"Once upon a time there was a Dancing Chicken that made toast with the silhouette of Hello Kitty on it..."
In case you haven't guessed it's National Tell A Fairy Tale Day and telling them obviously is not my forte. Thus I will leave that to the experts like The Brothers Grimm or Hans Christen Andersen.
To help commemorate the day we have Zendaya on hand dressed as Cinderella at the Met Gala.
What the world needs now is a good fairy tale, a happy ending so to speak. I don't know about you but that's what I am going to do today. Immerse myself in a good old fashioned escapism.
Join me and Zendaya, in a world of fantasy and fun, won't you?
It's OK to check out ever so often, so be good to yourself 😊
Have To Believe We Are Magic Prince Harry & Meghan Markle
With all the heinous things happening in the world around us, it's nice to witness a real life Fairy Tale - Once upon a time.... Thus let's pop open a bottle of our finest bubbly and toast to the union or Prince Harry & Meghan Markle on this May 19th 2018! For those of you who think this event is frivolous, you may want to re-think that position. For better of for worse this Royal Wedding matters on so many levels, politically and psychologically. How so? Let me break it down for you. On the political front you have two philanthropists getting hitched who, in lieu of wedding gifts gave a list of charities they would like their guests give donations to. Meghan Markle is biracial, while I am at loathe to make this a point since it is 2018 - sadly it is still significant. It's the uniting of two different countries, think about it, but not too hard. Psychologically with what seems like weekly mass shootings happening and the general state of the planet,this reminds us the magic of love really does exist. We need the escapism and pageantry right here, right now. There hasn't been a Cinderella story like this since Grace Kelly married Prince Rainier of Monaco. "Yes" people today we are reminded that their is hope in the world and that Fairy Tales have the power to still come true when we choose love over hate. Congratulations to the happy couple.Let love rule!!!
Never did I think the day would come when I would take seriously a case being made that Belle from Disney's Beauty and the Beast is a better role model than their Cinderella is. But and however, when the person presenting the evidence is one Ms. Emma Watson I listen. Her opinions are articulate, intelligent and immaculately stated. Ms. Watson actually turned down the role of the glass slipper losing princess in Kenneth Branagh's film, who was ultimately portrayed by Lily Collins. She was then offered Beauty and the Beast. The character of Belle resonated with her so much more. Here is the reason she feels Belle trumps Cindy any given day (source E!Online): Watson argues Belle is a much better "role model" than Cinderella. "She remains curious, compassionate and open-minded. And that's the kind of woman I would want to embody as a role model, given the choice," she explains. "There's this kind of outsider quality that Belle had, and the fact she had this really empowering defiance of what was expected of her. In a strange way, she challenges the status quo of the place she lives in, and I found that really inspiring. She manages to keep her integrity and have a completely independent point of view. She's not easily swayed by other people's perspective—not swayed by fear-mongering or scapegoating." Well, you can't argue this now, can you? You can try, but... Emma on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emmawatson/?hl=en
Being that Whitney Houston was the number one influence on him as a singer it was merely a matter of time before singer/musician/artist Matt Zarley dropped a cover of one of her many classics. That day has arrived! Yes today Matt's cover of I Look To You drops on iTunes.
To celebrate I asked Mr. Zarley to give me ten reasons Whitney was his favorite artist of all time.
Of course he gave the awesome type of answers only a super fan could.
Take it away Matt!
1. Her debut album (I played the cassette so much that I actually had to replace it)
2. “If You Say My Eyes Are Beautiful” - I was so obsessed with this song. I used to play
the last half from the end of the bridge thru to the end and marvel at her stunning
vocals. https://youtu.be/IzYIBlA7hDs
3. “The Greatest Love of All” music video - The part where she walks across the stage in
her silver evening gown. To this day, there’s something simple yet magical in that
moment. https://youtu.be/IYzlVDlE72w
4. “I’m Your Baby Tonight” album - This is when we started to hear her really rip thru a
song. Her first 2 albums were very refined; whereas this was the moment we started to
hear her true r&b roots.
5. “Welcome Home Heroes” HBO Concert - This is one of the greatest concerts ever.
She has never sounded better. Billy Porter and I would sit in my NYC apartment for
hours, watching and studying her nuances. This is also when Billy and I so lovingly
nicknamed her SONGSTRESS: ALL THAT IS VOICE. (I’m totally not lying) https:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=11x2xf5BE6Q
6. The Bodyguard - This was her peak, vocally. She was the platinum standard of which
most singers of my generation looked up to.
7. Cinderella - I actually appeared in this Disney television tv movie. She was the exec
producer and star of this. Though I didn’t get to work with her (I worked with Brandy
for a month), I love to be able to say I was in the same film with her. :)
8. “The Star Spangled Banner” - THE BEST rendition of this classic. No one will ever top
her performance ever.
9. Her talent and artistry - I don’t think most people really appreciated how gifted she
was. She made it look so easy. She had a gift for connecting to a lyric and really
communicating that story to the listener. She could draw you in to her. Very few artists
can stand at a microphone and just sing….and make you feel something, really affect
you. She had that gift. She didn’t need to fly, flash her nipples, or kiss another woman
to get your attention. Her artistry was enough. https:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=11x2xf5BE6Q
10. That voice - In my opinion, she was and is the greatest pop vocalist ever. She had that
mezzo soprano range that allowed her to glide thru octaves seemlessly. She knew the
importance of a melody and not to oversing or over embellish a song. She respected
the music. She would always establish the tune first before riffing her face off…which
always felt like it made sense. Her intonation and clarity of tone was off the charts
perfect. She truly had the most beautiful instrument we will likely ever hear. No one
even comes close. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_cdEH_tTvug
