I had the honour and sheer privilege of interviewing Michael Johns from American Idol fame for his latest EP, Love and Sex.
Now when I write my interviews, I’m usually good with removing myself and my own thoughts from the content and just write. However, this is probably one of my favourite interviews even though it is quite short because I really connected with what he knows about love and sex. At one point, I even cried writing this because it just got to me on so many levels. For someone else out there to understand these concepts of what love and sex are, is one of those things that you can only appreciate and know that you aren’t alone when you think it too.
Below is an excerpt from my Newsvine column where you can find the rest of the interview. I chose this part out of the interview because I felt it needed to be shown to readers who are in a position like this.
Johns answers straightforwardly how there are a billion things written about this but that basically, time plays a factor throughout the course of these motions. “I’ve had people I loved but it turned out to be lust or a craving, although at the time it was love. I have been in relationships where I was totally head over heels [but] you either grow older or apart. Then, as you do get older, you begin to look for what’s really a match,” he says, mentioning how it’s the little but huge things like family, sense of humor, world views, that thought lurks in and makes you wonder, “can I raise a family with this person?”
“When you’re in your 20s, you think you know but in most cases, [you] don’t. I think people who get married too young, often I’ve found end up unhappy. Now some of the lucky ones at any age get to be with their true soul mate – 25, 35, 65, it doesn’t matter what age. Unfortunately for most, they don’t. I think sometimes people are so scared to say [they’re] unhappy and stay in negative relationships for fear of hurting someone or being alone or [for] the kids. There’s no perfect road map. You just got to follow your heart and try and be the best person you can,” he stresses.
One of the likeable things about acting is that it isn’t like any other profession. It’s a job where one can go in and do something different each time while recreating themselves every day. They’re able to meticulously absorb personalities from script and translate it to screen or stage by adding their own familiarities between the similarities. It’s a talent not everyone can easily achieve or slip into but Caileigh Scott is an actor proving her worth in Tinseltown.
It’s been known that the best acting is instinctive. It’s not intellectual or mechanical but something that should come off natural. For Scott, being in that world seems innate as she hails from a family of artists and supporters of the arts. As an only child growing up, she tells me how blessed she is with such a supportive family around her. “I’ve certainly never had to face the stern looks around the Thanksgiving dinner table, asking, ‘So when are you going to give up this acting thing and become a lawyer?’” she quips.
The young fiery red-headed actress shuffled around quite a bit in her early years between Detroit, rural Pennsylvania and New York City but shares with me how moving at such a young age brings about the opportunity for one to reinvent themselves. Whether from the east coast or to the current west coast in Los Angeles, Scott says while theatre in the Big Apple matured her as a performer growing up, being in L.A has turned her into a savvy business woman; a quality both equally important to maintaining a career in this industry.
It is said that each man is the architect of his own fate as he dreams of his destiny, without fear and yearns to make it a reality for when the time is right. However, we are guided through life with the notion that we have our own decisions to make, tinkering with the thought of choices and freewill. But is freewill a misconception? Is our fate already predetermined?
George Nolfi’s directorial debut The Adjustment Bureau dabbles with the concept that there is only an appearance of freewill and that all of life’s major choices are predetermined by a higher authority and the path they’ve chosen for us. Nolfi, who also wrote the screenplay loosely based on Phillip K. Dick’s short story, “The Adjustment Team”, dives deep into the age old debate of freewill vs. fate with a fresh spin on the philosophies of life and theology, with regards to fate, destiny, chance and the greater picture of our very being.
The first episode of Lost in Tanslation features me — the host, Tania discussing the premise of my new webseries while showcasing items of interest and taking questions from fans in a random yet fun fashion. Every episode will have a theme and in this week’s webisode, I express my love for Popcorn, Indiana as I’m a Hoosier at heart and have a ”secret” love for cheese. Also, I have a feature, creatively titled “Three Questions” — will I answer yours this week? Tune in!
Subscribe for Lost in Tanslation at YouTube and follow me on Twitter over @westlifebunny!
Superbowl Sunday is upon us and if you’re like me, the stakes are not too high tonight seeing as my team didn’t make it into the Superbowl this year but nevertheless, I still wear my Indianapolis Colts jersey with dignity and fragrance of chicken wings. Apparently the BBQ smell is hard to come out of clothes – who’d have thought?
Now, you might just enjoy football and all that it encompasses like me and enjoy watching some solid gridiron action or you might not. A few of my friends don’t understand the sport and at times find it nothing short of “boring”. Most times when I hear them utter such words, it’s almost blasphemy to me. Sports are sports; they’re meant to define and challenge organized competitions, embrace human contact and come together for a common goal with a tremendous heart. There is a beauty within any game in any sport and football has this sort of, “je ne sais quoi” regarding its attraction. However, not everyone needs to watch the Superbowl to see or understand football for more than its face value. Perhaps you’d prefer the more handsome, refined action from the green field with a heart-warming plot and a few laughs?
Instead of watching the Green Bay Packers fight it out with the Pittsburgh Steelers, tonight you might want to sit back and relax and watch a good old American film while still being in some sort of football mode.
In recent years, America has faced a great recession that has left the jobless with not only profound psychological and emotional scars but with slim hope of finding themselves out of the ditch they were put in. The economic catastrophe has affected more than 15 million people and they feel disheartened and quite weak as their financial reserves grow exhausted, their job hunt becomes strenuous and their place with their family, community and society befalls strain with the battle for their shifting identity becoming a newfound challenge.
A film that is showcasing the current economic forecast and the realities of it all is The Company Men directed by long-time television producer, John Wells (ER, The West Wing). In his directorial debut, Wells who also wrote the screenplay for the topical film illustrates an unyielding, clever and poignant piece of work for the audience, bringing the bleak realities to life.
It seems like the film industry today isn’t too keen on producing westerns as they aren’t made too often but when they are, they are made with much interest and an eager eye. A duo that you wouldn’t expect to be involved in the creation of a western is this generation’s leading writing and directing team, Ethan and Joel Coen. Their latest, True Gritis a beautiful, literary piece that is nothing like its 1969 predecessor starring the Duke, John Wayne.
This film proves that the Coen brothers are clearly experienced enough to exercise their genre palette and create such a film of grandeur while never losing sight of the storyline, its genuinely constructed characters and indulging into their usual quirks found in their filmography. True Grit has all the elements of a western but at the same time, still has that signature touch the Coen brothers are well known for as seen in their past films. The film does not take away from the novel’s direction and the Coen style. It still has that elusive flavour the two visionaries bring forth in every film, in terms of the sarcastic banter between characters and the quick “shock and awe” approach to the storyline, rising conflict and violence. With a Coen feature, one never knows where the story will take them.
Perfection is in the eye of the beholder and Darren Aronofsky for his latest film, Black Swan decides to toy around with the common ambition we all strive for. However, the way Aronofsky messes with his protagonists and their singular pursuits in each film is somewhat of a mind muddle.
In Black Swan, Aronofsky has directed a clever script that is more of a character study into the deep dark abyss of self-esteem and a subdued sexuality from within, aiming for the notion of perfection. The actors portray their characters to their absolute best through physical expression and an honest emotion that leaves the watcher feeling somewhat of an empathy and interest into the depths of the protagonist.
When in times of hopelessness, we feel like there’s nothing to look forward to; the days get longer and the whole world feels dark and dreary while storm clouds gather over our head as it rains and we realize, we’ve forgotten our umbrellas as we drag our feet along, holding onto the notion that times can be good again and hope can be restored and that people won’t drive too fast and splash us with gutter water.
For months on end, Conan O’Brien fans fell into a dark spot, missing their beloved “Coco” and wondering what the orange-haired, milk white glistening skinned comedian would have in store for us next.
The late, great Jackie Kennedy once said, “I am a woman above everything else,” and even after all these years, such words hold a great practicality and tenacity. With all that we do in life, who we become, we’re women (well, some of us) — first and foremost. We strive to live up to our potential and we’re curious and hold onto the notion that all can be good in the world while hoping to make a difference. We cherish the gift of womanhood and from that, look within ourselves to see how far we can push the boundaries of what we know and strengthen our hearts and minds with life and the world and the people around us.
The two women from The Girls with Glasses Show are proving this with their smart talk show that aims to bring together not just intelligent insight but hilarity, discussions on fashion and entertainment, art and music and do it all in a trendy and chic way all while wearing glasses.
It pains me to say this, but I may be getting too mature for details.
My name's Tania! I'm a writer at NBC News' Newsvine. I wrote a manuscript a couple of years ago and hopefully will get that published this century. I love movies and music, baseball and football (NFL), my friends offline and online and really enjoy pancakes along with burgers. Not together, of course. My life isn't complete without some Elvis Presley tunes and TCM; I love Jimmy Stewart too. A pen and paper must always be on hand. Oh and I'm an active member of Team Conan and I love Tina Fey!
