#Rhonda Howard career

[designaday]

Ultimate Playlist: Women’s Names, R

Rhiannon by Fleetwood Mac The song was inspired by the character of a Welsh woman who believed she was possessed by another woman name Rhiannon from the novel Triad. There’s also a goddess named Rhiannon in a Welsh story collection whom the lyrics of the song resemble.

Rio by Duran Duran In the song, Rio is a dancer compared to the Rio Grande river. The band explained that it was a metaphor for their desire to succeed in America.

Lovely Rita by The Beatles Paul wrote this song about an actual meter maid who gave him a parking ticket right outside of Abbey Road Studios Two.

Roberta by Billy Joel The protagonist is in love with a prostitute, but he can’t afford her. Joel said it’s based on a woman he knew in Los Angeles.

Mrs. Robinson by Simon & Garfunkel Originally written about Eleanor Roosevelt, Mike Nichols asked Paul to change it to “Mrs. Robinson” to be included in his 1967 film, The Graduate. The song won the 1969 Grammy for Record of the Year.

Help Me, Rhonda by The Beach Boys This is the story of a boy who fell in love with a girl who left him for another guy, and the boy begs his friend Rhonda to help him forget about her.

Sister Rosa by Slim This folk rock tune finds the singer at a bar where Rosa is on stage singing Moon River. I don’t remember where I came across it, but I love it. Keep on singin’, Rosa!

Rosalinda’s Eyes by Billy Joel Joel wrote this one as a hypothetical message to his mother Rosalind from his father Howard, who had left his family for Cuba.

Rosanna by Toto People thought the song was written about keyboardist Steve Porcaro’s girlfriend, the actress Rosanna Arquette, but it wasn’t about anyone in particular.

Rose’s Turn by June Styne & Stephen Sondheim, sung by Bette Midler From the Broadway show Gypsy, this song finds Mama Rose alone after all of her children have left to pursue their own careers. Everything’s coming up roses.

Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes) by Edison Lighthouse Apparently people don’t think much of Rosemary, but the singer is infatuated with her.

Cracklin’ Rosie by Neil Diamond This song makes a lot more sense when you understand that it was inspired by a folk story of a native tribe in Northern Canada with more men than women. When they go out Saturday night, the guys without girls pick up a bottle of wine as their date or the weekend.

Roxanne by The Police Yet another song about a prostitute, this one has been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.

Roxie by John Kander & Fred Ebb, sung by Ann Reinking From the Broadway musical Chicago, the lead character Roxie Hart sings about her plans for a future career in vaudeville.

[netius]

Discover the Power of These 10 Life-Enhancing Books

Are you looking for books that can help you live a better life? If so, you're in luck! There are many great books out there that can help you improve your relationships, your career, your health, and your overall happiness. In this blog post, we'll share 10 of the best life-enhancing books that we've read. These books have helped us to become better people, and we believe that they can help you too. 1. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho This classic novel tells the story of a young shepherd named Santiago who travels from Spain to Egypt in search of treasure. Along the way, he learns valuable lessons about life, love, and the importance of following your dreams. 2. The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle This book teaches you how to live in the present moment and to let go of negative thoughts and emotions. Tolle's simple yet profound insights have helped millions of people to live happier and more fulfilling lives. 3. The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey This book is a classic self-help book that teaches you how to be more productive, more effective, and more fulfilled in your life. Covey's seven habits are simple but powerful, and they can help you to improve every area of your life. 4. Mindset by Carol Dweck This book teaches you the importance of having a growth mindset. A growth mindset is the belief that your abilities can be developed through hard work and effort. This book will help you to overcome challenges, achieve your goals, and live a more fulfilling life. 5. The Secret by Rhonda Byrne This book teaches you the law of attraction, which is the belief that you can attract positive things into your life by focusing on them. The Secret has helped millions of people to manifest their dreams, and it can help you too. 6. The Power of Positive Thinking by Norman Vincent Peale This book teaches you the importance of positive thinking. Peale argues that positive thoughts can lead to positive outcomes, and he provides practical advice on how to develop a positive attitude. 7. The Road Less Traveled by M. Scott Peck This book is a classic self-help book that teaches you how to live a more meaningful and fulfilling life. Peck's insights are challenging but rewarding, and they can help you to become a better person. 8. The Art of Happiness by Dalai Lama and Howard C. Cutler This book is a conversation between the Dalai Lama and a Western psychiatrist. The Dalai Lama shares his insights on happiness, compassion, and the importance of living a balanced life. 9. Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom This book is a memoir about Albom's visits with his former college professor, Morrie Schwartz, who is dying of ALS. Morrie shares his wisdom on life, death, and the importance of living each day to the fullest. 10. The Defining Decade by Meg Jay This book is about the importance of your 20s. Jay argues that your 20s are a critical decade for shaping your future, and she provides practical advice on how to make the most of this time. "The books you read can change your life." These are just a few of the many great life-enhancing books that are out there. If you're looking for ways to improve your life, we encourage you to check out these books. They have the power to change your life for the better. Here are some additional tips for finding life-enhancing books: - Ask your friends, family, and colleagues for recommendations. - Read reviews online. - Visit your local library or bookstore. - Look for books that have been translated into multiple languages. - Pay attention to the books that are mentioned in other books that you've enjoyed. We hope you enjoy reading these books as much as we did! Read the full article

[allstarring-a]

⸻ TASK #002: CHARACTER SHEET.

BASIC INFORMATION.

FULL NAME: Dustin Lee Howard. NICKNAME(S): Dust(y). STAGE NAME: Chuck Taylor, Chuckie T, DUSTIN. BIRTH DATE: April 22nd, 1986. AGE: thirty-seven years old. GENDER: cis male. PRONOUNS: he / him pronouns. SEXUAL ORIENTATION: bisexual, slightly in the closet about it. MARITAL STATUS: single.

FAMILY & BACKGROUND.

FATHER: Donovan Howard. RELATIONSHIP WITH FATHER: Dustin has a good relationship with his father, largely because his father was the "fun parent," which is also largely the reason why Dustin has issues with male authority. MOTHER: Rhonda Howard. RELATIONSHIP WITH MOTHER: Dustin also has a good relationship with his mother. He's something of a momma's boy, and he's nearly the spitting image of her in appearance and stubborn personality. SIBLING(S): Landon Howard. BIRTH ORDER: Dustin's the oldest child, older than his younger brother by three years. PET(S): a Maltese-Yorkie named Walter. HOMETOWN: Murray, Kentucky. INVOLVED IN SPORTS?: he played baseball until he started wrestling training at fifteen years old. SCHOOL EXPERIENCE?: he hated school, but had a normal experience. EDUCATION LEVEL: bachelor's of science in television production. MISDEMEANORS?: public intoxication. TICKETS AND/OR VIOLATIONS?: three speeding tickets.

CAN YOUR MUSE . . .

DRIVE?: yes. JUMP-START A CAR?: no. CHANGE A FLAT TIRE?: yes. RIDE A BICYCLE?: yes. SWIM?: yes. PLAY AN INSTRUMENT?: no. PLAY CHESS?: no. BRAID HAIR?: no. TIE A TIE?: somewhat. PICK A LOCK?: no. COOK?: yes.

PHYSICAL APPEARANCE & CHARACTERISTICS.

EYE COLOR: gray-ish green. HAIR COLOR: dark brown. GLASSES/CONTACTS?: no. HEIGHT: 6'2". WEIGHT: 195 lbs. TATTOOS: none. PIERCINGS: none. MARKS: very faint freckles on the bridge of his nose. SCARS: none. NOTABLE FEATURES: doe eyes. USUAL EXPRESSION: resting dead inside face.

PSYCHOLOGY.

MBTI TYPE: ENTP / ENFP. ZODIAC SIGN: Taurus. FEAR(S): losing his loved ones. also clowns. DRUG USE?: once recreationally and socially with hallucinogens, but only edibles, if that, nowadays. ALCOHOL USE?: less often than he used to, but still often. SECRET?: early career was rife with harassment and threats. it's the reason why he'd guarded, now, and exerts his masculinity while suppressing his sexuality. CHARACTER LABEL: the stepford. THEME SONG: Your Mind Is Not Your Friend.

MANNERISMS.

QUIRKS: fidgets, always has to do something with his hands. HOBBIES: video games, writing. BAD HABITS: repressing his feelings. also never putting his clothes away. POSITIVE TRAITS: lighthearted, dependable, easygoing. NEGATIVE TRAITS: can be insensitive, stubborn, irritable. SENSE OF HUMOR: dry.

FAVORITES.

BOOK: House of Leaves. COLOR: orange, according to AEW Unrestricted. HOLIDAY: Halloween. MOVIE: The Thing. MUSICAL ARTIST: Swallow the Sun. SCENERY: the mountains. SCENT: coffee. SPORT: basketball. TELEVISION SHOW: he mostly only watches cooking shows and true crime. a real middle-aged mom. VIDEO GAME: Silent Hill 2. WEATHER: sun showers. VACATION DESTINATION: he's a simple man, he's happy wherever he goes, but he would enjoy somewhere like Vermont for the fall foliage.

[ndtcjamaica]

Part 8: In Tribute to Reggae Month

The ever-changing scene of popular music is a constant source of material and energy, and the classics of these idioms are presented in arrangements which show respect for the genre, and for those whose creative output has stood the test of time.

For the 49th Season of Dance, the NDTC Singers and Musicians performed a suite of songs — Tribute to Coxsone — arranged by former Musical Director Marjorie Whylie. The programme note stated that the recording career of several established popular artists began at Coxsone's Studio One in the nineteen seventies and list five of the classics recorded between 1964 and 1966 which were performed by the NDTC Singers and Musicians. They included: “Simmer Down”, “The Train Is Coming Baby”, “I've Got To Go Back Home”, “Dancing Mood” and “Six And Seven Books”.

Performers: Carole Reid, Faith Livingstone, Rhonda Lumsden Lue, Dulcie Bogues, Dawn Fuller-Philips, Helen Christian, Anna Blankson, Carl Bliss, Howard Cooper, Howard Phillips, Kemar Lee, Earle Brown, Heston Boothe, Leighton Jones, Conrod Hall (Singers)

Marjorie Whylie, Alberton Jefferson, Kamau Khalfani, Wigmoore Francis, Ferdinand Campbell, Henry Miller, Ewan Simpson, Jesse Golding, Andrae Latouche (Musicians)

[dailywikis]

Rhonda Howard Bio, Age, Wiki, Thomas Massie’s Wife, Height, Children, Twitter

Rhonda Howard Bio – Wiki

Rhonda Howard is married to Rep. Thomas Massie, a Republican who represents Kentucky’s 4th congressional district. They were high school sweethearts and have four children together.

Rep. Massie was in the headlines as lawmakers worked to approve a $2 trillion stimulus package to assist families and businesses amid the coronavirus outbreak. The Senate unanimously approved…

[funkymbtifiction]

Glow Quicktypes

UNOFFICIAL TPYING BY: wackydeli097 

Ruth Wilder: ISFJ

Ruth’s dominant function is introverted sensing; her first reaction to a new situation is to try to relate it back to her knowledge base in the tropes and traditions of theater. In the first season, she struggles to create a character for herself, until Zoya comes to her in a flash at the patio store (inferior Ne). She then begins to really build that character through Si: she needs direct, tangible experience to flesh out Zoya (which she gets when she crashes the Russian Jewish family’s party to practice her accent). She is concerned with getting the details of her performance just right, and she constantly tries to fit G.L.O.W. into a larger narrative of theatrical themes that she has studied so intensely for several years. She isn’t a natural risk taker, but her partnership with Sam Sylvia (an ENTP) inspires her to tap into her lower functions and try out new ideas and experiences.

Ruth is a people-pleaser and often compares herself to others; she tells Sam, “I get very anxious when I feel like I’m behind in a group setting.” She views G.L.O.W. as a team and invests a lot into building camaraderie with her costars, especially after her friendship with Debbie implodes. In the first season, she has a very hard time asserting herself because of her guilt over that betrayal.

Debbie Eagan: ESTJ

Debbie is dramatic, and she’s often manipulative, but that doesn’t make her a feeling type; in emotional situations, she’s often at a loss of how to react appropriately, and she doesn’t have a clear understanding or handle on her own emotions. She has a victim complex in relationship to Ruth (unhealthy inferior Fi), even though the two of them have wounded each other a lot over the years. She’s manipulative because she’s spent a lot of time painstakingly studying emotions (Si) and working that into her logical framework; she knows the game and how to play it (Te), which is why she’s been very successful in her career. She can easily switch off her emotions to focus on the task at hand.

She’s an unhealthy Te user, though, which leads her to be excessively harsh, most notably when Ruth finally stands up for herself and fends off a sleazy TV executive in season two. Debbie is not sympathetic to Ruth’s feelings at all. She flat out says that those are the rules of being a woman in show business. She chastises Ruth for being selfish. In Debbie’s mind, Ruth acted illogically, and what’s worse, she presumed that the rules didn’t apply to her, that she was above having to deal with these situations.

Debbie absolutely expects other people to put their own feelings aside to get the job done because that’s what she’s done for so long. Her unhealthy introverted sensing has led her to make a lot of sacrifices without really considering alternatives; up until G.L.O.W., Debbie has pretty much played by the rules and maintained the status quo, even though, as Ruth observes, she’s been miserable within it for a long time. She gave up her acting career to care for her son, but also to coddle Mark’s ego over having a wife who’s more ambitious and successful than he is. As much as Debbie lays the guilt trip on others (er, Ruth), she’s also extremely susceptible to guilt herself (unhealthy Si), which is why she would have stayed in her marriage forever.

Debbie tends to take everything a bit too far; her tertiary Ne comes out in those moments of being especially over-the-top. In healthier outlets, she brainstorms story lines and expands on the soap opera tropes that she knows well (Si-Ne). But Ne also rears its head in times of emotional duress. When Mark has his secretary call to ask her the brand of their bed, Debbie loses it; she impulsively decides to sell the bed, then everything in the house, eventually marking it all down to $5 because she can’t deal with consistent or reasonable pricing; she just knows that she wants it all gone because the memories are too painful (Si), so she says “screw it, this doesn’t make sense, nothing is going according to my plans anymore, so burn it all down” (Te-Ne).  She’s constantly fending off the threat of her own emotions, too afraid to go into a vulnerable place because when she does, she slips into self-loathing and has a hard time yanking herself out of her emotional spiral. It’s a lot easier for her to repress her feelings – until they get too big and messy to handle.

Sam Sylvia: ENTP

Sam’s primary cognitive function is extraverted intuition; he deals in possibilities. We see this in action as he’s determining the cast in season one. He talks through all of his reactions to them out loud, with little regard to their feelings (low Fe) and he launches into ideas of possible characters; he takes an idea and runs with it, expanding it, complicating it (Ti working with Ne), mapping out a larger story arc that goes way beyond wrestling matches. That outrageous sci-fi plot indicates that he’s decided to take this potentially hokey wrestling show and transform it into something that fits into his autership, his internal framework that guides his film-making (Ti). He isn’t the best at follow-through, however (which is why he relies so much on Cherry and Ruth). This scattered tendency intensifies in season two, when he’s in an Ne-Fe loop over the threat of losing creative control. He becomes manipulative and petty as he fails to handle this stress. He starts lashing out emotionally, regarding Ruth with suspicion and publicly castigating her.

His inferior introverted sensing isn’t all that noticeable, except in his awkward attempt at parenting Justine involves giving her old photo albums… of relatives she’s never met and doesn’t even know how she’s related to them (again, low Fe). His idea is that Justine will want to know her family’s history and that the photos are a way to communicate that with her and establish a familial connection; he just has a very poor grasp of Si (and Fe) and doesn’t bother with the details. 

Bash Howard: ENFP

Bash is full of big ideas. His dominant function is extraverted intuition; he loves exploring possibilities, delighting in helping the GLOW girls create characters and explore costume options at the show’s inception, and as the show progresses, he thrives in the brainstorming and story boarding sessions. He believes in his vision of GLOW and is optimistic about his ability to bring that vision to life. He’s not the best with details (inferior Si); in season two, when a TV executive calls him and wants to come to the finale’s taping, he neglects to get the guy’s name and he turns to Debbie to figure it out.

His auxiliary introverted feeling is most obviously expressed through his eccentricity, which places him pretty far outside the kind of life his rich mother Birdie expects of him. Even though he knows this (and Birdie is not subtle, frequently withholding his allowance when she wants to express her disapproval of his choices), he doesn’t compromise; Bash is going to live his life on his own terms and adhere to his own set of values. This is a big part of why the girls open up to him so quickly; he is completely earnest and genuine, both in his love of wrestling and the way he values their individual potential, talents and needs.

That doesn’t mean that he’s fully developed his Fi, especially when it comes to his own emotional needs. In the finale of season 2, he tells Rhonda that he doesn’t fully process his emotions, but as we’ve seen from earlier episodes, this really isn’t the case. Bash has a strong understanding of his emotions, but he is reluctant to express them openly. He keeps his depth of feeling to himself, heartbreakingly so in the later episodes of the second season. This tendency to repress and internalize his emotions is compounded by the terrible reality of the closet and internalized homophobia in the 80s; Bash is either bi or gay, and he’s at least emotionally involved with Florian, his butler/best friend. When Bash gets the phone call that Florian has died (it’s heavily implied that he had AIDS), he walks away from Debbie at the bar, chokes back tears, hangs up the phone and doesn’t tell a soul. He buries all of those feelings deep inside and suffers alone. Instead, he acts with self-sacrificing chivalry towards Rhonda, which is baffling on the surface (”Rhonda just married a millionaire with no pre-nup!”), but this is his mode of coping with his complicated feelings about Florian; it’s a bruise too painful to touch or admit, so he chooses to hide further behind a mask of a heterosexual marriage.

Sheila the She-Wolf: ISFP

Sheila is living life as her most authentic self (dominant Fi). In the first season, when her roommate Ruth is struggling to create a character, Ruth praises her Method acting. Sheila swiftly corrects her: this is not a costume and it is not an act. Later on, she explains that she feels that, spiritually, she is a wolf. She doesn’t offer any further explanation of this spiritual connection to wolves; it’s enough that she knows it and that this is her truth.

Although she’s very aware of how unconventional she is, Sheila doesn’t care too much about how other people react to her appearance because authenticity is much more important to her; she has a strong sense of self and she’s compelled to express it physically, through her clothes and makeup. That indicates a strong use of her two dominant functions, introverted feeling and extraverted sensing.

Sheila has a lot of surprising talents and abilities. In season one, she reveals her ability to play piano, though, hilariously, she only knows the theme from Exodus. In season 2, she saves the day for Ruth and Debbie by typing their PSA with astonishing speed and accuracy. These unexpected talents aren’t necessarily related to MBTI, but her lack of explanation is; she simply springs into action whenever one of her skills is needed (Se), without feeling the need to narrativize how or why she knows these things.

In season 2, we see some of her inferior Te come out under stressful conditions, when Sam projects his own anxiety about losing control of the show onto all of the wrestlers and makes them compete against each other for a spot on the show each week. Sheila picks up on this quickly and adjusts to these new circumstances (Se-Ni) in order to protect herself. For example, while everyone is practicing for the week’s audition, Sheila pounces on Rhonda and covers her mouth to prevent her from revealing anything about their plan; this seems out of character for Sheila, but she’s read the situation and becomes suspicious of others (Ni-Te). She becomes competitive to preserve something she really cares about (Fi-Te); of all the wrestlers, Sheila is probably the one who truly needs this the most, because where else will she be actively encouraged to be a wolf? Sheila knows this and she’s going to fight and scrap and do whatever it takes to ensure that she can stay, even if that means somewhat harsh treatment of her teammates.

Carmen Wade: ISFJ

Carmen is warm and caring, and she shares her encyclopedic knowledge of wrestling (Si) to help her teammates develop their characters and more fully understand what they’re doing and why. In season one, Carmen is hesitant to upset her family’s expectations and demands on her, so she keeps her wrestling a secret. This is because she knows how they’ll react (Fe), that they view wrestling as a male-only activity, but also because she’s so passionate about wrestling and is unwilling to compromise on that just because her family disapproves. Wrestling is an integral part of Carmen’s sense of self; she’s passionate about the sport and its history, including her family’s history in wrestling, even if they don’t want to see it that way at first (one of my favorite moments is when her dad shows up to cheer her on and leads the crowd in chanting “Machu Picchu!”). Attaining that parental approval is important to Carmen, even though she’s willing to pursue her goals without it.

Carmen is hard-working and devoted to her area of expertise, and she uses that knowledge as a means of helping others. She organizes a team outing to watch a wrestling match so the others get that first-hand experience of what it means and what it’s about (Si again). In season 2, she is so supportive that she stretches herself too thin (in classic ISFJ fashion); she is so busy helping the others improve their wrestling moves that she doesn’t fully develop her own storyline for the week. She also shows difficulty in pivoting and improvising in the moment (inferior Ne) when Sam cuts their audition short.

[toongrrl-blog]

Pink Power Rankings (Pt. 2)

This is our next segment of “Pink Power Rankings”, I hope to do a few more in the future, including ones centered on the American Girl dolls and the Disney Princesses. The video above is the famous “Think Pink!” musical number from Funny Girl, so without further ado, time to rank these pink moments!

The Gorgeous Ladies Of Wrestling

This is a show where wrestlers do their thing on a ring bordered by pink ropes, so of course pink is going to come up....a lot. Even when it comes to donuts and abortion ( “I like pink things” “Well if you liked pink things less, you wouldn’t be in this situation”). The show centers on a team of diverse women wrestlers and their manager (Sam Sylvia, played by a hilarious Marc Maron) and producer (closeted Bash Howard, played by the appropriately 80′s Ken lookalike Chris Lowell): struggling actress Ruth (by a charming Alison Brie),  former soap opera star and housewife turned wrestler and co-producer Debbie (the talented Betty Gilpin), stuntwoman and coach Cherry (a beautiful turn by Sydelle Noel) and her stunt-double husband Keith (utterly likable Bashir Salahuddin), daughter and sister of wrestlers Carmen (a winsome Britney Young), cheerful Brit Rhonda (the multi-faceted Kate Nash), wolfgirl Sheila (a dry Gayle Rankin), the humorous single mom Tammé (former wrestler Kia Stevens showing off brilliant emotional chops), the outrageous religious Jew Melrose (Fran Drescher lookalike Jackie Tohn), hairdressing kayfabe duo Stacy & Dawn (Kimmy Gatewood and Rebekka Johnson), Indian American bisexual med student Arthie (Sunita Mani a.k.a. the Turn Down For What girl), Olympian and taciturn Reggie (an athletic Marianna Palka), Valley Girl seamstress and former refugee Jenny (the eye-catching Ellen Wong), and the extroverted stripper and breakdancer lesbian Yolanda (a triple-threat Shakira Barerra). 

In the Season 2 finale of the show (and as a bid to keep the undocumented Rhonda in the United States) they stage a wedding ceremony for Rhonda where the rest of the wrestlers are wearing pink and gold leotards with ruffled sleeves (how 80s is that), which they integrate into their Vegas show in Season 3. In the first episode of the season, several things go wrong: Debbie and Ruth (in their wrestling roles Liberty Belle and the Soviet Zoya the Destroyer) comment in the local news on the Challenger spaceship launch where the rocket explodes in the air while Ruth is absorbed in her role as the heel, a fire alarm goes off at the casino during dress rehearsal which Jenny blames on her lighting incense to cleanse the atmosphere for the show (turns out to be false to distract from the doldrums of the tragedy), and the girls play on the tables and later have a successful show. A huge up in a show about the ups and downs of show business. 

Power Ranking: 8. 

The Plastics

“On Wednesdays we wear pink.”

One of the many rules to abide by if you are in North Shore High’s exclusive popular clique, The Plastics. Cady has been homeschooled abroad since she was a child and is transplanted to a surburban high school where it looks like dealing with social dynamics is going to be a lot tougher than knowing what to do if you encounter a lion out in the wilderness. Led by the ruthless and manipulative Regina George, the clique is formed up of girls who are the most privileged and prettiest in the high school (and when you look at it Regina is co-opting the power that comes with being the daughter of the founder of Toaster Strudel or being really pretty) and they keep a Burn Book of all their girl classmates (and one gay guy) where they write insulting things about them. They are quick to punish by calling your mom on the phone and telling her you got some urgent results from Planned Parenthood or by laying claim to your ex-boyfriend. But the leader Regina is a unhappy girl whose mother is more interested in pleasing her than nurturing her and she feels she cannot apply herself to intellectual activities because it’s “uncool” and that she has to be underweight to be the pinnacle of beauty, she belittles the self-worth of her most loyal friends for their intelligence or their popularity and views Cady as competition. Also as Regina learns, the student body is actually afraid of her and they are willing to laugh at her when given the chance. 

Power Ranking: 4.

Andie Walsh

I would be remiss not to include the main character of the film titled: Pretty In Pink. Our character is very smart, going places, hard-working, and a fashionista with her signature color (despite the hideous prom dress) and she has been disappointed in love by her richie boyfriend (and being hit on by his sleazebag friend and her childhood friend) and despite the prom look here, she has killer fashion sense. It’s a shame she cut up her maternal figure of a friend’s old 60s (cute) prom dress and another party dress to create this monstrosity. 

But she hits this prom to prove to the rich snobs at her school that they haven’t hurt her. And that is power.

Power Ranking: 9.5 (0.5 taken off for hideous prom dress!)

The Pink Ladies

The ultimate Pink clad clique, their pledge is to act cool and to be cool, til death do them part they think pink! They are the all female counterparts to the male T-Birds (the Burger Palace Boys in the original, edgier, musical) and they are interested in subverting the 1950s script for young women...to an extent, to be fair they don’t have a language for subverting respectability but it’s clear often they are mostly dates for the T-Birds. The girls actually do things that were considered shocking for mature women in 1959: they make out and have sex, it’s implied Rizzo gets an abortion (or it was a false positive), they wear pants and shorts, they indulge in the same vices as the boys, they have (gender-appropriate) ambition, multiple romantic partners, talk back to any boys bugging them or remarking on them, pierce their ears (no really women mostly had clip on earrings back then), and they wear clothes for comfort and even clothes that showcase their sex appeal. 

But one of them gives Sandy the now problematic behavior, it would have been more subversive if Sandy was encouraged to forget about Danny (which I think she did). But it was the late 1950s and it was hard for a female rebel. 

Power Ranking: 8.5. 

Taina Morales

The criminally underrated (and short-lived) sitcom Taina centers on a Nuyorican teenager and her family as she attends a performing arts high school as she works her way to becoming a singer and actress. Fushia, not plain pink, was Taina’s color and the color she picks for her Quincenera dress instead of the garish pastel pink ballgown her mother wants her to wear (as tradition). The episode covers the conflict regarding young Latinas and the pull between what mainstream American culture demands (consumerism and individualism by any means necessary) and the culture of their family’s homeland (which is more collective and built on hierarchy and just as shitty for women as individualist “Me first” culture). I want to say this to my non-Latina and non-Latinix readers: me and my sisters are dealing with a lot, we have demands from relatives who only see our age and youth and not the capable people we already are who have us flipping tortillas at 5 or watching younger siblings after school instead of a after-school job or extracurriculars or even hang out with friends and a mainstream culture that demands we all assimilate and be “real Americans”, try to be understanding and supportive.

It’s difficult but you have to set boundaries and assert your vision....lest you be a horror story from Say Yes to the Dress (Atlanta and Bridesmaids). 

Power Ranking: 10 (some folks have no idea). 

Deb Bradshaw

This is Deb Bradshaw, a resident of Idaho where fashion and tech-wise, everyone is stuck in the 1980s and 1990s and it was the mid-2000s. She sells handicrafts and takes glamour photos to raise funds for college and she hangs out with a couple of teenage boys who are quiet (Rico) or awkward (Napoleon) as she. Right now Napoleon’s sleazy Uncle Rico gives her a ad for breast enhancement supplements on the ruse that Napoleon recommended them for her. What does she do? Cry?

Nope. She calls Napoleon and tells him off for supposedly dissing her appearance, tells him she is content with her figure and he can take those supplements himself. In a time that was pushing girls to be sexy and hot and fun and extroverted to impress guys and where fashion was designed to show off impossibly slim, toned, and busty figures with long legs, it was something special. 

Power Ranking: 9.8

Little Jordan Sanders

Once up on a time (the early 1990s) there was a nerdy little girl who felt she wowed her fickle classmates and then a mean girl pulled a prank on her that landed her in to the hospital, from there she vowed she will do the bullying before anyone else bullies her.

So she becomes a nightmare boss whose employees can’t stand her (to the point where they are listening to relaxation tapes saying “So you want to slap your boss”) and she forbids carbs in her workplace as she doesn’t eat them. She gets confronted by a little girl with a magic wand who puts a spell on her that doesn’t seem to take but then Jordan wakes up in her preteen body again and has to attend middle school all over again where she gets bullied. 

So what does Jordan do? She arms herself with a huge Birkin bag and a pink power suit with a white plaid pattern and makes her way to school and manages to corrupt her new tween friends with her cynical world view. But at some point she embraces her inner geek girl and wakes up an adult woman again.

Power Ranking: 7, it’s a front but a fabulous front. 

Midge Maisel

This is the night that Midge would have been made for life....and the night where she burns a bridge with a friend and puts her’s and her manager Susie’s future in jeopardy. 

So after starting a career in stand up after her husband leaves her for his mediocre secretary, Midge gets to perform stand up at the famous Apollo theater before pop singer Shy Baldwin’s concert (part of his cross-country tour), this is the community he grew up in and where the local middle-aged mothers bake him goodies so he’d be persuaded to date their daughters. But Midge, a privileged Jewish American woman, is a fish out of water amongst the mostly African American audience and performers. 

So she starts to make jokes about Shy’s stage persona and hints at him being a closeted gay man which all bring down the house and impress the audience (and keep the Wop Wop Man at bay)....but then Shy’s manager reveals they have kicked her out from the tour for what she has done. For once the fabulous but thoughtless Midge has faced the consequences of her actions. 

Power Ranking: 10, she made an impact alright.

Meg Griffin

By far more the least empowered woman on this list or the list before (even more than Barb who got killed by a monster), Meg Griffin started Family Guy as a ordinary teenage girl who wasn’t popular at school but was assured of love from her then-loving, but dysfunctional and nutty family. Then after a brief cancellation and protests brought the show back, the show and even her family (along with the whole community) started bashing her and calling her “ugly” or dissing her for her weight to the point where the show was being (rightfully) accused of misogyny. Meg so far has had her father fart in her face, her mother try to seduce her boyfriend and leave her pills to potentially OD on, her obese brother gets popular and doesn’t invite her to his party because she doesn’t fit a narrow “boob to butt ratio” (seems like Family Guy hates body fat on women unless it’s on their boobs), her baby brother loves to feed off her tears and to her face told her to become bulimic, and her family dog tells her that God doesn’t exist because she has a shitty family (complete with a Mom he lusts after) and she has “a flat chest and a fat ass”.

 Also this “pink condom hat” wearing teen is dished crap by the writers because they claim not to have knowledge of writing teenage girls, gee what could be an improvement on that problem?

Is it any wonder that this girl may have violent episodes?

Power Ranking: 1 (most of the time). 

Quinn Morgendorffer

From day one pink has been a color that Quinn wore and while she updated her late 90s baby tee look with deeper colors and modest cuts, pink has remained a primary color. Actually pink has been her preferred color since childhood, her color for school dances, for camping trips, what she wears as a Mommy/Beauty vlogger, the color for the background Jane uses for her abstract portrait of Quinn, 

Quinn’s motivation is to be the most attractive and popular girl around, likely stemming from her father’s trait of needing people to pay attention to him, and coincidentally pink is what helps her fit in with her parents and helps her stand out from the Fashion Club, and it helps her align with the late 1990s standard of beauty and femininity (also somewhat aided by her grandmother) that prizes long, shiny, bouncy hair and a teeny weeny nose with microscopic pores, and a fat free (except for the boobs) body over intelligence and substance. This serves to set her apart from her sister Daria, who decides to go against the role. Which is sad because Quinn is very witty and savvy with a gift for fashion analysis and the sisters show a propensity for getting along much better than their mother did with her sisters. 

Later in the series, she starts maturing and leans more into her intellectual gifts, thus her jeans and shirt get deeper in color and flaunt her slender mid-section less (they still show the outline of her silhouette). She starts pulling away from her shallow clique and deals with a new friend with alcoholism (not much of a resolution at the end), thankfully somewhat like her sister, she can provide kinship over (cheeseless) pizza and diet soda.

Power Ranking: 10, Family Guy writers take notes. 

Daria Morgendorffer

Pink is the color of mortification for Daria. She is the only member of her family to not have a pinkish or reddish tone in her coloring (unless you count her traditional orange shirt under her green blazer and black skirt, something that calls to her mother’s power suit) and femininity seems forced on her. In fact the only time pink was used as a power move was when she used it to convince her sister to stop being a pseudo-intellectual by dressing up like her. 

In this image from the tie-in book The Daria Diaries, we see that a younger Daria is dressed up in a high-necked and puff-sleeved nightmare of a pin dress that looks so infantile, that likely Helen forced on her (Quinn would never pick that, no matter how mad Quinn is she would never make someone wear something if she didn’t think it was flattering), and while her mother and sister are in yellow-toned frills that closely matched their tastes, Daria stands apart glum and wishing someone would save her from this fashion emergency.

Power Ranking: 4, just loose the collar at least?

Glinda the Good Witch of the North

The Good (but slightly bitchy) Witch of the North is the representative for how powerful pink can be in 1939 (or rather any time because Oz operates outside our world). She is the guardian (was she battling the Wicked Witches of the East and West for supremacy while the Munchkins were terrorized? Gosh a lot of WWII allegories here) of Oz played by the closeted Bisexual and hilarious Billie Burke, she is good but not above encouraging munchkins to sing about how happy they are that the wicked witch is dead. While munchkins run around scared when the Wicket Witch of the West shows up to corner Dorothy and get the ruby slippers back, Glinda cooly plans on snatching the slippers and poofing them on Dorothy’s feet and drops shade on the Witch. 

But Glinda is one to remind the characters (and the audience) that they needed to discover the power within them to achieve their goals and come out the other end stronger, no one can make you believe that. 

Power Ranking: 10, this look is so iconic.

Kim McAfee

Truly an iconic pink look and not bad for a role where Ann-Margret makes her big break. The teenage Kim MacAfee, member of the Conrad Birdie fan club, gets pinned and is chosen to kiss Conrad during his farewell concert before he leaves for the army. Quite the glow up! But she has to deal with a jealous boyfriend who doesn’t want Conrad around (probably because he can’t make her scream and faint) and her feelings of “I don’t need him but I really want him with me”. This outfit was stunning and meant to convey a lot in 1963: it’s pants, it’s Schiaparelli Pink rather than a dainty pastel like she wears here, it shows off her figure, she sings about kissing men from Yale to Purdue while Conrad and her boyfriend Hugo sing about hot chicks and they all sing about having a lot of living to do. Of course Hugo leaves and she is distraught, up to the point where she kisses Conrad Birdie and Hugo sucker punches him in front of a live audience. She happily ends up with Hugo and wishes Birdie well, as opposed to when she is devastated over him heading to the army (is it no accident the sexists from Mad Men like the first version?).

Power Ranking: 9.5, truly iconic and the outfit to wear when you attempt to be a sexually liberated woman who doesn’t need a possessive man.

Caroline Brooks

Speaking of big breaks, this is the film where Esther Williams (the codifier for swimming musicals and synchronized swimming) makes her big break in a iconic career and it was quite an impressive entrance. And then starts a decade-long career of water ballet musicals and swimwear, the film isn’t remarkable for it’s plot (enjoyable rom-com) but for the impressive swimming sequences that show off Esther’s athletic skills (she was eligible for the 1940 Olympics). That is a way to make an impact with pink.

Power Ranking: 20.

Courtney Gripling

Who’s the girl in the pink capris?

It’s Courtney, it’s Courtney!

This song was sung two times in the show and it tells you a lot about the inner workings of a sweet but sheltered and often insensitive Middle School Queen (for measure, she sings this in a sparkly dress at a friend’s 13th birthday party, friend doesn’t mind though). Courtney would definitely be the kind of girl who’d wear white to a (Western) wedding. 

Pink (or peach or lavender or blue or cream) has been a signature color for Courney since the very beginning: it was the color of her pajamas, she told Ginger she looks really good in the color when she borrows sleepwear from the girl, she wore “Popular In Peach” nail polish for her exams the semester before, and she even wore the color of skirt and blouse she wore when she got bullied in high school and learned her family was losing their McMansion and their money (even her port-a-potty was pink with baroque gild). It highlights her delicate and privileged background, like lace or fine china, it will get spoiled.

So this girl, who got by with people being hired to do her homework and sung about herself at another person’s birthday party and had a talent show performance where she and her friends wore blonde wigs and matching costumes (with face masks of herself), the girl who was shocked to find out summer camps don’t have masseuses, the girl who wore platform sandals in the winter, or that Mom losing her platinum card is not the catastrophe she thinks it is.....suddenly finds her family in poverty after her father was caught doing white collar crime.

So sad, she was always better than Ivanka.

Power Ranking: 6.5, glorious look and character but not likely to be invited to anybody’s wedding in the future.

Cher Horowitz

It’s fitting the premier teen fashionista of Beverly Hills undergoes her enlightenment and makes up with her friend in a matching pink preppy ensemble. Cher Horowitz (despite clearly taking some lead from her BFF Dionne’s more sophisticated and colorful take on Bev Hills fashion) has been a trendsetter in-universe and at the time the film came out. 

Before the film came out, fashion was inspired by grunge or still stuck in the late 1980s or dominated by neon colors and power dressing and or mixing and matching, then the costume designer for the film (Mona May) decided on taking a twist on the preppy look, while keeping some sportiness and the colors of the time (even nodding to Beverly Hills 90210). May subtly updated looks that Sally Draper and Nancy Wheeler would have worn and for the rest of the decade teen girls were sporting mary janes, plaid, collars, floaty dresses, pastels, stripes, and knee socks. 

At the start of the film, Cher thinks she knows it all and she is the most popular girl in her school....she doesn’t really know it all (she’s Clueless).  She does aspire to be more and do more (and sometimes plagued by insecurity) and takes new grunge girl Tai under her wing and gives her a makeover that makes her look like a shorter, redhaired, and curvier clone of Cher herself until Tai gets swollen in the head and Cher realizes she loves her ex-stepbrother Josh. After an argument, a humbled Tai (in a style that combines the preppy femininity she learned in Beverly Hills and her skater geek inclinations that manages to hold well into the mid 2000s) makes up with her and they watch Tai’s love interest shred out. 

Here we see Cher in her feminine prep but the casual look and the prints help her empathize with the crowd on the grass. 

Power Ranking: 9.

Miss Piggy

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and it may be necessary from time to time to give a stupid or misinformed beholder a black eye.

The ultimate diva in pink, with all her charms, cannot attract Kermit the Frog and the woman who assured at least one generation of girls that they don’t need to be slender princesses to be the leading lady. Before Elle Woods, Miss Piggy came in with blown out wings and curls and in pink outfits assured of her own place in show business and of her own beauty and especially during an era when society was learning (slowly) to accept other forms of female personality and challenging gender roles. She was a revolutionary clad in the style of women of the Golden Age of Hollywood and made a mark for more body inclusivity in entertainment and transcended the girly girl/tomboy dichotomy that had been around to enforce stereo-typically feminine behavior and set up women to compete against one another. 

Power Ranking: 10.

Blossom

Sugar. Spice. Everything Nice. Chemical X. These are the things that created a trio of super-powered kindergartners, the leader wearing a large red bow over her long red locks and has a pink dress (and improbably large pink-colored eyes). These girls had to save their city from monsters and evil villains while attending Kindergarten and making time for their playroom. Blossom was Miss Perfect personified: cute, long pretty hair, perfect grades, ladylike behavior, intellectual, emotionally mature (she acted more 10 years old rather than her actual age of being born in a 5 year old’s body); but being Miss Perfect can make you blind to the resentment of others (she is rather bossy) and being liked and holding that as the standard could let you get run over. It’s fortunate that Blossom is learning how to advocate for herself and break the rules to save the day (like beating up evil senior citizens) now rather than at 14, 17, 24, 32.....

Power Ranking: 11. 

Renee Bennett

Renee Bennett (as played by Amy Schumer) is insecure about living in a world that seems to stop for women fitting a narrow standard of beauty, which doesn’t concern her as far as she’s concerned. Now Renee wears pink a few times in the film, highlighting her femininity and desire to be universally beautiful. She happens to make a wish to be beautiful during a rainstorm and the next day, she goes to Soul Cycle where she falls off a bike, hair gets caught in the bike and she hits her head and wakes up seeing a different person in the mirror. 

Now she walks around the world as if she was confident in being one of the most beautiful women in the room, if not the world. Suddenly her clothes show more skin, they are more twee (the bright colors and pastels), she’s taking huge fashion risks, and participating in bikini contests. Of course every film high hits a low where the protagonist’s ego is swollen, her friends feel alienated and later she bonks her head and believes she is back in her old body and no one has seen how “hideous” she is. Later she finds the confidence to “come out” as she is (as far as others are concerned, she hasn’t changed her looks too much). 

Power Ranking: 7.5

[wutbju]

Lincolnton, GA—Floyd King Little, 84, of Lincolnton, Georgia, entered the presence of his Lord on December 31, 2020, at University Hospital in Augusta Georgia. King is survived by his beloved wife of 58 years, Charlotte (Wilson) Little; his son Rusty and spouse, Rhonda, and grandson Tradd, of Greenville, South Carolina; his son Kevin and spouse, Lee, and granddaughters Reese and Carys, of North Augusta, South Carolina; and his son Gary and spouse, Madonna, and grandson Andrew, of Evans, Georgia.

King was born on April 24, 1936 in Atlanta, Georgia, to Clyde Howard Little and Mabel Clara King Little. They had six sons. As the scrappy youngest of the six boys growing up in South Atlanta, King cultivated his first love and an unrelenting life-long passion: fishing. King always loved to be on the water. After graduating Brown High School in Atlanta in 1954, King served two years of active duty in the United States Army. While in the Army, King played fast-pitch soft ball at a semi-professional level. An unlikely accident altered his course in life. As left fielder, racing to catch a fly ball that would drop between his position in the outfield and the short stop's position, he collided at full speed with the shortstop, who was equally committed to catching that fly ball. The collision was severe. King's neck was broken, and he thereafter spent many months lying flat on his back, recovering from his injuries.

While incapacitated, motionless on his back, King made a deal: he promised that if God would let him recover, he would obtain an education, marry and raise a family in the manner that he felt was God's calling for him. Following a months-long recovery, King steadfastly pursued that calling with unwavering commitment. He was educated at Bob Jones University, a private Christian college, where he studied accounting, graduating in 1962. During his college years, King cultivated another love, one that would ultimately displace fishing as his real first love. King and Charlotte married on June 15, 1962. Together, they raised three sons, living in Valdosta, Waycross, Albany and Augusta, Georgia, and successfully made a world they had dreamed of. King worked as a Revenue Officer for the Internal Revenue Service for 34 years, then retired from federal service. In "retirement," King utilized expertise developed during his career with the IRS in his business as an Enrolled Agent, licensed to practice before the IRS, representing individuals with tax-related problems.

Above all, King loved Charlotte, his family and friends. His four grandchildren were his delight. King carried gold, one-dollar coins to randomly hand out to children at church and wherever else, just so he could see them smile. He possessed a keen, dry wit, and shared his jokes, some of which were fairly amusing, without cracking a smile. His family will miss his loving heart, infectious laugh when he got tickled, and uncanny ability to find a solution for, it seemed, any problem. King proudly wore his strong faith in God on his sleeve, wanting everyone to know the same joy and peace he felt as a result of his faith in God.

A service in celebration of King's life will be held at 3 p.m., Monday, January 4, 2021, at Thomas Poteet & Son. The family will receive friends from 2:00 P.M. until the time of the service. Interment with military honors will follow the service in the Abilene Baptist Church Cemetery. The family asks that CDC guidelines be followed but understand that many won't be able to attend due to the pandemic; feel free to leave a note on the website at Thomaspoteet.com. Memorial contributions may be made to Bob Jones University, 1700 Wade Hampton Blvd, Greenville, SC 29614.

Thomas Poteet & Son Funeral Directors, 214 Davis Rd., Augusta, GA 30907 (706) 364-8484. Please sign the guestbook at www.thomaspoteet.com

[iamcnf]

#TBT Photos taken from this past summer at Howard University during our 2017 DC Summer Intensive Program. The education, government, NGO, and nonprofit panel comprised of: Felicia Fort, Rhonda Baylor, Byron Kight, Angelica Melendez, Adjoa Ba, Alex Rose, and Michael Gaskins.  The panelist spoke on their educational and career journey. They bestowed wisdom to the @iamcnf 2017 Washington, DC Fellows. #ThrowBackThursday #CNFFellows #CNF2017Fellows #iamcnf #payitforward #DC #WashingtonDC #ChangeAgents #howardUniversity #HU #TheRealHU #Mentorship #Guidance

[windycitybookworm]

It’s Raining Books!

A Ring of Truth is the second installation in the fantastic historical Henrietta and Inspector Howard series. I’d say this series is for fans of The Devil in the White City, but fictional and mixed with more romance and slightly less murder.

Newly engaged, Clive and Henrietta now begin the difficult task of meeting each other's family. Difficult because Clive has neglected to tell Henrietta that he is in fact the heir to the Howard estate and fortune, and Henrietta has just discovered that her mother has been hiding secrets about her past as well. When Clive brings Henrietta to the family estate to meet his parents, they are less than enthused about his impoverished intended. Left alone in this extravagant new world when Clive returns to the city, Henrietta finds herself more at home with the servants than his family, much to the disapproval of Mrs. Howard and soon gets caught up in the disappearance of an elderly servant's ring, not realizing that in doing so she has become part of a bigger, darker plot. As Clive and Henrietta attempt to discover the truth in the two very different worlds unraveling around them, they both begin to wonder: Are they meant for each other after all?

While it’s not a page turner in the thriller sense, it is so well-written that it transports readers to Henrietta’s world and sucks you in until you’re suddenly halfway done with the book.

For four young immigrant women living in Boston’s North End in the early 1900s, escaping tradition doesn’t come easy. But at least they have one another and the Saturday Evening Girls Club, a social pottery-making group offering respite from their hectic home lives—and hope for a better future. Ambitious Caprice dreams of opening her own hat shop, which clashes with the expectations of her Sicilian-born parents. Brilliant Ada secretly takes college classes despite the disapproval of her Russian Jewish father. Stunning Maria could marry anyone yet guards her heart to avoid the fate of her Italian Catholic mother, broken down by an alcoholic husband. And shy Thea is torn between asserting herself and embracing an antiquated Jewish tradition. The friends face family clashes and romantic entanglements, career struggles and cultural prejudice. But through their unfailing bond, forged through their weekly gathering, they’ll draw strength—and the courage to transform their immigrant stories into the American lives of their dreams.

This was my FAVORITE selection from the It’s Raining Books Spring Reading Challenge, and I hope to read more from Jane Healey soon.

Newly divorced Rhonda, haunted by her sister Evelyn's ghost, travels to an old palazzo in Rome to confront Marco, the man who stole her sister's heart--only to find out he's vanished in the wake of Evelyn's death. Meanwhile, Rhonda's nineteen-year-old daughter Olivia, adopted by Rhonda at birth, travels to the mysterious and lush waters of northern Vietnam, where she's been summoned by the missing Marco--a man she only knows from her parents' whispers, a man she has never met or seen. Soon, truths are exposed and lives unraveled, and the real journey begins. Four lives in all, spanning three continents, are now bound together in an unfathomable way--and they tell a powerful story about love in all its incarnations, filial and amorous, healing and destructive.

I will end with what is one of my favorite books of 2017, Jumping Over Shadows. Annette Gendler shares a beautifully written memoir about love, hate, and life that I couldn’t put down. This one is a must-read!

History was repeating itself when Annette Gendler fell in love with a Jewish man in Germany in 1985. Her Great-Aunt Resi had been married to a Jew in Czechoslovakia before World War II--a marriage that, while happy, created tremendous difficulties for the extended family once the Nazis took over their hometown in 1938, and ultimately did not survive the pressures of the time. Annette and Harry's love, meanwhile, was the ultimate nightmare for Harry's family of Holocaust survivors. Weighed down by the burdens of their family histories, Annette and Harry kept their relationship secret for three years, until they could forge a path into the future and create a new life in Chicago. As time went on, however, Annette found a spiritual home in Judaism--a choice that paved the way toward acceptance by Harry's family, and redemption for some of the wounds of her own family's past.

**Disclaimer** I received copies of these books from BookSparks in exchange for honest reviews. 

[its-michaelsanchezjamallyon-love]

Interview - Variety

SPOILER ALERT: Do not read ahead if you have not watched the midseason finale of “Empire,” titled “A Furnace for Your Foe,” which aired Wednesday, Dec. 14 on Fox.

“Empire” wrapped up the first half of Season 3 on Wednesday night, and no surprise here — viewers were left with a ton of cliffhangers, including the safety of many Lyon family members.

Cookie (Taraji P. Henson) found out that her boo Angelo (Taye Diggs) not only got a DUI back in the day, but a girl that was in the car with him was left to die. Jamal (Jussie Smollett) was ordered to go to rehab by his family, after hitting rock bottom. And Andre (Trai Byers) has vowed to kill his father, Lucious (Terrence Howard).

Here, “Empire” executive producer Sanaa Hamri, who directed the midseason finale, breaks down the episode. Plus, what’s up next when Season 3 returns in March?

At the end of the episode, we find out that not only did Angelo get a DUI, but there was also a girl in the car who he essentially left to die. Should we take that story for face-value? Is that really what happened in Angelo’s past?

From what we know right now, yes, absolutely. After Diana (Phylicia Rashad) didn’t follow through with her promise, Lucious decided to delve deeply and he found the truth of what really happened. I think Lucious’ whole angle is to make Cookie realize that Angelo is not who he seems to be, and is not as powerful and strong as he seems, and that he was a coward for leaving the girl to die.

So do you think that Lucious’ motive here is to really protect Cookie? Or does he just want to one-up Angelo?

I think it’s all of the above. Obviously, they have a strong bond and Lucious loves Cookie and he does not want her to be with any other man. I think that he is going to try to come in between her and Angelo even more so because Angelo is reminiscent of Barry, her high school sweetheart, who he had taken Cookie away from. So I think Lucious is very aware that Angelo is very much a probable candidate of the last people that she’s been with. I feel like he’ll do anything to break them up.

How will this new info impact Angelo and Cookie’s relationship? Is this a deal-breaker?

We’re going to have to see how she get the information from Angelo. Knowing Cookie, she wants to get all the facts and make her own decision. It’s really going to be about how strong the Lucious/Cookie bond is, and if that is going to create a fissure within her and Angelo.

The first half of this season was very much about Cookie breaking away from Lucious and finding her own independence and meeting a new man. What can we expect from Cookie in the back-half of Season 3?

She’s co-CEO so it’s going to be focused on what happens with Empire, her relationship with Lucious and if with this information, if she’ll be able to go even deeper with Angelo. I think there will be many layers going around. At the beginning of the second half [of the season], she’s specifically dealing with Jamal. He’s going to be in rehab and going through drug addiction. That’s a huge thing for a mother to deal with.

Will we see scenes of Jamal in rehab?

Yes, we will. And we’re going to go through the journey of an artist who is addicted to pain medication, and we’ll see if he’s able to overcome those demons and get through it. That is going to be very much part of Jamal’s story.

Cookie is the one who told Jamal he’s going to rehab, so how will that impact their relationship? Will Jamal resent his mother?

She did it in the smartest way by including the entire family. This was very much Lucious and Cookie coming together as parents, in order for him to go to rehab. Obviously, Lucious and Cookie are in cahoots, and I think Jamal is able to look at it as a family intervention versus just Cookie. Sure, he’s going to feel betrayed, but I think he will understand that it’s the best for him.

Why did Cookie give Jamal the pills that she threw down the sink?

It’s a few things. First, going through withdrawal is extremely painful and dangerous and something that you just have to go and get somewhere to get clean — that couldn’t happen right then and there since she can’t call 911 because it would be all over the tabloids, and she doesn’t want to see her son suffer. It’s very painful withdrawal, so I think that’s part of it. Secondly, he has to compete the show or else his career would have been over, had he not performed, and she knew that. So she figured, might as well give it to him — she didn’t want to see her son in pain, and she didn’t want to see his career ruined — and smartly enough, right after, she gets his ass to rehab.

Andre had visions of Rhonda (Kaitlin Doubleday) again and asked her to let him go. How will that pivotal moment change Andre’s path going forward?

I felt that when I directed that scene, it was pretty much a big, poetic goodbye to Rhonda. Andre is fixated and he knows what he’s about to do — he’s going to take over Empire and he’s going to get rid of his father. He’s given up all of his religiosity and has gone in the other direction. For his mental instabilities, he’s gone even more manic in that direction, and what he’s found in Nessa (Sierra McClain) is a partner who admires him for his Machiavellian ways, and that is enough for him to say goodbye [to Rhonda]. At the very end, he throws his ring into the water because he’s finally letting go of being married to her in death.

Will we see any more of Kaitlin Doubleday, who plays Rhonda, or is she done with the show?

I mean, we said goodbye to her ghost. So that’s it. It’s a big goodbye. Kaitlin plays a ghost.

At the end Andre tells Shyne (Xzibit) that he wants to kill Lucious — does he mean that literally, or just figuratively in the sense that he wants to take him down and take over Empire?

Of course he means it. He is going to kill his father. That’s his goal. He wants to kill his father. That’s what he’s going to try to do for the second half of the season. Will he be able to do it? I don’t know. He may, he may not. That’s why people are going to have to watch the show to find out. But Andre’s character is so dangerous because he has nothing to lose and he’s ruthless and he’s calculating. When he hacked Empire, nobody found out and nobody knew it was him until the very end, so obviously he knows what he’s doing. In his head, he wants to kill his dad. And we’re going to see if Lucious is going to find out or not or be in harm’s way — that’s going to be part of the journey of the second half of the season.

Will a new pact form between Shyne and Andre to take Lucious down?

Well, here’s the thing: the way we’ve left it is that we don’t know what Shyne thinks about Andre’s whole plot. Shyne wants a stake at Empire, he wants to be part of that legacy, he wants to grow his business. It will be interesting to follow Shyne and see what he’s going to do with this information — is he going to play Andre? Is he going to really go against Lucious and try to get him murdered? Or is he going to wind up telling Lucious that his son is trying to kill him?

Lucious brought Tariq (Morocco Omari) their father’s badge, but I don’t believe they’ve resolved their issues. What can we expect with Tariq and the FBI storyline when Season 3 returns?

Tariq is in deep trouble by the finale. The entire FBI is now aware that he’s related to Lucious. His job is most definitely probably in jeopardy. He’s obsessed with getting more private information about Lucious, his own father and also Leah (Leslie Uggams), and I think that Tariq’s obsession is going to get in the way of a lot of the going-ons, whether it’s with Andre and Shyne or whether it’s with Lucious. I feel like he’s the perfect mix to create even more havoc.

What will be the themes of the back-half of Season 3?

It’s going to be Andre and his rise, and what damage he’s going to do to Empire. It’s going to be about Cookie and her relationship to Lucious — how deep is their love, and will it last or will it be gone forever? We see a lot more flashbacks in which we get even more of a sense of the bond between Lucious and Cookie, and what happened in the past, so we’re going to learn so much more. And then also with Jamal, will he be able to be an artist who’s sober? Hakeem (Bryshere Gray) has a kid, and he’s trying to build this whole Takeem situation with Tiana (Serayah) — is she going to bite? And then you’ve got Nessa in the mix who’s trying to overtake and outshine Tiana because they’re all on the same label. It’s going to be a larger struggle for power, and we’re going to see if the Lyon family will be able to stay together. But I feel like the whole Andre of it all is going to be really, really intense.