Exclusive interview: Straalen McCallum

The Next Megastar: Straalen McCallum – that’s how we titled the article introducing Straalen and his music which was published at theskykid.com only a few months ago. Today he is already signed by Sony Australia, his first album is on its way and, as much as we would like to say that naming him the next megastar was some kind of prophesy, the truth is his success came as a result of his devotion and unbelievable talent behind the microphone.

Back in May, we promised that we would be watching Straalen’s progress closely and would do our best to keep you updated. Then the idea of doing an interview with Straalen was born. We had many questions ourselves, but we also used this opportunity to ask some of the people who commented on the articles about the young singer via emails and twitter (which has proven to be an excellent way to get people involved and rewards the community for being such wonderful supporters of the young talents and theskykid.com). Straalen himself was kind enough to devote some time and answer all the questions for theskykid.com audience and his fans across the globe. Below, you can find the results of our mutual efforts – an exclusive interview with Straalen McCallum:

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Introducing Laurin Greiter

As much as one tries, keeping track of all that’s happening in the world of young talents is a challenging task. Yet, with the help of some friends, things get easier. Thanks to a message received on Twitter, we are able to introduce another rising star — 12-year-old Laurin Greiter from Austria. One great discovery led to others – the Kiddy Contest on the Nickelodeon TV channel, on which Laurin reached the final stage this year, and the Sing and Win Contest, on which Laurin earned first place in three consecutive years.

http://youtu.be/69HiP2JlGt8

He says that his music idols are Michael Jackson, Green Day, and Red Hot Chili Peppers. Out of the videos available there (and on YouTube), we decided to showcase his performance of Aerosmith‘s I Don’t Wanna Miss a Thing.

P.E.Z. (2004)

Yesterday I stumbled upon a short film produced by 3 Cows Entertainment – Czechoslovakia. The film dealt with the ongoing discussion about video games and the influence they have on the minds of their young players. Many of them spend more time in front of the computer shooting the next Zombie, or going on a secret spy mission, instead of hanging out with their friends and spending more time outside.

The film’s main protagonist is a young teenage boy who is addicted to video games and hard core music. He immensely enjoys the virtual reality into which he slips every time he has a chance. One day he loses a sense of reality and fantasy and goes out determined that he can, in reality, be just as strong and “clever” as the virtual people he encounters in the games. From this moment on, the film becomes a realistic account of a boy whose psyche is negatively influenced and he goes out killing – real people with flesh and blood.

The hand-held camera approach, powerful hardcore soundtrack and excellent editing give this film an almost documentary feel and, unlike some of the surreal shorts I have seen lately, P.E.Z. gives you the chills as you realize that the boy (playaed byPhilip Falcník) could be the kid next door.

P.E.Z has a lot of violence in its 21 minutes – yet the point that it makes is an important one. It’s debatable if such films should be seen by youngsters. While they are filled with violence and likely to get an R rating across the world – they show the dangers of mixing virtual reality and the real world better than any class debate at school.

The film can be described as coming of age gone wrong, as the viewer observes how various factors such as music, games, isolation and bullying influence and shape the character of the main protagonist. There are various cases around the world in which this story is transferred to real tragic events and happenings. Games such as the shoot-’em-up title Doom, a game licensed by the U.S. military to train soldiers to effectively kill, are often blamed for incidents such as are portrayed in the film.

Note : The film is in Czechoslovakian, but the pieces of dialogue are short and you can watch it without having subtitles.

Film’s official web page

TheSkyKid.com Wishes you a Happy Halloween

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Justin Hall in James and the Giant Peach

Justin Lawrence Hall and Pilobolus in Goodspeed Musicals’ Roald Dahl’s James and the Giant Peach

Justin Lawrence Hall and Pilobolus in Goodspeed Musicals’ Roald Dahl’s James and the Giant Peach at The Norma Terris Theatre through November 21. Photo by Diane Sobolewski.

Justin Lawrence Hall is now starring in the brand new show, James And the Giant Peach, at Goodspeed Musicals’ Norma Terris Theatre in Chester, Connecticut. Justin is 12 years old and has two brothers who also perform, Spencer and Tyler. They are also great actors and have also been in a variety of theater productions. I recently interviewed Justin Lawrence Hall about the show and what he does on his days off.

BETMCrazy: What is James and the Giant Peach about?

Justin: James and the Giant Peach (JATGP) is a show about family and what happens to a young boy named James after his parents are violently taken from him at a young age. He is sent to live with his evil aunts after his parents’ deaths. They treat him like a slave, beating him, starving him at times and even making him sleep outside! That is no way for anyone to live, or for people to treat one another, with such disregard for your feelings. But don’t worry – one day James encounters a carnival magician named Marvo, who casts James a unique and mystical spell, making a dead peach tree come to life and grow to ginormous proportions. The bugs that live in and around that very same Peach Tree become super sized as well. James escapes the horrors of his aunties, Sponge and Spiker, and sets sail within the Giant Peach, with his new family. And the rest, well, you’ll just have to come and see the show to find out what happens!

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The Hole (2009)

the-hole-3d A house you just moved into. You don’t know the town, you don’t know the neighbors, you don’t know who lived in the house before you. And then, in the basement of your new house, you find a wooden lid well secured with several iron locks. Would you open the lid? Would you take your chances to discover what hides beneath it? Will your curiosity put you in danger?

The Hole (2009) is a horror film which tells the story of an American family that moves to a new house in a small suburban town. The family consists of a single mother Susan (Teri Polo), her teenaged son Dane (Chris Massoglia) and his kid brother Lucas (Nathan Gamble). The mother is busy making a living for herself and her boys, so the two boys spend a lot of time by themselves. While exploring their new home, they discover a locked lid on the basement floor. Boys will be boys – the brothers can’t resist their curiosity and find a way to open the lid, only to discover a dark and seemingly bottomless hole underneath.

The Hole intends to be a horror story suitable for a young audience and it succeeds at that. Its “spooky factor” is significant and is comparable in that way to such films as The Orphanage (2007) or The Devil’s Backbone (2001) . The directing and editing of the film are also excellent which, combined with a musical score by Javier Navarrete (Pan’s Labyrinth), results in some really chilling scenes that are guaranteed to give you a thrill.

Nathan Gamble delivers an exceptional performance as Lucas. He is so convincing in his role that, once you see the film, you’ll understand why he is often thought to be one of the most talented young actors nowadays. You may recall Nathan’s role in Stephen King’s adaptation of The Mist, where he made an impression on viewers as the young Billy Drayton, despite the limited time he spent on screen. Having that prior experience of starring in a horror film helps Nathan’s portrayal of the young Lucas in The Hole.

The negative aspects of the film are mostly related to the story itself, which gets too predictable and is far from being original. Readers probably remember at least a few films with a script similar to that of The Hole. I’m sure those films were influential and were an inspiration for Mark L. Smith, who wrote the script of this film. In addition, in tune with the newest trend, The Hole is presented in 3D which, however, doesn’t really enhance the film’s atmosphere.

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the hole 3d Film title: The Hole
Release year: 2009
Director: Joe Dante
Cast: Chris Massoglia, Haley Bennett, Nathan Gamble, Teri Polo, Quinn Lord, John DeSantis, Douglas Chapman, Mark Pawson, Peter Shinkoda, Jonathan Bruce, Merritt Patterson and others

Gaby Del Castillo

Gaby Del Castillo is a multi-talented young performer from Salamanca, Spain. Singing, dancing and acting from a very young age, Caby has a lot of experience as an entertainer – and his resume boasts a lot of awards from various competitions in Spain. The whole country knows Gaby from his participation in the Spanish TV programs Veo Veo and Cántame Cómo Pasó. Gaby’s hard work has paid off as he recently landed the role of Gavroche in the musical Les Miserables, which will premiere in Madrid on November 18, 2010 at Teatro Lope De Vega.

Gaby was born in Switzerland and moved to Spain with his family. Besides singing and acting, his passion is football and his favorite team is Real Madrid. You can find out a lot more about him in Spanish at various sites and blogs. It was there that I was surprised to learn that Gaby’s father is Spanish, while his mother is from Bulgaria. Sadly, as is the case with the German band Apollo3, I was not able to find much information available in English about this young performer.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32-X68Ksj2c

Follow Gaby at YouTube

On 23rd of February 2012 Gaby Del Castillo released a video clip of his new song : Me convitere en Brad Pitt ( I will turn into Brad Pitt) . The song was composed by the Spanish singer Daniel Diges. His talent, good looks, and confidence are indisputable and it is unfortunate that Spain is not amongst the participant countries in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest as Gaby`s new song has a winning potential ( and we know Spain`s representatives were always top notch María Isabel,Daniel Fernández and Antonio Jose )

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-RkY_8oHnY

Quotes in Spanish :

“De padre espanol y madre bulgara, Gaby nacio en Suiza hace 11 anos y actualmente vive en Salamanca con sus padres.

Ademas de la musica, su gran pasion es el futbol y su equipo el Real Madrid. Tambien le apasiona tocar la guitarra electrica y en verano iniciara las lecciones de bateria. Su idolo era Michael Jackson y por el empezo a interesarse por la musica y el baile. Dentro del panorama espanol le gustan Bisbal, Bustamante y Chenoa, entre otros.

Es un nino educado, tranquilo, familiar, algo timido y conciliador. “

Swim Zack Swim (2002)

A few weeks ago, I reviewed a film by Sterling Productions called Emmett. My impressions of it were not too positive due to some failures in editing and shortcomings of directing. Still, the young cast was enthusiastic enough (and Matthew Rappolt gave the impression of a boy with colossal acting potential), all of which convinced me to watch and review another of that studio’s productions. In the meantime, the website of Sterling Productions was renewed – which gave me hope that the studio will keep producing films. As the saying goes, “Practice makes perfect” which has given me high expectations for future productions from the studio.

Swim Zack Swim is a 26-minute short film written, produced, and directed by Sterling Johnston. In the movie, the viewer is introduced to the young Zackary Thompson (Evan Phillips), who becomes interested in swimming after talking with his best friend, Christopher (Robert Mc, who used to be on the local swim team of Toronto. The nearest pool is 15 kilometers (a little more than 9 miles) away. But that doesn’t stop the two friends’ determination to break their daily routine and spend the day hanging out by the pool.

Once there, Zack observes his friend’s excellent technique and decides that he wants to learn how to swim that well too. He has to overcome several obstacles and the distance to the pool is only one of them. His father insists that they can not afford the swimming lessons Zack needs because every cent is to be saved for his further education. Yet, Zack doesn’t give up and secretly finds a job as a helper in a local store, which allows him to pay for swimming lessons.

One of the funniest scenes in the film results when Zack decides to use some of the earnings from his job to get himself a real swimming suit. I was on my town’s swim team for several years and still find it ridiculous to see people swimming in shorts. One could hardly walk in them, let alone be on a swim team or even just have fun at the beach (but the fashion now dictates that shorts are cooler – for whatever reason).

The story of the film is simple yet fun to watch. The camera work is better than that in Emmet, especially in the underwater scenes (especially the excellent opening scene). The musical score, by KYN, also enhanced the film’s overall mood and makes it more enjoyable to watch. Don’t raise your expectations too high, yet if you are up for a refreshing short story, Swim Zack Swim is your film.

Film’s official web page

PS. Although theskykid.com does not have any affiliation with the production company, I would like to finish this review with a quote of their mission as published on their website:

Sterling Productions is a not-for-profit production house dedicated to helping local youth fulfill their dreams and goals of starting a professional acting career.

Kicking And Screaming (2005)

Many coming of age films about sports has a similar theme – boys on a team who are last in the standings and who are motivated to succeed by their coach. The coach mentors them and, as they get better, they become determined to succeed.

So that by the end of the story, one can hardly recognize the once wimpy team – a miracle happens, and they reach the finals and sometimes even become champions. In the meantime, the young players (and the film viewers) learn valuable lessons, such as the importance of believing in themselves and that nothing is impossible ….

All sports films are alike, right?

Wrong!

Kicking & Screaming won’t surprise those who have seen films such as Carlitos y el campo de Los sueños and Teufelskicker. This film is just as entertaining as those good flicks, with tasteful humour, jokes and situations that will make you laugh out loud. The film is a bit harsh on the soccer skills of American boys. But in America, as is the case everywhere else, there are some outstanding players.

In Kicking & Screaming, though, in the beginning, the team is made up of all American boys, and they are dismal, to say the least. Then the coach spots a couple of boys who are to become the “Tigers” team stars. They happen to be two Italian brothers, who don’t even speak good English, but who seems born to play the game. At the first practices, they easily outperform everyone else on the field.

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Looking for Miracles (1989)

Looking for Miracles is a made for TV film released in 1989. The movie is based on the memoir of the same name written by A.E. Hotchner.

It tells the story of sixteen-year-old Ryan Delaney (Greg Spottiswood) who has a dream to attend a university, but cannot afford it. Looking for a solution, he manages to get a job as a camp counselor (after overstating a bit his knowledge and experience). His mother is a hard working woman, but despite the long hours she toils at her job, she is unable to take care of her youngest son Sullivan (Zachary Bennett). He had been sent away to live with relatives. However, just when Ryan is getting ready to head to camp, Sullivan is brought back to the family by the relatives who find themselves in bad economic conditions. Having no choice, Ryan takes his kid-brother along to camp. From this moment on, the story combines two major plot lines – Ryan’s attempts to impress the camp’s director despite his lack of experience (he can’t even swim) and the poignant relationship of the two brothers who, previous to this, hardly knew each other due to the separation.

Looking for Miracles has achieved classic status over time and it’s a perfect family flick while, at the same time, having excellent coming of age value as the brothers learn about each other, themselves, and what they can do together in the course of the summer. An interesting fact is that the novel on which the film is based is actually a sequel to another book written by the same author, which has also been adapted to the screen in the film King of The Hill . Both are based on the boyhood memoirs of A.E. Hotchner.

Film title: Looking for Miracles
Release year: 1989
Director: Kevin Sullivan
Cast: Greg Spottiswood, Zachary Bennett, Joe Flaherty, Patricia Gage, Patricia Phillips, Noah Godfrey, Paul Haddad, Dean Hamilton

Moritz (2003)

The made for TV Swiss film Moritz (2003) focuses on issues that society still fails to address – the prejudice and misunderstanding that surround the lives of same sex couples. Similarly themed is the Spanish Cachorro, released in 1993.

Moritz’s mother is an epileptic who seems to be the only person taking care of the boy. She doesn’t want to leave her son alone and ignores the severe headaches, until one night she feels so bad that she has to go to the neighbors to ask them to keep an eye on Moritz (Jonas Rohr). The neighbors are two men living together. At first, they naturally try to find a relative the boy can stay with while his mother is in the hospital. They are able to locate his grandmother, but the boy hardly knows her and prefers to stay at his neighbors’, which of course raises the interest of the other neighbors. “Two men and a little boy” – seems scandalous for some of the neighbors haunted by their own prejudices. The rumors spread fast and Moritz’s choice to stay with his neighbors results in some name calling and bullying at his school as well.

At the same time, the village is preparing to meet the President of the Swiss Republic, and the grandmother of the boy insists that the boy be placed in a “decent “family. Shall the worst happen….?

Moritz is a touching film, which stands for issues such as tolerance and accepting people for who they are. Directed by Stefan Haupt, the film is enjoyable while at the same time a serious social drama and I don’t hesitate to recommend it.

Film title: Moritz
Release year: 2003
Director: Stefan Haupt
Cast: Lilian Fitz, Jonas Rohr, Stefan Rutz , Rudolph Straub, Anatole Taubman

Meet the Hall Brothers

Justin, Spencer and Tyler are a trio of brothers who are multi-talented and who appear together and individually in a whole variety of entertainment formats. Together, they call themselves the Hall Brothers. They live in New York near New York City, so they very often travel to the city for acting and dancing classes, or just to see a show and meet with friends. This article will serve as an introduction to each of these talented brothers.

Justin Hall

Justin (12) is the middle brother of the trio. This past summer, he was in the summer program for the Joffery Ballet School and was just recently accepted into the New York City Ballet where he attends classes after school.

A great dancer, this young lad is also an accomplished actor. He performed as “Michael” in the Chicago touring production of Mary Poppins and was asked last year to be “Michael” in the 10 Tony Award winning show Billy Elliot the Musical in Chicago. It was a great opportunity, but he decided not to accept it and to stay at home in New York because he wanted to be with his family.

Justin has been in many short films, such as The Counterpane Fairy, The Amazing Christopher and Fishbowl. He also was in a music video for the band Freelance Whales for a song titled Hannah.

In his spare time away from classes, workshops and rehearsals, Justin likes to listen to music, play his bass, go swimming, spend time with his brothers and see Broadway shows. Justin, also known as J-man with some of his friends, is in 7th grade as of the school year of 2010-2011.

Justin Lawrence Hall will be performing in Connecticut starting on October 21st in the role of James in Goodspeed Musical’s newest production, James and the Giant Peach!!! He is very excited to be in this production and is having a blast in rehearsals.

Spencer Hall

Spencer (10), the youngest of the brothers, was also accepted into the New York City ballet school like his older brother Justin, and in addition, he attended the Joffery Ballet School’s summer program in 2010. Spencer also sings with his acting coach, who coaches all three boys in New York City.

This little fellow played “Bert” in a recent production of All My Sons in Manhattan and enjoys acting. Spence, along with his two brothers, also appeared in the short film, Fishbowl. He also has been in many local school productions and will be in the lead role for his fourth grade holiday musical.

Spencer is a great musician and enjoys playing the piano in his spare time. He performed for the New York State School Music Association (NYSSMA) competition for the first time in April 2010 and got a very high score. He enjoys playing new pieces and also loves to sing. Spencer enjoys singing Opera and classical songs and people say he has a “million dollar voice”.

Spending quality time with his two brothers and their mom, swimming in the pool, playing sports, watching Broadway shows, and hanging out in Central Park are all other leisure activities that Spencer loves to do. Spencer is in 4th grade as of the school year of 2010-2011.

Tyler Hall

Tyler (13) is the eldest of the Hall Brothers.

Tyler performed in an off-Broadway production of A Chorus Line as the director’s assistant and also was the lead in the short independent film Paxil, about a young boy who is dealing with depression. Because of the depression, Tyler’s character is given Paxil, a medicine used to stop depression and anxiety. But the medicine only makes the boy dizzy and he cannot pay attention. The intention of the short film was to educate the public on the side effects of Paxil and how dangerous the pill is. He was also in Fishbowl as Spencer’s (who is the main character in the short film) older brother.

This young teen also enjoys playing instruments and is proficient on both the guitar and the saxophone. In the spring of 2010, Tyler James Hall performed with his saxaphone for the New York State School Music Association (NYSSMA) competition and got a very high score. He also enjoys reading and could spend hours in a chair reading a good science fiction or mystery novel, hanging out with his brothers in New York City, and playing tennis. For the 2010-2011 school year, Tyler is in the 8th grade.

On October 21st, 2010, the The Norma Terris Theatre will be debuting the new musical James and the Giant Peach. Ruth Gottschall , Chelsea Kromback, and others will be performing alongside Justin Hall, who will be portraying the main character, James Hunter. The show runs until November 21 and tickets are being sold now! Good luck to Justin! You get ’em boy!!!

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