My Fair Ladies | Audrey Hepburn ❤

For beautiful eyes, look for the good in others; for beautiful lips, speak only words of kindness; and for poise, walk with the knowledge that you are never alone. | Audrey Hepburn

"One is not born a woman, one becomes one." - Simone de Beauvoir

March, as we all know or should know, is Women's History Month. I, myself, am proud to be a member of the female population of the world. Yeah! During my 20+ years on this earth, I have encountered so many wonderful women who I consider my personal inspirations, role models, leaders, friends, mother figures, sources of wisdom and guidance, the list goes on. These women have come to hold special places in my heart and I am very grateful to have them in my life.

I must say that each and every single woman in my entire family (and I have quite a large family, you know us Indian people, not to mention my family is female-dominated like nobody's business lol) fall into those categories I just mentioned, from Mother, my Granny, all my aunties, my cousins, to everyone else, the whole lot of them, they are all just wonderful. In the words of some random Guyanese guy: MEH LOVE YUH! :D

Now for the important question: How do I, Miss Miranda Rachel, view myself as a young woman? I find the following quote apt in my answer.

"I am a liberated woman. And I do believe if a woman does equal work she should be paid equal money. But personally I am feminine and I do like male authority to lean on." - Julie Andrews

Ahhh good ol' Dame Jules, she can say or do no wrong! I completely agree with her because while I am in full support of women and men's equality, it is nice to have that male authority, not to carry women as if we were damsels in distress, but simply "to lean on" as she nicely puts it.

Speaking of Julie Andrews, she and several other darling ladies of the entertainment world whom I admire are to be given special interest. We've all got those select "Hollywood" few who make a strong impression in our lives amidst the other well-known faces, don't we? So in the next week or so, I will take it upon myself to pay homage to 10 beautiful women who have touched my life and who I look to for daily inspiration. It's a mix of both Old Hollywood and new, very few from the new, in fact, but there we have it! This isn't to say I don't admire other women, because I do, honestly! But these 10...well there's something about them that I can relate to and that makes them a little tiny bit more special to me, if you will pardon my bias. So look out for those posts if you like! Taaa!

xx

❒Single ❒Taken ✔Worshipping Judith Light

My friend Natalie came up with this one :) Truer words have never been spoken.

Yeah..that's all I had to say. Pretty pointless entry but I felt it was important!

I'm gonna drink my tears tonight ...

Miranda's Rating: ✩✩✩✩✩

OK so this is just a brief little review of Gaga's newest sneak peek from her upcoming album. It's a clip from her song called 'Government Hooker' and I must say that it is ridiculously catchy! It's not even the full song but the fans, myself included, love it already!

Gaga premiered 'Government Hooker' last week when she made her runway debut as a model in Thierry Mugler's fashion show in Paris. She was, as Tyra Banks would say, FIERCE! And so is this song! This is completely different from 'Born This Way' and reverts back to her usual pop style while still being unique and edgy in its own way.

It starts off with an operatic melody and quickly becomes something you can jam to! With lyrics like "Put your hands on me, John F. Kennedy" I do wonder what goes on in that mind of hers. Seriously, how does she come up with this stuff?! And one of my favourite parts is the repeated "Hoooooookaahhhh!" It's a lot of fun and easily gets stuck in your head. I think it will be for Born This Way what 'Dance in the Dark' was for The Fame Monster, at least for me.

I've given it a rating of 5 stars on the Miranda Scale. No surprise there, as everyone knows I'm partial to Gaga. But really, there isn't a song of hers that I've heard that I have ever rated below 4 or 5 stars. I'm truly being honest here about what I think of the song, so don't think I'm just a deluded fan who worships her every move. That's not the case; I just think that Gaga knows music.

And so I leave you with this thought: This was only the preview, imagine what the full song will be like!!!

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.

So after you've met your idol, you become BFFs with her right?

I was lucky enough to meet darling Judith Light for a second time on January 5th! When I say lucky, I mean freaking LUCKY! And this time I got to interview her! Actually interview this inspiring woman!

The story goes like this!

After I’d returned from seeing Lombardi last week, I emailed Lombardi’s publicists, as Judith kindly suggested (bless her), to request a short interview with her for my high school newspaper. Almost a week went by and I got no response so I began to give up hope. But then Tuesday I suddenly got an email response and after some negotiation I received the following sentence that changed my life:

“Hi Miranda, Judith is happy to meet you at 5:30 tomorrow in the lower lobby.”

Upon receiving this news, I proceeded to flip out, tear up, started shaking in excitement, forgot to breathe, hopped around my room, stuff that happens when you’re in shock and such. I read it a million more times to make sure I wasn’t dreaming. In fact, I keep reading it over and over now because I simply still cannot believe it!

So after getting over the fact that this was going to happen, I prepared my questions, checked that I had about 3 recording devices (lol I was on top of my game, just in case one decided to be stupid, which it did but I WAS PREPARED) and made sure that every one of them was charged.

Fast forward to Wednesday, I took the train into the city and as I came out of the subway station Lady Gaga’s Bad Romance was playing loudly from somewhere so I knew it was good sign that today was going to be possibly the best day ever!

When I finally met her the second time I gave her this big smile which she returned. I was so thrilled she remembered me! She even grasped both my hands at which point my inner self was screaming YAYAYAYAY! Thank heavens I was more in control of myself on the outside this time around though lol

My interview with her was scheduled for 5.30 pm. She was very patient with me as I fumbled around looking for my ipod to record the interview lol I’m such a loser! I think I told her that I hoped I would do a good job interviewing her and she said I’d be great. My reaction = :DDD!!!! Then the interview began. She graciously held the mic close so everything she said would be properly recorded. Is she wonderful or is she wonderful? And I’m never getting rid of my ipod/mic even if they die!

I thanked her first for taking the time to let me have such an opportunity and praised her performance in the play. Then I asked her a range of questions involving her preparation for the role of Marie Lombardi, how she embodied the character, got the regal Jersey accent down perfectly, and what it was like acting on screen and on stage. At that point she had to leave for another interview but she said she’d be back and I gladly told her I’d be waiting for her, all day if I had to! She said she didn’t want me to be late getting home though. It was like having your mother tell you to get home before dark lol I think I’m perfectly justified in calling her ‘mom’ y/y? :D At one point Judith came out of the theatre talking to someone on her Blackberry (lol what? Soooo awesome!) in what I guess was a phone interview. It was too cute :)

When she finally came back we continued with the second part of the interview. I asked her about her activism and about her personal life and work. It was so surreal to be sitting there chatting with her and listening to her speak! Again she was very patient with me and she put so much thought into her answers and you could tell that she was passionate about what she spoke about. She speaks intelligently and it’s obvious that she knows what she’s doing, she knows who she is, she knows what her purpose is in life and she does it so selflessly. It was so wonderful! She really is a joy to listen to! Not to mention her voice is so calm and controlled! I could listen to her speak all day! Oh and she kept using terms of endearments like “honey” and “sweetie” and such. It was so special ♥ I just wanted to go home with her and let her be my mommy lol

Finally as our interview came to a close, I asked her some brief questions about Who’s the Boss?. She thinks Tony and Angela would have gotten married! And she keeps in contact regularly with Tony Danza! When the interview was officially over, I had a few extra five minutes or so in which we chatted normally like friends. I told her as many things as I could and how much she meant to me. And in turn she shared things about her life that I’m sure any fan of hers would have loved to hear. We spoke about her husband Robert too and were saying how he is handsome and cute and Judith replied with, “I KNOW!” haha It was brilliant! And she even said at one point I was pretty outgoing for managing to get her to agree to meet me when I told her that though I was normally really shy, she gives me so much confidence.

I thanked her for reading my letter I had given to her last week, told her it was an honour that she had done so and an even bigger honour that she let me interview her. She said that they don’t often let interviews like this happen since it’s not for a major publication but she told them it wasn’t about where it would be published but that she wanted to do it. That just touched me and made it even more special. Seriously, who in the world gets to have an opportunity like this with their idol? I can proudly say that I was lucky enough to do so! I think she was truly touched when I was saying how inspirational she was to so many people, including me; I think she even got a little teary (she has beautiful brown eyes) from what I could see because I was sitting so close to her. And I felt like I could have asked her so many more questions and interacted with her more because she is so fascinating but I didn’t want to take up all her time and I’d already had more time with her than I ever expected! 33 minutes and 6 seconds! But when you think about it, I spent the better part of the day in the company of Judith! It’s such a blessing!

Finally it was time to say goodbye so I asked her for a final photo. Mine turned out even better this time around!

She wished me a safe trip back to England and I told her I’d be thinking about her and let her continue to inspire me every day. I thanked her again and again for meeting with me and I told her it wouldn’t be the last time we would meet and had some hugs all around! HUGS!!! WITH. JUDITH. LIGHT! I’m going to keep this red sweater forever I swear! And she blew kisses before we departed! OMG! And now I feel like we’re friends of some sort, not only because she knows I exist and who I am, but I think that having shared something so meaningful with her, we have some kind of special bond. It’s something I’ll always be grateful for and I’ll never ever forget it! I hope I made a good impression on her and I hope she remembers this day as fondly as I do and always will ♥

Now I just have to transcribe the interview, listening to it over and over (not that I mind) and write my article. Wish me luck!

xx