Of Paintings and Passion Plays

I’m going to take a quick break from telling you about Morocco (really, all that’s left is my last day there) so that I can tell you about Friday (April 6).

Having been stuck in bed for most of the first week of Easter Break, I was determined to get out and do something on Friday. Unfortunately, I’m still at that phase of recovery where I get tired very easily, and so I planned on making said-adventure pretty small. Boy, did I misjudge.

I kicked things off by finally going to the Charles Dickens Museum. Now, you have to understand that this was one of those things from our 2008 trip to London that I really regretted not having time to do, and since the museum’s closing for renovation on April 10th it was kind of a now-or-never thing.

And now that I’ve been, I can honestly say: thank goodness we did not make it back in 2008, because if I had dragged Nic to this and the Royal Mews back then, it probably would have been the end of our relationship.

Seriously, even I was bored at the Dickens Museum (shocking, right?).

Entrance to the Dickens Museum

 Basically, it’s in a townhouse that Dickens lived in alongside his family for about two years. To the museum's credit, despite the short time of occupancy this is the only house of Dickens’ that still survives. Unfortunately, once inside you’re given practically no information (just one, single-sided informational page in each room). Furthermore, items are displayed within cases without explanation, and most of the furniture is replicated. The biggest draw for the proprietors seems to be the café (which takes up three of the five rooms on the ground floor), and a looping film that was so boring I had to leave after less than 10 minutes. 

Dickens' Study: the desk under the window is the same upon which he penned his last words.

Sitting Room

 All in all, I was majorly disappointed in the Charles Dickens Museum I’m sad to say. Then again, I am probably guilty of building it up in my mind over the last four years, ensuring that it could never live up to my expectations.

Following the museum, I was still feeling relatively okay, so I decided to wander around London for a bit, which I always enjoy doing. 

Soon thereafter, I found myself standing in front of the British Museum. I started to go in, but having been there before, I knew what an exhausting experience that would be. Instead, I decided to keeping walking, heading toward Trafalgar Square for some picture taking. 

I stopped en route at LJ’s for some coffee and at the not-as-skeezy-as-its-website-makes-it-look Prowler to finally pick-up a copy of Beautiful Thing on DVD (which they had on sale for £6—normally, the cheapest you can find it for in the US is $30+.)

Eventually, I arrived at Trafalgar Square...only to discover that it was packed! Apparently, a local church was putting on a public performance of The Passion of Jesus. But I’ll come back to that in a bit…

A packed Trafalgar Square and National Gallery. Note the pretty blue sky--that will be relevant later on.

In an attempt to avoid the large crowd outside, I thought this might be a good opportunity to duck into the National Gallery. It was okay—certainly far better than the Dickens Museum. As with most museums, they would not allow photography and, anyway, there really wasn’t anything there that I was interested enough in to go out of my way to record. 

That being said, there was a nice exhibition of Titan’s work that I liked, as well as some always enjoyable pieces by Seurat and Monet (including ‘The Water-Lily Pond’). The piece that I was most excited to see at the National Gallery, however, was van Eyck’s ‘The Arnolfini Portrait.’

NB: This image is not mine.

I’m realizing now, as I write this, that my attraction to this painting might actually stem from an old coffee table book my maternal grandmother used to have, and which I used to thumb through as a child. The more I think about it, I have vague recollections of stopping on a photo of ‘The Arnolfini Portrait’ every time I flipped through the book, mesmerized even as a small child by the mirror in the background (without realizing at the time the significance of it). 

Damn, I really wish I had remembered this while I was there!

After going through the National Gallery, I headed next door to the National Portrait Gallery, where they had an exhibition devoted to Princesses Charlotte and Victoria (later Queen Victoria). And while it was a decent exhibit, and one which I was thrilled to see, I was pleasantly surprised to find far more interesting pieces at the NPG!

The very first piece I came across upon entering the gallery was the portrait of Princes William and Harry from 2010 (their first). I remember when this painting was unveiled I like it quite a bit, so I was thrilled to see it, unexpectedly, in person. 

My next unexpected, but totally welcomed, surprise was their collection of Tudor and Elizabethan portraits! Here I encountered more paintings that I was all-too-familiar with, as they’re used in just about ever historical documentary about Henry VIII’s famous family. Such paintings include the following:

Queen Elizabeth I Coronation Painting [NB: This image is not mine!]

Queen Elizabeth I [NB: This image is not mine!]

Queen Mary I [NB: This image is not mine!]

King Edward VI [NB: This image is not mine!]

Sadly, the famous portrait of Anne Boleyn is being restored, and was not on display.

There was also the (life-sized) drawing seen here:

King Henry VIII and his father. [NB: This image is not mine]

Though this particular one was never used (presumably a second one was created, which was used and subsequently ruined), such drawings were used as a means of facilitating the creation of life-sized murals circa the 1500s. Basically:

The cartoon is exactly the same size as the finished painting and was used to transfer [the artist] Holbein's design to its intended position on the palace wall. To do this the cartoon was pricked along the main outlines of the composition and then fixed in the intended position on the wall. Chalk or charcoal dust was then brushed into the holes made by pricking, thus transferring the outline to the wall. Holbein could then proceed with filling in his design. ~ National Portrait Gallery Description

Very interesting!

Another highlight of my trip to the National Portrait Gallery was a small selection of photographs of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II taken by Sir Cecil Beaton in the late ’50s and early ’60s, including an amazing one of her in full regalia (including tiara) and leaning somewhat wearily against the arm of a couch at the palace. 

While at the National Portrait Gallery I received a text from EN, informing me that she was also in the Trafalgar Square area—turns out, she was there to watch the Passion of Jesus performance happening outside. We made plans to go for coffee after the show, and so when I was done at the gallery I went and met her in the square.

I arrived during the telling of the Last Supper, and wound up staying until the end. I have to say, they actually did a really good job (excepting, of course, the predominance of whiteness amongst the cast). 

Two things that are particularly interesting to note about the performance:

First, the actor playing Caiaphas (the high priest who played in instrumental role in the crucifixion of Christ) sounded remarkably like the late Billy Barty, known for his iconic portrayal of Gwildor of Thenur (and more)! In fact, so close was the sound of their voices that I frequently had to remind myself that Mr Barty is dead and that it could not possibly be him.

Second, the producers did a really good job of portraying the crucifixion: before the audience's collective eyes, three crosses were raised near Trafalgar Square’s large central column. What was really interesting about this bit though, was the moment wherein the Jesus character died. I had been watching the sky above for a bit—most of the day had been warm and sunny (as reflected in the earlier picture I posted), but as the play progressed it was steadily growing cooler. Sure enough, it just so happened that by the end of the crucifixion scene it was gray, cold, and slightly drizzling. Though the play’s sponsors had nothing to do with that, it was a cool effect to go along with the performance!

'Jesus' being 'nailed' to the cross.

And it is on that note that I will close. I hadn’t intended for this entry to be as long as it turned out to be (especially since I have a lot of other stuff I want to work on today). 

Until next time…

Casual Over-Drinks Topics...

There’s not too much to talk about at the moment, but I figured I should do a quick entry just to highlight a couple of things that I’ve done over the last week.

Tuesday night (20 March) I traveled to Leytonstone—birthplace of Sirs Alfred Hitchcock and Derek Jacobi—in order to meet-up with two UEL students, JA and GC, for drinks. The peers in question are both thesis-level Cultural Studies students who occasionally pop into my horrid ‘Culture, Power and Resistance in the Twenty-First Century’ class. One of them (JA) also happens to be the UEL student that came to Columbia last year. We met up at the Red Lion (which I think might be affiliated with the pub I went to with K&M on my second night here), and spent a lovely couple of hours catching up over beer and cider. We chatted about everything from white privilege and racism in Europe, to the failings of abstinence-only education in the U.S., to the attempted privitization of England’s healthcare system. You know, casual over-drinks topics…for Cultural Studies students at least.

Tuesday night wasn’t my only stab at being social this week. Last night (23 March) I happened to catch a Facebook update from another friend, AH, that he was stuck at Victoria Station, waiting for a train to take him back home (which is about an hour away). Now, I’ve ‘known’ AH online for around 13 years—we’ve been part of the same He-Man/She-Ra community since the mid- to late-1990s—but we’ve never actually met before. (Namely because of the ocean which separates us.) So, upon spotting this update, a hurried flurry of messages were exchanged, and plans were made to finally meet up in person while he waited for his rescheduled train. A short while later, and we were finally greeting one another face-to-face.

Me and AH at Victoria Station

Since AH had a couple of hours before his train was scheduled to depart, we nipped over to the Duke of York, a pub not far from the station. This was actually my first experience meeting another He-Fan/She-Raver in person—everyone’s so spread out in the States that it’s hard to do so—and I loved every second of it. It was so surreal: two grown, 30(ish) year-old men—in a dark, noisy bar surrounded by stumbling heterosexuals trying to dance to ‘Hot in Here’ (and the men suggestively removing their suitcoats)—talking about everything from the father/daughter relationship between Hordak and She-Ra, to what kinds of material the Four Horsemen will use to design Scorpia’s tail, to the role of the Filmation series in producing a generation of really swell, inclusivity-minded people. You know, casual over-drinks topics…for He-Fans/She-Ravers at least.

Beyond those two bits of excitement, there’s really not too much else to tell. This week’s kind of flown by (and, honestly, I wish it would slow down)! I’m housesitting for K&M at the moment, and keeping their delightful dog Bowmar company. I’m loving every second of the peace and quiet here. I hadn't realize how stressed out I’d become living in the other house until I came here, but I suddenly find myself very relaxed.

Of course, part of the stress I’m feeling might have more to do with midterms than the constant thumpa-thumpa at my flat. Basically, our entire grade comes down to two grades: our final (60%) and our midterm (40%). Oh, and they do not award 100% over here, the rationale being that if your work warrants 100% then you should already be a teacher. Realistically, the highest score most students earn is about 75%. So, basically, my midterms have to be spot-on if I want to try to maintain my 4.0!

Fortunately, midterm madness is almost over. One of them (‘Realism, Fantasy & Utopia’) was due last week, and the other two are due this week—followed by two glorious weeks of Easter Break (yes, it's called Easter Break here), during which time I hope to visit Scotland!!!! 

And then we go straight into working on our finals, because there's only like 5 weeks left of the actual semester following Easter Break.

Two final things I want to mention, but which don’t really fit anywhere else:

First, yesterday was a gorgeous day! Mind you, this is still London, so of course there was a curtain of smog blanketing the skyline—I have yet to see a day that is both sunny and clear—but I’ll take what I can get! It was simply too nice restrict myself to the indoors all day, so after class I ran to K&M’s house, spent some time with Bowmar, grabbed the laptop, and headed to a coffee shop in Soho. The place was called LJ’s CoffeeHouse, and my choice to go there was pretty random: I simply wanted somewhere that was open-air and had free wifi, and this is where Google directed me. After visiting their website, however, I also became smitten with LJ’s through the following ‘prayer’ posted on their site (and which I can totes relate to):

Caffeine is my shepherd; I shall not doze.
It maketh me to wake in green pastures:
It leadeth me beyond the sleeping masses.
It restoreth my buzz:
It leadeth me in the path of conciousness for its name's sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of addiction,
I will fear no equal.
For thou art with me, thy sweetness and thy crema they comfort me.
Thou preparest a carafe before me in the presence of my barista:
Thou anointest my day with pep; my mug runneth over.
Surely richness and taste shall follow me all the days of my life:
And I will dwell in the house of LJ's forever.

The service was only decent (though very friendly), but the coffee and the atmosphere as a whole were excellent. The gay Sohoians seemed to come alive, renewed by the sun’s warmth. People were so happy and pleasant, and it all jived perfectly with the mood I was in. (It was not, however, conducive to working—I spent 90% of my time there just chatting with Nic over the interwebs.)

Secondly—and containing spoilers (consider yourself warned)—I was saddened to learn on Thursday night that ‘Eastenders’ had killed off one of my favorite characters, George-Michael-obsessive Heather Trott (Cheryl Fergison). Alongside the Dot, Kim, and Shirley characters, Heather was one of my favorites. And the way in which she died—and the status of her relationships with best-friend Shirley and her murderer at the time—is just too sad. And sadly, it seems as if the U.K. soaps don’t bring back characters from the dead in the way the U.S. soaps do. Ah, well—I’ll miss you, Heather, but at least I can find some of your shenanigans on YouTube still: 

  

Until next time…

Today in Culture: UK Edition

At 6:00 AM on 20 June 1837, Alexandrina Victoria—at the time just 18 years old—was awoken by her mother, Marie Luise Viktoria. Alexandrina was informed that the Archbishop of Canterbury and Lord Conyngham were there to see her. She hurried downstairs and, once alone with the men, Lord Conyngham explained to Alexandrina that her paternal uncle, William Henry, had died at 2:12 that morning. As expected, with no other heir, she was the next Queen of Great Britain and Ireland. Per the young queen’s request, she was henceforth known as Queen Victoria.

Arthur Christopher Benson; Viscount Esher (1907). The Letters of Queen Victoria. Volume 1.

 Years later, on 23 September 1896, Queen Victoria became the longest-reigning monarch in the UK’s history—surpassing other notable kings and queens like Henry VIII, Elizabeth I, and James VI (Scotland) / I (England). 

But she wasn’t done yet: in 1897 Queen Victoria celebrated her Diamond Jubilee, which marked 60 years since her ascent to the throne! The only other monarch to come close at the time was her grandfather, George III, who—despite insanity/dementia, resulting in his being locked away—was king of England for 59 years and 96 days.

Queen Victoria photographed for her Diamond jubilee, 1897

Three-and-one-half years later, on 22 January 1901, at 6:30 PM, Queen Victoria passed away at the age of 81.

Flash forward...

On 6 February 1952, at Sagana Lodge in Kenya, Philip Mountbatten broke the sad news to his young wife, Elizabeth Alexandra Mary, that her father—Albert Frederick Arthur George—had died in his sleep the night before. As the young woman readied to return home, her private secretary, Martin Charteris, asked her to choose a regnal name—unlike Queen Victoria, she stuck with her first name, become Queen Elizabeth II.

Elizabeth returns from Kenya, now a queen!

 Sixth of February 2012—today—marks Accession Day. But, not only does this day mark the anniversary-start of Elizabeth II’s reign, perhaps more significantly it marks 60 years since that fateful day. Yes, Queen Elizabeth II has joined her great-great grandmother (Queen Victoria) as one of only two English monarchs to warrant a Diamond Jubilee celebration! 

Queen Elizabeth II's official Diamond Jubilee portrait—notice the Victoria Monument in the background.

And, at the young age of 85, she’s not showing any signs of slowing down—perhaps she will even surpass Queen Victoria, and become the first UK monarch to celebrate a Platinum Jubilee (6 February 2022). 

Here are some other interesting tidbits about Queen Elizabeth II’s (future) reign:

• On 10 September 2015, Queen Elizabeth II (at 89 years old) will actually surpass Queen Victoria as the longest-reigning monarch in British and Commonwealth history (as well as the longest-reigning female monarch in world history).
• On 26 May 2024, Queen Elizabeth II (at 98 years old) will surpass France’s King Louis XIV as the longest reigning monarch in European history.

Now, don’t get me wrong: I recognize that I seem to be celebrating a facet of the monarchial system, and that there are certain inherent problems with the idea of the monarchy (classism, anyone?). And there is, of course, the colonialist and Imperialist side of it all: I’ve got Murphy blood in me, for goodness’ sake, so I get that—I’m not excusing such behavior. Finally, I recognize that not all UK citizens are fans of Queen Elizabeth II and the rest of her family, so don’t expect me to go running around and publically shouting how excited I am about her Diamond Jubilee (excepting circumstances where others are doing the same). 

But, I’m also biased in a way that many non-citizens tend to be—namely, none of my tax money goes to support the Royal Family, so I can sit back and enjoy the idea of it from afar. Also, I happen to live in a country that escaped the yolk of British rule while George III was king, so I’ve never experienced it firsthand. (The grass is always somewhat greener on the other side, right?)

At any rate, what I’m trying to get at is this: yes, I do tend to put rose-colored glasses on when it comes to Britain’s Royal Family—well, at least its queens (and that is a very clear distinction and bias I have)—and I’m trying to reconcile that fact with what I know about the more problematic facets of their status. And here’s what I’ve come up with as I document my attempt at such reconciliation:

As I (somewhat) mentioned in my last post, I grew up watching a fantasy cartoon (He-Man) that depicted a practically utopian kingdom, ruled by a compassionate and just king and queen. At the same time—in the ‘real’ world—I bore witness to US leaders like Reagan and Bush (I), whose fiscal polices reflected zero compassion for the average US citizen, and whose Imperialist…er, militaristic policies resulted in wars and the suffering of people all over the world. So, I think that at some point I might have started to view the monarchy—as represented by Queen Elizabeth II (whose hands seemed, to my young mind, unsullied by the Gulf War)—as being a more civilized institution (again, a concept I recognize as problematic in-and-of-itself).

Or, maybe I’ve just always been fascinated by the idea of the monarchy because my last name is ‘King.’ (And I don’t say that too offhandedly—part of me thinks that it very well could be as simple as that.)

Whatever the answer may be, I think it’s a facet of myself worthy of continued exploration. In the meantime, yes, I will continue to take part in the festivities marking this important historical occasion—please don't hold it against me, friends!

_____

On a totally unrelated note: I’m still sick! BLAH!  

I spent much of the earlier part of today bundled up tightly in a fleece sweatshirt that has a hood. At once point I took the following photo, just to demonstrate to you how miserable I’m feeling:

 I’m convinced that you can see how sick and suffering I am just by looking in the pixilated representation of my eyes.

But, I also wanted to find a way of bridging the theme of this post with my illness-image... and then I realized that I kind of looked a bit like Emperor Palpatine from the Star Wars movies. But I’ll need a Sith name. Personally, I’m leaning toward either Darth Sickheis (‘Sick+he+is') or Darth Grayskull. What do you think?

Feel the illness flow through you... Good; good! Hehehehe...

Yesterday in Culture: US Edition

So, yesterday was the annual US American tradition of gathering around yon television to watch commercials.

Don’t get me wrong, there’s a bit more to it than that: some viewers—namely of the heterosexual male breed—tune in to watch a bunch of savage barbarians beat the tar out of one another. They call this event a ‘Super Bowl.’ Being a slightly more intelligent and civilized chap, I don’t quite get the appeal. From what I gather, however, the objective is to chase down a black-and-white checked pig, kick it through a hoop or net of some type, and then run around the bases before the opposing team’s mascot gives you a strike. At some point while this is all going on, spectators are supposed to divert their attention to a bunch of adorable puppies yapping about which is better: beer that has more taste, or less filling? 

As I said, though, the main purpose of this sporting…spectacle is to celebrate America’s status as a consumerist, capitalistic culture that supports 1% of the population while ensuring that the other 99% of us can’t even afford basic human rights like, y’know, healthcare!

Of course, none of that matters as long as we don’t actually think about it, right? 

As long as we just sit back, and mindlessly consume approximately 60 full minutes of audience-directed marketing, then we’ll all be happy because we don’t have to consider pesky ethical details like the fact that last night's MVP, Eli Manning, earns approximately $16,000,000 (USD) per year for being able to throw a fucking ball, whereas the average citizen of the Democratic Republic of Congo earns just $120 (USD) per year.

But I digress…

The ‘Super Bowl’ has admittedly given us some pretty memorable commercials over the years. For instance, who could forget Apple’s Macintosh ad that riffed on Orwell's 1984? Or Snickers’ humorageist Betty White and hysexistcal Aretha Franklin commercials?

I surely couldn’t!

And last night, they did it again, this time courtesy of MetLife Insurance. (See what I did there? I brought it back ’round to the whole healthcare thing.) 

Now, as you can see, this particular advertisement features some pretty well-known animated figures owned by Warner Brothers (either directly or through subsidiaries)... 

But then there’s also these two:

Captures Courtesy of James Eatock

Now, the question becomes, why are they featured in this advertisement? Is it just good ol’ fun, meant to bring a knowing smile to former fans of He-Man and his fearless friend, Battle-Cat? Or is there more to it?

Let me back up a moment and explain some things—and, no, this has nothing to do with my time abroad, but since I have the platform I’m going to use it to talk about a topic near and dear to my heart: Masters of the Universe (MOTU).

In 1982, Mattel—the makers of Barbie and Hot Wheels—introduced a new 6” toyline called “Masters of the Universe.” The minicomics that came with the original series told of a medieval world (Eternia) wherein science and sorcery merged seamlessly. At the center of this world stood an ancient fortress called Castle Grayskull; and, according to Eternian mythology, (s)he who rules Grayskull also rules Eternia. 

Enter: Skeletor, an extra-dimensional warlord from Infinitia determined to claim that castle as his own (with the added benefit of taking Tee-La, the warrior goddess, as his bride). Also enter: He-Man, a barbarian jungle warrior entrusted with a magical sword and harness by an (occasionally) different goddess figure, and fated to be Eternia’s true king one day. (And husband of Tee-La—duh!) 

From "The Vengeance of Skeletor," courtesy of He-Man.Org

From "He-Man and the Power Sword," courtesy of He-Man.Org

As a rule, the Eternians were safe thanks to He-Man and his friends. But something was happening here on Earth that muddied the waters a little. (And, no, I’m not talking about the controversial fact that DC Comics decided to position He-Man as a bi-terrestrial character—his mother, now Eternia’s queen, was apparently from Earth.)

"To Tempt The Gods" (DC Comics' MOTU Series, Part 1 of 3, p. 4)

No, the real danger was US President Ronald Reagan's neoliberal policies. With help from Mark S. Fowler—his flunky at the FCC—Reagan started dismantling the FCC’s power to regulate certain types of marketing.

Suddenly, Mattel—and others, to be sure—found itself able to market directly to children in ways that it had never been able to do before. Enter: the half-hour toy commercial (a.k.a. modern cartoons), ensuring that He-Man and his friends would be duking-it-out with the forces of evil five days a week!

Image Courtesy of He-Man.Org

From 1983-1985 (and then afterward courtesy of repeats), Mattel—through Filmation—brought the adventures of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe into the homes of boys and girls across the Western world. But, being capitalists at heart, the big bosses at Mattel realized there was more to the children’s market than just little boys!

Enter: She-Ra, the Princess of Power (POP) and He-Man’s twin sister—and a toyline that was, from the bosses’ perspective, aimed at girls. (This latter fact is highly debatable, as there are many boys who collected the POP toys, just as there were girls who collected the MOTU toys.) The initial She-Ra series ran from 1985-1987, but, like its sibling-show, continued afterwards through repeats.

The MOTU mythos relaunched itself again—accompanied by fresh toylines—in 1990(-1991) and 2002(-2004), and the property even saw a live-action movie produced in 1987 courtesy of Warner Brothers.

Supported by an active fan-community (and yet another toyline, now in its fourth year), the MOTU property has been with fans almost constantly for the last 30 years. And, rumor has it, that Mattel plans to make the property’s 30^th spectacular.

Not only is there brand new artwork and other collectibles, but references by Mattel officials to big and exciting things down the road  Could that include a new MOTU cartoon, which what we see in the MetLife commercial is a preview of? Fans like myself are certainly hoping so! 

Now I want to move on to the other big story from yesterday’s baseball match, or whatever it was: the half-time show.

One word: Madonna.

Another word: Awesome.

Rumor has it, the Material Girl pulled her hamstring right before the show, but that didn’t stop her from putting on a great performance, which included bits from fan-favorites “Vogue,” “Music,” and “Like a Prayer.” (NB: Those individual links take you to my favorite versions of each song!)

Yet, as much as I love Madge (excepting her acting ‘abilities’), I’m not here to talk about her performance. Rather, I want to talk about her wardrobe choice.

For your convenience, I’ve embedded her performance last night. You don’t have to watch the whole thing, but, at the very least, watch her during the opening (“Vogue”) segment, and pay special attention to her ensemble:

It didn’t take long for me—and numerous others—to drop our jaws when we saw her. “What’re you lookin’ at?” you may join the immaculate Madonna in asking. The answer is, first and foremost, her headdress. Next it’s her golden cape. And then the rest.

Almost immediately, my stateside MOTU/POP-friends went to the Facebook store and started posting comparison images like the one seen here:

The Material Princess?

That’s right: we were comparing her to She-Ra. (See, I really do try to make these posts come full-circle!) 

And I agreed initially, but it didn't take long for me (and others, to be fair) to realize that the comparison was close but still a touch off…

And then I (we) remembered the Bubble-Power She-Ra variant from the original and MOTUC toylines:

Image Courtesy of Fwoosh

Left: Original Bubble-Power She-Ra Art by Nightwing / Right: Bubble-Power Madonna?

 Perfect comparison!

Now, do I think the homage was intentional? No. 

Would I love to find out that She-Who-Must-Not-Act-Again and Mattel planned this whole thing out as part of the MOTU 30^th Anniversary celebration? Abso-freakin-lutely!

All right, kiddies, I think I’ve blathered on enough about all of this. I could go on and on—I haven’t even touched upon the various ideologies MOTU and POP viewers were inculcated with over the last three decades!—but I won’t.

Besides, I need to start writing my next entry, which is a look at part of the UK’s culture happening this very day…