Emma Watson

If you don’t know who Emma Watson is, I strongly recommend you find out.  She’s such a good role model and I don’t know who wouldn’t aspire to be her.  Emma Watson is a very successful British actress who got her break through her playing the part of Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter movies.  She started those movies at age 9.  Now at age 24, she’s graduated from Brown University, she’s been in other successful movies, and she helped launch the “HeforShe” UN Women campaign.

HeforShe calls for men to support gender equality.  Watson is a UN Goodwill Ambassador and gave a powerful speech at a United Nations meeting in New York back in September.  Speech: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q0Dg226G2Z8 Watson spread the word and got a major response through twitter.  There were responses from people like Benedict Cumberbatch, Pharrell Williams, Prince Harry, and a lot more.  The response was so big; Emma definitely got the word out and people talking. 

It’s inspiring that Emma can be so successful and still do so much and spread positivity.  Despite what I said in my other blog post about fame destroying people, it definitely didn’t destroy Emma Watson.  You don’t see many stars go back to school and make the decisions she does.  If you have a kid, you probably would want them to look up to someone like Emma Watson.

Fame Always Gets in the Way

This post kind of goes along with my previous post, “Childhood Ruined”.  As a kid, your idols were the stars of your favorite TV shows or movies.  They always seemed to pull through as a person and make the best decisions.  They were inspirational and talented, and you probably learned a few life lessons from them.

When you get older, you come to realize that the actress or actor was just playing a character that someone created.  They aren’t necessarily the person they played in the show they starred in.  I’m sure you’ve all heard of (hopefully) people like Miley Cyrus, Amanda Bynes (previously blogged about), and Lindsay Lohan.  I realize there are probably a lot more stars who’ve hit the bottom, but these three were the ones I’ve watched since I was a kid.  I used to watch “the Amanda Show” and one of my all-time favorite movies was “What a Girl Wants”.  Amanda Bynes did such a good job playing that role, and now she’s pretty crazy.  Check out one of my older blogs when I addressed Amanda Bynes’s current issues: http://emilypaplang.blogspot.com/2014/10/amanda-bynes-downfall.html Lindsay Lohan also proved to not follow the road of her characters.  She was such a cute young girl in “the Parent Trap”.  Maggie Peyton from “Herby Fully Loaded”.  Her character was inspirational because she taught you to follow your dreams as she does in the movie.  Child stars really are toxic.  Lindsay has had so many problems with drinking and making bad decisions that she’s not really brought up a lot for any accomplishments…  The last person I have to follow up on fame bringing people down, is Miley Cyrus.  I don’t dislike Miley Cyrus. In fact, I like quite a few of her songs.  What throws her into this category is all her insane changes.  She chopped off her beautiful hair (which isn’t a bad thing I just liked it long), her style changed, she does like to dance inappropriately a lot, and makes suggestive gestures.  Her songs have definitely changes since she made changes to her appearance.  Her songs are a lot more mature then they used to be. 

I haven’t seen many stars (especially child stars) that don’t change after fame.  I don’t know if it all just gets to their heads or if it’s pressure or what.  There are a few stars who have seemed to escape the troubles of fame like Hilary Duff.  She’s married and has a family of her own, and hasn’t been in the news for any trouble recently.  I hope that the troubled people grow up to be happy and don’t end up regretting all they’ve done.

Childhood Ruined

            I used to get so excited to watch TV as a child.  Disney channel had it all.  The best thing you could see while watching TV was the kid doing the splits in the air because it meant a Disney channel original movie was about to start.  The other best thing you could see was the list of what would be on next and after that.  The shows like Hannah Montana, Wizards of Waverly Place, That’s So Raven, Kim Possible, Lizzie Maguire, The Suite Life of Zach and Cody, and many more shows made life a little easier.  Nickelodeon had TV shows like Drake and Josh, Zoey 101, Ned’s Declassified School Survival Guide, and more.  My cable box used to be filled all the time with the recordings of the shows I would be missing while I was at school.  I liked the kind of shows where the main character was a normal girl AND a rock star (Hannah Montana).  I liked the funny shows like Drake and Josh and Ned’s Declassified.  Those were just the TV shows.  The movies on Disney were always just as good. The High School Musical movie trilogy were Disney originals.  I still watch and sing along to this day! Holes and Cadet Kelly were “classics” too.

            What I’ve come to see now are shows like A.N.T. Farm (cancelled in May), Dog with a Blog, Fish Hooks (which finished back in April), Liv & Maddie, and other shows that I could never find appealing as a child.  A.N.T. Farm was about younger kids who were really advanced and talented who were put into High School.  I didn’t even contemplate Middle School while I watched my Disney shows as a kid, let alone High School.  Fish Hooks is about three FISH who actually go to High School.  I think the title, “Dog with a Blog” explains it all.  A talking dog who blogs about life.  I feel like kids are being deprived of the shows I used to watch at that age.  I understand it’s a different time, but the old shows were so good!

  Of course all kid shows have a moral of the story and put in as many life lessons as they could, but I feel like the life lessons have changed.  What I learned from my childhood shows were things like family and friends come first, you succeed if you try and put your mind to it, and don’t lose hope.  All of the shows I watched had all of that while making it entertaining.  I can see that shows nowadays still have lessons built into the episode but it doesn’t seem to be the same.  I think the shows are pushing kids into growing up too fast and education is most important.  While in a sense, that true, but you learn that as you get older.  As a kid, I think the most important values are to be good and your friends and family are your number one through life.  Granted I don’t spend all my time watching children shows now, but from what I’ve heard and the little I’ve seen make me question the values being pushed on a child now.

Relationships Within DWTS

            I did a post earlier on “Dancing With the Stars” (DTWS), and I have an update, not so much about the show, but the romance.  Janel Parish and her dance partner, Val Chmerkovskiy, have been rumored to have had a steamy bud of romance after the start of the show.  The two are seen together quite frequently and even had a matching couples costume for a Halloween party.  Neither of them are denying the rumors, but they are also not addressing them full on.  What I mean is, they really aren’t trying to cover up their feelings.  The two have been posting cute pics of each other on social media, such as Instagram and twitter, and tweeting cryptic messages. 

What I’m hoping is, they are actually together and the chemistry isn’t just for the show.  You always hear about the fake relationships that only exist only for the publicity for movies or tv shows.  It’s always sad to hear those are fake, because the movie loves are what everyone aspires to have.  No matter what though, I don’t think they should be bothered.  I think the fans and really anyone should let them live their lives in peace without being pestered about their relations.

Mama June's Doom!

“Here Comes Honey Boo Boo” star Mama June, Alana’s (Honey Boo Boo) mom has been quite the topic of recent gossip.  There has recently been a lot of talk that Mama June and her ex, who recently got out of jail.  He sexually harassed Mama June’s oldest Daughter, Anna, at age 8 (she’s now 20 and has a child).  Mama June has been seen out with ex Mark McDaniel and rumored to be dating him.  Anna recently spoke out about this, saying she believes her mother in her heart that they are indeed not together again, but she can’t help wondering and feeling uneasy.  She said if the rumors are true, she will not let Mama June near her daughter until Mark is out of her life. 

Mama June was said to not have believed Anna when she told her mother what happened to her.  Anna briefly went to stay with her grandmother, Mama June’s mom, (who said she wanted to kill McDaniel after she heard about what happened with Anna) when Mama didn’t believe her.  What’s even worse is that Mama June and Mark have been seen together WITH ALANA!  Alana is now 8 and even if they aren’t “dating”, he’s a registered sex offender.  Mama June, you’ve screwed up if you’re hanging around someone like that with your young daughter (or even at all).  She even bought this guy a car.  What is she thinking?  There have also been some allegations that “Pumpkin” another of Mama June’s daughters witnessed Anna being molested!  What kind of a world do we live in?

The show also got cancelled because of Mama’s unethical actions.  Now, the show is refusing to pay Mama June.    There is a moral clause in the contract between the show and Mama, and by putting her children at risk and hanging around a sex offender, she’s violating the clause.  Is it all worth it, Mama?  Her whole family is basically screaming at her that this is not the right decision and she’s going to lose some people in the process if she doesn’t change things and make things right within her family.  Who knows how well Mama and Anna would have been doing, even if Mark never became a part of Mama’s life again.  After all, Anna went to stay at her grandmothers and came back in hoped to reconnect with her mom. Hopefully, all these restrictions against Mama June will knock some sense into her, because she’s not only risking her safety, but her families.  

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

            The transition from October to November is actually a huge step.  Halloween has come to an end and people are recovering from their hangovers (metaphorically and literally) and preparing themselves for what lies ahead.  After Halloween, you have Thanksgiving to look forward to, Black Friday, and Christmas of course!           Even if you don’t celebrate or participate in those events, it’s still a wonderful time of the year with the crisp air of fall leading to a snuggly winter.  It’s even better if you live in a place that gets snowy enough for snowdays from school.  I personally look forward to those.

            As I have come to get older, I appreciate Thanksgiving a lot more.  The food is the best part for me.  In my family, we have stuffing, turkey, mashed potatoes, rolls, (the basics) and Hershey’s pie.  I’m a big fan of pie, but Hershey’s pie is a must in my family seeing as I grew up in a heavily chocolate influenced family.  The other great part of Thanksgiving is the family.  This year, I have some family coming down here to see us.  I come from one of those switch off families for Thanksgiving with my mom and dad, so it’s nice to get a change of scenery each year.  The day after Thanksgiving is the time to be totally obsessed with Christmas and the tree goes up.

            On November 28^{th of} this year, it’s going to be like World War 3.  Black Friday is intense, but worth it.  I plan to camp out this year with my friends, but who knows if it’ll actually happen.  It’s the start of the holiday shopping season and the deals are so beneficial.  I can’t really think of a reason not to participate, unless you have bad roads or don’t like big crowds. 

Once the snow hits, it’s like a whole new world (“Aladdin” reference intended).  I put the Christmas CDs in the car and the fireplace is on.  Whether it snows before or after Thanksgiving, I have Christmas on my mind.  This year, my mom is taking my sister and me to Disney World and Universal Studios to Harry Potter World.  My level of excitement is through the roof.  The last time I went to Disney World was when I was 8, and I can only remember bits and pieces.  I love all things Disney and Harry Potter, so it’s going to be a really good Christmas.  After we stay in Florida for a few days, I’m going to spend Christmas in Utah with my mom and brother (who’s in collage), enjoy the snow.  

Even after all that excitement, there’s New Years!  Party central for most people.

Mockingjay

             Mockingjay, the third book of the Hunger Games trilogy, is coming to theatres near you on November 21^st, 2014.  The movie, awaited by many, will be part one of two.  The first teaser trailer released was on June 25^th of this year and there were 7 more to follow.  The official and last trailer released came out on October 29^th.

Trailers: http://www.comingsoon.net/films.php?id=92388

            When the first book came out in 2008, it’s was all anybody was talking about.  The movie, “the Hunger Games” was later released in 2012 with Jennifer Lawrence playing as Katniss Everdeen.  It was amazing and the books were flying off the shelves.  “Catching Fire” came out in theatres in 2013.  Katniss Everdeen’s story continues and the news of the 3^rd book, Mockingjay, being split into a two part movie seems even greater.

            Divergent kind of reminds me of the Hunger Games.  The factions make me think of the districts, there doesn’t seem to be many parents guiding the kids, they all seem to be fighting each other, and there is one high-power government overtaking the people.  I’m only one opinion though, I haven’t actually read any of the Divergent books, I’ve only seen the movie.  I might read the books, but it really hasn’t hit me that I “need” to read them.

I am definitely a fan of the Hunger Games.  I read the books before the movies and immediately went to see them as soon as they were out.  I think the movies do a pretty good job following the books, which doesn’t happen too often. I think the movie really captures the life the people within the districts (specifically District 12) lives.  You can actually see the hardships the people go through.  Watching the games themselves is almost traumatizing.  Watching it on the screen makes it seem more real, rather than imagining it while reading it.

I’m also definitely a sucker for the Katniss/Peeta relationship, so every moment whether they were in the books or out, I was hooked.  This leads me to say I’m “team Peeta” or whatever. (Is this becoming like Twilight with team Edward and team Jacob?)  I’m all about the romances and becoming obsessed with imaginary characters.