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freudensteins-monster · 4 years

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Live From My Bedroom! It’s Darcy Lewis!

Based on a fic prompt I received forever ago and have been working on ever since.

Images used in the fake youtube screenshots were sourced almost entirely from Kat Dennings and RDJ's social media accounts.

Please note that this has been written in a very basic script/video transcript format. And has not been beta'd. Fingers crossed it's still easy to read. xoxox

Chapter One: Whatever Happened to Darcy Lewis?

[Title Card: A cheap animated explosion solely using colours from the Lisa Frank colour wheel with the text “LIVE FROM MY BEDROOM! IT’S DARCY LEWIS!” in the middle.]

[Video opens on a cheerful woman in her 30’s sitting in what looks like a teenager’s bedroom from the 90’s. The walls are covered in band/movie posters and the shelves are full of books, Barbies, and other toys from the era. The woman has long wavy brown hair and she is wearing a dark blue t-shirt with a Grumpy Bear symbol on it.]

Hello world! It’s Darcy Lewis here, cashing in on the childhood nostalgia train by launching my very own youtube channel. [winning smile] So… Whatever Happened to Darcy Lewis? This was a question posed to me by a random stranger after she had been staring at me for a solid five minutes as I stood in the tampon aisle of my local grocery store trying to make a decision.

[Cut scene]

[Text on screen: *Dramatic recreation]

[Darcy, dressed in basic t-shirt, staring at shelf of tampons]

[notices someone watching her]

[turns head]

Darcy dressed up like a yoga mom, caught staring: OMG. I am so sorry. It’s just that you look just like that kid from that tv show.

Darcy, dressed in a basic t-shirt, holding two boxes of tampons: [deadpan voice] I get that all the time.

Yoga Mom!Darcy: [deep in thought] Whatever happened to that girl anyway?

Darcy: [still holding up two boxes of tampons] I heard she moved to Florida to breed alligators.

Yoga Mom!Darcy: [shocked face] Really?!

Darcy: [still holding up two boxes of tampons] …No.

[End cut scene]

So, yeah, I am that kid from that tv show. In 1990, at the age of five, I was cast in the sitcom Live from Suburbia! If you don’t remember it you were probably watching Full House. That, or you’re just too young. It’ll be thirty years this month since Live from Suburbia! first aired, and come December I am going to be thirty-five years old.

[video goes black and white, zooms in on a distraught Darcy’s face]

[Psycho shower scene music plays]

[Darcy shakes herself out of it and video returns to normal]

So, yeah, I forgive you if you haven’t seen it.

[Text flashes on screen: HEY NETFLIX! PICK IT UP ALREADY!]

My parents have probably never even seen an episode they weren’t on set for either. They were never really keen on the idea of me becoming a child actor. They’re both college professors – they were prepared for, like, mathletes or debate club, not driving me to auditions and having me take classes with a tutor in a trailer parked outside a soundstage. [laughs] But I was super obsessed with Drew Barrymore in E.T. and when my mom explained that E.T. wasn’t real, and that Drew was an actress, I decided that was what I wanted to do. So when I heard people talking about auditions being held at a local shopping mall, and that they were looking for a “precocious” 5-6 year old girl, I kind of demanded that my parents let me go. That audition was for a cereal commercial – I didn’t get it, but the casting director liked me so when they were starting the casting process for Live from Suburbia! they asked me to audition for the role of Siouxsie.

[Text appears on screen: *NOT SUSIE. SIOUXSIE. LIKE SIOUXSIE AND THE BANSHEES. #endthedebate]

Live from Suburbia! was about a wannabe rock star from LA, played by a pre-famous, pre-infamous, Tony Stark, who had to put his dreams on hold and move to the suburbs when he becomes the sole guardian of his two kids; Siouxsie and Hendrix, played by a pre-teen Clint Barton. You might recognise him too; his most recent album just went platinum.

[images of Clint Barton rocking out on stages around the world flash on screen]

The show was axed in 1994 and I pretty much went back to the real world for a few years and went back to school full time. My parents were pretty insistent on that. Towards the end of middle school they let me get back in contact with my agent and I soon got a recurring role as mean girl Kaitlyn on the Disney Channel show Total Drama Teens. And later on when I was a senior in high school I played Void, the goth hacker-slash-tech support to a brooding vigilante in one of the last great straight-to-video action duds of the Blockbuster era.

[sudden dramatic close up]

But we don’t talk about that.

[zoom out]

After high school I went to Culver University and studied full time. My parents insisted I get a “real degree” so I ended up majoring in Political Science with a minor in Drama, instead of the other way around, and without the Political Science, like I wanted. After I graduated, despite my parents’ concerns, I moved to L.A. to try and become an actress full time. You might remember me from such unforgettable roles as the “kooky” comedic relief-slash-best friend in five different rom-coms from the mid-2000’s – four of which were called Jenny. I am not kidding.

[Images of her characters appear on screen: Jenny, Jenny, Jennie, Madison, and Jenny.]

I’ve also had bit parts on every Law & Order and CSI series there is, and had recurring roles as the “kooky” girlfriend in about three different sitcoms over the past five years.

[Darcy sighs]

[Text on screen: SIGHS IN TYPECAST]

Most recently I finished work on my first serious dramatic role in an indie movie called Bottled Lightning. It’s been entered in a few film festivals, I’ve gotten some good reviews for my performance, but as of last week it had still not secured a distribution deal. So, yeah… That one’s probably only going to be seen by a dozen film critics from three different film festivals and then sort of disappear into the unknown. [pouts] So here I am. Taking a break from the grind of auditioning. In my time capsule of a childhood bedroom. Housesitting for my parents while they’re drinking their way across Europe.

[Darcy sighs again]

[Text on screen: SIGHS IN UNREALISED POTENTIAL]

My parents suggested I just give up on the whole acting thing altogether, move closer to them, get a “real job”… So I created a youtube channel instead. [cheeky smile] I’ve got a few ideas for upcoming episodes. Next week I’m going to be doing a reaction video to the pilot episode of Live from Suburbia! It’s been a good twenty-five years since I’ve seen it, but I’ve got the entire series on VHS. …just got to figure out how to get that digital so I can insert it into one of these videos…

[pensive music]

[Text on screen: COME ON NETFLIX! HELP A GIRL OUT!]

And then maybe a reaction to the first episode of Full House, or a review of the best child actor performances... Maybe if these videos get some traction I might even be able to do some interviews with other child actors – what do you think? Let me know in the comments. And I’m sure you know the drill already: Like, Subscribe, and Share. Thanks for dropping by! I’ll see you next week!

[Darcy blows a kiss to camera, screen fades to black]

NEXT VIDEO: Live from Suburbia! Pilot Episode Reaction (feat. Fizzgig)

*** ** ***

Notes: NEXT VIDEO is not indicative of what the next chapter is about but done simply to imply that Darcy has a whole lot of other videos on her channel that I haven’t written. Also, I named her parent’s cat Fizzgig for the 80s/90s kid vibes.

Tagging everyone who commented on the original tumblr fic prompt in case you wanted to see the end result. @zephrbabe @evieplease @endlesscalendar @lynnestra44 @founderofshield @oldenoughtobeyourmama @typhoidmeri @phoenix-173 @suzieqsez @kiaraalexisklay @slytherinstarkravingmad

#live from my bedroom!#it's darcy lewis #darcy lewis #steve rogers #tony stark #darcy lewis x steve rogers #whatever happened to darcy lewis #child actors #child actor au #actor au #youtuber au #freudensteins-fics

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gershwinn · 5 years

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Lili Reinhart Never Had a Backup Plan

A fan favorite on the wildly popular teen soap Riverdale, Lili Reinhart has major movie stardom in her sights. And if you ask nicely, she just might read your horoscope.

Refreshingly, Reinhart is not vegan, gluten-free, keto, or on a macrobiotic diet. She is a self-described picky eater and considers this a treat. "No one wants to go [here] with me," she says, excitedly, when we sit down. Though Reinhart is dressed unfussily, in a faded black tee, Topshop denim jacket, jeans, thin hoop earrings, and a taupe baseball cap pulled over her buttery blonde hair, she is promptly approached by a woman at the next table. There's a lot the cap isn't hiding. Off-screen, Reinhart's eyes look as wide, upturned, and full-lashed as a Disney princess's; her clear, milky complexion is dotted youthfully with freckles; and her dimples seem to take turns showing off: a slight divot in her chin, then twin creases that show up on either side of her face when she's amused.

The woman leans over and asks Reinhart if she is on TV. Reinhart's lips tighten, and a wince flickers at her eyes, but she gives a polite smile and nods slowly. The woman plows on. Her son is a big fan, she says, motioning to a grinning boy beside her. He's an aspiring actor, and they're in town from Texas to give it a try. Reinhart relaxes a bit. She asks what part of Texas they are from, sincerely congratulates the boy on his endeavors, and turns to resume our interview. Reinhart says this moment — and others like it — is more full circle than she would care to admit.

"It's funny. I went to this Cheesecake Factory with my mom when I was, like, 15," she says. "We had flown in for an audition. I was sitting at the table over there, and I remember I got the email that I didn't get the part." Also around that time, Reinhart recalls spotting Zac Efron in a doctor's-office waiting room and surreptitiously snapping a photo of the actor. "I feel so gross about it now," she says. "It is flattering, but it also makes you feel like a zoo animal. Even when I'm sitting in the cast greenroom, if [someone is] holding their phone up like this, I'm like, ‘What are you doing?' I've become very paranoid."

I ask what she thinks about that F-word: fame. She changes the subject. "Cute boots," she remarks. I am flattered and launch into a monologue about how much I love Primark, specifically the one in Madrid, before realizing what she's done and ask her once more to talk. About. Fame. "It's so weird," she says, finally. "I don't really think about it until I'm around people. I don't think about it until I see young women, because those are the people that recognize me. Then all of a sudden, I become very aware."

True to her word, I notice Reinhart physically tenses up every time a teenage girl — or worse, a group of teenage girls — nears us. But when she's not on high alert for high schoolers, Reinhart is unguarded to a degree I would not expect from any stranger, much less one whose privacy is under constant scrutiny. For starters, she texts me directly, rather than having an assistant or manager handle our communication (standard for most celebrities).

Later that night, we decide on a meeting location for the next day. "As long as we go somewhere with eggs, I'm happy," she texts, before we settle on Dialog Cafe in West Hollywood and push back the time — neither of us feels like showing up before 9 a.m. Reinhart has an ease and openness in conversation that makes talking to her feel more like a slumber party than an interview. She volunteers thoughts on cute babies (just her goddaughter, for now), romantic love (something she prefers to fall into rarely, and fiercely), taking a spouse's surname (she favors hyphenation), and being the "grandma" of her friend group.

"When I get drunk, my friends act like it's a national holiday," Reinhart says. She offers up snippets from her camera roll and Instagram direct messages: photos of the hot-air balloon ride her boyfriend, Cole Sprouse, took her on for her birthday, and a dog she wishes were up for adoption — a shaggy shelter pup with no eyes. And just when I think I couldn't feel any more like the real-life Veronica to her Betty, she asks me if I want to go shopping.

Reinhart leads us by memory through a sprawling Barnes & Noble, up to two flights of escalators, then over to the left and back toward the windows, until we end up in the self-improvement section. Reinhart used to come here with friends, back when she first moved to L.A., and spend time poring over books like The Secret Language of Your Name. She tells me the provenance of her given name: Daniel and Amy Reinhart of Cleveland fell in love, got married, and named their second daughter after the actor Lili Taylor. There wasn't any special connection. "They just liked the spelling of her name. It's the French spelling."

Reinhart drags a dictionary-thick tome from the shelf. "This is a book that I own," she says, handing it to me. It's as weighty as a textbook — it has to be, because it guarantees deep and profound knowledge about absolutely everyone, based on their date of birth. She helps me look up mine, which is hilariously titled the Day of Sensual Charisma. Hers is September 13, which the book has ordained the Day of Passionate Care. She reads the entry aloud. "Resilient determination. That sounds about right," she says. "This part is very true: ‘They may face great obstacles to their success, but not for a moment will the outcome be in doubt for them.' I always knew this is what I was going to do. I never had a plan B." It might be difficult to imagine what the aforementioned "great obstacles" have been, considering the fact that she had landed her role on Riverdale by the age of 19.

But being young and female in just about any work environment can have its dark side. Reinhart was 16 when an adult work associate attempted to force himself on her. "I felt physically pinned down to the ground while someone dry humped me, basically," she says. She has spoken publicly about the assault before — but in retrospect, she believes those statements were premature. "I think I shared my story…before I had really understood it," Reinhart says. "I kept thinking of it as something physical, but it was more so a psychological abuse...that spanned a couple of months. I went along with it and was trying to get his approval because we were working together…. I wanted my work environment to be easy."

She was also a minor at the time, being exploited by someone in a position of power. It's clearly difficult for Reinhart to recount. When trying to recall details — how long it went on, whether verbal abuse was involved — she speaks evenly, but frequently pauses and tells me that that time in her life is "blurry" or that she's "locked it away." "What makes me hopeful is people like [Supergirl and Glee actor] Melissa Benoist sharing her story of domestic abuse with the world, because I think she helped a lot of people by doing that. When people come forward about a sexual abuse experience or physical abuse or them struggling with a disorder, they're encouraging other people to not suffer in silence."

Another personal obstacle Reinhart has been vocal about is mental health. She recently read an article she can't get out of her head, about a child under the age of 10 who ended his life after being severely bullied. "Now more than ever, we need to be bringing the idea of mental health into schools and teaching it," Reinhart says. "It's about communicating clearly." She recalls experiencing crippling anxiety when she was growing up. "I felt very alone. But I was not being bullied, which made it really hard for my parents to understand," Reinhart says.

Her high school experience couldn't have been more different from that of Betty Cooper, who drifts easily between cheerleading, running the school newspaper, and solving mysteries, with a cadre of unusually attractive friends by her side. "I went through a semester when I didn't have any friends in my lunch period, and I didn't want to sit in a huge cafeteria by myself, so I would find classrooms to go sit in alone, or spend time in the bathroom, just chilling," she recalls.

By the time Reinhart began working (she supported herself as a waitress and a Pier 1 sales associate before she landed Riverdale), she was just trying to get through the week without having a panic attack.

Now that time in her life is growing distant. And she'll get to go to prom for the first time, on this season of the show. "Three and a half years ago, I had no money. I didn't have a love in my life like I do now. I didn't have any sort of confidence that I was on the right track, and now I have those things," Reinhart says. And her momentum shows no signs of stopping. The week after our interview, she filmed her first commercial for CoverGirl, which recently signed her as one of its faces. A forthcoming collection of her poetry, Swimming Lessons, will hit bookstores this May.

Pay, or equal pay, has been an issue and probably will continue to be. But Reinhart is prepared. "Cami [Mendes, who plays Veronica] and I have had to deal with that from Riverdale," Reinhart says.

"Going into projects in the future, I'm much more aware of it. So is my lawyer." She's also learned from the experiences of women like Michelle Williams and Taraji P. Henson. "I was taking notes," she says. "Taraji Henson had said something like, when she renegotiated for Empire, she knew her value to the show. She knew what that value was, and she demanded it." Reinhart pauses, choosing her words, sounding more sure of herself with each sentence: "I do know the value that I bring as someone who attracts an audience. And I'm not going to accept less than what I think I'm worth. And it's okay to fight for what I'm worth."

Source: Allure

#This is long but I don't care bc this interview is amazing!!!!#holy shit so much #in there #from the growin up stuff #dealing with fame #her mental health #knowing her WORTH #GO LILI #god the me too thing always hurts my heart #every time its brought up #her strenght tho #lr #lr allure #tldr: that love quote?#hit me right in he feels as it should #OH and hypenation?? thanks death

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reesefms · 4 years

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✩ — 𝒉𝒊 𝒑𝒂𝒍𝒔 ! i’m buzzing with excitement because we’re finally open ! i’m so excited to see everyone bring their muses to life , it’s unreal . i’m leia ( she / her ) repping the est tz , which fits my #basic personality because i would kill for starbs iced coffee w/ oat milk . i honestly apologize in advance for how ramble - y & long this into is , it’s a little embarrassing ! i would love to plot with each & every one of you so please smash that 💛 if you’d like to ! you can find me at theweeknds#0379 on discord or we can use tumblr’s ims if you prefer !

* 𝐡𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐭𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐠𝐨𝐬 here and do i have the tea for you . reese is back in bridgehampton for the summer , living off the leblanc’s family $302 mil . must be nice to come back home to the hamptons , i wonder what her fellow class of 2017 grads think of her return . you know , she was known around town as the reveler and for bhs senior superlatives she was crowned as most likely to be late to her own wedding . i wonder if that still holds true today , a lot can change when you go off to ucla and study communications . either way , i bet she is still very audacious , blithe , negligent and depraved . hopefully this time next year the plans to stay in la and focus entirely on her youtube channel come true . in the meantime , i look forward to seeing her blast teen idle - marina and the diamonds at every hamptons function . it’s going to be a wild summer home , welcome back .

* tw : drinking , drug use , death , overdose , suicidal ideations if you squint

╰ ✩ 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚝𝚝𝚢 𝚕𝚒𝚎𝚜 :

the leblancs – an american made , household name . hollywood embedded so deeply in the bloodline , it made the rest world question whether or not a gene for acting existed . the leblanc women always seeming to marry into the business – actors & actresses going hand in hand , marriages supposed to last the test of time . however , for every card of luck fate deals a cursed one – messy divorces ending in vicious headlines , the media practically salivating for the next leblanc failure . every ending prompted with a – & when’s the next wedding ? ( side note : i was inspired by goldie hawn / kate hudson ! )

dawn leblanc’s determination to break the cycle had been admirable , the young actress entering a tumultuous relationship with a young musician , bandleader kurt rhodes . for four magical years the pair defied the world’s expectations , perhaps the leblanc’s would finally achieve perfection – climbing back onto the pedestal after being knocked down time & time again .

the fifth year brought reese elizabeth leblanc into the world , another girl slated to continue on the leblanc family legacy . the night had been stormy , thunder no match for her cries – as if the universe had known the blonde was destined to be a force of nature . her parents & the rest of the world fell in love with her , angelic golden curls & wide , doe eyes ( thanks to the leblanc genes ) masking the terror she became – born with an insatiable curiosity that drove her to explore any & everything .

dawn clung to the hope that reese would mature into perfection , hiring yet another painter to cover up scribbles in a bold , crimson shade of chanel lipstick . forks moved to the top shelf in an effort to stop her from emulating ariel , her favorite disney princess – the gold metal bound to ruin her curls . reese favoring time with her father , enamored by the vibrations raking through her tiny body as chubby , little fingers pressed against black & white keys .

the seventh year , the leblanc curse took its effect , gifting reese a divorce for her second birthday . this one messier than those before , kurt’s affair with a groupie , no less , plastered on every news stand . her grandmother quick to swoop in , reese & her mother moving in to hide away from the flashing lights . the eldest leblanc reminding her daughter that she should have listened all those years ago – musicians weren’t leblanc material . the blame never falling on the leblanc women – self - absorbed to a fault .

within a year of her divorce , dawn re-married , her co-star & american’s golden boy brent jacobs – the supposed new love of her life . as always , the media latched onto the news – eagerly sinking their teeth into the idea of a publicity stunt to rub the tarnish off dawn’s reputation . & when reese turned three , her family grew to four – savannah dawn leblanc entering the world much more peacefully than her older sister , wrapping every person around her finger with just a bat of her baby blues ( eye color seemingly the only difference between the leblanc sisters ) .

╰ ✩ 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚝𝚎𝚎𝚗 𝚒𝚍𝚕𝚎 :

as much as she should , reese could never hate her younger sister . the pair forging a bond that could be explained by no one despite their obvious differences . with only a shared mother , it shocked everyone to see just how similar they looked . dawn taking to the idea of pretending as if reese were the daughter of her second husband . her mother had always been too good at acting , a master at eluding reality & morphing it into an acceptable idyl .

savannah was the golden child in everyone’s eyes , reese cast aside as the other leblanc , the problem child . the blonde often found sulking in her room only to sneak out the window the second she got an urge to explore . the supposed , inherited acting bug had never bitten her , reese waving away any offer to star in a film or commercial . any attempt to drag her to an audition resulted in her either running away , or creating such a scene that no one in hollywood would ever want to work with her . a downpour on any project .

savannah took to acting just like her mother . the pair bonding in a way reese could never , frequently flying from their home in the hamptons to auditions in la . reese tagging along only so she could see her father , the only one who ever seemed to get her – dawn claiming reese may have been gifted the leblanc looks , but her moodiness all stemmed from her father .

it drove her insane , staring at her reflection in the mirror every night as if to ask what was wrong with her . why was she so different ? why couldn’t she be agreeable like savannah ? it fed her jaded soul , reese losing her innocence & rose colored glasses far too quickly . her realism tethering her to reality , able to see through the pink , glittery fog of dawn leblanc’s world .

she fought with her mother constantly , savannah always sneaking into her room at night to ask quietly , why won’t you & mom get along ? she’s doin’ her best re . reese never had the answer , always a heavy sigh as she brushed her sisters questions off . unable to explain that , while savannah was content with being her mother’s doll , she couldn’t bring herself to – not when she’d seen the world beyond the facade her mother & grandmother painted .

& like clockwork , dawn drove her second husband away – reese 16 & savannah 13 . the promise to co-parent kept , their split amicable despite the constant fights that had ended in broken dishes & reese quietly sneaking out – losing herself in a party , in noise to forget that silence could be just as loud , but more deafening .

╰ ✩ 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚝𝚑 :

reese couldn’t escape the hamptons or her mother fast enough , ucla her ticket away . the only dark cloud , leaving behind her sister . the two promised to text every day , savannah always welcome to stay with reese if their mother ever got to be too much – savannah much more adept at handling her mood swings , appeasing her mother with a sugar sweet smile & a promise to major in acting after graduation .

reese , however , had no idea what direction she wanted to go – communications her fall back in an effort to just choose something that didn’t require much effort . ucla her dream school for its social climate more than its educational one . & her freshman year marked the start of her youtube channel – reeses , which currently has a whopping 3.4 million subscribers . true to her surname , the blonde did find love in front of the camera , but also behind it as she vlogged her escapades much to the world’s enjoyment & her mother’s disappointment .

savannah & reese texted every night , updating each other & signing each text off with a forever & always . occasionally , reese would forget – too drunk or high to craft a text , always apologizing the next morning when she woke up to savannah’s worried texts . despite being the one that should look out for her sister , savannah always seemed to be looking out for her .

one visit sophomore year , savannah begged reese to take her out . her sister living a more sheltered life , one bound by strict bedtimes & after school acting classes or rehearsals . unable to say no , despite knowing she should , reese brought savannah along – letting her sister borrow her clothes , the two starting early with a bottle of grey goose as they got ready .

reese always had a tendency to loose herself in a party , letting the night drag her wherever it wanted . losing sight of savannah had been her first mistake . telling savannah to have a good time , try something new had been her second mistake . not being there had been her third & final mistake , savannah’s introduction to a line of cocaine her finale . the screams of someone call 911 still keep reese up at night – remembering vividly what it felt like to see her sister’s body limp on someone’s bed . the od unexpected , the line bad – mixed with something too strong for someone so pure to handle . & reese was left to blame herself . she killed her sister .

the world mourned the loss of savannah leblanc . reese’s relationship with her mother more estranged , casting the blame on her just as she had already . she took a 6 month hiatus from vlogging , reese unable to do anything but drink herself into a coma like sleep . it was far easier to numb herself , bags under her eyes hidden by sunglasses .

her re-entry online had shocked everyone . her vlog’s no longer carrying the light air despite how badly she tried to force it . reese no longer the same , more self deprecating than before & much more reckless . her love of vlogging no longer stemmed from pure enjoyment , but a need to be seen , to no longer feel alone . convinced that she was a hurricane , destroying everyone she could ever get close to . yet unable to bring herself to care for her safety because it should’ve been her that night , not savannah .

reese has a blatant disregard for herself , willing to push the boundaries so far for the sake of a thrill , to feel something beyond the suffocating culpability that feels like a choke hold around her neck . & if she ends up not coming back from it , who cares right ?

she still pays her sister’s phone bill , never missing a beat – texting her updates , rambles , apologies . the texts signed with their infamous forever & always .

so ! i’m currently working on a lil connection page with ideas , but for now please accept this mess 💛

#╰ ✩ — 𝒍𝒆𝒃𝒍𝒂𝒏𝒄 𝒓𝒆𝒆𝒔𝒆 › i’m faded away ; you know i used to be on fire · tidbits #entitled:intro #i am a mess im so sorry pals

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eeveemasters · 4 years

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hey, all you lovely people! full disclosure i talk a lot and i have thought about this character thoroughly when you look under that read more... oh boy... just a heads up. anywho... guess i’m the last here i see, well, that’s typical. I’m late to literally everything, although this time I do have a good excuse. i’d tell you what it is but you don’t really wanna read about me gettin’ it in all weekend and drew is my bro -like literally. we share blood. we came outta the same womb. 26 hours of labor. 19 minutes apart. our poor mother- so he def doesn’t wanna read about it and that is a swill of information about me before ya even know my name which says a lot, doesn’t it? inst-y-ways, I’m maddie and I’m Jewish, you’ll figure out why i’m putting that out there now. also hello again. i hope y’all are ready to get this party started, cause this is where it’s at! look below & hit that read more and I will tell you all about my baby girl, Eevee.

TW: DEATH, DEPRESSION, STALKER, MURDER, KIDNAPPING

★ ━ ( candice patton, cis-female, she/her ) ━ ★ just to be clear, ya didn’t get this information from me. The person you’re lookin’ for is EVELYN LUCIA MASTERS. also known as EEVEE. Last I heard she was born on APRIL 7TH, 1988 in SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS, but she’s been livin’ in RICHMOND, for about EIGHT MONTHS. Word around the districts is, this doll, EEVEE can be VENGEFUL, SELF-RIGHTEOUS, & A KNOW-IT-ALL, but i gotta tell, ya, alls I seen is good things, like the fact that she’s RESILIENT, CHARISMATIC, & ENERGETIC. I guess that depends on how well ya know ‘em, though. the last thing ya need to know is that she works as an A-LIST ACTRESS & CO-OWNER OF EXCALIBUR COMICS. I don’t know much about what that’s all about but I do know that’s all I can tell ya the rest you gotta find out on ya, own. ━ ( ooc: maddie, pst, 28, she/her )

Evelyn Lucia Masters.

the irony of her name is that it means “wished for child”

she was definitely not.

hence why she goes by...

Eevee.

Yes, like the Pokemon.

No, it’s not a stage name or a gimmick.

She legally changed her name.

It’s on her credit card. ( so are kittens! )

Born in San Antonio Texas.

Jewish, Bisexual & Very Proud.

Collette Rivers

Her mother.

One of the first and few Black, Soap Opera stars.

Had a wildly popular sitcom for a hot minute.

Career was on fire in the 80′s & 90′s.

Transitioned to clothing designer and eventually a reality tv real housewife when she couldn’t get jobs anymore.

Joseph Masters.

Her Father.

a former actor

was very well known for CSI.

was on broadway.

became a sought after director.

it’s a whole family in the biz, so of course...

@ two years of age, Eevee became an Actress™

baby diaper commercials with her mom.

then singing lessons.

then dance lessons.

then pageants.

more commercials.

a bit of child modeling.

more commercials.

reoccurring kid on sesame street.

then a reoccurring (but not staring) role on Gullah Gullah Island.

1998. She’s 10.

lands a role on Broadway opposite Leon Thomas III as Nala in The Lion King.

this is the jumping-off point of her career. where it really shot off

but ignoring that for a minute...

Eevee has 5 other siblings.

4 of them are alive.

when Eevee was 15 she’d just gotten season 1st ( and eventually only ) season of her Disney show renewed and she had a stalker. on her 16th birthday, the stalker snuck into her sweet 16, cornered her when she and her older, brother Elias were alone, stabbed Elias, and kidnapped Eevee. Elias was rushed to the hospital when they found him but died shortly after. They found Eevee, recovered her from the stalker unharmed, but when she asked about Elias... shortly after Eevee sunk deeper into her depression, and also suffered from survivors’ guilt and eventually had to stay in a mental hospital and was released a year later, a few days after her 17th birthday. being in the real world was hard for her and in a few weeks time, became legally emancipated from her parents because her father had taken control of monitoring her finances, her decisions, and became too controlling of her schedule and time out of his concern for her and her mother acted like none of it happened and expected Eevee to pick up where she left off and to get more jobs and keep working. It was an environment detrimental to her health and sanity so she had to get out of that and got her own place and moved away from her parents and unfortunately, her twin sister and younger brother.

Took a break from acting to finish high school.

had to have private tutors

excelled at the school aspect of her life.

had very few friends but she did have a girlfriend.

eventually, Eevee broke up with her

to seize her 5 minutes of fame she outted Eevee as a lesbian to TMZ.

It didn’t take long for Eevee to speak out.

At 17, in 2005, Eevee came out publically as Bisexual.

as a Black 17-year-old girl she was proud of herself.

but it did not go well for her in the media or in magazines.

didn’t help what little career she had left.

but she also kinda didn’t care

Became known for outspoken activism for LGBTQ+ youth.

Started her own charity and outreach program to finance and help struggling youth in the LGBTQ+ community by providing them with shelter, food, and treatment for health issues both mental and physical.

went to college...

Northwestern State University.

joined the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority

double-majored in theater and business

got married to one of her best friends at one point to help him out with his financial situation.

graduated with degrees.

and real friends in and out of her sorority.

WORKED HER ASS OFF TO GET HER CAREER BACK ON TRACK.

it took a lot of hard work.

a lot of mediocre jobs.

a lot of auditions.

a lot of shmoozing & playing the long game.

she pulled every single string

cashed every single favor

ate a lot of shit.

including going to her mother whom she hadn’t spoken to in six years.

EVENTUALLY ROSE BACK TO THE A-LIST WITH A VENGENCE.

Several Independent Films.

Supporting roles in TV shows.

Supporting roles in a few movies.

Starring roles in a number of pilots that never got greenlit.

Starring roles in 2 tv shows.

one was canceled the first season.

the other had THREE SEASONS.

won an Emmy

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series

landed a few ad campaigns

Eevee went back to Broadway a few times over the years.

Bring It On: The Musical

played Danielle

won a tony

Best Featured Actress in a Musical.

Newsies: The Musical

played Katherine.

dream come true.

Hadestown

played Eurydice.

nominated for a Tony.

The Lion King

played adult Nala.

life coming full circle.

Currently stars in her own Netflix show.

season 2 just finished filming which is why she has moved to Portland.

PERSONALITY:

very much a complete dork. loves video games, loves comic books, has a lot of memorabilia all through her house, it’s practically a dork museum, always telling puns. always joking. always been an adorable ray of sunshine. she really likes to be a light and enforce positivity for her friends and others.

talks far too much for her own good especially when she’s nervous.

very kind, generous, and loving, always willing to help a friend.

always willing to cook for someone as a way to comfort them. She’s a well-versed home chef and an excellent baker.

she’s in-between the vodka aunt and the mom friend. she’s the first to suggest doing shots and getting fucked up, but she’ll also make sure everyone’s okay and be responsible.

She’s that friend who if you fuck with one of her friends in any way she will go into protective mamma bear mode and straight-up end that person for you. if you need someone to back you up in a fight, literally, and have your back she is your girl.

she isn’t great at flirting or really being around anyone she finds attractive, she turns into a rambling, nonstop talking, pile of adorable.

up until the end of December last year, she was a virgin. She’s only ever slept with one person so she’s not really the sleep around kind of girl but respects those who do, you do you boo, but also please don’t mistake her for a relationship type girl either. she’s neither. she’s great at fooling around and hookups that usually stop before they get to the sex part. she’s actually just very awkward when it comes to intimacy and feelings and getting close to people in that way. It fucks with her anxiety so she just needs someone who can get her out of her head and that is very hard to find for her.

She’s a feminist and believes women should be there to support each other, but also is aware that feminism isn’t always equal and some women don’t include her as a woman to support because she is a woman of color and because she’s Black and will call someone out on their white feminist or anti-black bullshit.

she’s kind but is in no way a pushover. she’s very opinionated and steadfast and isn’t afraid to reason with someone and argue with them and stand up for herself.

POSSIBLE CONNECTIONS:

Friends: people who can put up with her non-stop chatter and find it endearing.

Fake Friends: people who are using her for fame, recognition and what her name can do for them.

Crushes: could be one-sided, could be both-sided, let’s talk about it.

Boxing Friendship: sparing partners, or someone who sees her at the boxing gym in her workout outfits that include but is not limited to color-coordinated custom gloves, that match both her outfit, her shoes, her gym bag and the giant cheerleading bow on the top of her high ponytail, but has never actually stuck around to see her box so don’t believe she can throw an actual punch because they can’t take that seriously, because she’s just a pretty little celebrity what can she actually do, but then one day end up in an argument with her and challenge her to a sparring match and to their surprise kicks their ass and they become sparring partners. I don’t know, clearly I haven’t given that plot much thought.

Step-family member: Eevee doesn’t have a relationship with her mom, but she is aware the woman got married to another woman who has kids when Eevee was 19 or so. She’s never met any of them. Never spoken to any of them. Never been invited to family functions. Knows full well they exist and they know full well she exists and they have actually hung out with other members of her family, just not her. So that sounds like awkward and traumatic fun for all involved right?? Bring the angst.

Fellow Actors: They could be real friends, could be fake friends, could have worked together, could just know of each other, could be a publicity friendship, dude, I don’t know.

Fans / Haters: like her work or don’t like her work???????????? I don’t know I’m just throwing stuff out there at this point.

I don’t know we’ll figure something out, I AM PUMPED AND EXCITED!!

#pb:intro #pb:ooc #death tw #depression tw #murder tw #stalker tw #kidnapping tw

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bodhilevin · 6 years

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uhhh it’s ya boy,,,,,,, 👀bodhi. i’m not even going to try introducing myself this time we’re going straight into it. like/dm me if you’d like to plot you know the drill!

「 THOMAS DOHERTY, MALE, 23, BRENDON URIE/P!ATD. 」┈ did you read that latest viral gossip issue on BODHI “BO” LEVIN? he is the LEAD VOCALIST in AFTERPARTY, one of my favorite POP ROCK groups. they’ve been releasing music for TWO YEARS now, but viral gossip has only been talking about them for the last TWO YEARS. get this, i think i heard THAT DESPITE THEIR BAD BOY IMAGE, THEY’VE NEVER HAD ANYTHING HARDER THAN WEED. they’re known as the RECALCITRANT of the music industry, since they have a rep for being GENEROUS but DISTRUSTING, but who knows. maybe that will change once they become #1. ( ADMIN MONA, 18, EST, SHE/HER. )

INTRO !!

let’s start at the beginning. to anyone who asked, his mother used to say that the world stopped when bodhi was born, and that the moment that he opened his eyes she knew he would become something amazing---even if he was about to get whisked away by the nurses in the next second.

which is sweet and all... but the thing is, his mom was a really well-known celebrity pr manager, and bodhi was the fourth child in his family. what his mom really saw in bo was a spark for potential that she hadn’t seen in his older siblings.

so when he turned four, his mom decided that he should start getting into modeling. and with his round cheeks and pretty blue eyes, sure enough, he was soon gracing ads for different toys and even gap posters.

a few years after appearing in various commercials and having small cameo roles on tv shows, he had his breakthrough role where he played one of the lead roles in some tear-jerking, inspirational film alongside a hollywood movie star that was a major heartthrob at the time. it was nominated for and won multiple oscars (he didn’t win any personally though).

and after that, the roles only continued to come in, and he started to get homeschooled. whenever he landed another role, he knew that he should be grateful for it, but part of him resented it when he heard his other siblings talking about having friends and going shopping and trying out for football and just generally having a normal life in general. especially because this was a life that bodhi never chose to have.

so he started applying to colleges behind his mom’s back with his teacher, and when he turned 18 there was this huge legal battle that was covered in the media that he ended up winning where he cut off all ties with his mom. he enrolled in nyu, and effectively disappeared off the map. bar a few dumb disney covers he uploaded from his dorm on youtube. he was never a disney channel boy, but ya know. disney music’s lit and it was still his childhood.

in college, bodhi started to go by bo, and college was where he really started to develop his voice and his musical style (he had taken vocal lessons for a few of his roles but hadn’t really released any music of his own). the videos were uploaded with little fanfare or notice, and often were one take and still included all of his mistakes and ad-libs. a lot of media outlets (viralgossip included) probably made fun of him for being part of a oscar-winning film to becoming a youtuber who didn’t even have a regular uploading schedule. said he peaked early and all that.

the last video he uploaded was a cover of ‘i will go the distance’, and he was still in his purple graduation robes. and the comments were all sad and stuff b/c they thought he was finished with being in the public eye foreVER.

THE BAND !!

「 AFTERPARTY, DNCE. 」┈ lyrics hastily written on café napkins, smoking breaks on city penthouse rooftops, pens with missing caps, torn contracts, an endless pursuit for perfection, a turned-off cellphone, using a platinum amex card to order in pizza

WILL EDIT THE BELOW LATER!

a few months after his graduation, he dropped his first album titled self-titled (it wasn’t actually self-titled that’s just what it was called) with his band out of no where. the band was a secret project he was working on, and the first album had mixed, but generally positive reviews? and it was edgy as fuck b/c bo never got to have a rebellious phase in his teen years and basically most of the songs have this vibe where you can just tell that he wants to LIVE and be free!!11!!

some of his fans were super blindsided by this because he was singing disney music for four years lookin really soft and shit in his dorm? and suddenly he’s screaming at the top of his lungs and wearing guyliner it’s liT.

the band was something he was thinking about for AGES ever since he first befriended SOMEONE (wanted connection!) at a college party (and they are now one of his best friends) and they inadvertently gave him the idea to do something that would piss off his mom the most. so instead of acting, he invested his time into music. and instead of going solo and having his name plastered everywhere, he decided to produce music with band whose name doesn’t even have “bodhi” anywhere in it and he’s not even singing.

don’t want to be to presumptuous, but the band kinda has a modern the rolling stones vibe? in that bo (at least) is upper class, but the music is catered to a rebellious working class audience if that makes sense.

also, since he still had a ton of money from his acting career days, he started the band by holding auditions and selecting talented musicians to join their roster. it was super lowkey and under wraps, but it worked.

the band is super into experimenting in the studio with different sounds and stuff, and bo doesn’t mind spending his money on different types of recording techniques and multiple takes if that’s what it takes to get the sound that he wants.

and along the same vein, bo and his bandmates were definitely not the closest at first? since they had just met and i feel like sometimes bo can’t help but be a spoiled white boy sometimes because he’s never known a life outside of wealth and fame (even in college he was probably recognized a loT and given preferential stuff). but now they’re like the family bo never really had, and maybe even because they weren’t the closest at first they’re that much closer, you know?

after they released their first album, they dropped their second album only nine months after, and are now slowly working on a third. because even bo knows when to take a break.

when i post an aesthetic moodboard for afterparty, i’ll link it here.

PERSONALITY & SECRET !!

bo is super sweet and super nice and super soft! aka the total opposite of simon. despite everything that’s happened to him, he’s still super soft and hasn’t let himself get jaded. well done, bo!

like i said earlier, sometimes he’s always had money, and never had to worry about his next meal. and nyu is one of the wealthier private schools? so there are definitely times where he forgets his privilege but when that happens just let him know. and he’s the type to buy presents for his frienDS? and not think that much of it. it’s his love language so let him spoil your muse.

DRUGS MENTION FOR THIS BULLET ONLY afterparty mentions drugs, sex and all that good stuff in their music. but bodhi has never tried drugs and never plans to. he’s tried pot at a college party once and it made him sick so he’s never touched it since and he wasn’t really a fan of drinking underage or at parties sooo he’s v pure.

and is he inspired by trish walker? you bet he is!

also, my boi bo is bi. hahaha jk he’s pansexual like all my muses are sdjfkls so give me all the ships

TL : DR ;

bodhi---but please call him bo---is a former famous oscar-winning child actor who cut off all ties with his momager four years ago to go to college where he uploaded videos of himself singing covers on youtube. after he graduated, he started afterparty, a teenage rebellion pop punk band. *finger guns*

IDEAS FOR PLOTS/WAYS TO MEET !!

will be linked HERE once i finish writing that up!

thanks for coming to my ted talk !!

#viral:intro #aY

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sleemo · 7 years

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The Rise of Rose | How A Badass Nerd Became The New “Star Wars” Lead

Kelly Marie Tran is ready to conquer galaxies both near and far, far away. — Buzzfeed News

Two years ago, all of Kelly Marie Tran’s dreams came true: She got the career break of a lifetime and landed the new lead role of Rose Tico in Star Wars: The Last Jedi, she moved to London and got to work with some of her personal heroes (Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy and actor Laura Dern, for starters), and she finally paid off her student loans. And then, once filming wrapped, she ran away.

“I think anytime you go into anything that’s different and new, there’s a bit of fear,” the 28-year-old Vietnamese-American actor said on a sunny October morning, fanny pack bouncing as she hiked Griffith Park in Los Angeles. She glanced down quickly at her Pikachu watch.

“That’s just natural. It’s a human, natural instinct,” she said. “But I also spent a year traveling and a year trying to figure myself out and reminding myself why I got into this.”

Originating a Star Wars lead character is the stuff of dreams for actors. It all but guarantees immediate global stardom (The Force Awakens breakout stars Daisy Ridley and John Boyega are currently starring in big-budget studio films outside of Star Wars), and also offers the possibility of long-term employment (Harrison Ford has been playing Han Solo since 1977, and he’s still not entirely sure if he’s finished). Even in the face of rapid and continued expansion — Disney recently announced that Last Jedi writer and director Rian Johnson will helm a new film trilogy — Star Wars remains one of the most surefire celebrity-making machines in show business.

But becoming a Star Wars star is also a huge responsibility. It’s a central juggernaut in the geek-culture landscape, and the fandom is so longstanding and voracious, a prominent role in a Star Wars film can guide, and often define, an actor’s entire career — especially a newcomer with hardly any mainstream projects under their belt. And for Tran, there’s an added element of both privilege and pressure: Rose Tico is the franchise’s first major character to be played by an Asian-American woman.

The movie isn’t even out yet, but Tran is already making history with the role. By posing as Rose on the front of Vanity Fair in May, arms crossed and a coy smile on her face, Tran became the first Asian-American woman to appear on the magazine’s cover. And she clearly understands how important that representation is to fans — it’s not something she takes lightly.

“It’s something that I think about a lot,” she said. “I just remember growing up and not seeing anyone that looked like me in movies.”

Tran’s no stranger to the geeky realm. She nicknamed one of the steepest trails in Griffith Park “the road to Mordor,” and has been unsuccessfully trying to convince eight friends to dress up as the Fellowship of the Ring with her since high school. She’s super nervous for Daenerys to see Viserion on Game of Thrones next season (“That’s such a Kylo situation, right? Seeing your child who’s on the other side now? I’m serious”). She’s a Harry Potter superfan, and even though she’s a Ravenclaw per the Pottermore Sorting Hat, she’s a Gryffindor by choice: “I feel like the Sorting Hat would have been like, ‘You should pick.’ And I would have picked Gryffindor.”

But Tran’s also no stranger to the lack of diversity in nerdy fare. For example, she always went to midnight Harry Potter screenings dressed as Cho Chang, the only prominent female Asian character in the films, even though she adored Luna Lovegood. And now that Tran’s about to experience the other side of fandom and become one of those rare characters of color herself, she admits there’s no lack of pressure.

“It feels like a lot of expectation, and you just wanna do it right,” she said, pumping her bright green dinosaur leggings up the road to Mordor.

That expectation, that pressure, is part of the reason why Tran spent the year after filming wrapped traveling in total anonymity.

“I ran away!” she laughed. “I wanted to center myself and remember who I was. My life had just changed so much, and I needed that time to reflect.”

First, she went to South Africa and worked on an endangered wildlife reserve (no internet, no electricity, no running water). She shared a room with a dozen people and told everyone she worked as an office temp. (She didn’t start getting inquisitive emails until the new Rose Tico toys started coming out.)

Next, Tran went to Vietnam, first to work with orphans, and then to revisit her roots. Her parents fled to the United States during the Vietnam War, so she brought them back to their home country for the first time in 40 years.

“I have very huge cultural ties to where I’m from and where my family’s from,” she said.

Her time in Vietnam was, according to the actor, an “overwhelming experience.” She and her family biked to her dad’s village together, and he showed her where he used to sleep.

“My dad was a street kid for seven years — he was homeless,” Tran said. She met her cousins, the children of relatives who tried to escape during the war but were pulled back by the Vietnamese government. “I could have had this life,” Tran said, holding out one hand, “and now I have this one, and it’s purely because my parents dropped everything and moved to a country where they didn’t know the language [and] didn’t have any opportunities. I very much have felt this whole time that I’ve been living for multiple generations of life.”

That year of travel and soul-searching seemed to help Tran achieve what she had set out to: She remembered why she became an actor.

“My parents didn’t get to have a dream,” she said. “Their dream was to live in a country where their kids would have choice.” And despite any hesitance on her parents’ part regarding her risky career choice, Tran always saw it differently.

“I truly did feel that I owed it to my parents, my grandparents, to do whatever it was that I wanted, because if I wasn’t happy, if I wasn’t being true to myself, then I wasn’t living fully,” she said. “They had given up so much so that I could live at the level that so many people are just automatically born into.”

But just two short years ago, Tran’s acting career looked very different. In 2015, she was working full-time as an assistant at a creative recruiting firm in Century City to pay off her student loans and make ends meet. She’d wake up at 5 a.m., answer phones and grab coffee, leave for two or three auditions in the afternoon, then come back to the office and stay until 8 or 9 at night.

It took Tran years just to get an agent. She started sending inquiry letters to agencies when she was a high schooler back in San Diego. She worked at a yogurt shop and saved up all her money for headshots, only to receive a slew of rejection letters. “There’s no rule book, nobody tells you how to do it,” Tran sighed. “It was sort of the preparation for the next 10 years. I still have a bunch of rejection letters from agencies that did not want me.” She’s strongly considering framing them.

Tran finally landed a commercial agent in 2011, and a theatrical agent two years later. Her commercial agent suggested she try an improv class to give her resumé some extra shine, so she enrolled at the Upright Citizens Brigade Training Center in Los Angeles — and fell in love.

“I love the ideals of improv: supporting each other and never being sort of judgmental of other people’s ideas,” she said. “I think they’re great rules for life: You get a piece of information, you’re like, ‘OK, how do I work with that and how do I add to that?’”

Her creative circle flourished, and she cultivated a tight-knit group of writing partners and performers, including her all-female Asian improv group, Number One Son.

“I’ve always been very much a team person,” Tran said. “Acting seems like solo work, but it’s not. This is not a one-person journey, at all.” But as much artistic fulfillment as she was finding, her resumé still consisted largely of CollegeHumor videos and small TV roles. She couldn’t even get an audition for a movie.

When she turned 25, Tran resigned herself to a fate of personal fulfillment without mainstream success. “I remember making a conscious decision,” she said. “I never thought that I would accomplish my dreams. I believed in myself, but when I turned 25, I just thought, Oh, I’ll just be working my day job and auditioning and struggling financially, but I’ll be living my dream for the next two or three decades.”

Then, as all great success stories go, she got the audition notice. The Untitled Rian Johnson Project was supposed to be a secret, but everyone knew it was for Star Wars. (Johnson had already been announced as both writer and director of the next installment.) But Tran, a self-proclaimed nerd on many subjects, had never seen a single Star Wars movie.

“In 10th grade, my teacher was obsessed with [Star Wars] and played it in the background, but I was reading Harry Potter so I wasn’t listening to it,” Tran laughed.

She didn’t watch any of the movies before that first audition — she never thought she’d make it beyond that — a move she believes helped her in the long run.

“I didn’t have this expectation of what I thought this person should be like; I wasn’t trying to model her after someone I’d seen in a movie,” she said.

Tran recalled that the initial character breakdown for Rose Tico was vague — “Something like, ‘Any ethnicity, character-y!’” — so she walked into the first audition wearing a sweater vest and her lucky Ravenclaw tie.

“All these other girls were in tight black and I was like, ‘Oh no! I’ve done this wrong! I’ve done this wrooong!’” she laughed.

By the first callback — Tran wore her lucky tie again, it had gotten her that far — Johnson was already in the room.

She auditioned five times between the summer and fall of 2015, a torturous month spanning between each. After each audition, Tran tried to forget about the possibility of another. She stayed busy writing with friends, and she started journaling for the first time in her life. The final audition took place in London, with full hair, makeup, and costuming.

“And this is why, I’m telling you,” Tran cackled, “the fact that I hadn’t grown up with Star Wars really helped me. I think I would have fallen over.”

But she didn’t fall over. In fact, Tran did the opposite: She stayed unfathomably grounded. “I remember the day of that audition, I just wanted to be present,” she recalled. “I just wanted to have fun, because there was nothing I could do at that point to control getting it or not. I remember having the most freeing feeling, and I had the best time.” Then she went home and tried to forget about it.

Three weeks later, in November 2015, Johnson emailed Tran’s agent and asked to meet with Tran before she went home for Thanksgiving. “I remember every moment,” she said through a grin. “Walking up the stairs, there’s a little bit of small talk, and then Rian says, ‘I want to offer you this role.’” Tran didn’t react; she froze. “What happens when everything you’ve ever wanted comes true?” She hid her face behind her hands at the memory. “I didn’t say a word. I was terrified. It was such an overwhelming shock.” Johnson waited, and then asked, “Umm, do you want this?” Yes, she did.

Tran went home for the holidays, but couldn’t tell anyone she’d just landed the role of a lifetime — all aspects of the movie were being kept top secret. She lied and told her mom, dad, and two sisters that she’d booked an indie film in Canada. She casually suggested the family go see The Force Awakens, but her dad objected. “He goes, ‘Ughhh, I hate movies like that. I don’t know why people go see sci-fi movies,’” Tran laughed. “And I was like, ‘Welp.’”

In January 2016, Tran moved to London to begin filming, and her life changed overnight.

“Someone mistakenly gave me the keys to the kingdom,” she said, her eyes still wide with disbelief even now.

She spent her days on set watching the likes of Benicio del Toro, Andy Serkis, Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac, and Laura Dern (“I can’t believe she knows who I am, ahhh!”) in what she described as “ultimate acting school.” Tran went to set every day, even if she wasn’t filming.

She hung out in the creatures department and learned a lot — she even dressed in a makeshift Porg costume for Halloween this year. She spent weekends watching movies with Mark Hamill and his family. She shared a trainer with Daisy Ridley, and eventually learned how to push a car. (“I’m serious! Little ol’ me.”)

But Tran found herself worrying; this was her first big gig and she was treading very carefully, often worried she might offend someone. Then she met Carrie Fisher.

“What a woman,” Tran nodded pointedly. “The best thing about Carrie that I witnessed was that she was just purely honest. No matter how messy that was, or how complicated that was.”

While Tran agonized over adhering to her trainer’s fitness regimen, Fisher showed up and walked the treadmill, sipping a Coke and smoking a cigarette.

“I don’t know how to explain it — without even protecting me, she was. Just by being herself,” Tran said.

But there was one caveat to all of her dreams seemingly coming true: Tran wasn’t used to living without her established support system.

“I was scared, I was alone, I couldn’t tell anyone what I was doing,” she said. “I remember crying because I wanted my friends to experience it.”

To combat the isolation, she joined an improv class in London, kept journaling (“I have 25 journals now that’s just me and my feelings on paper”), and leaned heavily on her castmates, especially John Boyega — the actor she’ll likely be sharing the most screentime with in The Last Jedi.

Her close association with Boyega’s character, Finn, is one of the few facts we know about Rose Tico so far. We also know she’s a low-ranking mechanic in the Resistance, and her sister Paige (played by Vietnamese actor Veronica Ngo) is a gunner in the Resistance.

“John is someone who I feel like I immediately was able to mesh with,” Tran said of working with the actor. “We connect on different levels because our parents are immigrants, we’re both people of color, nerds, and he’s just hilarious.” Tran, of course, knows everything about Rose, but all she’ll coyly add is that the character “has an interesting relationship with war” — a relationship Tran��s family knows all too well.

“I dug into that with my parents, and their relationship with war because of the Vietnam War,” she said. She also listened to podcasts and read books on engineers and how they think, and infused much of her own personality into the character’s.

“Sometimes I think Kelly informed Rose, and sometimes I think Rose informed me,” Tran said. “It’s such a messy, tangled relationship, which I think is kind of beautiful. She’s always going to be part of me and I’m always going to be part of her, right?”

And as for Rose’s future in the Star Wars universe, Tran is as curious as the rest of us. “I don’t know,” she said earnestly, convincingly, like a true Gryffindor.

Since filming wrapped, Tran’s co-stars moved on to new projects — “They’re all working on a bunch of movies everywhere in the world. I’m the only who’s like, ‘Yooo, come over, let’s watch a movie!’” — and she’s been living in a strange bubble, treading water between anonymity and the global stardom that Star Wars all but guarantees.

“Everything feels very emotional right now, because it feels like the first or the last time,” Tran said slowly, measuring her words. “I don’t know what that other life is gonna be like, but I also don’t want to let go of being this anonymous person who gets to live in both lands.”

There’s no way to know what her life will look like after The Last Jedi premieres, but Kelly Marie Tran is finally ready to stop running away from the inevitable spotlight.

“The only thing I can do is be honest and be myself, and if people hate that, they’re gonna hate that, and I can’t control that. It has nothing to do with me,” she said, half-sighing. “I’m saying this now, and it sounds really easy, but it took me a year. I just feel like I don’t wanna hide anymore.”

— Buzzfeed News

#kelly marie tran #interview #rose tico #star wars #cast #the last jedi #tlj

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peterlandau · 7 years

Text

Motive

My first acting gig was in an X-rated movie. I was five years old.

Don’t get your panties in a knot. I was only a walk-on.

This happened, like all happenings, in the 1960s. My mom was taking me for a stroll down Fifth Ave.

“Look, Peter, a cowboy!”

The “cowboy” was Jon Voight. This was before he became famous as the father of Angelina Jolie.

Then mom saw a drunk passed out in the gutter.

This, she knew, not to bring to my attention.

I was just a boy, dressed like Little Lord Fauntleroy, in a bright white shirt and navy-blue shorts. I was still an innocent. Before than, my greatest hardship had been struggling to put pennies in my loafers.

As we escaped into Bergdorf Goodman, mom looked up. There was a camera filming on a rooftop across the street. She was staring right at it.

She relaxed. It was all a movie.

Then she panicked. We ruined the shot.

The movie was MIDNIGHT COWBOY, the first and possibly only X-rated film to win an Academy Award for Best Picture.

Mom is an actor. She actually knew Jerome Hellman, the film’s producer who later said he’d pay us as walk-ons.

“It’s top billing or nothing!” mom demanded.

When the movie was released a year later, we made the final cut — the kid stayed in the picture.

I got my first taste of the limelight, and I liked it.

I didn’t want to be rich when I grew up. I wanted to be movie star. If you saw me in MIDNIGHT COWBOY you’d know I have the legs for it.

A few years later, mom landed the role as the first Pam lady, you know, that nonstick cooking spray.

Our family watched TV for the commercials, waiting for mom to come on screen with her Mary Tyler Moore hair and chirp, “I know how to save time, money and calories!”

She sold that shit!

One day an agent called her on an audition. The client wanted a mother with her biological child.

It was the role I was born to play.

That role, as the son, was to get dirty. This I could do. The commercial would be shot in Florida, which meant I’d have to miss school.

That I could do, too.

On the flight to Orlando, the stewardess asked me, “Little boy, are you going to Disneyworld?”

I looked at her with distain.

“I’m filming a television commercial.”

My head was swelled, and it wasn’t just from the cabin pressure.

The concept was that mom would show pictures of me playing, getting dirty, and then throw my soiled clothes into the washer, where Tide would miraculously tidied them up.

“No lines?” I asked.

No. But I’d get to work with a one-eyed frog. He was a total pro, always keeping his good side to the camera.

Then they wanted me climb to a tree.

“What’s my motivation?” I asked.

A production assistant put me out on a limb. I started crying.

Being a method actor, those tears were real.

You have to make sacrifices for your art, even Sylvester Stallone started somewhere. I think it was in porno.

I was flying high now!

The commercial never aired.

They spent a lot of money producing that spot and then decided it wasn’t right for whatever reason. Sure, that happens a lot in show business. But that doesn’t happen to me!

Those were dark times, my tweens, but I got another stab at stardom years later, when I was a hired to work as a Yellow Page. It was a promotion for the new phonebook.

I was one of many out-of-work actors. We were outfitted as medieval pages in yellow tights with yellow flowers to hand out to commuters on their way to work.

I was stationed in Times Square. Not the Disney Times Square of today, but the older, sordid one. The best I could hope for was being mistaken for a very bad hustler or an outpatient with a downmarket Napoleon complex. The worst-case scenario ended in a potter’s field.

We worked in pairs, each page partnered with a regularly dressed coworker, who held the bagfuls of extra flowers and flyers. Mine also ran interference from the mostly belligerent crowds.

If the ’60s taught us anything, it’s that businessmen don’t want flowers from hippies, and they certainly didn’t want one from me in a yellow pageboy wig.

I survived, physically if not emotionally whole. But to this day still I can’t wear a pair of yellow tights.

At lunchtime all the pages converged on Central Park, where we were treated to a free buffet. I was disillusioned, but hungry, and stuffed my paper plate to capacity.

I took a seat on a park bench. But before I could fill the hole in me dug from the morning’s humiliation, a pigeon took a shit on my food.

Everybody is a critic.

For a moment I contemplated eating around the bird dropping that dressed my meal. I was a hungry actor. I didn’t want to waste all that free food.

And I would’ve eaten it too, if not for the uncontrollable urge to vomit.

I threw my lunch out and walked to the midtown address where we were to pick up our checks.

The place was chaotic, swarming with actors fighting one another for a better spot in line. Maybe it was the nausea talking, but they looked like the most hideous human beings I’d every seen, and I’ve never been a fan of the species to begin with.

It was at that moment that I realized my dream of fame and stardom was a trap. It turns people into miserable, selfish monsters.

From then on I decided to devote myself to living a meaningful life.

I no longer wanted to become famous. Now I just want to be rich.

#midnightcowboy #stardom #tvcommercial #acting

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blackkudos · 8 years

Text

Brandy Norwood

Brandy Rayana Norwood (born February 11, 1979), known professionally as Brandy, is an American singer, songwriter, record producer and actress. Born into a musical family in McComb, Mississippi and raised in Carson, California, she began her career as a child and performed as a backing vocalist for teen groups. In 1993, Norwood signed with Atlantic Records. The following year, she released her self-titled debut album, which was certified quadruple Platinum in the US, selling six million copies worldwide. Norwood starred in the UPN sitcom Moesha as the title character, which lasted six seasons and resulted in numerous other roles. She resumed her music career in 1998 with the widely successful duet with fellow R&B contemporary Monica, "The Boy Is Mine", which went on to become the best selling female duet of all time, and one of the longest running number one singles in history. Her second album, Never Say Never sold 16 million copies worldwide, featured two number one singles, and earned Norwood her first Grammy Award. This launched her into international stardom, with films, endorsements, sold out concert tours, and her own line of Barbie dolls.

Throughout the 2000s, Norwood held a precarious position in the pop industry. In 2002, she starred in the reality series Brandy: Special Delivery, documenting the birth of her daughter. Her third and fourth albums, Full Moon (2002) and Afrodisiac (2004), were released to critical and commercial success. She served as a judge on the first season of America's Got Talent before being involved in a widely publicized car accident in 2006. After several lawsuits stemming from the accident, Norwood's fifth album Human (2008) was released to commercial failure.

In the 2010s, Norwood received a critical and commercial resurgence. In 2010, she returned to television as a contestant on the eleventh season of Dancing with the Stars and starred in the reality series Brandy & Ray J: A Family Business. In 2012 she became a series regular in the BET series The Game, and released her sixth album Two Eleven to critical praise. In April 2015, Norwood made her Broadway debut in the musical Chicago. She starred in and executive produced a new sitcom Zoe Ever After on the BET network in January 2016.

Throughout her career, she has sold over 40 million records worldwide, making her one of the best selling female artists of all time. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) lists Norwood as one of the top selling artists in the United States, with 10.5 million certified albums. Her work has earned her numerous awards and accolades, including a Grammy Award, one American Music Award, and seven Billboard Music Awards. She has become known for her distinctive sound, characterized by her peculiar timbre, voice-layering, intricate riffs, which has earned her the nickname 'The Vocal Bible' from industry peers and critics.

Early life

Norwood was born on February 11, 1979, in McComb, Mississippi, the daughter of Willie Norwood, a former gospel singer and choir director, and his wife, Sonja Norwood (née Bates), a former district manager for H&R Block. She is the older sister of entertainer Ray J, as well as a cousin of rapper Snoop Dogg. Raised in a Christian home, Norwood started singing through her father's work as part of the local church choir, performing her first gospel solo at the age of two. In 1983, her parents relocated to Los Angeles, California, where Norwood was schooled at the Hollywood High Performing Arts Center. Norwood's interest in music and performing increased after becoming a fan of singer Whitney Houston at the age of seven, but at school, she experienced trouble with persuading teachers to send her on auditions as she found no support among the staff. Norwood began entering talent shows by the time she was eleven, and, as part of a youth singing group, performed at several public functions.

In 1990, her talent led to a contract with Teaspoon Productions, headed by Chris Stokes and Earl Harris, who gave her work as a backing vocalist for their R&B boy band Immature, and arranged the production of a demo tape. In 1993, amid ongoing negotiations with East West Records, Norwood's parents organized a recording contract with the Atlantic Recording Corporation after auditioning for the company's director of A&R Darryl Williams. To manage her daughter, Norwood's mother soon resigned from her job, while Norwood herself dropped out of Hollywood High School later, and was tutored privately from tenth grade on. During the early production stages of her debut album, Norwood was selected for a role in the ABC sitcom Thea, portraying the daughter of a single mother played by comedian Thea Vidale. Initially broadcast to high ratings, the series' viewership dwindled and ended up running for only one season, but earned her a Young Artists Award nomination for Outstanding Youth Ensemble alongside her co-stars. Norwood recalled that she appreciated the cancellation of the show as she was unenthusiastic about acting at the time, and the taping caused scheduling conflicts with the recording of her album. She stated, "I felt bad for everybody else but me. It was a good thing, because I could do what I had to do, because I wanted to sing."

Career

1994–1996:

Brandy

and

Moesha

Williams hired producer Keith Crouch and R&B group Somethin' for the People to work with Norwood, and within eight months the team crafted Brandy. A collection of street-oriented rhythm-and-blues with a hip hop edge, whose lyrical content embraced her youthful and innocent image in public, Norwood later summed up the songs on the album as young and vulnerable, stating, "I didn’t really know a lot—all I wanted to do was basically sing. You can just tell that it’s a person singing from a genuine place, and also a place of basically no experience. I was singing about being attracted to the opposite sex, but I had no experience behind it." Released in September 1994, the album peaked at number twenty on the U.S. Billboard 200. Critical reaction to Brandy was generally positive, with AllMusic writer Eddie Huffman declaring Brandy "a lower-key Janet Jackson or a more stripped-down Mary J. Blige [...] with good songs and crisp production." Anderson Jones of Entertainment Weekly asserted, "Teen actress Norwood acts her age. A premature effort at best, that seems based on the philosophy 'If Aaliyah can do it, why can't I?'."

Brandy went on to sell over six million copies worldwide, and produced three top ten hits on the Billboard Hot 100, including "I Wanna Be Down" and "Baby", both of which reached the top of the Hot R&B Singles chart and were certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. "Brokenhearted", a duet with Wanya Morris of Boyz II Men, became a number-two hit on the charts. The album earned Norwood two Grammy Award nominations for Best New Artist and Best Female R&B Vocal Performance the following year, and won her four Soul Train Music Awards, two Billboard Awards, and the New York Children's Choice Award. In 1995, she finished a two-month stint as the opening act on Boyz II Men's national tour, and contributed songs to the soundtracks of the films Batman Forever and Waiting to Exhale, with the single "Sittin' Up in My Room" becoming another top-two success. In 1996, Norwood also collaborated with Tamia, Chaka Khan, and Gladys Knight on the single "Missing You", released from the soundtrack of the F. Gary Gray film Set It Off. The single won her a third Grammy nomination in the Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals category.

In 1996, her short-lived engagement on Thea led Norwood to star in her own show, the UPN-produced sitcom Moesha. Appearing alongside William Allen Young and Sheryl Lee Ralph, she played the title role of Moesha Mitchell, a Los Angeles girl coping with a stepmother as well as the pressures and demands of becoming an adult. Originally bought by CBS, the program debuted on UPN in January 1996, and soon became their most-watched show. While the sitcom managed to increase its audience every new season and spawned a spin-off titled The Parkers, the network decided to cancel the show after six seasons on the air, leaving it ending with a cliffhanger for a scrapped seventh season. Norwood was awarded an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Youth Actor/Actress for her performance. In 1997, Brandy, Ray J and their parents, started The Norwood Kids Foundation, which helps disadvantaged, at-risk youths in Los Angeles and Mississippi through the Arts and self -help programs.

1997–2004: Never Say Never, film career, and Full Moon

In 1997, Norwood was hand-picked by producer Whitney Houston to play the title character in Rodgers and Hammerstein’s television version of Cinderella featuring a multicultural cast that also included Jason Alexander, Whoopi Goldberg, and Houston. The two-hour Wonderful World of Disney special garnered an estimated 60 million viewers, giving the network its highest ratings in the time period in 16 years, and won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Art Direction for a Variety or Music Program the following year.

Fledgling producer Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins was consulted to contribute to Norwood's second album Never Say Never, which was released in June 1998. Norwood co-wrote and produced six songs on the album which yielded her first number-one song on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, "The Boy Is Mine", a duet with singer Monica that has become the most successful song by a female duo in the music industry. Exploiting the media's presumption of a rivalry between the two young singers, the song was one of the most successful records in United States of all time, spending a record-breaking thirteen weeks atop the Billboard charts, and eventually garnering the pair a Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal. The album's success was equally widespread, and after extensive radio play of the single overseas, the label released it globally during the summer. Never Say Never eventually became Norwood's biggest-selling album, selling over 16 million copies worldwide. Critics rated the album highly, with AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine praising Norwood and her team for wisely finding "a middle ground between Mariah Carey and Mary J. Blige—it's adult contemporary with a slight streetwise edge." Altogether, the album spawned seven singles, including Norwood's second number-one song, the Diane Warren-penned "Have You Ever?" She also embarked on the successful Never Say Never World Tour in 1998, consisting of sold out performances in Europe, Asia, and the United States.

After backing out of a role in F. Gary Gray's 1996 film Set It Off, Norwood made her big screen debut in the supporting role of Karla Wilson in the slasher film, I Still Know What You Did Last Summer. The movie outperformed the original with a total of $16.5 million at its opening weekend, but critical reaction to the film was largely disappointing, with film review site Rotten Tomatoes calculating a poor rating of 7% based on 46 reviews. Norwood, however, earned positive reviews for her "bouncy" performance, which garnered her both a Blockbuster Entertainment Award and an MTV Movie Award nomination for Best Breakthrough Female Performance. In 1999, she co-starred with Diana Ross in the telefilm drama Double Platinum about an intense, strained relationship between a mother and daughter. Shot in only twenty days in New York City, both Norwood and Ross served as executive producers of the movie which features original songs from their respective albums Never Say Never (1998) and Every Day Is a New Day (1999), as well as previously unreleased duets.

After a lengthy hiatus following the end of Moesha, and a number of tabloid headlines discussing her long-term battle with dehydration, Norwood returned to music in 2001, when she and brother Ray-J were asked to record a cover version of Phil Collins' 1990 hit "Another Day in Paradise" for the tribute album Urban Renewal: A Tribute to Phil Collins. Released as the album's first single in Europe and Oceania, the song became an instant international success overseas, scoring top-ten entries on the majority of all charts it appeared on. Full Moon, Norwood's third studio album, was released in February 2002. It was composed of R&B and pop-oriented songs, many of them co-created with Jerkins, Warryn Campbell and Mike City. Its lead single "What About Us?" became a worldwide top-ten hit, and the album's title track was a Top 20 hit in the United States and the UK. Media reception was generally lukewarm, with Rolling Stone describing the album as "frantic, faceless, fake-sexy R&B." Within the coming year, Norwood and Robert "Big Bert" Smith began writing and producing for other artists such as Toni Braxton, Kelly Rowland, and Kiley Dean. Norwood's foray into reality television began in 2002 with the MTV series Diary Presents Brandy: Special Delivery; the show documented the final months of Norwood's pregnancy with her daughter Sy'rai.

2004–2009: Afrodisiac, America's Got Talent and Human

Returning from yet another hiatus, Norwood's fourth album Afrodisiac was released in June 2004, amid the well-publicized termination of her short-lived business relationship with entertainment manager Benny Medina. Norwood ended her contract with his Los Angeles-based Handprint Entertainment after less than a year of representation following controversies surrounding Medina's handling of the lead single "Talk About Our Love", and failed negotiations of a purported co-headlining tour with R&B singer Usher. Despite the negative publicity, Afrodisiac became Norwood's most critically acclaimed album, with some highlighting the "more consistently mature and challenging" effect of Timbaland on Norwood's music, and others calling it "listenable and emotionally resonant", comparing it to "Janet Jackson at her best." A moderate seller, the album debuted at number three on the Billboard 200, and received certifications in the United States, Europe and Japan. "Talk About Our Love" reached number six in the United Kingdom, but subsequent singles failed to score successfully on the popular music charts. Later that year, she guest-starred as Gladys Knight in the third-season premiere of American Dreams, in which she performed "I Heard It Through the Grapevine".

After eleven years with the company, Norwood asked for and received an unconditional release from Atlantic Records at the end of 2004, citing her wish "to move on" as the main reason for her decision. Completing her contract with the label, a compilation album titled The Best of Brandy was released in March 2005. Released without any promotional single, it reached the top 30 in Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States, where the collection was appreciated by contemporary critics who noted the creativity of Norwood's back catalogue. Andy Kellman of AllMusic expressed, "This set, unlike so many other anthologies from her contemporaries, hardly confirms dwindling creativity or popularity." Thereupon she reportedly began shopping a new record deal under the auspices of Knockout Entertainment, her brother's vanity label.

In February 2006, Norwood began appearing in a recurring role on UPN sitcom One on One, playing the sister to brother Ray J's character D-Mack. In June, she was cast as one of three talent judges on the first season of America's Got Talent, an amateur talent contest on NBC executive-produced by Simon Cowell and hosted by Regis Philbin. The broadcast was one of the most-watched programs of the summer, and concluded on August 17, 2006 with the win of 11-year-old singer Bianca Ryan. Norwood was originally slated to return for a second season in summer 2007, but eventually decided not to, feeling that she "couldn't give the new season the attention and commitment it deserved," following the fatal 2006 car accident in which she was involved. She was replaced by reality TV star Sharon Osbourne.

Norwood's fifth studio album, Human, was released in December 2008, produced by Toby Gad, Brian Kennedy, and RedOne. Distributed by Koch Records and Sony Music, the album marked Norwood's debut on the Epic Records label, and her reunion with long-time contributor and mentor Rodney Jerkins, who wrote and executive produced most of the album. Generally well received by critics, Human debuted at number fifteen on the U.S. Billboard 200 with opening week sales of 73,000 copies. With a domestic sales total of 214,000 copies, it failed to match the success of its predecessors. While lead-off single "Right Here (Departed)" scored Norwood her biggest chart success since 2002's "Full Moon", the album failed to impact elsewhere, resulting in lackluster sales in general and the end of her contract with the label, following the controversial appointment of Amanda Ghost as president of Epic Records, and Norwood's split with rapper Jay-Z's Roc Nation management.

In December 2009, she officially introduced her rapping alter-ego Bran'Nu with two credits on Timbaland's album Timbaland Presents Shock Value 2, and was cast in the pilot episode for the ABC series This Little Piggy, also starring Rebecca Creskoff and Kevin Rahm, which was recast the following year.

2010–2014: Return to acting and Two Eleven

In April 2010, Norwood and Ray J debuted in the VH1 reality series Brandy and Ray J: A Family Business along with their parents. The show chronicled the backstage lives of both siblings, while taking on larger roles in their family's management and production company, R&B Productions. Executive produced by the Norwood family, the season concluded after eleven episodes, and was renewed for a second season, which began broadcasting in fall 2010. A Family Business, a compilation album with previously unreleased content from the entire cast was released on Saguaro Road Records in June 2011. Critics such as The Washington Post declared it an "awkward and adorable and really, really wholesome collection." While the album failed to chart, it produced three promotional singles, including the joint track "Talk to Me".

In fall 2010, Norwood appeared as a contestant on season 11 of the ABC reality show Dancing with the Stars, partnered with Maksim Chmerkovskiy. She ultimately placed fourth in the competition, which was a shock to the judges, viewers, studio audience, and other contestants that considered her one of the show's frontrunners throughout the entire competition. In August 2011, it was confirmed that Norwood had signed a joint record deal with RCA Records and producer Breyon Prescott's Chameleon Records. In September, a new talent show, Majors & Minors, created by musician Evan Bogart, premiered on The Hub. It followed a group of young performers age 10–16 and their chance to be mentored by some established artists such as Norwood, Ryan Tedder and Leona Lewis. Later that same year, Norwood returned to acting roles with recurring appearances on The CW's teen drama series 90210, and in the fourth season of the Lifetime's comedy series Drop Dead Diva, in which she played the role of Elisa Shayne.

In 2011, Norwood joined the cast of the BET comedy series The Game, playing the recurring role of Chardonnay, a bartender. She became a regular cast member by the next season. In February 2012, Norwood reteamed with Monica on "It All Belongs to Me", which was released as a single from the latter's album New Life. Norwood's own comeback single "Put It Down" featuring singer Chris Brown was released later that year. The song reached number three on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, becoming her first top ten entry in ten years. Her sixth album Two Eleven, which was released in October, saw a return to her R&B sound, but with what Norwood described a "progressive edge". A moderate commercial success, it was viewed as a humble comeback from Norwood, reaching number three on the US Billboard 200, and the top of the Billboard US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.

In March 2013, Norwood returned to film, joining an ensemble cast consisting of Jurnee Smollett-Bell, Lance Gross and Vanessa L. Williams in Tyler Perry's drama Temptation: Confessions of a Marriage Counselor. Norwood plays supporting character Melinda, a woman with secrets. The film received generally negative reviews from critics but became a moderate US box office success. In June 2013, Norwood signed with Creative Artists Agency, headquartered in Los Angeles, and in early 2014, she arranged a management deal with MBK Entertainment with CEO Jeff Robinson. In July, she was also inducted as an honorary member of Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority. The same month, Norwood released a cover version of Coldplay's song "Magic" to her TwitMusic account; it peaked at number one on Billboard's Trending 140 chart. Also in 2014, Norwood made guest appearances on VH1's Love and Hip Hop: Hollywood and the TV Land sitcom The Soul Man. At the 2014 BET Hip Hop Awards, she reunited with Queen Latifah, MC Lyte, and Yo-Yo to perform the hip hop remix of "I Wanna Be Down" in celebration of its 20th anniversary.

2015–present: Broadway, Zoe Ever After, and upcoming seventh studio album

After finishing the filming of the final season of The Game, Norwood made her Broadway debut in the musical Chicago, in which she played the lead role of Roxie Hart, beginning in April 2015. Although initially a six-week run, her engagement was extended until August 2015. Norwood also reprised the role in the musical's national tour during its 2016 engagement in Los Angeles. Also in 2015, Norwood appeared on the 99 Souls mashup single "The Girl Is Mine", for which she re-recorded her vocals from "The Boy Is Mine." The song reached the top 10 in the United Kingdom and top 40 on other international charts, where it became her highest-charting single in years.

In January 2016, Norwood starred as the lead in the BET sitcom Zoe Ever After, which she also co-created and co-executive produced. Filmed in Atlanta, Georgia, the multi-camera romantic comedy revolved around Zoe Moon, a newly single mom stepping out of the shadow of her famous boxer ex-husband, while trying to balance dating, motherhood, and a blossoming career in cosmetics. While it debuted to respectable ratings, Norwood decided not to return to the show, and it was soon after cancelled. The same month, Norwood unveiled "Beggin & Pleadin," a previously unreleased song, on Soundcloud. The unconventional record garnered strong reviews from industry experts, prompting her to release officially it as a digital single through her own label Slayana Records on January 21.

In February 2016, Norwood announced her Slayana World Tour, which highlighted stops in both Europe and Oceania. Her first headlining tour in eight years, it was ended ahead of schedule on June 30 after Norwood was hospitalized due to exhaustion. In March, Norwood sued Chameleon Entertainment Group and its president, Breyon Prescott, after the label reportedly refused to allow her to record and release new albums. In November 2016, Norwood became the second recipient of the Lady of Soul Award at the Soul Train Music Awards. Her stripped-down nine-minute song medley was met with overwhelming appraisal.

Norwood is competing with her brother Ray J on the FOX reality cooking series My Kitchen Rules, which premiered in January 2017.

Personal life

Norwood attended Hollywood High School, but studied with a private tutor beginning in 10th grade. In 1996, she had a brief relationship with future Los Angeles Lakers player Kobe Bryant, whom she accompanied to his prom at Lower Merion High School in Ardmore, Pennsylvania. She also dated Boyz II Men lead singer Wanya Morris, whom she cited as her "first love." Morris, who was six years older than her, reportedly ended their relationship a month before her nineteenth birthday. Also during their work on the Never Say Never album, she briefly dated rapper Mase.

During the production of her album Full Moon in mid-2001, Norwood became involved romantically with producer Robert "Big Bert" Smith. The couple kept the relationship secret until February 2002, when Norwood announced that she was expecting her first child. However, a year after the birth of their daughter, Sy'rai Iman Smith, on June 16, 2002—an event tracked by the four-part MTV reality series Brandy: Special Delivery—Norwood and Smith separated. In 2004, Smith revealed that the pair had never been legally wed, but that they had pretended to marry to preserve Norwood's public image. Norwood later stated that she regarded her relationship with Smith as a "spiritual union and true commitment to each other."

By the following year, Norwood had begun a relationship with NBA guard Quentin Richardson, who was then playing for the Los Angeles Clippers. The couple soon became engaged in July 2004 but Norwood eventually ended their 15-month engagement in October 2005. It was reported that Norwood had to get a tattoo of Richardson's face on her back transformed into a cat. In 2010, she briefly dated rapper Flo Rida. At the end of 2012, Norwood became engaged to music executive Ryan Press. In April 2014, Norwood called off her engagement with Press following their breakup earlier that year.

Automobile collision

Driving home on December 30, 2006, Norwood was involved in a fatal automobile collision on Los Angeles' San Diego (405) Freeway. 38-year-old Awatef Aboudihaj was the driver of a Toyota which was struck by Norwood's Range Rover. Aboudihaj died from her injuries at the L.A. Holy Cross Hospital the following day.

Norwood was neither arrested nor charged with vehicular manslaughter due to insufficient evidence. Law enforcement officials reported that Norwood was driving her car at 65 miles per hour and did not notice that vehicles ahead of her had slowed considerably. Her vehicle then collided with rear of Aboudihaj's, causing the Toyota to strike another vehicle before sliding sideways and impacting the center divider. As the Toyota came to a stop, it was hit by yet another vehicle. A source in the California Highway Patrol later reported that Aboudihaj actually struck the car in front of her and then slammed on her brakes before Norwood made contact. The sudden stop caused Norwood to hit Aboudihaj's car. As confirmed, toxicology reports showed that Aboudihaj had "slight traces" of marijuana in her system at the time of the crash.

In December 2007, Norwood's attorney Blair Berk stated that the Los Angeles City Attorney determined Norwood should not be charged with any "crime relating to the accident back in 2006." In May 2009, Norwood stated, "The whole experience did completely change my life, and I can say that I think I'm a better person from it. You know, I still don't understand all of it and why all of it happened, but I definitely have a heart, and my heart goes out to everyone involved. I pray about it every single day, and that's all I can really say on the subject."

Nevertheless, there have been multiple lawsuits filed against Norwood, all of which were ultimately settled out of court by Brandy's attorney Ed McPherson. Aboudihaj's parents filed a $50 million wrongful death lawsuit against Norwood. Filed on January 30, 2007, the lawsuit was initially set to go to trial in April 2009, but was eventually canceled as Norwood had settled out of court with Aboudihaj's parents. Aboudihaj's husband also filed a lawsuit against Norwood, suing her for an undisclosed amount of financial relief to cover medical and funeral expenses, as well as legal costs and other damages. He rejected his part of a $1.2 million settlement offer in February 2009, but did settle in November of that year. The couple's two children, who also filed a lawsuit against Norwood, received $300,000 each, according to court documents filed in L.A. County Superior Court on June 2, 2009. Two other drivers who were involved and injured in the accident also filed a lawsuit against Norwood. They settled with Norwood for undisclosed amounts.

Artistry

Voice

Norwood is a lyric contralto, with a range spanning three octaves and five semitones. Her voice has often been described as soft, raspy, and husky by music critics and Norwood herself. Music critic and Slant Magazine writer Andrew Chan describes Norwood's vocal tone as having "an unusual mix of warmth and cold, hard edges". He further describes her vocal quality, saying, "Like little else in pop-music singing, Brandy's subtle manipulation of timbre and texture rewards close listening. [...] Her main claim of technical virtuosity has always been her long, cascading riffs, a skill many R&B die-hards revere her for." Norwood is also noted for her use of multitrack recording to create intricate vocal arrangements and layering. Terry Sawyer of PopMatters writes on this skill, remarking, "While it's been said that Brandy's voice isn't exactly a barn burner, it's not mentioned enough that she does more than enough with what she's got. She never leaves her voice hanging in spotlit scarcity, folding its variegated terracing, whispering out the lead track, shouting in the back-up, and piling each song with enough interlocking sounds to create the tightly packed illusion of vocal massiveness."

Norwood’s initial sound was contemporary R&B, heavily rooted in gospel and soul music. Her lyrics spoke of various types of love, from casual and friendly love to romantic and spiritual affairs. Influenced by Houston and Carey, she incorporated a ballad-heavy style and an adult contemporary feel into her urban-pop sound for her second studio album Never Say Never. Her third studio album Full Moon saw Norwood abandon her teenage appeal for a more adult and sensual edginess. Along with her image, her voice had gone through a major change, trading her girlish rasp for a now deeper and warmer voice that had acquired a somewhat throatier, smoky edge. The music also reflected the change, as songs like "When You Touch Me" and "Like This" explored more adult, sexual topics, and a sound that blended her previous urban-pop sound with heavy influences of UK garage, glitch, and electro-funk.

In 2004, her recent motherhood, life experiences, and growing affinity for British rock band Coldplay, caused her to shift toward a more introspective outlook with her fourth studio album Afrodisiac, a venture with producer Timbaland into the experimental illbient aesthetic, which fuses ambient, dub, and breakbeat soundscapes with progressive sampling methods. A four-year hiatus and a few life-changing occurrences caused Norwood to return to the music industry in late 2008 with Human, her fifth studio album, which discussed topics of spiritual love, genuine heartache and universal honesty, and musically explored urban pop music. Experiencing a career and personal rejuvenation, Norwood was eager to scale back her previous pop venture and return to authentic R&B sound on her sixth studio album Two Eleven. The album was a melding of both Norwood's now-classic urban pop template and the bass-heavy trends of post-2000's contemporary hip-hop.

Influences

Brandy names Whitney Houston and her father Willie Norwood as her major musical influences. At age seven, Brandy attended her first ever concert where Houston performed and she claims to have realized her purpose. Her other influences at the beginning of her career included Janet Jackson and Mariah Carey. She credits Houston’s song “Greatest Love of All” and Carey’s “Vision of Love” as what got her contract with Atlantic Records. She also claimed that she wanted to “sing like Whitney [Houston] and perform like Janet [Jackson]”. On her debut album, she also listed Aretha Franklin and Stevie Wonder as inspirations.

Her later music was inspired by Kim Burrell, Coldplay, and Enya. She credits Burrell and Enya for helping her push the limits of her voice and vocal arrangements. During the production of Afrodisiac, Norwood has heavily inspired by Coldplay, sampling them on songs “I Tried” and “Should I Go”. On Coldplay’s influence, Norwood said “I sing about how if I’m depressed and need to know my spirits are lifted, I turn on a Coldplay song.”

In acting, Norwood lists Lucille Ball as her main comedic influence, while also listing Jenifer Lewis and Gabrielle Union as influences.

Legacy and impact

Since her 1994 debut album, Norwood has sold over 40 million records worldwide. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) lists Norwood as one of the top selling artists in the United States, with 10.5 million certified albums, She has sold over 8.62 million albums, Her song The Boy Is Mine is also one of the longest running number one songs in the United States, and is one of the best selling duets of all time. In 1999, Billboard ranked Norwood among the top 20 of the Top Pop Artists of the 1990s. In 2010, Billboard included Norwood in their Top 50 R&B and Hip Hop Artists list of the past 25 years. Norwood was one of the youngest artists nominated for the Grammy Award for Best New Artist. Her second album Never Say Never appeared in the "Top 100 Certified Albums" list by the RIAA.

Norwood's vocal stylings have had a significant impact on the music industry, most notably with contemporary R&B, pop and gospel genres, where she is often subjectively referred to as the "Vocal Bible". Her work has influenced numerous artists, including Jessie J, JoJo, Bridget Kelly, Olivia, Emeli Sandé, Jordin Sparks, Tank, Teyana Taylor, and Elle Varner, while Norwood's vocals have been praised by several of her peers, including Natasha Bedingfield, Missy Elliott, Jennifer Hudson, Syleena Johnson, Lil' Mo, Brian McKnight, Jill Scott, Angie Stone, and Tamia. Additionally, on many occasions, Norwood has been thought of as a talented artist that music producers and songwriters have used to enhance their own artistic and creative energies.

Songwriter Sean Garrett credits the vocal work on the album Full Moon for his approach to writing, saying "I take a lot from what [Brandy] and Rodney did on the Full Moon album. I was extremely impressed with it and I always try to outdo that album". B.Slade spoke of the album, commenting Full Moon single-handedly changed the vocal game. "It has been the template for vocal choices and background vocal arrangements [for years]." R&B singer Melanie Fiona, especially admired the singer's work on that album. Neo soul singer India.Arie often cites the album, particularly the song "He Is" as being the template for a wide array of singers." The oft-praised vocal work on the album sparked the idea of Norwood gaining the subjective nickname the "vocal bible". Canadian R&B singer Keshia Chanté credited the album for inspiring her writing for her album Night & Day, while American singer Luke James referred to Full Moon as the "bible" of 2000s contemporary R&B, calling it the "blueprint of how to do vocals."

Afrodisiac has been credited as one of predecessors to the Alternative R&B subgenre. In a 2014 music and fashion conversation with NPR, singer and model Solange discussed the album, saying "Brandy is really the foundation of a lot of this very innovative, progressive, experimental R&B. Brandy really influenced a lot of that. Frank Ocean will say it. Miguel will say it."

American neo soul singer Erykah Badu noted that her 1997 debut album, Baduizm, was partly influenced by Norwood's debut album, while Barbadian singer Rihanna said of her 2007 album Good Girl Gone Bad, "[Brandy] really helped inspire that album. I listened to [Afrodisiac] every day [while in the studio]." Kelly Rowland cited Norwood, who also wrote and produced for Rowland's debut album, as one of the inspirations for her second studio album Ms. Kelly (2007). Rock musician John Frusciante, former guitarist of rock group Red Hot Chili Peppers cited Norwood as the "main inspiration" behind the guitar work on Red Hot Chili Peppers' 2006 album, Stadium Arcadium.

Norwood has also made her impact in the film and television industry as well. Norwood was the first African American to play the role of Cinderella. Her role as Cinderella inspired many African American actors. Speaking on the role, Keke Palmer said "I feel like the reason I'm able to do this [becoming the first African American Cinderella on Broadway] is definitely because Brandy did it on TV". Norwood's TV-show Moesha on UPN was also one of the longest-running Black sitcoms of all time.

Other ventures

Norwood has had many endorsements in her career. In 1999, she became a CoverGirl, appearing in a number of commercials. She also represented the brands Candie's in 1998 and DKNY in the Spring of 2000. In the late 1990s Norwood was represented by Wilhelmina Agency, one of the leading modeling agencies in the industry. In 1999, Mattell released the Brandy Doll. The doll featured Norwood in a reddish orange blouse and orange long skirt. Next to this, the Holiday Brandy Doll was released in 2000 along with another "Brandy Doll". Millions of the dolls were sold and they were one of the biggest selling toys for Mattel. In 2005, Brandy became the spokesperson for Ultima, a company for hair weaves and wigs. As of 2014, she no longer represents them.

Philanthropy

In 1996, Norwood along with her brother Ray J, created the Norwood Kids Foundation. The goal of NKF is to "To use Performing Arts as a catalyst to shape the youth of today into self-confident, disciplined, responsible, and caring individuals capable of making a positive impact in their communities." In 1999 Brandy was the first international spokesman person for youth by UNICEF. Norwood is also an avid supporter of the Make A Wish Foundation and RAINN. In 2000, Brandy donated $100,000 to 2000 WATTS, an entertainment community center founded by singer Tyrese Gibson in the underprivileged community of Watts, California. Brandy teamed up with Skecher's “Nothing Compares to Family” campaign in 2008. In 2010 Norwood became involved with Get Schooled, a national non-profit mobile phone calls by celebrities to wake up students for school. In 2014, Norwood teamed up with "text4baby", which spreads health and wellness to expecting moms via text message, and became an honorary co-chairman of the 2014 Unstoppable Foundation.

Discography

Brandy (1994)

Never Say Never (1998)

Full Moon (2002)

Afrodisiac (2004)

Human (2008)

Two Eleven (2012)

Wikipedia

#Brandy Norwood

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curlyhalo-by-kimberlyelise · 7 years

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When it comes to show business, there’s no doubt that every actor or actress must meet the expectations of whom they’re working for. That includes talent and appearances.

Oftentimes, actors and actresses are asked to change their look, whether or not it agrees with their natural style. While it’s a commonly-heard story that the entertainment industry doesn’t prefer natural hair, it’s not the case for everyone.

Meet Scherrikar Bell, a British actress whose natural hair helped her career.

By: Elizabeth Toy

Scherrikar’s acting career began at the age of 21. She went to an open audition on a whim for the West End play, “Oh What a Lovely War!” and landed the role as a comedic soldier. At the time, she was also studying at University and though she never saw herself as an actress, the role changed her mindset and thus, her dream to become a professional actress was born.

I talked to Scherrikar about her career and her relationship with her natural hair.

Q: How did your interest in acting develop?

Well I always loved watching movies as a child. I grew up watching Die Hard, Rush Hour, and Disney movies on repeat! I loved the escapism effect it had on me. I would re-eanact scenes with my siblings and cousins and perform it to our imaginary friends. (We were way too shy to show it to our parents!) It is only now that I am older I realize that I was “acting” from a young age, but at the time, it was just a way of having fun.

Q: What productions have we seen you in?

I have guest-starred in Netflix’s comedy series, “The Increasingly Poor Decisions Of Todd Margaret,” Bridget Jones’s Baby, British Soaps, EastEnders, and BBC One Doctors, as well as some commercials for HSBC and Soap and Glory.

Q: What was your relationship with your hair, growing up?

I was lucky that my mum was a hairdresser! I relaxed it when I was around 13 years-old and would often wear it in camerows (a.k.a. French braids) or in a ponytail. Others accepted it because it was fashionable at the time.

More on KimberlyElise.com: What’s your hair type? Find out here!

Q: What are you hair struggles?

I definitely have days where my hair feels dry and dull. I just wash it, condition it, and that usually does the trick. The worse is when it rains! I always have a spare umbrella in my car handy.

Does your hair suffer from dryness? Check out How To Use Aloe Vera For Thirsty Hair

Q: When and why did you decide to attend your auditions and jobs wearing your natural hair?

I took the initiative myself. I was at a stage in my career where I felt stuck and I felt I was not progressing at the pace I was used to. I looked around me and saw that most of the actresses of color who were on TV had minimal makeup on and wore their hair in a natural state!

I wore my weave as a way to feel socially accepted and somewhat glamourous, and so removing it was a huge step. Now I look back and I wish I did it sooner. It was so liberating to walk into an audition as my true self.

Directors and producers love my natural hair. It makes my face stand out more and also adds variety to the characters’ looks.

Thinking about getting braided? Learn how to prep your natural hair for braided styles.

Q: How do you maintain your natural “Afro” look?

Every night before I go to sleep, I camerow eight braids into my hair. I also use coconut oil every other day on my scalp and hair. It does wonders! It keeps it soft and smelling nice.

Check out 4 Ways To Use Coconut Oil In Your Grooming Ritual.

Q: What hair advice would you give our readers?

Don’t use heat on your hair! After washing my hair, I never blow dry it. I let it dry naturally and pat it down to avoid damaging my hair. I also never use hair gel or straighteners on my hair.

To keep my Afro curls looking tight, I camerow and take them out just before I am about to go outside and I don’t comb out the curls. I just put my fingers through my hair and style my Afro using an Alice band (a.k.a. headband) or small clips.

More on KimberlyElise.com: How To Dry Your Hair Without Using Heat

The post How My Natural Hair Helped My Acting Career: Scherrikar Bell Tells Her Story appeared first on Kimberly Elise Natural Living.

via Kimberly Elise Natural Living

#IFTTT #Kimberly Elise Natural Living

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writewhatyoulove102-blog · 7 years

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Expensive Dreams

"Do you want to be the next Hannah Montana or the next big superstar on Disney Channel? How about staring in a show on Nickelodeon-" I had heard this ad hundreds of times on the radio. I had never really given much attention to it because I thought it was a bunch of crap. There was no way you could be famous that easily. But one day, I decided to give it a shot.

It was the summer before my senior year, and I realized that I was getting old. I didn't have much going on that summer, so I had time to kill. When I heard the ad on the radio again, I couldn't get it out of my head for a couple of days. I had always debated about chasing my dream in the entertainment industry. Time was ticking by, and I hadn't even given it a shot yet. I decided to chase it since I had one year left before college started. I thought that maybe if I got into the industry, I wouldn't have to go to college. One evening, I mentioned pursuing an acting career to my parents. They weren't surprised to hear me say this. They knew I always wanted to be an actress. They responded by telling me they would support me if I really wanted to go through with this career. The advertisement made me believe that I just had to audition in front of a couple of people, and if they liked me, I would basically be in the entertainment industry. I was so wrong.

I contacted the email that was given in the radio ad. Immediately, I got a call from the company which was called John Robert Powers (a training school). I was excited when they told me that I made an excellent contestant. They gave me all the details, and I quickly wrote them down. Anxiety and excitement overflowed within me as the day approached. I rehearsed a monologue I had learned in my acting class in school. I practiced my smile and made my parents rehearse interviews with me. I felt prepared for this audition.

When the day finally crept up, I woke up unusually early. The audition was an hour away in a hotel, and I had to look my best. Finding the place in the hotel was a hassle. Luckily, we were one of the first ones there, so time was not an issue. I noticed that a lot of the people arriving were way younger than me. They were around seven to fourteen years old. I didn't find it odd, since I was the one starting late in this acting process. I noticed one little girl around seven who seemed to have been dragged there. She was pulling on her mom's shirt, and she was complaining. I wondered why a mother would force their child to audition. But then I remembered: fame and money. I, on the other hand, wanted to pursue this career for the love of entertaining people.

The doors finally opened to the room where the auditions would take place. There were four people dressed extravagantly. There were about two hundred plastic chairs placed in the middle of the room. My dad and I sat down in some chairs near the back of the room. Weirdly enough, the audition was stupidly simple. All I had to do was introduce myself to everyone and recite a memorized line that they gave me. Next, I met with the executive board of John Robert Powers. They made the program seem like it was very selective (almost everyone got in). Then, they asked me why I wanted to be famous, what I was studying, and general questions of the sort. Finally, they told me I would receive a call telling me if I would get invited to the next level.

Later that night, I received the call. They told me I was one of the few that had passed the first round. I literally cried. I was so ecstatic. I had a chance to attain my dreams. They gave me the address for the next audition which would be held the next day.

This audition was even easier than the first. Basically, a lady asked me if I "really" wanted to be an actress, and if I was willing to put in the work (they didn't bother to explain what the work was). Next, she made me recite some lines from a sheet and sing a verse from a song. Then, she told me I made it. I was dazzled. I was in. Was it that quick and that easy? She handed my parents a sheet explaining what the program was about and how much it was going to cost. The whole conversation threw me off. I thought that I was hired to be an actress already. I didn't think I had to pay to be an actress. I didn't realize that JRP wasn't an agency, but a training school that just wanted to take people's money. I also wasn't told that even if I gained an agent, I still had to seek auditions to compete for acting jobs. JRP didn't bother to explain how complicated it was to find a job in the industry. Instead, they took advantage of the little knowledge us beginners had. They claimed to have had so many famous actors succeed because of this training school. JRP couldn't guarantee that I would get a job in the industry, but they claimed to have plenty of exposure and training for me lying ahead. By exposure, they meant I would be able to perform in front of two hundred agents at the final showcase. Yet, they forgot to mention that that was part of a different program and that the costs or the chances of me making it to that level weren't covered or guaranteed from John Robert Powers. If they would have told me this, I probably would have not entangled myself in that situation. We were only given a couple of minutes to make a decision. At the moment, JRP sounded like it was the only route to take if I wanted exposure, so I made my parents pay for it. I felt bad because it was a lot of money, but my parents wanted to demonstrate their support.

I was officially part of the program, and I had twenty weeks of training. It was every Saturday for an hour and a half. We had to look our best for every class. I was always wearing a skirt or a dress. The classes took place on the second floor of an abandoned bank. Already, I knew this program wasn't a very professional one. The room itself, was alright. It had a bunch of pictures of people that had become famous because of the training (or so, they claimed). The rooms were very colorful and inviting.

I was the oldest from my classes by a long shot. Some of the kids could barely hold a conversation or sit still. The teacher acted like she didn't want to be there. All I had to do was recite my memorized commercial/monologue for about two minutes during the whole class period. Next, I received very little critiques from the teacher, and then my time was up. I just sat there listening to the other kids struggle through their monologues. The classes were useless. I learned more from a single hour in my acting class at my high school than all the twenty classes in JRP put together. The kids were too young to remember the advice the teacher gave them, or they just didn't care enough to practice. I took it seriously at first, but after a couple of classes into it, I just gave up on practicing. I was still doing very well compared to the other kids. My teacher called me a "natural actress." I didn’t want to tell my parents about how much bullshit the classes were because I knew they were paying a lot of money for me to be there.

I was exposed to three different agents throughout the weeks, but to no avail. None of them called me back to tell me that they wanted to work with me. I did hear that some of the kids were getting calls from the agents, which made me feel very agitated. They weren't all that good, but their adorableness was what was getting the agents' attention. I wasn't young and cute like the rest of them.

Then the showcase came up, which was just about a week ago. Elegantly, I performed in front of the parents and four agents all at once. By the end of it, one of the agents made me wait a couple of minutes afterwards with a few other kids. She told us that we had the potential to get exposure at a national level. We would spend a week in Las Vegas at a national showcase called IPOP. This was the showcase that exposed me to the two hundred agents mentioned earlier. I was pleased with myself that I was chosen and that potential was seen within me. It interested me until I saw the price. It was double the amount that I had to pay for the John Robert Powers program. They told me I only had that day to think about it, and then I would have to pay the next day.

So, that was the end of my acting career for at least now. I decided it really was a scam that only wanted my money. They could care less if I made it into the industry or not. I didn't know if this IPOP showcase was a big deal or not, but I did know that there was no guarantee that I would get an agent to represent me anyways. I guess it wouldn't have hurt to try it out, but since I'm a college student at this moment, there are more important things to waste my time and money on. There are ways to get exposure to agents that don't cost any money; I just have to keep searching for them. Training schools like JRP, just want to take money from those who are inexperienced. I guess if I'm really meant to have a shot in the entertainment industry, I will get another chance. I learned that if you are being rushed to join something and it requires a lot of money, no matter how appealing it sounds to you, it probably isn't the smartest choice. There are other ways to chase your dreams that are less expensive and demanding.

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writingcommons-blog1 · 7 years

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"Expensive Dreams” by Shakira D.

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