Happy Mother's Day!

Me & My Mom

Today is Mother's Day brought to you by Coronavirus 2020. All sarcasm aside, Happy Mother's Day to all the individuals out there to who it applies. May your next Mother's Day be filled with many brunches at your favorite restaurant. 

The photo above is my favorite one of me and my Mom.

Enjoy your special day 💝

Mama Hair Monday

Hair
Gabrielle Union 

While in quarantine what's a Mom/Actress to do with her hair? in the immortal words of Elsa from Frozen "Let It Go" (PS weird I should reference that movie, since I have never seen it, really I haven't) - 

Thus like most people in the world at large Gabrielle Union took to her Instagram account and posted the above photo with her daughter stating: "See @kaaviajames mama's got hair like yours," 

Indeed she does. There are many things to love about Ms. Union, while she is talented and beautiful, she is also very down to earth. She is the mayor of keeping it real.

 So keep on keeping peeps and most of all stay safe! 

Follow Gabrielle on Instagram, like me!

https://www.instagram.com/gabunion/?hl=en

Sunday, March 8th 2020

Cheers To Sunday, March 8, 2020
Kris Jenner

You  may be scratching your collective heads as to why I would simply title a post after the day, date and year it is. Well because Sunday, March 8th 2020 is an oddly event filled day, Usually you get one big to do going on, today in my world there are four, count em', four!!!

Let's start with the obvious, Daylight Savings Time. Remember to "Spring Forward" peeps. The second obvious on is it's International Women's Day. The third is obvious to those living in Los Angeles and participating in the Los Angeles City Marathon. Last but not least, on this event filled day, it's my Mom's Birthday to top it all off...Phew!

Which brings as to why I am using an image of Kris Jenner to cover it all. Whilst on Twitter this quote by her came through my feed via E!News:  "If somebody says no, you’re asking the wrong person."

This quote hit me where it counts, say what you want about Kris Jenner, but seriously this is amazing in it's simplicity and it's true.

I thought to myself, "This applies to the plethora of activity seizing the day" Now get out there and grab life by the _________ give it a name, it, like the day is yours minions...own it!

Kris on IG -

https://www.instagram.com/krisjenner/?hl=en

Here We Go Again!

Dancing Queens
Cher & Meryl Streep

"Yes" today marks the opening of the sequel no one was asking for Mama Mia! Here We Go Again. This being stated how can you resist Cher & Meryl Streep together again? (the first time was in Silkwood circa 1983) -

Now if I was a betting man I would have to say this is a casting only a studio executive with their eye on the box office could have made. I mean Cher & Meryl doing ABBA in the ultimate Mom (and Gay) friendly film?! It's a no brainer...

I will be sitting this one out. I really didn't care for the first one. As Meryl explained that she took the movie mainly to embarrass her children, I say "mission accomplished."

This does not mean I don't enjoy seeing the two hit the red carpet together to promote the venture as seen here at the London premiere. 

Hey, I may be a tough audience when it comes to the content of what actually watch, but I still love the glamour and cache these two have together.

It's time for me to get the Mama Mia outta here and get on with my Friday...ciao!

Mama Mia! Here We Go Again on IMDB -
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6911608/  

Smells Like Publicity Spirit

Feeling Blue?
Nikki Bella

When I first heard of the break-up of John Cena & Nikki Bella it made me a little sad. These two seem so tailor made for each other, and I am a fan of a happy ending.

It has since been revealed the reason for their parting of the ways is  her wanting to become a Mom and him not wanting to become a Dad. The latest season of their show Total Bellas premiered last night. Leading up to it John has been back paddling on all the talk shows he has been on promoting it by begging Bella to take him back and stating he will have children with her.

OK, I don't know about you, but this smells like one huge PR stunt to me at this point. No one who loves someone as much as he loves her would break-up over something like this in the first place, and then take it back, WTF?! 

If John really didn't want kids that badly he would not budge, period! I'm sure there will be a baby Cena/Bella bun in the oven in the not too distant future. Hope last night's ratings were the highest ever you two - just know you are not fooling this guy.

Total Bellas on the WWW at:
www.eonline.com/TotalBellas‎

Mother's Day

Fun Times!
l-r
My Sister, Sue Waters, My Mom & Me

It's that day of the year again. You know the one set aside to acknowledge Mom's everywhere. 

So I tip my hat to all women out there who have taken on this important job. 

On that note let me tip my hat to the two special ones. "Yes" that's correct peeps it's time to meet my Sister and my Mom.

Needless to say I love them both and think they are both amazing in their own way. My Mom paid me a visit in Los Angeles this past Christmas and we had a blast.

My Sister, Sue Waters needs to, so we too can have a blast. In the meantime she is the Step Monster to my three nieces who call her that jokingly as a term of endearment.

The two of them have influenced my life in many wonderful ways and helped to make me the best version of myself I can be. So here's to the two of you and all the rest...

Happy Mother's Day!

Love,
Michael  

Thin Mints???

Cookie Monster
Jennifer Garner

Would you buy some Thin Mints from this woman?! "Yes" that's Jennifer Garner shucking Girl Scout cookies outside of grocery store and pimping them out on her Instagram account with the caption:

“Why yes, kind sir, we do have Thin Mints"

Oh really? I myself prefer the Tagalong cookies.

Whatever. I am sure the troop aided and abetted by Ms. Garner killed their competition sales wise.

Hey, that's what a celebrity Mom is for damn it!

Now about those Tagalongs...

Jennifer on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/jennifer.garner/?hl=en

Domestic Abuse

Johnny Depp & Amber Heard

The subject of Domestic Abuse has grabbed worldwide focus again in the divorce of world famous superstar Johnny Depp and his Wife Amber Heard. 

Johnny has been vehemently defended by friends and his former partner Vanessa Paradis with whom he has two children. Many of Depp's friends calling Heard a manipulative gold digger.

Let's put the mud slinging and the whole taking sides thing away for a moment to focus on a subject that should always be treated respectfully and with sensitivity. This commentary is not about lying whores or evil pricks. It's about being aware that this is an issue that affects 1 in 4 Women and 3 million Men. 

It's about those who take advantage of someone else's emotional and physical vulnerability. Again this is not about side taking, or about Depp and Heard, it is about educating. Just because someone does not abuse all of their partners, does not mean they will not abuse others.

My good friend Romi Simmons wrote this account about her Mother in the wake of all this:

"Just weighing in .... From personal experience ... Some people don't behave the same with other partners... Usually the dynamics... Brought out by each other.....My Dad beat my Mom... But he didn't beat his other wife or his GF. They never believed the stories I told them. Nor did our community.... Plus they always said women who stay with Men who abuse them Must like it... Lol... I remember that always pissed me off... That statement... We didn't like it.. We just didn't know we had a way out...."

This is something that most people do not consider when they hear that someone is being abusive to another human being that has never done the same to them. It's an important point that needs to be addressed more in the press by those who report it. The sensationalism, insensitivity and ignorance toward this has got to stop. 

If you or someone you know is a victim of domestic abuse, there is a way out. 

The National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-7233   

It's Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day!
l-r My Sister, Mom & Me

Hello peeps, and Happy Mother's Day! Today is the day specifically set aside to honor that special someone who you call Mom, I personally never use the word Mother because I use that word for other things.

Today I am honoring two women, my Mom and my Sister. While my Sister obviously isn't my Mom but she is an amazing Step Mom to my three awesome nieces. Also it is my wonderful siblings Birthday today as well. 

Sue is the best Sister in the world. She is always there for me with her love and support and most importantly if I need to confide in someone she can keep a secret. 

My Mom is always there for me as well. Her belief in me and the path I am on never falters. Of course we aren't always on the same page, but the love is unconditional. 

The photo above was taken outside the Tides Tavern (in case you couldn't tell) in Gig Harbor, WA when I was visiting for Christmas after we all had lunch there. I remember it well. I had my first steak and brie sandwich, YUM! 

Good Times! Miss you two, love you and I will see you again soon. 

Happy Mother's Day Mom & Sue. 

Happy Birthday Sis, no I won't say how old you are <wink>

"Hip & Accessible" Far In The Maples

Far in the Maples
Regina Conroy & Reshy P.

Turning the celebrated, swingin’ sound of the Jersey Shore inside out, “poetic pop” duo Far In The Maples is poised to cast a new seaside musical legacy built upon the nuances of internal emotion with unexpected soundscapes, unforgettable melodies and the sweetly understated vocals. 

They recently released their album Skywork that showcases song-oriented music that’s both honest and contemporary with a classic timelessness, from an infectious new band driven by songbird Regina Conroy and multi-instrumentalist Reshy P.

Regina Conroy is here to tell us all about it, take it away Regina!

MS: Hey Regina nice to meet you, your musical style is so sophisticated. How did coming from the Jersey Shore influence it?

RC: Living at the Jersey Shore? I grew up around music all the time with my family. my Dad was a musician and so was my older brother. So when I was younger my Dad and my brother would play shows, or we would go to concerts, there was always stuff happening on the boardwalk, all these local shows that I would get to go to. I've loved to sing since I was five years old, anything that was playing in our kitchen when my Dad would turn on the radio...of course growing up on the Jersey Shore people are like: "Ohhhhh, you know Bruce Springsteen and Bon Jovi?" It's like, yes of course I've seen them both at stores and places like that. Maybe their music influenced me subconsciously, but I'm not a die hard fan because they live twenty minutes away from me. (laughs)

MS: To me your music, lyrically has a Bob Dylan vibe.

RC: My Mom is obsessed with Bob Dylan we always had his CD's in the car, I love him. Writing poetry is a passion of mine, I took a poetry class as an after school type thing. My poetry instructor told my Mom at the time: "Wow, she's really good for her age." 

MS: How old were you?

RC: I was eight when I started writing poetry. As I got older I used my poetry as a means to write lyrics. When I was fifteen I got my first guitar so I started teaching myself and molding all of the scales together and started writing music. 

MS: You really started from a young age.

RC: Definitely, I really did a lot of self teaching. I listened to all different types of music, would read the lyric books that came with all of the CD's. My influence was anything I could get my hands on. Some people go to school to learn to perform music or how to play it...for me it was just having it all around me all those years and picking up on all of the different influences. 

MS: You and your band mate Reshy P. really know how to blend them well.

RC: It interesting, we both have different musical influences but we are able to find that balance of a little bit of mine, a little bit of his and make it into our own. 

MS: The fact that you guys do pop music, yet are still artistic is great, a lot of people have lost a sense of that.

RC: I know, I know, it's hard to put a name on it, boil it down when people ask us: "Who do you think you guys sound like?" I don't know.There's lots of pop on the radio, but most of it is repetitive and one line. It's very dance kind of stuff, ours is a little more poetic. It's still pop, but there is a lot to be said and thought about in it.

Regina & Reshy

MS: So do you always write the lyrics and Reshy always writes it to music?

RC: For the most part. We started writing together in November of 2013. Basically the first time that we met I brought everything I had as far as things that I was working on lyrically and musically, and some were just lyrics. So we kind of worked from some of my little pieces that I had worked on before meeting Reshy and brought them to music. Basically I bring the lyrics and we work on them together but mostly it's ninety percent my words.

MS: What inspires your poetry?

RC: To inspire myself I put myself in a different place. Go somewhere, tap into how I feel in the moment. Most of it has been putting myself outside my comfort zone for inspiration. Much of what I write about is relationships. But I think the focus of that is writing about the journey of finding yourself. It's very reflective and very personal. 

MS: You guys took the band name Far in the Maples from a Robert Frost poem. What is it you like about his work?

RC: I really haven't read a ton of poetry myself. I just kind of read stuff here and there, or people will show me something, and I'll say: "Hey I really like this!" Reshy actually showed me that poem and it stuck with us. The visualization of far in the maples...it's a beautiful poem. I'm not particularly a Robert Frost fan, but I'm not, not a fan either. (laughs) 

Go "Far in the Maples" at:
https://www.facebook.com/farinthemaples
https://instagram.com/farinthemaples/
https://twitter.com/farinthemaples

Spend Mother's Day With Traci Lords

Happy Mother's Day Everyone!

To all of you Moms out there Happy Mother's Day!

One of my favorite people, Actress/Writer/Icon Traci Lords says her greatest role ever is being a Mom to her son Gunnar pictured with her above. No, he isn't the guy with the silver hair on the right he is the young man in the middle. The guy on the right is her foxy husband Jeff.

So I thought I would share this portrait of Traci and her family, courtesy of Celebrity Wife Swap.

Yes, you read correctly Traci will be swapping places with Jackee, of 227 and Sister, Sister fame on the Wednesday May 20th episode of Celebrity Wife Swap at 10pm on ABC.

Traci says she and her family had a great time and that son Gunnar steals the show. I am sure he does, his effervescent personality jumps at you in the photo. 

"The natural state of motherhood is unselfishness. When you become a mother, you are no longer the center of your own universe. You relinquish that position to your children" - Jessica Lange 

Keep up with Mama T at:

https://www.facebook.com/tracilordsfan
https://twitter.com/thetracilords

Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No!

Yes, this is the official title of the 3rd Sharknado - it brings back the round of usual suspects. Our intrepid hero Ian Ziering, his estranged wife, Tara Reid. Not to mention a whole slew of awesome co-stars, like Bo Derek as Tara Reid's Mom for one.

There will be high profile cameos galore such as: Mark Cuban as the President of the United States. With Political commentator (if you want to call it that) Ann Coulter as the President of Vice.

Expect off the wall moments as well as photo bombs and some slapdash editing all the things we love about a Sharknado!

Go Shark at: http://www.syfy.com/sharknado3

Bo Derek Is A Perfect: Sharknado 3

Bo Derek: Look, Tarzan, It's My Jane

OMG! Imagine my excitement when I found out, Bo Derek was cast as Tara Reid's Mom (I try to refrain from the term "Mother" for many reasons) in Sharknado 3 ! Well if you can't, let me explain.

Bo Derek was a HUGE sex symbol when I grew up. Thus she was my first girl crush, I had a BD poster on my wall, if you don't believe me ask my Mom (again, not Mother).

When I first saw this striking beauty in the late Blake Edwards progressive sexual comedy "10" with the great, and also late Dudley Moore, I was in L-O-V-E!

Oh and BTW I was too young to see the film and saw it on Showtime with a friend behind my parents backs. However they then took myself and my sister to see my most favorite Bo film of all time, Tarzan The Ape Man - campy, awesome, brilliant and it made her and her deceased husband Jon Derek a fortune as they owned the rights.

Hey, Fashion House with her and Morgan Fairchild was pretty awesome too!

Congrats Bo, can't wait!

Go Bo at: http://officialboderek.com/

Grammy's: Tonight's The Night

Alright everyone as you all must know by now because of the media blitz tonight is Grammy night and I don't mean your Dad or your Mom's Mother. It's the music equivalent of the film biz's Oscars...coming soon BTW.

There will be many cool performances tonight including Superbowl darling Katy Perry, Madonna, Adam Levine + Gwen Stefani and many more!

There will also be a performance from super group and fan favorite Pentatonix for the award show. PTX as fans call them are also nominated in the category of Best Arrangement, Instrumental, or A Cappella for their Daft Punk Medley.

Have a rockin' and rollin' time whatever your Grammy plans, and go Penatatonix!

Go Grammy at: http://www.grammy.com/