Many of us have heard of or seen the movie The Men of Honor, If you haven't, it is a movie based on the discrimination of one determined soul named Carl Brashear. This brave African American man shows his pride and dignity for his pride and color as he works his way up to pass diving school, the first one in history to even make it passed the gates. Lets take a brief look into the life of the real Carl Brashear.
During an interview with the film director, people were able to ask questions and take a deeper look into the true story of Brashear, It was said that while some of the film was dramatized ( what film isn't) there was a lot of heart and truth behind it. For instance, Brashear did in fact lose his leg and decide to have it amputate it for the fate of his career ahead. "I follow Carl’s life and career, but my goal was to be true to his spirit, not his shirt size" says the film director. Bottom line, Carl Brashear was a man of good faith and strong determination, and nothing could take away his aspirations in life, nothing,
In adding movies to my blog I am able to create a wider variety for the tastes and liking of the viewers. With that being said, please continue to check up on my blog once in a while to see what going on "Beyond the Lights".
Sunday, October 5, 2014
A Tribute to MJ
Lately my Pandora station has consisted mostly of older songs from Jackson 5 and yes, MJ himself (from later in his career). With that being said I know its been quite a while since his death, but it's never to late to pay tribute to Micheal Jackson and his history of pop music , being the "King of Pop", and his incredible dance moves that will forever exist in our hearts. What an inspirational soul to put hi idea of music and reputation on the line for what he is truly passionate about, now that's what I call inspiring. Many of us have our own ideas of what we do and don't believe in, but I am willing to bet that many of us wouldn't be willing to risk our reputations, from childhood on, in front of the world. What's even more fascinating is that people instantly fell in love, How many children do you find willing to just sing and dance anywhere in front of anyone, not to many I would say. Thanks to MJ our idea of music has been shaped to a different generation, just like Elvis, and that we have the musical experiences that exist today.
While the meaning of this post was to pay tribute, it wouldn't fit the description of "Beyond the Lights" without a little background history on the legend himself. Michael Joseph Jackson was born on August 29, 1958, in Gary Indiana. "He was the eighth of ten children in an African-American working-class family who lived in a two-bedroom house in Gary, an industrial city and a part of the Chicago metropolitan area" (Wikipedia).His mother was Katherine Esther Scruse, a devout Jehovah's Witness. While once aspiring to be a country and western performer who played clarinet and piano, she ended up working part-time at Sears to help support the family. His father was Joseph Walter "Joe" Jackson, who was a former boxer, a steelworker at U.S. Steel. and also performed on guitar with a local R&B band called The Falcons to supplement the family's household income. Michael also grew up with three sisters (Rebbie, La Toya, and Janet) and five brothers (Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon, and Randy). A sixth brother, Marlon's elder twin Brandon, died shortly after birth.
As most of us know, Micheal stared his career as a part of the Jackson five, a band made up of him and his four other brothers. Micheal and Joe never had a good relationship, in fact Joe would often punish Micheal with harsh punishments such as abuse. No matter what Joe said though the rest of the world quickly fell in love with Micheal, and he soon grew as an inspiration and a legend.
Later in his career Micheal went on as a solo act and continued to achieve many goals, awards, and hearts of people all around the globe. It was the night before his promised big 50 year tour on June 25th, 2009, in his rented mansion in Los Angeles ( due to a medical overdose). Although he is gone he still is remembered and alive in the hearts of his fans, and will forever remain a mark in musical history.
While the meaning of this post was to pay tribute, it wouldn't fit the description of "Beyond the Lights" without a little background history on the legend himself. Michael Joseph Jackson was born on August 29, 1958, in Gary Indiana. "He was the eighth of ten children in an African-American working-class family who lived in a two-bedroom house in Gary, an industrial city and a part of the Chicago metropolitan area" (Wikipedia).His mother was Katherine Esther Scruse, a devout Jehovah's Witness. While once aspiring to be a country and western performer who played clarinet and piano, she ended up working part-time at Sears to help support the family. His father was Joseph Walter "Joe" Jackson, who was a former boxer, a steelworker at U.S. Steel. and also performed on guitar with a local R&B band called The Falcons to supplement the family's household income. Michael also grew up with three sisters (Rebbie, La Toya, and Janet) and five brothers (Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon, and Randy). A sixth brother, Marlon's elder twin Brandon, died shortly after birth.
As most of us know, Micheal stared his career as a part of the Jackson five, a band made up of him and his four other brothers. Micheal and Joe never had a good relationship, in fact Joe would often punish Micheal with harsh punishments such as abuse. No matter what Joe said though the rest of the world quickly fell in love with Micheal, and he soon grew as an inspiration and a legend.
Later in his career Micheal went on as a solo act and continued to achieve many goals, awards, and hearts of people all around the globe. It was the night before his promised big 50 year tour on June 25th, 2009, in his rented mansion in Los Angeles ( due to a medical overdose). Although he is gone he still is remembered and alive in the hearts of his fans, and will forever remain a mark in musical history.
Tuesday, September 30, 2014
Jennifer Lawrence
Most people view her as the most flawless and perfect actress around, and believe me (in my opinion at least) that is very true. Whats weird about the description is that most of us view someone as flawless when they seem to have no factual imperfections and look and do everything with zero flaws. While Jennifer Lawrence does somewhat fit that description she has other two other things most people of these qualities tend to lack, self pride and the confidence to not care what other people think. I mean lets be honest, people that we think of as perfect aren't accidentally made out to be that way, it's because they are extra careful and take their time to look their best on and off set. I personally look at Lawrence as a role model actress that represents most of the human race outside of the publicity. She is so true and honest to who she is that she barely even shows up plastered on a magazine or newspaper for a bad picture taken or a mistake because she has enough pride and confidence to be nothing but herself, no matter what people think. Okay enough rambling, lets take a look at Jennifer Lawrence's history.
Jennifer Shrader Lawrence was born on August 15, 1990 in Louisville, Kentucky. "She is the daughter of Karen (Koch) Lawrence, a children's camp manager, and Gary Lawrence, a construction worker" (Wikipedia). In addition she also has two older brothers, Ben and Blaine. By the age of 14 she had decided that she wanted to pursue a career in acting. This persuaded her parents to take her to New York City to find a talent agent. Before finding success in Hollywood, Lawrence attended Kammerer Middle School in Louisville. She graduated from high school two years early with a 3.9 average, working hard at a career in acting. Between growing up and acting, Lawrence served as an assistant nurse at the children's summer day camp that her mother ran.
Lawrence's lead role in Debra Granik's Winter's Bone is often cited as her breakthrough performance which in addition won best picture at the Sundance Film Festival in 2010. Her role portrayed the character Ree Dolly, a 17-year-old in the Ozark Mountains, who cares for her mentally ill mother and her younger brother and sister. The performance was highly acclaimed by film critics, which helped earn a more respected and wide variety of audiences around the world. From here we all know where she went next. Her performance in The Hunger Games series has earned her a huge fan base all around the globe. As she continues her career, Jennifer Lawrence continues to achieve success and respect for her pride and intelligence spread throughout.
Jennifer Shrader Lawrence was born on August 15, 1990 in Louisville, Kentucky. "She is the daughter of Karen (Koch) Lawrence, a children's camp manager, and Gary Lawrence, a construction worker" (Wikipedia). In addition she also has two older brothers, Ben and Blaine. By the age of 14 she had decided that she wanted to pursue a career in acting. This persuaded her parents to take her to New York City to find a talent agent. Before finding success in Hollywood, Lawrence attended Kammerer Middle School in Louisville. She graduated from high school two years early with a 3.9 average, working hard at a career in acting. Between growing up and acting, Lawrence served as an assistant nurse at the children's summer day camp that her mother ran.
Lawrence's lead role in Debra Granik's Winter's Bone is often cited as her breakthrough performance which in addition won best picture at the Sundance Film Festival in 2010. Her role portrayed the character Ree Dolly, a 17-year-old in the Ozark Mountains, who cares for her mentally ill mother and her younger brother and sister. The performance was highly acclaimed by film critics, which helped earn a more respected and wide variety of audiences around the world. From here we all know where she went next. Her performance in The Hunger Games series has earned her a huge fan base all around the globe. As she continues her career, Jennifer Lawrence continues to achieve success and respect for her pride and intelligence spread throughout.
Sunday, September 28, 2014
Drake
The famous rap artist that has entranced many people all over the world, including myself, continues to show up other artists with his incredible work that he produces. Many outsiders of rap artists will tell you rap is a bunch of bull with some profanity to cover up the missing holes of the songs. However, what they don't realize, is that there is a decent amount of intelligence and patients that plays into rappers method of madness, and Drake displays it beautifully.
"Aubrey Drake Graham was born on October 24, 1986, in Toronto, Ontario, to parents Sandi Graham (née Sher), an educator, and Dennis Graham, a drummer who worked with Jerry Lee Lewis" (Wikipedia). At the young age of just 15 Drake started his career after meeting an agent, the father of a friend in high school, that found Drake a role on the Canadian TV show Degrassi: The Next Generation as Jimmy Brooks. In the show, Drakes character Brooks is a basketball star who became physically disabled after he was shot by a classmate. He describes how his early acting career affected his family by stating that "My mother was very sick. We were very poor, like broke. The only money I had coming in was off of Canadian TV, which isn't that much money when you break it down. A season of Canadian television is under a teacher's salary, I'll tell you that much. It's definitely not something to go f****** get". He continued his acting career on Degrassi: The Next Generation until 2009, when his character graduated from Degrassi. Overall, he appeared in a total of 138 episodes.
After his Degrassi experience Drake started to work on mixed tapes. His first few self-released mixed tapes achieved success and he was signed to Young Money Records on June of 2009. His first debuted album Thank Me Later blew up, and ever since Drake has been a rap icon. With a fan base of many who can relate and feel his lyrics, Drake has easily become one of the most respected rap artists out there. As of now, he continues to write and inspire many throughout the world with a career that is no where near burnout.
"Aubrey Drake Graham was born on October 24, 1986, in Toronto, Ontario, to parents Sandi Graham (née Sher), an educator, and Dennis Graham, a drummer who worked with Jerry Lee Lewis" (Wikipedia). At the young age of just 15 Drake started his career after meeting an agent, the father of a friend in high school, that found Drake a role on the Canadian TV show Degrassi: The Next Generation as Jimmy Brooks. In the show, Drakes character Brooks is a basketball star who became physically disabled after he was shot by a classmate. He describes how his early acting career affected his family by stating that "My mother was very sick. We were very poor, like broke. The only money I had coming in was off of Canadian TV, which isn't that much money when you break it down. A season of Canadian television is under a teacher's salary, I'll tell you that much. It's definitely not something to go f****** get". He continued his acting career on Degrassi: The Next Generation until 2009, when his character graduated from Degrassi. Overall, he appeared in a total of 138 episodes.
After his Degrassi experience Drake started to work on mixed tapes. His first few self-released mixed tapes achieved success and he was signed to Young Money Records on June of 2009. His first debuted album Thank Me Later blew up, and ever since Drake has been a rap icon. With a fan base of many who can relate and feel his lyrics, Drake has easily become one of the most respected rap artists out there. As of now, he continues to write and inspire many throughout the world with a career that is no where near burnout.
Dylan O'Brien
The very well known (and extremely attractive) Dylan O'Brien has been on the rise lately. His amazing performances on and off screen have grown him an incredible fan base that continues to rise, and his recently released movie The Maze Runner has made him the talk of many. Others though, such as myself, have been hooked since his first appearance in Teen Wolf. However, either way, Dylan O'Brien has made himself a great reputation that will last him a lifetime as we all, and many more to come, continue to watch his grace, poise, kindness, and intelligence throughout his career.
"Dylan O'Brien was born in New York City, to Lisa Rhodes, a former actress who also ran an acting school, and Patrick O'Brien, a camera operator" IMDB says. His birthdate is August 26th 1991, making him 23 years old this year. Although he grew up in Springfield Township, New Jersey, at the age of twelve he moved to Hermosa Beach, California where his career would take off. At fourteen, he began posing original videos onto his YouTube channel. "With the videos developing, a local producer/director approached him about doing work for a web series of hers" (Wikipedia). As he pursued working on the web series O'Brien met an actor who connected him with a manager. He went through multiple auditions before getting the main role on MTV's Teen Wolf. However, after reading the script he decided he wanted to audition for the role of Stiles instead. After four auditions he was cast. It was then in 2011 that he began playing the role of Stiles in Teen Wolf. In 2013 he co-starred in the comedy film The Internship with Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson, which eventually lead him to his lead role of The Maze Runner in 2014.
In addition to his outstanding career accomplishments O'Brien has won several awards. He won the Giffoni Experience Award at the Giffoni International Film Festival in 2014. The same year he also won the Teen Choice award for best TV villain at, you guessed it, the Teen Choice Awards. Yahoo! Movies recently named O'Brien as one of the 15 Breakout Stars to watch for in 2014. As for his last award, also won in 2014, O'Brien won the Young Hollywood Award for Breakthough Actor at, yes once again the very obvious, Young Hollywood Awards.
Many are entranced and ecstatic to continue to watch his amazing career and life unfold as not only an incredible actor, but and inspiring person as well.
"Dylan O'Brien was born in New York City, to Lisa Rhodes, a former actress who also ran an acting school, and Patrick O'Brien, a camera operator" IMDB says. His birthdate is August 26th 1991, making him 23 years old this year. Although he grew up in Springfield Township, New Jersey, at the age of twelve he moved to Hermosa Beach, California where his career would take off. At fourteen, he began posing original videos onto his YouTube channel. "With the videos developing, a local producer/director approached him about doing work for a web series of hers" (Wikipedia). As he pursued working on the web series O'Brien met an actor who connected him with a manager. He went through multiple auditions before getting the main role on MTV's Teen Wolf. However, after reading the script he decided he wanted to audition for the role of Stiles instead. After four auditions he was cast. It was then in 2011 that he began playing the role of Stiles in Teen Wolf. In 2013 he co-starred in the comedy film The Internship with Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson, which eventually lead him to his lead role of The Maze Runner in 2014.
In addition to his outstanding career accomplishments O'Brien has won several awards. He won the Giffoni Experience Award at the Giffoni International Film Festival in 2014. The same year he also won the Teen Choice award for best TV villain at, you guessed it, the Teen Choice Awards. Yahoo! Movies recently named O'Brien as one of the 15 Breakout Stars to watch for in 2014. As for his last award, also won in 2014, O'Brien won the Young Hollywood Award for Breakthough Actor at, yes once again the very obvious, Young Hollywood Awards.
Many are entranced and ecstatic to continue to watch his amazing career and life unfold as not only an incredible actor, but and inspiring person as well.
Tuesday, September 23, 2014
Ariana Grande
Obviously my rant of obsessions I have endured over the years has seemed to take over my blog as of lately. However, I would find it improper to switch subjects without mentioning my final (I promise) artist obsession, Ariana Grande. Hooked since her premiere on the television Victorious Grande has continued to inspire me through her music, artistry, but most of all, her attitude.
Ariana Grande-Butera was born on June 26th 1993 in Boca Raton, Florida. Her mom is Joan Grande, the chief executive officer (CEO) of Hose-McCann Communications,a telephone and alarm system company. Her father is Edward Butera, who owns a graphic design firm in Boca Raton. In addition she has an elder half-brother, Frankie Grande (born in 1983), who is also an actor, dancer and producer, as well as a contestant on season sixteen of Big Brother. Ariana's mother moved with her father from New York to Florida when she was pregnant with her, and later revealed that her parents split up when she was 8 or 9. As a child, she described herself as being "a very weird little girl" because "I always wanted to have skeleton face paint on or be wearing a Freddy Krueger mask" and that in addition her fifth-birthday party had a Jaws theme (Wikipedia). By age 13 she became serious about pursuing her musical career, while still concentrating on theater. When she first arrived in Los Angeles to meet with her managers, she expressed a desire to record an R&B album when she was 14 "I was like, 'I want to make an R&B album,' They were like 'Um, that’s a helluva goal! Who is going to buy a 14-year-old’s R&B album?!" (Wikipedia). In 2008 she auditioned and scored her first casting playing the supporting role of cheerleader Charlotte in the kiddie musical 13 on Broadway, and she won a National Youth Theatre Association Award. When she joined the musical she left her high school, North Broward Preparatory School, but continued to be enrolled. However, the school sent materials to her so she could study with tutors.She also sang various times at the New York City Jazz club Birdland.
Later in life, Ariana successfully landed the role of Cat Valentine on the Nickelodeon television series Victorious in 2009, earning the hearts of anyone and everyone who enjoyed watching her innocent and bubbly character come to life. "After the show ended she rose to prominence as a teen idol on her own spinoff, Sam & Cat, along with iCarly actress Jennette McCurdy" (Wikipedia). With the base of her career taking a big leap in popularity, Ariana started making music and landed a record deal with Republic Records. Since then she has continued her career by writing amazing music that her fans not only relate too, but fall continuously in love with.
Ariana Grande-Butera was born on June 26th 1993 in Boca Raton, Florida. Her mom is Joan Grande, the chief executive officer (CEO) of Hose-McCann Communications,a telephone and alarm system company. Her father is Edward Butera, who owns a graphic design firm in Boca Raton. In addition she has an elder half-brother, Frankie Grande (born in 1983), who is also an actor, dancer and producer, as well as a contestant on season sixteen of Big Brother. Ariana's mother moved with her father from New York to Florida when she was pregnant with her, and later revealed that her parents split up when she was 8 or 9. As a child, she described herself as being "a very weird little girl" because "I always wanted to have skeleton face paint on or be wearing a Freddy Krueger mask" and that in addition her fifth-birthday party had a Jaws theme (Wikipedia). By age 13 she became serious about pursuing her musical career, while still concentrating on theater. When she first arrived in Los Angeles to meet with her managers, she expressed a desire to record an R&B album when she was 14 "I was like, 'I want to make an R&B album,' They were like 'Um, that’s a helluva goal! Who is going to buy a 14-year-old’s R&B album?!" (Wikipedia). In 2008 she auditioned and scored her first casting playing the supporting role of cheerleader Charlotte in the kiddie musical 13 on Broadway, and she won a National Youth Theatre Association Award. When she joined the musical she left her high school, North Broward Preparatory School, but continued to be enrolled. However, the school sent materials to her so she could study with tutors.She also sang various times at the New York City Jazz club Birdland.
Later in life, Ariana successfully landed the role of Cat Valentine on the Nickelodeon television series Victorious in 2009, earning the hearts of anyone and everyone who enjoyed watching her innocent and bubbly character come to life. "After the show ended she rose to prominence as a teen idol on her own spinoff, Sam & Cat, along with iCarly actress Jennette McCurdy" (Wikipedia). With the base of her career taking a big leap in popularity, Ariana started making music and landed a record deal with Republic Records. Since then she has continued her career by writing amazing music that her fans not only relate too, but fall continuously in love with.
Sunday, September 21, 2014
Christina Aguilera
As mentioned previously in my last blog post, I have grown a likeliness for Christina Aguilera for many years now. While she (much like Leonardo) hasn't been on any major headlines lately, my eager twitch to write about her can't stand much more. Throughout the years Christina has become more than just one of my favorite artists to watch, she's become my inspiration. From watching her flawless performances on stage, to learning the background of her painful past she's been more than someone I look up to, but someone I can relate to as well.
Christina María Aguilera was born December 18, 1980 in Staten Island, New York. For most of her childhood she was raised in Rochester and Wexford Pennsylvania. Starting her career off the right way, she appeared in television series Star Searched and The Mickey Mouse Club. Christina rose to prominence as a bubblegum pop singer in the 1990s, and her self debut album (1999) debuted at number one on the U.S billboard 200 and was also featured on the Billboards number one single "Genie in a Bottle", making her a tripple threat actress, songwriter, and singer. From there she experienced moderate success worldwide, and earned heer fourth number one single in the United States with a cover version of "Lady Marmalade" in 2001." Displeased with her lack of input in her image and music, Aguilera assumed creative control for her fourth studio album, Stripped (2002), which draws influences from many genres including soul, hip hop, Latin, and rock" Wikipedia says.. The album spawned multiple top-ten singles, includng "Dirrty" and "Beautiful", and was one of the best-selling albums of that year.
Christina entered a more mature part of her life when she got engaged to music marketing executive Jordan Bratman in February 2005, after dating for three years. The couple got married on November 19, 2005 at an estate in Napa County, California. However, after the release of her album Back to Basics, and her tremendous work in the movie Burlesque her marriage soon took a turn for the worse. Having finally separated in September 2010, she filed for divorce from Bratman in October 2010, requesting joint legal and physical custody of their son Max. "After reaching a private settlement and custody deal, their divorce was finalized on April 15, 2011" Wikipedia says.In late 2010, Aguilera started dating with Matthew Rutler, whom she met on the set of Burlesque. They are now happily married, and since Christina has come through with even more amazing new songs and singles making her a legendary music icon, including her new recently produced album Bionic.
Christina María Aguilera was born December 18, 1980 in Staten Island, New York. For most of her childhood she was raised in Rochester and Wexford Pennsylvania. Starting her career off the right way, she appeared in television series Star Searched and The Mickey Mouse Club. Christina rose to prominence as a bubblegum pop singer in the 1990s, and her self debut album (1999) debuted at number one on the U.S billboard 200 and was also featured on the Billboards number one single "Genie in a Bottle", making her a tripple threat actress, songwriter, and singer. From there she experienced moderate success worldwide, and earned heer fourth number one single in the United States with a cover version of "Lady Marmalade" in 2001." Displeased with her lack of input in her image and music, Aguilera assumed creative control for her fourth studio album, Stripped (2002), which draws influences from many genres including soul, hip hop, Latin, and rock" Wikipedia says.. The album spawned multiple top-ten singles, includng "Dirrty" and "Beautiful", and was one of the best-selling albums of that year.
Christina entered a more mature part of her life when she got engaged to music marketing executive Jordan Bratman in February 2005, after dating for three years. The couple got married on November 19, 2005 at an estate in Napa County, California. However, after the release of her album Back to Basics, and her tremendous work in the movie Burlesque her marriage soon took a turn for the worse. Having finally separated in September 2010, she filed for divorce from Bratman in October 2010, requesting joint legal and physical custody of their son Max. "After reaching a private settlement and custody deal, their divorce was finalized on April 15, 2011" Wikipedia says.In late 2010, Aguilera started dating with Matthew Rutler, whom she met on the set of Burlesque. They are now happily married, and since Christina has come through with even more amazing new songs and singles making her a legendary music icon, including her new recently produced album Bionic.
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