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A Breakdown on the Creation of Baby
Babyland has yet to be world-renowned, much less a household name. While in its infancy, marketing and publishing orbit, what’s new to its creator–Eileen Gillick–informs the world about her first novel. What isn’t new is the story itself.
Eileen dreamed up of Baby around the age of nine or ten. What began as a funny, high-sounding voice altered into a story series. More on that in another post. Going from there, she entertained her family daily with her animated voices and dramatic facial expressions, where tales told on the whim with gesticulation. The character she acted for them was Baby–rather herself as a baby–with a mammoth vocabulary.
To get a clearer picture, she gave herself the name Baby. An alter-ego, if you will. A six-month-old (yes, she decided on that, as she feels that’s when babies are the cutest) with a dirty mouth and suggestive behavior, along with a risqué mind. If she’s asked a question, she’ll often come back with a terse response when not a cheeky, (jokingly) mean, melodramatic, perverted, or clueless one.
Her acts are quite random when Eileen acts as Baby. It’s all part of the act. When you think you have quiet time to yourself, such as watching TV, Baby (as Eileen prefers her name to be when she acts as her and as a general pet name in her immediate family) will shuffle in and stare at you with puppy eyes. As a distraction, she’ll face a wall and stare at it, waiting for you to notice.
Should Baby find something she likes (i.e., a Target ad for diapers), she’s known to slap that down upon her mother’s dresser and wait for her mother to see it. Shopping lists get edited to list “baby food” on the bottom of them. Now and then, before leaving the house, she’ll write a note indicating her whereabouts, with “Baby,” signed at the bottom. Others have had the words, “Love your bae,” at the end of them.
Baby is playfully disgusted at the sight of genuine babies. Babies rolled up the streets in strollers by their moms. Baby hurries over to her own mother to inform her of “an emergency.” Mind you, her immediate family plays along. They’ve grown accustomed to this “baby.” Her mother frequently addresses Eileen by her nickname. What’s more, her father playfully worries her that babies get eaten for dinner, or he got attacked by one while walking his dog.
Eileen and her mother have running jokes about Baby, at any time of the day, in any situation. Stuck in traffic, she will turn to her mother, with her face fixed in the cutest expression, and say, “Did you ever think to let me drive as a baby?” With a scrunched-up face, her mother will spat, “No!’ but in a high voice, to play along.
Riddled with low self-esteem and low confidence, Eileen didn’t dare share her character with friends and family. As a result, a lack of support from extended family gave her the impression Baby was best shared with her immediate family. Above all, Baby was her creation, and a creation she was not yet ready to release into the world.
Baby has always been her heart and soul. In due time, she’d gain enough support and confidence to go from a shy to unabashed creator/artist. For now, an author stands in wait.Next blog will follow part two to this. Stay tuned!
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A Farewell to My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
For the past nine years, another generation of My Little Pony has graced the screen. This past version, generation four, closed in after nine seasons. Nine seasons, where season nine took my breath away as it inched closer to the two last remaining episodes. This reboot eclipsed the previous TV series and movies, which goes for my opinion. For those who recollect the series from ’86-87 but take this new MLP to heart, you understand this TV show and the fundamentals behind it.
Alright, you know the gist of the series: egghead Twilight Sparkle is on duty to study friendship in Ponyville as she is a star student of Princess Celestia. Dope. In Ponyville, she befriends five ponies–two earth ponies, two pegasi, and one unicorn. All six are the exponents of friendship. All throughout the series, the mane six (yes, mane not main) learn that with friends at your side, friendship is magic.
My love for MLP has expanded ever since I discovered the reboot and moved farther away from the ponies I grew up with. I recall the generation three-movie, The Princess Promenade. The particular characters in the film that partake in the TV show running today are Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie. The film I speak of, Pinkie Pie does not come close to the humorous Pinkie in the TV show on the air today. Rainbow Dash in the movies of yore is exquisite. To add to her refined manner, she speaks with an accent–that’s all fine–in contrast to the Rainbow Dash of the show we have now, I want nothing to do with the past Rainbow. Further, the colors of Dash’s mane in G4 does it justice. As I noted, the G3 ponies still have my love, but not as much after I’ve seen the rebirth of the story.
The variety of uniqueness shaped the installment of the series; that’s what I adore about it. There’s the inclusion of fillies, colts, stallions, and the elders. Each age group shares reminders of how they come into play in our own lives. I can’t forget to mention stallions and colts exist on this show to branch off the age groups! They never appeared indispensable in the previous generations. Both serve as brothers and fathers on Friendship is Magic—guards, classmates, construction workers, shopowners, and celebrities.
Moving on, there is such a thing as dull colors in the oasis of Ponyville. A gothic pony appeared on the screen.:) Ponies in muted browns and oranges are nothing new. Dark grey, brown, red, and black are what’s in for the ponies of Friendship is Magic. I’d like to point out the accessories spotted here and there. What may appear minute, it adds verve: glasses (yeah!) goggles, earrings, helmets, outfits, and ties. For those in the millennial age, we get it! These equines get it!
What MLP gen. 3, 2, and 1 remained strict upon was the endeavor of the “pony only” in the TV title. Minus the humans in the G1 TV series. The revival of it in 2010 offers donkeys, yaks, buffalo, a minotaur, a mule, and a zebra. MLP: FiM wouldn’t have gone far if it excluded creatures: changelings, hippogriffs, seaponies, to name a few. Friendship isn’t appearance-related. A proverb from New York states, “We love our friends in spite of, not because of.” (A Dictionary of American Proverbs) No, not correctly cited.
Friendship is Magic goes beyond the toys and picture books. I have a graphic novel featuring them, and if I had the shelf space, I’d buy more! In my early high school days, I owned a “20% Cooler” Rainbow Dash tee. Browse Etsy for cutie mark jewelry. Funko Pop shares stock with the colorful equines. ComicCon is well aware of the Bronies who promenade there every year. Hooves down, the 2017 film was the best out of all of them!
I finished up the series with a heavy heart. I cried silent tears at the last episode. I’d like it to have continued for three more seasons; that was my wish. More so, I learned from the show: friendship is precious, a gift. Those six ponies each taught me what truly matters in friendship. Through each episode tells a powerful message; I can’t explain it all here. It’s the perseverance of the six friends which made my heart feel whole.
As I finish this up, I have one friend. Sure, I really do wish I had friends like the mane six. Maybe over time, I will. If I end up only sticking with my one friend, that’s fine, too.From the Dictionary of American Proverbs, “Reproduced with permission of the Licensor through PLSclear.”
Sources:
Faust, Lauren. My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic. IMDb, IMDb.com, 10 Oct. 2010, www.imdb.com/title/tt1751105/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0.
Batchelder, Warren, director. My Little Pony ‘n Friends. IMDb, IMDb.com, 15 Sept. 1986, www.imdb.com/title/tt0184761/?ref_=fn_al_tt_2.“My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic Wiki.” Edited by FANDOM, Fandom, Fandom TV, mlp.fandom.com/wiki/My_Little_Pony_Friendship_is_Magic_Wiki.
Chele, Victor Del, director. My Little Pony: The Princess Promenade. IMDb, IMDb.com, 28 Mar. 2006, www.imdb.com/title/tt0490668/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0.
Mieder, Wolfgang, et al. “A Dictionary of American Proverbs.” A Dictionary of American Proverbs, © Oxford University Press, 1992.“My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic ‘The Beginning of the End’-Part One.” IMDb, Hasbro/DHX Media, www.imdb.com/title/tt1751105/episodes?season=9.
“Twilight Sparkle.” Friendship Is Magic Wiki, Fandom, mlp.fandom.com/wiki/Twilight_Sparkle.
“Princess Celestia.” Friendship Is Magic Wiki, Fandom, mlp.fandom.com/wiki/Princess_Celestia.
“Characters.” Friendship Is Magic Wiki, Fandom, mlp.fandom.com/wiki/Characters#Main_characters.
Chele, Victor Dal, director. My Little Pony: Pinkie Pie and the Lady Bug Jamboree. IMDb, Hasbro/Sabella Dern Entertainment, 2006, www.imdb.com/title/tt12235168/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_3.
“Elements of Harmony.” Friendship Is Magic Wiki, Fandom, mlp.fandom.com/wiki/Elements_of_Harmony.
Kuenster, Dan, director. My Little Pony (TV Series 2003-2009). IMDb, Hasbro/ Sabella Dern Entertainment, 2003, www.imdb.com/title/tt11355390/?ref_=ttep_ep_tt.
“List of Ponies/Foals.” Friendship Is Magic Wiki, Fandom, mlp.fandom.com/wiki/List_of_ponies/Foals.
“List of Ponies/Earth Ponies/Stallions.” My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic Wiki, Hasbro/Fandom, mlp.fandom.com/wiki/List_of_ponies/Earth_ponies/Stallions.
“List of Ponies/Elders.” Friendship Is Magic Wiki, Fandom, mlp.fandom.com/wiki/List_of_ponies/Elders.
“Category: Royal Guards.” Friendship Is Magic, Fandom, mlp.fandom.com/wiki/Category:Royal_guards.
“Category: School Students.” Friendship Is Magic Wiki, Fandom, mlp.fandom.com/wiki/Category:School_students.
“Jack Hammer.” Friendship Is Magic Wiki, Fandom, mlp.fandom.com/wiki/Jack_Hammer#Earth.
“Spa Ponies.” Friendship Is Magic Wiki, Fandom, mlp.fandom.com/wiki/Spa_ponies.
“Category:Celebrities.” Friendship Is Magic Wiki, Fandom, mlp.fandom.com/wiki/Category:Celebrities.
XIII, Imperfect. “Fake It ‘Til You Make It/Gallery/My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic.” Mlp.fandom.com, Fandom, mlp.fandom.com/wiki/Fake_It_%27Til_You_Make_It/Gallery?file=Hipster_Fluttershy_approaching_Goth_Pony_S8E4.png#Fluttershy_the_goth.
“Limestone Pie and Marble Pie.” Friendship Is Magic Wiki, Fandom, mlp.fandom.com/wiki/Limestone_Pie_and_Marble_Pie.
“Category:Eyewear Wearers.” Friendship Is Magic, Fandom, mlp.fandom.com/wiki/Category:Eyewear_wearers.
“G2 Ponies.” My Little Wiki, Media Wiki, 7 May 2020, mylittlewiki.org/wiki/G2_Ponies.
“Category:Generation 1.” My Little Wiki, MediaWiki, 11 Dec. 2012, mylittlewiki.org/wiki/Category:Generation_1.
“Cranky Doodle Donkey.” Friendship Is Magic Wiki, Fandom, mlp.fandom.com/wiki/Cranky_Doodle_Donkey.
“Prince Rutherford.” Friendship Is Magic Wiki, Fandom, mlp.fandom.com/wiki/Prince_Rutherford.
“Buffalo.” Friendship Is Magic, Fandom, mlp.fandom.com/wiki/Animals#Buffalo.
“Creatures.” Friendship Is Magic, Fandom, mlp.fandom.com/wiki/Creatures#Minotaur.
“Mule.” Friendship Is Magic Wiki, Fandom, mlp.fandom.com/wiki/Animals#Mule.
“Zecora.” Friendship Is Magic Wiki, Fandom, mlp.fandom.com/wiki/Zecora.
“Hippogriff.” Friendship Is Magic Wiki, Fandom, mlp.fandom.com/wiki/Creatures#Hippogriff.
“Seaponies and Mermares.” Friendship Is Magic Wiki, Fandom, mlp.fandom.com/wiki/Seaponies_and_mermares.
Hasbro. “My Little Pony Royal Ponies of Equestria Figures [Toy].” Hasbro, Hasbro, shop.hasbro.com/en-us/product/my-little-pony-royal-ponies-of-equestria-figures:DA767685-3680-4972-8EAF-72099142E4C4. Pawtucket, RI
Hasbro, Inc.Berrow, G. M. Rarity and the Curious Case of Charity. Hachette Childrens Books, 2015. Friendship Is Magic Wiki, mlp.fandom.com/wiki/Rarity_and_the_Curious_Case_of_Charity.
Cook, Katie, and Andy Price. My Little PONY: Friendship Is Magic, Vol. 1. Vol. 1, IDW Publishing, 2014. Friendship Is Magic Wiki, mlp.fandom.com/wiki/The_Return_of_Queen_Chrysalis#Issue_.231.
Bubble, Red. “20 Cooler T-Shirts.” Redbubble, Redbubble, www.redbubble.com/shop/20+cooler+t-shirts.
“Cutie Mark.” Etsy, Etsy, www.etsy.com/search/jewelry?q=cutie%2Bmark&explicit=1&ship_to=US.
ToyWiz. “Funko The Movie POP! My Little Pony Rainbow Dash Sea Pony Vinyl Figure #12 [Regular Version] [Toy].” ToyWiz, Funko POP!/Hasbro, toywiz.com/funko-the-movie-pop-my-little-pony-rainbow-dash-sea-pony-vinyl-figure-12-regular-version/. Suffern, NY:
ToyWiz.“My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic – Conventions, Events, Comic-Cons.” Roster Con, Roster Con/ My Little Pony, www.rostercon.com/en/tv-show/my-little-pony-friendship-is-magic/events/34657.
McCarthy, Meghan. My Little Pony The Movie. IMDB, DHX Media/Hasbro Studios, 2017, www.imdb.com/title/tt4131800/?ref_=ttco_co_tt.
Tell me: did you like MLP: FiM? What about it? Is there another generation you prefer? Let me know in the comments.
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Movies I’ve Seen Recently
With the slow of my work schedule, I’ve harnessed more time to the silver screen these days. It’s only a coincidence I’ve watched more during a pandemic: I did not come to finish my project until the summer of 2020. Until recently, I’ve caught up with movies that I’ve seen for the first time, most filmed before a pre-pandemic world.
The Assistant
A movie all too familiar by today’s standards of the still-reigning-but still misunderstood Me Too movement. Follow Julia Garner’s (Ozark) invisible and unappreciated character in this male-dominated film that clocks in at only eighty-eight minutes. It leaves you with the disappointing foreboding of how much we must succeed with a movement still in its infancy.
American Psycho
Not all serial killer movies are watchable–what churns one’s stomach makes another’s heart beat with excitement. I was able to sit through this bloody movie; I sat through it with laughter. I am somewhat of the type of person who will laugh at a scary or gory sight to ease my nerves. For this film, Christian Bale pulls off such a diabolical persona, right up there with his narcissism, that I’d probably chuckle nervously if I met someone exactly like him. The film is categorized as a dark comedy, mind you. A dark comedy describes a film involving morbid or gloomy satire. Christian Bale might overdo it in this movie, but I recommend it if you think you might guffaw at this gorefest.
Run
Damn, Sarah Paulson, for someone who doesn’t like to watch herself on-screen, reconsider: you scared the devil out of me! The latest of her films and the first I got around to watch on Hulu. (Thanks, Hulu!) My praise goes to Kiera Allen, who plays the daughter. It’s her second film in six years. For an actress with a slim résumé and I say this respectively, all I will say is that her role here shocked me. I felt inspiration all through. I’m holding on to hope that although her role comes after a six-year mark, she retains a malleable career to land another fantastic role.
Booksmart
I wasn’t Miss. Popular in high school and have watched this film on the topic of girls who were more about academia than the male genitalia; this was a green light. I won’t say how crazed their last day(s) of school is; I will say, at least my stories of how incredulous high school was might sound believable. The cast seen here is still relatively breaking into the spotlight. Kaitlyn Dever is recently known for her role in Netflix’s Unbelievable. As for Beanie Feldstein, she starred in the delightful comedic film Lady Bird. In Booksmart, those two gals go together. There’s a chemistry between them that might make one think, “Is there a reality to their friendship, or is there a falsehood to it?” Realizations hit me as I watched this in awe: Somewhere out in the befuddled world we all inhabit is a friend for every individual. You don’t need twenty friends to get through life–it’s unrealistic to say the least. Another is that I did miss out on entertainment outside of school. That’s another story for me to tell in the future. Last, by expiating others rather than burning ears, that’s where you learn the real them.
Sources: Green, Kitty, director. The Assistant. IMDb, IMDb.com, 31 Jan. 2020, www.imdb.com/title/tt9000224/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1.
Ellis, Bret Easton. American Psycho. IMDb, IMDb.com, 14 Apr. 2000, www.imdb.com/title/tt0144084/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0.
Chaganty, Aneesh, director. Run. IMDb, IMDb.com, 20 Nov. 2020, www.imdb.com/title/tt8633478/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0.
Allen, Kiera. “Kiera Allen.” IMDB, IMDB.com, www.imdb.com/name/nm6266674/?ref_=tt_ov_st_sm.
Wilde, Olivia, director. Booksmart. IMDb, IMDb.com, 24 May 2019, www.imdb.com/title/tt1489887/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1.
Anonymous. “Kaitlyn Dever.” IMDB, IMDB.com, www.imdb.com/name/nm3239803/bio?ref_=nm_ov_bio_sm.
IMDB. “Beanie Feldstein.” IMDB, IMDB.com, www.imdb.com/name/nm2788156/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0.Bateman, Jason, director. Ozark. Zero Gravity Management/Media Rights Capital, 2017. IMDB, www.imdb.com/title/tt5071412/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1.
“Christian Bale.” IMDb, IMDb.com, www.imdb.com/name/nm0000288/?ref_=tt_cl_t_1.
“Sarah Paulson.” IMDb, IMDb.com, www.imdb.com/name/nm0005299/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0.
“Stream TV and MOVIES Live and Online.” Hulu, Hulu, www.hulu.com/welcome.
Cholodenko, Lisa and Michael Dinner, directors. Unbelievable. CBS Television Studios/Katie Couric Media, 2019. IMDB, www.imdb.com/title/tt7909970/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_12.
Gerwig, Greta, director. Lady Bird. Scott Rudin Productions/Entertainment 360, 2017. IMDB, www.imdb.com/title/tt4925292/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1.
So what did you think? See any of these movies? Want to? Write them in the comments below.
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