Trailer: Dying Laughing
Posted on June 6, 2016 at 3:14 pm
I’m really looking forward to this new documentary about comedy — and comedians.
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Interview: Princess Cupcake Jones Author Yileya Fields
Posted on June 6, 2016 at 3:00 pm
Ms. Fields was kind enough to answer my questions.
What inspired you to create the Princess Cupcake series?
Princess Cupcake Jones was inspired by the lack of diversity I saw while looking for books to read to my children. I decided to take matter into my own hands and blend the appearances and personalities of my two eldest daughters – thus creating Princess Cupcake Jones.
What is Princess Cupcake like? What does she like to do?
Princess Cupcake Jones is a curious, sassy, yet sweet 5 year old. She can be quite mischievous, like most children her age.
She loves playing, dancing, and has quite the imagination.
Who is in her family?
Princess Cupcake Jones, her mother (the Queen) and her father (the King) are the main characters in the story. However, I’m exploring the idea of giving her a sibling in a future book.
Is she based on a real-life character?
She is physically a combination of two of my eldest daughters. I blended both of their appearances and personalities into one beautiful character. Yet my two younger daughters are now providing inspiration for her as well!
Do your children inspire or influence your stories?
Absolutely! The Princess Cupcake Jones series would not have come to life if it weren’t for my children. I felt a responsibility to create this series for them as well as children around the world so they could relate to a character in a book.
Why is it important for children of all races to have books about diverse characters?
Children seeing diverse characters is important because it drives home the fact that while people may look different physically, at the end of the day, our values, dreams, wishes, etc are the same. These characters connect them and help children to relate to each other better.
What books did you enjoy when you were a little girl?
Growing up I was a voracious reader. I loved poetry and still do. Shel Silverstein’s Where the Sidewalk Ends and A Light in the Attic were two of my favorite books!
What do you want children and their families to learn from these books?
With each book having a different life lesson, my goal is to reinforce morals and values that children utilize in everyday life. By reading the books together, families can bond over the fact that Cupcake and her family isn’t that much different than their own!
What adventures will Princess Cupcake have next?
The next book in the series “Princess Cupcake Jones and the Dance Recital” is due out this summer. It’s all about Cupcake’s love for dance and what child can’t relate to that?
Have Fans Gone Too Far?
Posted on June 5, 2016 at 3:55 pm
Devin Faraci writes that “Fandom is Broken.” He compares today’s tweet-storming fans to the crazed Annie Wilkes of “Misery,” Kathy Bates’ Oscar-winning role, now a Broadway play about a fan so deranged that she holds the author hostage and hobbles him. Faraci writes about the furious fan reaction to changes like portraying Captain America as an undercover Hydra operative and the all-female “Ghostbuster.” And the New York Times has an article about Harry Potter fans who are upset — not thrilled — that author J.K. Rowling is expanding the story with a London theatrical production called “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” and the upcoming prequel film.
Yes, fans go too far. They could remake “Ghostbusters” with a terrible all-male cast (Adam Sandler? Carrot Top?) or with dancing animated asterisks in the lead roles and it would still not affect in any way the original film. Social media makes it easy for trolls (some using multiple accounts) to put a lot of negative commentary online. But “fan” comes from “fanatic.” People spent their food money to buy tickets to hear Jenny Lind and thousands showed up for Rudolph Valentino’s wake. Maybe there is a current trend toward ownership of the object of fandom, and certainly nerd-style fandom is not considered as, well, nerdy anymore, but mostly I think it’s just louder because people have so many ways to spout off publicly.
Confused by the Cinematic X-Men Universe? You’re Not Alone!
Posted on June 5, 2016 at 8:00 am
But the “X-Men” movie series, even within its own universe, has not really worried much about logic or consistency, and Matt Singer does a great job of laying it all out. For example, it’s 1983, and Magneto, who was a child during WWII, is in his 30’s. Unless his mutant powers include perpetual youth, that does not make sense. Same for Moira MacTaggert, and she isn’t even a mutant. And this is my favorite.
Speaking of Mystique: Wasn’t she kind of a villain in the last movie? She was trying to kill Boliver Trask. Now she’s leading the X-Men into battle? Does that even have any precedent in X-Men comics?
Jennifer Lawrence is really popular, guys. Like hugely popular. They’ve gotta keep her involved somehow.
Tribute: Muhammad Ali
Posted on June 4, 2016 at 4:16 pm
The term GOAT — Greatest of All Time — was coined for boxing champion Muhammad Ali. Born Cassius Clay, he took the name Muhammad Ali when he converted to Islam. But most often he was known simply as Ali or “The Greatest.” We mourn his death at age 74 from Parkinson’s disease. Ali was selected by Sports Illustrated as the third greatest athlete of the 20th century. But he was also a towering and sometimes polarizing figure in American culture as well, a consummate showman, and a proud, outspoken man in the tumultuous era of protests over civil rights and the Vietnam war.
Here he is with Howard Cosell.
These are my favorite Ali movies.
Will Smith starred as Ali in an outstanding biopic directed by Michael Mann.
There is also a brilliant documentary about the George Foreman fight in Zaire, When We Were Kings.
I Am Ali tells his story in his own words, with recordings of voicemails he left over the years.
May his memory be a blessing.