Introducing Frank Dixon

Singing Sensation Frank Dixon

Continues To Win Awards

Frank Dixon

Thirteen-year-old Frank Dixon is a fast-rising singing star from Australia, who is known for the original music and lyrics of songs he performs himself. He has already won numerous awards and added another the first weekend in March 2012. At the Youth Singer-Songwriters Competition at the Sydney Road Festival held in Brunswick, Melbourne, on March 4, Dixon won first place.

Frank Dixon - young australian singerThe young singer and his original music have been available for viewing on YouTube for more than two years. It was this exposure on YouTube which brought him to the attention of a management company in Los Angeles. The blonde-headed, blue-eyed Dixon commutes between Australia and LA. In California, he is recording his own music and working with Grammy Award winning producers. Back in Australia, Dixon is continuing to study at the David Jaanz School of Singing and to receive vocal coaching twice a week from David Jaanz, considered the top in his field in Australia.

Frank Dixon’s first video clip for his original song Moving On

httpv://youtu.be/Tw-9bHgmebY

Dixon’s songs have been compared to those of Elton John and Billy Joel. His writing style is said to echo their work from the mid-1970s. Another aspect of Dixon’s songwriting is that he writes to touch the heart of his audience.

Dixon as a Singer, Actor

 

Frank Dixon - a talanted youngest singerBy the time Dixon was 11-years-old, he had released his second single on YouTube and was performing regularly in and around Melbourne and Brisbane. Ever busy, this young man was touring with the Young Voices of Melbourne, and performing with the choir in the Gold Coast and Brisbane.  Also by that age, Dixon was doing back-up vocals for the group Miami Horror –  Imagination.

He is the youngest singer to have ever performed at the prestigious Bennetts Lane, a well-known and popular jazz venue. There, he performed his original song I Told You So in a show called An Evening of Original Artists. He was named the winner of the 2010 Dream Inc. singer/songwriter prize. Part of the prize was a development deal that brought him into the sphere of professional musical producers.

Frank Dixon performing at the prestigious Bennetts Lane

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0qiwK6sNcE

While Dixon’s career as a musician appears to be soaring, his acting has not been neglected. The young singer/songwriter/actor/model was selected to play the role of The Boy in the Melbourne season of Waiting for Godot. The cast was led by the incomparable actor Sir Ian McKellen. Dixon also won a role in the Wizard of Oz and has acted in seven films. The largest and best known of these being An Illness at the House. In addition, Dixon has been employed on Channel 7’s Sunday Night program.

Among his works are Lost In This World, from 2012; City of Flashing Lights, called a masterpiece by one reviewer;  Nothing Left; and Jigsaw, along with numerous others. At the tender age of 11, following the Queensland Flood, Dixon wrote Heartache in the Water as a tribute to victims of the disaster.

We encourage you to follow Frank on Twitter and Facebook and YouTube .  

Don`t hesitate to spread the word about the talented young singer by sharing this article with your friends.

4th Annual Coming-of-Age Movie Awards Recipients Named

0

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6H3R9Y1z8s

The Coming-of-Age Movie Awards recognize excellence in eight categories, for films in that genre released during 2011.

The categories are: Best Actor, Best Newcomer, Best Performance in a TV Film, Best Cinematography, Coming-of-Age Value, Special Soundtrack, Best Short Film and Best International Film.

More than three thousand people from across the globe participated in the voting process at TheSkyKid.com – a site focusing on young talent in music and the performing arts and in adolescent development.

This Special Friendship (1964)

This special friendshipI have wanted to view this film for quite some time but never got around seeing it or struggled to find a copy. Well, I’ve finally seen it.

It could be argued that character arcs are somewhat absent in this film, but I think it has the classic structure of a tragedy. The storyline follows an unlikely friendship between a 16-year-old and a 12-year-old who attended a strict Catholic boarding school in the 1920s.

The special friendship featured in this heartbreaking and impactful film took place at a time and place when certain thoughts or doings were deemed very wrong. It was an environment in which purity was number one on the list. It is a beautiful and, at the same time, gut-wrenching relationship. At times, one may question the protagonists’ motives. Above all, it is a strong tale of friendship and the outside forces that can disrupt friendship.

Christopher McGinnis on The Mystery Artist Show

The Mystery Artist ShowSince starting the Mystery Artist Show on TheSkyKid.com radio, this only makes the third interview that I’ve done so far.  That being said, I must say that, for someone who is only 14-years-old, Christopher McGinnis is definitely someone you should keep your eyes on. Since he is so diverse, involved in so many fields, I wouldn’t doubt it one bit if he was to become famous in at least one of those fields.

It was an extreme pleasure doing the interview with Christopher, but I must say that it wouldn’t have been possible without his mother Michele.  So I’d also like to thank her for allowing this to happen.

Note: This interview is transcription of the original interview aired on TheSkyKid.com radio on  19.02.2012. The clip included below features the whole interview and snippets of the songs that were played during the live broadcast.  In this transcript, “MA” will represent the questions posed by the Mystery Artist’s Show and “CM” will be Christopher’s answers.

First Love in Coming-of-Age Movies

3

First Love in Coming-of-Age MoviesComing-of-Age films touch a special part in the hearts of everyone. When you watch a first love relationship in a movie, you are transported back to your own experiences. Not only do these films cause you to reminisce about your first love, but often you also recall the pain of your first heartbreak.  Although the times you are remembering may have been painful, they are nostalgic glimpses into the past.

 

Typically, these films are categorized as Coming-of-age movies. They often involve themes surrounding rites of passage for teens and young adults. The plot is usually based on a first love or heartbreak, conflicts and rebellion with parents, and teen troubles or fears. It is not uncommon for these usually serious subjects to be played down or made light of in these films.

my girl 1991The first love experience can be portrayed differently in a Coming-of-Age film, depending on the sub-genre to which they belong.  The 1991 drama My Girl, starring Macaulay Culkin and Anna Chlumsky, is just about the most stereotypical film about growing up and adolescent love that exists. The young actors deliver impressive performances, and their story is guaranteed to bring you back to the days of that magical first kiss.  You remember your’s, don’t you?

Tender-hearted Coming-of-Age romance is also present in the 2005 film Little Manhattan – a brilliant story providing a great insight into that age when interest in girls is such a new and scary transition for a confused young boy. A romantic comedy about two youngsters in New York,  Little Manhattan is a feel-good movie with a young protagonist one can easily identify with, thanks to the first-person narration and adorably sincere portrayal of young love.

Compared to the two examples given above, the 2008 Swedish masterpiece  Let the Right One In (Låt den rätte komma in) provides a unique mixture of horror and Coming-of-Age experiences. A human boy and a vampire – an impossible love, a mixture of affection and empathy in a young person’s life – and the sacrifices one is ready to make for a loved one.

let-the-right-one-in

An unusual first love in Let the Right One In

you-are-not-aloneThough young protagonists in Coming-of-Age films focusing on first love are predominately boy and girl, same-sex attractions in movies have not been neglected either. While this remains a taboo theme for many, films such as the French  Amitiés particulières, Les (This Special Friendship) and the Danish  Du er ikke alene  (You Are Not Alone), offer as beautiful and heart touching portrayal of the first love experience as those in which the protagonists are the traditional girl and boy characters.

Some of the Coming-of-Age films with a focus on first love that has been reviewed at TheSkykid.com include the Norwegian film Totally True Love, the 1994 French Quand j’avais cinq ans je m’ai tué  (When I Was Five I Killed Myself) – which features a complicated plot involving romance, psychology and loss of innocence.  Others are 2010 Flipped that provides a rather intriguing take on the familiar  “boy meets girl”  theme by giving us a glimpse of both the boy’s and the girl’s mentalities, the 2008 film Kisses, and the sweet short film from Australia Marry Me.

This type of movie often is in a high school setting or involves characters in that age group. Some early examples of this type of film are the beach movies made in the 1950s and 1960s. The films involved the typical first love, breakups, peer conflicts, parent conflicts, and other identity issues often faced by adolescents.

Marry me

First love …

Depending on the film’s cultural context, the code of conduct and principles will vary. However, they typically include subjects like high school, proms, relationships, cliques, social groups, and parties. Many films have been set in a high school located in a very affluent town or one set in the ghetto. While the teen may be rich or poor, they all encounter the same personal challenges of Coming-of-Age.

It is typical for teen movies to be based on American pop culture. They tend to be stereotypical and include such popular themes as the rebel, the jock and the cheerleader, misfits and geeks, the new kid in school, the loner, the girl next door, or the band geek.

Quand j’avais cinq ans je m’ai tué (1994)Setting these films in or around a high school makes it easy to include and show the different social groups and cliques. In this type of setting, there are so many different groups that can carry out the storyline. The variety in the social groups also allows a lot of room for setting up conflicts.

No matter how old you are or what part of town you lived in growing up, there is a film that has been made that you can relate to. Over the years, the same conflicts and challenges of teenagers and young adults have been portrayed in various films. The times may change, but the subject matter stays the same.

Regardless of which first love Coming-of-Age movie you choose to watch, you will be able to find a connection to your past.  Just as you can relate to the movie’s subject, so too make the teen and young adults who watch them today—the only difference between the movies of the ’50s and ’60s in the year. Throughout history, the challenges of being a teen have stayed the same.

Do you have a favourite movie that brings you back to the wonders of first love?

Giuseppe Bausilio and Life After Billy: An Interview

0

Hi Giuseppe and thank you for agreeing to this interview with theskykid.com.

You’ve had a pretty exciting last couple of years starring in Billy Elliot the Musical (BETM), which has included moving to the US from your native Switzerland and then playing the title role with three different casts of the show: in Chicago, all over the USA with the National Tour and then on Broadway. That had to have been a very hectic time during which you were “in the spotlight”, both literally and figuratively.

We thought we’d visit with you, now that the Billy spotlight has been turned off, to update your many fans as to what life is like for you after Billy.  It’s been three months since your last show on Broadway and a month after the show closed there, which included the big finale that you participated in.

Note: For this interview, the questions posed by theskykid.com will be represented by an “SK” and “GB” will indicate Giuseppe’s answers. To view captions on any of the pictures in this article, just run your cursor over the picture.

The Interview

SK: For those readers of theskykid.com who may not have followed your career as Billy Elliot, what was your pre-Billy training like?  You started out as a dancer, correct?

GB: Yes, I did start out as a dancer. And that was really all I knew. Up until I was discovered by Nora Brennan (Kids Casting Director for Billy Elliot The Musical) at the World Dance Competition “Youth America Grand Prix” where I was 3rd in the World. I was very excited. And then, because of Billy, I started doing Tap, Acrobatics, Singing, and the Acting just came along.

Giuseppe as Billy Elliot

SK:  Could you just briefly recap what the process was like being “discovered” for BETM and then the training/rehearsal process leading up to your debut?

GB:  It was hard, intense but FUN work. After I was discovered by Nora Brennan, I was training every day (as I had before), but this time I had to also fit Tap and Acrobatics into my schedule. It wasn’t too different. At the callback, I was at the same level of Tap as all the others.  I had improved a lot in Acrobatics.  And I really liked it.

SK: What were some of the highlights of your time as Billy – things that you’ll always remember about that experience?

GB:  The thing that most impressed me was the fans traveling all over the US to support the show.  Some of them became really good friends and I started to find out that they had the same passion as the actors and re-lived it through the actors on stage.  I really miss the fans I don’t get to see a lot. They gave us a lot of power and energy on stage. I will also remember all the good times I had in and outside the theater. Of course, there were also the awesome press events, which I loved doing.

SK:  So now the glare of that bright Billy spotlight is off. Those hectic days of rehearsal and training and performing in the show have ended.  In these post Billy days, what is a typical day like for Giuseppe Bausilio?

GB:  I usually take two ballet classes a day with my mother.  And then I have rehearsal for competitions. Then I have some Acting, Singing, Acrobatic and Tap lessons. Or Guitar. I do school work.  Sometimes I go home to Switzerland.

SK:  Doesn’t sound all that different from your days as a Billy.  Speaking of schooling, how are you continuing your academic schooling now that you don’t have the tutoring at BETM?

GB:  I do Virtual Schooling, which is online, with online teachers and everything you would have in a regular school program. It definitely also teaches me discipline.

SK:  Is dance still your primary focus?  Are you doing any formal dance training?

GB:  Yes, I dance every day about 4 to 5 hours. I also sing and act. I like to keep my options open.  And I wouldn’t dare lose all the things I learned in Billy Elliot the Musical.

SK:   So you’re taking most of your dance training from your mother now.  What about the singing, acting and acrobatics?  From whom do you take that training?

I still do formal singing/acting/acrobatics training. I sing with Amelia DeMayo, take acting lessons with Susan Batson Studios/Jagger Kaye’s “Castings n’ Classes”/TVI… and also a couple of others. I take acrobatics at Chelsea Piers.

SK:  We hear through the grapevine that you have a couple of very exciting projects coming up in the near term:  The Gala in Paris and the Youth America Grand Prix (YAGP) competition in New York City.  Could you tell us when they will happen, what each of those involves and how you’re preparing for them?

GB:  The Youth America Grand Prix starts on April 22, 2012 and finishes on April 26, 2012. Then comes the Gala in Annecy, in France, where I will dance with my brother (Editor’s Note: Giuseppe’s brother, Yannick Bittencourt, is a soloist with The Paris Opera Ballet). And then I have another competition in Paris.  YAGP is a competition, for which I train 1-11/2 hours a day with my mother.  Chausson D’or is an International competition, and I also train 1-11/2 hours a day with my Mother for that.  For both of those,  sometimes my father and brother also see me through Skype. Annecy is a competition, but this year they have asked me to dance at the Gala there. I’m very excited for all of them.

Le Corsaire Giuseppe Bausilio  YAGP 2011

Giuseppe Dancing in the 2011 YAGP

SK:  We know from several articles published about you over the past couple of years that, aside from performing, you have a variety of other interests ranging from blacksmithing to cooking.  Please talk about your hobbies and if you’ve found time to participate in any of them recently.

GB:  I love cooking and baking, and I always do it at home where I sometimes cook for my family.  I make really good cookies too. I also love Blacksmithing. It has always felt really natural working with iron and metals. I do a lot of sports.  For example: Boxing, Soccer, Football, Ice Hockey, Fencing, Swimming… and there are many others. I’m also very handy, which I learned from my father. I help my mother with her new ballet school “AS Ballet NY”, where I both study and train dancers.

SK:  How’s your dog?  Is he in America with you now?

GB:  I actually have 2 dogs —  Billy and Fina.  Billy is with my mom and me in the USA.  He comes back with us to Switzerland when we go. Fina, who is in Switzerland right now, comes with my dad to the USA.  I love both of them.

Giuseppe Bausilio Billy Elliot National Tour

Giuseppe playing with his dog “Billy” while in Durham, NC at the start of the BETM US Tour 

SK:  Besides the performance projects we’ve already mentioned, do you have any others on the horizon for 2012 or beyond?

GB:  I am going to record some songs Thommie Retter wrote, take some Master Classes at colleges,  and act in some large/lower budget movies. And, of course, there are the ongoing auditions for various other projects.

SK:  Is there anything else about Giuseppe Bausilio that you’d like to share with our readers that we haven’t specifically asked about?

GB:  I really thank my parents for giving me such a big opportunity.

SK:  Is there anything you’d like to say to your many fans?

GB:  Thank you so much for all the support all of you have given me. And I really want you all to know that I appreciate every second of that support.

We’d like to thank Giuseppe for taking time for this interview so as to update his many fans on how his “Life After Billy” is going.  There is no doubt this talented and personable young man will go far in the entertainment world, if that’s where his desires take him.  We wish him all the best on that journey.

For more information about Giuseppe: visit his website, read his Billy Elliot profile or visit his thread at Billy Elliot the Forum

Tomorrow Will Be Better (2011)

1

“I know that many of us hope that life is better, different, and more beautiful somewhere else. Wherever that is…” 

Dorota Kedzierzawska

Tomorrow Will Be Better

Having previously seen the Polish Coming-of-Age film Jestem (I am), when I found out that the 2011 film Tomorrow Will Be Better (Jutro bedzie lepiej) was also directed by the outstanding filmmaker Dorota Kedzierzawska, I knew that I had to watch it. And, when I did, I was not disappointed. Present was the familiar artful photography and camerawork of Arthur Reinhart, which made an impression on me while watching Jestem. That, combined with Dorota’s dexterous directing of the young actors, created in Tomorrow Will Be Better a beautiful visual poem of childhood and hope – which reminded me why many think of cinema as the seventh art.

Just like the meaning of a poem can sometimes be hard to grasp,  the plot of  Tomorrow Will Be Better does not offer much story development. However, the lack of complex or dramatic scenes does not hinder this film. On the contrary,  instead of seeking out meaning, one is overpowered by the visual aesthetics and the charming appearance and talent of six-year-old Oleg Ryba  (whom I took for a girl at first), his brother  (11-year-old Jewgienij Ryba -one of the most expressive young actors I have ever seen) and  11-year-old Kinga Walenkiewicz . They play the roles of homeless boys who live in a railway station in an unnamed Russian city.

Totally True Love (2011)

0

http://youtu.be/ooSfe00n8Tc

totally true loveFirst love – this frequently occurring theme of Coming-of-Age movies  – is the essence of the 2011 Norwegian film Totally True Love (original title:  Jørgen + Anne = sant). Unlike most films of the genre, which predominantly focus on the boy’s experiences and worries, in Totally True Love the main protagonist is Anne Lunde, a ten-year-old girl with a unique take on the world. “I never understood why girls had to be princesses and boys Vikings “,  says Anne as she narrates her own story (which is always the best approach in movies about feelings and discoveries of youth).

Anne does not get why everyone around her is talking about love. But she is not too worried about thinking that one can’t fall in love at her age. She is just like Pippi Longstocking — tomboyish, rebellious, and full of energy, and she could care less about boring stuff like love and feelings…

The Strange Ones (2011)

1

The strange ones 2011The Strange Ones,  also known as Deux inconnus, is a 2011 short film directed by Christopher Radcliff and Lauren Wolkstein. True to its title – the film is quite strange. It starts as a road movie and as the story develops transforms into suspense. Or, better said, it might transform into suspense if you let the stereotypical soundtrack lead you in that direction.  There are but three characters in the film – a man and a boy who travel to an unknown destination and a young woman who they encounter in a motel swimming pool.

There is not much more than that, though there are some subtle hints that there might be more than meets the eye.  I expected more development of the storyline – a bit of controversy or a surprising ending at least – of the kind that often transforms what would be an ordinary short film into a masterpiece. Yet, none of my expectations were met. Instead, a weak opening began thirteen minutes of weak character development,  stilted acting and boredom.

Jungle Child (2011)

2

Jungle-Child-2011It is a pity that many wonderful films do not receive the distribution they truly deserve. Thus, if one is not living in the country where the movie is released or is not fortunate enough to attend a cinema festival where such films are screened, chances to see those films are quite slim.  And, in fact, you may not even know about the existence of such films.   Dschungelkind/Jungle Child (2011) is such a gem – a movie that deserves to be discovered.

The film is based on real events and it tells the story of Sabine Kuegler’s unusual childhood; a Coming-of-Age story of a young girl (played by Stella Kunkat) who grew up deep in the jungles of Papua New Guinea.  Sabine’s father is a linguist and, when a new tribe is discovered, he decides to build a house in the jungle and learn the tribe’s language and culture.  His wife and children: Sabine,  just eight years old at the time, her older sister and their younger brother move into the house after the tribal chief promises that the family will be safe as long as they do not interfere with the customs and the daily lives of his people.  As it turns out, this simple condition is hard to follow when a culture clash is present.  And, when the family finds itself in the middle of a tribal war, choices have to be made that may jeopardize the family’s safety.

Real Steel (2011)

2

Real Steel Cover Dakota GoyoDepending on your perspective, Real Steel could be considered one of the most surprising films of 2011. It’s a film that is a very loose interpretation of a Richard Matheson short story wherein robots have replaced humans in the boxing ring in an all too proximate future.

However, if one looks at the film’s trailers, it’s clear the intended effect the film is supposed to have and the genre it’s supposed to occupy: it’s a crowd-pleasing action/drama that’s fun for the whole family. That’s not an easy feat to pull off, especially considering the fact that the trappings wherein those sentiments are to be felt can be dismissed as Rock ’em Sock ’em Robots: The Movie. After a few viewings of the trailer, I figured I’d think it was good but didn’t think I’d enjoy it as much as I did.

The Armoire (2009)

1

the armoire 2009 short film coverSome movies are filled with messages that both protagonists and viewers are expected to decode.  Decoding these messages to grasp their meanings can be challenging, and the results can vary. The plot of the 2009 short film The Armoire has a lot of hidden messages and enigmas and, while I can’t affirm that I fully understood its story, I felt deeply engaged with it.

The protagonists of The Armoire are two young boys – Aaron and Tony. They are classmates,  best friends and both are members of their school’s choir.

One day, Tony mysteriously disappears. While everyone is desperately trying to find the lost boy, Aaron slowly realizes that the key to the mystery is buried in his own mind. Worried about their troubled son, Aaron’s parents put him under hypnosis, and the story of Tony’s dissonance starts to unfold…