“Music speaks what cannot be expressed, soothes the mind and gives it rest, heals the heart and makes it whole, flow from heaven to the soul (Monet).” Feeling good was originally written in 1965, by Nina Simone. This song has been used in the popular culture such as, “Point of No Return” and “Six Feet Under”. A song cover was later done by Jennifer Hudson in 2011, and Lauryn Hill in 2015. Although Nina Simone wrote the song, Jennifer Hudson sang it better due to melody, rhythm, and instrumentation used in her version. Nina Simone was born February 21, 1933; she died just two months after her 70th birthday on April 21, 2003; she sang the rhythm and blues between the years of 1954, and 2003. She was even nominated for an Oscar Award (nin). British songwriters Anthony Newley and Leslie Bricusse wrote “Feeling Good” as part of their 1965 Broadway musical The Roar of the Greasepaint - The Smell of the Crowd. (Newley). Nina Simone’s version was more depressive than I anticipated. Also, she suggests life is unpredictable and has its ups and downs. This is a wonderful song which reflected the era it was created for. Jennifer Hudson was born September 12th, 1981 in Chicago, Illinois. During her career as a musician, she has won 37 out of 74 awards that she has been nominated for. Hudson did a modern format of the song which was more natural, and her voice was amazing. Jennifer Hudson has been a spokesperson for Weight Watchers since the middle of 2010. Her new commercial campaign,…
In the poem “I am Not a Myth,” the author Matthew Hittinger uses sensual symbols of the rich and glamorous to examine the tension between Old Hollywood and New Hollywood. The enjambment, the (feminine?) sounding endings to each stanza and the (constant rhyme scheme?) in the poem highlights the cycle and materialism of fame. The speaker in the poem is the well-known film actress, Marlene Dietrich, who is commenting on the night she meant Marilyn Monroe. Hittinger adds this piece of information to…
TELEVISION SERIES: NEW GIRL Starring: Zooey Deschanel, Jake Johnson, Max Greenfield, Lamorne Morris, Hannah Simone, and Damon Wayans Jr. New Girl is described as “an American sitcom television series.” The main character is played by Zooey Deschanel, who is an actress, singer, and songwriter. Deschanel plays the role of Jessica, but her friends usually call her “Jess.” In addition to Jess, there are five other supporting characters named Winston, Nick, Schmidt, “Coach,” and Cece. I am going to…
Is #13 always unlucky? Ask Martina McBride! Her new 13th studio album “Reckless” debuted #2 on the country charts, so apparently not. Upon first listen to this album I thought it was mediocre; however, when I heard it a 2nd time I decided I loved it! How can you not love anything Martina sings? Her voice can be soft and beautiful as well as loud and just as beautiful! She has been nominated 17 times for CMA's female vocalist of the year and won 4 times! Her almost 25-year career speaks for…
I invited five special guests to dinner at the Rainforest Cafe, Marilyn Monroe, Jenna Marbles, Steve Jobs, Walt Disney, and Meghan Mccarthy. I invited all of these guests because I take interest in these five people and wanted to learn more about them. Each one of my guests are noted for interesting things. Marilyn Monroe is remembered for being a film actress. She was an American actress, model and a singer. Jenna Marbles is known for being a famous youtuber, comedian, and a viner. Next is…
Rock and Roll began with jazz, blues, folk, and gospel, and from there, it has morphed into the almost all-encompassing classification that we label the genre today. Throughout the history of Rock and Roll music, it has been an example of evolution, not just in the music industry, but in American culture. The history of Rock and Roll is intertwined with our nation’s history, oftentimes being a catalyst for our country's progress. Today, Rock and Roll exists as a beautiful collection of sounds…
A plane full of celebrities has crashed due to an explosion and it has killed all the celebrities, in the plane. However, one of the celebrities was murdered an hour before the explosion and empirical and molecular formulas are key to finding out who killed who and who was the cause of the explosion. A molecular formula gives all the atoms in the compound and an empirical formula is the lowest whole number ratio of the molecular formula. Both of the formulas are used to discover what compounds…
Although African Americans were emancipated by the 20th century, they still faced racism, Jim Crow disfranchisement tactics, and oppression. They had been struggling for equality, freedom, a voice, and a matter of simply being able to live their life just as everyone else (whites to be exact). The most affected area was southern America. Afro-Americans, especially the offspring of those who had lived through enslavement and the failure of the Reconstruction era, were trying to migrate to the…
for not only African Americans, but also women. The blues genre was introduced to the rural south in the 1920s, allowing many African American women the opportunity, through classic blues, to sing about their personal lifestyles, affecting the nation around them. Ma Rainey, along with many others, was able to earn a reputation as a professional singer both on stage and in business, which sparked a revolution for women all over. The blues not only helped women gain respect, but also challenged…
the education system in the United States. The author states that trends in the racial/ethnic representation of the teaching force reveal the declining numbers of African-American teachers. Statistics show that chronically the numbers of African-Americans teachers have declined. After the First World War II, 79% of African-American women who worked after college graduation were educators (Murnane, Singer, Willet &Olsen, 1991). In the 1950s, one half of all African-American professionals were…