hard core rockers. If anything,
you might think them as the very definition of rock that is so soft you could
squeeze it like a ball of Play-Doh. I
know I certainly thought that when I first listened to them.
And again, I'll admit it. This song is
not exactly one of my favourites. If I
had to pick a song by the band (made up of Kevin Cronin, Gary Richraft, Bruce
Hall, Neil Doughty, and Alan Gratzer), I tend to like their 1981 hit "Keep
on Loving You" much better. I
think a part of that could be the way that it was overplayed on most radio
stations. I often wondered if this song
was the only song that they owned by the band.
That's how often it was played.
The fact that the song is also used in a comedic sense for parody films in
serious scenes also kind of turned me off of it.
However, I do appreciate the fact that the song exists - and not just because
it gives me something to talk about in this blog. No, I think that as time passes by, I start to understand why the
song became such a hit in the first place.
It's a song that most everyone in the world can relate to because we all
have had feelings for someone who started out as a friend or an acquaintance,
and no matter how hard you try to keep those feelings inside, sometimes you
just can't hold them in and you have to let them know. I think it's a situation that most of us
have experienced at one time or another.
And maybe that's the reason why this song was such a hit thirty-two
years ago.
This
is going to probably make me known as the biggest dweeb in all the world, but
one of the things that I used to love to do when I was a little kid was read
the dictionary from cover to cover.
To
some of you reading this, this might be the most boring activity one can
imagine. To me, it was fun. I've always loved the English language, and
I have always been fascinated by words and their meanings.
I think my very first experience with a dictionary was when I was a kid and I
owned the Charlie Brown Dictionary. It
was a book that I loved and read so much that it fell apart and I had to get
another one (and that copy was lost in a move and I have wanted another one
since).
Anyway,
the Charlie Brown Dictionary began my quest to enrich my word power. When I was a kid, Archie Comics would
reprint alphabet gag pages that showed the Archie characters acting out words
that began with that particular letter.
It was how I learned the meaning of the word
antidisestablismentarianism.
That
28-letter-word means being against those against the establishment. So, if a group of people were protesting
Denny's, and I decided to protest against those people, then I would be
partaking in antidisestablishmentarianism.
And,
of course, you had Reader's Digest which as far back as I could remember had a
section inside of it called "It Pays To Enrich Your Word Power". I think that was probably my favourite
section in that whole periodical (aside from the fascinating Drama In Real Life
stories that would appear in each issue).
I remember always trying to guess at each word and its meaning from the
four choices that I was given. When I
was a kid, I was lucky to get a score of more than three out of twenty. As an adult, I tend to now score anywhere
between fourteen and eighteen.
Some
might consider that to be a great score, and others might not. But I'm quite fine with it. I believe that we are never too old or too
young to increase our word power. And
let's face it. English can be one of
the most complex languages to learn without the added pressure of spelling them
correctly or making the sentences make sense grammatically.
(Though
admittedly I have become amused by funny misspellings and atrocious
grammar. Maybe a little bit too
amused.)
Of
course, these days we now have Google at our disposal to look up any and all
words that exist. But when I was
younger, the only way I knew the word "googol" was the number one
that was followed by an insane amount of zeroes. And I learned that by looking it up in the dictionary.
And
Square One Television. But that's a
moot point.
So,
I thought that I would play a little game with all of you. I'm going to write my very own version of
"It Pays to Enrich Your Word Power" right here in this blog. I've taken ten different words and phrases,
and it's your job to guess what the words mean. It's definitely a lot harder to write these quizzes out than it
is to answer one, believe me.
And NO GOOGLE. That's cheating.
Here's
your quiz. Good luck!
1. LOQUACIOUS
a) a lounge
that has a lot of extra space
b) a person who is very chatty
c) a sandwich spread
d) feeling
incredibly tired
2. HAKUNA
MATATA
a) No worries
b) A character on the soap opera
"The Bold and the Beautiful"
c) All is not well
d) An African nation located between
Niger and Nigeria
3. SARSPARILLA
a) one of the side effects of SARS
b) a medicine used to treat measles
c) a Crayola crayon colour
d) a soft drink
4. MNEMONIC
a) a memory trick
b) a rock
band
c) possessed
by the devil
d) the
process of turning a rock into a diamond
5. STALAGMITE
a) a mound of rock that is found at the
top of a cave
b) a mound of rock that comes out the
bottom of a cave
c) a mound of
rock that comes out of the wall of a cave
d) a cave
6. YAHRZEIT
a) a dice game
b) a Chinese
delicacy
c) a memorial
for the first anniversary of a person's death
d) a
bluish-purple flower grown in Germany
7. QUETZAL
a) a gold and green bird
b) a unit of measurement
c) a type of
British cookie
d) a Japanese
sportscar
8. QUINCEANERA
a) a girl's fifteenth birthday
celebration
b) a woman's
fiftieth birthday celebration
c) a fifteenth wedding anniversary
d) a fiftieth
wedding anniversary
9. MAMMOTHREPT
a) a prehistoric creature
b) a spoiled child
c) a doctor that specializes in breasts
d) a type of thermometer
10. XIPHOPAGUS
a) a tomb found in ancient Egypt
b) a person who is against organized
religion
c) a set of conjoined twins
d) an island off the coast of Greece
This week's episode is such that it introduces us to a TON of new
characters...as well as one old one.
And it is the third episode so far to take place in Jolly Old England!
I suppose that's why this is Episode 50: Britrock. I know. I've done fifty
of these reviews. Where has the time
gone?
Now,
you might think that because the title is superimposed over a Jem poster that
we'll be starting with her. Instead,
we're starting with the Misfits, who happen to be using the poster as a
dartboard. And while the Misfits are
playing darts, Jetta goes on and on about how she taught the Queen Mum how to
play the game, and how she was hanging out with Charles and Diana, and Fergie
(the Duchess of York, not the Black Eyed Pea).
It's to set up the fact that once again, Jetta claims to know the royal
family. And Pizzazz and Stormer seem to
be hanging onto every word.
But not so much street smart Roxy.
Since the day they met, Roxy has been very suspicious of Jetta's claims
that she really is of noble blood, and calls her out at every opportunity. Jetta insists that she is, and that if they
were in England right now, they would be treated like royalty. This prompts Stormer to comment that her
brother, Craig (who we met in Episode 27 along with Jetta) was performing with
his new band in London and how she would love to visit with him again.
Pizzazz comes up with the idea to take Jetta up on her offer. They have no upcoming concerts and plenty of
free time, so they agree to spend the weekend in England. Jetta is at first taken aback, but she goes
into another room to place a call into the town of Kingston upon Hull,
England. Interestingly enough, I did
some research on this town, and in the time that this episode was filmed, that
town was experiencing major decline - particularly in the subjects of education
and crime reduction. I wonder if this
will reveal anything about Jetta's background.
Ah, what a surprise. Jetta's parents, Bertie and Flo are con artists living in a dumpy old flat. We can see how Jetta turned out the way she did. I'm actually more amused by the fact that
Jetta's mom looks like Hyacinth Bucket from the British sitcom "Keeping Up
Appearances". She even kind of
sounds like Mrs. "Bouquet". Looks
as if Jetta has taken after her dear old parents.She plots a scheme with them to pretend that they are aristocrats
to appease the Misfits and make them believe Jetta's tall tales.She even suggests to her parents that they
could use the opportunity to scam Pizzazz out of some cash.Wow.Just wow.Jetta has officially
surpassed Pizzazz in being a totally unlikable cow.Well done, Jetta.And
yes, I say this sarcastically.
But
there could still be a chance that Jetta's plans could be thwarted. At the Rock Hard Cafe (yeah, I see what you
did there, Christy Marx), Jem is meeting with a man who calls himself Sir Hugh Ridley (an obvious knockoff of Richard Branson, as far as I'm
concerned). Reporter Cindy Tucker is meeting with them to discuss the fact that Sir Hugh is opening up a
new club in London and that he has invited Jem and the Holograms to perform
there along with another up and coming band from Britain to take part in a
benefit concert. But Hugh ends the
interview before we discover what the benefit is about.
Back
in Wissex, England, we see Flo and Bertie enjoying a horse race - where they
are happy that their horse has won the race (showering them with pound notes
galore).
The man up above in the skybox is looking less than happy. We soon find out via a conversation between
Jetta's parents and a random guy affiliated with them that the man is Lord Trevor Hawthorne of Wissex, and he is a regular fixture at the race
tracks. Unfortunately, his luck is
terrible and he has lost nearly all of the fortune associated with the family
estate in Wissex. Add to the fact that
creditors are knocking on his door every minute, and Flo and Bertie's wheels
crank in their heads.
They
approach Lord Trevor with their plan and how they can scam Pizzazz to pay off
his debts, and Trevor is immediately in on the plan. That seemed...too easy.
But for now, it seems as though Jetta's secret is safe.
The Misfits arrive at the airport, and sure enough there is a Rolls Royce
waiting to take them all to the place where they will be staying. But not all of the Misfits will be
going. Stormer takes off on her own to
London because she'd rather spend time with her brother that loves her instead
of three women who belittle her at every opportunity. Sounds reasonable.
Jetta's disappointed (mainly because I get the feeling that Stormer
would be the only one to forgive her if her secret got out).
The rest of the Misfits arrive at the estate where Jetta's parents rush out of
the manor dressed in their finest clothes and calling her Sheila. Wow, Sheila Burns. How...common. Oh, and
Lord Trevor is playing along as the faithful butler of the manor.
But it seems as though Lord Trevor isn't who he claims to be either when he
excuses himself to the servant's quarters and meets up with two men named Stoke and Fenton.
Seems as though there's something happening after 8:00pm tomorrow night
and whatever this event is, it threatens to expose the real Earl of
Wissex. Stoke and Fenton are called to
dispatch the supposed real Earl so that Trevor can keep his title. Ah, so while Bertie and Flo are conning him,
Trevor is conning them right back. I
feel I need a scorecard to keep up.
While
all this is going on, Jem and the Holograms arrive in London with Sir Hugh, and
Raya comments about how they're finally in England. I guess she forgot about the fact that they were just there THREE
EPISODES AGO! Oh, well. They haven't been to London yet.
They arrive outside of Sir Hugh's club, the Unicorn Club. No offense, Hugh, but I can think of many
better names for a rock club than the Unicorn Club. But hey, it's not my club.
What do I know? And since Jon
Taffer is unavailable, we can't ask his opinion either.
Inside, we're going to meet the second band that will be performing at the
benefit concert, the Bluebloods! Interesting name for a band.
The
band is made up of four men. Mason Hawthorne is the soon to be 21-year-old lead singer of the band who seems to be
a nice guy who has a mysterious aura to him.
James and Alan are secondary members of
the band who seem to only be there as filler characters. They do seem charming enough.
And
the token American of the group?
Welcome back, Craig Phillips!
Aja wastes no time getting reconnected with her long-distance love
affair and it's good to see that Craig has found success with a new band after
he gallantly walked away from the Battle of the Bands contest to allow Raya to
join.
While
the Holograms are getting reacquainted with Craig, over at Lord Trevor's place,
Jetta's family is still keeping up appearances, so to speak and nobody is any
wiser about their scheme. Jetta's
parents waste no time in selling practically everything within the manor to Pizzazz
at ten times the price, including stainless steel dinnerware and
candelabras. Of course, to Pizzazz,
these trinkets are nothing new, and she proceeds to throw one of the plates
through a window.
The behaviour of Pizzazz and Roxy at dinner is too much for Lord Trevor, and he
pulls Jetta aside and once again pressures her to make sure that if she sells
any more things that she should do it before the clock strikes eight the next
evening. Jetta asks what the big deal
is, but Trevor doesn't really reveal much about it.
But
we do know that Trevor and his cohorts are up to no good. In London (inside one of those awesome red
phone booths that are simply iconic Britain landmarks), they reveal to Trevor
that they have found the location of the real Earl of Wissex, and they plan on
taking care of him permanently. I don't
know what that's about, but I've a feeling that whoever the Earl is, he must be
with Jem and the Holograms, as they mention that he's out with a group of
"American birds". So, THAT'S
where the Bluebloods name came from.
Question is, which one is it?
It'd be hilarious if it turned out to be Craig.
Well,
for now, it's time for a good old-fashioned fox hunt with the Misfits. It's also the first time we hear a
song! Wow, thirteen minutes before a
song. That must be a record.
Fortunately, it's a brand new Misfits song!
Seems like forever since we've heard one, huh? While the song "I'm Gonna Hunt You Down" is probably
not their best song, I admire the fact that the video is visually one of the
better ones. Though, I'm sure that Lord
Trevor doesn't take kindly to the fact that they go on their fox hunt INSIDE
the manor!
Night
passes and a new day falls over London.
The Holograms are waiting to set up their equipment inside the Unicorn Club,
and both bands are waiting to get started with the rehearsal.
Unfortunately,
what the Holograms and the Bluebloods don't realize is that Trevor's henchmen
have decided to put on an explosive performance of their own. They rig a bomb to go off in Craig's drum
set in five minutes! And with both
bands about to enter the club, this isn't good news for either of them.
Most
of the band members head on inside the club, but Craig keeps Aja back because
he has a confession to make. He's
really in love with Shana. No, that's
not it. It's something else.
Of
course while Craig is keeping Aja in suspense, the rest of the Holograms are
stunned to see Stormer inside. Oh
right, I forgot that they had no idea that Craig and Stormer were brother and
sister. At any rate, Kimber hasn't
forgotten her friendship with Stormer, and is actually civil with her. Jem is wondering if the other Misfits are
with her, but Stormer says that it's just her.
I guess when it's just Stormer around, the Holograms can drop their
guard. And, heck, they'd probably do
the same for Roxy too. Not so much the
other two though.
Now,
Craig is actually intending to tell Aja that Stormer is his sister (which in
his mind would be a big deal as the Holograms and Misfits can't stand each other
most days). But the way he introduces
Aja to Stormer is so cringe-worthy. For
one, Craig uses Stormer's real name (Mary Phillips). And since he introduces her to Aja as Mary, it gives anyone the
allusion that Craig and Stormer are husband and wife! But cool as a cucumber Aja would never respond to a rumour
like...
...oooh
snap! She did. I think this might be the first time that a
Hologram has ever slapped someone!
Pizzazz and Eric Raymond slapped practically everyone in the first five
episodes, but this is definitely a first!
As a broken-hearted Aja runs out of the club bawling, most of the other
Holograms follow her outside. Kimber
stays behind to give Craig and Stormer a piece of her mind, but Kimber's forced
to swallow humble pie when the Phillips siblings explain their real
relationship to each other. The
remainder of the Bluebloods follow Kimber outside to help explain.
Did I mention that the bomb timer is still counting down while all of this is
happening
Inside, Craig is furious that Aja would jump to conclusions about him being
unfaithful to her, and surprisingly it is Stormer who acts as the voice of
reason. Stormer sees just how much
Craig and Aja care for each other and urges Craig to find Aja and make things
right. See, when Stormer is away from
the Misfits, she's a delightful woman!
And an intelligent one too.
Meanwhile, Kimber explains to Aja that Craig is NOT dating Stormer as it
would be considered incestuous (which is something that can never be portrayed
in this cartoon). Aja realizes that she
overreacted (you think) and rushes towards the club to make love...ahem, peace
with Craig.
But that pesky bomb that was left behind has other plans, and just as Aja
arrives at the front door, the bomb goes off, and apparently the blast is so
huge that it sends Aja about a hundred feet into the air! Miraculously, she survives.
But when Aja comes to and sees the Unicorn Club in complete shambles due to the
fire and collapsing structure, she realizes that Craig and Stormer were still
inside when the bomb went off! The rest
of the Bluebloods and Aja run inside the burning building to try and save them.
Stormer's more or less all right. She
just has a bum ankle. But Craig is
trapped underneath a fallen ceiling beam, and he can't move. With help from Aja, James, Alan, and Sir Hugh, the group manages to carry
Stormer and Craig out to safety. But
the club is a total loss, and Sir Hugh can only look on in sadness as his
beloved Unicorn Club turns into a pile of ashes.
It's at this point that Mason becomes incredibly angry and he makes the
stunning admission that the bombing of the Unicorn Club was his fault. Jem presses Mason for more information and
Mason reveals that at eight o'clock tonight, he will officially turn 21, and
that he has an uncle who would not be happy to see him reach that milestone -
and it's not because his uncle advocates a teetotaler lifestyle either. Before Jem can ask what is going on, Mason
reveals that if they want to find the reason, they need to follow him to
Wissex.
Ladies and gentlemen...I do believe we have our rightful Earl of Wissex. And Kimber and Raya are accompanying Jem on
the trip while Aja and Shana stay behind to look after Stormer and Craig.
Oh,
and Craig and Aja get back together. I
guess getting blown up in a club naturally would bring two people closer
together.
As
Mason, Jem, Kimber, Raya, and Sir Hugh head off to Wissex, Trevor is getting
incredibly antsy. It's just fifteen
minutes to eight o'clock, and he has just gotten word that the plan to kill the
Earl backfired, so now he's panicking, desperate to come up with a
solution. After all, it's not as if he
can sell any more stuff to Pizzazz.
But when he fills Jetta and her parents in on the problem, Jetta comes up with
a solution. Sell Pizzazz the entire
estate before the clock strikes eight, and that way, there's nothing that can
be done to stop it. And if Pizzazz
questions it, Jetta tells Trevor to make the claim that if she buys the estate,
she gets the title of Lady of Wissex to go along with it. That's...actually not a bad idea, I have to
admit. After all, Pizzazz's ego is the
size of Alaska. But still, Jetta also
shows just how little she cares about friendship. She'd better tread lightly or else she might find herself crawling
back to the Tinkerbillies.
Of
course, Pizzazz doesn't hesitate to take the deal, and Pizzazz is about to sign
the contract that transfers the land ownership to Pizzazz...
...when
Mason, Jem, Kimber, and Raya appear at the door - with Mason carrying the same
fox that Pizzazz tried to kill during the fox hunt. Mason proclaims that it is now eight o'clock, he's now twenty-one
years old, and he is now the rightful heir to the Hawthorne Estate! Of
course, Lord Trevor protests, but Mason is in no mood to fight.He orders his fox to snatch the contract
away, leaving Jetta's parents to flee and Pizzazz and Roxy ready to turn Jetta
into a serving of haggis.
Oh,
wait. Haggis is Scottish, not
English. My bad.
Naturally,
Trevor and his henchmen try to get away as well, but Mason and Sir Hugh tackle
them after Jem summons a hologram of a pack of angry dogs to scare them.
Soon
after, the police arrive and find Jetta's parents hiding in the stables, and
there comes a funny moment in which everyone accuses everyone for the damage
done to the estate, with Jetta's own father throwing her under the bus! I'm sorry, but that moment was funny.
But
for poor Mason, it seems as though he's in a lot of trouble now. He's the rightful heir of Hawthorne Manor,
but because of the spending and gambling that Trevor did, there's no money left
to pay off the creditors. The benefit
concert that was meant to be held at the Unicorn Club was designed to raise
money for that purpose so that when Mason became Earl, he wouldn't have to
worry about losing the place.
Jem
tells the new Earl to turn that frown upside down because they're still going
to have the benefit concert - at the Manor itself. As for the punishment for three-quarters of the Misfits, she's
got something else in mind.
Before we see that punishment, we have one final song, and this one is called
"Between Me and You", which I have to admit is not bad at
all. Oh, and Jem is thrilled to learn
that the concert has raised enough money to rebuild the Unicorn Club, and to
pay off the outstanding bills.
As for Pizzazz, Roxy, and Jetta, the three of
them are on dish duty. And despite the
fact that Jetta's lies got them into this mess in the first place, she still
brags about her fabulous life, which cause Pizzazz and Roxy to shove a knight
mask over her head. You know, I could
grow to like Pizzazz and Roxy. And just
for the fact that Jetta got embarrassed, this is officially a great show!
Next week, a very emotional episode of the series...and one that features Jerrica,
not Jem.
Finally, some Jem Trivia. Jem
was originally to be called "M", but because the toy company couldn't
trademark a letter, they went with Jem.