My picks for entertainment ~ suggested movies, TV shows, music, and books ~ so you can enjoy some quality ME time! (ATTN Korean drama addicts! This blog has lots of K-drama love.)
I discovered the art of Monica Stewart while searching for work by African-American artists similar to that of Lavarne Ross. Mr. Ross knows how to capture motion, and his most famous work is called "Tribute", which features African ballerinas. Ms. Stewart's art radiates grace, movement, and emotional depth.
Admirers have nothing but good things to say about this gifted female artist. Monica Stewart’s art has been described as “a contemporary expression of culture and sisterhood” because she captures “women of color celebrating life”. She gives her work “an authentic, ethnic flavor”.
The next time you watch the movies “Waiting to Exhale” or “Romeo Must Die”, watch them very carefully. Her artwork has been showcased via these films. Cool huh? :)
Stewart is best known for her pastel paintings, which she loves for their brilliance and flexibility.
Her work often centers on Black women, capturing moments of joy, reflection, and sisterhood. She once said, “I have a good understanding of myself as a woman, so I do tend to paint a lot of women”.
Her art explores universal human experiences, aiming to evoke personal meaning for each viewer.
🖼️ Famous Works
Some of her most popular pieces include:
“Unity” – a vibrant portrayal of African-American women dancing in harmony.
“Graceful Motion”, “Dance of Joy”, and “Rejoice!” – all celebrate movement, rhythm, and spiritual uplift.
Her prints have appeared in films like Waiting to Exhale, Romeo Must Die, and the sitcom Living Single.
🏆 Recognition & Impact
Stewart’s art has been featured on California State Lottery and Bank of America calendars, as well as family record books, journals, and photo albums.
She’s a nationally recognized artist, with her work displayed in galleries and stores across the U.S.
Though she didn’t complete her formal art degree, her talent was nurtured early on and reignited in the 1990s, thanks in part to encouragement from novelist Terry McMillan, who was one of her first collectors.
Thought the Clutter is an entertainment blog that published a List of 28 Warren Beatty Movies, Ranked Best to Worst. I have never been a huge fan of Warren Beatty. There is no denying he was tall, dark, and handsome. But frankly, I really admired his sister; the enormously talented actress Shirley MacLane. However, giving credit where credit is due:
"Warren Beatty is an American actor and filmmaker who is the second person to be nominated for 'Academy Awards' for acting in, directing, writing, and producing the same film – which he achieved twice for the fantasy-comedy film 'Heaven Can Wait' (1978) and for the historical epic 'Reds' (1981). Of his total 14 'Oscar' nominations, he won the award for 'Best Director' for 'Reds' (1981)."
That quote/fact was lifted from the TTC article list mentioned above. Kudos to Mr. Beatty for his achievements. Even so ... his movies never made it to my 'Oh I'm dying to watch or re-watch this list!" However, if I were going to pick a classic film starring Warren Beatty, it would have to be “Splendor in the Grass” (1961). Yes, the fact that Natalie Wood was the leading lady had a lot to do with it.
♦♦♦♦♦♦
Five Facts About This 1961 Classic:
🎬 Warren Beatty’s Big Break
This film marked Warren Beatty’s acting debut, launching him into Hollywood stardom. His performance as Bud Stamper was so compelling that it set the tone for a long and successful career.
🛁 A Censored Bathtub Scene
Director Elia Kazan originally filmed a scene where Natalie Wood’s character runs nude down a hallway after a heated argument. However, both the Hollywood censors and the Catholic Legion of Decency objected, leading Kazan to cut the scene entirely.
🌊 Not Filmed in Kansas
Although the story is set in Kansas, a severe drought forced the production to relocate filming to New York state, including the waterfall scenes shot in High Falls, in the Catskills.
💋 Hollywood’s First French Kiss
Believe it or not, Splendor in the Grass is credited with depicting the first French kiss in a Hollywood film, pushing boundaries for its time.
📖 Poetic Origins
The film’s title comes from William Wordsworth’s poem “Ode: Intimations of Immortality”. The line “Though nothing can bring back the hour of splendour in the grass…” beautifully reflects the film’s themes of lost innocence and emotional resilience.
“Tomorrow With You” is a 2017 drama series,
with 16 episodes, and can be categorized as Time Travel, Romance,
Comedy (Rom-Com) and Fantasy or Supernatural.
SUMMARY: Suppose you meet someone on one day and that chance meeting saved your life. Then on another day you see your lifeless body being a carried away and the lifeless body of the woman who saved your life is also being carried away. Since you have the ability to time travel, maybe you can go back and sever the relationship you have with her. That should be fix everything. Right? That might work IF ... the ability to travel through time also gives you the ability to change the future. But if it doesn't ...
Yoo
So-joon is a handsome, young and wealthy CEO. You could say he has
it all. What more could he ask for? Love? Well, that's obvious.
But what else? How about the ability to travel through time? That
wasn't exactly something that Yoo So-joon had on his wish list. But
one day while riding the subway train, he felt a terrible pain in his
head. The next thing he knew he was in a different time period. As
soon as he got off the train he met another time traveler. The time
traveler told him he'll have to get used to going back and forth
between past, present, and future. But the most important rule is to
never be in the same time period with yourself. He can't be with his
present self and his future self at the same time. That's bad!
OK!
Important safety tip! But guess what happened? Yoo So-joon saw his
dead body being carried away on a stretcher. There was also a woman
who had died and her name was Song Ma-Rin. Yoo So-joon wondered if
it was possible to change the outcome of this tragic event. He time
traveled again and it turns out he and Song Ma-Rin were married. In
another time period, he and Song Ma-Rin were both on the same train.
They got into an argument with each other and got off the train.
While they were still arguing, the train blew up! Yoo So-joon had
intended to stay on the train that day. If he had, he would have
died.
Somehow
the timelines of their lives were intertwined. In one period, she
saved his life. In another, they both died together.
Song
Ma-Rin is unaware that Yoo So-joon has already seen her future. She
is barely managing to live in the present because her past keeps
getting in the way. Song Ma-Rin used to be a child star but when she
grew up she did not pursue an acting career. The problem is
reporters keep writing articles about how she has not accomplished
anything since her fame as a child actress and this gets in the way
of her moving forward. When she met Yoo So-Joon he gave her this
advice: "Life is shorter than you think. You shouldn't be
hung up on the past.” He
could say that, since Yoo So-joon already knew her future.
Yoo
So-joon decided to traveled back in time to see if he could break
their connection. If he could somehow sever their relationship, they
wouldn't be together, they wouldn't fall in love and get married, and
they probably would not die in a terrible accident. But does
having the ability to time-travel also give you the ability to change
your future?
This
Kdrama series had mixed reviews. Some did not give high marks for
the acting or the script. Others said it was underrated and thought
the chemistry between the couple was great.
I
am always interested in how a scriptwriter will spin a
time travel fantasy / love story. In “Tomorrow
With You”:
The
female lead had a difficult time trying to get away from her past,
so that she could live productively in the present.
The
male lead was trying to get away from his grim future that had her
in it.
He
felt should she could easily fix her problem if she just wasn't hung
up on her past. Whereas the best way to fix his problem was to get
her out of his life, because she is the problem!
Today is August 29, 2020, and I was not expecting this shocking news. A brilliant talent has departed this life far too soon. Chadwick Boseman (1976–2020). He chose his acting roles carefully. No doubt he will be remembered for being the first black superhero portrayed in American films. He was Black Panther.
Other roles he played he chose likely because they were people he admired and praised:
James Brown (known as the hardest working man in show business and the godfather of soul), and
Jackie Robinson (first African American to play in Major League Baseball).
Mr. Boseman suffered quietly for 4 years but in the end, lost his life to colon cancer. "Deaths from colorectal cancer. In the United States, colorectal cancer is the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths in men and in women, and the second most common cause of cancer deaths when men and women are combined. It's expected to cause about 53,200 deaths during 2020." (Source: Colorectal Cancer Statistics | How Common Is Colorectal Cancer?) As expected tributes to this young man are pouring in via Twitter.
Chadwick Boseman quote worth remembering: "press on with pride and press on with purpose.”
Kim Dan
is an angel who knows the rules of the heavenly realm. He must never
touch a human. If he does, he'll disappear, as in “cease to
exist”. He doesn't want that. He wants to go to heaven. But even
though he knew the rules, the female was badly injured and pleading
for someone to save her. Lee Seul-hwa was blind but she could hear
that someone was there at the accident and they were close enough to
help her. She used to be a prima ballerina, but while performing on
stage one night there was a terrible accident which resulted in her
losing her eyesight. People are afraid to be around her because she
is an angry, bitter, cold-hearted former ballet dancer who takes out
her frustration on everyone else, as if it's their fault. What is
even worse is that the Fantasia Ballet Company that her parents built
for her to inherit has almost been stolen from her by greedy
relatives.
So many
times Lee Seul-hwa had wanted to die. But now that she might
actually die, she's begging to live. Her pitiful pleas were too much
for Kim Dan and he yielded to temptation. He broke the rules and
touched a human to save her life. When Lee Seul-hwa woke up in the
hospital she could see! Meanwhile Kim Dan was getting ready to
receive his punishment. But wait! He didn't disappear! Why does he
still exist? It's true, he does exist, but no longer as an angel.
Now he is a human who is being given a chance to re-earn his wings.
This will be his last mission. If he fails he can forget about a
heavenly reward. What's the mission? LOVE. He must find true love
for Lee Seul-hwa. Even though she is no longer blind, she is still
disgruntled, angry and a terrifying person to be in the same room
with.
Lee
Seul-hwa has so many emotional scars. She is afraid to love because
all of the people she loved have died. Loving someone is too painful
so she avoids becoming vulnerable. Kim Dan starts trying to play
matchmaker, but starts to develop genuine feelings for her and
unintentionally creates a love triangle. This wasn't supposed to
happen. Aren't angels only supposed to love God? Will he be
punished for loving Lee Seul-hwa?
AWARDS:
This delightful Korean drama won several awards at the 2019 KBS
Drama Awards ceremony. Shin Hae-Sun won Top Excellence Award,
Actress. Kim Myung-Soo won Best New Actor and K-Drama Hallyu Star.
Together they won Best Couple Award.
Viu
Singapore. “Angel’s Last Mission: Love 단,
하나의
사랑 TRAILER
| INFINITE’S L, SHIN HYE SUN.” YouTube Video. YouTube,
May 23, 2019. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_TSA7zVmmx0.
Almost everyone is familiar with the Nutcracker Suite and Swan Lake. But here is an informative article that was published via Forum Coin which discusses 3 one-act ballets. It is sure to pique your interest.
1. Carmen Suite. "The ballet has everything: Spanish passion, rejected love, and a cruel ending."
2. The Spirit of the Rose. "The girl has a dream that the Ghost of a Rose flies into her open window."
3. The Young Man and Death. "This is a psychological ballet."
The article peaked my interest and inspired me to write this article:
Watching Korean dramas is my guilty pleasure. I especially like the
historical period dramas, during the Joseon period. I have been contributing detailed reviews on PopGeeks.com since 2023. But I share K-drama love everywhere I can.
If you have not watched these, you should add them to your watch list.
If you have watched them, let me know if enjoyed them too!
The main character is a feisty little innocent girl who is fiercely
loyal to her family and friends, but has the courage, inner strength and
determination to break with tradition, and find her own way in a cruel
world that is not a very nice place for a low-born; especially not a
low-born young girl.
This series is 60 episodes, with an extraordinary cast, and based on a
true story. It is a real life love story between a king and a woman he
took to be his concubine: Dong Yi (played by Han Hyo-joo) and King
Sukjong (played by Ji Jin-hee).
It's a love story with a bold and daring hero who is not only an
expert swordsman but also knows how to handle a pistol and a rifle. His love
interest is an intelligent woman whose father is a scholar and allowed
her to learn (although she had to dress up like a man to attend school).
They both dream of their country, Joseon, as a land that will one day
be populated with free people. His enemies thought they had killed him,
but he was saved and taken to another country. He returned to Joseon
with a new identity and was determined to settle old scores. The first time
his beloved sees him again, she faints. He may be wearing different
clothes and using a different name, but he still looked to her like the
man she loved. She thought she had seen a ghost.
A baby who was born in a prison turns out to be a princess. But
before she learned her true identity, she was taught by a martial arts
master and first learned how to kick butt!! It's a handy skill to have
if you're going after the bad guys who caused your mother's death. The
main character is Ok Nyeo played by Jin Se Yeon, who is on my list for
favorite Korean actresses.
A young prince witnesses horrific bloodshed and commands that it be
stopped. Since he is a small child, his command is disregarded and he is
returned to his father; only to learn that it was his father who
ordered the bloodshed. To add insult to injury, his mother is
“accidentally” killed (really she was murdered). From that day forward,
he not only hates his father, HE HATES EVERYBODY! Everybody except his
close friend. He was forced into a marriage of convenience. His wife,
the princess, becomes pregnant by another man. In an effort to cover
this up, the father-in-law (the father of the princess) attempts to kill
the prince. The attempt fails. Trying to escape his assassins, the
prince falls down a slope and hits his head. A poor man finds him, takes
care of him as best he can while he is unconscious. When he regains his
consciousness, he does not remember who he is. The poor man tells him
that he is his daughter's husband-to-be and that they must marry
immediately or his daughter will be flogged.
For 100 days, he lives the simple life of a commoner and falls in
love. He is found by his father-in-law and brought back to the palace.
His memory has not returned. But slowly bits and pieces of incidents
from his past, like puzzle pieces, begin to come together. His story
begins … AGAIN! He realizes who he is and what he needs to do. He also
knows what he wants to do. He wants to marry the woman he fell in love
with as a commoner, who is also the little girl he met when he was a
child and had promised he would marry someday.
A young prince meets and makes friends with a nobleman's daughter when they were children. An accident happens on a boat, and the girl he
met is tossed overboard. Her father believes that she drowned. Her
sister grows up, and the prince, now king, chooses her to be his bride;
not realizing that she is the twin sister and NOT the girl he met when
he was younger. Corrupt officials arrange to have both King Lee Kyung
and his queen, Kang Eun Bo, assassinated on their wedding day. They
succeed in killing the sister but the king miraculously comes back to
life. The people are terrified of him. How can he possibly come back
from the dead? The twin sister realizes that her sister has been
murdered. She takes her sister's body and secretly buries it. Then she
returns to the palace AS IF she has also risen from the dead, just like
the king. The king not knowing that she is the young girl he had met as a
child, also believes his wife has come back to life. However, the twin
sister's main purpose for returning to the palace is to discover who
murdered her sister. For all she knew, even the king may have been
involved. But she eventually realizes his innocence and falls in love
with him. The problem is that she has already deceived him into
believing that she is the one who died. This makes their personal
relationship very complicated. As if life in the palace wasn't already
complicated with all of the scheming, conniving, ruthless, greedy
politicking that was going on. Oh! Did I mention the prophecy?
Goo Hae-ryung is a female historian. Prince Dowon (or Yi Rim) is a
young prince who has been sheltered from the outside world. These two
main characters are adorably cute! But they have had some tragedy in
their young lives. They both lost their fathers through violence. Of
course, the adults around them try to hide the truth. But the two of
them trying to uncover the truth makes for a good plot.
The time is during the transitional period between the end of the
Goryeo dynasty and the beginning of the Joseon dynasty, which is why it
is “The New Age”. A king, princes, military leaders, all engaged in a
power struggle to build a new country. Seo Hwi and Nam Seon-ho are two
childhood friends have the power of their friendship “tested”. Things
happen to them, they get separated, and become enemies due to a
misunderstanding about "my country." One of them decides his country is
“the country of the abandoned”.
“'Bossam' in the Korean title refers to a customary remarriage
procedure that took place during the Joseon period. At that time, a
widow could not remarry. A single man or widower would kidnap the widow
and marry her. Some of the kidnappings were agreed upon in advance and
others were by force.” (Quote Source: https://asianwiki.com/Bossam:_Steal_the_Fate)
Here's the story. Two friends earn their living by kidnapping widows.
It's a steady-paying job because … evidently, a lot of widows want to
be kidnapped and remarried. However, there is one widow who does not
have this on her mind. She just happened to be sitting outside, and the
kidnapper happened to go to the wrong house and … uh oh! … she is
accidentally kidnapped. You think this problem is easy to solve. The guy
made a mistake, so all he needs to do is take her back home. Right?
WRONG! The lady who was kidnapped turns out to be a princess. Her
father, the king, wants to see her. Since her father-in-law did not know
how or why she disappeared or where she was, HE LIED! He told the king
his daughter had committed suicide, having died from the grief of being a
widow. The king finds out that his daughter is alive and wants to use
this fact to trap the father-in-law and get rid of him for treason. The
father-in-law also finds out she is alive and the entire series is him
trying to have her killed so that he doesn't get caught in his LIE!
I grew up during the 60s and the 70s. Amy Winehouse recreated that throwback vibe. It’s a pity she departed so soon.
Amy Winehouse passed away in July 2011. But her music endures.
“Back to Black” is the signature song by Amy Winehouse that she left for us to remember her by.
♫ ♫ ♫ ♫
Enter Amy Winehouse. 14 September 1983
Exit Amy Winehouse. 23 July 2011
♫ ♫ ♫ ♫
Music is my weakness. So many songs have left an imprint on my life, and as life passes, those songs still move me. No doubt, it’s that way with everyone.
But in my generation, so many talented souls departed this life way too early than they should have — like Janis Joplin (1943–1970), Jim Morrison (James Douglas “Jim” Morrison, 1943–1971), etc.
I grew up during the 60s and the 70s, and I always tell my kids that the music of my generation was the best! That’s why the artists and musicians of their generation “sample” it. But every now and then, there are singers from my kids' generation that hearken back to that old-school sound I remember.
You would think the artists in later generations might learn from the tragic stories of others and not repeat history. But they don’t learn, and they do repeat the tragic history.
Yet when another bright one finally gets to shine their light, and no sooner than they are in the spotlight, their candle is blown out.
I was just starting to enjoy her raspy, soulful sounds when it was announced that she was gone.
Glad she did a duet with Tony Bennett to leave as part of her legacy.
CAREER HIGHLIGHT: Amy Winehouse had been singing for several years before she became a global sensation. She started performing as a teenager and was a featured vocalist with the National Youth Jazz Orchestra in 2000, when she was around 17. By 2002, she had signed with Simon Fuller's 19 Management and was recording songs. Her debut album, "Frank", was released in 2003 and received critical acclaim, but it was her second album, "Back to Black" (2006), that catapulted her to international fame. So, she had been actively singing and developing her career for about six years before she truly broke into the mainstream.
Masquerade (2012) is a Korean version of Mark Twain's "The Prince & The Pauper", only set in the Joseon Era. It WON Best Film-Movie of the Year. No surprise it a made into a series. The Crowned Clown (2019) has also enjoyed immense popularity worldwide.
King
Gwanghae swears that “somebody” or maybe “everybody” is out
to get him! He's convinced that a member of the royal court is
trying to poison him. Isn't that how they always get rid of members
of the royal family? The king comes up with a plan. Find a LOOK
ALIKE! Substitute the look-alike on the throne while he goes off to
hide somewhere. That way, the doppelganger who looks like him can get
murdered instead.
As
impossible as the task seems, the king's councilor finds a “twin”.
Initially, Ha-Sun tries to imitate the King Gwanghae speaks. It
works … for a while, although Queen
Heo Gyun
immediately suspects. After all, she is a wife, and the man who has
entered the bed chamber does not behave like her husband. There's no
way he's the king, i.e., the man she married. But??? … Who is he, and what is he doing in the palace? (O.o)
The
best-laid plans often go awry. While
King Gwanghae is hiding, he becomes gravely ill. That means Ha-Sun
has to continue pretending to be King. He finds it too difficult
pretending to be someone that he's not, and his true personality
emerges. He is nothing like King Gwanghae, and everybody notices the
difference. Even so, the king's enemies still want
to get rid of him.
Will
Ha-Sun end up dying in the king's place anyway?
♦
STORYLINE:
The Crowned Clown (2019)
This
is the
same story as
the movie “Masquerade”
with a few more details.
It tells
the story
Ha-Sun's childhood and how he became an entertainer. He worked with
a group of clowns
and they chose him to play the King during
their performances
because he looked so much like the real king. He
was spotted by the king's councilor during a performance and that was
the day his
life changed FOREVER! One of the best
things
that happened to him was
meeting and falling in love with the queen.
Horatio Alger Jr. (1832 – 1899) could be looked at as an American Charles Dickens; although his writings never reached the level of popularity where so many of his books were so good they were adapted to film and often quoted. The similarity is in the subject matter of his books. Horatio Alger Jr. wrote young adult novels about impoverished boys and their rise from humble backgrounds to lives of middle-class security and comfort through hard work, determination, courage, and honesty. Does that plot sound familiar? You're right. Charles Dickens often wrote stories like that. Alger didn't just write juvenile novels. He also wrote novels for adults, poems, short stories, and biographies of famous people, such as American presidents James A. Garfield and Abraham Lincoln. His first work was published in 1849, and several of his writings were published posthumously after his death on July 18, 1899. If you collect or read vintage books, Alger's writings are recommended.
[UPDATE: March 20, 2025 - You know what they say. Get it while it's HOT! Apologies, but the movie that was once available on YouTube to watch online for free, is no longer available. For more info, please scroll down to the bottom of this post. Thank you.]
**
Maureen O'Hara is one of my favorite actresses. (Born Maureen FitzSimons; 1920 – 2015). She was an Irish actress and singer. I remember her for her flaming red hair. I thought she was gorgeous! I have seen her in so many movies. But I found a movie that I had not seen. She starred in this movie with another one of my favorite male leading actors, Jeff Chandler (born Ira Grossel; 1918 – 1961).
* Flame of Araby (a.k.a. Flame of the Desert), released in 1951. *
Jeff Chandler plays the part of Bedouin
chief Tamerlaine and Maureen O'Hara plays the Tunisian Princess
Tanya. Of course, you know as soon as they meet sparks fly! They
make a charismatic onscreen couple. The Bedouin chief is searching
for the legendary black stallion Shahzada. To be the one who catches this prize steed is all he could ever want. All that he could ever want that is …
until he met the Princess Tanya.
It's a love story with both a hero and
a heroine. A wonderful wholesome family movie. I enjoyed it!
**
You can watch this classic film on Daily Motion. (However, it may not be in your language.)
Kenny Rogers Had a
Remarkable Career. Here are a few highlights:
* Kenny Rogers joined
the folk-pop group The First Edition in the late 1960s, which scored
a major hit with the psychedelic track “Just Dropped In (To See
What Condition My Condition Was In)” in 1967. This marked Rogers’
transition from jazz and folk to mainstream pop and country.
* In 1978, Rogers
released “The Gambler”, which became his signature song. He won a
Grammy, and it later inspired a series of five American Western
television films, between 1980 and 1994. Kenny Rogers played the
character Brady Hawkes.
* In 2013, Kenny
Rogers was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame, honoring his
six-decade career. He retired in 2017, and his final studio album
“You Can’t Make
Old Friends” featured a touching duet with Dolly Parton,
echoing their earlier hit “Islands in the Stream”. 🌅
Late Career Milestone: Hall of Fame and Farewell: Kenny Rogers passed
away peacefully at home on March 20, 2020, at the age of 81.
🎸 1. Glen
Campbell played backwards guitar on this track.
🎤 2.
Kenny Rogers wasn't supposed to be the lead or a star (He was just
one of four lead vocalists in The First Edition. The group needed one
more song for their album, and Rogers suggested this one. It became
their breakout hit and launched Rogers' career.)
🎥 3.
The Song was featured in the cult classic "The Big Lebowski" and resulted
in introducing the track to a whole new generation and cementing its
place in pop culture.
Do you fancy BBC Masterpiece Contemporary Mystery movies or television series?
The BBC political thriller titled “Page Eight” is about a British intelligence analyst who refuses to compromise his integrity.
What happens to him is what usually happens when civil servants will not budge on their principles and ideals of Right versus Wrong, and their principles and ideals do not line up with their boss, i.e., the chief executive leader who says: I know what is best for our country and I am the one in charge, with the authority!
In his case, Mr. Worricker (the character masterfully played by Bill Nighy) butts heads with the British Prime Minister. He found some real information on page 8 of an intelligence report that points a finger in the direction of the Prime Minister and … Oh dear!
He has to leave his job? No. Rather he chooses that it is time for him to resign from the MI-5 service and move on. To spice up this not “atypical” political thriller plot, he meets a young woman (played by Rachel Weisz) that he has the power to help because of his access to confidential official government secrets. Does he help her? But of course! She helps him as well. In his line of work, it’s really hard to find someone you can trust.
