My Odds & Ends: JITB & Imos's New Year Special!!!

[BrandonDaCollector]

So here we go with a very special entry in My Odds & Ends on this day of Groundhog Day and how apropos that this entry will be the focus of the movie that is about that Holiday As I speak they are getting ready for the festivities right now this very second in Punxsutawney Pennsylvania and Punxsutawney Phil is going to get out of his slumber whether he wants to or but will he see his shadow and us have six more weeks of Winter or will we have an early Spring If you celebrate it, it's one of the last ones of the Holiday Season (Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's, (My Birthday & WWE Royal Rumble as well for Me) Groundhog Day, Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's & Easter & (WWE Wrestlemania for Me) and it's one of the funnest ones as well. You have to be a person of nature & fun. First I want to explain I how I got into this day was actually because of the film itself, I saw the previews way back 30 years ago THIS YEAR in 1993 which is one of the reasons why I'm making such a showcase like this (I'm one of the only people if not the only person that does this special stuff) and it just caught My attention and I wanted to see it really bad. So My Mom was going with her boyfriend Jerry (I called him Skinnyhead Jerry cause it seemed to Me his head was thinner than usual, I picked on people then sadly) at the time and We did a lot together so We all three went to the show and saw it. When this showcase is over I will have a really big remarkable bonus as I tell how Our wonderful night went in DETAIL & VISUALLY which is something I have always wanted to do for the longest time. For now here is what I have show from My very small Groundhog Day collection but it will be quite the visual presentation like you possibly never seen before

Here is My Groundhog Day VHS that I got with My Mom not to long after the film came out (We rented the film from Star Video, Blockbuster (in this topic check out My Glory days of Video Rentals for more on this history!) or the like first cause I told My Grandparents how great the film was which they really liked it then I owned it soon after. I have watched this tape countless times as it became a tradition for Us on Groundhog Day for many, many years. Here is the Box's Front & Back Cover, the pictures are quite nice that chose for the standard poster



Here is the VHS Tape itself and the lovely (though I loved the ones in the 80s much more) Columbia-Tristar 1993 Copyright and yes the late Harold Ramis (Egon Spengler from Ghostbusters directed the film and even had a small cameo in it, at the time when I first saw him I couldn't believe how different he looked




So I got this at Our Best Buy in South County, it was Our usual Best Buy to go to, it's the same one I talked about before that is down the street where Toy Chest & TRU was and drove the TRU neighbor Circuit City out of business. I have had many, many good times here at this location and got many other Movies, Video Games & Music CDs there. It was phenomenal when Metallica's 1996 Album Load first came out, it was quite the event Also I saw the very last days of the SNES & Sega Genesis and the rise of Sega Saturn & Sony Playstation as well as briefly Konami's TurboGrafx-16 here as well. It was really cool getting PC Video Games for the first time also. It was really fun back then in the 90s let Me tell ya and while I miss those times so much, I am quite grateful that I had the chance to experience it all

So here is My Groundhog Day CD Soundtrack. I got this back in the 2000s on the web at Amazon as I never could find it at the stores in person. being the outlier that I am, back in the day I usually got a movie on VHS and/orDVD that I liked (sometimes I risked it without ever seeing a film as well which was darn fun in it's own right) and if it was released/available I would get the Soundtrack/Score to go with it. It's a very fun hobby and truly one of the most exciting that you could get into besides collecting Action Figures, Video Games, Comics & Trading Cards. Thanks to this androgynous digital age it seems like this hobby is nothing anymore and today's society has been conditioned not to care but I'm not part of that nor will I ever be cause it was a passion when I was a youngster and it will always be with Me I could teach a ton of people a lot of this superbly fun hobby but would they listen cause I have never found anybody out of everybody I have ever known and really that is quite pitiful of all the homogenizing that has happen If your actually reading this and thinking otherwise then you may be the first So with that really sad fact out of the way here is My Soundtrack to Groundhog Day. The Jewel Case is cracked a bit but I never wanted to replace it because of the The Nice Price Sticker on there



Here is the Jewel Case's Back with the whole Track Listing



Here is the opening of the Jewel Case. I have always loved the look of Compact Discs/CDs. I remember the big bang of'em way back when when they were making Vinyl Records obsolete...now the latter has returned and it's really become the opposite now yet this generation really has no idea how cool it was to get your first Record, Cassette Tape & CD at an actual store like Peaches/Sound Warehouse/Blockbuster Music (I showcased them greatly within this topic only a few short months ago) and put them in the player and hear them on your big stereo or boom box, this age is missing so much but that's what TPTB wants but again I am quite thankful that I know and I will always be the collector & admirer that I am about this super fun stuff



The Cover/Booklet is in color with some nice pictures from the movie.



Now a typical release such as this will only have a single page Booklet will be black & white with very little about the film but will have a lot of info of the tracks/cues & credits. The CD is a rare mixture of score + soundtrack meaning it has some song tracks and some score cues. I love it when a company gives the consumer the best of two worlds. There is the iconic song here by Sonny & Cher but the majority is by George Fenton whom is the composer. While companies never include every cue within a film there is a good number here with 18 tracks



Notice the special asterisk symbols here, I always pay attention to this as it is indicators to a special note towards a track. With limited editions & complete releases it is really important to check the notes because many cues that is included was never released, rejected, not used or be an alternate version and sometimes you'd like to know this so you can compare the alternate versions and to know the differences of what makes a special edition just that. Like I always to include, here is also the 1993 Copyright as well from the Booklet



As I said before I love the look of CDs how shiny they are and so forth...



and one thing that I always check out is I gently turn the disc over to the light. By doing this I can tell how long the CD or rather the run-time of it is. This Soundtrack is about 45 minutes long which is standard for releases back then. I can tell because the lighter circle around the rim where the eye reader reads. I don't know how many people knows or even pays attention to things like this cause I never read anybody ever talk about it I have many Scores especially Star Wars that where the lighter circle is near the end of the edge of the Disc, when it's near the end which now we're talking cause these babies are around the 70+ Minute mark which I love cause you get a lot of music for your buck and I've always been a person that wants more for less and more time to enjoy what I love I even have some special bootlegs that used "Super CDs" that is 80 minutes which still really amazes Me how they pulled a feat like this cause for a time, an 80 minute CD was stuff of legends so oh I love that kind of thing and it never ever get's old either



Here is the 1993 Copyright of the Disc



Here is My Groundhog Day Movie VHS & Soundtrack/Score CD together Front & Back, gosh looking at that classic Vintage 90s goodness is so fun and it makes such a great looking display too, take a gander at that




So before I go about My journey, I must say this. I noted that I went a lot with My Mom & her boyfriend Jerry but before him she was with Kevin whom i talked about before. I had many trips to Crestwood Bowl. I loved Bowling, I got My own Bowling Shoes & Balls at The Sports Authority which i showcased them a while back within this topic. Believe it or not, with all of the destruction of Crestwood (its such a shame about it especially if you shopped there for decades and knew how great & wonderful it was Crestwood Bowl is still there



At Crestwood Bowl, I had a very special moment. I spoke about Redbird Lanes and the great Arcades I played over there in My Main Video Game Topic, well Crestwood Bowl had Arcades too but most of the time they only had one and it was near the Bar and Entryway/Exit. This was on a cold January night over 30 years ago in very early 1992. They had the original Capcom Street Fighter II: The World Warrior there and I played it a lot I played Capcom's Final Fight countless times over at Our nice Pizza Hut but little did I know their connections with each other much less know I would have both of'em for My SNES during the later part of 92 I believe if I never would have been there and played that Street Fighter II Arcade, I would never have become the big Capcom & Street Fighter gamer & fan that I am today at this very moment Here is a pic, you can see the Arcade next to the entryway door



So moving forward to about a year or so later in very early January 1993 I'm with My Mom & Jerry. When he'd come to the house he was greeted by Our sweet female Chihuahua SiSi that I spoke of previously, he loved her. He was a wrestling fan, I don't think he had a passion for it like Me as he was just a casual fan and knew who was who which was good to know for a 12 year old Brandon During one of these trips as usual I was in the back seat of his Mercury Thunderbird (My Mom had a Ford Cougar that she just got months prior) which was cool they had this in common. I was talking to him about the WWF Royal Rumble 93 (one of the best ones ever!) and I was asking him who does he think that Bobby "The Brain" Heenan is going to reveal as "The Narcissist. I really don't recall his answer but I believe he said he doesn't know and all that. Only a short time later I would know it would be WCW's "The Total Package" Lex Luger I really should have known because of his unexpected Wrestlemania 8 appearance via live satellite and how he was supposed to be the face of the WBF. After his motorcycle accident and the unfortunate demise of WBF there was a major change and boy was it exciting



So here is My visual journey of Me, My Mom & her boyfriend Jerry. These are recent pics via Instant Street View, this is as close as possible that I can get to make it like it was that special night when We saw Groundhog Day. Oh first I gotta mention a while later at the Crestwood AMC Theater We saw National Lampoon's Loaded Weapon 1 as well which was great and it was also a memorable night too

Here We are on Gravois at River des Peres. It was very cold yet a fun snowy night at around 9:00 PM or so (I love doing things late at night!). There was hardly anybody on the road. When Jerry turned to the left he skidded and We went 360 and hit the light post. Thank goodness We were ok, that his car was too and that there was no cops around...oh I recall that great night like it was last week Look at the pics there, that light post is still there even though it's 30 years later



Here is where We saw Groundhog Day, it was at the AMC in Crestwood Plaza. I loved it almost as much as the Wehrehberg Kenrick I showcased in My Part 5 of My Vintage Kenner Star Wars Showcase. I have very fond memories here. This is what the Structure of the Building looked like but We usually went around the back area near Sears as it was easier & quicker to go to. See where the people are getting their tickets, I recall Me & My Grandparents going two days in a row to see The Planet of the Apes & Jurassic Park /// in 2001 but that's for another time to talk about See how clean and fun it looked, it was so cool to be at



Look at the area, this was the huge Crestwood Plaza Mall where many restaurants & stores were like The Pasta House, Dillard's, K-B and K&K Toys and especially where Sears was that My Grandpa & Mom worked at for a long time which one day I gotta showcase all of this cause it was all so fun and special to Me Today Crestwood Mall no longer exists, it's all leveled down to open landscape being completely wasted, things like this just make Me despise this modern era even more and surely I'm not alone here



So after going to the show during the snowy night and having a great time seeing Groundhog Day, Our night wasn't over as We were going to Steak'n Shake for a late dinner and wow that was fun. They were arguably My favorite. They really became stupid closing most of their locations Nationwide due to the PlamDemic! Oh We sometimes went to the McDonald's too and I usually got a couple Double Cheeseburgers & Fries because I craved'em and this was so good This is how the McD's looks now, before the PlamDemic! happen this location was regarded as THE MOST business McDonald's in the whole state of Missouri, it was a big deal then Notice the big building right there in the foreground, that's Our other great Schnucks on Gravois & Hampton that we shopped at so much, it used to be open 24/7 but with these current pathetic times and like most stores now, they woke and now close early Would you look at that, there's Walgreens were Redbird Lanes used to be Across the street was where Steak 'n Shake used to be now it's demolished due to such dense circumstances



One final note and it's a big one. I loved the scene in Groundhog Day when the young couple talks about Wrestlemania at the party, that one would be WM 9 @ Cesar's Palace which is one of the most underrated of all as it was in 1993, 30 years ago this year and the one that Jim Ross made his WWF debut



I have more in PB's Movie Trailer topic as as well My own Groundhog Day topic as well. So that is all for this update and whether you were expecting it or not I hope you enjoyed My special Groundhog Day showcase actually on Groundhog Day I have always loved the film & music, it's one of the last classic comedies and movies ever made. I have a lot in store for My great Odds & Ends topic, next will be a presentation that was delayed for a while but I'm gonna make it, until then I'll see you around

SPECIAL UPDATE

Look at the HISTORY As of 6:45 AM on Groundhog Day 2023, Punxsutawney Phil just saw his shadow, We're gonna have 6 more weeks on Winter Until next time

Update on 12/28/23:

One of My local McDonald's just went out of business It was a very memorable one. It was regarded as the busiest one in the entire state of Missouri. It was on Gravois near the entrance of Hampton. I found this out a couple of weeks ago when Me & My Mom was out. She had told Me the story before then I saw it for Myself in person The bagger over at Schnucks next door to it told her they went out due to a homeless people situation there So when I was out with her I saw the place and it's all empty, the logos are gone and the place is nearly unrecognizable now. I advise everybody to savior every-bite of fast food not only because of the higher prices of inflation but also because you never know when that restaurant might have it's last customer, it's nothing to take for granted or least it isn't for Me IMO I have had many memories there. My first memories EVER there was with My Mom and her friend Jerry after We either saw Groundhog Day or Loaded Weapon 1 at the AMC Crestwood Theater in 1993, 30 years ago this year that I talked about in My very special Groundhog Day showcase in My Odds & Ends that I made for Groundhog Day this year. We ate there and I got two Double Cheeseburgers, Large Fries & Large Drink. My other memories was many times Me, My Grandma MiMi & Auntie Wanda would eat there before I went to the Batting Cages at Tower Tee. Auntie Wanda would always get their McFish. Also many, many times when Me & My Grandma was doing Our rounds and be at Schnucks I'd want to go there next door and get either breakfast or regular menu food in the morning plus there was times that We'd just eat there Many times also I would see employees at Schnucks such as the janitor have bags of McDonald's there. Here's a look at what it looked like only about a month ago as here's a special picture I made...Pic #1 - There you can see the building with the American Flag. Pic #2 - There's the front of it where you pull in & out. Also you can see Schnucks right there on the left. Pic #3 is of the Schnucks & McDonald's lot and My Grandma would wait for Me right there while I was getting that yummy hot McDonald's



That's it, despite this bummer news, I am quite grateful that I had all those memories there

[BrandonDaCollector]

So it was around the Summer of last year I got an offer from one of My rewards membership programs for Lego Life Magazine and I accepted it I mean why not, it's free I got a few of them in the mail and it was kinda fun getting them cause I don't get much goodies in the mail anymore I was going to post these around Halloween time cause of a few of the spooky themed stuff within'em but I was kinda slow getting to My showcases and stuff and I never want to rush My work. Now I haven't followed Lego since the early 90s and I just wasn't into building stuff much anymore however I never disliked it. I never got into all of the Lego Batman, Star Wars & Jurassic Park/World and all that stuff. I know for years they were quite popular especially during the 2010s and even though I like some animated films, I still was never interested as I wanted more realistic approach. So I'm gonna feature three Magazines and like I said, there is some spooky Halloween themed stuff in here so it's just over a week or so after Groundhog Day so I thought i better get to showcasing this soon before it get's any later so with without further adieu...

NOTE, My pics are huge, expand them in a new tab to see them in the detailed glory

The first one with its Cover, Contents and a cool Lego Comic, Iron Man & Minecraft, Ninjago & Speed Champions





Here is the back cover, a special for Parents and a look today's kids. I don't view today's children like Me, PB and others that is from Our generation cause let's face it, we WERE KIDS and the 80s & 90s WAS the best time you could be as a kid as it had all you needed to have fun and it never needed to be changed. As androgynous & pathetic as this modern era is I wouldn't want to be a kid cause later on humanity won't look the same however these kids look like their having a fun time and have creative minds so hopefully they will continue to do so and not fall for the currently on going homogenizing conditions...again I say I hope



Now the second Issue is really remarkable cause it deals with Lego's 90th Anniversary which is really had to believe they've been around that long Here is the Copyright Info as well.



Here is a comic Lego Creator & More...



Now here is something that I found extremely cool. Its a special about Jurassic World: Dominion and the size comparison of Giganatosaurus & Therizinosaurus. Now I don't know what today's kids much less this generation thinks of this awesome stuff but I can tell ya I would have been so thrilled to see this when I was a kid. I was a teenager when Giganatosaurus was discovered in 1997 but I never knew of Therizinosaurus till the 2000s. Even into My 20s when I got some really new & updated Dinosaur books these two were in them and I thought they were so magnificent when it was still a great time and people seemed like they were enthused about stuff. Then fast forward to 2021 which became such a deplorable time to say the least especially when this society seems to be in a daze of a Twilight Zone I'm like dang Universal if you would have done this in the 2000s when things were a lot better Again this is quite awesome and I hope kids were actually surprised and excited about these real-life giants that once ruled the Earth as I was in the 2000s cause not only are they Legos but they were both seen a huge motion picture for the very first time ever



Here is the special of Lego's 90th Anniversary. Look at that cool 90th insignia Again look at the kids, they all look their having fun with these new Lego toys with their creativity and all that



Here is a really cool Nintendo Mario Lego...take a gander at that Here is a comic & Minecraft too



Here is a really cool set that looks like its really, really fun. I love the look of that one. Here is the Back Cover.


Now here is My third & final Lego Life Magazine.



Ah here we go with some cool looking Halloween stuff including Luigi's Mansion like his brother above




Oh wow here is Star Wars and even more cool spooky looking Halloween Legos including more of Nintendo's Luigi Mansion and kids showing off their nice creations:blww:





Here is the Back Cover plus the 2022 Copyright cause stuff like that is always important to see and to know



However here is a SPECIAL BONUS of all 3 Lego Life Magazines FRONT & BACK Together




So that will do it for this kinda delayed showcase Lego Life Magazine. I hope you lied and maybe were even a bit surprised. One day I may enter some Vintage Lego content within My Vintage Action Figure Topic later on down the line in time In the mean time check out some more great stuff in My Odds & Ends cause I'm sure there's a ton you haven't seen nor read about yet, until the next entry I'll see you around

[BrandonDaCollector]

So originally on Page 2 I featured My Where's Waldo collection and I had revealed how I found out about it at school and I had expressed how much I loved it as a whole. Well, I knew I had a little something else to show in the future and that time is now. If you saw in My great Marvel Collection, I actually started it with My DC ToyBiz figures and I also decided to show some bonus 89 Batman items and many of those items were buttons. These said buttons are in My special keepsake box and there's a tons more within it and one particular item was a Waldo button and I'm now about to showcase it all in it's little glory So here is My I Found Waldo Button. It looks really good. I do not recall where I got it, I'm thinking I got it at school or possibly at Schnucks, I cannot be for certain but no matter where I did I'm glad I have it because who talks about Waldo anymore except for people who grew up with him and loved finding him throughout all those fun illustrated books I took real good care of it, It's a really decent picture and the back is nice & shiny and still works



Here is the I Found Waldo Button Size Comparison to My smaller Where's Waldo Ultimate Fun Book. It's a good sized button and is quite noticeable on yourself, the shelf or wherever you'd like it to be seen



So that will be it for this brief showcase and I hope you liked it. I believe that will conclude My Where's Waldo Collection If you didn't see My first Part don't be like that and skip stuff, if you do you miss so much, I keep on telling people this It's a really good showcase and it has a lot of great history that I never want to fall into oblivion Next up will be a very special one you may not expect, until then I'll see you around

[BrandonDaCollector]

So here we go with a very special and unique entry here in My Odds & Ends which has become one of My most crucial topics. This will deal with an item that I have adopted that maybe the only one in existence. As you saw above it is Holly Hills Market Place. I had spoke of this area in My great first part of five of My Wrestling VHS & DVD Collection in My Vintage Wrestling Topic. Holly Hills is a massive regional neighborhood in South St. Louis that spans from Loughborough Commons to the intersection of Gravois & Kingshighway. I have spoke & shown these areas previously within many of My showcases including this one. I've been in the area for over 30 years now since 1990 which is a long time. It's changed a bit since I was a youngster. So many businesses have come and gone like many I talked about in My Glory Days of Video Rentals like Star Video, Blockbuster & Hollywood Video, Penny Pinchers, and so many more, its really sad about all of that but it's still a nice place to be and Carondelet Park is really a fine one with two great lakes with wildlife however with the population coming forth and expanding from Broadway there has been a wave of crimes happening down at Loughborough Commons, I do hope it tones down over there, Panera aka St. Louis Bread Co. already went out, I hope Burger King & Schnucks with remain as before. So as I expressed in My Wrestling VHS & DVD Collection in My Vintage Wrestling Topic, I got many VHS tapes, so much more and had many great moments over at the Schnucks on Iron Street from 1990 till around late 1994/early 1995. They were Our main store cause National was already taken over by Schnucks by 1993 or so and during this We only went to the ones on Arsenal & Hampton when we needed to or on special occasions. So when Iron Street's Schnucks moved to Loughborough their building was unoccupied for a long while. Then come 1996 a new place moving and it was called Holly Hills Market Place. Things was really changing in 96 with just not My Family but with everything else...I mean wrestling looked nothing like previous years with the nWo spawning the first true days of the Attitude Era, movies were becoming bigger & bigger with CGI which each one seemed like a big event such as ID-4, Twister & Star Trek: First Contact, TV shows like The X-Files was becoming more grittier & horrific, Video Games were really changing as well and not to mention how the web was really blooming. I could go on & on. With this new place it was looking good but at the same time Me & My Grandma are Capricorns and We're not a fan of change. So Me along with her & My Mom went there and gave the store a look see. It looked really cool. They were really fancy and many of their groceries isles were sorted out way different than Schnucks had. They had an old fashion locomotive train traveling around the store that was the size of Power Wheels which was a really nice touch. They had a used video bin there which was also a treat. I got a movie there and I will show it a minute. I don't recall what groceries We got there or anything like that however I kinda recall that the owner of the store personally greeted us and gave Us a Coffee Mug. Here is that Coffee Mug and like I said, it maybe the only one in existed as I speak because knowing how people are they either skipped it not thinking it was important history or discarded one way or another. Here it is as both sides has the Holly Hills Market Place Logos, it's really classy looking



Here is the inside & bottom.



Now here is the movie I got. I believe it was only $4.99 or something like that which was cheap. It's 1996's The Quest starring Jean-Claude Van Damme. I had never seen it before when it came out in April and it was already on video come Autumn so since I was a huge Van Damme fan, instead of just renting it We just bought it. It's a decent film. It also co-stars James Remar & Roger Moore with the music by Randy Edelman and being directed by JCVD himself. Here is the front, side & back of the VHS Box as it looks like your nice typical Universal release



Here is the VHS tape itself along with many of the 1996 Copyrights



Here is the Holly Hills Market Place Coffey Mug along with My VHS of The Quest together. As a place that is most likely forgotten I am proud (in the old sense, not this generation's sense) to say that I have these two items together representing something of what seems to be a lost time despite it only seems a few years even though it has been around 27 years ago Something like these little treasures maybe means nothing to others but it's not that way to Me



So, as I revealed this great area originally in Wrestling VHS & DVD Collection in My Vintage Wrestling Topic, Holly Hills is a nice place. Here is the entrance on Iron Street. As you turn to the driveway entrance, there is what once was Schnucks and after they moved on Loughborough in around late 1994/early 1995, this building they once housed turned into Holly Hills Market Place, it was always fun going to this area and seeing the building, there is a cool railroad track down the hill behind the building that is still active as I speak, not as visible as the one on Arsenal but still great



Here is the building in recent times. It still resembles how it was back then in structure however with logos and all that stuff that made it what it was is all gone so it really lacks the personality that it had then in the 90s. Sadly they went out of business I believe not to long after 96, I cannot be certain because We only went there that one time that I recall, now isn't that pathetic Sometimes I think if We would have shopped there more often maybe they would have stayed there longer I don't know but I do know that it took forever for another business to be there...



it was in the 2010s and that place was Planet Fitness. Me & My Mom went there a lot. There was a nice Family Dollar that shared the building there as well, I got a really nice bootleg/knock-off box set of M.A.R.S. Heroes that I may one day represent in My Modern Action Figure Topic. Well fast forward to 2020 and enter the P!amDemic!, Planet Fitness went out of business and so did this location of Family Dollar So many businesses went out everywhere yet how many people actually missed and felt for them I don't have a clue what is there now in the Planet Fitness section but I know Dollar General is in the place Family Dollar was. Like Walmart, Dollar General was like a exclusive county store but also like Walmart is moving into cities taking over businesses & land and so for Dollar General has taken over the one on Kingshighway in South Town next to Big Lots! & Burlington Coat Factory where Venture & Franks once were that I have showcased before within this topic and then of course this one on Iron Street, such great stuff going on here isn't it



So that will conclude this special showcase of Holly Hills Market Place. I know anybody that never has been in St. Louis will have a hard time relating to this simply because their not from there but heck, if any spectators is actually seeing this and read everything I said that is from My area may not even know because it was such a short lived store but all that I said about Schnucks on Iron Street here and especially in My Wrestling VHS & DVD Collection in My Vintage Wrestling Topic because if your from My time and you lived in My area of Holly Hills then I would imagine you know how it was then and maybe even now. I might do more of Holly Hills later I mean I featured it a bit in My Glory Days of Video Rentals so you never know I hope this somewhat surprised you and maybe even brought a little joy that somebody out there like Me is doing something like this cause let's face it, with today's social media that is only focusing on one sentence, making fun of stuff, being so cryptic about everything, taking selfies and all of this bum-steer instead of preserving the past times, people, stores and more while they can because soon everything we know will all change Just look at past civilizations for instance, I am trying to prevent things from oblivion My next showcase will be quite a unique one and it will be a very special anniversary edition you ain't going to expect, until then I'll see you around

[packerbacker180]

That's a lot of info. You should consider making a book of local store history. I see things like that in stores all the time.

[BrandonDaCollector]

Thanks PB. I'd like to and I know how but it takes a lot of moolah and I just don't have it I'm afraid Right here is just fine for now I believe. Go to your locations while you still can and make history of it Thanks a lot PB, I appreciate that a lot

[BrandonDaCollector]

So as I said before in My previous showcase that My next one will be a very special & unique one that is of an anniversary...look at the date above the People Magazine Logo as it says April 19. 1993, I planned this for a long time to be on this day to present it with a purpose and that is to talk about the shocking passing of...



Yes, that is Brandon Lee, the son of martial arts legend Bruce Lee and he was just 28 years old and this year marks his unfortunate death 30 years ago when he got killed on set of 1994's The Crow:o I really don't know how I got this magazine. I was never interested in these types of publications however when there was a certain person and'or subject I made an exception. I'm sure that I wanted My Grandma to get it for Me because I was a big Brandon Lee fan and I was a very sad. We either got at Holly Hills' Walgreens on Gravois or the Schnucks on Iron Street that I've showcased before within this very topic of Mine in fact I just did quite recently with MyHolly Hills Market Place presentation. Here is the table of contents of the featured story of Brandon Lee plus other good stuff. Click the pics for massive detail



Before I get to the actual story I want to show the magazine itself and the cool times of 1993. Here is a mail section and various celebs doing their thing. Here is an ad of Pier 1 Imports. My Mom used to like to go there to the location in South County across down the street of Best Buy and where K-Mart to be.



Here is Pierce Brosnan two years before he was Bond. This is advertising his movie Death Train with Alexandra Paul & Patrick Stewart among other stuff on these pages including new M&Ms.



Here is Russ' Trolls which I loved them then and Burt Reynolds's Cop and a Half. Also here is Eric Clapton Unplugged, gosh I miss those times. Here is a special of Beverly Hills 901210. There's AEW's "Jungle Jack Perry's dad. I used to have a huge crush on Tori Spelling during these days



I was never a Soccer fan. My Mom's boyfriend Jasper was and I still ain't. Here's MLB's Cal Ripken jr. taking his kick of the sport. A subscription flyer. Here is a 1 A Day Vitamins ad with a nice babe there in exercise gear, look at her physique Shame it's so different now cause I loved how women looked & were during this era



Here is some ads with even more nice looking women. Check out the boxing babe looking like she can handle anything and also the one in the dress, she looks sweet Again the ladies were so great during the 90s. In fact the women of the 90s were arguably better looking than the ones in the 80s which that has always been a big debate on My part



Here is an ad to pick up a special People Magazine. Also here is an ad of CourtTV. My Grandma & Mom watched that channel all the time. MiMi saw countless court cases with Gacy, Bundy, Dahmer and even Van Damme. She watched all of the OJ cases as well. She was bummed when it turned into TruTV. I liked the channel too but I loved how TruTV stared out with all of the real life nuts & stupid people caught on camera. Another nice looking woman ad and there's a CBS comedy ad with Dudley Moore, The Golden Girls & more.



Here is an ad of Chevy & Pontiac. I miss these days when cars actually seemed special & original.



Here's Buick, Mazda & Chrysler ads and a little with Chuck Norris whom was Bruce Lee's real life pal



Here is a Hyundai ad and an article about Alexandra Paul's brother Jonathan in prison for having an Animal Right's Group that they considered to be a terrorism sect. There she is with fellow Baywatch co-stars Nicole Eggert & Pamela Anderson, another example of how great looking women were during this nearly forgotten time



Here is a People Pop Quiz and look at that, the late great legendary Wilford Brimley advertising Quaker Toasted Oatmeal. Gosh I remember seeing his commercials on TV all the time in the 90s. Hey look at that, there's Sinbad on HBO that was live from New York during an age when stand up comedy was actually funny and he's on the next page of HBO that is showing My Cousin Vinny & Wayne's World. Gosh you can tell what a cool time this was by looking at this There's a Free Preview for HBO for newcomers as well. We'd always got HBO & Cinemax back then and even to the later years but only kept Showtime & The Movie Channel for a while off & on because HBO usually had the better offerings in movies and especially in HBO Boxing all the time where Showtime would have it less.



Now here is the part you've been waiting for!! Here is the section of Brandon Lee. When i first saw him long before this I thought it was cool he had the same first name as Me. Kids in school used to pick on My name cause it was unusual and not a common one despite there was a Cheif Brandon played by the late great Charles Durning in 1990's Dick Tracy. People were always like when something was seemed strange to them but soon they would all find out that it was actually a good name nobody ever picked on it again. Here he is with his Daddy Bruce and you can tell that he was teaching him martial arts at a very early age which this is what fathers should do for/with their sons if they want them to be like them or even better. Unfortunately My Dad didn't teach Me much but this seriously Me reminds Me of when My Grandpa PoPo was teaching Me about movie music and when I was dancing to Jerry Goldsmith's First Blood on his custom made stereo when I was about that age in the picture Here is a pic of his Mom Linda holding him along with his Father. Next is some sad stuff with an actual photo of when Bruce was dead on the ground on the set of 1978's Game of Death and went to Queen Elizabeth's Hospital of all places. His best friends James Coburn & Steve McQueen were pallbearers Take a gander at the pics



Here is a close up. The Controversial conspiracy is that Bruce was basically assassinated by the Chinese Mafia. His cause of death has been ruled as cerebral edema or poisoning. Many celebs are dying of these factors yet nobody ever thinks it's suspicious, people you gotta pay more attention to what's really going here especially the numbers



So Bruce's Game of Death was altered as a revenge plot, where the mafia attempts to kill Lee's character who then fakes his own death and seeks vengeance against those who tried to kill him. What a coincidence as it said in My Magazine above. Brandon would be chosen to play Eric Draven in 1994's the Crow and his character is really a twisted version of this, there is absolutely no doubt about that whatsoever In My Magazine they show a nice detailed chart of a dummy bullet & a blank bullet. Michael Massee plays one of the major villains in The Crow and he is THE ONE THAT PULLED THE TRIGGER of a prop gun that had REAL BULLETS within it thus killing Brandon Lee on set and that scene is still in the movie. I recall how huge and shockingly sad this was during this year of 1993 and it was a moment that lasted a long time I mean people was talking about it for years. It became an inspiration for Sting to make his gimmick like that in 1996. Massee only talked about this around one time and it was an interview on Extra where he said it was personal with him as to why he didn't speak of it sooner. The thing is Massee said that the director gave him the firearm when he wasn't even supposed to have the gun in the first place Massee died in 2016 which is also suspicions Here's a pic of Brandon with David Carradine in 1986's Kung-Fu: The Movie whom also was a great martial artist.



Here is a pic of Brandon's fiancee Lisa Hutton with them together having a good time as couples should Here is his resting place in Seattle Cemetery As the People Magazine ends we see an add for Doral Cigarettes which My Grandma loved. They had tons of fun mail away offers for great stuff for years and years even into the mid 2000s and the back cover is of Camel Special Light Cigarettes.



Another coincidence is that during this same year of 1993, they had a movie come out called Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story in May as it coincided with his 20th anniversary of his passing in 1973,,,Brandon Lee had already died just two of so months prior...are the numbers suspicious Now think of that...something ain't right there, again look what is really happening here and there is many other similarities with other cases too

I continue with a special The Crow entry PB's Movie Trailer Section with a ton of history there as well

http://www.dctoyrevolution.org/post46888.html?hilit=The%20Crow#p46888

So there you have it. Like I said, planned this for a very long time for this particular date of April 19 because this marks the 30th Anniversary of Brandon Lee's shocking passing in a publication however he died on March 31st.. I always think that Brandon Lee died as The Crow & Owen Hart died as The Blue Blazer, again 93 & 99. Many of this generation has no idea how big this then. It's quite imperative for elders to teach their youngsters this history and show them why this is so important. I mean could you imagine a world that forgot about Bruce & Brandon Lee It's almost forgetting Hulk Hogan so what I'm saying is don't let that happen...no matter what I hope you were surprised by some if not all of this. I'll have another special anniversary item but this will be on a better note Until then I'll see you around

[BrandonDaCollector]

So as I said in My previous showcase which was My April 19th, 1993 edition of People Magazine that featured a ton of great stuff including the shocking death of action hero Brandon Lee, I said that My next one would be on a better note/subject and this presentation will be...



Yes, Six Flags, the great ride & theme park I only went there one time and it was in the early Summer of 1993. My Grandparents took Me there. For a long they were talking to Me about it to Me and with low money issues it was hard going to places. My Grandpa really wasn't a theme park ride guy despite his life was motorcycles but they're on the ground because he was afraid of heights which I always teased him about that sort of stuff while My Grandma loved the Roller Coasters especially the Screamin' Eagle. So when she got some money together after winning a bit on the Missouri Lottery We were set to go to Eureka Mo and it was a time that I recall like it was last week. I have noted before that My school would have a small fairground in the big recess playground/sports court every year on the final day school would be held at the start of Summer Vacation. While that was always fun, that was tiny compared to Six Flags I got only a handful of items there. One was a really cool Batman Cup that I used till it got totally worn out about a decade or so ago with the pictures being worn off and the cup itself cracking. My Grandpa won Me that throwing some balls cause he really had a good arm. I recently located only one item not that long ago as it was with My People Brandon Lee Magazine and really it's the most important type of thing you could want to keep to show all of the history of the event that you went there and that is My Six Flags Souvenir Guide Booklet

As you see it looks really cool and it's good shape for being 3 decades old and that Bugs Bunny is on the front cover. Six Flags was heavy on Looney Tunes, DC Comics and Warner Bros./WB in general during this time in the 90s and would continue. So you open the pamphlet and you can see & read the big detailed story of Six Flags. Click this as well as all of My pics in a new tab for maximum detail because it all looks so good



So next we are greeted by Tweety Bird talking about guest services and you foldout the page and it becomes a big regional map of the whole park which is just totally radical, I just love stuff like this



In fact it really reminds Me of the designs of Where's Waldo also seen in My Odds & Ends, look at the detail and all that wondrous fun in a maximized new tab



Next we are flanked by Petunia Pig & Bugs Bunny as on these pages show some cool stuff like the rides, Acrobats of China, Las Vegas and Batman Nights Ah cool, this was when I was discovering Reebok



Next is the Shop & Dinning with Foghorn Leghorn & Wile E. Coyote. We also see a young little girl meeting Bugs Bunny in person and look at those gorgeous Ora Ida Crinkle Cut French Fries, so yummy



Oh boy Bugs Bunny is advertising the Carrot Club for Birthdays. There's Hostess Snack Cakes. There's an opportunity to get a Season Pass and a subscription to Entertainment Weekly. Ah, Scope, can never have enough mouth wash There's Daffy Duck showing the games, check on that classic looking blond Momma there too



There's Elmer Fudd & Yosemite Sam talking about some great stuff of Missouri Ah ha, there's Thunder River, We rode that and so soaking wet, it was so great to experience



Here's Sylvester the Pussy Cat & Pepé Le Pew talking about the USA & France and there's an ad for Continental Airlines and Head & Shoulders There's the Ninja Roller Coaster. That was great going upside down and 360. I recall My Grandma didn't like it because she was wearing earrings and the momentum was rocking her head on the seat. When We were done her poor ears were bloody, We didn't think that would happen



Here's Porky Pig talking about Illinois cause hey, their Our neighbors and that is a cool and pretty state. There's the Screamin' Eagle which is still one of the largest Roller Coasters in the world. Hector the Bulldog is talking about Great Britain, how apropos this is as it was quite clever that Six Flags chose him for the U.K. section, companies were so smart in the 80s & 90s and fun too There's the Aquarena with a cute Dolphin part of one of their many fun shows



Speedy Gonzales is here to speak about Spain and Bugs Bunny is here to tell you about Looney Tunes Town. Look at the black babes with the sombreros and them peoples having fun in the ball pit and them girls kissing Sylvester



Present here is Six Flags' Old Glory, Pevely Farms. Here's HBO For Kids which was an important program for parents. This is still during a time when HBO was considered a softcore adult channel at night and early morning hours. I know cause I experienced it a lot during times I snuck to see women, it was always something seein' stuff like that Now kids just do whatever on the web providing they really know what their seeing. That show was pretty good. There's The Magic House, St. Louis Children's Museum in Kirkwood Missouri which is a non-profit engaging center for children and as the ad says, all kids welcome from age 1 to 101 And here's the back cover as it advertises Chevrolet's Cavalier VL and again as I said in My People Magazine when cars seemed special



Speaking of My 1993 People Magazine, here is My 1993 Six Flags Souvenir Guide's size comparison next to My Brandon Lee People Magazine. As you can see it's much smaller in height & width. I find it amazing how this is celebrating their 30th Anniversary this year and that I was able to put it all together, I'm quite thankful for that



Look through this and it's like what, where in the heck is the Road Runner

As a special bonus here is a commercial from Six Flags in 1993, look and watch how wonderful this time was and yes, like he said, I'll take this over Disneyland any day This is a lot of stuff We did & saw there. Check out the live Animals, Bugs Bunny & The Batmobile, so darn fun However We didn't do the Batman Roller Coaster because Me & My Grandma didn't have the guts too



So there you have it, I hope you enjoyed this Six Flags Souvenir Guide special of Mine and were even surprised a bit. If you haven't seen My 1993 People Magazine featuring Brandon Lee do so when you have time above, it's really good how I showcased it Next will be some more great unexpected stuff, until the next entry I'll see you around

[BrandonDaCollector]

So as a cool bonus continuing the 30th anniversary of 1993 here is a special item that I spoke of in My Classic Songs & Music Videos of Yesteryear Topic a while back. This is Blockbuster Video's Hollywood Soundtrack I have posted a lot of Blockbuster in My topics including how I found out about them, the memories I had there throughout the years as well as Blockbuster Music and basically their entire history including how they took over Peaches/Sound Warehouse. One day in 1993 I believe in the Summer/Early Autumn Me & My Grandma MiMi was doing Our rounds which one was going to Our local Holly Hills Blockbuster. While We were cashing out, We saw this soundtrack there and We weren't sure if We'd like it cause hey I've expressed many times how We love movie music which scores was Our favorite but seems like it was different for everybody else so We gave it a world and it turned out to be mighty fine. It's kinda like a love/romantic album of sorts and really not a variety of types of subjects. I have adopted this Soundtrack CD to be Mine because it really was My Grandma's though she'd always say what is her's is Mine too so I believe this was one of the only times Blockbuster along with CEMA/Capital Records put out a special release like this, I have no idea how many people this attracted, I hope there was a number of'em back then. Here's the front & back of the covers/jewel case



Now the thing is the majority of these entries are from a year prior in 1992 so it wasn't anything brand-spanking new, in fact some songs are from the 80s. It's just a compilation of hot hits from the previous years. It does have a nice variety of artists and genres but again it's all really about romance. The late great Whitney Houston's song is darn good. My favorite has always been by Boy George which is the Crying Game. I always thought he sounded like Roy Orbision (who I liked better than Elvis) whom also has a legendary presence on this album and his is wonderful. Tina Tuner's song is good. The Proclaimers is really good, As I had talked about in My Music Video Topic, I posted their music video from MTV which I saw that before We got this CD. Carly Simon's is good but kinda sad. The late great Joe Cocker is at his usual good stuff but this is actually a great duet with the pretty Sass Jordan. Gloria Estefan's song is pretty nice though i don't think it's romantic, it's quite the opposite is you really listen to her words I'm glad there's a Latina entry here for diversity. Toni Braxton's song is sweet. George Strait's is pretty good, it's especially great if you love Country. It's a very decent selection overall and has a fine variety that a multi-music genre lover like Myself would like and really represents how this good time of fun was so here's a closeup of the track listing



Here's the inside of the jewel case and you can see the nice looking compact disc & booklet.



Here's inside the booklet. It's fairly early 90s basic but there a picture of each singer and tells what film their song is from which is always helpful whether your a noob at this sort of thing or a veteran



Here's a closeup of everybody featured though Sass Jordan is not present.



Here is a close up of the CD. As I very recently talked about in My Star Wars Topic of My great Star Wars Soundtrack Showcase I talked about how companies were experimenting with making CDs really fancy around this time in 1993. Here's also the Blockbuster Video & CEMA 1993 Copyright



Now in My Video Game Topic I posted a Blockbuster special a while back. You can see this in it's entirety there. Here is a size comparison with Team Blockbuster's California Games II Trading Card with the 1993 Copyrights



As previously seen within this very topic in My grandest showcase of My Glory Days of Movie Rentals on page 5, here is where Our local Blockbuster Video was for over a decade in Holly Hills (see My recent Holly Hills Marketplace showcase). The Red Box across the street on Walgreens' lot didn't help with people going to a little kiosk rather than a massive fun retailer It was vacant for many, many years after they folded then the building became Marco's Pizza & Family Video. Marco's had wonderful Pizza & yummy sandwiches. Family Video was like the last of the movie rental places with physical boxes and all that. Both went out during the f/n PlamDemic! plus the Red Box across the street still didn't help and with the plebeians giving in to the digital age with Netflix and the like, that was the last straw and it's quite frustrating to know that this generation has no clue how great it was then and that they don't care Now this place is a liquor store operated by Indians of India. I hope there's people from My Generation and before around in this area of Holly Hills and other places of St. Louis that remembers that this was originally Blockbuster Video and cherished those times cause I'd really hate to think that it all fell to oblivion with only me recalling it



So I hope you liked this bonus of My Blockbuster Hollywood Soundtrack Album that We got in 1993 that continues great stuff 30 years ago in My Odds & Ends from 1993 as I just did a special Groundhog Day, Loaded Weapon 3, People with Brandon Lee & 93 Six Flags Souvenir Guide cause 93 was a cool year Next will be some more great stuff but I believe I'm going further in the past with some really cool unexpected stuff, until then I'll see you around

[packerbacker180]

Wow, what a difference, lol (old Blockbuster jingo). I don't remember these, but I suppose things like that were more desirable back then since you couldn't just make your own collection in five minutes online.