KIDS FIRST! Jury Blog

I had the pleasure of seeing the Tony- Award winning musical A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder at the Playhouse at Rodney Square, formerly the Dupont Theater in Wilmington, Delaware.  The Playhouse at Rodney Square continues to feel like a grand theater of yesteryear.

I am a fan of musicals.  When I was a young child, I wanted to be a tap dancer in a musical show.  A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder lives up to an award- winning musical production.  In each scene, lavish Edwardian decor of the sets put you in the time frame.

A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder is the story of a young man Monty Navarro (Kevin Massey) who discovers, to his great shock, that his unfortunate late mother was disinherited from the highborn D’Ysquith clan for marrying a Castilian musician for love.  Monty finds out he is ninth in line to inherit a dukedom and he decides to eliminate the other eight heirs standing in his way. Monty meets and eliminates them one by one.

I enjoyed watching Monty plan his way to dukedom.  It is so funny to watch all eight D’Ysquith heirs (John Rapson). Each character has distinctive look and personality as he portrays The Rev. Lord D’Ezekial, the buxom Lady Hyacinth, the pompousness of the reigning Lord Adalbert and the perkiness of the bright-eyed beekeeper Henry with whom he sings double-entendres in a mock-duet, “Better With a Man”).

One of my favorite numbers is the scene in which Monty tries to keep his latest love interest, Phoebe (Kristin Hahn), from discovering that his old flame, Sibella (Kristen Beth Williams) is in the other room.  It is very creative and the ladies’ beautiful voices blend to let us see Monty dilemma.

All the cast members are excellent singers, dances and actors. If you want to be entertained, learn a few tips about how to move to front of the line of heirs and entertain more than one love, go see A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder now playing at The Playhouse of Rodney Square, until November 20, 2016.

I recommend A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder for ages 14 to 18 and adults will enjoy it also. I give A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder 5 out of 5 stars.

The first ever Hollywood Walk of Fame Honors will be airing on the CW November 23, 2016. I met some amazing people who have appeared in some incredible TV shows, movies, have written or sung some amazing songs and are our favorite Celebrities. So, get the turkey ready and pumpkin pie in the oven, settle down with some popcorn, get ready for black Friday, relax and enjoy the show. Get ready to make plans to walk off the holiday food by visiting the Terrazzo and brass star studded sidewalk. The Hollywood Walk of Fame is FREE and open 24-7. It is about a mile and half walk to view all the celebrities’ stars and you will know all about them when you go.

I had the pleasure of meeting some incredible people including Laura McKenzie, host of the annual Hollywood Christmas Parade. She also hosts a show on traveling, Laura McKenzie’s Traveler. Laura and I have seen each other many times at the Parade in the past and we can’t wait to see each other again this year on November 26th. Katherine (Kat) Kramer is the daughter of Stanley Kramer, the first star to be laid in the new Walk. Stanley Kramer’s star was placed on March 28, 1960, near the intersection of Hollywood and Gower.

Ron Moss (The Bay) and his wife, producer Devin DeVasquez (The Bay & 411) and their dog, Prince, were adorable. They are in the middle of filming and are having a blast on their projects. Prince, the dog, has a Facebook and Instagram account. Dr. Fariba Kalantari, Chair of the Board for Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, was lovely. She is on the committee that approves the stars for a place on The Walk of Fame. Fariba also performs the live ceremony presentations. Jeff Zarrinnam, Senior Vice Chair Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, accompanied her. There are over 2,589 stars along the walk with more being added. Gabrielle Ruiz (Crazy Ex-Girlfriend) is amazing in her pink dress. She is having a great time working on her TV show, which she loves.

Barbara Eden (I Dream of Jeanie, still one of my favorite shows) loves her acting career and she is very excited for the years to come. She is an adorable sweetheart who is still young at heart and looks fabulous. BC Jean, who wrote the song If I were a Boy, which Beyoncé sings, is currently engaged to Mark Ball from Dancing with the Stars. Candice Glover, who won American Idol on its 12th season, is very excited to be performing at this fantastic event and she is very thankful that they are letting her sing on stage.

Eddie Money was also there with over 40 million records to his name. I love his music. My generation knows who he is. Nicolas Coster has the record for the appearing in most Soap Operas. That number being 10. He is 82 years old and still acting. That is magnificent! Louis Gossett Jr. is an actor with a soothing deep voice who has made a ton of movies. He loves acting and his family very much. Penn Jillette and Teller are the only magicians who reveal the secrets behind their magic. They believe that everyone is a part of the act and they want to do something no one has done before.

Melissa Rivers is Joan Rivers’s daughter and she was able to present the segment on some of the best comedic women, including her mother, who have their stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.  Isaac C. Singleton Jr. has voiced some of your favorite characters in some of your favorite shows. He is very friendly, easy to talk to and Oh my gosh he is soooo tall.

I recommend this event to kids age 8 to 18 and adults as well. Kids will love all the guest appearances and they will learn about Hollywood’s history. Adults will see some of their favorite stars and will enjoy seeing some legendary figures in Hollywood’s history.  I give this event 5 out of 5 Hollywood Walk of Fame shinning stars.

If you follow my blogs, you know that I mostly write about legendary women in film or women who have made a mark in history or outstanding contributions to the film industry. However, today I’m writing about someone special who I actually met and can speak about how genuine she is – Rachel Crow, a beautiful person inside and out.

Rachel Kelly Crow was born January 23, 1998. She is a singer, comedian and actress from Mead, Colorado. She was raised by adoptive parents and became a fan favorite on the X Factor (2011) for her ability to bring maturity and skill to songs that seemed well beyond her young age. Rachel finished fifth overall which was an amazing experience and opened up fantastic opportunities. In 2012, she signed a record deal with Columbia Records and began working with Teen TV network Nickelodeon. 

From the small screen, Rachel leaped to the big screen by voicing the character Carla in Rio 2.  In my interview with her, she described her character as fun and one who loves music.  She readily identified with the character so portraying her was easy. Our conversation was upbeat, fun and genuine. I could feel her excitement for what’s happening in her life. She knows her craft and is easy to talk to, one teen to another.

Whether performing a voice-over, singing or acting, her fabulous personality and amazing talent shine through.  Rachel references a song that says “all your scars make you who you are…you know all the bad scars and the good scars.” This is her biggest X Factor lesson and it’s so true.  As I continue to work on my craft of acting, I have so many disappointments and rejections, but I learn from them every time. Rachel is an inspiration to a lot of teens out there and to me in particular.  Although she was eliminated from the X Factor, she never gave up on her dream of becoming a star.