It’s about time I introduced you to another talented musician – Grant Austin Taylor.
Most of you are probably familiar with his music – yet I hope that this article serves as a reminder to check his recent songs. It has been several years since I heard of Grant Austin Taylor for the very first time – yet I am thankful that a visitor to my blog sent me a message about him and naturally I could not resist doing an article on him. I almost feel guilty that I had to be reminded of this incredible performer — keeping in mind that he plays my favorite style of music (rock). I am repeating myself a bit here as I wrote something similar about Zach Raizman, but this only confirms how much one could miss while trying to stay updated with the scene out there.
Grant Austin Taylor may be only fourteen (soon to be fifteen – he was born on May 9, 1995) but he already has some really impressive achievements – such as the special award for Outstanding Young Original Blues-Rock Artist at the 28th annual Young Artist Awards (2007) and the “Patriot Award”, awarded by the United Service Organizations. Also worth mentioning is that his band has opened concerts for such titans of the rock music world as Motley Crue and Aerosmith.
In 2007, Grant Austin Taylor released his first album which consisted of five remastered songs recorded at his live performances in the same year. The band for the live gigs included Harvey Kojan on keyboards, Jimmy Wiseman on bass and keyboards and Judas Priest drummer Scott Travis. Along with Grant’s amazing guitar skills, which really show in the second track of the album We Walk Alone (my favorite from the album), we get to hear the talented Jimmy Wiseman on bass and keyboards and Judas Priest drummer Scott Travis who helped Grant for his first EP. The fifth song of the album is an instrumental called Rockin P-Town which combines great bass guitar, solos and drums in a vibe guaranteed to make you wanna dance. For those more sentimental, there is the ballad Make This Love Last which is one of the songs he performed at the 28th award ceremony of the Young Artist Awards- it is the 3rd song from his album. The fourth song in the album called When Life Turns Gray has a lot of soul in it – and some great lyrics /
The 1st song, which I left for the end, is called That’s The Way Life Goes. It has quite a unique sound – an uplifting mixture of pop and rock with a notable vocal performance by Grand Austin Taylor.
I was most impressed, not only by the guitar skills of Grant, but also the fact that all songs in the album are his original compositions (both the music and the lyrics).
I am holding the first single CD of Vlad Krutskikh. It’s entitled “Hello Hello Dance Mix” and has five energetic songs which can be played at every party.
The lyrics of the English version of the song “Allo” are written by American poets James Koch and Jason A. Phelps for the original music by Vitaliy Ososhnik. Vlad has achieved worldwide popularity as a lead singer/dancer with the Russian pop group Street Magic (also known as Volshebniki Dvora). Street Magic was formed in 1989 by its artistic director, Vitaly Ososhnik, and has since become well known on the music scene. In 2007, they received an award for Outstanding Young International Variety Group at the 28th Annual Young Artist Awards in Hollywood, California.
I am glad to present to you an exclusive interview which Vlad gave for theskykid.com only a few weeks after the release of his new album and the big concert of Street Magic at Novosibirsk, Russia.
theskykid.com:
[EN] What do you find most exciting and/or difficult about being an internationally recognized star?
[RU] Что тебе нравится и какие трудности испытываешь, будучи узнаваемым артистом в многих странах ?
Vlad Krutskikh:
[EN] I am pleased when people recognize me, but I do not have a star complex, I respect the fans because they are people just like me. As to your question about the life of a star- some people think that is is simple , but its gets much more complicated with all the tasks that have to be done in a day. I go to school six days a week, I have daily music and singing lessons (solfège), dance rehearsals, I announce on radio and tv. Time for fun is therefore short, so I make the most of my fun-time.
[RU] Мне приятно, когда меня узнают, но у меня нет звёздной болезни. А что касается вашего вопроса – кому то может показаться, что жизнь звезды – это просто. Это миф. Я учусь в школе, у меня ежедневные занятия музыкой, сольфеджио, репетиции по хореографии, записи на телевидении и радио, гастроли. Времени на развлечения не хватает.
[RU] Где ты любишь проводить своё свободное время (выходные например)?
Vlad Krutskikh:
[EN] Russia is famous for its festivities. The Russian people have always celebrated these holidays with great fun. I like to celebrate holidays with my family and friends. For me, being on holiday is when I feel an explosion of positive emotions. My favorite holiday is New Year’s Day. It has almost been two weeks since this New Year’s, but great memories still remain. . . I love to go to the dog exhibitions, together with my dog Cleopatra (Kleopa). In the summer I also love to roller skate. On weekends, I am most happy.
[RU]Россия славится своими праздниками. И русский народ всегда отмечает эти праздники с размахом. Я очень люблю отмечать праздники в кругу семьи и друзей. Для меня праздник – это всегда взрыв положительных эмоций. Любимый праздник – Новый Год. Прошло уже почти 2 недели, а впечатления ещё остались.… Очень люблю всякие выставки для собак, и часто хожу на них вместе, со своей собакой Клёпой. Летом очень люблю кататься на роликах. В свои выходные я не скучаю.
[EN] There are a variety of resources on the Internet where one can read about Street Magic and you in particular? Do you stumble on these blogs and have you ever left a comment in any one of them ?
[RU] В интернете много ресурсов где можно прочитать о группе Волшебники Двора и о тебе в частности.Какие сайты или блоги ты посещаешь, оставляешь ли свои комментарии в них?
Vlad Krutskikh:
[EN] Yes, you know, in the Russian language the Internet has several resources – sites that have information about the group “Street Magic”, and about me. Our fans have made them. There are only two official sites – volshebnikidvora.ru and vladkrutskikh.com. On the Russian site, we make on-line conferences. They are held regularly, we will respond to visitors’ questions. By the way, if you think that it is always delight and praise – then you are wrong … have to read about the criticism sometimes … as for Twitter – this is probably the only site where I often find myself. Many thanks to all who wrote on my page.
[RU] Да, вы знаете, в русскоязычном интернете есть множество сайтов, на которых есть информация про группу «Волшебники двора», и про меня. Делают их в основном наши поклонники. Официальных же сайтов всего два. Это сайт volshebnikidvora.ru, и vladkrutskikh.com. На этих сайтах мы устраиваем он-лайн конференции. Они проходят регулярно, мы отвечаем на вопросы посетителей. Кстати, если вы думаете, что это всегда восторг и похвалы – то вы ошибаетесь.. Иногда приходится и критику про себя читать… Что же касается Твиттера – это наверное единственный сайт, куда я очень часто захожу. Большое спасибо всем кто пишет на моей страничке.
theskykid.com :
[EN] How do you feel singing in English?
[RU] Есть ли какие-то особые чувства когда ты поешь на английском языке?
Vlad Krutskikh:
[EN] To sing in all the world languages is impossible. When I recorded songs in Japanese, a Japanese producer helped me with the speech. When I work in the studio with the English text, there is always the producer who helps me. I received very much help from producer Simon Barron and musical director Vitaly Ososhnik. When I sing in any language – Russian, Japanese or English, I try to convey to all audiences all my warmth and my feelings, my love. I live with those songs that I sing on stage.
[RU] Знать все языки невозможно. Когда я делал записи на японском, мне помогал продюсер по японскому языку. Когда я работаю в студии с английским текстом всегда присутствует продюсер по английскому языку. Мне очень помогают продюсер Саймон Бэрон и музыкальный руководитель Виталий Осошник. Когда я пою на любом языке – русском, японском или английском, я пытаюсь донести до слушателей всё своё душевное тепло, свою любовь… Я живу теми песнями, которые пою на сцене…
[EN] I really wish my life will be always connected with entertainment. I love to sing. In the world there are many interesting things and I want to try myself yet, maybe the role of radio and television presenter. Perhaps it would be correct to say that I want to connect my life with creativity. I will do everything possible.
[RU] Я очень хочу, просто мечтаю, о том, что моя жизнь будет связана со сценой. Обожаю петь. Интересного на свете много и немного хочется попробовать себя еще и в роли радио и телеведущего. Наверное, будет правильно сказать, что я хочу связать свою жизнь с творчеством. И я сделаю для этого все возможное…
[EN] How old were you when you first started to dance/sing?
[RU] Сколько вам было лет, когда вы начали петь/танцевать?
Vlad Krutskikh:
[EN] I was interested in music since early childhood. When I heard music on the TV, I immediately stopped playing and ran to look. I sang the TV songs that I knew. Fortunately, my parents noticed this and took me to the casting session for the group Street Magic. I have been singing there for 9 years. I am now 14 and most of my life has been in Street Magic. All the guys from our group – are my friends. We are always together. We have common interests.
[RU] К музыке меня тянуло с раннего детства. Если на экране кто-то пел, то я бросал все и сидел у телевизора. Я показывал пальцем на телевизор и говорил маме, что хочу туда. Потом пел те песни, которые запомнил. К счастью, родители заметили это и отвели меня на кастинг в группу «Волшебники двора» . Я пою там уже 9 лет. Мне сейчас 14 и большая часть моей жизни прошла в «Волшебниках Двора». Все ребята из нашей группы – мои друзья. Мы всегда вместе. У нас общие интересы, переживания…
[EN] What western influences or talent inspires your work?
[RU] Какие западные влияния или талант вдохновляет вас в работе?
Vlad Krutskikh:
[EN] I am not a fan of any group. I believe in making good songs that inspire your life and personal behavior. My goal is not to create myself as an idol, but to be a good musician.
[RU] Я не являюсь фанатом каких либо групп. Воодушевляет меня в работе, наверное, просто хорошее настроение, и отличные песни некоторых взятых исполнителей. Считаю, что вдохновлять должна собственная жизнь и личные поступки. Не создай себе кумира… А учиться надо на классике.
[EN] I love to listen to music of different artists and different genres of music. But to identify anyone specifically, I cannot. I listen to what is playing in the car when I go to school or music lessons.
[RU] Слушать люблю разных исполнителей. Но кого-то конкретно выделить очень сложно. Слушаю то, что играет в машине, когда я еду в школу или на занятия.
theskykid.com :
[EN] What did you think of Hollywood and America? Any plans to tour Europe? US?
How has your association with the Young Artist Awards benefited Street Magic in their quest for recognition?
Would you like to make another journey to the United States and what would you look forward to seeing again?
[RU] Что вы думаете о Голливуде и Америке? Есть какие-нибудь планы насчет тура по Европе? По США?
Дала ли связь «Волшебников двора» с Young Artist Awards преимущества в достижении популярности?
Вы бы хотели совершить еще одно путешествие в США и что вам не терпится увидеть снова?
Vlad Krutskikh:
[EN] I have been in America more than once, to receive awards given to Street Magic, and you know, I still have great memories of that wonderful country. It is a very beautiful country. I especially liked the extreme amusement park “Six Flags”. I even was upset the day when we had to leave. Because I was very fond of America and I want to return, not for a few days, but longer. I want to walk in Los Angeles at night … the Young Artists Awards may bestow more awards upon us, I hope that happens, it will realize my dream of coming back. But of course the most vivid and unforgettable experience, which probably I will remember all my life – this is the red carpet, which – when I was on it – sent shivers through my body. I privately threw a Russian coin on it, which would make me come back again. And you know, actually I have always been lucky. I think this superstition will not prove to be simply just words – that coin will make me go back to that wonderful country.
[RU] Мы были в Америке, на вручении нам премий, и вы знаете, у меня до сих пор сохранились отличные воспоминания о вашей замечательной стране. Очень красивая страна. Особенно мне понравился парк аттракционов «Шесть флагов». Я даже расстроился в день, когда надо было уезжать. Потому, что я очень полюбил Америку. И хочу чаще приезжать, и не на несколько дней, а дольше. Хочу погулять по ночному Лос-Анджелесу… Так же очень хочется ещё не раз побывать на вручении премии Young Artist Awards, я надеюсь, что хотя бы эти мои мечты осуществятся. Но конечно самое яркое, и незабываемое впечатление, которое, наверное, буду помнить всю жизнь – это красная ковровая дорожка, по которой когда идёшь – мурашки бегают по телу. Я когда по ней шёл, украдкой от всех кинул на неё монетку, нашу российскую, что бы вернуться сюда вновь. И вы знаете, на самом деле мне всегда везет. Думаю, что это суеверие не окажется просто словами. А эта монетка – заставит меня вернуться в вашу замечательную и страну.
I would like to thank Vlad for agreeing to be interviewed and everyone who made this the interview possible – helping on the various stages of its preparation (the formulation of the questions, the translations , media selection…etc) . Thank you !
Feedback and comments are appreciated . In any language (-:
“…Powerful pop songs blending Gavin DeGraw’s moody melodies and James Blunt’s sweet sensibilities. 14 year old Zach delivers.”
It is almost unbelievable that few days ago I hadn’t even heard of Zach Raizman. More so because his music seems to be in my favorite genre and I was literally blown away by the songs in his album A Mind To Be Thinkin’ (released in Feburary 2007). It almost feels like I have been living on another planet as Zach has been around for quite a while and has a significant fan base.Zach has a lot of experience performing in a variety of musical stage productions such as “Oliver”, “The Wizard of Oz” and “The Lion King”. It seems the stage experience is an invaluable step for the future development of the young performers – one off the top of my head as another example of that – the musician Sam Verlinden, who also performs in musicals such as “Oliver” and “Tommy“.
Amid the hours it takes to prepare for school, theatre auditions and rehearsals, vocal lessons, and acting workshops, Zach still finds the drive to work on his own music on his own terms, performing at venues like ‘The Fringe Fest’, ‘Red River Ex’, ‘Academy Coffee House’ or ‘McNally Robinson’. He also hand picked Juno Award Winning producer Brandon Friesen to help him craft his first full length CD – ‘Mind To Be Thinkin’. “I chose the title because, even though I’m 14, I want people to know that I make my own decisions when it comes to my career, that I can think for myself and don’t necessarily have others doing that for me. You know… that I can think for myself”, remarks Zach.
Zach Raizman
Zach’s album, A Mind To Be Thinkin’ , includes twelve songs which range from touching ballads to ones featuring up-beat tempos and lively vibes. The first song from his album, Fabulous, has a rocky sound with some well arranged vocals, while the song, Beautiful, will make you remember a loved one and is quite melodic and has cool echo effects to go with the well written lyrics. The song, Show, is to be classified more as pop than rock. The Power of One is a slow paced song that I can describe with one word only – inspirational. Naturally my favorite songs from his album are the most lively ones: I Told You So and Breath – especially Breath, I just could not resist singing along when it plays .
Maybe you are a long term fan of Zach’s music and this post looks totally out of date to you. Or maybe you would want to add your own take on his album using the comments system below. Or maybe you just found out about Zach Raizman from this entry. If the latter is the case, I envy you because you will experience the thrill associated with this discovery – wonderful music you can listen for hours and hours. Whatever the case, I hope you enjoyed my introducing you to his music.
For half a century the Nicolas stories, written by René Goscinny, creator of Asterix, and illustrated by Jean-Jacques Sempé, have been a staple of almost every French childhood. A few months ago, I wrote about the book which I discovered by accident. When I read the stories of Nicolas, I fell in love with the book and the writing style of Goscinny. I was beside myself when it become known that a film based on the book, Le Petit Nicolas, would be released in the near future. Thanks an excellent website and creative trailers, my impatience to see the film grew greater day by day. I was aware that most likely I would have to see the film in French,with no subtitles and dubbing, but having read the book I knew most of what happens by heart. As I expected, the fact that my French is limited to only a few simple phrases did not impose any limitations to my viewing pleasure.
The cinematography was quite similar to that of Toto the Hero, which makes me think that it is currently quite a modern technique which which to do films in France .
httpv://youtu.be/mZHNjPvLpNw
A pleasant touch in the film was the appearance of the well known French actor, Gérard Jugnot ( you may remember him as a teacher and choirmaster in another classic French film Les choristes). As soon as I saw him, I could not resist smiling, especially considering the scene in which he was acting. The film is packed with hilarious scenes and this is probably the first time I would consider a movie equally as good as the book it is based on. Oh well. Admittedly the book byRené Goscinny is just a bit funnier though in its 90 minutes of screen time, it really entertains the viewer. But, in my opinion, the film would succeed better as a believeable and realistic story if it didn’t end so soon. Those 90 minutes pass quite rapidly, which makes we wonder if another hour of filming would have been beneficial to the film. There would have been more time to include more of the original stories, as many were left out.
Overall its a good comedy and I think everyone will like it !
Blue Jeans is quite a delightful film. It had gained a good reputation since 1977 when it was produced, even if since that year several more films having the same name were released which often cause confusion in people looking to find the French masterpiece directed by Hugues Burin des Roziers. A charming coming of age plot which has the usual for this genre focusing on first love, youthful confusion and peer relationships. We observe a familiar tale in which a group of French boys are sent to England to improve their English and discover the world …and discover the world they do as soon as their parents are out of sight. They start making plans for how to impress the English girls and most have already thought of a specific strategy. Amongst them is the film’s protagonist – the eleven year old Julian(Gilles Budin).
Soon after the group arrives in England, it becomes clear that having adventures, hanging out at the local arcade and of course checking out the British girls are what the boys understand by the term “language vacation”. Julian is lucky to spot a beautiful girl at the arcades – Janet — and they spend some wonderful times together – laughing, talking and holding hands while taking night walks at the beach. The whole romance of first love – you know the one you can’t forget (nor can I …). Yet, things are about to change for Julian (in my case it was a letter from the girl I loved, in which she told me that others may spread rumors of her being with other boys while I was away at the seashore, but that they were all lies. I found that letter odd, especially since I later found out the rumors were true). And in the case of Julian – he just discovers one day that the girl whom he admired now has another boyfriend who, to makes things worse, is also French, older and seems to be indifferent that the girl with him was the girlfriend of Julian before.
It’s interesting to observe the reaction of Julian – seeing that his girlfriend dumped him for an older boy. He decides to see what that boy has that he doesn’t. Jean-Pierre ( the older boy) doesn’t seem to mind Julian hanging around with him. At one point they exchange their pants as Julian thinks that it’s the Blue Jeans of Jean-Pierre that gives him such an aura with girls. This act, however, is misinterpreted by Julian’s friend, who starts teasing him about the time he spends with Jean-Pierre, saying he has become “a little blonde fairy-boy” for hanging out with Jean-Pierre, even exchanging their pants. This is the part of the film that brought back some memories for me as I also once exchanged my t-shirt with one of the boys I played soccer with. But that was more like a friendship thing than anything else and thankfully in my case the inappropriate remarks did not have much chance to spread. Yet for Julian, things become quite difficult – he becomes sad and confused, and the other boys in the summer camp make sure that he is not left alone.
The film is good and I would recommend you see it. I am not sure if it can be compared with titles such as You Are Not Alone, and This Special Friendship – even if one may sense some overtones existing in the three films. What really matters to me is that the coming of age story is well told and developed throughout the film. The soundtrack is quite good (French chansons with coming of age lyrics) and good acting by the majority of the film’s cast.
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This review would not have been possible without the valuable support of SCVMC.net who provided the DVD for it.
For its American fans (and fans-to-be), the good news is: one of the best – and, until now, more inaccessible – coming-of-age films is now readily available as a streaming-only selection at Netflix. (In fact, it’s only been available as a Region 2 DVD since 2007.) Thus, we have reason enough to both review and celebrate that long-neglected jewel of 1970, The Go-Between.
Joseph Losey’s film of L.P. Hartley’s 1953 novel (perhaps most enduring for its opening line: “The past is a foreign country; they do things differently there”) certainly stands the test of time, though it’s slightly encumbered by a Sixties-style editing technique – namely, sometimes jarring (though thankfully infrequent) cuts between past and present. Winner of the Palme D’Or at the 1971 Cannes Film Festival, The Go-Between is in no way deserving of the obscurity that’s befallen it over these past 40 years.
Set during the particularly hot summer of 1900, in a resplendently lush English countryside, the story follows young Leo’s at-first idyllic stay at a modest Norfolk estate. Leo is the guest of his school chum; but the friend almost immediately is confined to bed, because of illness, leaving Leo alone with the adults – and with one adult in particular.
On the verge of his thirteenth birthday, Leo is defenseless against the charms of his friend’s older sister, the beautiful Marian (Julie Christie). The emotional tangle that begins to ensue, as Leo becomes the unwitting conduit between his crush Marian and her lover Ted (Alan Bates), starts to take its toll on the boy, as the ways of the world begin to open wide his innocent eyes; and the bright shining light of his childhood starts to give way, almost inevitably, to the darker landscape of adulthood.
As is often the case with disturbing events of adolescence, Leo’s exposure to such affairs of the heart, and his own pivotal role in the tragic outcome of the matter, forever alters the essence of who he is and, more importantly, negatively shapes the man he will become. The repercussions of that fateful summer will echo down through his lonely, isolated years, until the present time of his narration of the story, when he’s an old man looking back at it all, on the occasion of a return to Norfolk.
Leo is perfectly rendered by Dominic Guard, who is probably most widely known for his later role in the equally exquisite Picnic at Hanging Rock (1975), in which he also played a smitten young man caught up in tides of lust. Toward the latter part of The Go-Between, there’s a terrific exchange between Leo and Ted in which the young actor more than holds his own with his adult counterpart. I’ve seldom seen a young actor better control both his words and his body, in the verbal give-and-take of that confrontation.
Leo stands his ground against Ted.
Harold Pinter’s adaptation of the novel is overall excellent. For brevity’s sake, there are a couple of understandable omissions, such as the importance of Leo’s feelings of guilt from an earlier incident at school, where he felt responsible for another tragedy.
Moreover, for the treble fans of this site, there’s a moving scene, after a big cricket match, in which Leo is called upon to sing. He chooses “Angels Ever Bright and Fair” as his selection, and his voice briefly floats across the dinner hall, sounding “like a lark” – or, at least, so Ted later tells him. (The book has also recently been adapted as a musical.)
The Go-Between, long hard-to-find, is now much easier to access. As coming-of-age films go, it’s surely one of the finest.
The following is an introduction to the screenplay of the future film Ulterious written exclusively for the readers of TheSkyKid.com :
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A movie about a boy should start with the boy. Mine does.
Well, it’s not a movie yet! For now, it’s only a screenplay, called Ulterious. Once it’s made, however, it will be the kind of film that would be reviewed here, and discussed here, and hopefully cherished, by all those who love coming-of-age movies.
Some of my favorite films are stories of boys caught in conflict: Ivan’s Childhood, The Return, Forbidden Games, Hope and Glory, The 400 Blows, To Kill a Mockingbird, The Devil’s Backbone, Come and See, Bicycle Thieves. When I set out to write this screenplay, I kept those films in mind.
Ulterious is a story of good versus evil, as two teenage boys square off against each other. One boy, Caio, is a skateboarding detective – the story starts with him, as he’s the hero, a sort of junior Philip Marlowe on wheels, cheap cigarettes and all. The bad boy, Max, a Katrina Orphan, is cold and deadly, in the classic “Bad Seed” mode – we learn that fact about him early on.
As the tale begins, Caio’s best friend, Tadeu, has gone missing. Max is the reason why. Once Caio’s investigation starts to unfold, he begins to suspect Max; then, more than anything, he wants to bring Max down, hard and fast.
But, as Max is modeled on The Talented Mr. Ripley, he proves a very slippery fish to catch.
In a film like Talented Mr. Ripley (or Purple Noon, another interpretation of the same Patricia Highsmith novel), the audience is tricked into pulling for the bad guy, despite all their best impulses. (Of course, it helps to cast Matt Damon or Alain Delon as Ripley.)
Well, in Ulterious, I want the viewer, in the face of all moral qualms, to want Max to get away with it, no matter how bad Max has been, and no matter how much they’d like to see Caio catch him. (Fortunately, like the Ripley books, I have sequels in mind, so I don’t want Max to get caught either!)
Ulterious: A Screenplay of Boy vs. Boy
For a story like this to succeed on the screen, the bad kid has to be good at being bad, but in a likeable way. In a film like Joshua, for instance, the filmmakers make the boy look perfect: not a hair out of place, his every word precise, his tie straight, his khakis obsessively creased. How could there be something wrong with Joshua when he looks so right?
Max, however, is an anomaly: he’s a poor black kid (Louisiana Creole) transplanted and adopted into blue-blooded Boston – into the Northups, an old-money family on the North Shore. He didn’t fit in, at first. By the time the story begins, however, he’s overcome all obstacles that he’s confronted and conquered almost everyone whose ever had the nerve to stand in his way (with the possible exception of his racist great-grandfather).
To help make the opposition between Caio and Max more physical, I made them wrestlers. Caio has always gotten the better of Max on the wrestling mat. Furthering their antagonistic relationship, Caio represents the lowly public middle school, whereas Max fights for the upper-crust Northup Prep squad.
In the background of all this, there are two other teen boys who figure prominently in the Ulterious storyline: one, most obviously, is the missing boy, Caio’s best friend. Tadeu is also a wrestler, but he’s night-and-day different from Caio. For one thing, he’s gay – and just starting to become up-front about his sexuality, so that there’s no doubt in anyone’s mind.
The other boy is a runaway slave, who escaped on the Underground Railroad 150 years previously. Like Tadeu, his journey ended at the old Northup house, where Max now resides. Thus, the past becomes the present, as original sins begin to stain the modern fabric, and everything comes full circle, pulling Caio and Max down deeper into a spiral that will lead them onward.
Ulterious is a completed, 119-page screenplay, available as a .pdf, .txt, or .fdr file. It’s low-budget, high-quality, good to go.
He is the young star in the feature film Muchacho del Flamenco. Ricky was already featured at theskykid.com when he agreed to an exclusive interview right after he got his role in the film. As many of you were interested in the recent developments about the film, I contacted the film’s producer, Mr.Stephen Ryder, asking him for an update. He informed me that Ricky and the famous flamenco dancer and choreographer Rafael Amargo are already working together at Rafael’s show and are already developing a strong bond. Mr.Ryder also provided a short video clip which once again demonstrates the extraordinary talent of the young Spanish dancer:
( the quality is not perfect , but the video is superb and quite rare)
Highly recommended to me as a powerful and emotional drama, The Leaving of Liverpool became a film I was looking forward to see.
Moreover, I was impatient to see if this made-for-TV film would be good enough to compare with the best coming of age movies made for TV as outlined in a post I wrote last year. Before you go on reading the review, keep in mind that I was warned of several shocking scenes – which may make the film unsuitable for people under the age of twelve.
The film tells the story of a group of British orphans who, after the end of WWII, are send to Australia and other parts of the world that once were part of the British Empire. in an attempt to offer them a chance to start a new life amongst the so called “Commonwealth“.
The story begins at an orphanage located in Liverpool where we first observe the way the children were treated by the ones responsible for their upbringing. Strict discipline and corporal punishment were common at many institutions ran by the Catholic Church.
We are introduced to the characters on whom the film will focus. Christine Tremarco and Kevin Jones star in the roles of Lily and Bert. Both first time actors they deliver extraordinary performances to which the film owes much of its success.
Lily is brought to the orphanage by her mother, who leaves her there with a promise to be back in six months. Bert, who has spend most of his childhood at the institution, notices Lily’s distress and, along with his best friend – a young deaf boy ( David Kaff ) – tries to distract the scared girl by showing her how to march.
Soon the kids are gathered into the study hall for an important announcement. They are to be sent to different countries to experience “great adventures” and contribute to the educated white population of several countries such as Australia, New Zealand and Canada.
When Lily and Bert hear the announcement in the school hall, they are quite confused by it – Lily is scared and does not want to live in any other country, but wait at the orphanage for her mother. Burt convinces her that it’s all just a game and nobody is going to be sending them anywhere. That’s only logical he tells her.
Yet, it turns out that the child migration schemes are quite real and in the next scenes we observe how the kids are prepared for their “big adventure”. They find themselves in an operating room, their tonsils being removed and next at the harbor waiting to board a huge ship designated to Australia. Once they arrive in Australia, after a long sea trip that does not pass without accidents, the kids are separated – girls from boys, brothers from sisters – and sent to distinct parts of the country.
Yet, instead of being housed with a new family, or finding themselves in better conditions, the children are sent to work camps and reformatory institutions.
The first part of the film focuses on the experiences of Bart and his best friend, sent to Bindoon in Western Australia where the boys are used as slave labour to build a new religious seminary. The second part of the film focuses on Lily.
Separated from the boys upon arrival, she is made to believe that her own mother signed a paper which allowed the people governing the immigrant program to send her whenever they desired. This Australian screen website features a great overview of the film, featuring Curator’s notes and two clips from it.
AP Photo/National Archives of Australia
The Leaving of Liverpool is based on real events as was recently confirmed by the Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd who issued an apology to thousands of impoverished British children shipped to Australia. You can find an article related to this at Newser.com which is illustrated with three documentary photographs. The New York Times also has an extensive article on the subject titled Australian Leader Apologizes to the ‘Lost Innocents’ .
The film is set to a slow pace and its total duration is 205 minutes. It was first broadcast in the form of mini series back in 1992. In their reviews of The Leaving of Liverpool, many people wrote that the film touched their hearts.
Being a fan of realistic dramas, I was expecting that my experience wouldn’t be much different. Yet, after the final credits rolled, I admitted to myself that even if the film was good and the story well told it failed to “involve me emotionally as much as some other dramas such as The Cure or Song for a Raggy Boy. The film, however, is a must see for every fan of the coming of age genre as the story of Lily and Burt demonstrate the best characteristics of coming of age films focusing on the characters’ life changing experiences up to and through adulthood.
I would not hesitate to recommend The Leaving of Liverpool, but suggest that, because of its length, one is better off seeing its two parts on two separate days as this would allow for more time to reflect on the scenes in the film.
A few months ago while chatting on Facebook, my pastor’s wife shared a link with me, exclaiming that I just had to listen to this singing group she had found! Being the music lover that I am, I immediately followed the link. What I found totally amazed me and captured my undivided attention. I have heard hundreds, maybe thousands, of groups sing, but it will be a long time before I find another that will match the talent exhibited by Brandon, Mississippi’s Daves Highway! This sibling group of youngsters, Delaney, Zachary, and Erika Daves blends their voices together as if they were born to, (Well In Fact They Were). Brother and Sisters together they form Daves Highway which brings some if not
“the best harmony of any youngsters I have ever heard!”
Recently I was privledged to conduct aninterview with the group. Below is the complete, unedited content of this interview:
Daves Highway InterviewJan 7, 2010When did you first realize that you could harmonize so beautifully together? (Erika) We’ve all been singing since we were little kids. We started singing together in the van driving to school. We just started singing the songs on the radio together and one thing led to another. We won a bunch of talent contests and people seemed to like us, so we learned some songs together and here we are!Some young people lose their focus when fame comes as fast as it did in your case. What do you feel helps keep you motivated, grounded, focused and yet remaining humble? (Delaney) It’s nice to have fans following us on the internet (I’m not sure about the fame part of it…are we famous?). We work a lot on our music instead of all of the other stuff like sports, cheerleading, etc. We’re grounded by our faith and our family. We just want to do our best.How do your parents feel about you working as a group and how did they react to your sudden popularity on You-Tube?(Zachary) Our parents help us a lot. They think it’s neat to see us on the internet. They’re our biggest fans. We never knew so many people would check us out on YouTube, Facebook, etc. There are a lot of nice people following Daves Highway!How have your friends reacted to your success, and how has life changed since that first YouTube video?(Erika) It hasn’t changed much. Sometimes people we don’t really know recognize us. It’s kind of fun meeting new people. We get a lot more e-mail and stuff on Facebook. Our friends are still the same and so are we. We just keep doing what we do. I realize that you are stair-step in age, but who takes the lead position for your group?(Erika) It depends. We each lead in different areas. Zachary talks on stage the most. I (Erika) talk more off the stage. Delaney is the oldest, so she likes to be the leader, too. Sometimes it depends on who’s the closest to the microphone and what’s the subject. One time we had everything planned and Zachary was going to do the talking and the TV person asked Delaney all of the questions! It was funny to me and Zachary, but Delaney did a great job. So now, we all try to be ready for the questions.Aside from your parents, who are the people that have inspired you and encouraged you the most and what famous musical artists has had the greatest influence on you? (All) Our Grandparents are our biggest fans, too. They come to everything and have helped us along. Mr. Mike Elledge in Southaven, MS is a great musical influence of ours. He’s the best musician we’ve ever known. He taught us a lot about music. Our former preacher, Steve Bennett has believed in us from the start. Many people have helped us along.As for famous musicians, two of us (Delaney and Erika) are named after Eric Clapton (we’re not sure about Zachary). But, we all love the Martins, the Eagles, the Beatles, Chris Tomlin, Little Big Town, and Lady Antebellum. We perform some of their songs. Zachary is a guitar man. He likes Stevie Ray Vaughan, Eric Clapton, and Styx. Zachary also loves lots of Christian musicians like Mark Scultz and Third Day.Erika is into Martina McBride, Carrie Underwood, Third Day, and Steven Curtis Chapman. Delaney loves Faith Hill, Little Big Town, the Martins and Martina McBride.Who does your arrangements and decides who is going to sing the lead and what harmony parts?(Delaney) We do our own arranging and figure out our songs and find our parts. Our mom helps us a lot and our dad helps sometimes, too. We do all of this by ear and don’t write down anything. We feel it and hear it. In all families, there is always some rivalry. Do you all get along as harmoniously in sibling life as you sing together?(Erika) We are laughing out loud! We can get some good singing harmony, but the rest of the time, we are just like normal brothers and sisters. We have our share of differences, but we usually stick together in the end. What hobbies do you have outside of music and performing? What are your favorite foods, school subjects?(Erika) I am the picky eater of the family. I eat basic, kid food like pizza and chicken nuggets. I love all animals, pets and puppies. And, I love to play sports. I’ll play any sport any time! Math is my favorite subject.Zachary eats a lot of everything. He likes Chinese food a lot. He loves video games, technical stuff and football. He’s a big-time New Orleans Saints fan. He is good at English.(Delaney) I like Mexican food a lot, but will eat most anything. I like to cook and love to create things like scrapbooks, sewing, etc. I’m the organized one. I love cheerleading, driving the car. My favorite subject is Math.We all cook a lot with Mom and Dad and like to watch movies together.What motivated you to make your first CD and are you already planning a second one now that the first one was so successful?
(Delaney) We’ve actually recorded 3 CD’s, but “Just For You” is the first one we’ve offered to the public. We were asked for a CD by so many fans, and things just fell into place for us. Mr. Charlie Peacock, our friend and producer, invited us to Nashville to visit and we ended up recording the CD with him. It was a great experience.
Yes, we are planning another CD. We’re writing some more songs and are looking for other original songs to record.
Are there plans to make a secular cd, and will you continue to sing a mix genre?
(Zachary) We especially like Country, Christian and Classic Rock music. We sing it all and like mixing it together. All songs by Daves Highway are positive, fun, and hopefully are good for all ages.
What is the most favorite of all the songs you do together?
(Zachary) That’s a hard question. We like all of our songs and we each have different favorites. Right now, What God’s Gonna Do is at the top. But, Free Ride is way up there for our live performance. Boondocks is also a favorite. And, Jesus Messiah is an awesome song too.!
What is the furthest you have traveled to perform and what single event was the most memorable for you?
(Delaney) We’ve done TV shows in Tampa and Atlanta. They were very cool. We enjoyed playing at Star Baptist Church where Faith Hill grew up. One of our favorite songs is the Star Spangled Banner. We’ve sung it in lots of places, but FedEx Forum at the NBA Memphis Grizzlies basketball game is lots of fun. One day, we hope to sing it for the NFL New Orleans Saints!
What are your goals and plans for the future as a group? Does anyone have a solo singing career in mind for the future?
(Delaney) We plan to make a big splash in the music world as Daves Highway! We have a message to share with the world. We want to sing songs of hope, love, and fun.
We’re planning our next CD, but we’re also focusing on our live performance (it’s a lot more fun and much better than a recording on CD).
As for a solo….we can each sing a solo as part of Daves Highway most anytime. Our strength is in our group and our family. We plan to stick together.
Is there anything else you want to share with the audience?
(Zachary) Yes. We want to thank every person who has ever visited our website www.DavesHighway.com for taking the time to check us out. And, thanks to the folks who visited us on Facebook, Youtube and other sites too. We’d love to hear from you. We hope you’ll become a fan, come see us, or leave a comment. Thanks!
What’s the best way for someone to contact Daves Highway?
(Erika) The best way is through our website www.DavesHighway.com. Our Facebook fan page is good too.
I understand that Daves Highway does many live performances. What do you like best about performing live?
We do lots of shows. We’re doing a few dates in January 2010 in Memphis, Little Rock and Jackson, MS. The dates are all on our website. We do love performing live! It’s so much fun to see all of the people. and, we get to do the songs we want to do. and, our show has a lot of energy and excitement. And now , we have a CD and when people ask us “Do you have a CD?, Can we buy a CD?” we can say “yes” to both questions! That is so cool for us!
This past holiday season, Daves Highway released their first CD to the public entitled “Just for You”. I have my signed copy already framed and hanging on my collectors wall for safe keeping. One of the best songs on this cd is entitled “Boondocks” which offers Zachary and opportunity to shine as a soloist.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1APiGAsvzYM
If you have not yet had the opportunity to visit their website, do so now. You can also read more about them on http://rivenmaster.com. I also encourage you to sign up to their fan site on Facebook for instant updates with the latest information for their concerts, television events, and other appearances.
I will promise you that you can travel all over the world looking for musical talent, and it can be found on every corner of the glob. However, Daves Highway isn’t just musical talent. They are nothing less than Mississippi Music Magic!
I encourage you to visit their ON-LINE STORE where you can purchase their CD’s and other Daves Highway items.
If you have been listening to theskykid.com radio – you may have heard two songs of the talented Serbian folk singer Emanuel Zekic. (His Facebook profile lists Bosnia y Herzegovina and the country he lives in).
I was introduced to him approximately two years ago by a friend of mine and have been following his career ever since. As his music is quite specific, he has been unable to gain the worldwide popularity that many English speaking singers do. He has already sung on stage with a band and was even on television in December, 2005. Now-a-days, with the spread of the social networking tools and services such as MySpace, YouTube, Facebook , blogs and the like, he is getting a chance to spread his music throughout the world and I am more then willing to help by introducing his songs at theskykid.com. Thanks to his recording label, Grand Zvezdica, he has already released an album and keeps working on new projects. (His father has a studio named after him StudioBojanZekic – in which the young Emanuel records his songs) .
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqwScI9Z1co
I can manage some basic Serbian – but even that did not help me to find a lot of information about himon the Internet, other than occasional commentaries that his fans have left on his YouTube clips. One thing I was about to learn is that few years ago a rumor spread in Serbia that he had died in a car crash – which turned out to be far from the truth. He is currently working on his second album and I hope that this post will help him spread his music around the globe.
One of his songs is called Forgive Me and you can watch a clip of it below:
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23PF5yaQZ1A
For most of you, Emanuel’s songs must be quite exotic.
Don’t forget to leave me comments and tell me what you think of Emanuel and his music.
Hello, dear readers of theskykid.com! Maybe you have already heard of me – I am a guest author on this blog. Today I would like to present you with a newer coming-of-age release, called Zoomerne, or Zoomers – which is the international title.
Zoomerne is a film which is quite up-to-date, not only referring to the date of release, but also to the topic that the film is dealing with. Just let me briefly sum up the content. It is about two boys, Tim (Frederik Ludvig Mansa) and Alexander (Sophus Emil Løkkegaard), who are just on the edge of puberty. They are best friends and have at least one thing in common: they are looking out for pretty girls. Alexander, however, seems to be the guy who already knows a lot about getting in contact with girls. Tim acts rather shy and “nerdy”, as his schoolmates would say. One day Tim‘s mother goes on a business trip, leaving the key to her security store behind. The boys are making a plan. They will be trying to spy on almost everybody in the school to get to know the results of one important test that would come up soon. And, of course, Alexander is at the same time trying to help Tim, with the help of the professional equipment they are using for their “big brother” project. Will he be able to get to know a possible girlfriend, not messing it up for the first time?
Well, this film is just smooth to watch. Actually, the topic is not too exclusive or brilliant at all – but there is one thing that makes it better than many other films with an almost similiar topic. It is simple: it has been produced in Denmark! It may just be a “prejudice” – but generally films that are made for children, or have children as main actors – have some kind of bonus when they are coming from the northern hemisphere. And, in “Zoomerne“, we can also taste this special mood coming from the authentic portrait of childhood. Now, as I mentioned above – this film definitely does not rank at the top of my coming-of-age film list – there are other “northern” titles far better than this one. I am thinking about “Drommen“, for example. Of course, the topic is very different: “Zoomerne” is a rather “feelgood” movie that should not be taken too seriously. But I had some fun watching it, resulting mainly from the relationship between the two boys – and how they are trying to help each other.
Of course, it is not all about befriending the desired girl from school – the focus is also drawn to the use of “spying equipment”. And, that is what makes the film suitable for a younger audience: it has some messages about the consequences that can occur when one is “spying” on other people (mainly with cameras). Even the friendship of the two boys is put to the test, as Tim gets to know some facts about his best friend that should have remained private. The relationship of the two boys is nicely portrayed – thanks to the director and the two young actors, who are rather unknown outside of Denmark. But they do a good job in the film, considering the roles they are playing, and in my opinion the roles could not have been played much better.
So, what about the other aspects of this film? The camera-work looks very nice, as does the cutting. There are some nice scene setups – but unfortunately not too many to differentiate. Again, nothing too extraordinary here – but at the same time nothing will “bother” you. The soundtrack is rather thin – there is no “real” score, just some (mostly “exciting”) tunes to underline the situations in the film.
Once again I’d like to highlight the most important thing, and then I will sum this one up. Naturally, I am talking about the story and the messages. Well, it is an entertaining movie, especially for kids. But if you are watching it with the whole family – the adults will not be bored either. And, the most important thing: they most likely will not complain about this or that little nuisance in the film, because it basically makes everything right. But, if I had to fully rate it – which is what I am going to do now – I have to cut back here, in terms of missing originality, inspiration and emotionality (at least a little). This is why I would only rate the story and conclusion with 2 points (out of 4). It still has some good, funny and exciting elements. Adding 1.7 (out of 2) for the actors, 1.2 (out of 2) for the optics, 0.5 (out of 1) for the music and sound, and 0.6 (out of 1) for my own taste – I rate Zoomerne at 6 out of 10 points, which comes very close to the average rating of the international IMDB-members. Try to form your own opinion and watch the trailer:
Most of you are probably familiar with his music – yet I hope that this article serves as a reminder to check his recent songs. It has been several years since I heard of Grant Austin Taylor for the very first time – yet I am thankful that a visitor to my blog sent me a message about him and naturally I could not resist doing an article on him. I almost feel guilty that I had to be reminded of this incredible performer — keeping in mind that he plays my favorite style of music (rock). I am repeating myself a bit here as I wrote something similar about Zach Raizman, but this only confirms how much one could miss while trying to stay updated with the scene out there.
leasant touch in the film was the appearance of the well known French actor, Gérard Jugnot ( you may remember him as a teacher and choirmaster in another classic French film Les choristes). As soon as I saw him, I could not resist smiling, especially considering the scene in which he was acting. The film is packed with hilarious scenes and this is probably the first time I would consider a movie equally as good as the book it is based on. Oh well. Admittedly the book byRené Goscinny is just a bit funnier though in its 90 minutes of screen time, it really entertains the viewer. But, in my opinion, the film would succeed better as a believeable and realistic story if it didn’t end so soon. Those 90 minutes pass quite rapidly, which makes we wonder if another hour of filming would have been beneficial to the film. There would have been more time to include more of the original stories, as many were left out.
He is the young star in the feature film Muchacho del Flamenco. Ricky was already featured at theskykid.com when he agreed to an 
