I have to be frank. When I heard about Disney making The Princess and the Frog, and selecting the main character to be African American, I was apprehensive. There was so many things that could go wrong.  There was so many things that could happen to not allow this Princess to be accepted in the long list of Disney Princesses.

And so the year 2009 came, and I went to the theaters to see this version of the Disney's African American Princess.

And I came out of the theater... Very Disappointed.

I am a fan of the fantasy element, the magic, the Happily Ever After, the True Love and True Kiss. It's what makes Disney... well... magical.  But this film.... This film tried to make things, forgive the urban or slang usage.. "keeping it real".

I'm sorry. I don't like "real" when it comes to magic and for the impossible to becoming possible. I wanted the same Princess that I read about in the Frog Prince tales, with a twist, like all the other Princesses.

But Disney's choice for this story made it much too singular, and thus making it not as globally accepted as it should have been.  I mean... New Orleans? Come on. Not everyone is familiar with the culture, nor is everyone universally into that type of unique sounding music. Personally, there is just a few zydeco music I would listen to. As for the Jazz, there are quite a lot of universally accepted Jazz out there, accept for the Jazz in this film. I mean, who hasn't heard of Funny Valentine's breathy and sexy song? But the Jazz choices for this film? It made the story too isolated to one place, and selected to just one type of people. At least, that was the way it was presented.

Let's look at a different way of presentation....

There was Moana that represented the Pacific Islanders, Lilo and Stitch for Hawaii, and Mulan for China, Pocahontas for Native Americans, Jasmin from Aladdin for India, and not to mention The Lion King for Africa, though not with a lead female character, yet still in the cultural mix. And ALL of these films were universally accepted.

All of these films where presented in a way that held a story and music that could be accepted by a large population of people and yet Tiana....felt... isolated.

I haven't heard a single song from The Princess and the Frog that was played over-and-over again like those other cultural Disney movies I just listed above. I mean the other films had songs that became popular hits! In The Princess and the Frog, every song was almost forgettable. Its songs were missing that true heart of music. The kind that sinks into the human soul like, A Whole New World, Colors of the Wind, Hawaiian Roller Coaster Ride, and Reflection.

And I know Disney knows the magical formula to reach the hearts of people through music. It just wasn't conjured up for the The Princess and the Frog,

But what was REALLY disappointing about this Disney film, was that Tiana was not a REAL PRINCESS!!!! Nor was her Prince (Prince Naveen) of the same cultural background, but just thrown in to represent "brown". Tiana does become a princess through marriage, like Cinderella and Belle, but Prince Naveen, initially, is looking for a "princess," but not of royal lineage, to kiss him and change him back from frog to human. A Princess of Mardi Gras? This was about a parade, a grand city party! Not a land and people. Not a Princess of bloodline, but one who was voted in for a moment in time.

I'm assuming this decision to have to "keep things real" is why the Frog Princess wasn't provided a real princess title.  I figure this reasoning was so that the low income can easily and readily identify with her. But for me, we already have Cinderella and Belle stories for that.

The Princess and the Frog could have been done with magic, and a real Princess title, along with a plot twist in the story to make the heroine a strong woman, who matches her man of choice, be it prince or otherwise. The original Frog Princess was spoiled, and we could have started with that. A Princess who had everything, took it for granted, looses everything (dirt poor), and then had to work her way back to the top, with obstacles thrown in her way. Then, after overcoming these trials and tribulations, only then would she become a deserving Princess, who has learned to share her golden ball.

Like Once Upon A Time's version in Season 7.

I am SO GLAD, this show came to correct, and make a better story, for Tiana than the animated version.  We will now have a Princess (played by Mekia Cox) who will earn our respect, who starts a path seeking help from others, until then finding the strength inside herself to become her own hero. Not to mention, she also doesn't spend most of her time being a frog, but actually helps a frog (one who is being blackmailed by the use of his imprisoned True Love), who was the one needing saving, to become a stronger person.
And...and...and... and...and... She Is Actually A REAL PRINCESS!!!!

A Princess who's very large dreams are crushed, but then are stitched back together, and slowly becomes a reality--with hard work and the strong support of loving friends.This is the type of story that every little girl can relate to, and learn from, to become the "Princess" in her own life. And THAT'S how you "keep it real".

Thank You SO MUCH, Once Upon A Time!!!!!!

I write this blog because things are now right in this world, and I can now enjoy an African descent Princess of Disney.

So, now Disney, can we have a African Disney Prince? No? Yes? Or perhaps I'm asking for too much. Heh. Heh.  I just may have to settle for The Black Panther (Shuri), with her intelligent, whimsical, bad-ass! Yibambe!

Fairy Tales, Fantasy, Everywhere I see

I think I've mentioned this before, but I SO love this age of TV. There's fantasy and magic all OVER the place. There's so much going on, I can't keep up with them all.

• Once Upon A Time
• Sleepy Hollow
• Tomorrow People
• Grimm
• Almost Human
• Being Human
• Under the Dome
• Haven
• Dracula
• American Horror Story
• Game of Thrones
• True Blood

And those are just a few that I watch. There are more that I don't keep up with like The Vampire Diaries or Supernatural, but there's just so much to choose from, I'm just giddy with the choices!!

It makes one wonder: Why the Slew of Speculative Shows?

What's even more interesting, adults watch them--those brought up with Star Wars and Star Trek under our wings. Yet there are those who "just don't get it," who can't identify with why these shows have so much appeal....

I believe that these TV shows are the same as the stories that have always been told. They've been collected by Wilhelm Grimm and Jacob Grimm, by Andrew Lang, told by Hans Christian Andersen, by Jean de La Fontaine, by Charles Perrault, and told in Aesop's Fables. These are fantastic tales that pull us to them and provide a way to tell a story of basic human life. While for others, it's just entertainment, for some of us, it's much, much more. For some of us, the way the morals are presented, help support and strengthen us in our daily decisions.  With a magical touch, we learn to be better people.

So, let it continue, these fairy tales, until the end of time. For some, it's our only hope.

Until Next Time!

Is There A Soul In There...?!

Because I'm into the weird and strange; and anybody who's into vampires, werewolves, fairies, mermaids, and all those inhuman monsters, can find something about them attractive, tantalizing, or just simply AWESOME!

Am I the only one who got turned on by an ape in Planets of the Apes (2001)?
Huh? Yes? It's just me?  ... Oh.

BUT I LOVED GENERAL THADE!! 

Yeah, I thought that chimpanzee was just TOO SEXY! Or maybe because he was played by Tim Roth, and I found that little guy just SEXY!! Especially in that TV series Lie To Me.

And why am I talking about sexy monkey's?

Love works like that. You don't see anything ugly, wrong, disturbing, bad, or amiss with the object of your affection. And if that sounds strange or untrue to you, try seeing it in the point-of-view of a Beauty and the Beast, a favorite fairy tale of all time. And then there's the Princess and the Frog.

Nothing is too ugly, new, big or small, for the eyes of the beholder.

We can get hopelessly devoted to unordinary things, which makes a person want to sing!.


I think it's what's inside that counts...inside of ourselves that defines the outside.

It's what we view inside ourselves is what we project unto the object of our love and thus we are seeing with an "inner-eye" that makes us blind to what's on the outside.

Sometimes I think we blind that "inner-eye" so that we can't see what's exactly in front of us. Sometimes it is not blinded and we can see what really IS in front of us....and that's a good thing.

"Is there a soul in there?" General Thad questioned, while prying open a Human's mouth.

I would like to name it "soul" or a "holy spirit", when we actually SEE what's inside ourselves.

Either way, who we are in the inside, makes us who were are; and it also creates what, and who, surrounds our lives.

Keep that Lil'l Light burning...!!!!

Oz Broke My Heart!

Oz the Great and Powerful (2012) film was definitely an eye opener for a broken heart.

For those who haven't seen it yet, please don't read this post because it would just give away the movie for you. Thus, I'll put that special word so that you can see.

Spoilers!!!!

Soooo.... anyone want to sing Pat Benatar's Heartbreaker song with me?

Your love has set my soul on fire, burnin' out of control
You taught me the ways of desire, now it's takin' its toll
You're the right kind of sinner, to release my inner fantasy
The invincible winner, and you know that you were born to be

You're a heartbreaker
Dream maker, love taker....

Yep, that's what Oz was. A heart breaker. And what did he say about making those women fall in love with him and using them and breaking their hearts? Yep. She'll get over me..just like the others.

Heartless! A Heart of Stone Coldness.

But there's a lesson to be learned from watching this film. One should not give you heart away so quickly. And also that old saying: Beware Of Those Bearing Gifts!

I know that everyone wants to believe, so strongly, about love and how it comes like a Cupid's Arrow, and "love at first sight" does exist, and Charming is there to sweep us off our feet; but there are also those predators that use those hopeful hearts as well.

Oz was not only cute and charming, he gave his "grandmother's music box" to every female he wanted to shag. He even gave them job opportunities and a lovely dance.

These women meant nothing to Oz and he shrugged off any thoughts of actually hurting them as if it was their own faults for falling for such smoke and mirrors.

Yet...even HE had his heart filled with someone, but could not give it to her because he knew he would only cause her misery. Auntie Em chose the right man, though she truly loved that carnival magician.

Then, that undeserving thing happens. That heartbreaker actually PICKS someone. And that lingering question always come about with those who so love that heartbreaker. Why did SHE get him? What did SHE do that I didn't? Why did he pick HER!?

That famous, notorious, question... and no one seems to know that answer except the heartbreaker, who doesn't give much of answer when he's asked.  

What is certain is that a road must be followed and things must take place. For he must have his heart warmed, first by someone loyal (a bellhop monkey), then by someone in need (very delicate china doll), and then face himself and his trespasses (the evil witch). When this road is completed, then, SHE appears. 

For SHE just happens to be The One. And only SHE, who already knew what kind of man he was, who could see him for who he actually is, could he love. For SHE was never broken by him.

SHE was simply fated to be with him.

Simply put.

Sometimes we can't have the man we love because we just aren't made up to be his. 

But we are made up to be another's.

Until Next Time!

Welcome to Tirna Magique!!

Got a novella up and ready for those hungry for a romantic short. It's a magical 150-page novel, thus it's called a novella because of it's short length. Filled with all the things I like about fantasy: dragons, dwarves, mermaids, and fairies, I quite enjoyed writing this heartfelt story.

Here's a summary of what this story entails:

With the Earth becoming uninhabitable, Humans are being evacuated. Thanks to the Gapie race who offered their homes to all willing Humans, life can continue on, but mostly in darkness. Transition to this new world, which only has four hours of sunlight, would take over twenty years. Earth is now in year twelve.

Only Alesa knows the true reason for the Gapie's "helping-hand", and she has plans of her own. But first, she must get her girlfriends to trust her, and that took a few years to do. Now, she would implement her plans and take her friends on an adventure that would change their lives, and their hearts, forever. 

So, there you have it! Just wanted to share that another romantica element has been added to my bookshelf store to engorge.

Check out Tirna Magique at the local online eBook of your choice (Amazon, Barnes and Noble, etc.) for less than a DOLLAR!


Until Next Time!

The Hobbit... My Two Cents of My Preciousss!!

"If precious asks, and it doesn't answer, we eats it, my preciousss."

So, I watched the  2hr 46min‎ film, The Hobbit, the first weekend it was out. I was shocked that the theater wasn't filled to the rim with people--there was only about 15 people. My sister said there was a total of 4 people in her theater.  This surprised me because The Lord Of The Rings were so popular  What happened and why didn't any one want to see this movie?

Well, what I didn't know was that the film would only contain the first 6 Chapters. I hadn't done my research on it, and the title didn't state anything about Part 1 of 3 (and it does have 3 parts, which I learned later), though there was a subtitle of some of the chapters of the book that came up while viewing the movie. More epic films? Not that it was yet another movie divided up over three years was much of a problem for me, because what was covered in this movie, and how it ended, was a great, satisfying ending for me.

What I found out was that I do understand why some might find this movie boring, and I'm glad something happened that made me see this film in a different light. 

I had decided to prove to someone the WHY I had never read The Hobbit stories. I remember it going on and on and on and on and on and hardly ever getting to the action, the beef, of the story, and it kept explaining this and that and the other on what every species of character was being presented in the book. It was bloated.  So, I found the first few pages online (Like over here or here or here) and began reading it out loud. It proved my point on how it kept going on and on and on and on; and for books during that time, people had time to sit and enjoy reading every-single-descriptive-word-of-a-very-very-long-story and taking the time to be entertained in a world with so much detail and humor.

Readying those first few pages again...I'm SO glad I did that!

For the first few screens of The Hobbit (2012) was almost basically word-for-word from the few pages of the book that I read! The singing, the conversations, almost everything I read was verbatim! And because of that, I quite enjoyed the movie because it mentally set me up that I would be seeing a book-on-film, and I didn't have to read, and undergo, every word to get into the story.

My sister had wondered, "Heck! Was this a movie or a musical!" So, the singing portion confused her on what type of film it was supposed to be, and I explained that it was following the book...exactly. There was a lot of prose in the novel and that was also placed in film, which would really confuse those who didn't read those pages, and because I pridefully wanted to "show-off" on the WHY I never read the book, while watching the film after ready the few pages that I had read, it made me quite enjoy it even more... I enjoyed it!!

So, for those of you who are still on the fence of seeing The Hobbit, or those waiting for Netflix like I do sometimes for films, I suggest just reading a few pages first and you'll see what I mean. It will place you in the mindset of a novel and have you understand what the film was aiming at and why it was produced the way that it was.

It's all in the frame of mind.

(Oh! And before I end this post...I just LOVE Gollum, my precioussss!!!!" He was the highlight of the movie!!)

Until Next Time!

Facebook Love & Affairs...

You ever heard of Emotional Affairs?

Flutter. Flutter. Flutter.

How we feel the excitement in the air and our blood boiling with lustful dreams when we reconnect with that old flame.  It's an opportunity to "get things right this time around"; it's fate which gives us a "second chance". Those flashing warnings of "remember, you broke up for a reason" or those "what happened in the past, stays in the past," all goes out the door.

And it should!!   ...Sometimes...

Why not take that opportunity, given a chance, if you have it now. Why not?!

I say, GO FOR IT .... if you are both already available, that is.

Be careful of that dream catcher when you are already in a dedicated relationship. That love, or lustful, excitement for that OTHER PERSON would only last for so long (two years most times) when you do GO FOR IT. 

And when it's just an "online thing" it isn't, IS NOT, "just innocent" when you're already in a relationship.  You could rationalize all you want that, you're NOT doing that physical connection, or "horizontal dance," as some call it....  You're just chatting. ONLY chatting. You're just texting. You're just emailing. You're just doing it online.  No harm done.

Because in the beginning, you're really just curious and you're really JUST FRIENDS.

There's a new type of an affair in town, people, and it's rapidly spreading. It's called

Emotional Affair, and it's just as harmful, if not more so, as a physical one.

What's so powerful about it is that it all takes place in the mind, and the mind can be a

powerful place to make things come true, which included the negatives. Once the idea is in your mind, it's like an addiction, and you can't get over it; you can't get under it; and you can't get around it.

You're stuck!

You can't wait until that next instant message, to see their availability online, to smile, to laugh, to desire, to love. You crave for it. You hunger for it. You can't control your thoughts, your mind, because you're always thinking of the next time you will be able to make that connection again.

It's an UPPER! It's a DRUG!! There's someone out there who thinks you're wonderful, who understands you, who desires you like no one else. It feels like the perfect way to fulfill your desires without the actual guilt of doing the "actual act". And, in most cases, it feels like True Love.

And the problems in your current relationship SWELL.

You're too busy concentrating on the good feelings of that online connection, that you don't want to deal with the negative ones any more; the ones that bring you down, your current relationship. You just want to feel what LIFTS YOU UP.

And even when people say, and even when you know, that EVERYONE, including that online digital connection you feel so strongly for, has ISSUES, you just can't seem to see it: their faults, their negatives, their issues.... Because it just feels too good.

What has happened is that your love tank in your current relationship has run dry. It's

completely empty. And you can't find a way to fill it up again except with this digital love or

lust.

The love tank. I learned about that in that book The 5 Love Languages I blogged about previously. It's the perfect definition to explain what happens in relationships that fall under this new wave of affairs: The Emotional Affair. It's just so easy to concentrate on the good and positive of that digital affair than to deal with the negatives in the real and current relationship.

But you can only run from your problems for so long. And jumping into another relationship, no matter how great it appears to be, would only bring about other issues that you just didn't see when you were in that drunk emotional state.

Yeah. You are drunk. Drunk! Emotionally Drunk. Inebriated by that desire, or love, and you can't see straight, or see the most common sense issues, with that new focus in your life. You have no sensible logic or reason, and your mental faculties are impaired.

It's time to take that 12-Step program to get over that emotional-addicting behavior. And I'm

not saying this will repair or make things work with the current one, but it should be done so

that you would have a much clearer mind, instead of the the emotionally drunk way of thinking, when making that decision to go into that other relationship. You would also have a clear conscience that you made the right decision, rather that is to leave your current relationship or go into the next.

You just might find out, in most cases, you won't want either person: your current nor your

digital one, because neither is right for you.

Release the fear and accept the dream.

There's a reason why you're emotionally addicted, because there's a dream that you want, and currently you don't have it. You must first be sure to know what that dream is, and with who.

The steps below could start you off on making your dream come true by detaching yourself from the addiction and move forward to having a sober mind on where you heart should be.....

Step 1: Be honest with yourself: Admit that you are crazy about this person, which is usually quite easy for some, but some don't openly admit it at all. They just keep denying it. So, be truthful.

Step 2: No you CAN NOT BE FRIENDS!!!: This person wasn't a friend before and isn't now. This person was in your soul and in your heart. Be truthful to yourself as in Step 1. You can't be a friend with this person. Period. And you MUST tell yourself that you can't be friends. It will just be too painful, and much too tempting, to try to "turn back the clock". The "friend cage" is not where you want to be, because eventually the charade will come undone, and you're unlocking the door of the cage. What will pour in would be pain and guilt. Don't even attempt to do the "friend game". You must let go completely.

Step 3: Write a list: People say this, but I always thought it was stupid. I already know what the problems are and what I want, why do I have to write them down? Admittedly, you really have to just try it out to see how it helps. Acknowledge the reasons why you're unhappy in your current relationship. Write down a list. Write it! Write it! Do it! Do it! Yes, do it! Write the list. What you'll find is that the list will help you focus and put things in perspective. A list of what you don't like and what you do like, will make things quite clear and real. It makes it so it's not really just in your head. Putting the list down on paper (or digital word process or

spreadsheet) and looking at it again, makes it truthful to yourself. You might find yourself

adding more and more once you get started. The list help to accept what you want and what you don't want and provides a clear understanding for yourself.

Step 4: Remove all connections with your love/desire:  Yeah. This is a hard one. Because you'll be scrambling around trying to find that information again when you want to get back in touch with that person. But, you can't keep focus with something sitting on your stomach. I mean literally. Imagine someone sitting on your stomach. They aren't going anywhere. They only way to get them off of you is to move them out your way. Push up hard and kick them out. Take baby-steps and just BLOCK them from Facebook, remove them from your chat list, so you won't see what they're doing and know when they're logged in. Delete all the history and remove/block from them from your cellular phone. All of these lines to your love/desire, all of these things are TORTURE DEVICES. Removing them from all digital devices will make you, force you, to take steps where you start concentrating on other things besides your emotional addiction.

Step 5: Don't be a ghost:  This goes along with step 4. That person you are connected with deserves to know what you're doing and why you're not communicating anymore. Be honest. Explain the confusion and the pain and that you need to figure things out. How would you like it if you keep calling, texting, IMming someone, and they just completely ignore you? It doesn't feel good. Treat others as you would like to be treated. Speak YOUR truth and then they will be forced to understand it. It might not go over very well, and that's why most people avoid doing it, but it's feels better in your own soul and your own being to be true and righteous. And, along with step 2, be honest to state that you CANNOT BE FRIENDS!

Step 6: Mourn your loss: You just let go of something connected to your heart, and it hurts like HELL. Don't deny that you have love or desire for this person (step 1), because it just makes things hurt worse when you find out that THEY'VE moved on. Accept that you love them, and mourn that they are gone now. You're grieving on "what could have been" not "what is". You're mourning your current circumstances of where you are NOW, and you don't want to be there. You want to have a clean and positive relationship that has a free and non constricting heart and love. Addiction is not part of love.

Step 7: Do What you Don't want to do: The current relationship that you are in, that's not your digital one, is broken and you should try to repair it even when you don't want to. Yeah. Do the steps of repairing it even when you're heart isn't in it. It feels fake and forced, because the feelings aren't there, it's with the other person, but doing something repeatedly makes it a habit, makes it become real. Sit down and have a chat of truthful things. If this can't happen, then it's time to take a break BUT PLAN A DATE WHEN TO COME BACK TOGETHER. It's important to have a break to bring back what's important in one's life.  Separation is a GOOD THING when used to heal a relationship. But you must plan to get back together. It's not a time to go have fun with someone else. This is alone time only. And if that current relationship isn't working for you, it's time to do step 4 - 6 with that person too. If children are involved, of course you can't break all connections, but make the focus on the children ONLY, and make the move to your new life which is NOT in a relationship. A relationship must come much later when you're all healed.

Step 8: Do stuff and Get Busy: It's the Do Today what you will put off tomorrow. There's some things that you had wanted to do and just felt you didn't have the time or money to do it. Start making those baby steps to DOING IT. The sense of accomplishing something will slowly fill you up inside where you were empty. This is something for yourself and NOT some external factor, addicting, emotional drugged relationship, that you felt would "save you". It's time to start getting busy for YOURSELF!

Step 9: Get away: If you can't afford to go on a trip, or check into a hotel, then take a walk around the neighborhood.  It's the physical removal that will help mentally remove your need for that person.

Step 10: Forgive yourself: Be honest. You've done some mean things. You were a part of having a relationship that was NOT working, rather you chose that person wrongly, or it was right "at the time", or you did something that cause them to distrust you and treat you differently, or for whatever reason...You MUST take your part of the blame to heal. Admit your wrong doings and then forgive yourself for doing them.

Step 11: Get some sponsors: Yep. Sponsors. Those who will support you while you're making your transition and self-change. You don't need the ones who will be negative towards you and your decisions, but one who will be supportive. That's what sponsors do. You'll need the support. You can't do it alone. You need POSITIVE support (I emphasize POSITIVE) from friends and family. It's not the Human Way to be alone. So start making a schedule when to hang out and talk on the phone and help paint their house.  You might not even want to do ANY of these things, but keeping busy and doing for someone outside yourself, helps decrease your need for that love or desire, slowly but surely, and bit-by-bit. And anytime you feel like falling off the wagon and reconnecting to that love/desire, you call your sponsor to walk you through the reasons why you need to stay on track.

Step 12: Believe in yourself: Everything you dream can exist, and it can only exist through achievement and success. This goes along with Step 8, where if you achieve something, you've completed it, and you feel successful. You can't start believing and loving yourself if you feel put-down all the time, rejected or that you always "f&$K stuff up"!!  Forging a path of things you CAN DO, is a path of loving yourself. And to love yourself will empower yourself and make your dreams come to you.

And with these steps, steps to healing yourself from addiction and past judgments, and doing these steps without going out to LOOK for your heart desire, everything that you want and dream will come to you!

I wish you the best of luck!

Until Next Time!