Growing up in the Catholic Church, The Pope always felt like this bigger than life figure-head who had a main line to the big guy – GOD. I often wondered if he could get married, fall in love or if his life was totally devout to the almighty and spreading the gospel globally. I also wondered how his name was selected and what drives them to assist church followers in “living biblically.” Pope Francis: A Man of His Word sheds the light on our current Pope. The first from Argentina. The first to be openly critical of church policy regarding homosexuality, ecology and other government heads of state. The first…
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Coming To My Senses Shares Struggle of Motorcross Racer Aaron Baker
One night while performing in my first Broadway show, someone came through the stage door to announce that Christopher Reeve had endured an injury from horse riding. Apparently, his spinal cord had been severed. What this meant is this man the world had come to know as Superman was now not able to walk…let alone fly. Due to the lack of knowledge or funding for this type of injury, Reeve and his wife Dana started the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation, which still thrives today. Spending most of my career as a dancer in Broadway shows, cruise ships, USO tours, when my knees finally started to turn on me, total…
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Stacey Maltin Shines in Landing Up! – A Portrait of Homeless Youth
Once upon a time, I was introduced to a young man who was viewed as a potential boyfriend for me from a co-worker in New York City. After a few dates, I became curious that I hadn’t met any of his friends, family or even crossed a threshold of where he lived. He seemed to never had any money when we would go out and my Mom used to refer to him at the “Ghetto Casanova.” Needless to say, the union didn’t last long after that. Have you ever dated someone who is a complete mystery to you? Or better yet, someone who has misrepresented who they initially said they…
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Charlize Theron’s Real, Raw Take on Motherhood Gives Tully Heart
Mommy Bloggers are my favorite influencers. They love hard. They work hard. They play hard. Mothers, in general, have the hardest job on the planet. Imagine having to teach a human being from inception how to walk, talk, eat, potty , etc. all while being completely sleep deprived covered in baby food and who knows what else. I’m not a Mom, but I am a daughter. Being the first child in my family, I have been blessed with a plethora of stories regarding my no sleeping antics as a newborn from my parents and Godparents. Hilarious doesn’t even begin to cover it. My hat is tipped to every mother…
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Tribeca Film Festival 2018: Ellis Haizlip’s Niece Pay Tribute in Mr SOUL documentary
Before Oprah, Arsenio or even Soul Train, Ellis Haizlip and the Corporation for Pubic Broadcasting gave us SOUL! on September 8, 1968. It was SOUL! that introduced America to a young former Alvin Ailey dancer turned choreographer – George Faison. Before “Amen”, Anna Maria Horsford was spitting poetry rhymes and Sesame Street’s “Susan” (Loretta Long), Ashford & Simpson, The Last Poets, Carmen de Lavallade, Amiri Baraka, Al Green, Earth, Wind and Fire and a young Patti Labelle along with Nona Hendryx and Sarah Dash were all given a television platform through Ellis Haizlip. A graduate of Howard University, Haizlip set the vibe of the times and changed the minds of…
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Joaquin Phoenix Plays Troubled Hit Man in You Were Never Really Here
Say what you want about Joaquin Phoenix, but the boy can act his buns off. In the new psychological thriller You Were Never Really Here, Phoenix is a former soldier turned FBI agent, no nonsense hitman-on-a-mission who now devotes his time rescuing kidnapped young women from a sex traffickers.
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Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival Celebrates 34 Years
April 3, 2018 – LOS ANGELES Visual Communications (VC), the nation’s premier Asian Pacific American media arts center, announced its outstanding program of films and events for the upcoming 34th edition of the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival (LAAPFF) running MAY 3 – MAY 12, 2018. The all encompassing annual film celebration is presented across Los Angeles in West Hollywood, Downtown LA, Little Tokyo, the Arts District, Koreatown, and Hollywood. VC proudly celebrates the Film Festival’s 34 years as Southern California’s largest and most prestigious film festival of its kind. LAAPFF launches the celebration of Asian Pacific Heritage Month through this year’s slate of over 100 films from both…
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Charlie Plummer Shines Bright in Lean on Pete
Most of my life I have had a pet. Each and every one holds a special place in my heart and memory throughout my life. Who doesn’t love animals right? OK…so I initially thought I was going to see a film about a boy and his horse. I love horses and was majorly excited!!! However, Lean on Pete is not a story about a horse. What I witnessed the heartbreaking journey of Charlie and his quest to find his way stability in life after losing his parents and his best friend…Pete (who happens to be a horse). From acclaimed filmmaker Andrew Haigh, Lean On Pete is more about the Charlie’s…
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50 Years of The Planet of the Apes & 2001: A Space Odyssey
Before Star Wars, E.T. and Close Encounters, Stanley Kubrick released 2001: A Space Odyssey in 1968. Kubrick earned a reputation in Hollywood of producing and directing films that were odd and out of the box. To the point, where his reviews would be universally mixed. You either loved him or hated him. When 2001: A Space Odyssey was released in 1968, that result was no different. The film took more than four years to develop and make, at a cost of more than $10 million—a formidable price tag in mid-1960s Hollywood. Some audience members had fidgeted and talked through the movie’s first private screening; a few had walked out. At a…
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Virtual World Comes Alive with Ready Player One
My brother and I grew up on Steven Spielberg films…Jaws, E.T. and a list of other films that is as tall as my 5’2″ frame. Over the holidays, I bought a Star Wars VR game because I am obsessed with anything in the franchise and where else could I become ‘the force’ in the comfort of my own home??!! Needless to say when I found out that Spielberg was adapting the book of Ready Player One by Ernest Cline for the big screen…I was all in!!!! Ready Player One delves into the virtual reality world emphasizing that one can become anyone they choose via an avatar, suit and headgear. The…
