Aaja nachle nachle!

Ooh exciting news! Oxford is having their first annual multicultural show and I'm in it! It's actually a Bollywood-style play and I'll be one of the dancers. I'd have acted if 1) I had enough guts to act and 2) I felt a bit more comfortable acting etc. Nonetheless, since I'm not acting, what better way to embarrass one's self by dancing right? Some other lovely girls and I will be dancing around to this :) Of course, we're doing a MUCH more simplified version, but I would like to learn the original as well. Maybe I will on my own ;)



The auditions was a funny sight! All these brown girls standing around waiting to be taught choreography, one of which I've fully learnt! Go me! Now to remember the other, more difficult choreography...

So just a note to save the date for this show, yet to be given a proper name, June 4th, 2011 @ 7/7.30 pm at the Oxford Playhouse :) It'll be a wonderful way to share my culture with others!

It Gets Better

“Any bigotry that is focus on you is not your problem, it is the other person’s problem. I promise you, It Gets Better.” - Judith Light

During my interview with her last month, she shared this very anecdote with me. I feel immensely honoured to have heard this directly from her and to hear it again now. Truly an inspiring woman. The world needs more people like her in it.

Moment of personal joy and validation: Gaga confirms and reiterates what I've known all along!

I would be silly not to say this is the greatest honor of my career... To have sold so many singles so quickly and to be a message--not a song about a nightclub, not a song about sex--a message about love and positivity?

-- Interview with Billboard

I'm beautiful in my way, 'cause God makes no mistakes ...

Miranda's Rating: ✩✩✩✩✩

It is with much pleasure that I announce that Lady Gaga's 'Born This Way' Era has officially begun! It kicked off yesterday when the title song from Gaga's upcoming album received its first play on the radio in the US and then later on elsewhere around the world. Here in England, I was fortunate enough to be up early (I'm hardly ever up early!) and was able to tune into the station that had the privilege of being the first to share this new song with millions of 'little monsters' around the world. As a self-declared lifelong Gaga fan, established 19 January 2009, just throwing that in there, this is a big deal for me and of course I was super excited! Typical me, waking up early for the premier for a Gaga song! I need to sort out my priorities :) But, Lord knows how much Gaga means to me for various reasons and I feel that I am perfectly justified! If I absolutely adore someone, I will go to great lengths to fully support them!

Anyway, enough about me and on to the actual song itself! It's got a catchy, feel-good beat to it and it's sure to cheer someone up when they're feeling down. It is also reminiscent of Madonna's 'Express Yourself' and, naturally, there are people complaining that Gaga ripped off Madonna. Now let's carefully think about this. Gaga is obviously a fan of Madonna, thus she is influenced by the Queen of Pop. I, too, happen to notice the similarity in both songs but to me, Gaga presents an homage to Madonna with 'Born This Way.' She isn't stealing anything. She took something from the past, paid respect to it, and created something new and refreshing from it. And I'm sure Madonna is honoured, especially as she admires Gaga as well. So if Madonna ain't got a problem with it, neither should anyone else. So calm down guys! Don't get your knickers in a bunch over something trivial.

Moving on to what's really important, this is Gaga heading in a new direction with her music! It is still pop but she puts a twist on it as no other can. It is NOT your typical pop song that deals with the basic generic topics that every artist seems to be singing about these days, you know, the usual: sex, drugs, having a good time and living life as if it's one big party 24/7, whatever etc. At least, in my humble opinion, that's what the mainstream artists seem to be singing their hearts out about these days. But Gaga is different! Sure she has covered those topics with her past records. Take 'Just Dance,' 'Poker Face,' 'LoveGame' and many of her other singles, for instance. Yep, their subject matter has been about all those things, but she's constantly moving on and changing it up, leaving everyone else in the dust. This new song is no exception!

'Born This Way' is more than a pop song. IT IS AN ANTHEM! An anthem for both those who are straight and those part of the LGBT community, an anthem for their allies, for their supporters, for the kids who feel like freaks or out of place when everyone else seems to fit in. It is something special to Gaga and her monsters! Her fanbase completely and wholly understands where she is coming from with this record. She, of course, is a major advocate for LGBTs and this song is very much for them. And yet, when you pay close attention to the lyrics, it is clear that it is an anthem for everyone.

In this song, Gaga tells us to be proud of who we are just as God made us because He "makes no mistakes." How true those words are and it is a beautiful message. It reminds me of the message in Christina Aguilera's 'Beautiful' which is quite similar. That was truly a wonderful song. However, it's been a few years since that first came out so it's great to have 'Born This Way' now to reiterate the message even more so than before. She even blatantly brings religion and God into focus in this song, which is going to upset some people, of course. It really seems like a risk to her career with such a bold move on her part on many different counts in regards to this song. Does that matter to Gaga? No!

And yet, in light of all that, it has certainly already made its mark in the world. In less than 24 hours since it was released, 'Born This Way' has broken quite a few records! It has quickly made it to the #1 spot on iTunes in all 23 countries where iTunes is available and has received the most first-day spins on U.S radios in history. Simply amazing! Gaga is taking the world by storm once again and no one can deny it!

A close friend of mine told me that she noticed some people didn't like it. I do not speak for everyone with what I'm about to say but merely for myself. I'm just simply giving my observations, which I am entitled to. From what I gather, this song is not appealing to certain people because it's not what they're used to hearing. They seem to want the songs about sex, party-all-night, do whatever I want lifestyle. They don't want to hear the truth. They don't want an anthem. They want useless, trashy music which they blindly consider masterpieces, when in reality that stuff is all crap and nonsense. And in this respect, our generation fails. Pity, really.

Sure, this song is different from what she's previously done. But different can be good and is good, just as she tells us in the song. Truth is, Gaga can't please everyone and she does not aim to do so. She aims to make music that makes her and her fans feel good with a message in it that speaks to all. So for the haters and those who don't like it and don't want to hear it ... well then, my dears, no one is forcing you to listen to it. You were given free will and you have the ability to choose not to listen. I know all the comebacks that come with such a statement and frankly, it's not worth my time to pay mind to them. Whether you like it or not, Gaga is here to stay and there will be no complaints from yours truly!

I, for one, am excited about this new era of Gaga's career. But I must say that I will forever love The Fame|Fame Monster Eras! I've thoroughly enjoyed them both, having lived through both and having been a big supporter of them since the beginning when Gaga was just getting started. I'm so proud of how far she's come! It seems like we're supposed to be saying goodbye to those eras but I personally won't be doing so. To me, they won't be truly things of the past because all I really have to do is whip out my Gaga CDs, vinyls, Fame Monster Super Deluxe Package, basically everything Gaga-related that I own, past and present, and those eras will still live on! That said, I fully welcome the Born This Way Era! I hereby award this new single 5/5 stars! So yeah, I'm biased for Gaga. I have my opinions and they won't change for anyone. Oh well ... I was born this way!

ON BROADWAY: A Little Light, A Lot of Love

Today’s generation knows her best as Ugly Betty’s Claire Meade and Judge Elizabeth Donnelly in Law and Order: SVU. But those who have followed her extensive career over the years will remember Judith Light from the hit 80s sitcom Who’s the Boss? as Angela Bower, the successful advertising executive and single mother who hires a male housekeeper, played by Tony Danza.

Originally a stage actress, Light returned to the theater this past autumn after many years of not having worked on stage. She is currently starring in the role of Marie Lombardi in Broadway’s Lombardi and her performance has garnered rave reviews. I was fortunate enough to see Lombardi in December and even more fortunate to have met with her for an interview at the start of the new year.

As someone who is not an avid sports fan and has little interest in football, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed Lombardi. Truth be told, I simply wanted to see it because a favorite actress of mine was one of the stars, but I found that I came away with much more than I ever expected. And even as a journalist, I was glad to see that there were many things relevant to journalism in the show. So like Michael McCormick, the journalist in the play, conducted interviews with the other characters, I held my own interview with the charming Judith Light!

Sitting across from me in the lower lobby of the Circle in the Square Theater where Lombardi is performed 8 times a week, Light is as graceful in person as she is on the screen. I was a little overcome by nerves, what with being in the presence of someone I greatly admire, but her kindness and patience quickly put me at ease and we began the interview.

We first discussed the play and her role as the wife of the renowned football coach, Vince Lombardi, who led the Green Bay Packers to victory multiple times and after whom the Super Bowl trophy is named. As part of her research to become this character, Light read David Maraniss’ book When Pride Still Mattered, on which the play is based. She referred to it as “the Bible for everybody in the entire show.” This was her primary source in discovering and capturing who Marie Lombardi was.

“I wanted her to be this full character that wasn’t a caricature,” she said, stating that the biggest challenge she faced was making her character real.

She chose not to listen to or watch recordings of the real Marie Lombardi as she did not want her portrayal of the character to come across as an imitation. What she did choose to use were the book, aspects of herself and her imagination. Audience members, including me, and theater critics alike would agree that her decision was met with success.

In an effortless performance, Light brought Marie Lombardi to life, embodying a sympathetic woman who dealt with her own struggles while she stood by her husband’s side and supported both him and his career. She even mastered what she described as Marie’s regal New York/New Jersey accent, which is a treat to hear coming from her. The accent combined with memorable one-liners Light delivered throughout the show brought much laughter from the audience.

Light stated that the play was not initially meant to be funny at all and it was the level of laughter that surprised her most in regards to audience reactions she didn’t expect. On the whole, she is pleased with the success the play has had.

Soon we turned towards a topic she is extremely passionate about, her activism. During the span of her career, Light has been an advocate for many important causes for which she continues to work tirelessly, and her celebrity status allows her to spread awareness on pressing social issues.

“I call myself an actor and an activist,” she said. “I think that celebrity is terrific … and I’ve always said that the perks that come with celebrity are terrific. But to me, and this is just me … if I didn’t find a way to do something with the gifts that were given me and the way that I had been blessed, I would not feel OK about myself. So that was something that was really important to me and that’s why I felt that I really had to do it.”

She places much of her focus on the LGBT community and the fight against AIDS, something she has done ever since witnessing discrimination and injustice firsthand and how it affected those near and dear to her. Light said that she couldn’t live with herself if she didn’t say something about it. And for those who feel the same way and are interested in becoming activists as well she says, “Your activism can go anywhere but it’s really up to you what you feel speaks to you.”

For such an inspiring person, Light notes her husband, Robert Desiderio, and her managers as her own daily inspirations, in addition to “the personal need to say the truth about what I see in the world and have support for that.”

Though highly accomplished as both an actor and humanitarian, Light started off much like the rest of us at Mother Cabrini, a young girl with high hopes. She can certainly relate to the students here as she herself once attended an all-girls high school so she knows what it’s been like for us Cabrinians, past and present. As they say, she’s been there, done that.

She also sympathizes with many people, especially the youth, who are discovering who they are and often face difficulties because they happen to be different. One thing she said to me particularly stands out that I think everyone can appreciate.

“Living your life truly as who you really are is incredibly important.”

This has since become something I try to remind myself of every day. And as the interview came to a close, she topped that by saying, “We’re one people. We’re one human body and we just all happen to be different in different ways.”

To hear her speak these words as we sat together is something so very special, it can barely be described. I am thrilled that I was lucky enough to have shared such an experience with her.

What made this even more special was that this happened to be the first Broadway show I had ever seen. It’s a pity that I happen to live in New York and had never seen a show before until now! That has been remedied and now I’m sure that I will make more of an effort to see many more, and all because of this one show.

Others I have spoken to have wondered what the appeal is about Lombardi. I would just like to make something clear about this play. Lombardi is certainly not just about the game of football. It is about so much more that what it seems on the surface.

Light has often said in other interviews that Lombardi is about inspiration and love. And she is absolutely right in saying so. But having met her in person, I find that those very words she uses to describe the play can be used to describe her. And yes, perhaps I am a little biased, but it seems to me that Judith Light herself is the embodiment of inspiration and love.

She is definitely someone I think people, especially young ladies like those of Cabrini, should look up to. I am glad to be able to share my experience with you all and I thank you for letting me do so.

It seems like my time as Editor-in-Chief for Cabrini’s newspaper finally paid off and I can now safely say that my career as an official journalist is well underway!

Lombardi is showing at the Circle in the Square Theatre between 50^th Street and Broadway until June 19. Go see it!

This article was written for Mother Cabrini High School's student newspaper, The Cabrini Courier. Many, many thanks to Judith Light for allowing me to have such a wonderful opportunity.