Happy Birthday, Ringo Starr

 

  July 7th...at 12 o'clock you must say "Peace and Love" Which Ringo wants every July 7th. Today is his birthday, and he looks good for 86. (I think it's because he lives on a Vegan diet and might have gotten plastic surgery)

    Richard Ringo Starrsky was born in Liverpool, England. And...he was the drummer for the Beatles

   He didn't meet John or Paul until later in his life. Pete Best was considered the fifth Beatle until he was replaced by Ringo. 

    He was considered an only child, and his father wasn't around much in his life. He learned to play the drums later in life. He was sick most of his childhood ending up in a coma when he was six years old.

 His life, as well as Paul, John and George's life changed when they were in the Ed Sullivan show back in 1964 around February. It changed their lives forever.

   It made my mom, aunt, late aunt and many other women scream for them. My mom was Paul fan; My aunt...loved George. But...not many people loved Ringo (unless you count Marge Simpson)

 They even made movies together. One of them was named "A hard Day's Night" It was about the four of them trying to escape their fans after they became famous.

   It happens. I wish my mom was in that movie. She would aways think Paul would drive her house upstate Pennsylvania. Ringo was considered one of the forgotten Beatles to some fans. 

 A year later, they made another movie and Ringo is more involved. Actually....Ringo is considered a sacrifice after getting a ring from a fan. 

   He wears it and it's stuck on his finger. He, along with Paul, John and George are involved in escaping from danger, even if it follows. I watch this movie on Ringo's birthday. It seems fitting one of the movies I would remember the most.

  The Beatles went through some strange phases from their Sargent Pepper's album to having John marry Yoko. (Big Mistake).

   Soon, around the seventies...Paul called it quits and that was the end of the Beatles. John and George sadly are no longer with us. Ringo and Paul are still around and still making music.

  Ringo, as well as George (before his death) and Paul all guest voiced on the Simpsons. Ringo was first as Marge had a crush on him.

   In reality, he did get the most fan mail and is now asking his fans to stop. He got a painting of himself Marge made. It took years later for him to thank her while she was at her lowest. Ironically, Paul eventually wrote Thank you letters to his fans that have been waiting for his reply.

   Now, at 86...he's doing pretty well. Today we will say peace and love to one Beatle who is still around even today. He misses George and John, but he has been reuniting with Paul on projects. Both the voices aren't the same as they were as they are getting older. Ringo is still the oldest Beatle, and Paul is now the youngest. Happy Birthday, Ringo. Peace and Love

Buffy, the Vampire Slayer

 

    I wanna talk about a show that I missed seeing when I was a teenager. Now, I'm enjoying it thanks to streaming on Hulu. Buffy, the Vampire Slayer. This show was created by Aaron Sorkin. Now a days, this guy is not considered a person you want to work with. What is this show about?

  It takes place in a fictional town in California called Sunnydale. Buffy (portrayed by Sarah Michelle Geller) finds out she's a slayer.

    She is trained by a librarian named Giles and makes friends as well as enemies for the show. Spike is a vampire that is the main antagonist....and when my mom used to watch the show...she had crush on him.

   Sadly, the reason I'm talking about this show is because three actors that played main characters in the show have passed away. First was Michelle Tratchenberg. She died February of last year. She suffered from problems from liver transplant.

    Xander, portrayed by Nicholas Branden lost his life from heart problems. It was as if a piece of the show died with it. 

  

   There is a character in Buffy that had his own spin-off series. His name is Angel. He's portrayed by David Boreanaz. His father used to do the weather forecast for 6ABC in Philly. 

   His character is a good guy who too is a vampire. He wants to help Buffy while a few people think of him as nothing but a bad guy. He's the cute one in my eyes. He got his own spin off show which....I have not yet seen. Wanna get through a few seasons of Buffy first.

 Sadly, we lost another actor just recently. Anthony Head was the mentor for Buffy named Giles. He also was in other shows like the villain in Ted Lasso. He had been sick from pneumonia for a couple of months and his daughters texted about how he left the world making the Buffy verse sadder.

  But there have been other deaths.... thankfully (I think) the actors are still alive

   Seth Green was in a few seasons of Buffy. I think his character vanished when they added more people, like Michelle Tratchenberg into the story. 

   He played "Oz" for a few seasons. I used to have a crush on him...but I think of him more as a great actor. He's been in movies and is now voicing Chris Griffin on Family Guy

   There have been some deaths on Buffy. But since I'm in the middle of the second season...I don't remember some of them. But there are a few that left a traumatic image in fan's heads. Like the death of a woman who was shot in the chest.

    I think she was dating Willow (played by Alyson Hannigan). Then Buffy had a tragic loss when her mother died of an aneurysm. 

   Going to enjoy Buffy with each episode. I'm enjoying it so far, but I wish I got hooked onto it when it was out in the late 90's. 

  But watching it now, I'm enjoying it. Even though...it later seasons...it will start to fade, I'll still enjoy it. Sarah Michelle Geller will always be Buffy to many fans. Sad that we lost three actors, and it feels the faster time goes by...Buffy will soon be gone. But let's hope she's still here to slay vampires.

What's a Xennial

 

    It's strange that I was born in the year 1984 and I'm supposed to be a Millennial. But it seems I would more about the Generation X. Is it because I'm from the Gen X crowd? No. They say I'm a Millennial, but I don't know anymore.

   I think I'm a Xennial. What is a Xennial? Well....

    

     There was recently a new term called Xennial. It's like a combination of Gen X and Millennial. I don't know who thought of it, but it started out to combine both Gen X and Millennials. They even have another term called Zillenial. Which combines both Millennial and Gen Z. I'm definitely not that. But I feel I am indeed a Xennial. 

   We all know the terms for each Generation. Now Millennials are starting to become parents as Gen Xers are becoming Grandparents. It's kind of scary that now Baby Boomers could become the new silent era gen.

   To me, I feel I'm a Xennial saying that it ends in 1983. To me.... I feel it ends in 1985'

    Every year technology gets stronger. Now The Generation...Gen Beta will be the smartest when it comes to technology since they will be born into it. For Baby Boomers, they're lost, For Gen X./Xennials the internet was only a baby....so back when I was a kid.

   When I was young... the Internet was not even born. It was around...but you would have to deal with someone using the phone as well as that annoying sound it would make.

   YouTube, TikTok, Facebook.... they never existed. We went outside and enjoyed life. Now a days...kids are more into technology.

  Even if a Xennial lasts for a few years, I still feel I'm in that era. Even though...technically....I should be a Millenial, I don't feel that I am. Maybe it's just me or...that I'm just behind in the times.

  I am starting to feel older the more technology is thrown at me and younger kids get it before I do.

  People born around the Xennial era would be Britney Spears, Ryan Gosling, Mila Kunis and a lot more. Do I feel that I was born in the Xennial time? Yes I do. Even though it says it ends in 1983...I feel it ends a few years later. 

    I can be a Millennial or a Xennial. But I know that I'm part of the Gen X generation. I'm two years younger than MTV, and that started the Gen X generation.

   I'm already 40 and Xennials are becoming something of the past. Gen Xers are getting older as well as Baby Boomers becoming grandparents, or great-grandparents. Time is going by faster. In a blink of an eye. So, what is a Xennial? Gen X mutating with Millennials.

   That's what it is...and I feel I am a Xennial combining both Gen X and Gen Y (Millennials) and Gen Alpha and Gen Beta will soon combine into something monstorous that will destory the other generations in the near future.

Happy B-Day, Greg Kinnear

 

     Today is the birthday of actor Greg Kinnear. What do I think about him? He's an alright actor. I've seen him in films and tv show guest appearances. But where did he get his start? Well, with him turning 63 today, I will explain about the start of his career, and how it is going so far.

 

  Born on June 17th, 1963, Greg Kinnear lived in Indiana and had two older brothers that he lived with. He didn't get his acting career going until the 1980's when he starred in tv. He made an appearance on Friends. He was considered a foreign service Brat since his parents would move him and his brothers from Beirut to Athens before becoming big.

 

   He starred in TV like Murder in Mississippi, Talk Soup (before it became The Soup) and Dillinger. His first movie he starred in was Blankman which was a Damon Waynes movie which did not do very well. He soon became known for other movies like You've Got Mail, Baby Mama and many more.

   In You've Got Mail he plays Meg Ryan's partner before she hooks up with Tom Hanks. I vaguely remember the movie, but it brought him into stardom with other movies. Plus, he was a minor character. I've notice he plays minor roles in certain movies. He's the kind of actor that would blend in with the background.

   He's also been in some stinker movies. One movie which was a failure was called Stuck on You. That movie was bout him and Matt Damon as Siamese twins. It was horrid. Both actors are better than this...but sometimes, you have to star in trash to realize you are not meant for roles like this.

 In the movie Mystery Men, Greg portrays a superhero named Captain Amazing. He's not in the movie long as he gets captured by a super villain and then later killed by three wannabe superheroes. It was a good, but unusual movie. It was gonna get a sequel, but that got scrapped after the first didn't get a high enough rating. But it has become a cult classic.

  The Stand was considered one of the Stephen King's longest books. They made a miniseries out of it in 1994, but they recently made another one during COVID in 2020. This version is where Greg Kinnear stars as one of the residents that ends up getting killed by Randall Flagg. 

   The character was originally portrayed by the late Ray Walston. This version was horrible and was nothing like the book. The only plus was the acting from Bill Skarsgard 

  Greg has been married to a model and has three daughters. He isn't seen much in many movies but is still known for that actor who blends in the background. He has been in other movies that I've seen like Baby Mama where he portrays Tina Fey's love interest.

   He even played Bob Hope in Misbehavior.

  Today, he is now 63 years old, and I think a grandfather. I'm not sure on that. But he's still acting in movies and tv. He even has been in theater and portrayed Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird. He doesn't hold a candle to Gregory Peck, but he did fine.

   Now, he's considered an actor that somewhat memorable, but forgettable as well. But we can't forget that today...is his birthday. 

My Childhood is dying- POEM

 

The Childhood is dying

the toys are fading

the technology

takes over

My childhood,

is no more,

I can't see,

kids,

playing with toys,

but only glued,

to their phones

theaters

become empty

as streaming

is the new norm

where kids

stay home

and stream

playgrounds changing

to add electronics

making my childhood

disappear

into nonexistence

toys still exicst

but without a phone

in a child's hand

it's not worth buying

apps for toys

are used

When did it all end

am I still a child at heart

if so

why does it feel like,

things around me,

die,

fade away,

are considered,

obsolete

The shows I watched,

the toys I played with,

the stuff I did,

when I was a child,

is now changed,

or forever gone

All that exist now,

are the memories,

of what was once,

a wonderful childhood,

and now....

the future of technology,

has taken over

children today

while I 

watch and worry

for humanity 

Pop Tarts vs Toaster Strudel

 

   Breakfast used to include cereal or granola and other stuff like bacon and eggs. When the 60's came around, Kellogg's decided to change that forever. Starting in the 60's Kellogg's decided to make a toaster pastry come to life. 

   And its life started with packaged dog food. Here's the story.

 

   In the early 1960's a toaster pastry company named their creation "Toaster Pop'ems" Showing a filling of strawberry or blueberry or any other flavor.

    In 1964, the Kellogg's company started their own version. The first name for the product was called "Country Squares"

   The name wasn't popular, and the product wasn't selling well. Eventually...they decided to call the product "Pop Tarts." from Andy Warhol's Pop Art phase that he was going through at the time. The name made this product a hit.

 

   Pillsbury soon said, 'HOLD MY BEER!' and made their own versions of toaster pastries named 'Toaster Strudel'. It was considered a toaster pastry that was meant for the freezer. It even had its own packaging of frosting you would put on yourself.

   It was pretty good and sometimes it would claim it was better than Pop Tarts. I would be the judge of that.

   Around the 90s, both Pop Tarts and Toaster Strudel were in a battle with each other claiming they were better than the other. 

     They even had so many flavors. For Pop Tarts, they had these ads that had little kids about my age telling grownups not to run out without eating. They started with unfrosted flavors until they started adding frosting.

 

   Toaster Strudels had their interesting flavors as well. One being chocolate. They had other flavors as well like orange and even Cinnamon Toast Crunch...which I find repulsive. Pop Tarts had their own limited time flavors which involved sodas.

   There are other brands as well even after both Toaster Strudel and Pop Tarts were around. Some claimed to be healthier than both.

   I doubt that...but it seemed some of them are from small companies trying to make their own version. Some work...some don't. Some didn't even last very long. Like the original.... remember them Toast'em pastries?

   In 2004, the Movie Mean Girls referenced Toaster Strudels as one of the mean girls, played by Lacey Chabert, said that her father was the inventor of Toaster Strudels. Around 2020, almost years after the movie came out, they made a Mean Girls flavor with strawberry filling and pink icing.

   The real inventor of Toaster Strudels was Joe Perozzi, and he invented them in the 70's. Might have been true...but who knows. Still a great quotable movie.

  Pop Tarts tried to make an ad dissing Toaster Strudels claiming they fry them while Pop Tarts claims they bake theirs. 

   It hurt sales for Pillsbury when that ad came out. But not for long. What do I think is best? I tried both and thought Pop Tarts were better. Why...because it doesn't take a long hassle to make. Plus...the Toaster Strudels are flaky, and I'm not a fan of the flaky crust.

 

   Today, both Pop Tarts and Toaster Strudels are doing great in sales...but are trying to become healthier as well. Pop Tarts have made protein packed Pop Tarts for people that are low on their protein. Toaster Strudels is trying to use less sugar. Is it working? I don't know...I don't eat Toaster Strudels. The only Pop Tart flavors I'll eat is unfrosted Strawberry and S'mores. That's it. 

    Pop Tarts even made a movie starring Jerry Seinfeld who loved the Pop Tarts from his childhood. It was ok. Still eat Pop Tarts today.