HAPPY BIRTHDAY HOLMES SPOT BLOG!!!

Can you believe it? It's been an entire year since the Holmes Spot went online for the very first time. Boy, how time flies! One year ago today, I started the Holmes Spot blog not knowing who, if anyone, would want to read it. The only thing I knew for sure was that all of my friends and family were ducking me on Facebook because every time I logged in, I would share some random article or video about a big bald Canadian in overalls that none of them had ever heard of. It was starting to have a detrimental effect on my social life, so to save myself the trouble of having to make all new friends, I started this blog.

In the beginning, I had a lot of questions about what purpose this blog would serve. But with each passing month, I watched the number of readers grow to a sizable crowd. Several times over the last year I've seen my research used in various articles and publications. I've even seen a popular Canadian TV show swipe some exclusive photos directly off this site and use them in their broadcast. The thought that people are finding what I do here to be useful and worth referencing makes me really happy. I'm excited that I can have a small, but positive, impact on Mike's larger-than-life world!

Thank you so much to everyone who takes time out of their day to read the Holmes Spot. Thank you to those who post thought provoking comments and critiques. Thank you to those who fact check me and email me when I post something inaccurate. Without all of you, I'd be sitting in front of the computer, talking to myself. And many thank to the Holmes Group for allowing me to do my thing.

In honor of this momentous occasion, The Holmes Spot blog presents...


THE HOLMES SPOT BLOG'S TOP TEN FAVORITE ENTRIES OF THE YEAR


#10 MIKE HOLMES ANSWERS HIS CRITICS

 

In February of 2013, CanadianContractor.ca put out a series of video segments from an interview they did with Mike Holmes. The interview was initiated due to controversial comment Mike made in a Reader's Digest article, in which he stated he felt that the vast majority of contractors were "bad." One of the segments released stood out shoulders above the rest in terms of controversial remarks made by host Robert Koci. The video in question was the second in the series in which Koci was supposed to have a contractor-to-contractor sit down with Holmes, but instead made some rather unfounded and misleading remarks in a post-interview endcap. I had A LOT to say about this video, and the ensuing rant turned out to be one of my favorite posts of the year. You can read my entire commentary here, in all of its ranty goodness.

 

#9 CANADIAN RHAPSODY

 

One of the biggest joys in my life is animation. I've been making old-school cut-and-paste "South Park" style cartoons for years. I have won awards and received accolades for my crappy little cartoons, some of which have millions of views on YouTube! In September of 2012, I officially announced a follow-up to the cartoon I made as a present for Mike on his 49th birthday. "Canadian Rhapsody" is still in the works, and will be released just in time to celebrate Mike's big 5-0! This is one of my all time favorite entries of the year because before I announced the new toon, I had to create several "teasers" to pique people's interest. The resulting images were hilarious, and I received lots of positive feedback! View the official announcement here.

 

 

#8 MIKE HOLMES FAN FORUM CLOSED

 

In October of 2012, the official Mike Holmes fan forum suddenly closed with no notification given to users or forum moderators. The sudden closure sparked a lot of discussion from outraged fans, some of whom found their way to this post through the power of Google. This ended up being one of my favorite entries of the year, not because of anything I wrote, but because I really enjoyed reading all of the different perspectives people shared in the comments section. Some people expressed sadness, other expressed disappointment. Some used the long thread to thank those who had helped them out by answering questions or offering them advice. The reasons behind the closure are still shrouded in a bit of mystery, but this post seemed to give forum members a little bit of closure and a public place to vent.

 

 

#7 HOLMES MAKES IT RIGHT PETITION

 

I admit that I am not the most patient person in the world, so when March of 2013 rolled around and Mike's latest show Holmes Makes It Right had yet to premiere in the US, I decided to protest. With the help of many, I started an online petition, petitioning HGTV/US to air Mike's new series. In subsequent days, however, I learned that the DIY network, not HGTV, would most likely be the network that would eventually air the show -- in August. The petition is still open to signatures, however, as nothing has been officially confirmed by the Holmes camp. You can read all about the petition here. Feel free to sign it too if you're so inclined.

 

 

#6 BAKE IT RIGHT

 

This last Christmas, I really wanted to do something special, not just for Mike and his crew, but also for all of the people out there who read the Holmes Spot. From somewhere, I got the idea to recreate the entire crew of Holmes Makes It Right in gingerbread. My only problem? I'm not a cake decorator, and I'd never baked a gingerbread cookie in my life. But, with a little patience (which I have none of) and a whole lot of royal icing, I really dolled those little cookies up. I have no idea how they came out looking so cute, especially Mike's cookie. His cookie was totally adorable, complete with diamond earrings and a big fat wristwatch.

The only thing I'm sad about is that nobody noticed that I gave Nichole's cookie boobies. You can see my cookies up close and personal here.


#5 MIKE HOLMES BIOGRAPHY PAGE

It is the most visited page on the entire blog, and would anybody wonder why? Okay, so technically it's not a blog entry per se, but it is the portal through which many of the people who find their way onto the Holmes Spot first enter. I am very proud of the biography I wrote for the Holmes Spot blog. I did a lot of primary research, scouring pages and pages of live chat archives and watching hours of YouTube videos, looking for tid bits of information that would give readers a better and more thorough understanding of who Mike Holmes really is. As Mike accomplishes more and more, his story also grows and becomes more interesting. I'm looking forward to updating it periodically as the saga that is Mike Holmes' career continues to unfold before our very eyes! You can read Mike's biography, as well as view super cute pictures of Mike as a baby here.


#4 MIKE HOLMES TATTOO WATCH 2012

In early 2012, Mike Holmes decided to update his look with some brand new ink. The tattoos he got in his teenage years were old and faded, not to mention poorly placed. So, to make things right, he got two new half-sleeve tattoos to accentuate his world-famous biceps. But to make things interesting, Mike decided not to reveal his tattoos right away. A contest was held to guess Mike's new tattoos, and he vowed he would not be unveiling his guns until September of that year. SEPTEMBER!!! Oh, the agony of being denied instant gratification. It was almost too much to bear, especially with several peek-a-boo photos popping up on the internet in which his new ink poked teasingly out from under his sleeves. With the summer months just around the corner, the Holmes Spot decided to make a game out of spotting peek-a-book pictures of Mike's tattoos, and Mike Holmes Tattoo Watch 2012 was born. It was really fun, for a little while. It became painfully obvious that Mike Holmes Tattoo Watch 2012 put way too much pressure on Mike, and he had no choice but to reveal his new ink early, in June of that year, just a few months shy of the September deadline. (I'm being snarky by the way, in case you couldn't tell!) The Tattoo Watch entries were definitely some of my favorite posts of the year, for obvious reasons :-) View them here, here, and the final one here.


#3 THE SEX APPEAL OF MIKE HOLMES

Mike Holmes is not just a contractor, he's also a very attractive man. I don't have to explain to anyone how a competent, charismatic man with a big chest and even bigger biceps could be so damn sexy, but I did anyway. In drooly, fangirlish fashion, I explored all the nuances of Mike's sex appeal in this Holmes Spot exclusive, while still managing to remain tasteful. This was definitely one of my favorite blog posts of the year because it was just so much fun to write! I apologize to all the guys out there for this slobbery tribute to the man behind the overalls ;-) You can read my exclusive article on sex appeal of Mike Holmes here. A drool bucket and/or oversized beach towel to wipe your chin is optional but recommended.




#2 HAPPY BIRTHDAY MIKE!

Turning 49 may not be a milestone per se, but every year God grants us is a year to celebrate! In February 2012, my husband and I decided to watch the South Park movie for the first time in years. One of my favorite scenes in the movie was when the South Park boys sang the song "What Would Brian Boitano Do?" The song is funny because its a gratuitous tribute to a seemingly random person. It made me think for a moment "Gee, Mike Holmes deserves an absolutely ridiculous, gratuitous fan song too!" The next day, I was sitting at the piano, cranking out a tune. I jotted down some lyrics, and six months later, the Mike Holmes Cartoon was born, just in time for Mike's birthday! Posting this cartoon on Mike's birthday was one of my favorite entries of the year because there was so much anticipation leading up to it. I finished the cartoon just days before the August 3rd deadline. It was also my singing debut... and I can't sing at all. Neither can my husband, who provided some male vocals, but we managed to knock out an acceptable track or two after many, many takes. I was really proud of the finished product, and Mike approved of it as well. He posted the cartoon on his Facebook page and it even made the MakeItRight.ca news feed! (Wow!) Mike even stated that the gift was better than getting to blow up a mountain, referring to "Rocky Reno," the episode of Holmes on Homes where Mike got to set off an explosion in a granite quarry on his birthday. According to my husband, it's a pretty big deal for a guy to refer to anything as better than explosives! I'll take his word for it. You can read about my zany birthday gift to Mike here and here.

#1 INTERVIEW WITH CHRISTY BONSTELL

In February of 2013, I was sitting on the couch watching a rerun of Holmes on Homes before getting ready for work, when all of a sudden a young woman holding a baby, and a big guy in overalls popped up on my TV screen. I'll let you guess who the big guy in overalls was, but the young woman in Filtrete brand air filters commercial was Chicago actress Christy Bonstell. Through the magic of Facebook, I was able to contact Christy and ask her if she would be interested in doing an interview with the Holmes Spot. To my surprise, she graciously accepted! The interview was short and sweet, but Christy's thoughtful and informative answers really made the interview special to me. She gave a lot of insight into what Mike is like on and off the camera. She also commented on Mike's natural sense of humor and his ability to improvise. Christy's interview was such a unique experience for me that I consider it the number one Holmes Spot blog entry of the year. You can read my exclusive interview with Christy here. And maybe one day if I'm lucky, I'll get to interview the big guy in overalls for the Holmes Spot -- I'm fairly confident it would make the #1 spot for the next year in review, but we'll have to wait and see about that ;-)