My Life , My Blog

  Barbara Shelley, born Barbara T. Kowin (February 13, 1932 – January 4, 2021) She appeared in more than 100 films and TV series and was particularly known for her work in horror films. In 1958, she made her first significant appearance in a film for Hammer, The Camp on Blood Island. She took a number of roles in gothic horror features for Hammer, such as Blood of the Vampire (1958), The Gorgon (1964) and Rasputin, the Mad Monk (1966). She became the company's top female star and was nicknamed the "Queen of Hammer". She also appeared in Village of the Damned (1960), Dracula, Prince of Darkness (1966), and Quatermass and the Pit (1967). Although she is known as a scream queen, her most famous scream (in Dracula) was dubbed by co-star Suzan Farmer. Her television appearances include the first Danger Man episode, "View from a Villa" (1960), plus a subsequent episode that season, "The Traitor" (also 1960); The Saint (1962), an episode of The New Phil Silve...

  avid Soul, born David Richard Solberg (August 28, 1943 – January 4, 2024) He was known for his role as Detective Kenneth "Hutch" Hutchinson in the television series Starsky & Hutch from 1975 to 1979; Joshua Bolt on Here Come the Brides from 1968 to 1970; and Officer John Davis in Magnum Force in 1973. He also starred in the 1979 hit TV movie adaptation Salem's Lot by Stephen King. Soul first gained national attention as the "Covered Man" appearing on The Merv Griffin Show in 1966 and 1967, on which he sang while wearing a mask. He explained: "My name is David Soul, and I want to be known for my music." The same year, he made his television debut in Flipper. His breakthrough came when he portrayed Detective Ken "Hutch" Hutchinson on Starsky & Hutch, a role he played from 1975 until 1979. Soul also directed three episodes of Starsky and Hutch: "Huggy Can't Go Home" (1979), "Manchild on the Streets" (1977), and ...

  Glynis Margaret Payne Johns (October 5, 1923 – January 4, 2024) In a career spanning eight decades on stage and screen, Johns appeared in more than 60 films and 30 plays. She received various accolades throughout her career, including a Tony Award and a Drama Desk Award as well as nominations for an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Laurence Olivier Award. She appeared on stage from a young age and was typecast as a stage dancer from early adolescence, making her screen debut in South Riding (1938). She rose to prominence in the 1940s following her role as Anna in the war drama film 49th Parallel (1941), for which she won a National Board of Review Award for Best Acting, and starring roles in Miranda (1948) and Third Time Lucky (1949). Following No Highway in the Sky (1951), a joint British-American production, Johns took on increasingly more roles in the United States and elsewhere. She made her television and Broadway debuts in 1952 and took on starring roles in such f...

  Veronica Greenfield, born Veronica Yvette, and known as Ronnie Spector (August 10, 1943 – January 12, 2022) Spector was part of the girl group the Ronettes in 1957 with her elder sister, Estelle Bennett, and their cousin, Nedra Talley. Ronnie fronted the group while record producer Phil Spector produced the majority of their recording output. The two were married in 1968 and separated in 1972. Bennett sang lead on the Ronettes' string of hits in the early-to-mid–1960s, including "Be My Baby" (1963), "Baby, I Love You" (1963), "The Best Part of Breakin' Up" (1964) and "Walking in the Rain" (1964). In 1964 she launched a solo career with the single "So Young". After 1980 she released five studio albums: Siren (1980), Unfinished Business (1987), Something's Gonna Happen (2003), Last of the Rock Stars (2006) and English Heart (2016). Bennett also recorded one extended play, She Talks to Rainbows (1999). In 1986 her career revi...

  Rosa Lee Hawkins (October 23,1945-January 11, 2022) Hawkins was the youngest member of the musical trio the Dixie Cups, whose hit single “Chapel of Love” reached No. 1 on the Billboard 100 in 1964. The other members were her sister Barbara, and Joan Marie Johnson. While in high school in 1963, Barbara brought Rosa along to sing with her and Joan Marie in a high school talent show. The trio initially called themselves the Meltones, only to discover later that the name had already been taken. Since they were from the land of Dixie, and “cups are cute,” Barbara said in an interview, they came up with the name Dixie Cups. The Dixie Cups continued to perform steadily over the decades, with Athelgra Neville, a childhood friend and sister of the Neville Brothers, stepping in as the most recent replacement for Johnson, who left the group in 1966 and died in 2016. The Dixie Cups received two Gold Records, for “Chapel of Love” and another hit, “People Say.” They were inducted into the Loui...

  Lisa Marie Presley (February 1, 1968 – January 12, 2023) She was the only child of singer and actor Elvis Presley and actress Priscilla Presley, as well as the sole heir to her father's estate. Presley developed a career in the music business and issued three albums: To Whom It May Concern in 2003, Now What in 2005, and Storm & Grace in 2012. Her first album reached Gold certification with the Recording Industry Association of America. Presley also released non-album singles, including duets with her father using tracks he had released before he died. The father and daughter were extremely close, with Elvis once flying her out to Idaho after she said she had never seen snow. Her father named his 1958 Convair 880 private jet “the Lisa Marie.” Presley was married to musician Danny Keough, singer Michael Jackson, actor Nicolas Cage, and music producer Michael Lockwood. She had four children, including Benjamin Keough (who predeceased her). On January 12, 2023, Presley suffered c...

  Mary Wilson (March 6, 1944 – February 8, 2021) She gained worldwide recognition as a founding member of The Supremes, the most successful Motown act of the 1960s and the best-charting female group in U.S. chart history, as well as one of the all-time best-selling girl groups in the world. The group released a record-setting twelve number-one hit singles on the Billboard Hot 100, ten of which Wilson sang backing vocals for. Wilson remained with the group following the departures of other original members, Florence Ballard in 1967 and Diana Ross in 1970, though the group disbanded following Wilson's own departure in 1977. Wilson later became a New York Times best-selling author in 1986 with the release of her first autobiography, Dreamgirl: My Life as a Supreme, which set records for sales in its genre, and later for the autobiography Supreme Faith: Someday We'll Be Together. Continuing a successful career as a concert performer in Las Vegas, Wilson also worked in activism, fig...

  Joan Weldon, born Joan Louise Welton (August 5, 1930 – February 11, 2021) Weldon began her career singing in the San Francisco Grand Opera Company chorus. She also sang with the Los Angeles Civic Light Opera. On Broadway, she appeared in Kean. She also sang at the opening of the New York State Theater at Lincoln Center in 1964. Weldon had a brief television career in the 1950s. Her first appearance in 1955 was in an episode of The Millionaire, starring Marvin Miller. She made three appearances on Lux Video Theater in various roles. She also played Marian Keats in the title role of the Perry Mason episode, "The Case of the Angry Mourner" in 1957. Weldon also appeared in "Cheyenne" as a professional singer, and performed a duet with Clint Walker. Her final television appearance was in 1958 on Shirley Temple Theater. Weldon's film debut came in the 1953 film The System. Although her background was singing in operas, The System and her next two films, So This Is L...

  De film is gebaseerd op het leven van de Britse zanger en pianist Elton John. De hoofdrollen worden vertolkt door Taron Egerton, Jamie Bell, Richard Madden en Bryce Dallas Howard. "Based on a True Fantasy" 'Rocketman' vertelt het waargebeurde verhaal van Elton John. Elton besluit als jonge jongen naar het beroemde conservatorium Royal Academy of Music te gaan, waarna hij vervolgens een muzikale samenwerking met Bernie Taupin aangaat. Uiteindelijk zal hij uitgroeien tot een wereldberoemde superster. Reginald Dwight is een talentvolle zanger en pianist. Onder de artiestennaam Elton John groeit hij uit tot een flamboyante wereldster. Ondanks zijn succes en faam worstelt hij ook met depressies, druggebruik en het aanvaarden van zijn seksuele geaardheid. ___________________ Review : Hoewel ik best wel van musicals en biografische films over muzikanten houd, had ik "Rocketman" nog nooit gezien voordat ik deze vond op het internet, bij toeval...

  De officiële synopsis zoals vrijgegeven door  Apple TV+  luidt: "Na jaren in de schijnwerpers bereikt Selena Gomez een ongekende sterrenstatus. Maar net wanneer ze een nieuw hoogtepunt bereikt, trekt een onverwachte wending haar de duisternis in. Deze unieke, rauwe en intieme documentaire volgt haar zesjarige reis naar een nieuw licht." ________________ Review: Ik had geen idee van Selena's verhaal voordat ik deze documentaire zag. Ik wist ook niet veel over haar jeugd, haar carrière in de muziekwereld – ik kende haar alleen van de serie Only Murders In the Building en wat muziek nummers. Selena is open, kwetsbaar en deelt de goede en slechte kanten van het leven, inclusief de worstelingen met mentale en fysieke problemen. Selena heeft een prachtige ziel en dat blijkt uit deze documentaire. Ze worstelt met veel demonen, maar bestrijdt ze met liefde en vriendelijkheid. Ze helpt anderen ook hetzelfde te doen. Dat is universeel, want in ieder van ons schuilt zowel licht al...

  Andrew Neiman is een beloftevol en ambitieus jazzdrummer die gecoacht wordt door zijn mentor Terence Fletcher. De veeleisende Fletcher drijft zijn pupil tot het uiterste om zijn doorbraak te forceren. Fletcher wordt enkele malen erg boos op Neiman maar daar weet Neiman bovenop te komen om uiteindelijk een succesvolle solo te spelen op het grote podium. ____________ Review: Miles Teller levert een rauwe en fysieke prestatie. Je voelt bijna elke drumslag, elke spanning die op hem wordt opgebouwd. Tegenover hem is JK Simmons angstaanjagend goed en creëert hij een van de meest memorabele en verontrustende mentorfiguren in de filmgeschiedenis. Wat Whiplash zo bijzonder maakt, is hoe strak alles in elkaar zit. Er is geen tijdverspilling, geen overbodige scènes. Het tempo is scherp, de montage is nauwkeurig en de slotscène is een van de meest bevredigende hoogtepunten die ik ooit heb gezien. Het gaat niet alleen om muziek, maar ook om opoffering, ambitie en hoe ver iemand bere...

  Countrymuziek-superster Lorna Davis (Dolly Parton) is overweldigd en gedesillusioneerd door haar carrière en eenzaamheid. Ze plant een reis naar een blokhut van een vriendin in de  Smoky Mountains  van  Tennessee  om aan  Los Angeles  te ontsnappen en tijdens de kerstperiode tot rust te komen. Bij aankomst ontdekt Lorna dat het de geïmproviseerde thuisbasis is geworden van zeven weeskinderen die zich schuilhouden voor het weeshuis in de stad. Ze vinden haar zelfs slapend in een van de bedden (een verwijzing naar de zeven dwergen die  Sneeuwwitje  vinden ), waarop de jongste uitroept: "Ik weet wie ze is. Ze is de Engel." Omdat ze allebei geheimen te bewaren hebben - de kinderen willen niet ontdekt worden door het weeshuis en Lorna wil niet ontdekt worden door iemand uit Los Angeles - spreken ze af elkaars aanwezigheid in de blokhut geheim te houden. Ze bouwt al snel hechte vriendschappen met hen op, hoewel het even duurt voordat ze de voorzi...

  Michael  is een Amerikaanse biografische muzikale dramafilm uit 2026, geregisseerd door Antoine Fuqua, geschreven door John Logan en geproduceerd door Graham King, over het leven van zanger, danser en componist Michael Jackson. De hoofdrol wordt gespeeld door Jaafar Jackson, een neef van Michael, samen met Colman Domingo, Nia Long en Miles Teller in de hoofdrollen. "Discover the making of a king." De film vertelt het verhaal van Michael Jacksons leven buiten de muziek om, en volgt zijn reis vanaf de ontdekking van zijn buitengewone talent als frontman van de Jackson Five tot de visionaire artiest die met zijn creatieve ambitie vastberaden was om de grootste entertainer van de wereld te worden. Zijn leven naast het podium komt aan bod, maar ook iconische optredens uit het begin van zijn solocarrière, waardoor de kijker zich op de eerste rij bij Michael Jackson waant. Zijn ...

  Doris Day, born Doris Mary Ann Kappelhoff (April 3, 1922 – May 13, 2019) After she began her career as a big band singer in 1939, her popularity increased with her first hit recording "Sentimental Journey" (1945). After leaving Les Brown & His Band of Renown to embark on a solo career, she recorded more than 650 songs from 1947 to 1967, which made her one of the most popular and acclaimed singers of the 20th century. Day's film career began during the latter part of the Classical Hollywood Film era with the 1948 film Romance on the High Seas, and its success sparked her twenty-year career as a motion picture actress. She starred in a series of successful films, including musicals, comedies, and dramas. She played the title role in Calamity Jane (1953), and starred in Alfred Hitchcock's The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956) with James Stewart. Her most successful films were the ones she made co-starring Rock Hudson and James Garner, such as Pillow Talk (1959) and Move...

  Anthony Dominick Benedetto, known professionally as Tony Bennett (August 3, 1926 – July 21, 2023) Bennett amassed many accolades throughout his career, including 20 Grammy Awards, a Lifetime Achievement Award, and two Primetime Emmy Awards. He was named an NEA Jazz Master and a Kennedy Center Honoree, and was the founder of the Frank Sinatra School of the Arts in Astoria, Queens, New York. Bennett began singing at an early age. He fought in the final stages of World War II as a U.S. Army infantryman in the European Theater. Afterward, he developed his singing technique, signed with Columbia Records and had his first number-one popular song with "Because of You" in 1951. Several popular tracks such as "Rags to Riches" followed in early 1953. He then refined his approach to encompass jazz singing. He reached an artistic peak in the late 1950s with albums such as The Beat of My Heart and Basie Swings, Bennett Sings. In 1962, Bennett recorded his signature song, ...

  Patricia Eva "Bonnie" Pointer (July 11, 1950 - June 8, 2020) She was a singer, most notable for being a member of the Grammy Award–winning vocal group. Bonnie and youngest sister June began singing together as teenagers and in 1969 the duo had co-founded The Pointers (otherwise known as The Pair). After Anita joined the duo that same year, they changed their name to The Pointer Sisters and recorded several singles for Atlantic Records between 1971 and 1972. In December 1972, they recruited oldest sister Ruth and released their debut album as The Pointer Sisters in 1973. Their self-titled debut yielded the hit "Yes We Can Can". Between 1973 and 1977, the Pointers donned 1940s fashions and sang in a style reminiscent of The Andrews Sisters; they also melded the sounds of R&B, funk, rock and roll, gospel, country and soul. In 1977, Bonnie left the group to begin a solo career. In 1978, Bonnie signed with Motown and in the same year, Bonnie released "Heaven M...

Weet je dat er veel meer mensen zijn die om je geven dan je zelf denkt? Deze vraag kreeg ik in mijn hoofd bij het trekken van de eerste 2 kaarten (observer en caring connections) En wanneer de inzicht-kaart viel kreeg ik al onmiddellijk de bevestiging dat dit de boodschap van de dag ging zijn. Kijk maar eens rond in je omgeving. Wie laat er zien dat hij/zij om je geeft? Of zal ik het anders zeggen. Van wie weet je zeker dat ze om je geven? Maar laten dit niet direct merken. Zo kan je bij jezelf ook eens nagaan. Om wie geef ik? En aan wie toon ik het en aan wie niet (of minder) Soms kunnen er omstandigheden spelen in je leven waardoor je je gevoelens verstopt. Bang om anderen te kwetsen of bang om veroordeeld te worden. Maar geven om... is geen misdaad hé. Geven om is iets heel moois  Misschien wordt het wel tijd om de personen voor wie je het nog verstopt subtiel te laten weten dat je er altijd voor hen zal zijn, no matter what... En nu krijg ik een liedje van Boyzone in mijn hoofd...

Tupac Amaru Shakur, born Lesane Parish Crooks (June 16, 1971 – September 13, 1996) Shakur, also known by his stage names 2Pac and Makaveli, is considered to be one of the most influential and successful rappers of all time. Shakur is among the best-selling music artists, having sold more than 75 million records worldwide. His lyrical content has been noted for addressing social injustice, political issues, and the marginalization of other African-Americans, but he was also synonymous with gangsta rap and violent lyrics. With the release of his debut album 2Pacalypse Now in 1991, he became a central figure in West Coast hip hop for his conscious rap and political rap lyrics. Shakur achieved further critical and commercial success with his follow-up albums. His Diamond certified album All Eyez on Me (1996), the first double-length album in hip-hop history, abandoned his introspective lyrics for volatile gangsta rap. In addition to his music career, Shakur also found considerable success ...

  Loskomen van het gebroken hart. Dit is de boodschap die heel sterk naar voor komt vandaag. Er heeft iemand je hart gebroken en je ziet hier enorm vanaf. Het hoeft hier niet noodzakelijk te gaan over een liefdesrelatie. Het kan ook gaan over een vriendschapsrelatie of een relatie met mama/papa, broer-zus. Je mag het heel breed interpreteren. Het gebroken hart doet je heel veel pijn maar je voelt wel dat het tijd wordt om hier los van te komen en verder te gaan met je leven. Vergeef jezelf krijg ik door (ook al ben je niet in de fout. Jezelf vergeven is een eerste stap naar heling en gaat je ook een bepaald gevoel van opluchting geven. Energetisch ga je iets voelen shiften. Je gaat ook meer inzichten krijgen over de situatie. Meestal wanneer iemand iemand anders kwetst heeft het te maken met eigen stukken waar die persoon niet mee om kan gaan of waar hij vast zit en geen uitweg ziet. En de "makkelijkste" weg is iemand anders pijn doen. Of gewoon helemaal out of the blue het c...