A TROPHY??? FOR WHAT???

   

 Oh dear.  I guess I read that wrong...it's not 'a trophy' but rather 'atrophy.'  The Oxford Dictionary defines this word as 'a general decline in effectiveness due to underuse or neglect.'   I have been neglecting the general maintenance and management of this blog for quite some time now.  I'm not aging quite as gracefully as I had originally hoped and because of this I've had to literally pick and choose what activities I continue and those I abandon.      

    I am very pleased with the things I have been able to with this format.  It has been quite literally a dumping ground for my ideas regarding the absurdity of life in general.  I'm usually an introverted person but also someone who has the urge to create in one arena or another.  I've been privileged enough to have had the opportunity to write for a local newspaper, lead a film appreciation group, and play musical instruments.

    I am not someone who enjoys the spotlight.  In life, there are participants and observers.  I fall mainly into the latter category with a very few exceptions here and there.  My interests and passions are certainly not what one would call ordinary.  I've never been accused of being easy to analyze.  My former therapists, who once had full heads of hair, will vouch for me on this one.  Some people see the glass as half full.  Some people see the glass of half full.  I'm the type of person that says, "whatever that object is; I'm not going near it."

    At the end of the day, I realize that my interests and passions are not something I will ever be able to parlay into profitable employment which means that I will have to find the time to enjoy these things during the time that I'm not involved with my traditional vocation.  However, balancing these two activities is have become too difficult for me so I have reluctantly decided to reduce the amount of time to what I like to call 'the sweet science of horseplay.'

    This blog will be updated less frequently.  There are simply more pressing matters to attend to at this point in my life.  It is possible that my 'passion' will come back either at this address or in another shape or form but, for now, I hope the few people who actually read this dispatch from deep in the heart of nowhere will allow me a few gazillion minutes to pause....

MY TWO SHITS WORTH: EPISODE TWELVE

    

                Yes, it has been four years since my last MTSW episode, but I feel inspired about something I viewed last evening.  I'm going generalize everything because I don't want to give the impression that I'm actually promoting this film because I am not.                               The film can be found on a streaming service that rhymes with goo goo.  It's made by a former child actress who found it very difficult in transitioning into a mature adult.  Unlike many of us, this actress had her own video camera growing up and documented quite a bit of her time going from a child star to an adult who felt that show business left her behind.  A child actor who doesn't make it as adult actor is not uncommon.  Many of her friends were also child stars and they all went through a rebellious streak during their teenage years.  Teens acting rebellious is not uncommon.  She was very confused about sex during the time.  Teenagers being confused about sex is not uncommon.  She also had a very frightening first sexual encounter which she seems to be leaving the incident to us to decide if the encounter was actually rape.  It sure sounds like it to me and if you know the male actor in question, I do not think you will be surprised whatsoever.  She had a crush on this actor in her pre-teens so when she started dating him, this started out like a dream come true.  It soon turned into something much more complicated by the fact that after some time apart following this harrowing experience, she started hanging out with him again for a time.  I would like to think that this behavior would be uncommon but similar stories I've heard tell me otherwise.                                                                                                                         She also lost a few friends to suicide over the years.  Again, I wish this was uncommon but, again, similar stories make it not so rare.  At the end of the film, there is a Suicide Prevention Hotline phone number that appears on the screen.  I would normally joke around here and say 'hey, the film wasn't THAT bad!'  However, I do believe she is being sincere about this subject, so I do commend her for being open about it.                                               But at the end of the film, I was left wondering many things.  The experiences she went through are not very different from the experiences we all go through except most of us haven't been in show business, so I'm left wondering if part of the film's message is 'Child stars:  They're just like us!'  I'm also wondering if her trip down nostalgia lane was actually worth it.  It sounds like some repressed emotions came up to the surface but for people who don't have a video camera documenting their entire young lives, a therapist can probably connect the same dots and ask many of the same questions she asks throughout the film.  I applaud this woman for baring her soul very all to see but, just the same I'm left wondering, at what cost?

ALBUM REISSUES NOT YET REALIZED

    

    When I think of albums I would like to see reissued, I think of a few different things.  I think of the possibility of a reissue opening the door to people who never have heard the album before, I also think of the possibility of the original album perhaps not being heard properly when originally released and I also think of the possibility of unreleased material from those recording sessions being unveiled for the first time.                                                                                                                                                             I've come forward with a list of three very different albums but ones which I happen to love and would like to see reissued someday in one form or another.  It just so happens that all three albums originally made their debut in 1992 so a 30th anniversary edition of these classics would make sense but seems highly unlikely at this point. But on to the list anyway!                                                                                                

 1. "Out of the Cradle"-Lindsey Buckingham:  This was the first one of the three that I heard and actually bought it the week it came out.  I was never really a big fan of latter-day Fleetwood Mac (post 1975 and onwards) but always enjoyed what Lindsey Buckingham brought to the table as songwriter and guitarist and this still is my favorite of his solo efforts.  One of my local radio stations played the tune 'Wrong' quite a bit and, to me, the song rocked just as hard as any alternative hit of the era.  Luckily, the entire album was as catchy as that single and I would like to hear a remastered version of the album and also find out if there are any unreleased tracks from the sessions hiding in the vault somewhere.                     

2. "Images and Words"-Dream Theater:  The moment I heard this record playing at a local record shop, I just had to know what it was.  It sounded not quite like prog, not quite like metal and not quite like alternative either.  I still don't know what it to call it and I know it has since been coined 'progressive metal' but I'm not quite on board with that term either.  I do know that band was never fond of the original production with all of its 1980s sounding reverb.  Pearl Jam had an issue with their 1991 debut "Ten" and remedied that with a remixed version that sounded much rawer and to their liking in 2011.  These guys took two songs from this album and did the same thing and placed them on a best-of compilation some years ago, but I'd like them to take the Pearl Jam route and release the entire album remixed like this.              

 3. "Smeared"-Sloan:  This clever Canadian foursome later found some power pop fame in their native Canada but never quite made it here in the States but not for lack of trying.  In fact, this debut album would sound a lot like the rest of their catalogue if they hadn't 'smeared' the production with so much feedback and overdriven guitars. Never mind, they couldn't hide their power pop love even if they tried although it would be nice to some of these songs in demo form just to hear how bizarre and wigged out they originally were.

MY REVIEW: THE ONE AND ONLY (1978)

 

     Henry Winkler is an American acting icon.  He became one of my childhood heroes simply by playing Arthur "Fonz" Fonzarelli on the long running sitcom "Happy Days."  He also has literally had every other major job in show business.  He has produced many hours of TV including the original 1980s series "MacGyver."  He has directed two major motion pictures with stars like Burt Reynolds and Billy Crystal.  He has been involved in several award-winning children's series and has written several award-winning children's books.  Before his current renaissance and Emmy win for HBO's "Barry", he even starred in a very controversial 1991 made-for-TV movie based on a true story of a husband's decision to have his wife undergo an abortion to aid her recovery after a head trauma incident had left her comatose.  Whoops...it just got a little heavy in here.  Anyway, he also starred in a handful of big screen films during his time as the Fonz.  1978s "The One and Only" is one of them.                                                                                                        The film, directed by comedy legend Carl Reiner and written by Steve Gordon, contains a very ripe scenario, what would happen if an actor in the earl 1950s who couldn't get any decent parts in the somewhat shady world of film and theater decided to cross over into the somewhat shadier world of professional wrestling?  This premise seems like jokes would be falling left and right out of its backside, and some do but two things have a habit of getting in the way of the movie turning into a laugh riot: the main two characters and the director's habit of layering on the schmaltz.  Winkler and his love interest, played by Kim Darby, just don't always fit into the pacing of the movie and tend to slow it down in many places.  Winkler's character is highly unlikable and annoying as hell, although he still manages to win me over with his Jeckyl and Hyde performance.  As for Darby, she seems like she is in a different movie altogether until about 15 minutes before the end.  Gene Saks is an understated gem as the world-weary wrestling promoter who keeps wondering why his gay son couldn't give the sport a try and Harold Gould has a small buy funny role as Winkler's exasperated college drama teacher who wishes his bravest student could just stick to the damn script. It's worth a watch but not much more.             My rating: C

A PIRATE OF PRE-RECORDED MUSIC LOOKS AT 50

     They said it couldn't happen.  Hell, they said it shouldn't happen.  Nevertheless, the writer of this blog has turned the big five-o.  Are you gonna book'em Danno?  If you don't get that reference, you are most definitely younger than I.  The more I travel down this chronological path, the more things I have learned not to do along the way, but I still am I having trouble finding my destination.  My map is useless and don't even get me started on GPS.  I just might need a tour guide to get there......wherever 'there' is located.                                                                                                                                                                    "What do you want to be when you grow up?"  I heard this question asked of me many, many times.  I do not have an answer so does that mean I still haven't 'grown up' or 'matured'?  Time will tell......or it won't.  I have a few areas in life where I think I'd be very useful but either these career opportunities are becoming very rare, or I simply do not happen to reside in the best location to take advantage of the 'jobs' when they present themselves.                                                                                                                              I've been fortunate enough to have experienced what I like to refer as 'fragments of delight' or small moments in time where I've been able to feel like I have made a difference in someone else's life or even my own.  But those moments have been few and far between.  Is that enough to justify one's own journey?  I know some people who rephrase that question into "Am I enough?" and, of course, those people are waiting to hear someone say "Yes, you are enough."  When I hear it phrased like that, I feel like saying "Enough Already!"                                                                                                                                    I use humor to cope with life's complexities and faith to try to make sense of the senseless.  I pray, but almost always for others and almost never for myself.  But when I do pray for myself, it's for grace and gratitude and not for personal gain or favor.  It's a very simple prayer that starts with the words: "Bless this mess."                                                                                                                  

MY QUICK TAKE

      This is my 'quick take' on the Will Smith and Chris Rock event at the Oscars a few weeks ago.  I find it very interesting that in America, where the event took place, the violent act was shown over and over again but the so-called bad language was bleeped out while the words were aired uncensored in most other countries.  How is that for priorities...or freedom?

HORTICULTURAL APPROPRIATION

     

        The history of Alternative Medicine has many twists and turns as what we now call Traditional Medicine.  I wouldn't exactly call Penicillin a 'traditional' medication, but I would definitely use that term when describing how it was originally used to treat our servicemen back in the early days of its availability.  Different types of treatments have seen their popularity wax and wane, others have exploded in popularity (Opioids), while still others have disappeared entirely (using Lysol as a form of Birth Control).                         My state has recently legalized recreational marijuana and I learned that the state earned over $12 million in taxes from its sale.  Talk about an all-time high.  The 'dispensaries' are scattered all over the edges of my city as not to embarrass model citizens who are just trying to get drunk in peace throughout the city limits.                                                              Let's do some comparison 'shopping' when it comes to some pain relievers.  First, there are opioids; specifically, oxycontin.  This drug was developed by the fine folks at Purdue Pharma.  Purdue knew that these little beauties were game changers, and they had enough clout to get the FDA to put this drug on the market even though a very similar drug called oxycodone was withdrawn less than a decade earlier.  Was this done to help people who were struggling with pain issues?  It depends on who you ask but Purdue did this because they knew the drug was more powerful than even oxycodone and 1.  They could make a 'kill'...er, a healthy...er, a strong profit which would put smiles on the faces (my second example would do this much easier) of shareholders and fatten their wallets and 2.  They could market this medication as an effective pain reliver as they knew it was very addictive and repeat business is the whole point of the game.  Since doctors have pulled back from prescribing these drugs, users have had to turn to other forms of relief such as cocaine or heroin.                                                                                        Secondly, there is marijuana. Since this is a harvested crop like corn or wheat and not a compounded drug invented in a lab, capitalist society has long been very wary of its positive effects and extremely worried what it could do for reputable businessmen's bottom lines. This sort of natural remedy can help people with pain issues due to cancer treatments and other maladies when used in measured doses.  Historically, it's been treated poorly by the motion picture industry.  The people who used it became crazed maniacs ("Reefer Madness") or totally irresponsible stoners (Cheech and Chong in any film they ever made).  It's been called a gateway drug by people who are convinced that people who use it will automatically 'graduate' on to 'harder' stuff like cocaine, heroin or Netflix.  These are many of the same people who will get drunk and make fools of themselves at weddings of your friends or relatives.                                      Of course, the key to one's usage of any 'stimulant' is moderation which can be a little bit difficult and thus many people avoid this key entirely because its uncool to 'check yourself before you wreck yourself'.  I'm not a doctor and I've never even played one on TV, but I do know that the phrase 'I can stop anytime I want' is never good sign.  Should you avoid these chemicals entirely?  If you are someone who can summon the power of whatever can lead you directly to your happy place without a pitstop to your local 'pick me up hut', then I would recommend you do just that.  Maybe you're one of the chosen people who are high on life.  That's not such a bad place to be, is it?

MY REVIEW: BOGGLE(1987) PILOT

     

            I'll start off by saying that this version of Boggle is not related to the 1994 Family Channel version hosted by Wink Martindale which utilized an interactive phone game during certain parts of that show which, in my opinion, immediately makes it feel dated.  The Winker did a great job of hosting, but that version of the show was more like the 1980s TV version of Chuck Woolery's Scrabble which was virtually nothing like the board game it was based upon.  It's a bit confusing, but that's showbiz, folks!     The version I'm reviewing is the 1987 pilot hosted by Bill Rafferty, who got his big break doing goofy interviews for NBC's Real People in the early 1980s.  After hosting the syndicated game "Every Second Counts" from 1984 to 1985 (which ran in the UK for 7 years), the syndicated version of "Card Sharks" from 1986 to 1987 (he was offered the daytime version which then went to Bob Eubanks, but passed) and then the short 1987 daytime revival of "Blockbusters" (which ran off and on for nearly 15 years in the UK) and then he flew to Netherlands to film this pilot where a current version of the game was a big hit over there and he even got to use their set which was pretty decent.                                            The show used the regular 4 by 4 (16 random letter) board and two pairs of contestants would have to the first couple to come up with a large word scrambled among the 16 letters. In the second round, called Pressure Boggle, the couples would have to come up with as many words (against the clock) as they could (for $10 a letter) as long as the letters were somehow linked together.  After two rounds, the winning couple would advance to the bonus round.  This is where things changed a bit.  Now the couple was given a chance to play through 3 boards (the first for $5,000, the second for $12,000 and the third for the big prize of $25,000) and after two letters would be revealed the players would have to pick numbers corresponding to the letters on the board hopefully finding enough letters.  Apparently, there would be three 'bombs' hidden and if a players chose a number with a bomb behind it, they would have to roll a die with the letters BOGGLE on each side and hopefully not spell out that entire word before winning the grand prize.  They could also stop at any time if things got a little too risky and come back the next day and try again as this would not be a self-contained type of a show.  Rafferty was an energetic and unique host with his pronounced Queens, New York accent and a little wit to boot but the show failed to sell (It was a Ralph Andrews Production, and he was always last among the big players in the game show market).  However, the Netherlands version ran until 1996 so who knows what could have been if it had brought to series as that same year of 1987 another Andrews Production based on calling letters called "Lingo", taped in Canada on the cheap, and hosted for a time by President Reagan's adopted son Michael, spent a single season in syndication.  However, game show wizard Bob Boden brought it back to life on GSN in 2002 when he became Programming Chief and tapped Chuck Woolery (ah, the sweet circle of life) to host, and that version lasted six seasons.  I would welcome a revival of this version of Boggle if it were done correctly and had a host who did try to turn the show into a chucklefest (see: Harvey, Steve) but that's illegal now or something, ain't it?