Raised in the 80s

More Lego Fun

2009-08-24T10:26:00.001-02:30

Because those of us who watched Star Wars as kids now have kids of our own...

2009-08-16T15:29:00.002-02:30

The Dark Side of the Vachon Cake - The Passion Flakie

2009-07-08T08:40:00.000-02:30

I don't want to give you the impression that Vachon cakes were all good news.

I have no idea how widespread this was, or if it was only ever something that happened in Newfoundland Junior High Schools. However, when I was growing up, it was a very foolish thing to show up in school if people knew it was your birthday that day. The ever-present threat was that someone was going to 'Flakie' you -- in other words, smoosh the [questionably] popular Flakie cake into your face. If they were at all cruel, they'd separate the cake into two halves, so they could surprise you with creamy flaky goodness, and then get you with the second half once you'd recovered and wiped the gunk from your eyes.

There was very little point in trying to resist this rite of passage. If someone had gotten it into their head to Flakie you, you were going to get Flakied. If you tried to run, someone would catch you and hold your arms behind your back while justice was served. At least in our school, the teachers had realized that there was no way to stop birthday Flakie-ings from happening. The most that they could enforce was a limit of one Flakie per birthday.

And honestly, that stuff was awful! In theory, the flaky pastry was tolerable, but I spent a lot of time trying to figure out what was inside it. Some kind of creme filling, which I guess was the same stuff as in the rest of the Vachon cakes, but to me it always tasted chemically and artificial. There was white stuff in there, and there was pink stuff in there. Subsequent research tells me that the pink was apple/raspberry flavoured, but you could have fooled me. Being hit with a Flakie was not only embarrassing, it was disgusting. I think that I only ever knew three people who actually ate the things, without doing so ironically. (And that's just a guess -- I couldn't tell you who those three people were, but there couldn't have been more than that...)

And then in 2000, a protester hit the Canadian Prime Minister in the face with a pie. I guess he'd been Flakied once too often as a kid. Do you see why we should have cracked down on this sooner?

The Glory of the Vachon Cake Part 2 - The Half Moon

2009-07-06T08:39:00.000-02:30

There are a couple of things to point out about the Half Moon.

The Vachon website says that it's intended for those who "crave the delicious taste of moist vanilla cake and creamy filling without the chocolate coating." In other words, for those who like the idea of a May West, but want to pretend they're eating something that won't go straight to their hips.

Vachon makes two kinds of Half Moons: the vanilla kind (like the aforementioned May West without chocolate) and the chocolate kind (like an uncoated Jos. Louis). Let the record show that the only one worth getting in your lunchbox is the white kind. Any further discussion of the issue serves no purpose whatsoever.

The other thing to point out is this. This is where the advantage of growing up in Canada lies. Because all our foods are labelled in both official languages, English and French, there is a certain amount of of French that every English-speaking Canadian child has learned from labels. "Candy", "Cookies", "Peanut Butter", "Bonus", and from cereal boxes "Free Prize Inside".

There is a downside to that, however. A friend of my brother's, after many trips to get candy at a local store called "Parkdale Pharmacy", decided that "Pharmacy" must be French for "Parkdale". And of course, the popular misconception that works the other way. Constantly seeing boxes advertising "1/2 Lune Moons," generations of Canadians grew up referring to the tasty treats by a hybrid French/English name: Lune Moons. O Canada.

Scary Train Rides Again

2009-06-26T09:06:00.004-02:30

Every so often, the Scary Train comes out at our house. If you didn't see the original post, let me show you what the commercials promised this thing would sound like:

And here's what ours sounds like:

Just to see the reaction, we took out Scary Train this morning and tried it out. My daughter was not as impressed as the kids in the video. The last time, when I recorded the Scary Train video clips, she was content to sit and play in the other room. Her reaction this time? 'No! No! No! Don't like it!'

Looks like it's going back on the shelf for a while...

The Glory of the Vachon Cake Part 1 - The Jos Louis

2009-06-04T14:33:00.000-02:30

Back in the day, school lunches were pretty simple. In those days, no one was allergic to anything. Or, if they were, their parents told them not to trade their lunches for something they were allergic to. As far as I ever knew, no foods were banned from the school because of someone else's allergies. So most school lunches consisted of peanut butter sandwiches. There may have been other sandwich fillings on the go, but for at least the first nine years of school, I had a peanut butter sandwich for lunch for at least four out of five days. You could count on it. Most other people had the exact same sandwich. Only difference might be whether they had crusts and/or jam with theirs.

The variety came with the lunch additions. You looked to compare juice boxes. If you were lucky, you got a fancy-pants milkshake drink box. If you were really lucky, you got one of those candy bar milkshakes in a little plastic bottle. (Yogurt drinks are something for another discussion). You also had some kind of a recess snack. Various fruit snacks, fruit roll-ups and the like, or granola bars, which may or may not have ben covered in chocolate.

The real glory, though, was what you got for dessert. And the Vachon Cakes were among the best of the best. As a note for Americans and other aliens: Vachon Cakes are more or less equivalent to Twinkies or Ding Dongs or whatever those other disgusting-but-oh-so-tasty treats are. You know what I'm talking about: individually wrapped cakes with a lot of sugar and sticky sweet cream. Or perhaps it was creme.

The jewel of the Vachon crown was the Jos. Louis. At one point in university, a friend commented on how he hadn't had a Jos. Louis in years, and just the memory of it compelled me to go out and buy a box of them right then and there. Jos. Louis was two round chocoalte cakes, with creamy sweet white filling sandwiched between. Then the whole business was coated in chocolate. Very good eats.

The approved way to eat your Jos. Louis was thus: carefully work at splitting the two cake layers apart, as if you were splitting an Oreo. This took plenty more skill and patience, because unlike a hard cookie, the cake was likely to split and tear, leaving half the upper cake still stuck to your cream. In an ideal world, the two would come neatly apart, and you got to lick the cream off the bottom. If you had any sense, you'd eat the top half next. There's more chocolate on the bottom, and for some reason it tasted different. Eating the top half was a bit of an anti-climax after the bottom. I'm really not sure why.

From time to time, my parents would branch out and get us the other, very similar Vachon Cake: the May West. So far as I can tell, and as far as Wikipedia and the Vachon homepage can tell me, they were exactly the same, except that a May West has white cake instead of the chocolate cake of a Jos. Louis. I'm not sure, though. I think there was a different flavour to the filling, but I'd be hard put to tell you exactly how it tasted different. Does anyone else remember them?

And here's one last thing that I've noticed about the Jos. Louis. When I was nearing the end of my school days, they came out with a thing called the '1/2 Jos. Louis', which was half the size, but still covered in chocolate (not to be confused with the 1/2 (or Lune) Moon. Interestingly enough, today you can buy a box of six Jos. Louis for $3.39, or a box of 10 1/2 Jos. Louis for exactly the same $3.39! So you get much more snack for your buck buying the real thing, but if you go the 1/2 size, you get more of them, and you get to be a cheapskate while packing your kid's lunch. Why not make him share his juice box with his little brother while you're at it?!

The Onion: Michael Bay set to ruin 'Thundercats'

2009-04-17T14:02:00.002-02:30

I'm a fan of The Onion, even though a lot of the time, the headlines are better than the full stories. This morning, though, I enjoyed two particularly funny stories. One was about the suppressed homoerotic urges of an NRA Annual Meeting. The other one tied in with an ongoing rant of mine that occasionally surfaces on Raised in the 80s.

Michael Bay Signs $50M Deal to F**k Up 'ThunderCats'

"I couldn't be more excited to completely f**k this up," said Bay, who plans to begin production on destroying the live-action adaptation next month. "ThunderCats has a great story, endearing characters, action, adventure, space-travel, and fantasy. It will be an honor to run it into the ground."

Hollywood insiders agreed that Bay—who has reportedly been closely involved in each of the 45 progressively worse rewrites of the script—was a natural choice to take a steaming dump on the popular ThunderCats property.
"Michael Bay has this innate sense of how to ruin a great story," Variety reporter Todd Brick said. "His ability to create astonishing plot holes, pepper dialogue with groan-inducing clichés, and abandon storylines halfway through is unparalleled. He was born to destroy this movie."

I just can't see why people can't leave the 80s alone! In fairness, this is satire, although there are plans to release a CGI feature-length version of ThunderCats next year. But maybe that's it--the best satire is what hits closest to home. Every time I hear that they're going to remake something out of my childhood, this is the kind of visceral reaction of pure dread that I have. It didn't even need to be a good show or movie: what mattered is that it was mine!

Next up: The Jonas Brothers set to star in '3n Wolf' (pronounced Threen Wolf') the third instalment in a decent premise increasingly ruined in the 80s, now slated to be completely wrecked in the 21st-century remake.

Muppets on Beta!

2009-04-01T07:23:00.000-02:30

My parents were clearing out their basement, and finally decided to get rid of their old Betamax player. Do you remember Beta? Although it lost the market to VHS, it was actually a technically superior machine, with better recording and playback. If I remember correctly, the biggest trouble was that the faster tape speed meant that you couldn't record nearly as much on a single cassette tape. So even if it was better quality, people weren't as excited about it.
But not only did my parents' antiquated Beta VCR still work (after cleaning and drying out) but there were a few tapes still kicking around, including this one, with some favourite moments from the Muppet Show. Enjoy.

You probably remember all those clips, but here's something serious. Were you one of those folks whose parents got onto the wrong bandwagon when the time came to buy a VCR? Actually, to tell the truth, I'm not really sure which VCR was the wrong choice. Yes, in the course of time, VHS really did crush the Beta opposition, but who's buying VHS now? Way back in the day, Betamaxes actually had better video and audio quality. They just got beat out commercially by a better-marketed product that was all right, but technically inferior. Kind of like the way that HD-DVD was buried by Blu-Ray. Only thing is, with a bit of digging around, you might still find an HD-DVD player, while your Beta tapes are just going to moulder away in the basement. Or are they? This would have been a great way to recover those lost 80s TV shows that you taped, if only HD-DVD had survived...

Sorry to follow up on the Betamax line of thought even further. In a particularly candid moment, US president Barack Obama drew parallels between current economic woes and the 1980s mentality that led to the VHS ascendancy. Obama pointed out that 'sometimes, the answer isn't always "Bigger is better" [referring to the larger VHS tape format]. The only way to be sure is to weigh all the alternatives.'

Happy St. Patrick's Day

2009-03-17T11:09:00.000-02:30

Long Sought-after Sesame Street clips

2009-02-28T22:46:00.001-03:30

These were two of my favourite Sesame Street bits when I was a kid. It's not necessarily because they were the best, or the funniest, but because I only ever got to see them two or three times when I was little. In fact, I'm sure that part of the reason I watched Sesame Street as long as I did was because of the hope of seeing these again. Of course, now with YouTube, you can see just about anything you'd ever want to see from your childhood, but in case you haven't thought to look these up yet, here they are! Do you remember them? Does this make you as excited as it does me?

Extended Pinball Routine

The pinball routine was one of my favourite bits of Sesame Street. It's got a great little song, and when I was really little, I had no idea what pinball was, only just that there were some pretty funny bits on Sesame Street with a shiny ball. And while the pinball segments were great, I always kept watching for this one. Normally, the first three bits were always the same, and there was one distinct segment for the number of the day, with a zoo theme, or American landmarks, or whatever. But sometimes you'd get the extended play, when it would just keep going. Rather than rolling off into the distance as the blimp sailed by at the bottom of the screen, the pinball would drop into another distinctive segment. This was nothing short of awesome! I know that as a kid, I remembered that the witch's cave featured in this one, but I couldn't quite figure why the action didn't continue every time the ball went into the witches cave.

Jazzy Spies #8

The first time I saw this, I was blown away! Ernie and Bert had been watching the same thing I was! Years later, I never remembered that it was the I 8 the sandbox routine that followed up on this, so every time the 'Jazzy Spies' came on, I'd sit up excitedly, hoping to catch Bert and Ernie watching at the end. Technically, the name for these segments are 'Jazz 8' (or 9 or 10 or whatever) but they're popularly known as 'Jazzy Spies' because of the secret-agent guys at the end. And yes, that is Jefferson Airplane's Grace Slick singing!

The Envelope Please... (Best Film)

2009-02-21T06:49:00.001-03:30

And here are your winners!

1980 Winner: Ordinary People
1981 Winner: Chariots of Fire
1982 Winner: Gandhi
1983 Winner: Terms of Endearment
1984 Winner: Amadeus
1985 Winner: Out of Africa
1986 Winner: Platoon
1987 Winner: The Last Emperor
1988 Winner: Rain Man
1989 Winner: Driving Miss Daisy

And for a special Oscar Week treat, a montage of all your 80s Best Pictures:

Final Oscar Week Roundup: Best Picture

2009-02-20T09:13:00.001-03:30

What do you know about these films? What do you remember? The following films were nominated for Best Supporting Actress in the 1980s. Can you remember who actually won?
Check back first thing tomorrow morning for the winners.

1980 Nominees:

Coal Miner's Daughter
The Elephant Man
Ordinary People
Raging Bull
Tess

1981 Nominees:

Atlantic City
Chariots of Fire
On Golden Pond
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Reds

1982 Nominees:

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
Gandhi
Missing
Tootsie
The Verdict

1983 Nominees:

The Big Chill
The Dresser
The Right Stuff
Tender Mercies
Terms of Endearment

1984 Nominees:

Amadeus
The Killing Fields
A Passage to India
Places in the Heart
A Soldier's Story

1985 Nominees:

The Color Purple
Kiss of the Spider Woman
Out of Africa
Prizzi's Honor
Witness

1986 Nominees:

Children of a Lesser God
Hannah and Her Sisters
The Mission
Platoon
A Room with a View

1987 Nominees:

Broadcast News
Fatal Attraction
Hope and Glory
The Last Emperor
Moonstruck

1988 Nominees:

The Accidental Tourist
Dangerous Liaisons
Mississippi Burning
Rain Man
Working Girl

1989 Nominees:

Born on the Fourth of July
Dead Poets Society
Driving Miss Daisy
Field of Dreams
My Left Foot

The Envelope Please... (Best Actor)

2009-02-20T06:36:00.003-03:30

And here are your winners!

1980 Winner: Robert De Niro as Jake LaMotta in Raging Bull
1981 Winner: Henry Fonda as Norman Thayer in On Golden Pond
1982 Winner: Ben Kingsley as Mahatma Gandhi in Gandhi
1983 Winner: Robert Duvall as Mac Sledge in Tender Mercies
1984 Winner: F. Murray Abraham as Antonio Salieri in Amadeus
1985 Winner: William Hurt as Luis Molina in Kiss of the Spider Woman
1986 Winner: Paul Newman as Fast Eddie Felson in The Color of Money
1987 Winner: Michael Douglas as Gordon Gekko in Wall Street
1988 Winner: Dustin Hoffman as Raymond Babbitt in Rain Man
1989 Winner: Daniel Day-Lewis as Christy Brown in My Left Foot

Oscar Week Continues: Best Actor

2009-02-19T15:51:00.003-03:30

What do you know about these films? What do you remember? The following actors were nominated for Best Supporting Actor in the 1980s. Can you remember who actually won?
Check back first thing tomorrow morning for the winners.

1980 Nominees:

Robert De Niro as Jake LaMotta in Raging Bull
Robert Duvall as Lieutenant Colonel Bull Meechum in The Great Santini
John Hurt as John Merrick in The Elephant Man
Jack Lemmon as Scottie Templeton in Tribute
Peter O'Toole as Eli Cross in The Stunt Man

1981 Nominees:

Warren Beatty as John Reed in Reds
Henry Fonda as Norman Thayer in On Golden Pond
Burt Lancaster as Lou Pascal in Atlantic City
Dudley Moore as Arthur Bach in Arthur
Paul Newman as Michael Colin Gallagher in Absence of Malice

1982 Nominees:

Dustin Hoffman as Michael Dorsey / Dorothy Michaels in Tootsie
Ben Kingsley as Mahatma Gandhi in Gandhi
Jack Lemmon as Ed Horman in Missing
Paul Newman as Frank Galvin in The Verdict
Peter O'Toole as Alan Swann in My Favorite Year

1983 Nominees:

Michael Caine as Dr. Frank Bryant in Educating Rita
Tom Conti as Gowan McGland in Reuben, Reuben
Tom Courtenay as Norman in The Dresser
Robert Duvall as Mac Sledge in Tender Mercies
Albert Finney as Sir in The Dresser

1984 Nominees:

F. Murray Abraham as Antonio Salieri in Amadeus
Jeff Bridges as Starman in Starman
Albert Finney as Geoffrey Firmin in Under the Volcano
Tom Hulce as Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in Amadeus
Sam Waterston as Sydney Schanberg in The Killing Fields

1985 Nominees:

Harrison Ford as Det. Capt. John Book in Witness
James Garner as Murphy Jones in Murphy's Romance
William Hurt as Luis Molina in Kiss of the Spider Woman
Jack Nicholson as Charley Partanna in Prizzi's Honor
John Voight as Oscar 'Manny' Manheim in Runaway Train

1986 Nominees:

Dexter Gordon as Dale Turner in 'Round Midnight
Bob Hoskins as George in Mona Lisa
William Hurt as James Leeds in Children of a Lesser God
Paul Newman as Fast Eddie Felson in The Color of Money
James Woods as Richard Boyle in Salvador

1987 Nominees:

Michael Douglas as Gordon Gekko in Wall Street
William Hurt as Tom Grunick in Broadcast News
Marcello Mastroianni as Romano in Dark Eyes
Jack Nicholson as Francis Phelan in Ironweed
Robin Williams as Adrian Cronauer in Good Morning, Vietnam

1988 Nominees:

Gene Hackman as Agent Rupert Anderson in Mississippi Burning
Dustin Hoffman as Raymond Babbitt in Rain Man
Tom Hanks as Josh Baskin in Big
Edward James Olmos as Jaime Escalante in Stand and Deliver
Max von Sydow as Lassefar in Pelle the Conqueror

1989 Nominees:

Kenneth Branagh as Henry V in Henry V
Tom Cruise as Ron Kovic in Born on the Fourth of July
Daniel Day-Lewis as Christy Brown in My Left Foot
Morgan Freeman as Hoke Colburn in Driving Miss Daisy
Robin Williams as John Keating in Dead Poets Society

The Envelope Please... (Best Actress)

2009-02-19T06:46:00.000-03:30

And here are your winners!

1980 Winner: Sissy Spacek as Loretta Lynn in Coal Miner's Daughter
1981 Winner: Katharine Hepburn as Ethel Thayer in On Golden Pond
1982 Winner: Meryl Streep as Sophie Zawistowski in Sophie's Choice
1983 Winner: Shirley MacLaine as Aurora Greenway in Terms of Endearment
1984 Winner: Sally Field as Edna Spalding in Places in the Heart
1985 Winner: Geraldine Page as Carrie Watts in The Trip to Bountiful
1986 Winner: Marlee Matlin as Sarah Norman in Children of a Lesser God
1987 Winner: Cher as Loretta Castorini in Moonstruck
1988 Winner: Jodie Foster as Sarah Tobias in The Accused
1989 Winner: Jessica Tandy as Daisy Werthan in Driving Miss Daisy

Oscar Week Continues; Best Actress

2009-02-18T09:19:00.000-03:30

What do you know about these films? What do you remember? The following actresses were nominated for Best Supporting Actress in the 1980s. Can you remember who actually won?
Check back first thing tomorrow morning for the winners.

1980 Nominees:

Ellen Burstyn as Edna Mae McCauley in Resurrection
Goldie Hawn as Pvt. Judy Benjamin in Private Benjamin
Mary Tyler Moore as Beth Jarrett in Ordinary People
Gena Rowlands as Gloria Swenson in Gloria
Sissy Spacek as Loretta Lynn in Coal Miner's Daughter

1981 Nominees:

Katharine Hepburn as Ethel Thayer in On Golden Pond
Diane Keaton as Louise Bryant in Reds
Marsha Mason as Georgia in Only When I Laugh
Susan Sarandon as Sally Matthews in Atlantic City
Meryl Streep as Sarah / Anna in The French Lieutenant's Woman

1982 Nominees:

Julie Andres as Victoria Grant, aka Count Victor Grezhinski in Victor/Victoria
Jessica Lange as Frances Farmer in Frances
Sissy Spacek as Beth Horman in Missing
Meryl Streep as Sophie Zawistowski in Sophie's Choice
Debra Winger as Paula Pokrifki in An Officer and a Gentleman

1983 Nominees:

Jane Alexander as Carol Wetherly in Testament
Shirley MacLaine as Aurora Greenway in Terms of Endearment
Meryl Streep as Karen Silkwood in Silkwood
Julie Walters as Rita in Educating Rita
Debra Winger as Emma Greenway Horton in Terms of Endearment

1984 Nominees:

Judy Davis as Adela Quested in A Passage to India
Sally Field as Edna Spalding in Places in the Heart
Jessica Lange as Jewell Ivy in Country
Vanessa Redgrave as Olive Chancellor in The Bostonians
Sissy Spacek as Mae Garvey in The River

1985 Nominees:

Anne Bancroft as Mother Miriam Ruth in Agnes of God
Whoopi Goldberg as Celie Johnson in The Color Purple
Jessica Lange as Patsy Cline in Sweet Dreams
Geraldine Page as Carrie Watts in The Trip to Bountiful
Meryl Streep as Karen Blixen in Out of Africa

1986 Nominees:

Jane Fonda as Alex Sternbergen in The Morning After
Marlee Matlin as Sarah Norman in Children of a Lesser God
Sissy Spacek as Rebecca 'Babe' / Becky Magrath Botrelle in Crimes of the Heart
Kathleen Turner as Peggy Sue Bodell in Peggy Sue Got Married
Sigourney Weaver as Ellen Ripley in Aliens

1987 Nominees:

Cher as Loretta Castorini in Moonstruck
Glenn Close as Alex Forrest in Fatal Attraction
Holly Hunter as Jane Craig in Broadcast News
Sally Kirkland as Anna in Anna
Meryl Streep as Helen Archer in Ironweed

1988 Nominees:

Glenn Close as Marquise Isabelle de Merteuil in Dangerous Liaisons
Jodie Foster as Sarah Tobias in The Accused
Melanie Griffith as Tess McGill in Working Girl
Meryl Streep as Lindy Chamberlain in A Cry in the Dark
Sigourney Weaver as Dian Fossey in Gorillas in the Mist

1989 Nominees:

Isabelle Adjani as Camille Claudel in Camille Claudel
Pauline Collins as Shirley Valentine-Bradshaw in Shirley Valentine
Jessica Lange as Ann Talbot in Music Box
Michelle Pfeiffer as Susie Diamond in The Fabulous Baker Boys
Jessica Tandy as Daisy Werthan in Driving Miss Daisy

The Envelope Please... (Best Supporting Actress)

2009-02-18T07:09:00.003-03:30

And here are your winners!

1980 Winner: Mary Steenburgen as Lynda Dummar in Melvin and Howard
1981 Winner: Maureen Stapleton as Emma Goldman in Reds
1982 Winner: Jessica Lange as Julie Nichols in Tootsie
1983 Winner: Linda Hunt as Billy Kwan in The Year of Living Dangerously
1984 Winner: Peggy Ashcroft as Mrs. Moore in A Passage to India
1985 Winner: Anjelica Huston as Maerose Prizzi in Prizzi's Honor
1986 Winner: Dianne Wiest as Holly in Hannah and Her Sisters
1987 Winner: Olympia Dukakis as Rose Castorini in Moonstruck
1988 Winner: Geena Davis as Muriel Pritchett in The Accidental Tourist
1989 Winner: Brenda Fricker as Mrs. Brown in My Left Foot

Raised in the 80s Roundup: Best Supporting Actresses

2009-02-17T09:12:00.000-03:30

Eileen Brennan as Capt. Doreen Lewis in Private Benjamin
Eva Le Gallienne as Grandma Pearl in Resurrection
Cathy Moriarty as Vickie Thailer LaMotta in Raging Bull
Diana Scarwid as Louise in Inside Moves
Mary Steenburgen as Lynda Dummar in Melvin and Howard

1981 Nominees:

Melinda Dillon as Teresa Perrone in Absence of Malice
Jane Fonda as Chelsea Thayer Wayne in On Golden Pond
Joan Hackett as Toby in Only When I Laugh
Elizabeth McGovern as Evelyn Nesbit in Ragtime
Maureen Stapleton as Emma Goldman in Reds

1982 Nominees:

Glenn Close as Jenny Fields in The World According to Garp
Teri Garr as Sandy Lester in Tootsie
Jessica Lange as Julie Nichols in Tootsie
Kim Stanley as Lillian Farmer in Frances
Lesley Ann Warren as Norma Cassady in Victor/Victoria

1983 Nominees:

Cher as Dolly Pelliker in Silkwood
Glenn Close as Sarah Cooper in The Big Chill
Linda Hunt as Billy Kwan in The Year of Living Dangerously
Amy Irving as Hadass in Yentl
Alfre Woodard as Geechee in Cross Creek

1984 Nominees:

Peggy Ashcroft as Mrs. Moore in A Passage to India
Glenn Close as Iris Gaines in The Natural
Lindsay Crouse as Margaret Lomax in Places in the Heart
Christine Lahti as Hazel in Swing Shift
Geraldine Page as Mrs. Ritter in The Pope of Greenwich Village

1985 Nominees:

Margaret Avery as Shug Avery in The Color Purple
Anjelica Huston as Maerose Prizzi in Prizzi's Honor
Amy Madigan as Sunny in Twice in a Lifetime
Meg Tilly as Sister Agnes in Agnes of God
Oprah Winfrey as Sofia in The Color Purple

1986 Nominees:

Tess Harper as Chick Boyle in Crimes of the Heart
Piper Laurie as Mrs. Norman in Children of a Lesser God
Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio as Carmen in The Color of Money
Maggie Smith as Charlotte Bartlett in A Room with a View
Dianne Wiest as Holly in Hannah and Her Sisters

1987 Nominees:

Norma Aleandro as Florencia in Gaby: A True Story
Anne Archer as Beth Gallagher in Fatal Attraction
Olympia Dukakis as Rose Castorini in Moonstruck
Anne Ramsey as Mrs. Lift in Throw Momma from the Train
Ann Sothern as Tisha Doughty in The Whales of August

1988 Nominees:

Joan Cusack as Cyn in Working Girl
Geena Davis as Muriel Pritchett in The Accidental Tourist
Frances McDormand as Mrs. Pell in Mississippi Burning
Michelle Pfeiffer as Madame Marie de Tourvel in Dangerous Liaisons
Sigourney Weaver as Katharine Parker in Working Girl

1989 Nominees:

Brenda Fricker as Mrs. Brown in My Left Foot
Anjelica Huston as Tamara Broder in Enemies, a Love Story
Lena Olin as Masha in Enemies, a Love Story
Julia Roberts as Shelby Eatenton Latcherie in Steel Magnolias
Dianne Wiest as Helen Buckman in Parenthood

The Envelope Please... (Best Supporting Actor)

2009-02-17T08:00:00.001-03:30

And here are your winners!

1980 Winner: Timothy Hutton as Conrad Jarrett in Ordinary People
1981 Winner: John Gielgud as Hobson in Arthur
1982 Winner: Louis Gossett, Jr. as Gunnery Sergeant Emil Foley in An Officer and a Gentleman
1983 Winner: Jack Nicholson as Garrett Breedlove in Terms of Endearment
1984 Winner: Haing S. Ngor as Dith Pran in The Killing Fields
1985 Winner: Don Ameche as Arthur Selwyn in Cocoon
1986 Winner: Michael Caine as Elliot in Hannah and Her Sisters
1987 Winner: Sean Connery as Jim Malone in The Untouchables
1988 Winner: Kevin Kline as Otto West in A Fish Called Wanda
1989 Winner: Denzel Washington as Pvt. Trip in Glory

Raised in the 80s Trivia Quiz 2 Answers

2009-02-16T14:29:00.002-03:30

Who originally recorded Dancing with Myself before Billy Idol?
Generation X [which was Billy Idol's band, before he went solo]
What year is 1982's Blade Runner set in?
2019
What 1987 film was the first collaboration between the two Coreys? (Haim & Feldman)
The Lost Boys
What are the three things to fear in the Fire Swamp?
Flame spurts, lightning sand, and ROUSs (Rodents of Unusual Size)
What are the Hardy Boys' first names?
Frank and Joe
What does Corey Hart wear at night?
His sunglasses
What is the dog's name on Fraggle Rock?
Sprocket
What are the names of the four ghosts in Pac-Man?
Inky, Pinky, Blinky, and Clyde
Which of the four Golden Girls was played by the oldest actress?
Rose [It's not actually Estelle Getty, who was younger than Bea Arthur, who played her daughter!]
What was the name of the woman who asked 'Where's the Beef?'
Clara Peller
Who played the three Witches of Eastwick?
Cher, Susan Sarandon, & Michelle Pfeiffer
Who is Strawberry Shortcake's arch-nemesis?
The Peculiar Purple Pieman [from Porcupine Peak]
What video game featured these opponents: Glass Joe, Bald Bull, and Pizza Pasta?
Punch-Out!! [Don't forget the multiple exclamation points---a sure sign of a deranged mind!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1!!!!!!!!!!]
What was the name of the ship in Pigs in Spaaaaace?
The Swinetrek
What game does the phrase 'All your base are belong to us' come from?
Zero Wing

Raised in the 80s Roundup: Best Supporting Actors

2009-02-16T09:07:00.002-03:30

Judd Hirsch as Dr. Tyrone C. Berger in Ordinary People
Timothy Hutton as Conrad Jarrett in Ordinary People
Michael O'Keefe as Ben Meechum in The Great Santini
Joe Pesci as Joey LaMotta in Raging Bull
Jason Robards as Howard Hughes in Melvin and Howard

1981 Nominees:

James Coco as Jimmy in Only When I Laugh
John Gielgud as Hobson in Arthur
Ian Holm as Sam Mussabini in Chariots of Fire
Jack Nicholson as Eugene O'Neill in Reds
Howard Rollins as Coalhouse Walker, Jr. in Ragtime

1982 Nominees:

Charles Durning as the Governor in Best Little Whorehouse in Texas
Louis Gossett, Jr. as Gunnery Sergeant Emil Foley in An Officer and a Gentleman
John Lithgow as Roberta Muldoon in The World according to Garp
James Mason as Ed Concannon in The Verdict
Robert Preston as Carroll 'Toddy' Todd in Victor/Victoria

1983 Nominees:

Charles Durning as Colonel Erhardt in To Be or Not to Be
John Lithgow as Sam Burns in Terms of Endearment
Jack Nicholson as Garrett Breedlove in Terms of Endearment
Sam Shepard as Chuck Yeager in The Right Stuff
Rip Torn as Marsh Turner in Cross Creek

1984 Nominees:

Adolph Caesar as Sergeant Waters in A Soldier's Story
John Malkovitch as Mr. Will in Places in the Heart
Noriyke Pat Morita as Mr. Miyagi in The Karate Kid
Haing S. Ngor as Dith Pran in The Killing Fields
Ralph Richardson as the Sixth Earl of Greystoke in Greystoke - the Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes

1985 Nominees:

Don Ameche as Arthur Selwyn in Cocoon
Klaus Maria Brandauer as Baron Bror von Blixen-Finecke in Out of Africa
William Hickey as Don Corrado Prizzi in Prizzi's Honor
Robert Loggia as Sam Ransom in Jagged Edge
Eric Roberts as Buck in Runaway Train

1986 Nominees:

Tom Berneger as Sgt. Barnes in Platoon
Michael Caine as Elliot in Hannah and Her Sisters
Willem Dafoe as Sgt. Elias in Platoon
Denholm Elliott as Mr. Emerson in A Room with a View
Dennis Hopper as Shooter in Hoosiers

1987 Nominees:

Albert Brooks as Aaron Altman in Broadcast News
Sean Connery as Jim Malone in The Untouchables
Morgan Freeman as Fast Black in Street Smart
Vincent Gardenia as Cosmo Castorini in Moonstruck
Denzel Washington as Steve Biko in Cry Freedom

1988 Nominees:

Alec Guinness as William Dorrit in Little Dorrit
Kevin Kline as Otto West in A Fish Called Wanda
Martin Landau as Abe Karatz in Tucker: The Man and His Dream
River Phoenix as Danny Pope in Running on Empty
Dean Stockwell as Tony 'The Tiger' Russo in Married to the Mob

1989 Nominees:

Danny Aiello as Sal in Do the Right Thing
Dan Aykroyd as Boolie Werthan in Driving Miss Daisy
Marlon Brando as Ian Mackenzie in A Dry White Season
Martin Landau as Judah Rosenthal in Crimes and Misdemeanors
Denzel Washington as Pvt. Trip in Glory

What happened to Sesame Street

2009-02-14T10:55:00.000-03:30

If you've watched recent episodes of Sesame Street lately, I'm sure you've noticed what many of us have seen and bemoaned. The Street has changed.

The humans have gotten older. After all, some of them have been at this for 40 years! Some muppets have changed their voices slightly, or have been given cosmetic changes. This always happens.

But the biggest change might be the street itself. When we were little, it was very much an inner-city street. The set looked a bit grubby. Often times, there would be bags of trash around--not just at Oscar's, but on the other side of 123 Sesame Street. The overall effect was more gritty.

But now the set has been cleaned up. The dinginess is gone. Now it looks clean enough that you could eat off the ground. At first it used to trouble me. But today I realized for the first time that this is the same thing that's happening in my neighbourhood.

Gentrification.

The Tragedy of Sesame Street

2009-02-13T14:21:00.007-03:30

Don't be fooled. Life wasn't all sunny days on Sesame Street. If you need any convincing, look no further than the case of David. This is not to be confused with the tragic story of Northern Calloway, the actor who played David. Calloway was a brilliant performer whose life was cut short by a sudden death in 1990. His family have not made a big scene over the circumstances of his illness or death, and rumours of legal, physical and mental health issues have circulated for years.
However, the tragedy of David is even more heart-wrenching. I realize that there's a lot of the story that can be explained by a longtime battle with cancer, the details of which we'll never fully appreciate. But try to look at the story just as it appeared to the kids watching Sesame Street:

In 1971, David first appears on Sesame Street, one of the first new human characters since the show began. Without a doubt, David was the coolest one on Sesame Street. In fact, because it was the 70s, David could be hip. He was funny, he had awesome clothes, and everyone wanted to be like him.

That's part of the reason he was written into the show. The creators wanted to have an African-American character who could be a role-model, older-brother type for kids who watched Sesame Street. Gordon was too old, and just not with it enough to be that character, so David came on board. He was meant to be a positive role model, to show black kids that they could have a future that involved more than just drugs and gangs and violence.

In his second season on the Street, David even started to go to law school, working part-time in Hooper's Store. In 1974, Maria moved to Sesame Street, and as the 'young couple' on the Street, there was definite chemistry between her and David. Supposedly, there was never a serious relationship. They were just 'good friends'. But the amount of time they spent together (quite closely) seems to suggest otherwise. Things were looking good for David, and the future was golden.

And then, the unthinkable happened. In November 1983, a very special episode of Sesame Street ran, breaking the news that Mr. Hooper had died. What's more, he had left Hooper's Store to David in his will. Suddenly, there wasn't as much talk about becoming a lawyer. While Hooper's Store was probably a pretty good business to run, it was kind of like George Bailey taking over the Savings and Loan. Suddenly, all his dreams got put on the back burner, because someone had to stay around to make Big Bird's birdseed milkshakes.

And as time went on, David and Maria weren't so close a couple anymore. Suddenly, she and Luis started to make goo-goo eyes at each other, and the next thing you know, they're getting married (on TV, as tacky as it is). I haven't got access to enough old episodes to track it specifically, but you'll also notice that during this same period, David started putting on weight. Not just getting a bit soft around the middle–he got FAT.

That's right, buddy. Smile and wave manically, to cover up the fact that your heart is breaking. The very last episode David was in was when Luis and Maria's daughter was born, and he realized that he was never going to get her back. It's kind of sad, when you think about it. And then, without any real goodbyes, David was gone – moved away to live with his grandmother, or so they said. And looking back at it, I can't think of anything to say except 'How sad.'

Raised in the 80s Trivia Quiz 2

2009-02-13T10:20:00.002-03:30

Are you ready for another batch of Raised in the 80s Trivia? How much of this do you remember (without resorting to Wikipedia?) Answers in three days...

Who originally recorded Dancing with Myself before Billy Idol?
What year is 1982's Blade Runner set in?
What 1987 film was the first collaboration between the two Coreys? (Haim & Feldman)
What are the three things to fear in the Fire Swamp?
What are the Hardy Boys' first names?
What does Corey Hart wear at night?
What is the dog's name on Fraggle Rock?
What are the names of the four ghosts in Pac-Man?
Which of the four Golden Girls was played by the oldest actress?
What was the name of the woman who asked 'Where's the Beef?'
Who played the three Witches of Eastwick?
Who is Strawberry Shortcake's arch-nemesis?
What video game featured these opponents: Glass Joe, Bald Bull, and Pizza Pasta?
What was the name of the ship in Pigs in Spaaaaace?
What game does the phrase 'All your base are belong to us' come from?

867-5309 (You know that number, don't you?)

2009-02-12T11:30:00.003-03:30

This just in, via Kickin' it Old School : 80s Hit 867-5309 Phone Number Sold on Ebay Auction

I'm not old enough to really remember 867-5309/Jenny when it was first a big hit, but I remember hearing it a lot on the radio while I was growing up. The group responsible, Tommy Tutone, is generally considered a one-hit wonder, but what a hit it was! The catchy little song about a girl's phone number scrawled on a bathroom wall spawned a frenzy of calls to Jenny at 867-5309 in almost every area code.

And now, someone has just made a bundle on that number! A guy in New Jersey who was the proud owner of 201-867-5309 tried to sell it on eBay, in the hopes of getting $40,000 for it, and being able to take a fancy Caribbean vacation. Now, he can't legally sell the number itself (that's against the phone company's regulations) but he can sell his DJ business that the number is registered to.

The auction gained a lot of interest from the press, and just closed two days ago. When all was said and done, he wound up getting $186,853.09 for it. (Some clever bidder bid $1-867-53.09, and got outbid by $100!) You can see it for yourself here.

Shipping was free.

Raised in the 80s

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The Glory of the Vachon Cake Part 2 - The Half Moon

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The Glory of the Vachon Cake Part 1 - The Jos Louis

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Happy St. Patrick's Day

Long Sought-after Sesame Street clips

The Envelope Please... (Best Film)

Final Oscar Week Roundup: Best Picture

The Envelope Please... (Best Actor)

Oscar Week Continues: Best Actor

The Envelope Please... (Best Actress)

Oscar Week Continues; Best Actress

The Envelope Please... (Best Supporting Actress)

Raised in the 80s Roundup: Best Supporting Actresses

The Envelope Please... (Best Supporting Actor)

Raised in the 80s Trivia Quiz 2 Answers

Raised in the 80s Roundup: Best Supporting Actors

What happened to Sesame Street

The Tragedy of Sesame Street

Raised in the 80s Trivia Quiz 2

867-5309 (You *know* that number, don't you?)

867-5309 (You know that number, don't you?)