In the spirit of writing a cheerful blog, despite the events of the past couple of weeks, here's something of a nostalgic nature. For those of us who were born during the 70s or very early 80s, we should all remember that kick-ass series PBS had called Degrassi Junior High and Degrassi High. This provocative series tacked a lot of issues in a realistic way that was portrayed perfectly in an adolescent setting for both an adolescent and parental audience. No other show could depict teenage pregnancy, AIDS, sexual orientation, abuse, and others the way Degrassi did. Considering the timing when the show was in production, this series went above and beyond what was "accepted" on television.
The reason why I brought this show up is because last fall, the producers of the Degrassi series debuted a new Degrassi, called "Degrassi: The Next Generation" in Canada. Now, Noggin, now calling their primetime lineup as "The-N", is carrying the series every Monday night @ 6PM PT. As you may recall, first the junior high burned down, then the high school closed due to low enrollment and an asbestos problem. Now a decade later, a new Degrassi Community School arises, with Grades 7 and 8. The best parts about this new school are: 1) Mr. Raditch is back as principal. 2) Snake is back as "Mr. Simpson", teaching Media Immersion. 3) Emma, Spike's daughter is in Grade 7 (have to keep the Canadian jargon going).
The series premiered in the US on Monday night, but they went straight to the second episode, disregarding the 2-part "reunion" episode where the Degrassi gang we're all familiar with, came back and toured the new school.
Now, if you want to check out both the new and old Degrassi, head on over to degrassi.tv. There you can see a full episode guide going all the way back to The Kids of Degrassi Street, "interviews" with the alumni, and show clips that evidentially never aired in Canada.
Also, if you have access to Noggin and are interested in having them air the reunion episode, go to www.the-n.com and click on the Contact The N! link.
First off, I would like to thank everyone who sent in emails of condolence and to those who were able to make it to the services. I truly appreciate all of your support during the past couple of weeks. :-)
Judging from the massive hits my main page and blog have been getting, I guess some of your an anxious to see an updated blog!
This past weekend was a good escape from all of the SJSU drama that's been occurring! Saturday was a bit entertaining, to say the least. Joe Mizzi calls our house at around 3, telling us that he'll be in Concord at around 8, but his mom would be home before that. We thought we would be having dinner at Joe's house, so when we arrive a tad early, nobody was there. So my entire family is just moping around the corner of Ryan and Wilmore going, uh....? Eventually, Mrs. Mizzi arrives, telling us that Joe just informed her what was happening about an hour ago. She was totally fine regardless of what was going on.
Soon Nancy arrives, then Joe. Not expecting that all of us had not had dinner, all she had were snacks, but those snacks were filling. We had to tell her to stop cooking more things, because it was a lot! As for the plans we twenty-somethings (and my 14-year-old sister) were to make... that was the question of the night. Finally, we decided to see Changing Lanes at the PH-16. (Sidenote: called the recorder and was surprised to hear Andrew's voice! Obviously 3 weeks being out of the Century loop makes a difference!)
However the two moms stayed at the house, so to keep them entertained, Joe and I got Serendipity at the Blockbuster near Northgate. As we got out of the car, I noticed two teenagers in a BMW, one getting out and sticking a finger down his throat. All I could think was, "Oh those dumbass WC teenagers!" After that scene, we walk in and search for the VHS section, yes VHS!
The rest of the evening isn't too eventful... except for the fact that Joe was telling us some interesting HS stories about one of our friends, which I am not going into detail. (If you want to know, ask me personally! Not ethical to post on the web :)
BTW, I changed my cell calling plan so now I have free LD... I can bug some of you guys w/o hesitation now! j/k
Going in lines of searching the web for Degrassi, I encountered a few other shows that I haven't thought about in a long while. The shows I adored dearly when they were on the air were primarily on Nickelodeon: Fifteen, Welcome Freshmen, and You Can't Do That On Television! I first found Fifteen, Nickelodeon's failed attempt to clone Degrassi. As most people on the internet say, it was the show so bad, it was addicting! Then I found a website devoted to YCDTOTV(.com), yep, it's a dot com! They even feature full-length episodes. Finally tonight, I tried to find Welcome Freshmen. For some reason, I haven't found any cool websites on that show. Who could forget those Merv-u-mentaries?!?
Now going in the lines for being nostalgic... it's Tuesday night, which means it's 80s Night at the Cactus in downtown SJ! Yup, I'll be groovin to the sounds of the fab 80s tonight!
