Titanic's 100th Anniversary

Image: The Titanic; Wikipedia

     Well, today marks the 100th anniversary since the tragic night on April 14, 1912, in which the ship called "The Titanic" collided into an iceberg and sank into the Atlantic Ocean. In actually, the ship sank in the early morning of April 15th, but the events that led to its sinking began during the night of April 14th. For information, you might enjoy reading here and here! A lot has been said about this ship since its tragic ending a century ago, that the truth has now merged into myths, legends, and conspiracy theories! To me, the story of Titanic, from the ship itself to the people and the aftermath, plays out like a Greek tragedy. Today, the fascination with this ship is mainly driven by countless books, T.V. specials, artifact displays, die-hard fans and, especially, multiple movies!

     I became a fan of the ship Titanic when the 1997 film (of the same name), by James Cameron, was making its way around theaters. I was in the 5th grade, and my school was so fascinated by the actual story that the school gave out bookmarks which advertised a museum event in honor of the actual ship. At first, I didn't comprehend the bookmark - all I understood was that it was about a ship that sank a very long time ago...Then, one night, there was a special on T.V. which promoted the James Cameron movie, while also sharing stories from actual eye witnesses and showing actual parts of the sunken ship underwater. (That same special would later be included onto the movie's special anniversary DVD). I don't know why, but seeing the sunken ship intrigued me, and the tragic story of the ship played on my heartstrings! While most of the other 5th grade boys enjoyed the James Cameron movie for a certain scene with Kate Winslet, I enjoyed the movie because of the ship itself, and especially its "final moments" afloat. To me, The Titanic was its own character, and I wanted to see it meet its end by watching it collide with the iceberg, flood, break in half and, ultimately, land on the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean! For a better example, my wanting to watch Titanic just to see the ship sink is equivalent to wanting to watch Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows pt. 2 just to watch Harry walk into the Forbidden Forest and sacrifice himself to Voldemort!

     Since then, I've seen almost every T.V. special on its sinking, and have heard some ridiculous conspiracy theories from them! I've also seen several movie depictions aside from the James Cameron version (some were good, and some have been terrible). Even as a high school graduation gift, my mother took me and my sister to a Mosi expedition of the ship, where we got to see an actual part of the ship, view how the night sky looked on April 14, 1912, and do a walk-about through rooms showcasing artifacts and details about passengers. And, I've occasionally read books about the ship, however, because I was younger, most of the books were Scholastic editions! It seems silly to admit this, but my fascination with the actual ship kind of made me fall in love with history just like Harry Potter got me to fall in love with reading fiction! Afterwards, I looked at history differently than just boring events and facts, and soon started reading about the Romans, the Spartans, the citizens of Pompeii, and similar subjects.

     Well, enough about the past! Because it's been a century since the unfortunate night of April 14, 1912, and because the ABC network is premiering its Titanic miniseries tonight, I thought it would be fun to showcase some of the movie trailers from movies which have had The Titanic as its hidden main star!

Clip from Atlantic (1929):

I never knew this movie existed!

Trailer for Titanic (1953):

I saw this version, and it was okay...

Trailer for A Night to Remember (1958):

This is a top-notch version, very good!

Trailer for Raise the Titanic (1980):

Sure, it's an absurd notion, but the little parts I saw on T.V., when I was younger, made me excited that these characters were actually raising a sunken ship! Of course, Robert Ballard showed the world that it was impossible to raise the ship in its entirety, since he discovered that the ship was broken in half, with the back half completely destroyed!

Trailer for Titanic (1996):

I didn't see this in 1996 (I was too preoccupied being a kid!), but I saw the rerun in 2000 or 2001 on the CBS network. This mini-series wasn't that great and I just couldn't help comparing it to James Cameron's version.

Trailer for Titanic (1997):

I think it's one of the better versions, with a really good story and great acting and great special effects.

Trailer for the Re-release of Titanic (1997/2012):

It's the same 1997 version, only in 3D and showing in theaters for the 100th anniversary acknowledgement.

Trailer for Titanic (2012):

This is the mini-series special premiering tonight on the ABC network. It's from the creator of the PBS series, Downton Abbey. I hope it's good, but a part of me thinks it'll only fail in comparison to Cameron's version, and be cheesy like the 1996 mini-series version!

Another Summer Memory

     Back when I first started writing entries on this blog, I made an entry where I talked about a particular summer when I stayed with my great-grandmother. If you want to first read that entry before continuing with this one, you can read it here. During that summer, I had recently finished the second grade and was probably 8 1/2 years old (I turned 9 that September) and, unfortunately, I was having problems with my tonsils (which later led to my tonsillitis during the third grade).

     In the past entry, I also mentioned how I became fascinated with country music videos, and would schedule a specific time in the mornings to watch a certain country music video station on the TV. Well, aside from the examples in that blog entry, there are other examples that I would also like to add to that list.

     I was thinking about a particular song the other day, which led me to searching YouTube for the music video and its sequel. The artist was named Travis Tritt and, during that particular summer in Georgia, the country music channel that I watched would constantly play his two videos: "Anymore" and "Tell Me I Was Dreaming." I don't know why, but I became hooked on those videos! I don't know if it was due to the angst in the lyrics, or that the two were like a mini-movie - because "TMIWD" was the sequel to "Anymore" - but you couldn't stop me from watching those videos when they came on the TV!

     I remember one day, after having a terrible sore throat, my great-grandmother decided to take me to the doctor. Right before we left the house, "TMIWD" came on and I just had to watch it before walking out the door - that's how bad the obsession was! I remember, while at the doctor's office, I couldn't stop replaying the song in my head, especially when the doctor decided my visit warranted a shot! That added to the angst I felt about the song. I don't really know why I loved those videos, but I know I was captivated by the tragedy within them. While one begins with tragedy and closes with a happy ending, the other begins happy and ends in tragedy. I don't really know why an 8 1/2 year-old would find a morbid video so intriguing.

     Although, I think the morbidity in the message was why I sort of liked the videos, because the only reason why I also liked watching Shania Twain's "Any Man of Mine" video that summer was because my cousin, Sylvia, kept telling me Shania Twain had died shortly after making the video, and the morbid idea of seeing a post-humus video from an artist was kind of cool and tragic! I remember this because I kept asking myself, "Gee, I wonder how she died?" (Shania Twain really didn't die...she's still living!)

     Well, to get back on track, I was up early the other morning and I decided to search for some songs on YouTube to listen to until it was time to start the day. Travis Tritt's two videos immediately came into mind for some reason, so I searched them up and found a particular video that not only had the first two together but also a third video, "If I Lost You," that I had never seen before! Looking back, I love the trilogy even more today because the artist was telling a tragic story about a man going through hardships, only to find a happy ending in the end! You can watch the linked trilogy music video(s) below:

     Since we're going down memory lane during this particular summer, and speaking about country music videos...Another memorable music video was Tim McGraw's "Don't Take The Girl." I think the main reason this video got my attention was due to me saying to myself, "Someday I'll have to get married and have a kid...but all I want to do now is play with my toy cars!" I adored the video, even though I hated music videos about young lovers because, as an 8 year-old, it meant that I was slowly growing up and would eventually fall in love! (I guess the thought of responsibility was frightening!) You can watch the linked video below:
   


  
     Oh, how strange I was, but I can honestly say that I was a country music video junkie during that summer I spent with my great-grandmother! Although, maybe an 8 year-old shouldn't be watching country music videos, especially during summer vacation where he, instead, should be playing in the dirt and enjoying being a child! Of course, I did play and have adventures, but watching country music videos in the morning was to me as a cup of coffee is to an adult before starting the day!

A Summer Memory

     I couldn't sleep this morning so I got online and thought I'd do a bit of fantasy online shopping - which is just me browsing and searching books and DVDs and imagining myself actually having enough money to buy interesting books and being able to afford to buy complete collection DVDs of my past favorite TV shows. It's a fun hobby, and it doesn't drain your wallet or purse! I came across some interesting TV shows that I used to like - most of them all being cartoons from my childhood past - which brought about nostalgia. This got me thinking about past summers of my childhood and I couldn't help but recall one specific summer that still is fresh in my mind.

     The summer I am referring to happened in the mid 90's; I had passed the second grade and was dreading the soon approach of third grade. My mother allowed me the chance to spend a few weeks at my great-grandmother's house in Georgia, with my great-grandmother. I am possibly one of the few who has ever enjoyed spending summers with their grandparents as opposed to their parents. One of the main reasons I enjoyed it so much at my great-grandmother's house (aside from my deep love for my great-grandmother) was that she had cable, so I was able to watch shows that I never could on regular TV at home. My favorite network channel was Nickelodeon, and it had all of my favorite shows that I loved watching whenever I visited my great-grandmother: Salute Your Shorts, Rugrats, Doug, Clarissa Explains It All, Rocko's Modern Life, Are You Afraid of the Dark, All That, and the complete anticipation for Saturday to arrive for Nickelodeon's Snick.(They're linked to YouTube videos, in case you wanted to take a look at what they are, if you have never heard of them).

     During that summer, I battled tonsillitis and had severe sore throat moments and terrible fevers. (It wasn't until I entered the third grade that I had to have that taken care of.) During these bad moments, when I wasn't watching Nickelodeon, I was watching a network (I believe it was CMT) that showed country music videos (it being Georgia after all), which was something of a discovery for me. I was amazed at this genre of music and, especially, of its fellow singers like Reba McEntire, Shania Twain, Tim McGraw, and Garth Brooks. I was so enthused by this discovery that I had a habit of scheduling a certain time frame every morning to watch the network channel that showed the country music videos. One day, while watching the channel, there came a video by Ray Stevens titled "The Streak." It was a funny video about a cartoon person streaking through town and causing disruptions. He also had another music video that was always shown too titled "The Mississippi Squirrel Revival." That video became a favorite of mine, especially because of the setting - a church - and the humor. The video was a fun satire that had a nice message in the midst of the humorist commotion, and it was this video that I remembered this morning as I was feeling nostalgic about that particular summer at my great-grandmother's house.

     Part of the reason for the nostalgia isn't because of the TV shows - or the  specific music videos and music genre - I once loved. They represented a place that I once enjoyed being at (a place to where I only had access to these shows and networks of my childhood). I felt safe with my great-grandmother. I felt loved. Furthermore, she was, and still is, one of the very few people who has ever believed in me. She is someone I truly care about in this world, and I would greatly be at a loss if I ever lost her.

     After recalling that particular summer, and especially that one particular Ray Stevens video, I searched on YouTube for the video and it brought back so much memories of being in my great-grandmother's house, early in the summer morning, watching country music videos. What's still shocking is that it is as funny as it was when I first watched it way back when. Therefore, I conclude this post by including that particular Ray Stevens video.

The Mississippi Squirrel Revival

Source: YouTube's raystevensmusic channel