July 2009 Archives
Thinking about Paris
We're still wiping tears from our eyes after watching Michael Jackson's 11-year-old daughter Paris speak at her father's memorial yesterday. "Ever since I was born," she said, "Daddy has been the best father I could ever imagine. And I just want to say, I love him so much." Then she broke down and hugged her aunt Janet. Her brothers, 12-year-old Prince Michael I and 7-year-old Prince Michael II (aka "Blanket"), didn't speak, but you could see on their faces that they felt the same way.
We're still wiping tears from our eyes after watching Michael Jackson's 11-year-old daughter Paris speak at her father's memorial yesterday. "Ever since I was born," she said, "Daddy has been the best father I could ever imagine. And I just want to say, I love him so much." Then she broke down and hugged her aunt Janet. Her brothers, 12-year-old Prince Michael I and 7-year-old Prince Michael II (aka "Blanket"), didn't speak, but you could see on their faces that they felt the same way.Do you find the Jackson kids as interesting as we do? Think about Paris. Imagine being 11 and the daughter of one of the most famous people in the world. And not just famous, but infamous -- loved and adored, yet also hated and judged and mocked. You travel constantly and when you go out, say, shopping on your birthday, you have to wear a scarf over your face while fans and papparazzi hound you. Then your dad dies suddenly, and it's not just you and your family grieving. It's millions and millions of people, and his picture is everywhere.
Paris and her brothers have definitely lived a strange life so far. People are saying, maybe that life will get more normal from now on. But really, are they so different from some other tweens? They've been raised by one parent and never knew the other. They're homeschooled. They've moved around a lot. Their dad was pretty weird, yes -- but aren't all dads weird, even a little, in their own way? And now that they've lost him, they'll be living with relatives and have to rely on an extended family for support. Take away the fame and money and headlines, and in the end they're just kids who face a lot of challenges. Besides, what seems "strange" to us probably feels perfectly "normal" to them.
We wish Paris, Prince, and Blanket lots of strength and hope for the future. May they each find a private, personal way of dealing with a very public death.
DVD Review: "Princess Protection Program"
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Okay, just what is it about princesses? Is it the gowns? The bling? The not-having-to-do-crummy-chores-like-scooping-the-litterbox? Or maybe it's simply the fact that princesses are special (in a good way). As a little kid you might have been into Ariel, Belle, and the gang. Or maybe you always loved dressing up and playing princess with your friends.
If you enjoyed the Disney Channel Original Movie "Princess Protection Program," it's probably -- in part -- because none of us really outgrow our fascination with princesses. What we at IML particularly liked about this flick is that it actually asks the question, "What does it really, truly mean to be a princess?" and found a fun way to explore that, with a great story about friendship.
In case you didn't catch it when it aired on The Disney Channel, here's the story: tomboy Carter Mason (played by Selena Gomez) gets her world turned upside down when her father, who works for a top-secret princess rescue operation (Are there really that many princesses out there in jeopardy? Whatever, it's a movie.), brings home Princess Rosalinda (Demi Lovato) in an effort to protect her from a dictator who's taken over her tiny country. Rosalinda has to blend in as a typical American teen; Carter thinks this intrusion is a royal pain in the butt. Despite their differences, the two become friends and help each other in all sorts of "You go, girl! ways.
The DVD features a new video of Selena and Demi performing the song "One and the Same" and some cool behind-the-scenes footage. In one segment, Selena and Demi talk (and giggle a lot) about their real-life friendship, and how awesome it was to make a movie together. They do seem to really be BFF's (after all, they've known each other since they were both on "Barney" -- that must be like the teen star equivalent of being kindergarten classmates) and super nice people to boot. But of course, it made us wonder:
If Demi and Selena are really best friends, then they must also, really, fight sometimes. Or at least argue. Because that's part of friendship, right? Do they ever crush on the same guy? Does Demi get mad at Selena if Selena gets invited to some red carpet gala and doesn't ask her bud to come along? What happens if one of them becomes much more successful than the other (say, for instance, Demi wins a Grammy while Selena's music career fizzles, or Selena becomes a huge movie star while Demi can't seem to break out of TV)? We can only hope that they'll work it out. Other celeb BFF's -- like Courtney Cox Arquette and Jennifer Aniston -- seem to be able to keep their friendships strong. Keep the faith, Demi and Selena!
And all the talk about "What does it mean to be a princess?" (which is also explored in the DVD extras, including an interview with a "real" princess, India Oxenburg)...well, maybe that's just something each of us has to decide for ourselves.
