Where Are They Now: Are You Afraid Of The Dark?

Hi Gasmii!  P-Baby here, breaking away from my usual movie duties to bring you a little treat to get you through the week.  As you may or may not know, I love scary movies.  My fondness for all things frightening started way back in the day when I was just a young, innocent child who would convince Mama P-Baby to check out Goosebumps for me from the local library.  Then Papa P-Baby said, “Young P-Baby, you like scary books?  Here, try this,” and promptly placed Stephen King’s The Shining into my hands.  Thanks Dad!

Anyway, one of my favorite television when I was young was a little slice of heaven also known as Are You Afraid of the Dark? This show is arguably one of the Top 5 things to have come out of Canada, along with Ryan Reynolds, Trivial Pursuit, John Candy, and poutine (Anyone who tells me french fries covered in gravy AND cheese isn’t life changing is deprived, hungry, and full of shit.)  Top 5 worst things coming out of Canada include Celine Dion, Justin Bieber, Avril Lavigne, Brendan “My career peaked at Encino Man” Fraser and instant mashed potatoes.

Are You Afraid Of The Dark’s premise followed a weekly gathering of friends at an undisclosed location in the woods in order for a different society member each week to tell a tale of horror.  Every storyteller would toss a handful of dust into the fire signifying the start of their tale.  In high school, I also used to gather with my friends at an undisclosed location in the woods but instead of telling ghost stories, we’d just get drunk and burn each other with sticks.

Having a little too much (clap clap) time on my hands, I decided to check in with our friends of the Midnight Society and see just what those crazy kids have been up to.

I’m going to put this out there right now before we get to the biographies:  I don’t acknowledge the second coming of AYAOTD as a valid television program thus it will not be covered.  Onward!

Ross Hull:  Ross played the pivotal role of Gary, the unquestionable backbone and wet blanket of the Midnight Society.  Gary’s wet blanket tell-talle signs include the “I mean business” glasses, perfectly coiffed hair, and requisite monotone voice, as well as his inability to get a hand job from Sam.  Prior to landing the role of Gary, Ross had minor roles here and there on random shows that no one watched.  After leading the Midnight Society for 65 episodes, the stress of chasing Sam’s locked-at-the-knees tale around a campfire became too great, prompting Ross to throw in the towel and head to the Canadian show Student Bodies.

Ross was lured back to AYAOTD for a few episodes when the entire Nickelodeon Studios jumped the great white shark, creating a poor man’s Midnight Society in 1999.  After that stint, he had roles on Mutant X and Stargate: Atlantis in 2005.  Upon ending his acting career, Ross decided to get an education and graduated from Ryerson University with a degree in Radio and Television Arts.  Currently Ross can be found submitting for the approval of Calgary, Canada the daily and extended local forecasts.

Raine Pare-Coull:  Raine played the role of Betty Ann in the Midnight Society.  She enjoyed wearing head bands to secure her blunt cut bangs in place and crewneck sweatshirts to keep her toasty by the fire.  I liken her to Mary-Anne from The Babysitter’s Club since I can’t really get a read on her personality.  Apparently, if your name is Something-Ann, you are destined to a life of conservative Christmas sweaters, station wagons, Franzia on tap, and OBX bumper stickers sprinkled on your back windshield.

Prior to AYAOTD, Raine had minor roles on Flash Forward and Aventures dans le Grand Nord. Crazy Canadians and their French speaking ways.  Raine took a ten year break from acting before coming back to The Morgan Waters Show in 2006.  She doesn’t have a Wiki page and I have no clue where can currently be found, but best guess says your local Canadian watering hole.  She’ll be the one in the tattered yellow sweatshirt that smells faintly of pine needles and desperation.

Jodie Resther:  Jodie played resident tough girl Kiki on AYAOTD for 65 episodes, as well as Telly Radford on Salute Your Shorts. Well, not really the latter, but damn if they couldn’t be twins.  Apparently there was a casting call in the early 90′s for African American teenage girls who could rock a backwards baseball camp.  Someone at Nickelodeon was really into keeping things uniform.

Post AYAOTD, Jodie had gigs on Vampire High, Fries with That, and Undressed.  Starting in1996, Jodie was the voice of Francine Alice Frensky on the Arthur cartoon series, ending in 2007.  She gets high marks for being known best for her Arthur work rather than AYAOTD, something neither Ross nor Raine can claim.  She released a CD in 2000 titled Real.  I know what Mr. P-Baby is getting as a stocking stuffer this Christmas!

2007 was a good year for Jodie, who starred in the tv movie Too Young To Marry and also had the role of choir singer in the Oscar nominated film I’m Not There.  In 2008, she starred in the movie Who is KK Downey? and Serveuses demandees.  Wiki tells me she is currently developing a reality series with her boyfriend to be produced and air in Quebec.  I liked her better as a blue-jean wearing, drum playing cartoon monkey rather than a a fame whore has been shopping around yet another shitty reality show.  Think about it, Jodie.

Jason Alisharan:  Jason played the role of tough guy Frank, to Jodie’s tough girl Kiki.  Upon searching for pictures of Jason, I mistakenly thought he was the same kid that played Ru-fi-oooooo in Hook.  Guys, Frank is kind of hot now, despite the insanely groomed Jersey Shore eyebrows.

Anyway, after his AYAOTD antics, Jason went on to roles in The Halfback of Notre Dame in 1996 and a spot on Breaker High in 1998.  (Side note:  Breaker High is fucking awesome.  A must see for Ryan Gosling fans.)  One thing that is extremely confusing in his career is the co-production credit on the film A Single Man in 2009.  I can’t find any information as to how he ended up working on the movie, though if he continues to pick his future production projects as carefully, he could turn this thing around right now.  Hey, it’s your tomorrow, Jason.

Daniel DeSanto:  Daniel came to AYAOTD midway through the first run playing the part of Gary’s annoying little brother Tucker.  Gary was probably irritated with Tucker because even at ten years old, Tucker was pulling more pussy than him.  Though most of his work prior to joining the Midnight Society is not worth mentioning, I’d like to point out that Daniel had roles on Kids in the Hall and Tales from the Crypt, mainly because both those shows kicked ass.  After the first iteration of AYAOTD, Daniel voiced the character of Carlos Ramon on The Magic School Bus series.  He had a bit part in Half-Baked and also enjoyed a 3 episode arc on The Famous Jett Jackson before returning to his old stomping grounds in a revamped AYAOTD for the next generation.

(Side note:  You may all wonder why I keep referencing how much I hated the second coming of AYAOTD.  Truth be told I only saw one episode of this version and it went a little something like this:  The Tale of the Virtual Pets, where kids become obsessed with Diggers, a Tamagotchi-esque virtual pet that requires regular feeding.  Kate, the class outcast and technology idiot doesn’t own one, but figures out that the Diggers are using their owners to break out into the human world , therefore trapping their owners into cyberspace.  That was enough for me.)

After starring on that atrocity, Daniel played probably his most recognizable role as Jason in Mean Girls.  I bet Gary was really pissed when Tucker got to feel up Lacey Chabert.

Daniel starred on some show called Beyblade for awhile, then made an appearance on The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day (All Saints! I know where it’s at!) and can currently be seen in the 2010 tv miniseries Bloodletting & Miraculous Curses. Daniel has a degree from Ryerson Polytechnical University for Film Studies.  Even if he dies tomorrow, Daniel can rest easy that he was the only actor desperate enough to star on both AYAOTD series.  Congrats on the achievement Daniel!

Rachel Blanchard:  Rachel played the role of Kristen, resident underaged hottie and eye candy for Dads for 26 episodes.  Unsurprisingly, with her Barbie looks and Canadian accent, Rachel went on to have a pretty succesful career.  After AYAOTD, she had a spot on Flash Forward (Not the shitty one where everyone passes out.  The awesome one from the Disney Channel circa 1996.  Seriously, this show was so good.  I used to watch it along with Lizzie Maguire and Even Stevens starring a pre-douche bag Shia LeBeouf.  Ben Foster was adorable.  Then he scared the shit out of me in Hostage.  I’d still do him.) and parts in The Rage: Carrie II, Road Trip, and Sugar and Spice.

Her two most notable roles post AYAOTD came with television spin off series Clueless, playing Cher Horowitz and 7th Heaven, playing police officer and Lucy Camden nemesis Roxanne Richardson. (Side note:  There is no fucking way a guy as hot as George Stults is picking grease face Lucy over the sultry Roxanne.  Facts are facts.)  After 7th Heaven, Rachel had parts in Without A Paddle, Snakes on a Plane, a two episode arc on Flight of the Concords, and Spread.  Coming in 2010 are the films Overnight and Open House.  She’s also got a tv series titled Call Me Fitz in the works and is filming My Uncle Rafael.  A second Blanchard baby is on the way with husband Adrian Brown.  Keep up the good work Rachel.  May your babies be as beautiful as you.

Joanna Garcia:  Joanna played the role of Sam, filling the eye candy role left open by Rachel Blanchard’s departure.  I think Joanna may be the most recognizable from this round of AYAOTD.  After AYAOTD, Joanna had gigs on Step By Step, Second Noah, Party of Five, Dawson’s Creek, Pacific Blue, Freaks and Geeks, and Boston Public.  She had minor roles in American Pie and Not Another Teen Movie before landing the role of Cheyenne Hart-Montgomery on Reba for 125 episodes.  After Reba, Joanna starred on Privileged before being cast as Bree Buckley on Gossip Girl.

I’d like to take this time and point out that while extremely pretty and youthful looking, Joanna is 30 with 31 looming just around the corner.  Is the acting pool in Hollywood so thin that they continually cast actors in their 30′s to play teenagers?  Luke Perry says, “Yes, P-Baby, indeed it is.”  Don’t get me wrong, I’d give Nate Archibald the blow job of his life, but still.  Anyway, Joanna’s tv movie Revenge of the Bridesmaids is in post production and she is also in the midst of filming a new tv series called Better Together. How about a little AYAOTD love triangle?  Though recently engaged to New York Yankee Nick Swisher, Joanna was once promised to Justin Timberlake BFF Trace Ayala.  Trace Ayala is the former fiancee of Elisha Cuthbert, part of the second Midnight Society.  Methinks Trace and Justin made a bet that Trace could bang the entire female membership of the Midnight Society before 2015.  Better get cracking, Trace.

Nathaniel Moreau:  Nathaniel graced us with his presence for 26 episodes playing David.  Prior to AYAOTD, Nathaniel had roles in Friday the 13th, War of the Worlds, Rin Tin Tin: K9 Cop, The Ray Bradbury Threat, Counterstrike, and Beyond Reality.  He was also in the movies Tidy Endings, Double Standard, George’s Island, The Last Winter, Married to It,  and Body Parts.  I used the movie poster from Body Parts because after his stint on Kung Fu: The Legend Continues, I couldn’t find any recent pictures of him.  It looks totally sweet and the tagline is “It’ll scare you…to pieces.”  How fucking awesome is that?

Codie Wilbee:  Codie caught the tail end of  the first AYAOTD go round, playing Stig on a measly 13 episodes.  With a name like Stig, he should have gone on to play strong-jawed Scandanavian viking heroes or a villain foiling Nicholas Cage in National Treasure 3:  The Search for the Holy Hair Serum.  Unfortunately, Stig was just his character’s name and the real Codie was probably getting peed on after gym class in the locker room.  The Midnight Society was Codie’s end of the line in acting.  Prior to AYAOTD, Codie was on the tv shows MacGyver, 21 Jump Street, and the Outer Limits.  He had roles in The Reflective Skin, Narrow Margin, Knight Moves, Judgment Day: The John List Story, and The Surgeon.  Neither Google nor Wiki nor IMDB offer any information as to his whereabouts but my money is on his location being perched next to Raine getting shit-faced in Canada.

Jacob Tierney:  Jacob clearly didn’t fit into the dynamic of the Midnight Society, only hanging around for 13 episodes playing the role of Eric.  After getting the boot from AYAOTD, Jacob starred in Josh and S.A.M., The Neon Bible, Rainbow, Whiskers, Motel, This Is My Father, You Can Thank Me Later, Dead End, Life Before This, and the list goes on and on but I’ve only heard of Josh and S.A.M.  He was in the badass tv movie Murder in the Hamptons as well.  His last appearance as an actor was in the 2007 miniseries St. Urban’s Horseman.  He expanded his talents to directing and writing most recently with the film The Trotsky and with Notre Dame de Grace on track for 2010.  While I am happy that Jacob has managed to do pretty well for himself, I’m most glad to see that he ditched that fucking awful haircut.  In fact, that’s probably what got him kicked out of the Midnight Society.

Along with these teen idols, there was a slew of famous faces that made guest appearances throughout the seasons.  Among them were Mia Kirshner, Bobcat Goldthwait, Ryan Gosling, Neve Campbell, Will Friedle, Melissa Joan Hart, Frank Gorshwin, Hayden Christensen, Holly Marie Combs, Tia Mowry, Tamara Mowry, Laura Vandervoort, Jay Baruchel, Jewel Staite, Emmanuelle Chriqui, Gilbert Gottfried, Jennifer Finnigan, Tatyana Ali, Aaron Ashmore, Eddie Kaye Thomas, Gregory Smith, and Harold Howard.  I’m sure Ryan Gosling lists this at the top of his resume, just under Oscar nominee.

Well, Gasmii, that’s all she wrote on those crazy fable tellers up North.  What did you think?  Any requests for future coverage?