First Only Different

I know that I said my next entry would be about a movie. However, I remember also mentioning I would be talking about Shonda Rhimes, often. This is a Shonda week or as I crack a small smirk while saying it in my head, its Rhime(s) Time! I am not yet reviewing her magnificent book “Year of Yes” but will mention some of its context in this review.

First, let me explain FOD. Shonda talks about being an FOD, First Only Different, in her book. It’s about being the First to breakthrough barriers and crush the stigmas. Being different than what you “should” be. Shonda is 100% television’s FOD.

This past episode of Grey’s Anatomy, Shonda’s first TV baby, revolved around DACA, or The Dreamers. And yes, I understand it’s a television show, and there are lots of juicy bits of drama. I am not naïve to think that everything on TV is true to the core, I mean Shonda is old and she likes to lie (She said this, not my words)! But the underlying issue of the show is real. One of the interns is a Dreamer. She has a work visa and is in the country that she grew up in since age 2. She was brought into this country by her parents. She had no control in this and was an innocent child.

This intern went to school and was first in her class, all of them, high school, college and med school. She was not in an alley somewhere shooting up drugs or sitting on a couch sucking up state/federal benefits. Now, the show’s story goes to explain that if Dreamers don’t break the law, then they are here legally under current DACA provisions. In the show, the intern is being questioned because she ran a red light (technically breaking the law). Perhaps that was a bit dramatized, perhaps not. I’ve seen many questionable videos on Facebook with ICE doing things they shouldn’t be, so maybe the red light isn’t as dramatic as you’d think.

Whether you are right wing or left wing, you are going to stay firm in your beliefs. That’s your prerogative. My point of this is not to sway you one way or the other, but that Shonda is truly a fierce FOD. Shonda has proven that NOTHING IS OFF LIMITS in her scripts. Leading Female, Check. Black Leading Female, Check. Gay/Lesbian/Bi Leads, Check. Strong Christian Lead, Check. Strong Atheist Lead, Check. Cover topics that include things such as; Police Brutality, Racism, Transgender, Religion, and yes, Immigration. CHECK CHECK CHECK!

This lady OWNS Thursday nights on ABC! Three shows on a 3 hour block. It's unimaginable for most television creators/writers. Shonda Rhimes is doing something right! She is the epitome of FOD. 

Shonda is not afraid to venture somewhere that may be considered risky or taboo. She keeps current with the world and tells the story that some, either disbelieve or even more unfortunately so, are living.

Shonda talks about how she wanted to be Toni Morrison. Then, one day she realized that she couldn’t be Toni Morrison because Toni Morrison was already being Toni Morrison. So, I thank Shonda for that lesson. I don’t want to be Shonda Rhimes, because there is already a Shonda Rhimes. But I aspire for the same bravery and creativity that she beholds.

Should. Must.

I have been thinking about what my first “review” was going to be. I thought about talking about Grey's Anatomy and realized I just have to much to say to fit into one entry so I will figure out a better way to do that sometime soon. I then thought I would write about “Call Me by Your Name”. However, I have about an hour left of the book and would like to do a full comparison of book to film. Finally, it came to me. I am going to talk about the book that helped me discover my passions. I spoke about “The Crossroads of Should” and Must by Elle Luna in my first entry for this blog but I would like to take a little more time talking about it.

I am generally not intrigued by self-help or soul-searching types of books at all. I would loosely categorize this book as a self-help. It certainly isn't your traditional self-help. This book follows a story of how Elle Luna quit working her day job to follow her passion for art, and how she came to know that she MUST do that. There are so many important messages for this book that I'd love to share but I want you to go out and buy this book and see for yourself!

Throughout the book I felt like I developed a personal relationship with Elle. In order to hear her messages and receive her wisdom, you must allow yourself to be open, honest and vulnerable. There are several exercises she uses for you to do self-reflecting. At first I was hesitant but after rereading this book over 6 times, I've done them all over and over and have learned much about myself.

There are two things I am going to share with you and leave the rest of this masterpiece untold. Firstly, Must and Should are very much like Need and Want. I am sure we have all gone grocery shopping and thought about our budget and said to ourselves “I guess I don't really NEED this item, I just WANT it.” Then we are left to decided which matters more, Need or Want. Well in the same light, things we do in our life, things we value, things we do or do not do, are classified in SHOULD and MUST.

“Must is different.”

“Must is who we are, what we believe, and what we do when we are alone with our truest, most authentic self. It's that which calls to us most deeply. It's our convictions, our passions, our deepest held urgers and desires – unavoidable, undeniable, and inexplicable. Unlike Should, Must doesn't accept compromises.”

Elle Luna- The Crossroads of Should and Must Page 31

Are you working a job you don't like? Are you ignoring the sounds of passion? Are you trying to find your purpose? Are you unsure of whats next in your life? This book helps you with all of those questions. I know some people may think they might be too old or too young to make a certain change. This brings me to the second thing I'd like to share. Elle has 2 pages devoted to explaining how people in there 20's, 30's 40's, 50's, 60's, 70's, 80's, 90's and even 100's "made it", in the perspective age bracket. She explains Julia Childs didn't make it until her 40's and how John Glenn became the oldest person to go into space when he was 77. No matter what age you are, this book can help you!

** I do not own any rights to the text from Elle Luna's  The Crossroads of Should and Must. I am in no way affiliated with Elle Luna or Workman Publishing Co. Inc. and do not make money from promoting the book. **

Sounds of Passion

Hello! My name is Michael for those of you who don't know me already. I have loved television and film for as long as I can remember. My collection and interests are rather eclectic. I loathe the “What's your favorite movie?” question that I'm often asked. I can never answer with just one. I have watched 1990's Home Alone so many times I could act out every single scene, alone, without missing a beat. But in the same way, I love Home Alone; I could watch 1962's The Longest Day for the rest of my life. Henry Fonda, John Wayne, and Paul Anka, who doesn't love that?!? Some of the greatest together for a great movie. Lawrence of Arabia took Best Picture at the Oscar's, The Longest day won Best Cinematography and Best Special Effects, as it was superb for its time. And then I fast forward to the 2018 Best Picture Nominees Call me By Your Name and Darkest Hour. I loved both of these movies, and I'm happy they took home awards. And of course, I must mention The Shape of Water. Del Toro has undoubtedly made a mark in the industry with this film. As you can see, I've gone on to talk about movies about love, war, humor, politics and more. It is impossible to pick a favorite.

In this blog, I will likely often talk about the Legendary Shonda Rhimes and her works, particularly Grey's Anatomy as it is my favorite television show, that question I can answer. Shonda, among many others in the industry, has helped fuel my passion over the years.
Last August I traveled to LA. It was my first time in California. For years there was a fire inside of me consisting of embers that were trying to burn but were being smothered by fear, doubt and the unknown. As I drove through Hollywood seeing famous sites, emotions overwhelmed me. I thought maybe I was just on that high you get while on vacation, escaping reality. So Ignored the feeling I had, I refused to feed the fire, until I couldn't anymore. I sat in my new home in Salt Lake City, where I was happy, where I loved! But there was a sound so deafening inside of me yelling “HOLLYWOOD! MOVIES! TELEVISION! WRITING! LA!!!”.

Finally, I had to listen to the sound inside of me yelling; I had to feel the embers that wanted to ignite into huge flames!*Opens Chrome. Types into google “Film Schools in California”* And then it began. I fed the curiosity inside of me that had been causing me to lose sleep and become unfocused in conversation. I looked at programs at USC, UCLA, and NY Film Academy. All amazing programs. But then reality began to sink in. Cost. The cost was super important. Some of the programs I was able to find in LA were attainable, but then it came to cost of living. Soon I realized while not impossible, LA was just not the best decision at this time for me. So I told the sound that I did my best, but this wasn't happening.

If movies and television didn't surround my life, perhaps it would have been easy to move on from the realization that film school and LA were too expensive. But every time credits rolled, every time I saw the words “ Producer” or “Director” or “Screenwriter” and “Creator,” I felt something inside that I couldn't explain. I heard something saying “you want your name to be on that screen someday!”
I looked into schools that had Film Programs all around the country. I found a program at Eastern New Mexico University. I knew ZERO about ENMU. So I began researching, following their Instagram and stalking their Facebook. I sent several emails with tons of questions I had. Then I did it. I applied. I got accepted. The sound stopped yelling. The fire was burning. I finally silenced the noise and fueled the fire. I realized what had been keeping me up all night were the sounds of passion.

Even after having been accepted to the program at ENMU, I was still not entirely sure that this was the step I should be taking. I have my AA in Healthcare Admin and have one year left for my Bachelor's degree. Should I change schools? Should I change my major once again? Must I do this? And then, in Stinson Beach, California, in a quaint bookstore, the answers to all my questions would be found in a book. I was walking around this bookstore with my one of my best friends, Cynthia. She and I love traveling to new places, and we always make it a point to support local/small businesses in our travels. So we both decided we wanted to buy something from this store as it just had this unexplainable charm.

I walked up and down aisle after aisle, trying to find the right book. Then I saw it. The book had a mostly white background with colorful lettering for the title. It caught my eye immediately, and I stopped dead in my tracks, focused on this book. I picked it up. “The Crossroads of Should and Must- Find and Follow Your Passion” by Elle Luna. Since I was in primary school and would take class trips to the library to pick out books for reading, I have always had a rule for picking out my books. I would open the book and jump to the first page of the story (either prologue or just first chapter). When I finished reading that page, if I wanted to know more, if I were sold on the story thus far, I would read it. If for some reason it didn't capture my attention, then I would put it down and keep looking.

This had been my rule for 20+ years. But when I held this book, I didn't have to open it. I knew I was purchasing this book. I had this feeling, one I can't describe. I had no control over the situation; I was buying this book. As I mentioned our love for traveling, Cynthia and I both have our favorite places to go. This was my second trip to California. California had instantly become my favorite place to go, particularly Los Angeles. I have been to 40 states and lived in 6 of them in the last ten years. It is hard for me to pick “favorites,” but LA is my favorite city (sorry Boston, you'll always be home, but LA has you on this one). Cynthia's favorite place to be is New York City (someday we'll travel there together so she can show me her “place”). As I held the book up, she came around the corner and gasped! She told me she bought this same book in NYC! The justification for buying the book became even more natural. It was a message I was finding this while vacationing in California (we had just spent five days in LA, and finishing our trip in SF before heading back to SLC).

Elle Luna's words were the final piece to the puzzle for me. I could write pages and pages about her book, but I would like just to share this one excerpt which I think explains how she changed my life.

“Must eludes you because once you hear it speak, you know what it wants—to teach... to build a family... to write... to make art... to put people on the moon – it is difficult, if not impossible, to forget it. When you know why you are here – what you were put on this earth to do – it is challenging to go back to life as you knew it before and be satisfied”.

Elle Luna, The Crossroads of Should and Must. Page 75

I finally understood all the indescribable feelings, the voices, they were feelings and sounds of passion. Studying Film was the right move. It had to happen. I thought I had at least a glimpse of what my future held, but then it all changed. My life took an unexpected turn. Then I realized, it was just one of the many plot twists in my life. Often we see things one way and expect what we know, to be true. For instance, 1999's "The Sixth Sense" has possibly one of the greatest plot twists. No one expected that Dr. Crowe was actually dead! I guess what I'm trying to say is that everything is not always as it seems.

Okay, now that I have introduced myself and I gave you a glimpse of my passion, I can explain this blog. I am going to use this platform to talk about movies, television shows, books, plays, etc. etc. I'll be an amateur reviewer whose credentials only include a collection of 500+ movies (and counting), once having seen six movies in 2 theaters in 1 day, and the practiced ability of binge-watching entire series on Netflix or Hulu in a matter of 2-3 days.

Remember your script can be flipped at any second, and plot twists are bound to happen in your life. Go along with what is thrown at you. You are the screenwriter of your story. You are the director of your movie. Take what life throws at you and give your audience a hell of a show.