Happy Father’s Day

HAPPY FATHER’S DAY

http://www.cnn.com/2012/06/15/showbiz/tv/tv-dads-gallery/index.html?hpt=hp_c4

Dallas is Back with a Bang

Dallas is Back with a Bang

Dallas is back with a bang. 6.9 million viewers watched the premiere of Dallas on Wednesday July 13, 2012.I was skeptical at first but pleasantly surprised. Having spent the first thirteen years of my life in Dallas this show has memories for me and my family. I still have two sisters and family there.

The new and revamped version of Dallas brings us the return of J.R. and Bobby Ewing. The original characters in the original series that began in 1978 based on South fork Ranch for which Dallas became a well-known for. J.R. is still the ruthless oil tycoon and Bobby, the younger brother still has a conscience and a heart, but unfortunately has a dangerous form of cancer. Bobby is desperately trying to put his house in order and honor his late mother’s wishes.

But now, you have their two sons, cousins also in the mix. Christopher Ewing, Bobby’s adopted son and John Ross, J.R.’s son duke it out over South fork oil and alternative energy. I must say they have made the case for alternative energy versus oil drilling, sexy and practical in the greed, sex& oil plotline.

Jesse Metcalfe plays Christopher Ewing and like his father Bobby he has a big heart and a conscience. Josh Henderson who plays John Ross on the other hand is the guy you love to hate; this bad boy persona fits him perfectly. He is trying to get South fork for himself and is basically trying to screw over everyone including his own father J.R.

Linda Gray is back as Sue Ellen Ewing – JR’s first wife and John Ross’s mom. Thank goodness she isn’t an alcoholic anymore but, a corporate woman on the board of a bank, operating charity events and running for a governor. Then there is Brenda Strong, who plays Ann Ewing, Bobby’s wife, she’s kind of a character that is tricky for audiences to identify with because everyone loves Pam Barnes played by Victoria Principal in the original Dallas. But I will give her a chance.

This brings us to the younger female vixens with Jordana Brewster playing John Ross’ love interest Elena Ramos who happens to be Christopher’s ex-fiancée. I think Jordana plays Elena well. She is beautiful, smart and sophisticated, the daughter of the cook but through hard work and brains she has done well for herself. I think viewers will identify with her. Christopher’s new fiancée Rebecca Sutter, played by Julie Gonzalo has a secret agenda along with her brother that we are anxious to find out about.

Stay tuned and tune in on Wednesday nights for the continued and unfolding drama of Dallas on TNT.I am so looking forward to this ride. I love this show. Thank you Dallas for making my summer a little bit more fun.

 

 

Relationships Begin and End with Respect

Relationships Begin and End with Respect

I was not in the mood to write today at all. But I always say nothing happens by accident. Things led me to ponder on relationships. I hope at least one person will find something that can be useful to them in their relationships.

No one goes on a journey alone. We depend on others in both material and immaterial ways to move us towards our objectives in life. Relationships are the glue that holds spouses, children, friends and everybody together.

To build a solid relationship there must be:

1. Respect-Everything starts with mutual respect. Every person that God created is valuable and placing value on people is very important in maintaining a relationship. My take on respect is even if others haven’t earned your trust they deserve respect simply because they are human beings. What you make happen for others God will make happen for you.
2. Trust-Trust is a necessity for all good relationships intending to last. If we are paranoid and think everyone is out to get us, eventually we find we are left all alone. Scottish poet George MacDonald said, “To be trusted is a greater compliment than to be loved.” Without trust it becomes difficult to sustain any kind of relationship. If you have earned trust but are still being treated as an outsider. Move on. Sometimes human beings let pettiness, jealousy and fear get in the way of what could have been a mutually beneficial relationship.
3. Reciprocity-I have learned by personal experience that a relationship that is one-sided will not last. If someone is always the giver and the other the receiver the relationship will eventually collapse. That may actually be a good thing. Because if you are in any team in this playing field we call life, there should be mutual enjoyment and if there isn’t; then maybe you and that person are in different places in life, with different goals and aspirations. What is important is that you do the right thing. You try. Give people your full attention and show them you care. Be honest and open. But at the end of the day, not everyone will like you. That is also fine.

 

What matters most is your happiness. I always like to say this. Jesus said “love your neighbor as yourself not more than yourself.”And if that guy you like is treating you shabbily, the popular girl in school is ignoring you or if you just feel your family and friends don’t understand you. Remember this unshakeable truth. God created you in His image. When He did that He said “It is good”. You are created good. Nothing can separate us from the love of God and He, the Author and the Finisher of your faith, the Alpha and Omega desires a relationship with you. That has to count for something and should count for everything.

Kerry Washington, Nick Offerman to Reveal the 64th Primetime Emmy Nominees | Emmys.com

Kerry Washington, Nick Offerman to Reveal the 64th Primetime Emmy Nominees | Emmys.com.

SCANDAL Pace Update: Bellamy Young Upgraded to Series Regular for Season 2

Reblogged from :

June 12, 2012 -- According to TV Line News, 'SCANDAL' star, Bellamy Young, has been upgraded to series regular for Season 2. Young plays the First Lady of the United States, Mellie Grant, to Tony Goldwyn's President Fitzgerald Grant. Click her for the complete article.

Excited for this character.Bellamy is excellent as FLOTUS.

President Fitzgerald Thomas Grant III is an Enigma

President Fitzgerald Thomas Grant III is an Enigma

Before I start I would like to say Fitz on the hit show Scandal is my absolute favorite character.

I have never ever chosen a male character as my favorite on any television show ever. There is something about Fitz that is puzzling and contradictory.

We all know that whenever a President can’t keep his pants up, awful things happen. But I can’t help but root for Olivia Pope and the President of the United States, Fitzgerald Grant (the married President, who also cheated on his wife with Amanda Tanner) to get together and live happily ever after and ride away into the sunset. Why on earth would I do that?

Tony Goldwyn is liable for this. He is one of the most extraordinary actors out there. He emotes and displays real emotion. When Fitz is on screen with anyone, he is very authentic and convincing. You want to hate Fitz, but then you see how big his heart is. He is messed up emotionally and vulnerable but deep down you get the sense that while he is deeply flawed, he is a good man.

Fitz is definitely no saint but he is no villain either. He’s a human being, and that’s what makes it so fun. He isn’t perfect. He makes a lot of mistakes, but he stumbles along trying to follow his heart. He in a nutshell is super-smart, really messed up man that is really fun to watch.

I have described Fitz with different adjectives as the episodes progressed:

Weak

Fragile

Sad

Empathetic

Compassionate

Loving

Gutsy

Daring

Spiteful

Sarcastic

Sexy

Sincere

Cold

Calculating

I know women who don’t particularly care for Fitz and think of him as slutty, some who love him or are just plain confused by him. I personally am fascinated by him. I am always most likely going to side with the woman when it comes to relationships but for some bizarre reason which I have no explanation for; I find myself siding with Fitz. At times I am upset with Mellie Grant, Amanda Tanner and even the love of his life Olivia Pope.

You just can’t put him in a box and say “Let’s psychoanalyze Fitz and get the answers”. He is a puzzle, an enigma. When the season ended we saw a new side to Fitz that I am anxious to see the writers explore  in Season Two. He seemed cold and resigned to his fate. I am not going to try and understand Fitz, because he is simply a contradiction that you cannot explain. I am simply going to enjoy how rich, complex and prolific this character is.

Kudos to Tony Goldwyn and Shonda Rhimes for the Enigma that is President Fitzgerald Thomas Grant III.

He Calls Me Friend

Prayer is the most intense, audacious, genuine and unexplained communication offered to the human spirit. I am by no means qualified to advise or teach people how to pray. I think we as human beings have a universal way of thinking.  So most people, not all but most people probably pray like I do.

We are apologetic, declare how great God is and then proceed to ask for things. That’s the way we do it and that’s fine. But maybe we can take it a step further.

We have family and friends and our dialogue is more than just apologizing, complimenting them or asking for things. Who wants a friendship like that? It seems quite superficial and trivial.

Realistically when we talk to those closest to us, we relay what’s on our minds, our hopes, goals, dreams desires, wants, struggles, failures and problems. The list is virtually endless what we say to our spouse, parents, siblings, children, neighbor or even co worker. We rejoice together, weep together, we fight, we argue, we agree to disagree. We get angry with each other, complain, laugh and reminisce on the good and crappy times.

This is a friendship. This is the kind of friendship God offers us. A profound intimacy, where you are free to express and lay yourself bare before Him. Yes He is God our creator, but He is also and always our Father and Friend.

King David was so inspirational because he wasn’t afraid to praise God and at the same time he complained and continuously questioned God. No wonder he is the man with the title ‘A Man after God’s Heart’.

The Psalms are full of complaints, moments of astonishment at how great God is and raw, agonizing emotional sorrow and human need. In this Book of prayers we find descriptions of intimacy, fright, worry, love and marvel. We read about broken hearts, broken dreams, broken lives but healed and redeemed ones too. This book is part of the Bible which is simply the greatest love story of all; a Father and His people communicating and connecting and finding their way back to each other.

That’s what I want my prayers to be. I want to be myself with God. I want to tell Him what I really think and ask Him sincere questions. I have that peace that this is the right way to pray.

Remember God Almighty, Lord of Glory, yes the Creator of the Universe has called you and me Friend.

James 2:23

The Seven Wonders of Rafael Nadal Resides at Roland Garros

The Seven Wonders of Rafael Nadal Resides at Roland Garros

There is one King in Paris. Come rain or shine, clay or mud, Sunday or Monday, Rafael Nadal owns Roland Garros.

 

He  won his record seventh French Open title Monday, returning a day after the game being suspended to a 6-4, 6-3, 2-6, 7-5 victory over Novak Djokovic, who he  lost three Grand Slam finals — Wimbledon, the U.S. Open last year, and the Australian Open this year.

Djokovic is clearly the better player at this point in time but Nadal succeeded in holding him back in his quest to make history with the “Novak Slam.”

“This tournament is, for me, the most special tournament of the world,” Nadal said.

After serving his fourth double-fault of the match, the top-seeded Djokovic dropped his head, looked defeated and walked slowly toward the net — an emotional two-day adventure complete, and not with the result he had anticipated.

“It was a very difficult match against the best player in the world,” Nadal said. Nadal won his 11th overall Grand Slam title, tying him with Borg and Laver for fourth among the all-time leaders.

“He’s definitely the best player in history on this surface and the results are showing that he’s one of the best-ever players to play this game,” Djokovic said.

Djokovic will still remain No.1 and rightfully so but Rafael Nadal is clearly the King of the Clay.

 

In the Women’s French Open Maria Sharapova beat surprise finalist Sara Errani of Italy 6-3, 6-2 to win her first French Open title and become the 10th woman with a career Grand Slam.

“It’s a wonderful moment in my career,” the 25-year-old Sharapova told the crowd in French, before switching to English to add: “I’m really speechless. It’s been such a journey for me to get to this stage.”

There’s something special about Sharapova’s fourth career Grand Slam title; the first since her shoulder was fixed. She overcame the odds coming to Paris, rounding out the quartet at a spot that always seemed to present the most difficulties.

She has returned and became No.1in WTA’s rankings. Congrats to Ms. Sharapova.

Welcome back!

Will The Real Mellie Grant Stand Up?

Bellamy Young has got to be happy. I know Kerry Washington as Olivia Pope is the lead and is doing a remarkable job and Tony Goldwyn as President Fitz Grant has stolen the hearts of millions of women. Kudos to them and the entire Scandal cast, but Mellie Grant is the most intriguing character of all.

I have so many questions about her. In the first episode we see her, the beautiful bubbly First Lady sort of like the lovely Laura Bush. Then in the third episode, we see how determined she is to make sure the President, her husband functions effectively in that position. She is so determined that she invites his former mistress, the love of his life. I was taken aback when re-watching to see how pleased Mellie was when Fitz was practically sexing Olivia with his eyes for all to see. His eyes lit up and Mellie seemed satisfied. Wow. And it was clear at the end of the episode that she knew of this affair but apparently didn’t care. And let’s not forget the fake miscarriage, which in my opinion was Mellie taking one for the team.Team President Grant that is.

She is a mystery, but the biggest shock was her blaming Olivia for Amandagate in the final episode. In my mind I was like “he is your husband.” Then the strong woman that she is informs Olivia that she’s taking her husband back, the man who clearly doesn’t love her and has cheated on her twice as far as we know. Wow again. Then to top it off, she informs Fitz that they would have to start working on the ‘baby’ that saved the Presidency. Fitz literally says “Of course.” At least we know who wears the pants in this ‘strange’ relationship.

What hold does Mellie have over Fitz? I know they have two children Gerry (Fitzgerald IV) & Karen Grant. But I doubt Fitz or Mellie are sane enough to even care how their actions affect these children and to top it off another baby may come into this dead marriage.

I wonder about Mellie. Did she ever love Fitz? Does she resent him for having to have two children and putting her own career in the backburner? Did she love someone before and was forced into a marriage with Fitz? I have heard suggestions that maybe she is a lesbian. I don’t know but it makes me wonder. What were Fitz and Mellie thinking when they married? Why didn’t they get help when the marriage had problems, because we know it was bad by the fifth episode? They hardly spoke and never touched till Olivia Pope ‘fixed’ that problem.

I must say Fitz and Mellie are both gorgeous and beautiful people. But seeing them together, they seem like an uninteresting and dull couple. Shonda Rhimes hit the jackpot with these actors. While Fitz and Olivia’s chemistry is in sync and spell bounding, the chemistry between Fitz and Mellie is cold and convincing at the same time.

I see Mellie as beautiful, intelligent (first in her class at Harvard Law School) and confident. Why is she standing by her man while he silently humiliates her? Is the price of being First Lady worth your dignity? Or has she sacrificed her entire identity and the only way for her to be happy is the fame and trappings being the First Lady grants her.

I would love to know more on the back story of Mellie Grant. She is complex but not necessarily evil. Shonda Rhimes’ characters are never always all good or all bad. I find myself hoping she finds peace and happiness because for all its worth she is the mother of Fitz’s children and every mother deserves to be happy.

 

Who is Quinn Perkins? Chapter 1 (Scandal Fan fiction)

Who is Quinn Perkins?

Chapter One

Love story between a Father and Daughter (Inspired by Tony Goldwyn’s Movie “Conviction”)

New Scandal Fan fiction

She wondered if any doctor would be able to treat her for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. She was  just twenty two and she wondered how much more she could take. Days earlier her boyfriend Gideon Wallace was killed. She knew she shouldn’t get close to him but she wanted to be normal. She wanted to have a normal boyfriend, spend the night with him and eat his delicious grilled cheese. But no Quinn Perkins attracted bad luck. That was it; she would never get close to anyone ever again. Maybe it was better to be a cynic she thought.

The loud knock on her apartment door interrupted her chain of thoughts.

“Quinn open up”, Olivia Pope said as she knocked frantically.

“Go away.”

“No Quinn open up or I will break this door down.”

Reluctantly, Quinn opens the door. Olivia Pope was the woman she admired; her mysterious boss. She had heard so much about how Olivia Pope fixed people. She had taken college classes in high school and excelled at all she did. At twenty one she had finished law school from Georgetown University. It was no Harvard Law School but she worked her ass off. She wanted to be just like Olivia Pope.

“I am done Olivia, I am not like you”

“I know how you feel.”

“No you don’t I don’t even know who I am or where I am from.”

“I want to die you hear me die.”

“No Quinn you have to fight, because honestly it will not get better.”

“I am a nobody. I can’t make a difference. The two people that got close to me are dead. And it’s because I got close to them.”

“No Quinn you didn’t do that. It was beyond your control.”

“I told Amanda she could still make a difference in Washington. Maybe she called that psycho Billy Chambers and wanted out and paid with her life.”

“And Gideon…”

“I know how you feel.”

“No you don’t.”

“The image of him.”

“His blood… I can still smell it.”

“We had sex then he died”, Quinn says crying frantically.

Quinn was a pretty girl when she was her normal bubbly self. Her brown wavy locks complemented her brown eyes and warm face. She always believed the best in everyone. But now she didn’t know what was happening around her. Olivia wanted to comfort her. She deserved to know who she was but how could she tell her now and what good would it do.

“Who am I”, Quinn asks getting herself together.

“What do you mean?”

“Why were you looking for me and why did you give me the job?”

“Because,  I believe in you.”

“You know who I am .I want to know.”

“Your mother,” Olivia begins.

“I know who my real mother is. She was Kuwaiti. That’s why I understand Arabic. She used to speak and sing to me in Arabic”, she says carried away in the memory of her mother.

“I know Quinn but she was killed in that fire when you were twelve.”

“I know but she wanted to tell my father about me.”

“She had looked for him, sent letters and she tracked him down to America. He was a fly boy you know. “

“And even in foster home after foster home I promised myself I would find him.” “Did you know I’ve been raped at least twelve times by my foster brothers, fathers and uncles?”

“I hoped my real Dad would care and find me But he never came. He never came.”

Quinn had a look of despair on her face that broke Olivia’s heart.

“Quinn what happened to you is not your fault.”

“I try to block it out and be normal, but when this happened to Amanda and Gideon I remember I am bad luck.”

“My sweet mother Fatima was so beautiful but I killed her.”

“Did you know I started the fire?”

“You were a child; it’s not your fault.”

“You didn’t answer me Olivia, why did you give me the job?”

Olivia had always managed to be in control but at this moment as the young woman cries she breaks down. Her brown eyes are wide with compassion and tears. She was going through turmoil herself and her best friend Stephen had decided to skip town with his fiancée. He had told her he cheated but she was willing to fight for them and Stephen left. He said he was going back to Scotland and he was done. He said he would try normal. At that moment she was as vulnerable as she had ever been and decides it was time to tell Quinn the whole truth.

“The President is why you have this job.”

“What?”

“I gave you this job because of Fitz.”

“I don’t get it and why are you calling the president Fitz.”

It was too much for Olivia. She had just let go of the most important thing in her life and she did it for her country. It was the right thing to do but it felt so wrong. She couldn’t shake the feeling that it would be different this time. He looked cold and it seemed he had given up. The thing she loved most about President Fitzgerald Thomas Grant III was how empathetic he was. He could cry when watching a sad movie or just be angry at world leaders who violated human rights. He had said he wanted to help people and that was why he ran for president. She saw that innocence in Quinn. She had inherited that quality form Fitz. Olivia decided it was time to tell Quinn who she was.

“It’s him Quinn.”

“I don’t understand.”

“The president was stationed in Kuwait during the first Gulf War. He met your mother. Fatima Aliyu. He didn’t know about you Layla.He doesn’t know about you.”

“You know my real name.”

“Yes. I ran his campaign and we check everything. “

“We needed to know everything about him because when you are running from president you do not leave stones unturned. He told us about your mother.”

“This is ridiculous.”

“I am telling you the truth Quinn. I know your real name is Layla Aliyu Fitzgerald.”

“Have you wondered why your mother chose that name for you?”

“She said she liked what President John Fitzgerald Kennedy stood for.”

“We, Cyrus Beene and I knew about you, but the president doesn’t know yet.”

“This is crazy, you are crazy woman.”

“Next thing you’ll tell me is you called the Maury Show and my dna matches the President’s.”

“Quinn it’s a match.”

This was too much for her to assimilate.

“Ok if that’s true, when did I become Quinn Perkins?”

“You killed your foster brother when you were seventeen. He kidnapped you and raped you repeatedly and you got the courage and when he slept you bludgeoned him to death.”

The state sealed your records and you chose the name Quinn Perkins yourself.

“That’s why seeing you with another dead man who you had just had sex with would attract too much attention considering the first self defense homicide.”

“I think I am going to be sick.”

“Wait a minute but why do you care about my ‘father’. He slept with Amanda. We were going to war with him.”

“It’s complicated”, Olivia says turning away.

Quinn had just gotten an epiphany. It all made sense now. Olivia was distraught when she learned the president called Amanda ‘sweet baby’. She was just too emotionally involved in the Amanda Tanner’s situation.

“You had an affair with him. Oh my, that’s why you left the White House.”

“He slept with you and Amanda and he lied in front of the American people and you knew.”

“Quinn you don’t understand.”

“My father is a whore, a womanizer.”

“My mother said he was kind but he never replied her letter, not a single one.”

“He never looked back. He slept with my eighteen year old mother and never looked back.”

“He tried to look for her.”

“He fed you that lie Olivia.”

“My mother left Kuwait when I was eight not to be with him. But so I could know who he was.”

“I know.”

“Wait, so there’s more.”

“Your mother obviously kept his name from you for reasons best known to her but it came to my knowledge that she made contact with him in 2000 but couldn’t reach him.”

“That’s the year she died.”

“He was running for governor of California and it would have been a distraction.”

“I assume the person in charge of the campaign back then made sure your mother never spoke to the president.”

“How do I know he didn’t have her killed?”

“Olivia, how can you live with yourself?”

“He is probably responsible for my mother’s death.”

“Amanda and Gideon are dead because of him and you lied for him.”

“Who are you Olivia?”

“I need to see him.”

“That’s not a good idea .He doesn’t know Quinn.”

“I want him to look me in the eyes and tell me why he treated my mother that way.”

“He never received any letter Quinn.”

“He slept with her and never looked back.”

“I am not making excuses for him but within months of coming home, he married Mellie Grant, the First Lady.”

“Exactly, how do you claim you love someone and marry someone else  a few months later.”

“That didn’t stop him from cheating with you and Amanda Tanner.”

“You can’t stop me. I will see him.”

“Let’s talk about this Quinn.”

“Olivia, I quit and I want you to leave now.”

She saw a look in Quinn’s eyes that she had never seen and she knew she meant business.

What had she done? She would have to warn Fitz. She didn’t want to see him again. She dreaded how he would react to her knowing about his illegitimate daughter all this time. They had ended things for the country’s sake but this could be the biggest scandal yet. She wondered when this vicious cycle would end.