JINGLE JANGLE: A CHRISTMAS JOURNEY (2020)
Dianna Babnicova as Young Jessica, Justin Cornwell Cornwell as Young Jeronicus and Sharon Rose as Joanne.
Cr.Gareth Gatrell/NETFLIX
The holidays have been difficult this year, with quarantine among us. Our family has done little things to try and get into the Christmas spirit, which includes excessive cookie making, an extremely large hot cocoa consumption, and movie binging. Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey is a delightful way to get into the Christmas Spirit. This holiday season, my son and I had the amazing opportunity to interview this talented cast, while also prescreening the film.
A musical adventure and a visual spectacle for the ages, Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey is a wholly fresh and spirited family holiday event. Set in the gloriously vibrant town of Cobbleton, the film follows legendary toymaker Jeronicus Jangle (Academy Award winner Forest Whitaker) whose fanciful inventions burst with whimsy and wonder. But when his trusted apprentice (Emmy winner Keegan-Michael Key) steals his most prized creation, it’s up to his equally bright and inventive granddaughter (newcomer Madalen Mills) — and a long-forgotten invention — to heal old wounds and reawaken the magic within.
JINGLE JANGLE: A CHRISTMAS JOURNEY (2020)
John Legend and Madalen Mills on the set of Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey.
Cr.Gareth Gatrell/NETFLIX
From the imagination of writer-director David E. Talbert, Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey reminds us of the strength of family and the power of possibility. Featuring original songs by John Legend, Philip Lawrence, Davy Nathan, and “This Day” performed by Usher and Kiana Ledé.
Director David E. Talbert and Producer Lyn Sisson-Talbert paired
Madalen Mills, Kieron Dyer, and Lisa Davina Phillip paired
After watching this movie on repeat, sometimes I catch my son humming the tunes from the movie while completing his daily routine, and sometimes…I sing along. This charming film follows a classic theme, while beautifully achieving a long overdue diverse cast. Here’s what this phenomenal cast and director had to ay about the film.
Growing up, I rarely saw little girls in cartoons that resembled me. I had broomstick hair, brown colored skin, and jet black eyes. I also don’t remember seeing other people of color, LGBQ+ families, or people with disabilities. Sadly, that’s just how it’s always been.
Last week, we spoke to voiceover talent TR Knight (Sir Cedric) and Storm Reid (Nia) from the new Hulu original children show, The Bravest Knight.
The new series “The Bravest Knight” is breaking boundaries, featuring a household with two dads (Sir Cedric and Prince Andrew), making it one of the first children’s television series with an openly gay main character. Following the inspiring and perseverant former pumpkin farmer, Sir Cedric, now grown and married to the prince of his dreams, “The Bravest Knight”recounts personal tales of his journey. Sir Cedric shares his story with his adopted 10-year-old daughter Nia, on how he transformed from day-time farmer to full-fledged knight. Nia, who is training to become a brave knight herself, learns important values such as honor, justice and compassion; proving that knighthood is much more than slaying dragons.
The Bravest Knight — “Cedric & the Cave” — Nia is taught how to track in the woods as she hears the tale of Cedric and Grunt hiding from a Yeti in a mountainside cave. By being resourceful, they are able to escape the beast and find the secret to its anger. (Photo courtesy of Hulu)
The show boasts a star-studded cast including T.R. Knight as “Sir Cedric,” Bobby Moynihan as young Cedric’s troll sidekick “Grunt,” Storm Reid as Not-Yet-Knight “Nia,” and will also feature the voice talents of RuPaul, Christine Baranski, Wanda Sykes, Wilson Cruz, Teri Polo, Steven Weber, Donna Murphy, AJ McLean, Dot-Marie Jones, Maz Jobrani, Chance Hurstfield and more. The Bravest Knight’s opening theme song was written and performed by Grammy-nominated musician, songwriter and activist Justin Tranter.
Unfortunately, our marginalized communities have learned to grow without representation. However, things have changed with the new Hulu original The Bravest Knight! In this new show, not only do we follow a young African American lead, but she has same sex parents. Throughout the series, Storm Reid said we will see conclusions centralized around love, acceptance, and empowerment. I absolutely LOVE this!
This is a wonderful stepping stone for LBGTQ+ visibility, and the normalization of two partner parents. The 4.5% of Americans that identify as queer, deserve to see themselves as leaders, parents, teachers, politicians, doctors, or literally anything they want on television. This new show will subtly normalize what has been prohibited for so long, while also representing a strong African American, female lead. Bravo Hulu!
The Bravest Knight — “Cedric & the Green Leaf” — Nias jousting lesson turns into the story of Sir Cedrics first tournament as a Not-Yet-Knight, and the folly of underestimating your opponent. (Photo courtesy of Hulu)
This new heartwarming show is great for kids and has wonderful life lessons. Stream it with your kids on Hulu today!
Clarissa Elyse is an actress, model, published author, and a passionate Latina activist. Follow her on Instagram @ClarissaECamacho
Last week my youngest daughter Clarissa and I headed to the Consulate of Mexico in Los Angeles, California for a special screening of the new Netflix mini-series “WHEN THEY SEE US”, which focuses on the important issue of racial profiling and chronicles the notorious case of five teenagers (four African-Americans and one Latino) labeled as the Central Park Five, who were convicted of a crime they did not commit in 1989.
After the screening, we took part in a Q & A with the Consul General of México, Carlos García de Alba, that was moderated by Oswaldo Borraez from Univision to discuss the topic of racial profiling.
Thank you Netflix for inviting me to screen “When They See Us.” All opinions are my own.
This Netflix series tells the story of five young boys of color ages 14-16 years, falsely convicted of rape. They were all illegally interrogated, pitted against each-other, and manipulated to create a scenario fabricated by detectives.
When They See Us was created by Ava DuVernay, who also co-wrote and directed the four parts. Jeff Skoll and Jonathan King from Participant Media, Oprah Winfrey from Harpo Films, and Jane Rosenthal, Berry Welsh and Robert De Niro from Tribeca Productions will executive produce the limited series alongside DuVernay through her banner, Forward Movement. In addition to DuVernay, Attica Locke, Robin Swicord, and Michael Starrburry also serve as writers on the limited series.
As a mother, my heart ached for these innocent children and their families. All I could think about was my young son Andrew, and how close he is in age to the boys convicted.
We often hear horrific stories regarding people of color being punished unfairly by our judicial system. This film about the Central Park 5’s incarceration and interrogation, took us on an unexpected emotional journey, and opened our eyes to the horrors that destroyed these boy’s lives.
The odds are stacked against our Latinx youth. Both black and brown children are often profiled as adults and seen less innocent than their caucasian peers.
Several hot topics were discussed among the panelists, but all agreed that these stories must be told to educate our youth for a better tomorrow. The panelists in attendance were:
Ana Flores, influencer and founder of We All Grow
Angelica Salas, Executive Director, CHIRLA
Alex Nogales, president and CEO, NHMC
Jessica Domínguez, immigration lawyer
Pilar Marrero, journalist
We must tell the stories that are too often forgotten.…
This film reminds us that history isn’t so far behind us, and we have reason to be vocal about the injustice that continues today.
This The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part hits theaters February 8th…
Last week, I screened the Lego Movie 2: The Second Part and met with the cast, screenwriters, and directors in Los Angeles, California. There were tons of laughs and memorable moments in our roundtable interview. I can’t remember when I laughed this hard.
Check out my recap below!
Sponsored: Thank you Warner Bros Pictures for inviting me to interview the Cast, Producers, and directors of Te LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part. All opinions are my own.
Watch the trailer!
About
The much-anticipated sequel to the critically acclaimed, global box office phenomenon that started it all, “The LEGO® Movie 2: The Second Part,” reunites the heroes of Bricksburg in an all new action-packed adventure to save their beloved city. It’s been five years since everything was awesome and the citizens are now facing a huge new threat: LEGO DUPLO® invaders from outer space, wrecking everything faster than it can be rebuilt. The battle to defeat the invaders and restore harmony to the LEGO universe will take Emmet (Chris Pratt), Lucy (Elizabeth Banks), Batman (Will Arnett) and their friends to faraway, unexplored worlds, including a strange galaxy where everything is a musical. It will test their courage, creativity and Master Building skills, and reveal just how special they really are.
Tiffany Haddish is a BIG hit in the new film. She stars as Queen Watevra Wa’Nabin in the new LEGO film. Her character transforms and changes throughout the film . And YES! Tiffany is just as funny off-screen as on-screen!
Question: “How did they come about adding Tiffany Haddish?”
Director Mike Mitchell: “That was–well we knew we wanted a character who was going to shape-shift and change into different things and almost be like that genie from Aladdin.”
Director Trisha Gum: “Right. And we wanted somebody like funny and strong and confident, and she just–she embodies all those things that we wanted.”
Director Mike Mitchell: “Man, she exudes that energy. She never loses her energy. Trish and I would be exhausted at the end of recording her voice. She is unstoppable, right?”
Director Trisha Gum:“Yes. She’s fantastic. And Yes, she’s a very strong–like I said strong confident woman. She just embodied that character, so.”
Tiffany Haddish: “ I relate to my character in many ways, because all she really wants to do is bring joy and happiness. And like Maya Angelou always says, when someone tells you who they are in from the beginning, believe them, that’s who they are. And she constantly was tellingthem, I’m not evil, I just want to give you gifts, I just want to shower you with love.” (LOVE her)
Will Arnett returns as the voice of “Batman.”
Will Arnett:“It is a great environment that they create, and you know, and I had some of the most profound big–biggest laughs of my life being in a booth working with those guys.”
Screenwriter Phil Lord: “Well I think, oh the first movie, the first LEGO movie, we always said I want–we want to make a movie that makes you feel more creative on the way out than you felt on the way in. You know, and the premise was like we are all inherently creative beings, and we’ve been doing this for millennia and why wouldn’t we still be doing it? And then–and this movie, you know, was about can you feel more generous and empathetic on the way out than you did on the way in, you know.”
Screenwriter Chris Miller: “Right and because you know when you start growing up as a kid, you–there’s a moment when you realize that not everything is awesome and then you can choose to go two ways with it. You can choose or like I’m going to prove that I’m grown up by being cynical and angry and detached, and gritty. Or what we think is a more sophisticated and actually more mature thing is to choose to be kind, to choose to be positive, to choose to be”—
Question: “Did you have, you know, anything–was it spontaneous or had you thought about it?”
Elizabeth Banks: “We do a lot of different ways. Like everything is scripted, but then, there’s a lot of playing, right. So, there was a lot of, “Try this, try this. “And we were–they were refining jokes until like two weeks ago. [Unintelligible] was in the booth two weeks ago on this movie.”
This new LEGO film is seriously loads of fun. I laughed hysterically on several occasions during the screening. You must take your entire family to see this film, because there is BIG laughs in store for everyone!
Stephanie Beatriz voices Sweet Mayhem.
Stephanie Beatriz:“They created an environment that’s very free. They’re very, very giving and collaborative and they just want to see what you have and then build off of that. They’re open to everything which is why their work is go good. It’s so good. It’s so fresh. And it feels so alive. Because they’re allowing us to do the thing that we do best which is use our imaginations.”
Get tickets to #TheLEGOMovie2 in theaters February 8!
If so, you need to tune into the Disney Channel to see what’s new!
Last week my kiddos and I headed to Disney Studios in Burbank to what’s coming up on our favorite channel. We were thrilled to get a sneak peek of new episodes of Andi Mack, Raven’s Home, and the all NEWCoop & Cami Ask The World.
Here is a photo recap of our day at our favorite studio!
Hosted: Thank you Disney Channel for inviting us to your fall preview event. All opinions are my own.
Life goes from routine to a roller-coaster ride overnight for artistic teenager Andi Mack. It all happens on the eve of her 13th birthday when free-spirited older sister Bex — who has been traveling around the world — returns home to make a revelation, which changes everything for the Mack family. It turns out that Bex isn’t Andi’s sister — she is her mother — and Celia, who Andi thought was her mom, is actually her grandmother. Learning this family secret sends Andi on an uncharted course of self-discovery. She’s not alone on her journey, as best friends Cyrus and Buffy are also trying to figure out their places in the world.
Now a divorced mother of two, Raven Baxter still catches glimpses of the future. She uses her power to help her be a better mother, a successful fashion designer and a good friend. She’s not the only member of her family who can see the future, though. Her son Booker has inherited the ability from her, using it to help him make sense of middle school and his new family life. Their visions sometimes collide, but they always figure things out together. Also living in the Baxter house are Booker’s no-nonsense twin sister Nia and free-spirited Chelsea, Raven’s childhood best friend, who is the divorced mother of Levi, who is savvy and wise beyond his years. Raven and Chelsea work together to help raise their children.
My girls grew up watching That’s So Raven, and they were ecstatic to meet the cast of the show!
Middle school siblings Cooper and Cameron Wrather make nearly all of their decisions, both mundane and madcap, by crowdsourcing opinions from the millions of followers of Cooper’s online channel.
There a so many fun surprises in these shows, no spoilers I promise!
We had a sensational time at Disney Studios, tune in to the Disney Channel and don’t miss out on the fun!
From visionary director Ava DuVernay comes Disney’s A Wrinkle In Time. Based on the timeless classic and filled with spectacle, warmth and heart, this celebrated film follows an ordinary girl’s epic adventure and brave journey to save her family, with the ultimate triumph of love. Featuring an all-star cast including Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon, Mindy Kaling and Chris Pine, and eye-popping action—it’s fun for the whole family!
The mini delicious assorted sandwiches and desserts were delectable. Honey dripped from my spoon as the birds chirped in the gorgeous garden.
My daughter smiled with her large floral coronet, talking about how Opra had always been symbolic and an icon in her life. A Wrinkle in Time was Clarissa’s favorite book as a kid. She would dress up as a scientist and read snippets to her father, until he fell in a deep slumber. The book allowed her mind to run amok, and keep her scientist dreams alive. She constantly created worlds that consisted of Hot Cheetos, my little pony, and travel.
After watching the film, she said it fulfilled her expectations. More so considering the diversity was everything she had hoped. At the tea party she sipped her tea, and rubbed caviar from a salmon sandwich on her upper lip, “I’m Mr. Murry are you ready for tesseract travel? ”
Since the release of the film, Andrew and Clarissa have watched it a few too many times. Her tiny primas (cousins) can recite the film lines almost as well as she can. But hey explaining what a tesseract is, is a cool party trick, right?
My son played in the garden with his friends, and he often stopped to take a whiff of the scented flowers that surrounded him.
On numerous occasions, I had to stop and take pictures of the stunning flowers. The garden was heavenly and so peaceful. I can’t wait to go back and explore.
My son has become quite the history buff, and had a great time exploring the estate at the gardens.
I am officially hooked on this dramatic series, and I have streamed season one twice already. Each episode keeps getting more interesting…
In celebration of Victoria MASTERPIECE Season 2, I headed to Los Angeles to get a sneak peek of the new episode. And let me tell you, it will not disappoint fans. There is just so much to look forward to in this upcoming series, I can hardly wait!
In Season 2 Victoria adapts to motherhood and is faced with new challenges politically, in her marriage, and in her royal court. (no more spoilers I promise)
If you missed Season 1, don’t get your knickers in a twist! You can catch up and watch it on the PBS SoCal website…
Thank You PBS SoCal for inviting me to see Victoria PBS Season 2 Episode 1. All opinions are my own.
In 1837, a diminutive, neglected teenager is crowned Queen Victoria, navigates the scandal, corruption, and political intrigues of the Court, and soon rises to become the most powerful woman in the world. Victoria stars Jenna Coleman (Doctor Who) as Queen Victoria in a highly anticipated series that follows the drama of the candid, spirited monarch who was perhaps the first woman to seem to have it all.
In Season 2, Jenna Coleman (Doctor Who) returns for a new season as the young queen who wants it all—romance, power, an heir, and personal freedom. Joining the cast in the new season is legendary actress Dame Diana Rigg (Game of Thrones), who plays the Duchess of Buccleuch, the court’s new Mistress of the Robes. Tom Hughes reprises his role as the queen’s dashing consort, Prince Albert, and Rufus Sewell returns as the smoldering Lord Melbourne.
Cheerio!
Watch Victoria MASTERPIECE on PBS SoCal January 14th!
