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Thursday, June 08, 2017

June 8, 1974

This week on the weekly Throwback Thursday post, I thought I'd check out the music scene, and see what hit #1 on this day a bunch of years ago.  There were plenty of choices to choose from, but I think I chose a song that mostly everybody knows.

(Truth be told, it is my second choice.  My first choice was one that I already did a blog on in June 2014.  It's a good thing I have a search bar in my blog so I can double check what topics I've done.)

Before we spin the record around, let's check the records of June 8th to see what happened on this date.

1783 - Icelandic volcano Laki begins erupting - over the EIGHT MONTH period, the eruption would kill nine thousand and create a famine that lasted for several years

1789 - James Madison introduces twelve proposed amendments to the United States Constitution in Congress

1861 - Tennessee secedes from the Union

1862 - The Battle of Cross Keys takes place during the American Civil War

1906 - Theodore Roosevelt signs the Antiquities Law into act

1912 - Universal Pictures is incorporated by Carl Laemmle

1933 - Comedienne/talk show host Joan Rivers (d. 2014) is born in Brooklyn, New York

1940 - Operation Alphabet is completed during World War II

1949 - George Orwell publishes the novel "Nineteen Eighty-Four"

1953 - The United States Supreme Court rules that restaurants in Washington D.C. can NOT refuse service to black patrons

1966 - An F5 tornado strikes Topeka, Kansas - the first tornado to do over one hundred million dollars in damage

1972 - Nick Ut snaps a photo of nine-year-old Phan Thi Kim Phuc after being burned by napalm during the Vietnam War - the photo would later go on to win a Pulitzer Prize

1982 - Baseball player Satchel Paige passes away at the age of 75

1984 - The state of New South Wales in Australia declares homosexuality to be legal

1985 - "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" by Tears for Fears reaches the top of the Billboard Charts

1992 - The world's first Ocean Day is celebrated

1995 - United States Air Force pilot Captain Scott O'Grady is rescued in Bosnia by U.S. Marines

2000 - "Shoe" comic strip illustrator Jeff MacNelly dies at the age of 52

2001 - A school janitor kills eight students and injures fifteen others in the 2001 Osaka school massacre

2004 - The first Venus transit since 1882 takes place

2009 - Journalists Laura Ling and Euna Lee were sentenced to twelve years of hard labor in North Korea after being charged with entering the country illegally - their sentence was pardoned in August 2009

2014 - Twenty-eight are killed in an attack at the Jinnah International Airport in Pakistan

And blowing out candles on their birthday cake today are the following famous faces; Barbara Bush, Jerry Stiller, Millicent Martin, James Darren, Bernie Casey, Nancy Sinatra, Chuck Negron, Colin Baker, Boz Scaggs, Kathy Baker, Sonia Braga, Tony Rice, Bonnie Tyler, Tim Berners-Lee, Griffin Dunne, Scott Adams, Keenen Ivory Wayans, Mick Hucknall, Nick Rhodes, Kevin Farley, Julianna Margulies, J.P. Manoux, Gabrielle Giffords, Troy Vincent, Mark Feuerstein, Lexa Doig, Shilpa Shetty, Kanye West, Maria Menounos, Derek Trucks, Rob Holliday, Alex Band, and Sara Watkins.

Wow...was there like a celebrity baby boom today or what?

So, as I mentioned, I will be featuring a music themed blog for today in which I select a song that topped the charts on this date.



That date for this week will be June 8, 1974.

Now, I'm sure that almost everybody on this planet has heard of the band known as The Beatles, right?  I mean, I'm sure that no matter what your age, you can name at least one song by them.  Well, unfortunately this blog is NOT about the Beatles.  They had already been broken up for four years when this entry takes place.

Though this blog does feature at least one of them.  Paul McCartney, to be exact.

After the Beatles broke up, the Fab Four all went their separate ways, with each member of the band pursuing a solo career.  But whereas John Lennon, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr opted to go it alone, Paul McCartney formed his own band called Wings with his wife Linda, Danny Seiwell, and Denny Laing (who previously worked with the Moody Blues).

It did take some time for Wings to...ahem...find its wings in order to fly to success.  Upon their formation in 1971, their first two albums were considered critical disappointments, and although the band scored a major coup with scoring the title track for the James Bond film "Live and Let Die", it was at the cost of losing Seiwell as well as guitarist Henry McCullough.

(McCullough joined the band for its sophomore album "Red Rose Speedway".)



That said, the James Bond theme was key to getting their feet wet in the river of success.  The same year "Live and Let Die" was released, the band's third album "Band on the Run" was released, and it became Wings' breakthrough!  The first track, "Jet" did quite well on the charts.  And the follow-up single reached number one exactly forty-three years ago today!



ARTIST:  Paul McCartney & Wings
SONG:  Band on the Run
ALBUM:  Band on the Run
DATE RELEASED:  April 8, 1974
PEAK POSITION ON THE BILLBOARD CHARTS:  #1 for 1 week

I'm actually kind of shocked that the song only lasted one week at the top - until I read that 1974 was one of the years that had the most songs reach #1 (tied with 1975 at 35 songs).  But, Band on the Run was definitely a song that made Wings a household name.  Maybe not as big as the Beatles, but it showed that Paul McCartney could have a career renaissance with an entirely new group of musicians.  And, I suppose on a cheeky note, it showed that Linda McCartney had more musical talent than Yoko Ono.

Yep.  I went there.  Not sorry.

I think this song could best be described as one that has a lot of achievements attached to it.  I briefly alluded to one of those achievements earlier in this blog, but to go over it again, this was a song that was released after a shake-up which saw some members of Wings leave to be replaced by other musicians.  Normally that much of a change would be jarring, but Paul took it in stride.

And secondly, this song is such that it actually combines several genres of music together to blend into one seamlessly flowing track.  You want a slow and serene love ballad?  This song has it.  Do you want 1970s funk that gets you on your feet?  This song has it.  Do you want a little bit of country and western twang?  Why yes, this song has that as well!

And would you believe that George Harrison gave Paul McCartney the idea for some of the song lyrics?  During one of the meetings that the Beatles had with their record company, Apple, Harrison was getting fidgety and made the remark "if we ever get out of here".  McCartney felt that sentiment would make a great opening for the album and used it.

I suppose in a way, the phrase "Band on the Run" could be interpreted a bunch of different ways.  Quite literally, the single was the first in a series of hits for Paul McCartney and Wings...a band on the run to success.  But it could also be used to describe a band of criminals on the run from the authorities, or a band of refugees running towards freedom.  It's that ambiguity that adds to the appeal of the single.

A single that hit #1 on June 8, 1974.

Tuesday, June 06, 2017

A Message to Fun-Sucking "Fanboys" and "Fangirls"



Did you know that there's a new "Wonder Woman" movie out now?  If you haven't, you're probably living under a rock, or have just crawled out of the bunker that you built in 1999 to prepare for the Y2K disaster that never actually happened.

"Wonder Woman" is on track to become one of the most successful films of the year.  It's still got some catching up to do when it comes to past blockbusters such as "Beauty and the Beast" and "Guardians of the Galaxy 2", but if the film's opening weekend is any indication, I think it could be breaking some box office records yet.

Now, when it comes to superhero movies, traditionally I don't really rush out to go see them.  It's a genre of movie that I never really got into even though I have seen almost every Batman movie ever made.  Though hearing all of the great things about "Wonder Woman", it's one film I'd consider watching. 

In fact, there are some theatres that are hosting special Wonder Woman themed screenings of the film.  One such screening was in Austin, Texas.  Now, I don't know whether it has already happened yet or not (my assumption is that it has), but this movie theatre did something rather unique in celebration of the film.



They had a "women only" screening.  This not only meant that all of the film patrons were female, but the people who worked as ushers, the concession clerks, the ticket sellers, and even the film projector operators were female. 

Now, as far as my thoughts go - it's a great idea.  It can serve as a real bonding experience for women to enjoy a movie starring a female protagonist.  It's a great learning experience for mothers to teach their daughters that they can be strong and powerful.  It's a way for women to be able to enjoy a film without getting hit on, cat called, or groped by some men who can't sit through a film without being a jerk.  Who would complain about something like that?

Well, apparently a lot of people are. 

When word got out about the all-women screening of "Wonder Woman", some people (mostly men) crawled out of the woodwork to voice how 'unfair' and 'sexist' it was to block men from seeing the movie.  They also called for the theatre to host all men screenings of the same film, and some are even boycotting the film as a result of it.

(Granted, some are also boycotting the film for other reasons involving the film's star and her stance on the country of Israel, but I won't be touching upon that subject except for the fact that I do not believe in boycotts at all - especially not for that reason.)

I just find it funny that people are complaining about this in the first place.  Especially in the wake of everything that has happened in the last month or so.

Just think about it.  In a world where concert goers are targeted by terrorists, and where people are slaughtered just because they want to have a good time, THIS is your main concern?  You're upset because you're barred from a female only screening of the "Wonder Woman" film? 

I mean, it's just for one screening.  It's not as if the theatre can outright ban all men from seeing the movie for the rest of the film's screening, and bar men from buying the movie on Blu-Ray or stop them from accessing the film on Netflix.  Seriously, think about it before you spout your words of nonsense and sexism.

But I suppose it is part and parcel of being considered a fanboy (or fangirl) troll.  You know the ones I'm talking about.  The ones who claim to be the biggest fan of a particular piece of pop culture be it Wonder Woman, or James Bond, or Doctor Who, or My Little Pony.  But instead of talking about how much they love a film, they do everything they can to not only spread how much they hate it, but also attack those who like it. 

I mean, yes, every film, television show, and album should be exposed to both positive feedback and constructive criticism.  Artists love to hear kudos and compliments about something they have released.  And I'm sure that if a complaint is worded in a way that it appears to be constructive, most would be receptive of that as well.  After all, you can't improve on anything unless you know what is working and what isn't.

But launching these whinefests about how men aren't allowed to see ONE Wonder Woman screening is just ridiculous.  It's a movie that has a great cast, a great plot from what I understand, and the special effects are brilliant just based on what I've seen in trailers.  To boycott a film because of one event is silliness. 

And to attack other people who love the film and support the idea of an all-female showing of the film - that just serves absolutely no purpose whatsoever other than to make those people making the rude comments look even more foolish than they already are.

It's just like when the new Ghostbusters remake was released last year, and you had self professed fans of the series bashing the film at every opportunity.  Yes, the original film was better, but after watching the remake, I absolutely loved the end result.  And I guarantee you that most of the people who were making the loudest complaints were self confessed "fanboys" who had a huge issue with making all of the Ghostbusters female. 

And just like "Wonder Woman", where actress Gal Gadot is getting attacked for her stance on being pro-Israeli (a stance which essentially has nothing to do with the movie), Ghostbusters star Leslie Jones was attacked with so much vitriol that she felt she had to shut down her Twitter account.  Imagine being barraged with racist and sexist tweets sent out by self-proclaimed "fanboys" because they don't like the idea of a female Ghostbuster.  It just goes to show how sometimes "fans" can be so misguided and so obnoxious that they tend to be seen as fun killers. 

I'm just going to point out the obvious.  If you aren't a fan of a movie, don't go and see it.  If you don't like a television show, don't watch it.  If you don't like a musical artist, don't download their song from iTunes.  But don't attack others because they disagree with you.  Don't cry out accusations of sexism when thou dost be sexist yourself.

And stop trying to suck the fun out of life.  Just because you might feel the need to play the role of the "grouchy neighbour" in every aspect of your life doesn't mean that us moviegoers have to put up with it or listen to it.  And perhaps maybe if you "fanboys" stopped getting offended by everything, maybe you might learn how to enjoy life and have fun again.

Friday, June 02, 2017

Jem Reviewed: Episode 63 - A Change of Heart

Previously on America's Next Top Model...oh, no...wait.  I'm doing Jem Reviewed.  Sorry.  Anyway, last time we checked in on Jem, we met fashion designer Regine Cesaire, who learned a valuable lesson about putting substance before style.



This week, we're going to be looking at Episode 63: A Change of Heart.



And this week's episode begins at an electronics expo featuring some of the hottest electronics of the year.  Of course, that year happens to be 1988, but just go with it!  Jerrica is there with Rio looking over some of the state of the art synthesizers that are present, and the salesperson notices that Jerrica is fascinated by it.  I would think that Kimber would be more of a person to talk to about that...since you know, she's played one since Jem and the Holograms made their debut!  But no, it's set up so that Rio is the one who feigns interest in it because he's Mr. Big Shot Engineer who plans all of Jem's shows.  Oh, great.  If I had known that Rio was going to be the star of this show, I'd have skipped this episode completely.



While Rio is impressed by the new synthesizer, another person is getting bored.  Across the hall, the Stingers are examining another model of the same musical instrument, and Minx is all but unimpressed.  She even kicks the machine which causes the salespeople at the display to lose their minds.  It seems as though Riot is bored as well and he leaves telling Minx and Rapture to buy whatever they want.  What, is he their sugar daddy too?  I just don't understand the relationship between the Stingers, and I probably won't ever since we only have two more episodes after this one.

Rapture points out that Rio is at another display, and at first, Minx fakes not being interested.  After all, Rio's the one guy who dumped her for Jerrica/Jem/Jaime/whatever J person she decides to be.  However, Rapture's coaxing causes Minx to find the courage to try again.  Okay, I will say this.  Even though Rapture and Minx are horrible people, I appreciate that they won't turn their backs on each other.  They're kind of like sisters in a way.



Rio is none too impressed to see Minx hanging around, and at first turns on the freeze towards her - until they find a common bond over synthesizers.  Seems that Minx is a genius with electronic equipment and brags about building her first synthesizer at the age of fourteen.  That's mighty impressive, actually!  Minx offers to help Rio when Rio talks about how he always wanted to build a synthesizer from scratch, and Minx draws him some diagrams about what chips he should use.  Huh, who knew that Minx could be so helpful?



Naturally once Jerrica comes back and sees Rio and Minx together, Rio practically shoves her to one side and tells her that he has no interest in her.  See, this is one reason why Rio's a jerk.  Then again, so is Minx sometimes.  Whatever the case, Minx tells Rapture that she's not giving up in her quest to steal Rio away from Jem, and the next step in her plan will take place at the celebrity beach party.



I'm thinking this celebrity beach party is Jem's take on the MTV Spring Break Party that aired on that network for several years.  There are a lot of celebrities there including the Stingers, Jem and the Holograms, the Limp Lizards, and...OH MY GOSH THE MISFITS ARE HERE TOO!  I never thought I'd say this, but I really missed them!



Lindsey Pearce is hosting the event, and she starts by interviewing Jem about the dangers of sun exposure.  Riveting stuff, I tell you.  It's not until Riot crashes the interview and brags about how he and Jem would make the perfect couple that it starts to get a little more entertaining.  I should note that Jem looks as if she's annoyed, but something about her also leads me to believe that if Lindsey wasn't around, she and he would share a sex on the beach.  And not necessarily the beverage either.



Instead, Jem will have to settle for some sand in the schnozz, as Pizzazz literally kicks sand in her face.  Real mature, Pizzazz.  This causes Jem and Pizzazz to get into a fight over Riot!  Oh, sweet Jesus, Riot isn't Archie Andrews and you two aren't Betty and Veronica.  Grow up the pair of you.  But Pizzazz makes it clear that she always gets what she wants and Jem had better get out of her way.



Wow...we're going all the way back to Episode 1 for this classic!  The Misfits perform "Outta My Way" one more time as the video shows Jem and Pizzazz trying to get Riot into their arms.  Interestingly, Clash appears in this video.  I guess they forgave her for the "Video Wars" incident?  Sadly this is the LAST song you'll hear from the Misfits.  I know, bummer, huh?  So, thank you Ellen Bernfeld for the brilliant vocal talents.  You really were fantastic doing Pizzazz's vocals, and the Misfits songs for the most part were better than both the Holograms AND the Stingers. 



So with Jem and Pizzazz essentially reverting back to their childhood, Minx takes the opportunity to find Rio and hit on him again.  She tempts him with promises of synthesizers, microchips, and making love underneath the Santa Monica Pier.  Rio rejects her again, and Minx throws a volleyball at him and storms off in anger.  Okay, seriously, this episode is really not a great pro-woman episode at all.  



Rapture tries to comfort Minx, but she refuses to listen to reason.  Minx decides that the best way to cool off is to go into the ocean for a swim.  But Minx doesn't notice that there is a sign that is warning of a dangerous undertow and that swimmers are not allowed in the water for that very reason!



Rapture watches in horror as Minx is taken by the current and swept out to sea.  Isn't it interesting how a couple of episodes ago, it was Rapture that almost drowned and this week it's Minx.  I'm thinking Riot should probably stay away from swimming pools and jacuzzis.



And Riot should probably stay away from Jem and Pizzazz.  Rapture tries to get his attention regarding Minx, but Riot's too busy mesmerized by the fight like a Jerry Springer audience member.  Seriously, is this the "I hate everyone" episode?



Rapture manages to find Rio and alerts him of what happened, and once Rio spots Minx struggling to stay above the water, he dives into the ocean to try and save her.  It's a bit of a struggle at first as the undertow drags Minx to the bottom of the ocean, but fortunately she isn't too far out that Rio can easily find her.  He brings her back up to the surface and carries her back to the beach at the same time that Lindsey Pearce tells Jem and Pizzazz to shut up and help. 



It's almost as if I'm watching an episode of "Baywatch" as Rio gives Minx CPR.  Luckily, Minx regains consciousness and is immediately thankful towards Rio for saving her.  In fact, she is so thankful that she tells Rio, Jem and the Holograms that she will never forget what they did and she will now promise to be good and kind to them and anybody else.  That's...nice?

And, say farewell to the Misfits until the finale.  Sigh...I wish the show had gone on so we could give them a proper sendoff.  Rumour has it that had the show continued, a fifth Misfit named Graphix was slated to be added.  That's your 
Jem Trivia for today - and one more reason why Clash should MOVE ON FROM THE MISFITS...



Back to the show.  Riot and Rapture force Minx to get some rest because clearly she's not acting like herself.  But the next morning, when Riot and Rapture are ready to start rehearsing for their upcoming concert, Minx is focused on writing the names of all of the people whom she wants to make amends with and be nice to.  Funny...I don't see any of the Misfits names on there.  You'd think that since the Stingers essentially replaced them as the antagonists of this show now, they'd be considerate.  Rapture is concerned that Minx has lost the plot, but Riot's convinced that Minx will come around eventually once she has had her fun.



For now, let's watch as Minx drops by Rio's office in what I assume is inside Starlight Music.  Minx has decided that she owes Rio for saving her the other day, to which Rio really doesn't seem to care that much.  But when Minx pulls out a diagram of the dream synthesizer the Rio has wanted to build, he seems to be impressed.  Minx offers to help him put it together just as Jerrica walks in the door.  At this point, I half expect there to be a repeat catfight between Jerrica and Minx as there was between Jem and Pizzazz because classy gals always pull each other's hair out over a man.

To Jerrica's shock, Minx offers to make amends to her as well, and she wants to give her and everyone else at Starlight House some presents to show her appreciation - which causes Jerrica to give Minx her "what the flock are you smoking" look.  Rio does seem convinced that the near-death experience has caused Minx to be absolutely sincere, and with his prodding, Jerrica agrees to give Minx a shot. 



Complete with an I WIL B GD license plate on her car, Minx has paid a visit to Jerrica and the Starlight Girls with what looks like a couple of bags of gifts for all the girls.  Minx explained that she didn't treat them very nice the first time she was a guest there - if you recall, she made Krissie cry and shoved three-fifths of the Holograms into the swimming pool.  Jerrica calls the girls over to have them accept the gifts because she's a good foster parent...SAID NOBODY EVER.  I mean, three of your girls ran away from home - and of those three, one got nearly eaten by a bear.  But hey, what do I know?



The gifts Minx brought are quite nice for a dozen girls.  There are water pistols that shoot quite a long distance, and tons of ice cream, cookies, and candy for the girls to gorge themselves on.  I can't tell whether Minx was being sincere or being evil here...but let's go with sincerity.  Minx also out of the blue offers to install a security system at Starlight Mansion for them to protect their equipment - a gesture Jerrica finds thoughtful.  Why don't you just hand Riot the keys to the front door?  That's essentially what you're doing by having Minx program it!  Jerrica must have gotten a new prescription for stupid pills.



But then again, Minx might have taken some honesty pills herself.  When she sees that Rapture and Riot are trying to take advantage of some poor woman with Rapture's "Call me now, I'm Miss Cleo" scam, Minx exposes the scam right there and then, and the woman storms away in a huff.  Rapture is seeing red and is about to kill Minx, but Minx simply states that she was trying to make they appreciate the virtue of honesty.  Yeah, Minx.  Preaching to the choir there. 



Speaking of which, Riot and Rapture have had enough of Minx's personality change, and they decide to try and get through to her in song.  The song itself - "Are You Feeling Alright?" is one of the Stingers weakest songs as far as style and lyrics go - however, the video does do a great job with illustrating the frustration that Riot and Rapture have.  Especially since this new personality shift has caused Minx to lose her edge.  At one point, Minx starts playing classical music instead of the hard rock edge the Stingers are known for!



In fact, Riot and Rapture are so sick of Minx's dependency towards Rio, Jem, and the Holograms, and they are so annoyed by Minx's lack of confidence in herself that they throw her out of the group! 



Later, Minx finds herself at Rio's office where she tells him the sob story of what just happened, and how she has nobody left to talk to.  Rio does try to act sympathetic, but unfortunately his mouth says all the wrong things, and it causes Minx to get even more depressed about herself.  She runs out of the room and straight to the elevator.

At this point, Jem approaches Rio and asks what is going on and all Rio just explains that Minx was upset and he may have made things worse and he doesn't know what she's going to do.  Well, you could look for her, you know.



The duo eventually find Minx standing on the edge of the roof of Starlight Mansion where she threatens to jump off.  WHAT?  So now we're going to showcase suicide on this show?  Seriously, what is the limits that this show will go to?  This episode is soon going to be added to my "I hate this episode" list.



Of course, it takes a little more creative talk from Rio which may include a little begging, a little pleading, and a LOT of apologizing before Minx decides to step back onto the roof.  But she grabs onto Rio and holds him tight while tearfully telling him that she has nobody left.  This makes Jem look very concerned and Rio looking as if he has just gotten arrested for drug trafficking.



Once Minx has calmed down, Jerrica and Rio discuss how Minx went completely off the deep end, and Rio is concerned that Minx has gotten too co-dependent and wants to tell her to back off.  But Jerrica also notes that Minx has been trying so hard to change and she doesn't want Minx to think that they are ungrateful.



Well, Jerrica, if you were actually at your own home once in a while, you might notice that things aren't exactly going so well there.  Thanks to Minx's generosity, half of the Starlight Girls have discovered that ink can go into the water pistols just as well as water can, and they proceed to squirt each other...and Aja with ink.  Meanwhile the other half of the girls are feeling incredibly sick after gorging on all of Baskin-Robbins thirty-one flavours.  If I ate that much ice cream, I'd be sick too.



As Aja washes her clothes, she is venting to Jerrica about how Minx has been a pest, but once again Jerrica seems hesitant to yell at her about it.  Luckily, Aja has more than enough strength to cause some stings to the ex-Stinger herself!  At least that is until Minx has announced that the burglar alarm is now in place and shows them the combinations to activate and deactivate it.  Then Aja is all like "I can't yell at her because she is being nice and junk like that".



In fact, Minx's generosity isn't over yet.  She has arranged to take Jerrica out for a shopping spree at the House of Glamour and tells Jerrica that she has paid for a complete makeover!  Oh, wow!  All of a sudden it's like Minx has transformed into Tyra Banks.  And she's all smize as the good people of Glamour work on Jerrica, including covering her face with a gigantic mud pack.  It's very nice of her to do so...



...or maybe she's just trying to get Jerrica out of the picture so she can canoodle with Rio as she works on his synthesizer.  Wow, maybe she's not so nice after all.  But Rio is getting more and more annoyed that Minx is not letting him touch HIS synthesizer.  He tries to get Minx to let him help, but Minx insists on being helpful.  I think Minx wouldn't know what helpful is if someone opened up Webster's Dictionary to the H section and whacked her over the noggin with it.



Oh, and Minx's foolproof burglar alarm?  One of the Starlight Girls...Marianne, JoEllen, Delaree...you know, the one that's not Ba Nee, Krissie, or Ashley?  They open up a window and before you know it, a piercing noise fills the house.  What's worse, the combinations that Minx gave the girls doesn't do anything to stop it.  Psst...I slowed down the scene where Minx shows them.  The code is 6717.  Next time you'll remember.  Or, Rio can just yank the system out of the wall.  He's good at destroying things.  Plants.  Faces of gang members.  Jerrica's heart.



Speaking of Jerrica, the makeover that Minx gave her is ridiculous.  Her hair literally looks like a toilet brush.  I'm surprised Kimber doesn't roll over on the floor laughing her ass off.  Jerrica has had enough of Minx's "help", as have Rio and the rest of the Holograms, and they have a meeting to discuss how they can tell Minx to knock it off...right at the moment Minx comes downstairs to surprise Rio with his new synthesizer.  Oops.  



Well, knowing first hand how fragile Minx is, Jerrica tries to tell Minx that she is driving them all insane...with lyrics from a Jem and the Holograms song called "Too Much".  Well, at least they had that song title ten years before the Spice Girls did.  The song itself is a nice ballad that seems to have a hard edge...and once the song is finished, get a look at Minx's face and how that sweet smile turns to an angry scowl!



Minx runs back upstairs with the synthesizer and climbs out onto the roof where Jerrica and Rio are like...not again.  But instead of threatening to jump, she yells at them and throws the synthesizer down onto the ground, breaking it into a million pieces.  And right there we see the old Minx back.



To confirm it, she smashes the water guns, she melts all the ice cream, she squirts ink on everyone's clothes and pees at the front door.  Well, okay, three of those things really happen.  Whatever the case, Minx is no longer going to be good.  And frankly I'm kind of relieved.  Sweet and peppy Minx kind of creeped me out.  A lot.



So, Rio's synthesizer is no more.  But Rio doesn't mind.  He's decided to take the tips that Minx gave him and is doing it himself.  He tells Jerrica that it may take him longer than Minx, but he's having fun learning.  I haven't the heart to tell him that by the time he finishes it, the technology will be obsolete, but bless his heart for trying!  Jerrica meanwhile laments that she was starting to like Minx and she hopes that she learned something from this.

Uh...W---WHAT?!?!  You lying COW!  Jerrica, you NEVER liked Minx.  You were suspicious of her from day one!  Even when she was trying to be nice, you were always trying to reject her or question her motives.  I mean, yeah, Minx was never going to be Shirley Temple, but still, your giving her the benefit of the doubt was all phony and high and mighty.  Sheesh, you're no better than Rio!  Just...go.  Go away.  And take your plant kicking, purple haired man child with you! 

Okay.  I feel better now.  I had my Snickers.  I can continue with the conclusion.



Which is that the Stingers have welcomed Minx back and they are playing their concert, and the lights go out.  Amusingly, when Rapture and Riot announce that Minx can help fix it, Minx ignores them, saying that the word help is no longer in her vocabulary.  Rapture and Riot give each other the look as Minx continues to file her nails.  Oh, that Minx!



Okay, so not my favourite episode...but I do like that Rapture and now Minx have had standalone episodes.  Next week, it's Riot's turn.  Should I be afraid?

Thursday, June 01, 2017

June 1, 1980

Welcome to the first day of June...as well as the first Throwback Thursday post of June 2017.  And for today's topic, I will be looking at something within the realm of television - particularly cable television.  Now, I know that with Android boxes and Apple TV receivers, and Netflix that cable television is dying out somewhat - but back in the time period we'll be going back to, it was seen as an important innovation behind how we receive our news.

Before that though, let's see what else took place on June 1 throughout history!

1495 - John Cor, a monk, records the first batch of Scotch whisky

1533 - Anne Boleyn is crowned Queen of England

1779 - Benedict Arnold is court-martialed for malfeasance

1792 - Kentucky becomes the fifteenth state to join the United States

1796 - Tennessee becomes the sixteenth state to join the United States

1812 - U.S. President James Madison asks congress to declare war on the United Kingdom, thus setting the stage for the War of 1812

1813 - James Lawrence is mortally wounded aboard the USS Chesapeake and gives the final order - "Don't give up the ship!"

1831 - James Clark Ross becomes the first European to reach the North Magnetic Pole

1915 - Actor John Randolph (d. 2004) is born in New York, New York

1916 - Louis Brandeis becomes the first Jewish person to be appointed to the United States Supreme Court

1926 - Actor/producer Andy Griffith (d. 2012) is born in Mount Airy, North Carolina

1927 - Axe murderer Lizzie Borden dies of pneumonia at the age of 66

1930 - Actor Edward Woodward (d. 2009) is born in Croydon, Surrey, England

1939 - Actor Cleavon Little (d. 1992) is born in Chickasha, Oklahoma

1943 - British actor Leslie Howard is killed when the plane that he is on is shot down by German Junkers Ju 88s

1948 - Actor Powers Boothe (d. 2017) is born in Snyder, Texas

1958 - Charles de Gaulle comes out of retirement to lead France by decree for half a year

1962 - Adolf Eichmann is hanged in Israel

1974 - The Heimlich Maneuver procedure is first published in the journal "Emergency Medicine"

1988 - The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty comes into effect

1991 - Temptations singer David Ruffin dies at the age of 50

2001 - A deadly day in history; on the same day that the crown prince of Nepal shoots several members of his family to death, a suicide bomber kills 21 people at a Tel Aviv discotheque - also in 2001, Dennis the Menace creator Hank Ketchum dies at the age of 81

2009 - General Motors files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy

2011 - Springfield, Massachusetts is struck by an EF3 tornado, killing four

2014 - Actress Ann B. Davis passes away at the age of 88

And for celebrity birthdays, the following become one more year older - Joan Copeland, Pat Boone, Peter Masterson, Morgan Freeman, Linda Scott, Brian Cox, Jonathan Pryce, Ronnie Wood, Charlene, Wayne Nelson, Tom Robinson, Ronnie Dunn, Lisa Hartman Black, Robin Mattson, Simon Gallup, Mark Curry, John Huston, Mike Joyce, David Westhead, Jason Donovan, Teri Polo, Adam Garcia, Heidi Klum, Alanis Morissette, Amy Schumer, and Tom Holland

So, what date will we be going back in time to today?



How about June 1, 1980?  It is a date that I was not around for, but I'll do my best.

Now when it comes down to what television was like in 1980, it was beginning to change in a big way.  No longer was television limited to just the three big networks (ABC, CBS, NBC).  Since 1970, specialty cable channels were making their mark on the cable landscape, and by 1980, more and more households were subscribing to cable television to open up their world with more choices than ever before. 



Certainly, no man decided to take on the television industry quite like media mogul Ted Turner.  Over the years, he's been the head figure behind the creation of some of the most watched networks on cable television.  These include the first so-called "superstation" known as TBS, TNT, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, TruTV, and Boomerang, among others.  Although my family didn't become cable television subscribers until the late 1980s, once we were hooked up, I can remember watching at least half of these channels.  Particularly TBS on those free preview weekends in which they were unscrambled.  Those were fun weekends.

Now, when it comes to cable channels, they also shaped the way that many of us got our news.  And depending on how far you leaned on the political spectrum, there were news channels available for everybody from MSNBC to FOX News.  Or, FAUX news, as I call it.

And yeah.  I went there.

On June 1, 1980, Ted Turner decided that he would start up his own news channel.  One that simply didn't broadcast the news of the world at eleven o'clock each night.  It would be a network that would have twenty-four hour coverage of the news, seven days a week.



It would be a cable channel that Ted Turner would dub the Cable News Network.  Or, CNN, if you want the abbreviated version.

When CNN made its debut, it made history as the first twenty-four hour news channel to broadcast on the air, as well as the first station in the United States to provide all news, all the time.

In the United States and Canada, CNN is one of the highest rated news outlets - in 2015, it is estimated that almost 100 million viewers have accessed the network through television, computer, mobile phone, and tablet.

The network made its debut at 5:00pm on June 1, 1980 with a brief introduction by Ted Turner himself before the channel was turned over to the first reporting duo - married news broadcasters Lois Hart and David Walker.  Over the next year, then executive vice president of the network Burt Reinhardt hired the first two hundred employees of the channel himself, and by January 1982, a second network, CNN2 was launched.

(CNN2 would later become HLN - or the "Forensic Files" channel.  Whichever you want to refer it to as.)

And in the thirty-six years since CNN debuted, they have been there covering everything from earthquakes to forest fires.  From elections to coup d'etats. 

They were there in 1986 when the Challenger Space Shuttle exploded.  After all of the network news outlets suspended coverage right after the explosion, CNN kept reporting on what had happened minute by minute. 

In 1987, when baby Jessica fell down the well, CNN was there to report on the incident minute by minute until the child was finally rescued.



Of course, everyone remembers watching the infamous White Bronco chase on June 17, 1994 in which CNN followed O.J. Simpson's getaway car from nearly the beginning until the end.  I know it's etched on my mind all these years later.



CNN was also the first network to bring us coverage of the 9/11 attacks, reporting on the incident just a couple of minutes after the first plane struck the World Trade Center.

And of course, CNN was the go-to network for election coverage which saw Donald Trump get elected as President of the United States - as well as earning the ire of Trump and his supporters for what Trump labeled as "fake news". 

And yet in spite of that CNN remains the victor in the cable channel news wars.  Go figure.