Everyone likes coming of age novels. And while there are many titles to choose from, one can never commit a mistake if the choice lies with a classical title such as Mark Twain’s TheAdventures of Huckleberry Finn. The famous novel of the American writer is known all over the world. For many kids, the characters of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn and their adventures become a source of inspiration — lighting up their imaginations and their desire to explore the world.
Like most of you, I must have read both The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn more than once. I have seen films based on the books, but it was not until recently when I found out that Audible.com released a new audio-book: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, read by Elijah Wood, that I was filled with a desire to revisit both my childhood and the wonderful world created by Twain. Furthermore, I realized that through the creation of the character of Huckleberry Finn, with his penchant for mischief, sense of right and wrong (which like for every other teen does not necessarily coincide with the standards set by society) and the desire to take on the world — Mark Twain has accurately portrayed the coming of age process in which youthful innocence is challenged by the “increasingly technological and complex word of adulthood”.
For the unlikely theskykid.com reader among you who doesn’t know the story, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a coming of age narrative told in the first person from the perspective of Huck Finn – a young boy in his adolescence who is both a protagonist and an observer. Elijah Wood did a wonderful job narrating the story, capturing Huck’s spirit and presenting it to the listener in an original and believable manner thanks to his youthful voice and use of the Southern accent of the story protagonists. While one would think that it is not so important, after you spend some time listening, you will feel just as if you have traveled back in time and are sailing down the Mississippi River on that raft alongside Huck and Jim. Some of you may remember Elijah Wood’s portrayal of the character whose story he is now narrating, from the 1993 Disney film The Adventures of Huck Finn. Without a doubt, his experience in portraying Huck Finn in the film played its role, allowing him (and the listeners of the story) to identify with the compassionate thirteen-year-old boy.
To complete this audio book review, I would like to quote Mary B. O’Shea, who summarized the Huckleberry Finn character in her essay Crazy From the Heart – Southern Boys and Coming of Age, published in the book Where the Boys Are – Cinemas of Masculinity and Youth :
“…when positioned as the central figure in the almost invariably nostalgic mode of the coming of age story, the Finn archetype carries the nostalgic weight of adolescence itself”
You can hear a sample ofThe Adventures of Huckleberry Finn at Audible.com
Five months ago, I had never heard of Abraham Mateo, a twelve-year-old singer from San Fernando (by Cadiz) Spain. Now I believe he is probably the best young Latin pop singer in the world at the moment!
I know tastes in music are always subjective, but I have three objective reasons for my choice. The most important: Abraham’s confident voice is able to flawlessly sing the most complex passages! Even in songs he sang at a younger age, I cannot find a single missed note! Unbelievable!
Hasta hace cinco meses no había oído hablar de Abraham Mateo, un cantante de doce años de edad que vive en San Fernando (Cádiz), en España. ¡Ahora creo que Abraham es probablemente en este momento el mejor cantante juvenil de pop latino en el mundo!
Sé que el gusto musical es siempre subjetivo, pero tengo tres razones objetivas que justifican mi opinión. La primera y más importante es la seguridad que tiene Abraham en su voz. Es capaz de cantar sin dificultad los pasajes más complejos. ¡Incluso en las canciones que cantaba hace un par de años, no he podido encontrar una sola nota mal colocada! ¡Increíble!
Abraham started competing in contests in Andalucia at age seven, making his TV debut at age nine on Canal Sur. At age ten, EMI MUSIC SPAIN discovered him after they heard his performance on the Spanish television show Menuda Noche and signed him, producing the first album called Abraham Mateo and a single Vuelve Conmigo in 2009.
Abraham comenzó compitiendo en festivales de música en Andalucía a la edad de 7 años, haciendo su debut en televisión en Canal Sur a los 9 años. A los diez años firmó un contrato con EMI Music Spain, quien se fijó en él por sus múltiples presentaciones en Canal Sur, lanzando al mercado en el año 2009 su primer álbum titulado “Abraham Mateo” y el single “Vuelve Conmigo”.
So young Abraham, who grew up singing with his older brother Tony, is already a seasoned performer.
Two more reasons…
Most good young singers with good voices deliver good songs. Abraham delivers small masterpieces, preserved by cameras and recorders! He is determined to overwhelm us with the intensity of his singing and the magic of his songs!
A pesar de su juventud, Abraham, quien ha crecido cantando junto a su hermano mayor Tony, es ya un artista con experiencia. Dos razones más. La mayoría de los jóvenes cantantes con voces privilegiadas son capaces de deleitarnos con buenas interpretaciones. Abraham, sin embargo, nos entrega pequeñas obras maestras, conservadas gracias a las cámaras y equipos de grabación. ¡Él es capaz de cautivarnos con la intensidad de su interpretación y con la magia de sus canciones!
Which leads to my third reason…
As an actor in a film in which he portrays the young Raphael (Dias sin Luz), one of Spain’s best known singers, Abraham also shows his talent for the theatrical. This ability to really dramatize his songs through gestures and expressions is also a part of his repertoire.
I asked Abraham some questions through the interpreter Carlos Salazar for theSkyKid.com
Esto me lleva a la tercera razón. Como actor, interpretando al pequeño Raphael, uno de los cantantes españoles más conocidos, en la película del mismo nombre, Abraham muestra también su dotes histriónicas. Su habilidad para dramatizar sus canciones a través de gestos y expresiones también forma parte de su repertorio.
Le he pedido a Abraham que nos responda algunas preguntas para TheSkyKid.com a través de Carlos Salazar, quien ha servido de intérprete para esta entrevista.
rjmendera: Abraham, how do you memorize your songs? Is there a method that you use? How long does it take you to learn a new song?
Abraham, ¿de qué forma memorizas tus canciones? ¿Empleas algún método para ello? ¿Cuánto tiempo necesitas para aprender una nueva canción?
Abraham Mateo: I memorize the songs very fast. I easily retain the lyrics of the songs because I like music very much, and everything related to music comes very easy to me. Learning depends on the kind of song, but normally after listening three times i’m almost ready to sing it. Of course it takes more time to improve and really make it mine!
Las canciones las memorizo muy rápido. Tengo la gran suerte de que se me queda todo muy pronto en la mente, y como me gusta tanto la música pues me es muy fácil todo lo relacionado con ella.
En cuanto al tiempo que tardo, pues depende de cada canción, pero lo normal es que la oiga unas tres veces y ya casi la tenga lista. ¡El tiempo que luego me tomo es para perfeccionarla y hacerla todo lo mía posible!
rjmendera: Has your brother been a big influence on your singing? What person has helped you most to sing so well?
¿Ha sido tu hermano una gran influencia para ti en tus inicios como cantante? ¿Qué personas han contribuido más a tu formación como cantante?
Abraham Mateo: My brother in my opinion is a great singer and performer who sings with heart and knows how to communicate what he sings. I’m very proud of him and always wanted to sing like him. He gives me good advice and we share the same taste in music! We’re united and love each other as brothers!
My mother has contributed the most to my singing. I really started singing with her and she is the one who gave us music according to our voices. My brother and I sing at home as though we were in a contest and our parents play the jury! We still do that. It’s fantastic. We owe our parents our education as singers!
Mi hermano para mi es un grandísimo cantante e intérprete. Él canta con el corazón y sabe transmitir lo que canta. ¡Él es mi orgullo! Yo quería cantar como lo hacía él, le oía todos los días. Él me da muy buenos consejos y compartimos la música y nuestros gustos por ella cien por cien. Estamos muy unidos.¡Nos queremos mucho!
También ha contribuido mucho en ello mi madre. Realmente empezamos a cantar con ella y ha sido la persona que nos conseguía la base musical al tono de nuestra voz. ¡Lo pasábamos genial cantando uno y luego el otro como si estuviéramos en un concurso, y nuestros padres eran los jurados! Aún lo hacemos. Es fantástico. ¡Nuestra formación como cantante se la debemos a nuestros padres!
rjmendera: Do you have some good friends that you hang out with and do you play any sports on a team?
¿Tienes buenos amigos con los que te gusta salir? ¿Qué te gusta hacer en tu tiempo libre? ¿Practicas algún deporte?
Abraham Mateo: I have many good friends and always have a great time with them! During my free time, my passion is writing songs! I have already written eleven and my producer, Jacobo Calderon, thinks they are very good! I also take guitar and piano lessons and vocal training. I like swimming and bike riding, especially riding bikes with my father. My other passion is the cinema. I love movies and hope to become a great actor.
¡Tengo muy buenos amigos y me lo paso genial con ellos!Mi tiempo libre lo empleo en componer, ¡es mi pasión! Ya he compuesto once canciones, ¡y mi productor Jacobo Calderón me ha dicho que son muy buenas! También doy clases de guitarra, de canto y de piano. El deporte que practico es la natación y montar en bici. Me sienta genial, voy con mi padre y pasamos muy buenos ratos juntos en bicicleta.Otra pasión que tengo es el cine, me encanta el cine, ¡ojalá llegue a ser un gran actor!
rjmendera: Who is your favorite adult singer and your favorite young singer?
¿Cuál es tu cantante adulto favorito, y tu cantante juvenil favorito?
Abraham Mateo: I have many, but only one idol — David Bustamante! My favorite Latin singers are Raphael, Luis Miguel, Alejandro Fernandez, Cristian Castro and Luis Fonsi. But i admire all great artists! In the English language, I like Celine Dion, Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey! They’re all great! Favorite young singers are Caroline Costa, Justin Bieber and a Mexican ranchera singer called Gabriela Sepulveda.
Cantantes favoritos tengo muchos, ¡ídolo uno solo, David Bustamante! Como cantantes favoritos en español tengo a Raphael, Luis Miguel, Alejandro Fernández, Cristian Castro y Luis Fonsi. ¡Todos los grandes a los que admiro!Mis cantantes favoritos en inglés son Celine Dion, Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey. ¡Son todos geniales! Como artista infantil me gusta una chica mexicana cantante de rancheras que se llama Gabriela Sepúlveda, también está Caroline Costa (francesa), y por supuesto me gusta el artista juvenil Justin Bieber.
In his first major song in English we heard an amazing cover of Celine Dione’s “I Surrender”. Granted, some English words still need work, but the vocals are stunning!
En su primera canción en inglés escuchamos una versión sorprendente del tema “I Surrender ” de Celine Dion. Aunque todavía necesita mejorar la pronunciación de algunas palabras en inglés, su interpretación vocal en este idioma es igualmente impresionante.
rjmendera: With which well-known artist would you most like to sing a duet?
¿Con qué artista conocido te gustaría cantar a dúo?
Abraham Mateo: I have already had the honour of singing with David Bustamante, David de Maria, Rosa Lopez, Melody, Caroline Costa, and Raphael! It would be a dream to sing with Celine Dione, Luis Fonsi (Puerto Rico) or Cristian Castro (Mexico).
He tenido el gran privilegio de cantar con David Bustamante, David de María, Rosa López, Melody, Caroline Costa y Raphael. La verdad sería un sueño poder cantar con Celine Dion, Luis Fonsi ó Cristian Castro.
rjmendera: What’s the funniest thing that’s ever happened to you in connection with a performance?
¿Puedes contarnos alguna anécdota graciosa que te haya ocurrido en alguna presentación tuya?
Abraham Mateo: During a LIVE performance on a Spanish TV show, which was being broadcast to an audience of over four million viewers, my music started playing before I got on stage! I asked them to start again and the music played but cut out AGAIN! The third try worked and I sang Without You by Mariah Carey. The audience gave me a standing ovation. I didn’t lose my cool and I’ll never forget that!
Como anécdota podría contar mi presentación en “Mas Que Baile”. Era una presentación con emisión en directo a nivel nacional, con una audiencia de más de cuatro millones de telespectadores. Cuando salí a plató me lanzaron la música empezada. ¡Tuve que pedir por favor que me volvieran a lanzar la música! Me lanzaron la música una segunda vez, pero se volvió a cortar. Finalmente, y por tercera vez, pude cantar “Without You”, y la verdad gustó, ¡el público me aplaudió mucho! Gracias a Dios nunca perdí la calma. ¡Jamás olvidaré esa presentación!
rjmendera: Do you have any tour plans in the future or in 2011?
¿Tienes planes de alguna gira musical en el futuro cercano o en el 2011?
Abraham Mateo: Because of my age and Spanish laws, I was not able to tour this year. When you are under 16, your songs may not play in the charts of main radio stations, you can’t go on stage after 10:00 pm and there are other restrictions. I’m hoping to give a concert next year — fulfilling the requirements of course.
Este año no ha podido ser porque aquí en España hay una serie de requisitos que tienes que cumplir cuando eres menor de 16 años. Por ejemplo, no puedes subir a un escenario pasadas las 10 de la noche, ni entras en listas de radios importantes como cuarenta principales, entre otras restricciones. Sin embargo, el año próximo espero hacer algún concierto cumpliendo todas estas normas, claro.
rjmendera: Where can your fans buy your music?
¿Dónde pueden tus fans comprar tu música?
Abraham Mateo: Fans can buy my debut album at any music store in Spain. Outside of Spain, you can get it from iTunes or from my official website, or from EMI Music Spain. The album has five beautiful ballads, one ranchero and one up-tempo song, written by Jacobo Calderon. It also features covers of well-known songs by Mariah Carey, Raphael, Luis Fonsi, Alejandro Sanz and Laura Pausini.
Mi disco ha salido a la venta en toda España, se puede comprar en cualquier tienda de discos del país.Mis fans fuera de España lo pueden comprar a través de Itunes o desde mi Web oficial en EMI Music Spain. Mi disco incluye siete canciones originales compuestas especialmente para mí por mi productor Jacobo Calderón. Son cinco baladas preciosas, una ranchera y una muy cañera que me encanta. También versiono canciones conocidas de artistas como Mariah Carey, Raphael, Luis Fonsi, Alejandro Sanz y Laura Pausini.
rjmendera: In what place would you love to sing your own concert?
¿En qué lugar te gustaría dar un concierto?
Abraham Mateo: At the Lope de Vega theatre in Madrid, or on Broadway in New York!
¡Me encantaría dar un concierto en el teatro Lope de Vega de Madrid y también sería un sueño dar un concierto en Broadway, en Nueva York!
rjmendera: You are winning more fans daily in Europe and around the world. Anything else you’d like to say to them?
Estás ganando diariamente nuevos fans en Europa y en el resto del mundo. ¿Quisieras decirle algo más a tus fans?
Abraham Mateo: My fans are most important to me! They encourage me to keep going on and I want to thank them for all their support. I’m very proud to count so many fans from so many countries I don’t know yet, but hope to visit soon. I want to embrace every one of my fans and tell them from my heart: I love you!
¡Decirles que ellos son lo más importante para poder seguir avanzando, que sin ellos nada de esto tendría sentido! Muchísimas gracias por todo el apoyo que me dan. Me siento orgulloso de contar con fans de tantos países que aún no conozco pero sueño con conocer muy pronto. Tengo ganas de abrazar a todos y decirles y gritarles con el corazón: ¡Os quiero mucho!
In recent months we have seen many songs performed in front of (or in virtual duets with) prominent singers, usually on Menuda Noche.
I like the way Abraham descends from his platform, casting off the role of “star singer” like a stage costume, and becoming just a normal kid–unpretentious, wide-eyed, one of us! It’s this humility that is most impressive! We wish Abraham Mateo much success in his career and look forward to more brilliant songs from him.
En los últimos meses hemos visto a Abraham interpretando numerosas canciones delante de (o haciendo dúos mágicos con) importantes cantantes en el programa Menuda Noche.
Me gusta la forma en que Abraham desciende del escenario, se “libera” del papel de Cantante Estrella como si quitara un disfraz, y regresa a ser un niño normal, sencillo, inocente, ¡uno de nosotros! ¡Su humildad es lo que más me impresiona de él! Le deseamos a Abraham Mateo mucho éxito en su carrera y que nos siga deleitando con sus brillantes canciones.
rjmendera for theSkyKid.com
rjmendera para the SkyKid.com
(Traducción del artículo original en inglés: Carlos Salazar)
“Lots of people didn’t know Kees Bakels. And one wonders why? Isn’t he the most important boy who ever lived?”
The quote above is from the opening of the coming-of-age film Kees de Jongen (Young Kees), based on the novel with the same name written by the popular Dutch writer and educator Theo Thijssen. If youdon’t know Keels Backels – don`t worry, because after you see the film you will know him and his world better than the kid next door. Isn’t Kees Bakels the most important boy that ever lived? You’ll have to watch the film to find out the answer to this question.
The main protagonist in Kees de Jongen is a twelve-year-old boy growing up in Amsterdam in 1895. He is not rich, but loves to dream about what he would wear or do if he were. In fact, being a sensible boy with a wild imagination, he loves to dream of just about anything – often mixing fantasy with the real world. His fantasies are illustrated in such a natural manner that one wonders whether he is observing reality or the boy’s dream world. The young Kees seems just as confused about that difference, or, rather, uses his resourcefulness to enhance his world to help him deal with the challenges that life has in store for him. And, as for every young person, there are plenty of challenges in his life – his father becomes sick, Kees has to find a way to support his mother and younger brother and sister, and do well at school, while all the while trying to manage his feelings for a newcomer to his school – a girl called Rosa Overbeek.
Boys becoming men is an enduring theme in fiction. It’s difficult to find anyone who didn’t read at least one of the two best-known (and best) examples of the genre—John Knowles’s A Separate Peace and J. D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye—in high school or college (and sometimes in both). Coming-of-age novels describe a search for understanding, not only of oneself, but also of the often mysterious, contradictory, and sometimes frightening adult world. They help readers reflect on their own experiences and offer a (sometimes minimal) consolation that one’s feelings are not unique. Although many coming-of-age novels are, perforce, autobiographical in nature and earnest in tone (often overly so), many are filled with vivid characters and fresh insights.
Cormac McCarthy’s novels are usually far too violent for me, but I found All the Pretty Horses difficult to put down. This gorgeously written contemporary classic, set in the late 1940s, is the story of John Grady Cole who, along with a friend, leaves his Texas home in search of adventure in Mexico, where he encounters experiences that turn him, unwillingly, into a man.
In Testing the Current by William McPherson, Tommy McAllister grows up awfully quickly during his ninth year, when he becomes aware of the inconsistencies and outright lies in the lives of his parents and their friends.
As an adult, Anton Steenwijk tries to come to terms with the 1945 murder near his childhood home of a Nazi collaborator, and the subsequent brutal retaliation suffered by his family, in Harry Mulisch’s The Assault.
Alan Brown lays out a complicated childhood and difficult coming-of-age for his protagonist, Toshi, in Audrey Hepburn’s Neck. Toshi’s belated discovery of his mother’s awful past in war-torn Japan leads him finally to understand and, perhaps, forgive her for deserting him and his father.
In Isaac and His Devils by Fernanda Eberstadt, young genius Isaac Hooker moves slowly toward adulthood, trying to balance the competing visions for his future of his overbearing mother and his passive father.
In Nick Hornby’s lighthearted About a Boy, thirty-something, rich, selfish, and very hip Will Freeman finally grows up only after becoming involved in the lives of Fiona and Marcus, Fiona’s twelve-year-old son, who is solidly square and very unhappy.
Set in 1970s Birmingham, England, Jonathan Coe’s The Rotters’ Club explores the pangs and pains of adolescence through the experiences of Ben Trotter and his friends, which include unrequited love, faltering attempts to start a rock band, and subversion of the school newspaper.
To find out more about coming of age books check out this related category. If you have a comments or suggestions for other books we should review don`t hesitate to use the comments box below or the contact us form. Don’t forget to check the the Top 5 Coming of Age Books for Girls article as well as participate in the discusion there as well.
Nota Bene : This article is reprint from the original article published at a wiki blog called “Book Lust-A Community for People Who Love Books with Nancy Pearl”. Because the original article is no longer available online, we decided to reprint it for the benefit of all people who are fond of coming of age stories and literature. We do not claim ownership of the text published above and are acting purely as a mediator in preserving the wonderful research done by Nancy Pearl and her readers.
The Sound of Music is a classic musical film. Indeed, many think it’s the best movie musical ever made. It remains to this day the only film I’ve ever seen in a movie theater more than twice (I saw it eight times) and it ranks in my top three all-time favorite films and is my favorite movie musical. After seeing the film, one left the theater literally singing the catchy music from the film – classics such as Do-Re-Me, My Favorite Things, Climb Every Mountain, Edelweiss and, of course, The Sound of Music.
The film is based upon a memoir called The Story of the Trapp Family Singers about Georg and Maria von Trapp and their children in pre-WWII Austria, first made into a popular Broadway musical in 1959 by the famous team of Rogers and Hammerstein and then adapted for the big screen and released in 1965.
The storyline…
As the movie begins, Maria is a postulant (one who is discerning to become a nun) in 1930’s Austria, and she is failing miserably at it. She loves life, loves people and loves music. The wise Mother Abbess at the convent where Maria lives decides that Maria needs to experience more of life to make sure living a cloistered life in a convent is what she is really called to do. So when Navy Captain Georg von Trapp contacts the convent looking for a governess for his seven motherless children, Maria is given the job.
The Captain runs his household like he runs a ship – full of rules and discipline. The children are unhappy and resentful of the many governesses their father has hired and have become very good at running them off as fast as the Captain can hire them.
They begin to do the same with Maria when she first arrives, but because of her kindness and understanding towards them and because of the sense of fun she has about her and her obvious love of music (which the children also loved in their household when their mother was alive), she soon draws them in. She brings some much needed joy to their lives and, eventually, to the Captain’s as well.
Eventually the Captain and Maria find themselves falling in love, despite the fact that Georg is already engaged to a Baroness and Maria is still technically a postulant. Will they marry? It’s the 1930’s in pre war Austria. Will the Captain be called to duty by the Nazi’s when Austria is annexed to Germany? What will happen to the children?
The Sound of Music stars Hollywood leading man Christopher Plummer as Georg (the Captain) and relative newcomer Julie Andrews as Maria. Ms. Andrews had her film debut the year before The Sound of Music was released in another very popular film – Mary Poppins. She won the Academy Award for Best Actress for that movie, but it was The Sound of Music that made Julie Andrews an internationally known movie star or, as she puts it, “it changed my life and made my career”. She went on to star in other popular films such as Hawaii, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Star!,Victor Victoria and The Princess Diaries.
Besides its two big stars, Director Robert Wise cast seven relative unknowns as the von Trapp children. One of them was somewhat better known than the others. Angela Cartwright, who at the age of 3 was Danny Thomas’s TV daughter on Make Room for Daddy, was probably the best known of the seven. She would later go on to play Penny on the TV show Lost in Space. The children ranged in age from 5 to 21 — five girls and two boys, and all became world famous as a result of being cast in the film.
The cinematography in the film is wonderful, filled with scenes of the majestic Austrian Alps as a backdrop and quaint cityscapes of Salzburg, Austria. The colors are vivid and the authentic costumes add to the overall look. And, of course, there’s that unparalleled soundtrack of Rogers and Hammerstein music that just so aptly moves the plot along.
The movie is of the coming of age genre. In addition to the obvious coming of age of the children in the film, growing up in pre-war Austria, in a sense it’s also a coming of age for the female lead too — Maria — who is trying to figure out her place in life. At the beginning, she thinks that’s to be a nun, but as the movie continues she sees her life headed in another direction.
The official, pre-release trailer of the movie, the one used in movie theaters to promote The Sound of Music, offers theskykid.com readers a good feel for all the various aspects of the movie mentioned above. You can get a good taste of the scenery, the music and some of the most popular scenes from the movie itself.
This year marks the 45th anniversary of the film’s release in 1965. In 1966, the film was nominated for 10 Academy Awards (Oscars), winning five – including Best Picture. Director Robert Wise also won an Oscar for Best Director for the film. To celebrate its 45 years of entertaining audiences world-wide, for the first time the film is now available in HD on Blueray.
To commemorate the anniversary, Oprah Winfrey recently did a reunion of the actors who played the von Trapps in the movie – the Captain, Maria and the seven children – the first time all of them have been united in such a way in 45 years. Video of that show can be found on Oprah’s website.
NBC’s Today Show also did a 45th Anniversary reunion of the cast (this time minus the Captain – Christopher Plummer who was making a new movie). Julie Andrews and the “von Trapp children” were interviewed by the popular morning program’s Ann Curry and Kathy Lee Gifford. Here’s some video footage of that interview.
Film title: The Sound of Music
Release year: 1965 – 20th Century Fox
Director: Robert Wise
Cast: Julie Andrews, Christopher Plummer, Eleanor Parker, Richard Haydn, Peggy Wood, Charmian Carr, Nicholas Hammond, Heather Menzies, Duane Chase, Angela Cartwright, Debbie Turner, Kym Karath and others
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:
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.
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.
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!
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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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 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.
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. “
Everyone likes coming of age novels. And while there are many titles to choose from, one can never commit a mistake if the choice lies with a classical title such as Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. The famous novel of the American writer is known all over the world. For many kids, the characters of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn and their adventures become a source of inspiration — lighting up their imaginations and their desire to explore the world.
For the unlikely theskykid.com reader among you who doesn’t know the story, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a coming of age narrative told in the first person from the perspective of Huck Finn – a young boy in his adolescence who is both a protagonist and an observer. Elijah Wood did a wonderful job narrating the story, capturing Huck’s spirit and presenting it to the listener in an original and believable manner thanks to his youthful voice and use of the Southern accent of the story protagonists. While one would think that it is not so important, after you spend some time listening, you will feel just as if you have traveled back in time and are sailing down the Mississippi River on that raft alongside Huck and Jim. Some of you may remember Elijah Wood’s portrayal of the character whose story he is now narrating, from the 1993 Disney film The Adventures of Huck Finn. Without a doubt, his experience in portraying Huck Finn in the film played its role, allowing him (and the listeners of the story) to identify with the compassionate thirteen-year-old boy.
Boys becoming men is an enduring theme in fiction. It’s difficult to find anyone who didn’t read at least one of the two best-known (and best) examples of the genre—John Knowles’s A Separate Peace and J. D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye—in high school or college (and sometimes in both). Coming-of-age novels describe a search for understanding, not only of oneself, but also of the often mysterious, contradictory, and sometimes frightening adult world. They help readers reflect on their own experiences and offer a (sometimes minimal) consolation that one’s feelings are not unique. Although many coming-of-age novels are, perforce, autobiographical in nature and earnest in tone (often overly so), many are filled with vivid characters and fresh insights.
In Nick Hornby’s lighthearted About a Boy, thirty-something, rich, selfish, and very hip Will Freeman finally grows up only after becoming involved in the lives of Fiona and Marcus, Fiona’s twelve-year-old son, who is solidly square and very unhappy.
The Sound of Music stars Hollywood leading man Christopher Plummer as Georg (the Captain) and relative newcomer Julie Andrews as Maria. Ms. Andrews had her film debut the year before The Sound of Music was released in another very popular film – Mary Poppins. She won the Academy Award for Best Actress for that movie, but it was The Sound of Music that made Julie Andrews an internationally known movie star or, as she puts it, “it changed my life and made my career”. She went on to star in other popular films such as Hawaii, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Star!, Victor Victoria and The Princess Diaries.
The Next Megastar: Straalen McCallum – that’s how we titled 
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.
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?
Film title: The Hole