entertainment Archives

Child Support: A New Game Show On ABC

January 5, 2018 by Momstart 6 Comments

Disney paid for my flight and hotel in LA for press events during the Star Wars Press Junket.

Where are my game show fans? I know there have to be a few of you out there because some of you guys are a lot like our family and we love game shows. We love watching different game shows on the game show channel. Plus, my husband is always looking for new game shows to watch on the TV whenever we are just sitting around. Our favorite game shows are the ones that ask questions that we can also try to answer so I’m pretty sure that my family is going to like Child Support.

Child Support is a new one hour game show starring Ricky Gervais and hosted by none other than Fred Savage and we got to interview him. I’ll share some snippits from that interview in just a moment. First I have to let you know that the series premiere of Child Support airs tonight, Friday, January 5th at 8 p.m. EST on ABC and you should be sure to catch this first episode. We previewed the show and laughed a lot. The premise of Child Support is an adult is asked a series of 10 questions that get progressively harder. If the contestant answers all the questions they can win $200,000. When and if they miss a question, they have a possible save. This save is children which is why it’s called Child Support. Ricky Gervais is in another studio, in a room with 5 children who will be asked the same question. If even one of those children can come up with the correct answer the adult is saved and remains in the game. The answers that these kids come up with are so funny and it amazed me when they actually got some of the answers correct. Kids say the darndest things ya know!!

Ok so now for the good part. We sat down with Fred Savage and he said that the entire run of the game show was shot in two days. So when he was talking about different contestants he had a little trouble remembering which one was which. But his enthusiasm for the show was obvious in the way he spoke about the show. He was so nice and charming in our time with him. I think his only concern about the show is the title. I mean at first glance if you are looking at your guide and you see “Child Support” you might not want to watch that show. But once you realize the premise of the show it makes sense as a title. He had to call up Ricky and ask his thoughts…..

“I’m like, “Ricky, this is not something that people have a very positive association with. Do we want to be the face of Child Support?” He had similar reservations. He’s like look, there’s no better network who’s looking out for families than ABC and Disney. They’re not gonna do anything that’s gonna be inappropriate or negative or hurtful for kids. The name is controversial maybe. It’s noisy, so maybe in the noise, it’ll be like, “wait, what?” And then if we cause you to look again, maybe that’s the win there.”

He loved the contestants and would sometimes help them with answers. He didn’t get the questions in advance but sometimes the question would be easy to him and he would want to help them. He had to learn to be encouraging without being helpful or in one example not get upset that they got it wrong.

“I don’t know the questions in advance at all. So that’s why I read it very slowly because I’m not prepared. I’m really trying to figure it out with them, which is why I’m trying to help them and encourage them. I’m like, “Okay, talk that through. Go down that road.” I can’t lead them, but it would be just thinking along with them. I don’t know the answers in advance. It was completely genuine. I ride all the rollercoaster of emotions. When they win, I’m thrilled and when they don’t, I’m just crushed.”

Be sure to catch Fred Savage, the host of the newest prime time game show ‘Child Support’ starting TONIGHT, Friday January 5, 2017 at 8/9 pm EST only on ABC.

Follow Child Support: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | #ChildSupportABC

Why You Should See The Bodyguard

November 17, 2017 by Momstart Leave a Comment

My daughter and I were able to see The Bodyguard on opening night and we highly recommend that if you can catch the show this weekend you should go. We also recommend that if it comes to your city you should go see it it is so good. Even if you haven’t seen the original movie that came out in 1992 you will enjoy The Bodyguard on Broadway.

The Bodyguard is currently at the Paramount for a very brief run. I believe there are only three shows left which is why I urge you to go see it this weekend. You can get tickets on-line at STGPresents.org, Ticketmaster.com, by calling 1-800-745-3000 or in person at The Paramount Theatre Box Office (Monday through Friday, 10am to 6pm). Tickets start at $40 and you might want to check in on the Facebook page to see if the show is rushing or not and get the tickets even cheaper. Performances that are left:

Friday, November 17 8:00pm
Saturday, November 18 2:00pm (will not feature Deborah Cox) – An Open Caption performances 8:00pm

Sunday, November 19 1:00pm – An ASL / AVIA Interpreted performance

Why You Should See The Bodyguard

The Singing….

Of course the singing was amazing. Deborah Cox stars as Rachel Marron and her talent shines. She not only sings well but her emotions carry through each note she belts out. She really has you wanting to sing along, dance and just enjoy the show. My daughter wants me to mention that she actually favored, Jasmin Richardson who plays Nicki Marron, Rachel’s sister. Zoe thought her singing was even better than Deborah’s. I liked both. We also found the actor that played Rachel’s son Fletcher to be extremely talented. I’m not sure which child was on stage that night, he’s played by two different children, Kevelin B. Jones III (Idlewild Music Festival) and Sebastian Maynard-Palmer (Tour: Kinky Boots). I’m sure they are equally talented. THE BODYGUARD features a host of irresistible classics including So Emotional, One Moment in Time, Saving All My Love, Run to You, I Have Nothing, I Wanna Dance with Somebody and one of the biggest selling songs of all time – I Will Always Love You.

The Dancing

My daughter again really wants me to make sure you all know that the boy, was a really good dancer. He was very convincing as a cute little boy. Which yes that sounds silly but it is what it is. He is just adorable. Now for the others, almost all the characters have to dance at least once. Even the stalker danced at the very end. Which I have to say I loved the ending. If you leave as soon as they take a bow you are going to miss the final number of the show. The people sitting next to us did this. But this final number is the over the top Broadway number that you should stay for because you are invited to sing and shake and shimmy right along with the cast.

The Talent

The talent isn’t only in the acting. Yes these actors were convincing and musically inclined. But there is also the set and costume design by Tim Hatley. The special effects were interesting as well. The combination of video or digital overlays on the set helped show that more than one thing was going on. The Choreography by Karen Bruce was spot on. The singing and dancing numbers were perfectly fit into the story. And the live orchestra is worth mentioning as well. I love how if you get there early you can walk over to the stage and see the orchestra warming up and getting ready to perform. The Paramount is really a great place to go see Broadway shows. We can’t wait to go to our next show.

The Suspense

The play begins with two shots firing off and my daughter and I both jumped a mile. At first I was worried that she would want to leave because of how loud and scary it was. I was wrong, she LOVED it. She was captivated from the start, even though she was extremely creeped out by Jorge Paniagua who played the stalker. He like my daughter has performed at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. We think he is very talented because he was so convincing. The audience even booed him when he took a bow. He just smiled, because a boo just affirmed that he did a fantastic job playing a villain.

The Story

I actually forgot how the story went. All I remembered was that the singer and the bodyguard fall in love while he is protecting her from some stalker. A friend of mine said she didn’t go see this when it was in the LA area because she didn’t think her son would like it, it being a love story and all. My response is, this isn’t so much a love story. The focus was much more on the family, a love triangle maybe. But also, the story was much more focused on the bodyguard I thought. He had a job to do. Plus with the stalker on the stage so often we really felt more than just a love story going on. I think her son would have enjoyed it a great deal.

10 Reasons To Watch DuckTales on Disney XD

August 11, 2017 by Momstart 1 Comment

I loved DuckTales as a kid and I love DuckTales as an adult too. I watched the first episode and I fell in love with Scrooge all over again. Plus Huey, Louie and Dewey team up with a new friend finding trouble and adventure. For an adult watching a kids program, DuckTales kept my attention, made me laugh and feel nostalgic all at the same time. I loved it, and you can love it too tomorrow. DuckTales premiered on Disney XD August 12. We interviewed the creators of the reboot, Matt Youngberg, and Francisco Angones. From the interview and after watching the first episode we came up with 10 reasons to watch DuckTales.

10 reasons to watch DuckTales

Here are 10 reasons to watch DuckTales

1. David Tennant does an outstanding job as Scrooge McDuck. He is full on Scottish as he does this voice, I would even say that sometimes I have a hard time understanding what exactly he said. But I rolled with it and can’t wait to see the next episode.

MATT YOUNGBERG said,

“We really wanted to find somebody who was legitimately Scottish. We thought that was really important in this iteration. Someone who had the character to bring this, icon alive. And David is an amazing actor. He’s morphed into this role in, in an incredible way. Because, when you think David Tennant, you think young and kind of, and vibrant and all of these things, and Scrooge you think of as old and miserly”

DUCKTALES – Comic Book Bios – Disney XD’s “DuckTales” stars David Tennant as Scrooge McDuck. (Disney XD)

And I think that Francisco Angones said it perfectly when he said,

“he’s the Willy Wonka of Adventure”

2. It’s a Globetrotting adventure show. To keep it authentic the directors decided to find actors that lived in the locals of the show. Francisco said,

“we always want to try to be authentic. So, we would genuinely try to find voice actors. If we go to Egypt, we try, gonna try to find Egyptian voice actors. If we go to China, we’re gonna try to find Chinese voice actors to bring that extra level of interesting diversity and authenticity, and present a world that kids actually see around them every day. “

3. The animation is comic book style on purpose. The directors said,

“We wanted to make sure it felt hand crafted. We didn’t wanna go the CG route, because there were a few reasons for that. One was the original series, when it was brought onto the air it was just a bunch of Disney animators making a TV show. It was an amazing, amazingly animated show. It had the hand-crafted feel that we wanted to retain.”

4. Lin-Manuel Miranda is also in DuckTales. He was a huge fan of the orginal series and was brought back as a Latino super hero, Fenton Crackshell-Cabrera/Gizmoduck. Francisco Angones sent a personal letter to Lin-Manuel Miranda asking him to be part of the show and it actually touched him so much it made him cry.

5. There will be new villains in addition to the classic villain, Glomgold. Francisco said,

“DuckTales has all of these rival wealthy billionaire types that are industrialists, and they always, and one of the things we love is, they always upstage one another, who Scrooge’s rivals are for the new age, to keep him relevant. So, in addition to Glomgold, who you saw in the very last scene of this, the cliffhanger for the next episode, who is our, kind of our go-go 80’s billionaire. Then we also have a new character we’re really excited to introduce called Mark Beaks, and he is our tech billionaire who cares more about buzz than bucks. “

6. We should over the course of the series find out what is going on between Donald Duck and Scrooge McDuck.

7. The show will relate to kids with a few small modern updates. The kids might have an iPad or Donald will have a iPhone type phone, while Scrooge will have a gold flip phone.

8. Keep an eye out for Easter Eggs. There will be small things from the original series, comic books and video games like the lamps you see in the first episode so keep an eye out for that.

DuckTales

9. The characters of DuckTales will go on adventure after adventure while discovering the importance of teamwork and family.

All About DuckTales

Scrooge McDuck, the wealthiest duck in Duckberg, goes on adventures with his great-nephews Huey, Dewey, and Louie to protect his fortune from villains like the Beagle Boys, Magica De Spell, and Flintheart Glomgold.

The series stars David Tennant as Scrooge McDuck; Danny Pudi, Ben Schwartz, and Bobby Moynihan as the voices of Huey, Dewey and Louie, respectively; Kate Micucci as Webby Vanderquack; Beck Bennett as Launchpad McQuack and Toks Olagundoye as Mrs. Beakley, and will follow the epic family of ducks on their high-flying adventures around the world.

10. Sing along with the theme song. They updated the song, but wanted it to be familiar still and I think they did a fantastic job.

Scenes From The Dark Tower Movie In Theaters August 4th

July 27, 2017 by Momstart 3 Comments

The Dark Tower is a huge book series from Stephen King and condensed into one movie.

My husband has read the entire series and has no idea how they were able to condense such an intense story into one movie. I’m so intrigued by his confusion that I want to pick up the books and read them myself. I’m a huge fan of Stephen King.

The Dark Tower hits theaters August 4. I plan on seeing it with my husband.

The Dark Tower Synopsis:

There are other worlds than these. Stephen King’s The Dark Tower, the ambitious and expansive story from one of the world’s most celebrated authors, makes its launch to the big screen. The last Gunslinger, Roland Deschain (Idris Elba), has been locked in an eternal battle with Walter, also known as the Man in Black (Matthew McConaughey), determined to prevent him from toppling the Dark Tower, which holds the universe together. With the fate of the worlds at stake, good and evil will collide in the ultimate battle as only Roland can defend the Tower from the Man in Black.

Cast:

Idris Elba

Matthew McConaughey

Tom Taylor

Claudia Kim

Fran Kranz

Abbey Lee

and Jackie Earle Haley

Follow Along Socially:

Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | #DarkTowerMovie

Danger & Eggs Amazon Prime Video TOMORROW, Friday, June 30

June 29, 2017 by Momstart Leave a Comment

Danger & Eggs, will debut on Prime Video TOMORROW, Friday, June 30.

Amazon is rocking the kids programming. My kids adore watching Annedroids. So it will be interesting to see if Danger & Eggs, is any good.

Danger & Eggs, Amazon Studios’ first animated comedy for children ages 6-11, follows the endless adventures of a fearless, teal-haired girl named D.D. Danger (Aidy Bryant) and her ever cautious best friend, a giant talking egg named Phillip (Eric Knobel). As the daughter of world-renowned stunt daredevil, Roy Danger, D.D. is following in his footsteps and is always chasing her next big thrill. Luckily for her, Phillip is always there by her side with jerry-rigged safety mechanisms to make her thrill-seeking dreams come true. Together, they go in search of new adventures at their favorite spot, Chicken Paw Park, which is home to Philip’s mom Becky, a gargantuan chicken. The first season finds D.D. and Phillip meeting a raccoon with a thirst for technology, being sucked into a mysterious underground science lab, discovering a lonely robot in an overgrown garden, and taking on a famous zip line. Throughout their journey, they overcome obstacles with the “Buddy System” because even though they are polar opposites, their differences complement each other’s strengths and weaknesses to solve problems. Their Buddy System mantra says it all, “You look out for me and I’ll look out for you!”

Featuring the voice talent of comedians Aidy Bryant (Saturday Night Live) as D.D. Danger and Eric Knobel (Huge Theater) as Phillip, the series will also include guest star voice talent from Weird Al (Milo Murphy’s Law), Lori Petty (Tank Girl), Charlyne Yi (Knocked Up), Kate Micucci (Garfunkle and Oates), Mary Elizabeth Winstead (Scott Pilgrim), Jasika Nicole (Fringe), Felicia Day (Geek and Sundry), Jonah Ray (Nerdist, Mystery Science Theater), Angelica Ross (Her Story), and Jazz Jennings (I Am Jazz). Danger & Eggs is created by Mike Owens (Yo Gabba Gabba!, Animaniacs) and Shadi Petosky (Yo Gabba Gabba!, Mad) and executive produced by Owens, Petosky, and Chris Hardwick (Talking Dead, @midnight).

Descendants 2: Ways To Be Wicked

April 30, 2017 by Momstart Leave a Comment

Descendants was such an outstanding movie, my daughter and I watched it together like five times in a row. I mean it was that good. I loved the music, the story and the dance routines, with Kenny Ortega how can you go wrong? Right?

(Photos in this post are provided by Disney)

Descendants Ways to Be Wicked Dancing photo

We have EPIC News…..

The exclusive world premiere Descendants 2 New Trailer releases tonight at the Radio Disney Music Awards (7 p.m. EST) and right here! Also releasing tonight on the RDMAs and my site is the premiere of the “Ways to Be Wicked” music video!

Descendants Ways to Be Wicked Villians

Descendants 2: Ways to be Wicked Synopsis

In “Descendants 2,” the story deepens as the Villain Kids (AKA “VKs”) – Mal, Evie, Carlos and Jay – continue to try to find their place in idyllic Auradon. When the pressure to be royal becomes too much for Mal, she returns to her rotten roots on the Isle of the Lost where her archenemy Uma, the daughter of Ursula, has taken her spot as self-proclaimed queen of the run-down town. Uma, still resentful over not being selected by Ben to go to Auradon Prep with the other Villain Kids, stirs her pirate gang including Captain Hook’s son Harry and Gaston’s son Gil, to break the barrier between the Isle of the Lost and Auradon, and unleash all the villains imprisoned on the Isle, once and for all.

“Descendants 2” will premiere in an unprecedented, far-reaching programming event featuring a simultaneous premiere across five networks within the Disney|ABC Television Group including Disney Channel, ABC, Disney XD, Freeform and Lifetime on FRIDAY, JULY 21 (8:00 p.m. EDT).

“Ways to Be Wicked” Music Video

Come back at 7:30 pm EST to see the Music Video!

We also were able to interview the cast from the movie but we can’t share those details just yet. SPOILERS!!

How to Have A Radio Disney Awards Party

April 28, 2017 by Momstart 1 Comment

We love to have parties at our house and my kids are really starting to get into music. The 2017 Radio Disney Music Awards, music’s biggest event for families, airs SUNDAY, APRIL 30 (7:00-9:00 p.m.) on Disney Channel and multiple Disney-branded platforms. With more performances than ever, the fifth anniversary show will have something that everyone in the family can enjoy.

SO…in honor of the fun we are sharing ways that you can host your own Radio Disney Awards Party.

To throw a good party you always need good fun food. Disney made some snacks for us to try with some fun food cards.

Basically we had really easy to put together snacks and desserts.

Decorations are pretty easy to do as well. You just need some colorful Disney themed items to put on the tables as center pieces and flowers are always fun too.

We also had some fun and celebrated with Radio Disney Trivia Questions.

With Prizes…. Like this Vinylmation Mickey Mouse

Hopefully all these pictures will inspire you to have a fantastic Radio Disney Awards Party at your house. Have fun!

Radio Disney Music Awards Trivia Questions & Answers

April 28, 2017 by Momstart Leave a Comment

Radio Disney Music Awards Trivia Questions

1. RDMA is music’s biggest event for families – who of our five RDMA hosts has five siblings in real life? (Answer: Jenna Ortega)

2. Which 2017 RDMA performer had their first hit single in 1998? (Answer: Train)

3. Finish the lyric of RDMA performer Train: “Now she’s back in the atmosphere_____________” (Answer: with drops of Jupiter in her hair)

4. In Fitz and The Tantrums’ hit song “HandClap,” how many claps go after the lyric, “I can make your hands clap”? (Answer: five)

5. 2017 RDMA Icon Award recipient Britney Spears used to be on Disney Channel – what year did she first appear in the Mickey Mouse Club? (Answer: 1989)

6. Nick Jonas is the recipient of the 2017 RDMA Hero Award for charitable contributions, but he also presented the award to a former ‘Hero’ – who was it? (Answer: Jennifer Lopez)

7. Which 2017 RDMA performer was nominated for a 2017 Golden Globe for her performance in “The Edge of Seventeen?” (Answer: Hailee Steinfeld)

8. Which Grammy Award was 2017 RDMA performer Kelsea Ballerini nominated for this year? (Answer: Best New Artist) (Hint: She won this same award at the 2016 RDMA)

9. Which two of the five 2017 RDMA hosts performed at the 2016 RDMA? (Answer: Kelsea Ballerini and Sofia Carson)

10. Which 2017 RDMA performer competed on a season of “America’s Got Talent” – and won? (Answer: Grace VanderWaal)

11. Finish the lyric of 2017 RDMA performer Sabrina Carpenter: “That’s just the way of the world, and so ___________ (Answer: “They gonna keep on twiddlin’ them thumbs”)

12. 2017 RDMA host and viral recording artist Alex Aiono got his start on which social platform? (Answer: YouTube)

13. Which 2017 RDMA host stars in an upcoming Disney Channel Original Movie? (Answer: Sofia Carson, “Descendants 2”)

14. Before landing his role in the Broadway musical “Hamilton,” which two Disney Channel Original Movies has 2017 RDMA host and performer Jordan Fisher appeared in? (Answer: “Teen Beach Movie” and “Teen Beach 2”)

15. The RDMAs will feature the exclusive world premiere of “Ways to Be Wicked” from “Descendants 2.” What was the lead single from the first “Descendants” movie? (Answer: “Rotten To The Core”)

16. Finish the lyric of 2017 RDMA performer Kelsea Ballerini: “You’re just a lost boy, with your head up in the clouds; you’re just a lost boy, _________ (Answer: “Never keep your feet on the ground”)

17. Which 2017 RDMA performer has co-written songs for Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez? (Answer: Julia Michaels)

18. Finish the lyric of 2017 RDMA performer Noah Cyrus: “I never hated you like I do right now, _________ (Answer: “‘Cause all you ever do is make me cry, cry, cry”

Free Hidden Figures Movie Tickets for High School Students

January 15, 2017 by Momstart 1 Comment

As a staunch advocate and graduate in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) curriculum, Eric Franklin, ERIMAX, Inc. CEO, founder of the Eric Franklin Entrepreneurial Accelerator (EFEA), author of the Peanut Butter Principles: 47 Leadership Lessons Every Parent Should Teach Their Kids and philanthropist decided to create a special screening of the movie for the community. On Monday, Martin Luther King Jr.’s Birthday, there will be a Hidden Figures Movie Screening in Calvert County Maryland. This is significant because the movie, despite its huge numbers at the box office, wasn’t being shown in Calvert County, Maryland.

Additionally, as high school students are now making career decisions especially those pursuing STEM careers, Mr. Franklin thought it was especially important for them to see the movie and its important messages. So, he created this opportunity for his information technology company, ERIMAX Inc., and foundation (EFEA) to sponsor and purchase tickets for every high schooler in Calvert County. Who Should Attend: Tickets are free for high school students from all local public high schools in Calvert County. When: Monday, January 16, 2017 . The event takes place on the Martin Luther King National Holiday and is considered a day of service for employees of ERIMAX, Inc. There will be four screenings, 10:00am, 12:30, 3:30 and 6:45 pm.

Are You Ready For Mickey and the Roadster Racers

January 13, 2017 by Momstart Leave a Comment

If my kids were still watching Disney Junior, this new show… Mickey and the Roadster Racers would be on their list to watch! They always loved Mickey Mouse Clubhouse which is still on by the way. So you’re not saying good bye your just saying hello even more Mickey Mouse goodness here..

Disney Junior’s “Mickey and the Roadster Racers,” an animated racing series which takes Mickey, his pals and their transforming vehicles on races around the globe, premieres Sunday, January 15 at 9:00 a.m. ET/PT on Disney Channel and Disney Junior.

Mickey and the Roadster Racers is an adorable cartoon that is completely what kids want. It’s got that action from the cars that transform which is super cool and all a little boy needs. Then it also has Minnie Mouse and her cuteness along with her own desire to race and have fun.

Where did ideas come from?

Rob – We gave Mickey a classic hotrod. It’s his normal car from Clubhouse, and then it turns into this classic American Roadster.

Mark – Goofy’s personality, being so goofy, if his car could transform, what would it transform into? A bathtub! And Minnie being elegant and into fashion, we went with kind of a bow car, but basically the design comes from a French car called a Delahaye that had very smooth curves, and looked kinda like a bow.

Rob – I was just one of those kids my parents didn’t know what to do with, ’cause I was always doodling and drawing. We owned a restaurant, so my father would bring home butcher paper, put it in on the wall, and I would just go crazy, you know, drawing constantly. And it developed into this! So let your kids doodle, that’s all I want to say.”

Mark – I always was drawing when I was a little kid, and, of course, Mickey was one of the first characters that I drew, ’cause he’s all circles, and he was really easy to draw. And later on, when it was college time, I was really interested in being a cartoonist. I went to art school, and I went to film school, and I was bit by the animation bug. And it was really great. Years later, then Rob and I are working at Disney, which was the place that I always wanted to work at.

Building on What Walt Disney created

Mark – This was a character that he held so close to his heart, you know. This was his beginnings. So it’s a real honor to expand Mickey into the future. Walt was a total innovator. Whenever there was a chance to use a new technology, Walt was always the first to experiment with sound and color, and, you know, all kinds of things. I like to think of this as an extension. If Walt was alive today, he would have been the first one to use computer animation. There was a lot of studio people who didn’t want to experiment with computer animation way back when. But I know Walt would’ve charged right into it. He brought us, you know, animatronics, and, you know, all the parks. He was such a thinker that…I love that we can expand on his vision.

I got to see two of the episodes and I really did think it was quite cute. I did notice that it’s not full of educational aspects, there are some but what it does instead is really promotes teamwork. Which is a very important skill that little ones need to learn and here it’s presented in a fun way for them. I see Mickey and the Roadster Racers as being a very successful show on Disney Junior.