Archives for January 2015

Revolutionary new travel book shows everyone regardless of current financial condition how to travel and live forever anywhere in the United States on $20 a day. Author Jason Odom and his wife Kelly have traveled over 700,000 miles in 15 years enjoying the sumptuous beauty of pristine national parks and the exciting nightlife of big cities like San Francisco and Las Vegas. Vanabode shows you how to earn a living working in some of the most exciting places in the United States like national parks and state recreational areas, how to sleep safely and comfortably in your own bed every night; how to eat better than you ever have, how to cook for free without electricity, fire or fuel; how to get rid of all our current debt and regain your freedom; and most importantly – how you can do it forever if you want.

I received a free copy of the book to facilitate this feature. I found the book interesting and quite helpful. The Author explains from the beginning that Vanaboding is about simplifying your life. He continues to explain how you can accomplish this. I found “We Never Own Anything” rather insightful. I found this an insightful and interesting book that is perfect for those who would like to be able to travel in a more affordable way. There is even a sample Itinerary which actually gives you a SAMPLE Vanabode trip. I highly recommend for everyone!

To find out more, go to the website! 

Self Disclosure: I received a free download version of this book and compendation to facilitate this feature. Photo Credit belongs to the Author of  VANABODE, Jason Odom.

George Lucas has turned his charms onto the tale, Strange Magic, a new animated film, that is a madcap fairy tale musical inspired by Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Popular songs from the past six decades help tell the tale of a colorful cast of goblins, elves, fairies and imps, and their hilarious misadventures sparked by the battle over a powerful potion. KIDS FIRST! Film Critic Keefer B. comments, “The animation and design are exquisite. The character designs look exactly like something George Lucas would create.”

Strange Magic

Reviewed by Keefer C. Blakeslee, KIDS FIRST! Critics, age 14

This is an original, visionary, animated musical, inspired by a classic tale by William Shakespeare. An assortment of characters, from fairies to goblins to elves, who live in two different worlds clash over a magical love potion. Their encounter teaches them all that everyone deserves to be loved.

While the story is inspired by Shakespeare’s Midsummer’s Night Dream, George Lucas has adapted this story in a manner that is enjoyable for younger audiences. That’s not an easy task to do, especially when taking Shakespeare’s work.

The film’s music spans several decades from nostalgic rock to pop and includes various love songs. The song choices are perfect for this film. Every song sets the tone for each scene whether it’s fast-paced action or slower-paced romance. While the songs appear spontaneously, they are where most of the comedy comes from, and the characters poke fun at them from time to time.

It also helps when there are magnificent voice actors portraying the character. This film has a talented cast. I have a huge respect for voice actors because all the character’s  emotions comes solely from their voice. In this film, every actor successfully does that.

The animation and design are exquisite. The character designs look exactly like something George Lucas would create. The forest is literally flourishing with life. We see beautiful fairies to the impressive goblins we see incredibly rich details showing their scales, teeth and wings. And, their movements are fluid and believable. You are successfully transported into their world.

My favorite character is the Bog King (Alan Cumming). Not only do I admire the mosquito look of his character, but also the voice actor who plays him, Alan Cumming. Alan is a wonderful performer whether it’s stage or film. He is a capable singer and actor which he proves again in his portrayal of this character.

My favorite scene is the duel duet between the Bog King and Marianne (Evan Rachel Wood). This is where the animators really show off their skills. The fight is swift and the witty comments between the two characters share make the scene even more entertaining.

The message this film stresses is that everyone deserves love. The love potion supposedly makes the person you love feel the same way towards you. However, through a misunderstanding, the Bog doesn’t think any can love him, even with a love potion.

I give this film 5 out of 5 stars and recommended it to 5 through 18-year-olds. Adults will enjoy this too. Kids might be amazed by the imaginative animation and parents can enjoy the blast-from-the-past music.

Strange Magic

Samantha A., KIDS FIRST! Critics, age 11

Strange Magic is an animated film about two worlds. One where there is happiness, singing and love in the air. In the second world, everything is evil, with mystery around every corner and its leader – a dark, heartless king called “the bog king” (voice by Alex Cumming) that bans all love in his dark world. These two worlds have always been separated until one fairy princess named Marianne, (voice by Evan Rachel Wood) crosses the barrier and changes everything.

I have to admit, this movie is different from anything I have ever seen before, but I’m not sure whether that’s a good or bad thing. It is a musical and most of the songs are songs that have been on the radio by popular artists. For example, Kelly Clarkson’s “What Doesn’t Kill You Stronger” and that is something I liked. But, something I am not a fan of are things that happen in the movie and how the movie is directed at children, but has some very mature things in it.

This movie is unpredictable which isn’t a good thing all the time. This movie takes a turn that I had no idea how it even happened, to be honest. I don’t even know how it got to where it ended. It all went so fast that I didn’t get time to understand what was happening at the moment. Other times, it is kind of cool seeing what is happening next. But overall, I didn’t exactly like how things move so fast and I never really got the concept of what was going on.

One thing that I love about the movie is that the characters are different. There are fairies, goblins and imps. I really liked that mythical feel of the movie.

This movie may look like it’s for kids but trust me, it’s not. There are things that I didn’t even understand so I doubt that kids and younger than me will understand what is happening at all. There are also some mature scenes in the movie that made me unsure if it is kid-friendly or not. For example, the husband cheats on his wife on their wedding day. That happened within the first 20 minutes of the movie.

I am recommending this movie for ages 10 to 13 because it still has a kid-friendly touch that would draw little kids in. But, like I said, it does have some mature scenes. I am giving this movie 3 out of 5 stars because it isn’t something I liked but I know that some kids would. Gary Rydstrom, the director and George Lucas, the writer do a good job on this film but it is just not something I personally enjoyed.

Credit: KIDS FIRST! www.kidsfirst.org

“Last month, I was able to receive a free download of the single “One Night” and I loved the catchy song.The whole song is really catchy and is now stuck in my head! It really reminds me of old R&B (with a splash of the 80’s) and I can’t wait to hear the entire album that will be coming out in the New Year! “~~~~Denise A. Bloomfield, SoCal City Kids.

I recently received the New CD by Robbie Jenkins titled #Evolution. I actually like the entire CD as much as I enjoyed the catchy single “One Night.”  Being a survivor and an advocate of Domestic Violence, I have to say that “Love Is Not Supposed To Hurt” is one of my favorites. It really does speak to women that are survivors.It is truly a powerful anthem for the liberation of abused women and for the men that want to be there for them. I’s refreshing to hear such positive song lyrics about love not being abuse. I also really like the song “You Should Know.” This one is a lively up-tempo declaration of a man’s admittance to falling for a woman who is apparently  unaware. What I really like about the over all album, is that it still reminds me of the 80’s but the songs are different and do not all sound the same. There are songs that you can dance to, songs that you can sing to and songs that you can just sit back and relax to. It’s refreshing to hear meaningful lyrics and not just catchy tunes. I wasn’t sure if the album would be as amazing as the single but it definitely does not disappoint!  Way to go, Robbie Jenkins!  ~Denise A. Bloomfield

About Robbie Jenkins:

Robbie Jenkins is an accomplished vocalist, instrumentalist, and songwriter with credits spanning nearly three decades. He has performed live on tour with major recording artists, on national and international television programs (“The Tonight Show with Jay Leno,” “The Arsenio Hall Show” and others), and on multiple albums and music videos. Jenkins is a respected music educator, author, and lecturer in the industry, as well as an accomplished community leader focusing on music education for youths. He is the CEO/Founder of Overture Entertainment, Inc., a music label, production, and publishing company.

Credit: G.R.I.D.S. Consulting/ Robbie Jenkins/Overture Entertainment.  Self Disclosure: I received a free CD to facilitate this review.