Earlier this week, Sex And The City actress Cynthia Nixon announced that she is running for governor in NY.
To be honest, I have mixed feeling about her running.
It’s no secret that there is obvious corruption in the highest levels of state government. More than a few government officials have been accused and/or found guilty of using their power for less than honorable means.
While her political activism is well-known, she lacks real world political experience. I think myself and many other voters might think twice about voting for a candidate who lacks a professional political background. Especially considering that you know is sending this country to Hades in hand basket.
My other concern is that while she appeals to left leaning voters who live in and around New York City, she also has to appeal to voters who live in the rest of the state. Once you get out of New York City, what is blue when it comes to politics becomes red.
Her name recognition certainly helps, but she will need more than that, if she is to find herself in Albany later this year.
Only time will tell if she wins the election, but I have a feeling that it will not be an easy path to walk on, metaphorically speaking.
*Warning: This post contains spoilers in regards to the narrative and characters from the musical Fiddler On The Roof. Read at your own risk if you have not seen the movie or any of the stage adaptations.
There is something to be said about a well written, human character. They leap off the page and speak to us as if they were right in front us, as flesh and blood human beings, instead of fictional creations.
In this series of weekly blog posts, I will examine character using the characters from Fiddler On The Roof to explore how writers can create fully dimensional, human characters that audiences and readers can relate to.
Any writer worth their salt will tell you that one of the basic elements of a story is a character arc. The character starts off in one place and ends in another place. One of the under used common character arcs is that of a character who find the confidence to speak up for himself or herself and while doing so, makes their dream a reality.
In Fiddler On The Roof, the audience is introduced to Motel as Tzeitel’s childhood playmate and hopeful intended. The problem is that he is a poor tailor and Tzeitel’s parents have chosen a husband for their daughter who is higher on the social and economic scale. The problem is that every time he tries to ask Tevye for his blessing, he bumbles it up. Motel, to put it bluntly, in the beginning of the story needs to grow a backbone.
He does so, by finally asking Tevye to break tradition by asking for his blessing to marry Tzeitel. It’s not easy, especially considering the strict rules of the era and the fact that he is quite terrified of Tevye when we meet him initially. But he does so, in spite of the fear and receives the blessing he has hoped for.
To sum it up: Motel’s journey reminds me of one of my favorite Carrie Fisher quotes:
“Stay afraid, but do it anyway. What’s important is the action. You don’t have to wait to be confident. Just do it and eventually the confidence will follow.”
Motel’s journey feels very human. Sometimes the one thing we need to succeed when taking a risk is confidence, even if we don’t feel we have it. Motel takes the risk, knowing that Tevye could easily say no and force his daughter to marry the much older and wealthier butcher. But Tevye says yes and Motel’s risk pays off. In life as in fiction, taking a risk and having the confidence to do so is never easy. The outcome of the risk is not guaranteed. But we’ll never know until we try.
On the surface, the basic tenets of American life guarantee life, liberty and pursuit of happiness for all citizens. But the truth is that there many disenfranchised citizens who must fight for that life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
Sarah McBride was born a boy. But something inside of her didn’t feel right. She knew that she was supposed to be a girl. Her transformation into her true and authentic self is chronicle in her new memoir, Tomorrow Will Be Different: Love, Loss, and the Fight for Trans Equality. Coming out in college, Sarah began the long and difficult process to become a woman. This long and difficult path included meeting her first love/husband and using her voice to help other trans people who are embarking on the same journey she went on.
I loved this memoir. I loved it not only because it was honest, but also because it was open. It’s not easy to be your authentic self, especially when that self goes against what everyone else says you should be. I admire her strength, her courage, her honestly and her willingness to be a voice for the disenfranchised who are still fighting for the right just to be themselves.
One of the more fascinating things about the human species is that we are extremely curious in regards to how the other half lives. Especially those who are famous and wealthy.
One of the mini genres of the overall reality television genre are the reality shows based around the lives of celebrities. From 2002-2005, The Osbournes gave audiences a glimpse of the inner workings of their family and their world. The show centered on Ozzy, the former front man of Black Sabbath, his wife Sharon and their younger children, Kelly and Jack. Ozzy was the mumbling, bumbling father. Sharon was the no-nonsense mother. Kelly and Jack were simply teenagers.
During its heyday, it was the most popular show on MTV. What made it so popular is that despite the money and the fame, The Osbournes were an ordinary family dealing with ordinary problems.
Writergurlny 