Are you a “Glee” fan? Do you like to sing? Smule has an app that will let you submit your versions of “Glee” songs. You can create and share songs with friends or sing with the Glee cast. They will even correct your pitch and harmonize your voice while you sing. A special introductory price includes premium songs “Somebody to Love”, “Rehab” and “Keep Me Hanging On”. Earn 50 Gleeks by having friends and visitors click on your performance and you can win free songs.
One of the best shows on television right now for teens and their families is MTV’s “When I Was 17.” It’s as simple as the title. Celebrities talk about what they were doing when they were 17 years old. Participants include Drake, Kevin Jonas, Katharine McPhee, Bret Michaels, Queen Latifah, and Lucacris. Whether the stories they tell are about big dreams and opportunities or big fears and failures or both, they are utterly engrossing and inspiring. And they are ideal lead-ins to important conversations about hard work, ambition, taking chances, and dealing with consequences.
Gary Coleman died today from head injuries. He was 42.
At one time one of television’s most popular performers, Coleman struggled to find a place for himself after “Diff’rent Strokes” left the air. The show was about a wealthy single white father of a young girl who became the guardian for two black children. Coleman, who looked much younger than his real age due to kidney disease and its treatment, captivated audiences with his smart aleck-y bravado. The show was controversial for its patronizing portrayal of race and class differences but was a mainstream success and was selected by then-first lady Nancy Reagan for an appearance on behalf of her “Just Say No” anti-drug campaign, one of several “very special” episodes.
After the show ended, all three of the young stars had difficulties. Todd Bridges and Dana Plato both developed drug problems. Plato died of a drug overdose and her son recently committed suicide. Coleman sued his parents for taking the money he had earned. He had difficulty finding work. He filed for bankruptcy and was charged with assault.
May he find peace at last, and may his memory be a blessing.
The Lifetime television series “Drop Dead Diva” was one of the happiest television series surprises of 2009. As it returns for a second season, the first is out on DVD and I have one copy to give away.
It’s the story of a young woman who gets a second chance at life when she finds her soul in a new body very different from the one she knew. Deb is a pretty model who takes for granted all the good things that come to her because she is young, blond, and conventionally beautiful. She has a best friend, Stacey (April Bowlby), also a model, and a handsome fiancee Grayson (Jackson Hurst), a lawyer.
Deb is killed in a car crash. In Heaven, she is evaluated as a “zero.” She has not committed any major sins but she has not made any great contributions, either. So, she is sent back to Earth, this time in the body of a just-deceased size-sixteen lawyer named Jane (Brooke Elliott).
And so a woman who lived on her beauty has to become a woman who lives on her brains. Deb learns what it is like to be dismissed and marginalized based on the way she looks. She learns how much she can accomplish with knowledge and understanding. And she realizes how much she misses Grayson, who works in Jane’s law firm, and wonders if she can make him fall in love with her even though she is no longer blonde and slim.
The show is delightful, with a strong writing, a terrific cast, and some well-chosen guest stars, including “Project Runway’s” Tim Gunn and real-life divas Paula Abdul and Rosie O’Donnell. But in every way the heart of the series is Elliott, who is utterly charming as Deb/Jane. Can’t wait to see what she does next.
Send me an email at moviemom@moviemom.com and tell me your favorite “Drop Dead Diva” moment. The first to respond will get the DVD set of the first season. Enjoy!
