Should Footloose Be Remade?

I have mixed feelings on whether Footloose should be made into a remake. Next month Kenny Ortega, who directed MJ's This is it concert documentary (and what would've been MJ's comeback tour), and choreographed the hit movie Dirty Dancing, is to begin filming the classic remake starring Gossip Girl's Chace Crawford and DWTS's Juliane Hough. At least Hollywood is being smart by picking the BEST director for a film project of this caliber. If anyone could enhance a cultclassic such as this, Kenny Ortega would be the man to do it. Footloose hit the big screen in 1984 and became a runaway hit with its upbeat music, high energy, and no-name stars that overnight became a household sensation, and for some went on to become Hollywood's biggest stars: Kevin Bacon, Lori Singer, Chris Penn, and Sarah Jessica Parker. KB and SJP's rise to fame go without saying. CP died in 2006 at age 40 to "non specific causes," as noted by his autopsy reports. LS withdrew from Hollywood in the late 90s, and pursued her Juilliard-trained passion as a celloist. She has been performing at several venues, Carnegie Hall being the most recent. It will be interesting to see how CC and JH will fare in the new remake. Supposedly, the remake is supposed to follow more of the Broadway musical production with both actors singing and dancing. JH won't have a problem with her triple threat of talent chops, but CC on the other hand.... things that make you go Hmnnnnnnnnnnn.

“We read to know we are not alone.” ~C.S. Lewis

i cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg.The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it dseno't mtaetr in waht oerdr the ltteres in a wrod are, the olny iproamtnt tihng is taht the frsit and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it whotuit a pboerlm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but teh wrod as a wlohe. Azanmig huh? yaeh and i awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt!

The Greatest Show on Earth!

On my last wkend home in NC, I treated my nephews and niece to see the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. Unfortunately, my niece Yasmine came down with a stomach bug on the morning of, and regrettably could not go with us. :(



The circus was spectacular from the get go! The circus's genesis can be traced back to 1860 when James Anthony Baily started a small circus before teaming up with P.T. Barnum in 1871. Then in 1907 the Ringling Bros. purchased Barnum & Bailey's circus, but didn't merge circuses until 1919. Since then, the long titled circus with the familiar moniker, "Greatest Show on Earth," has continued to entertain large audiences across America.



Kudos to my sister Pamela for suggesting that we go to the circus! Here she's with her hub Terry, and their adorable son Skylar. The expression on Skylar's face was priceless. I love that boy!



Awww, here's me and my nephew Rex; one of the tiny tuggers of my heart strings.



My brother John went with us, and enjoyed the outing with his sons, Zeb and Rex. I thought Zeb was so cute, as he was scarfing down his cotton candy! LoL.



Bring in the Clowns! They were hilarious!! Especially when 20 of them climbed out of a small Volkswagon Bug. That gets me every time!

BUT!!! The elephants were my fave! One day I'll go to India and ride one. Count on it!

The Tiger Tamer was utterly fearless. There is NO way I could ever enter a cage full of tigers. Yeesh!

I totally held my breath the entire time the Tightrope Walkers performed their death defying act! I kept muttering "don't sneeze! don't sneeze! don't sneeze!"

♫ Oh, he floats through the air with the greatest of ease, this daring young man on the flying trapeze! ♫

I loved how John was totally into the show, and that Zeb was totally into Rex. LoL.

Here are the cutie patootie brothers again during intermission. Rex got a cool hat, and Zeb (lover of swords) got... what else? A sword! LoL. I heart them.

And then, the elephants came back out and did this amazing trick. Ironically, they brought out the Egyptian dancers. I traveled sooo far to get out of Egypt, and there I was facing Egyptians all over again. LoL.

Ride / Walk like an E-G-Y-P-T-I-A-N!

Then, the Finale drew near....

and erupted into a frenzy of confetti and wild applause!

It truly was the "Greatest Show on Earth!"

The Yesterday Faces of Maxine

Writing previously about my grandmother Maxine's 90th birthday celebration, compelled me to look at the slide show again that I presented at her party. It's remarkable what she has seen in the course of her 90 years. Born 2 years after the end of WWI, she lived her childhood in rural NC on a small farm during the depression era that saw millions of Americans out of work and/or homeless. Fortunately, her family was able to keep their farm and and make ends meet with a large family. Maxine was the youngest of 8 children. Her eldest sibling Elah was 20 years her senior and already out of the house by the time Maxine was born to middle aged parents. As a child Maxine was a chubby, blue-eyed towheaded tomboy who was kind-hearted, feisty, and "stubborn as a mule". In my speech at her party, I told the story of how an older boy on a neighboring farm used to bully her timid sister Phyllis, who was older than Maxine by four years. One day he came over to bully Maxine too. The next thing you know, her parents came running out of the house in response to shrieking sounds coming from the backyard. The sounds came from the neighborhood bully who was up in a tree being pummeled by rocks pelted by 5 y/o Maxine. LoL. My grandmother was, and is, a tough little lady. Jokingly, I tell her that's the reason why she has lived so long. Grandmother laughingly agrees with me. She is the last remaining sibling alive, and it is the family's hope that she will live to see her 100th birthday and beyond. In celebration of her 90 years, here are some vintage gems from her 90th birthday slide show. Enjoy!

2 y/0 Maxine with her daddy Armenius standing in the shadows. (1922)

I love this photo of little Maxine struggling to hold onto a farm bird, which her family raised. She is standing here with her siblings Donald, John, Phyllis, and Elah.

LoL. Maxine the tomboy with her brother Donald.

More of towheaded Maxine as a 3 y/o toddler. (1923)

Maxine being pulled by her brother John. (1925)

Maxine with her mother Hettie. (1928)

8 y/o Maxine riding her bicycle. (1928)

15 y/o Maxine riding her bicycle. (1935)

Maxine's 1938 high school graduating class. She is the last one on the right in the front row.

19 y/o Maxine laughing with her sister Phyllis. (1939)

Enjoying summer of 1940 with John's wife Loraine, brother John, and sister Phyllis at the family farm.

Maxine with grandaddy Rex, along with siblings and spouses Loraine, John, Elah, and Elah's husband Raymond. (1945)

Maxine with her son "John Rex II"; my chubby, blue-eyed towheaded father as a toddler. And so, the circle of life continued.

Grandmother's 90th Birthday Milestone

My grandmother Maxine was born on February 8, 1920. However, I didn't get to meet her until I was 5, when my family moved from the Philippines to NC. My father had just completed his draft obligation for the Vietnam conflict, and had moved his family back home. Since the first time I met her, my relationship with my grandmother has been a familial love affair. She has always been the family's staunchest supporter, and has loved my siblings and I twice as much, because she reasoned that our other grandparents lived too far away to spoil us. I can't fathom what I would be like at 90, but if I could have a quarter of her grace, spunk and charm, then I would be one happy 90 year old!



I was the emcee at the event, and had happily put together over 100 pictures of my grandmother for a slide show presentation. I made sure there were photos covering all 9 decades of her life. It was a labor of love piecing it together. Following the slide show her two children Ann and John, my aunt and father, helped her cut her large birthday cake. Her party was a good turnout, considering NC received a record snowfall that hasn't happened in 10 years, and ironically, one that hasn't blanketed our Nation's capital as much in 90 years! About 80 guests were expected to show, and 52 attended. Still, it wasn't a shabby attendance!





My two nephews Skylar and Zeb were the mini darlings of the event. Such cuties!



Unfortunately, I only had time to take pics at the beginning of the event when people were filtering in, but I did manage to snag a few before the party got fully underway.

I call this pic "THE GRANDMOTHERS". It has my Aunt Ann with her grandaughter Caitlin, my mother with her grandsons Rex, Zeb, and Skylar, and my grandmother Maxine.

My grandmother was SO HAPPY at her 90th birthday party. She kept saying over and over again that "this was the best day ever!" It gladdened my heart to know we were able to bring her so much joy. Grandmother deserved every bit of it!

What a Sweetheart!

My little niece Yasmine is highlighted again, as I recap her FIRST school dance! Not only was it her first dance, it was the first time serving on a Sweetheart Court! Yipper. My 9 y/o niece was voted "Class Sweetheart" out of her 4th grade class. The family was so proud of her! What made it EVEN more special was that she was asked to attend her first dance by a B-O-Y!!! She and her little friend Dylan made an adorable pair. The dance was HEAVILY chaperoned. How do I know this? My sister Mely was there. LOL.



Yassy told me that she and Dylan were "just friends". How sweet that her "just friends" showered her with all sorts of Valentine's Day prezzies: chocolates, stuffed dog (Yassy LOVES dogs), flowers, and a matching heart necklace and earrings. Is it ok to be jealous of a 9 y/o???



The family is VERY proud of our "Little Miss Sweetheart" .... Congratulations, Sweetie!

Simply Yassy at Simply Sassy's

While I was home on vacay, I was able to give my 9 y/o niece Yasmine her belated birthday present: a pampering treatment at the local kid's spa! She got the deluxe package, which included a manicure, pedicure, facial, hair and make-up!

They gave her a white robe to slip on, and then dipped her hands in a very berry soak to soften her nails for her manicure. She chose candyland green with a glitter overcoat. It turned out fabulous!

Next, she headed towards the sofa section and had her feet soaked in groovy mango in preparation for her pedicure. It's important for your feet to smell like exotic fruit. LoL.

While her feet were soaking, she got served sparkling apple cider in a neon orange champagne "glasstic" flute. Cheers!

Then it was time for her pedicure. She chose bubble gum pink with candyland green polkadots. How kewl was she???

And then it was time for her facial! She had a citrus smelling paste massaged onto her face, followed with chilled cucumber slices placed over her eyes. Afterwards, her facial concoction was wiped off with a steamed facial towel. Ahhhhhhhh!

Then it was time for her up-do. Yasmine was very specific. She wanted her hair put up in a French braid with some wispy curls. She was so patient through it all. Afterwards, her hair was sprayed with glitter, which made it truly bedazzling!

Lastly, it was time for her make-up! She chose peachy keen and truly turquoise eye shadows and spunky strawberry lip gloss. The spa color names were hilarious!

Ta-dahhhh! The finished outcome was FANTABULOUS! Yassy posed with her stylists with a HUGE grin on her face. When she told me that she had the coolest day ever, then I had a huge grin on MY face. LOL. My little niece is growing up......