"Brad Pitt is sexy, why did he change his hair? I knew him and Jenny never had a prayer"

fistsheldhigh — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 10:55:40 GMT

So, ages ago I responded to one of your guys' memes, a picspam meme, and you gave me Jennifer Aniston. I compiled the photos, but never posted it. I don't remember which one of you all it was, but I'm sorry for the delay. Here it is:

1. Choose a picture of the funniest face on your person

2. Choose a picture of your person eating

3. Choose a picture of your person with an animal

4. Choose a picture of your person with a member of the opposite sex

5. Choose a picture where you would want to have sex with this person

6. Choose a picture of your favorite outfit on this person

7. Choose a picture of your person smiling

8. Choose a picture of your person half/naked

9. Your person doing an outdoor activity

10. Your favorite picture

"Go, Go, Power Rangers! Mighty Morphin Power Rangers!"

fistsheldhigh — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 12:34:25 GMT

So, I had an entire post written out when I saw this. The Green Ranger is becoming a mixed martial arts fighter. On one hand, lolz, but on the other, it makes sense because the show recruited him because of his martial arts abilities. But still, lolz. So now this is a “Where Are They Now?” post, Power Rangers edition :D

We’re only covering the original series – well, not original; that would be the Japanese series “Seijuu Sentai Gingaman,” which the American series not only was spun-off from, but also provided the fight sequences for the American version. “Might Morphin Power Rangers” aired from 1993-1995 (really, is that all? Hmm, it seemed longer when I was 5), which at three seasons is still the longest-running series in the franchise.

Let’s start with Tommy since he spurred the post:

Jason David Frank AKA Tommy, the Green Ranger (AKA the White, Black and Red Ranger)

Tommy started off as a villain, having been brainwashed by Rita Repulsa, but soon saw the error of his ways and joined the Rangers to fight evildoers. He has the distinguished honor of appearing in the most episodes (258) and most seasons (seven) of the MMPR franchise. Aim high.

After his initial run on MMPR from 1993 to 1997, which included the first follow-up to the original MMPR series, “Power Rangers Zeo,” in which he now portrayed the Red Ranger, the MMPR feature film and TV film, "Turbo," Jason David Frank did a couple of under-the-radar films and bit roles on TV series before once again donning his Ranger spandex and helmet for one episode of “Power Rangers Wild Force” in 2002 and then jumping back in full-force with 2004’s “Power Rangers DinoThunder.” He then did a direct-to-DVD movie and played the title character in a biopic called "Fall Guy: The John Stewart Story." Now, Jason is trying his hand at mixed martial arts and says he hopes to get in the cage "very soon."

Now the five original, core Rangers (from longest to shortest stint on MMPR):

David Yost AKA Billy, the Blue Ranger

As the lovable, nerdy Blue Ranger who wanted nothing more than The Pink Ranger’s affection, Billy was a fan favorite. Appearing in the second most episodes after Tommy, Billy/David was the only Ranger/actor to appear in every episode of the original series, having never been written out and had his Ranger color recast like the other Rangers (or joining late like the Green Ranger). Yost was one of only three actors to reprise his role for the MMPR feature film, and he was also featured in the first MMPR series after the original, “Power Rangers: Zeo,” not as a Ranger, but as a technical advisor to the Rangers.

Though playing a teenager, David, a gymnast, was the oldest of the six actors, at 24 at the start of the series. After leaving the MMPR franchise due to dissatisfaction with his pay and small role, went on to act in only two more projects, an independent film called, “Ladykiller: Scene of the Crime” and in a bit role in the TV movie, “After Diff’rent Strokes: When the Laughter Stopped,” on which he was also an associate producer in 2000. The same year, he also associate produced “the Mary Kay Letourneau Story.” In 2002, he performed in a play about AIDS awareness in Los Angeles to good reviews and raised money to benefit The Children’s Hospitals AIDS Center. Moving on from associate producing – and TV movies – David became a full-blown producer on such quality reality series as “Alien Hunter,” “Temptation Island” and “You Are What You Eat.” In the 2000s. He hasn’t been heard from (in the entertainment business, that is) since 2004 except for his participation in photographer Adam Bouska pro-marriage equality campaign, NO H8.

Kimberly Jo Johnson AKA Kimberly, the Pink Ranger

The gymnastically inclined Pink ranger was the one all the girls wanted to be and all the boys wanted to … wait, her fans were like 5, nevermind. Well, her fellow Rangers sure did fancy her, though. The object of Billy’s affection, Kimberly’s heart belonged to Tommy, the Green Ranger. Per Amy’s request, Kimberly was written out of MMPR in the middle of season three, entrusting newcomer, Katherine (played by Catherine Sutherland), with the Pink Ranger duties, as she leaves Angel Grove to pursue her gymnastic dreams and train for the Pan Globals.

As a class-one gymnast who had to abandon Olympic dreams after an injury, Amy decided to become an actress and MMPR was her first job, however, it wasn’t her last. She left at the conclusion of the original series but partook in the 1997 MMPR TV movie, “Turbo: a Power Rangers Movie.” She then starred in “Susie Q,” a teen film that was picked up by the Disney Channel, as well as two made-for-TV movies for NBC. Having achieved by far the most success after her days on MMPR, Amy went on to star alongside Keri Russell in the WB hit, “Felicity,” where she was able to display her musical talents, playing Felicity’s singer-songwriter best friend. She continued to display both her acting and musical talents in the film, “Sweetwater: A True Rock Story,” a biography about the life of singer Nancy Nevins, whose band Sweetwater opened the Woodstock festival. She did a number of un-noteworthy films before joining the cast of the Lifetime series, “The Division” in its final season. She then released two albums, one with The Amy Jo Johnson Band and another solo, before appearing in a SciFi channel movie, “Magma: Volcanic Disaster,” an episode of the ABC Family show, “Wildfire,” and several episodes of the ABC series, “What About Brian,” a few indie films and another Lifetime movie. Since 2008, she has starred in the CBS series, “Flashpoint” as a member of a SWAT-style police task force called the Strategic Response Unit (SRU). In 2008, Amy also had a baby with her fiancé, Oliver Giner.

Austin St. John AKA Jason, the Red Ranger

A young mixed martial artist, Jason was the leader of the Rangers. As the Red Ranger, he was the most powerful. When the Green Ranger hits the scene, the two compete for Alpha male status (not to be confused with the actual character, Alpha), but they soon become friends and Jason is the one who persuades Tommy to join the Rangers. However, Jason, along with Zack and Trini, leave the series in the middle of season two to become ambassadors at a peace conference in Switzerland, being replaced by Rocky (played by Steve Cardenas).

Austin St. Vincent, along with Walter Jones and Thuy Trang, left the series in the middle of season two due to contract and salary disputes. Austin, however, would soon return, reprising his role as Jason in “Power Rangers: Zeo,” taking over the powers of the Gold Zeo Ranger (as The Red Ranger was already recast). After “Zeo,” Austin again plays Jason in the “Turbo” film, reuniting with Kimberly for the first time since the original series and Tommy for a third time. Portraying Jason for the final time to date, Austin appeared in the MMPR 10th anniversary episode of “Wild Force” in 2003 titled “Forever Red” in which he teams up with other nine Red Rangers (not including Steve Cardenas AKA Rocky, who was his immediate successor). Outside of the MMPR franchise, Austin’s only other acting credits are a 1998 film called “Exposé” and a 2003 TV movie, “Footsteps.” It is, however, rumored that he went into porn for a while, doing videos for Sean Cody, a popular gay porn Website. There apparently isn’t confirmation if it was really him or someone else claiming to be him. He’s now working as a paramedic in the DC area.

Walter Emanuel Jones AKA Zack, the Black Ranger

The second-in-command, Zack was the wise-cracking, hip-hopping Black Ranger. Zack incorporated his dancing skills into his fighting. And whether the fact that the Black Ranger was played by a black actor and the Yellow Ranger was played by an Asian actress was a coincidence, as the producers insist, or intentional, as has been accused, we don’t know, but after Zack and Trini left to attend the “peace conference” the new Black Ranger was Asian and the new Yellow Ranger was black.

Although he never reprised his role as the Black Ranger, Walter did return to the MMPR franchise to contribute voice-over work to various characters in “Lost Galaxy” in 1999 and “Wild Force” in 2002. He also guest starred on many TV shows, including multi-episode stints on “Malibu Shores,” “Space Cases,” “Moesha” and “The Shield,” plus roles in many films. He has also continued to dance, appearing as a salsa instructor in “Age of Love.” He currently has two films in post-production: “Man Without a Head” and “Immortal Cycle.” Just this past July, Walter was arrested on his way home from a convention in Alabama for driving under the influence.

Thuy Trang AKA Trini, the Yellow Ranger

A skilled volleyball player and kung fu martial artist, the intellectual Trini was environmentally conscious and would urge her fellow Rangers to respect the Earth. She was also frequently seen wearing a Buddhist pendant necklace. After Thuy injured her leg while performing a stunt at the beginning of the second season, Trini did not participate in fights or any scenes involving physical activity, until she, along with Jason and Zack, left for the peace conference in Switzerland, ending Trini’s involvement with MMPR. Before leaving, Trini transferred the Yellow Ranger power over to Aisha Campbell (played by Karan Ashley) who later transferred power to Tanya Sloan (played by Nakia Burrise) before the end of the original series.

Thuy actually was not the original Trini. Another actress, Audri DuBois, appeared in the original pilot, but the role was recast and given to Thuy. The Vietnamese actress, who like her character was a Buddhist, appeared in two films, “Spy Hard” and “The Crow: City of Angels” in 1996. In 2001 at 27, Thuy died when the car she was riding in spun out of control on Interstate 5, near San Francisco. She and two friends, one of whom was set to get married later that year and to whom Thuy was going to be a braidsmaid, survived the crash after being thrown from the car, but was left quadriplegic, and the driver, another bridesmaid, did not have any lasting injuries. Amy Jo Johnson and David Yost attended her funeral, and the current MMPR season, “Time Force” dedicated an episode to her memory.

A news report on Thuy’s memorial service:

The new cast of the original series, after Jason/Austin, Zack/Walter and Trini/Thuy left:

Wanna break the mold, wanna break the stereotype; fist in the air, I'm not goin down without a fight

fistsheldhigh — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 20:11:57 GMT

Bill responded to my email asking if he wanted to get some lunch one day! So, this is a big deal for me because he was my mentor and close friend for three-and-a-half years and then for the past two-and-a-half years I haven't talked to him. I haven't talked to anyone. I would shoot him an email on his birthday wishing him well and send a holiday card, and every once in a while I'd send the occasional, "Long time, no talk" email trying to re-establish contact, but it never got off the ground. My mindset was always that if we went back and forth via email a bit then I'd invite him to lunch, but after a few emails, he'd stop responding (though, even when we were close he was really bad at returning emails and calls, to everyone, not just me). Well, I figured I'd just go for it and send him an email out of the blue suggesting lunch. Here's his response:

Hey Gal,

I will not be in before school starts, but I would be happy to grab lunch at the start of the semester.
Hope you are doing well, and hope to see you soon.

Bill

He lives in Brea (around the Irvine area), so what he means by "in" is "in Los Angeles." This is awesome! I have that mini newspaper reunion with five of the women I used to work with, am babysitting the little girl I used to, am talking to the other biggest influence in my college years (aside from Bill), Michael, via email, I just found and added the other newspaper adviser (aside from Bill), Rod, on FaceBook and he accepted, so I'm about to send him a message there, and now this with Bill. I know this is all basic social shit that people do every day, but not me, not for the past two-and-a-half years, anyway. I feel like my old self again. I can't wait to get a job and get back to school and be a full person again. On the down side, Michael hasn't responded to my last message from like five days ago suggesting we get together. Oh, well. Not all bridges can be mended.

even with our fists held high

"Brad Pitt is sexy, why did he change his hair? I knew him and Jenny never had a prayer"

"Go, Go, Power Rangers! Mighty Morphin Power Rangers!"

Wanna break the mold, wanna break the stereotype; fist in the air, I'm not goin down without a fight