59th Annual Grammy Awards: A Night in Review

If you weren't able to catch the 59th Annual Grammy Awards on Sunday, February 12th, then I've got a short little highlight reel for you. Let me disclose that we here at OTE are a family with similar values and ideals, but my opinions on the night are strictly my own.

Let's get started!

While there were many moments throughout the evening that were beyond fantastic, these were the few that stuck out in my mind. For a full list of winners, performances, etc., feel free to visit the official Grammy website which will be linked at the bottom.

Adele

Talk about a grand opening! Everything about the opening musical number was flawless; her dress, her voice, and her all-around presence. Let's not forget her incredible rendition of George Michael's Fastlove for his tribute performance. She gained even more respect from me (and I'm sure countless others) when she stopped in the beginning of the song to do her version, and the late British singer justice. Adele is the epitome of class. Don't worry, girl. No one's knocking you for swearing. Or breaking your award for Album of the Year in half. But more on that later.

Chance the Rapper

I will be the first to tell you that I'm not a huge fan of rap music. As a musician, I hold an appreciation for every genre of music, and attempt to dip my toes in the water of each, but I've never really heard anything by Chance the Rapper. That all changed after his acceptance speeches and performance. So many rappers come off as vulgar and uneducated, but this man is an exception to the game. I respect anyone who uses their music to give glory to God, and recognizes where they come from. Curse that damn play-off music though. I understand that a timeline needs to be kept, but let's not be rude, Recording Academy (or whomever runs the show).

Beyonce'

If you're a fan of the public-proclaimed 'Queen B' then she was EVERYTHING. However, if you're like me, and don't really stand behind the hype, then the performance was at a level of understanding that went way over your head. I will give props where props are due. As a fellow expectant mother, I couldn't have done what she did. Performance wise or vocally. I have a hard enough time holding a conversation standing still let alone singing while sitting in a chair leaned backwards damn near parallel to the floor. I will not neglect to mention that she looked stunning. Bey wears pregnancy well. And her reaction to Adele literally splitting her award for Album of the Year? You can't tell me she's not a humble woman.

Collaborative Performances

I'm going to make this short and sweet because I could go on forever on why some of these performances made me want to throw something at the TV.

1. Kelsea Ballerini and Lukas Graham: It's a no from me. At least on the mash-up aspect of it.
2. Lady Gaga and Metallica: Gaga is my QUEEN. Once the technical issues were fixed, I rocked out.
3. Keith Urban and Carrie Underwood: Love them as individual artists, and a collboration between the two sounded like a Godsend. Until I actually heard the song. What the hell happened to Country music?
4. Maren Morris and Alicia Keys: SO. MUCH. YES. A hometown sweetheart plus my vocal idol. Perfection.
5. Prince Tribute: Genius. Look it up. You won't be disappointed.
6. Bee Gee's Tribute: I mean, it wasn't bad. Wasn't the best. Legendary vocalists paying tribute to a legendary band.
7. Tribe Called Quest and Busta Rhymes: One word; Magic. #Resist

James Corden

Quite possibly my favorite British person who wasn't at one time an official member of One Direction. I loved him hosting the Tony Awards last year. I thought his opening bit was genius, the bit with his parents was hilarious, and incorporating his trademark Carpool Karaoke was amazing. I say we give him honorary American citizenship, and let him and Jimmy Kimmel alternate on hosting everything for the rest of their existence. 

Recap

Adele was the definition of class and humility, Beyonce slayed, Chance the Rapper killed, and James Corden was remarkable. It was an incredibly entertaining night of music, and recognizing the past, present, and future pioneers of the music industry. Looking forward to next year.

For a full list of winners, highlights, and performances, visit the official Grammy website at www.grammy.com

February Featured Author: Jane Doe

Recently, I was sent a copy of an amazing short story written by an author who, from this moment forward, will be referred to as Jane Doe. In reality, the writer of this piece is a remarkably sweet woman who chose to share the story of her entrance into the world of teenage parenthood in one of the most revealing and detailed ways possible.

Out of the respect for everyone's personal work, I will continue to refer to our anonymous author as J (Jane Doe), and try my hardest to give you a glimpse into the short, yet detailed, story that is, Enough.

Our story opens up with an explanation of the co-stars of our protagonist's tale; the supporting characters who actually shape the story, and give detail into the real story of loves found and lost. 

Q: What made you want to pen your own story rather than something fictitious?

J: I had hit a horrible bout of writer's block and a very dear mentor suggested I take a personal event and write it out in an effort to break that wall

Q: How long have you been writing?

J: Ever since I was a little kid. I started with short stories around 7-8 and continued off and on to present day, at age 20.

One of  my favorite things about reading this piece is that even though it's not a full novel, it's written with riveting detail. I didn't want to stop reading, and there was never necessarily a slow point. But something left me craving...more.

Q: Have you ever considered going more in depth with this part of your life i.e. writing a whole novel?

J: I wish I had that kind of self-control! I generally write a chapter or two and get bored. This is the first time I've made an effort to follow through with something.

Q: Who are some of our favorite authors?

J: Sarah Dessen, Stephen King, JK Rowling, Jodi Picoult, Ellen Hopkins.

A woman after my own heart! You can tell not only by the context of the story, but also from the eloquence of the writing that J pulls inspiration from some of the biggest and best names in publication; past and present.

However, inspiration comes from within, and is personal. Something J understands. She brings her own voice into her work that makes it unique from things that are highly publicized.

Q: Would you say there's a specific person, place, or thing that inspires you to write? 

J: Not at all. Inspiration can strike at any point. An interesting looking stranger at the grocery store, a certain song that comes on my shuffle just as my son masters a new skill, anything.

Q: Do you plan on making your story available to the public?

J: Well...being here is about as public as I can imagine!

For a copy or chance to read Enough, a true story by Jane Doe, hit me up in my DMs on any form of social media. This is a story that should be available to any and everyone for it's raw, biographic content.

Have a story you want to share? Do you wish to be the next Featured Author for On The Edge? E-mail us at weareote@gmail.com, or find us on Twitter @weare_ontheedge, and let us know! You could be next.

Film Review: Hidden Figures

by Emery W.

Photo Credit Tumblr/Google

I don't know where to begin when reviewing a movie as monumental as Hidden Figures. This film is so inspiring and educational. It's quite possibly the best film based on a true story I've seen. Honestly, it's probably because the story centers around people like me; African-American women.

    Long story short, Hidden Figures tells the story of Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan, and Mary Jackson (portrayed by Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer, and Janelle Monae respectively) as three women who work for NASA as human computers during the '60's when America first put man in space.

Though their stories intertwine as a strong female friendship, each of these incredible women have their own personal story to tell of how they changed the face of math and science forever.

    Katherine Johnson, a math prodigy, is brought from the Black wing of the space program to create and solve equations that inevitably put the first man in orbit. Tackling a mountain of racial and gender barriers, Johnson eventually does the impossible, and becomes more than a computer. She becomes an integral part of the team. Henson does a stupendous job of portraying the journey of a woman who starts in the background of a room to the forefront of an entire operation. Her bathroom scene (    I won't go into details) brought me to tears, and made the whole theater erupt in applause. If you thought Taraji P. Henson is a Cookie Lyon typecast actress, watch this film, and be immediately proved wrong.

    Dorothy Vaughan is the woman who *spoiler alert* eventually becomes the first African-American supervisor for NASA. So not only is she a ground-breaker for women, but people of color as well. Octavia Spencer has always been a Goddess on-screen in my opinion, and this role is another addition  to a list of roles that has made me fall in love with her.

    The one thing about the film I would tweak is the story behind Mary Jackson. While Janelle Monae undoubtedly did an exceptional job with the role, I wish I'd been shown more of Jackson's story. It's an inspirational look into how one of the most brilliant minds in the world was silenced because of the color of her skin. In fact, the initial problem with the space orbit may not have happened if this woman was given a fair chance to get her degree. I just wish the film showed more of her work with N ASA. However, what did feature Jackson was extraordinary.

    I give this film a solid 10/10. I'll buy it, watch it, and share it with future generations. I'm so thankful that this film was made because it's a part of Black history that wasn't featured in my books.

Culture Clash: Are Southerns and Northerners Really That Different?

by Emery W. 

“I didn’t know people could say the word ‘y’all’ so much!”

Back in 2011, my roommate was a guy straight out of Racine, Wisconsin, and the one thing that each of us hated about the other was the way we pronounced words. I was unfortunate enough to mispronounce his hometown as Ray-seen instead of Ruh-seen, and he threw a fit. I can almost hear his exact words now, “Why is it that all Southerners feel the need to give all vowels the long sound? It sounds ridiculous.”

First off, I found his outburst to be extremely rude, and condescending (a trait lots of our mutual friends hated about him). I didn’t know that he wasn’t being rude. He was just being a Northerner.

I’m a born and raised Texan; I’m southern through-and-through, but not country. There is a difference. I’d only been to the north once in my life, and I only spent a few days there, but everywhere I turned someone was saying, “Oh wow! I didn’t know people could say the word ‘y’all’ so much!” or “Sorry, we only have Mr. Pibb.” I was so homesick after the first night, I wanted to cry.

I got home, and it dawned on me that even though we all live in the same country, our lifestyles are completely different. I decided to ask a couple of friends to help me out with a little questionnaire to help me prove if Northerners and Southerners are as different as I think they are.

A short disclaimer; as always these opinions are those of the individuals. Not all Northern and Southern women think the way these two women happen to think. As always, the On the Edge inbox is open, and available for questions, comments, and feedback.

Representing the south is our very own Editor-in-Chief, Kirsten. She currently lives in Georgia.

For the north, my good friend Amanda who lives in New Jersey, will be giving us her opinion.

What do you put on a sandwich with peanut butter (besides jelly)?

Amanda: Um, sometimes I’ll do peanut butter and fluff, or Nutella. But it’s not a regular thing. PB&J is still the standard.

Kirsten: Honey! Nothing beats a PB + honey sandwich!

What’s your go-to “going-out” outfit?

A: Jeans and a cute top.

K: Tights/leggings, plaid button down, boots OR skirt, top, tights and boots!

What’s your favorite sport?

A: To play, soccer. To watch, football

K: College football. GO DAWGS!

How do you like your tea?

A: I use cream and sugar in my tea. Specifically, French vanilla creamer.

K: I actually hate sweet tea, but I love hot tea!

What do you call a carbonated beverage?

A: Soda

K: Coke

What’s a Southern stereotype you hear all of the time?

A: That they’re all friendly, and stuck in the past

K’s response: -  It’s a fake nice in some cases. Like, we’re polite but at the same time we can be evil as hell. I believe that there are parts of southern history that need to go away (I.e. Racism, classism, tea parties). However, there are parts of Southern tradition that are wonderful. Like being kind to your neighbors, having Sunday family dinner and just knowing how to have a good time at a football game!

What’s a Northern stereotype you hear all of the time?

K: That they’re all rude as hell.

A’s response: Not in general, no. But obviously it varies by place. Like New Yorkers are rude. But people from Medford Lakes aren’t. Also, in comparison to southerners, we all look rude. But things are also slower paced in the south. So while you guys may have the chance to catch up with the guy at your local shop in the mornings, we don’t. And if we try to, it messes up the pace for everyone else. Everything is subjective.

 

So sure, the stereotype is that all Southerners love sweet tea, and live for the football game that follows Sunday dinner at Big Mama’s house, but that doesn’t mean it’s true. Not any more than the rumor that Northern women dress in leggings and watch hockey is true. Our roots, and where we’re from plays a major role in who we become as people, but doesn’t distinguish all of our interests and tastes. My best friend loves George Strait and hockey whereas Country music makes me cringe, and football season is my favorite thing about Fall. Yeah we were both raised in the same city in Texas, but a lot of the time, we don’t like the same things.

So the answer to this Culture Clash is yes, Southerners and Northerners are different; we prepare for the changing of the seasons differently, and have our respective major convenient store chains (Buc-cees, meet Wa Wa. Your Northern counterpart), but at the end of the day, we’re all American, and I believe that’s something we all enjoy having in common.

A Generation of Mean Teen Queens

by Emery W. 

Every generation is blessed with a movie centered around a high school clique of popular girls that rule the school. The ‘80’s babies got Heathers, us ‘90’s kids were deemed worthy enough to have Clueless, the early 2000′s had Mean Girls, and this current generation has The DUFF.

When I first got wave of the movie before it came out, I looked at the cast list, and immediately brushed it off as pointless, and unworthy of my time. Boy, was I wrong. I finally got bored enough one Sunday night while twisting my hair, and decided to watch it, and I was not disappointed.

It has your general makeup of the underdog, the mean bitch, and the boy that both girls inevitably want, but what makes this one relevant for today is not only the language (yes, I am condoning the use of profanity in the film), the use of social media, and *spoiler alert* the guy gets the girl in the end, but you don’t see it coming from the beginning.

Mae Whitman plays Bianca, her two best friends’ DUFF (Designated Ugly Fat Friend), and let’s get one thing straight, Bianca is none of those things unless you compare her to her friends Jess and Casey (Skyler Samuels and Bianca Santos respectively). Both friends are completely unaware that they have placed their friend in this category. In fact, the theme of the whole movie is how a DUFF never realizes they are one. 

School stud and (shocker) captain of the football team, Wesley Rush (portrayed by Robby Amell) is the boy next door/former childhood friend who informs Bianca of her role as The DUFF, and agrees to help her break this image, and get the guy she has been crushing on for a while in exchange for some tutoring. Of course a string of mishaps and drama courtesy of resident Head Bitch/Wesley Rush’s on-again-off-again girlfriend, Madison Morgan (Bella Thorne).

Pretty typical stuff for a movie geared toward high school kids. What really makes this movie is the acting chops of young Hollywood thespians you wouldn’t expect. I’d always seen Bella Thorne as the ditzy character she played in Disney Channel’s Shake It Up, and while Madison is superficial and devious, she is true current-day mean girl, equipped with her own side kick, and largely followed social media platform. Bella Thorne does an immaculate job with the character, and while she’s no Regina George, she’s a pretty close second.

The next shocker of the movie is Robby Amell. I’m not going to lie, I knew I’d seen him in other things before as the cute guy that the girl falls for, but never a memorable performance. Until this one. I guess the 25-year-old in me wasn’t expecting the array of penis jokes, and all-around sexualization of the character, but I guess if I have to grow up, actors do too.

Mae Whitman’s Bianca is a mix of Ellen Page’s Juno, and Emma Stone’s Olive of Easy A, and she is every high school awkward kid’s spirit animal. Her come-to-Jesus moment, courtesy of her two best friends, and mostly unavailable mother played by Allison Janney. Add in the teacher that’s rooting for the underdog (Ken Jeong), and you have Mean Girls revamped without anyone getting hit by a bus, and instead of a Burn Book, you’ve got YouTube.

So who knows, maybe I’m biased because I went through puberty, and even still rely on Mean Girls to guide me through the rough times, and finding something that can almost match up to what has now become a cult classic makes me really excited. `

What Makes 'Hamilton' the Best Musical for Our Generation.

by Emery C.

“I mean come on, Angelica Schuyler going toe-to-toe with Nicki Minaj? Thomas Jefferson dropping bars like Slim Shady? “

I’m a ‘90’s kid which, in my opinion, is hands-down, the best decade to have had your childhood. We are the up-and-comers; the future leaders of our nation and the world. So, among all of the drama and struggle that the world is going through, there’s one thing that brings us together: music.

Over the past month I have been unapologetically obsessed with ‘Hamilton: An American Musical’ written by none other than the eloquent Lin-Manuel Miranda. Don’t believe me? Watch his acceptance speech from the 2016 Tony Awards.

I have never been a major history buff. In fact, I had to repeat U.S. History in high school. So how did a Broadway musical drive me to learn the history behind the American Revolution, and inspire my now in-progress historical fiction novel about America’s first great sex scandal (ahem, The Reynolds Pamphlet)? The music.

“We are the up-and-comers; the future leaders of our nation and the world. “

‘Hamilton’ tells the story of America’s first Secretary Treasury, Alexander Hamilton. The intro tune alone tells his childhood history as an orphan raised in the Caribbean, and his journey to New York. From then on, each song pans out his life; meeting his “frienemy” Aaron Burr, his battle buddies, becoming George Washington’s confidant, meeting his wife, making his way into politics, and eventually his death. I don’t want to give too much away, but you can stream the Original Cast Album on Spotify for the full effect.

Lin-Manuel Miranda was somehow capable of capturing this history lesson in Hip-Hop and R&B music perfectly. Even if you’re not a fan of rap music, it’s more than just grown men and women spitting rhymes. There’s emotion, heart, and soul throughout every song. It’s unlike any musical you’ve ever heard before. I didn’t grow up in a family that appreciated the theater, but being in fine arts programs throughout high school and college opened up my eyes to a world of storytelling I didn’t know existed. For those people out there who aren’t immersed in the arts like I am, ‘Hamilton’ is still an experience that will change your life.

Even if you’re one of the poor unfortunate souls like me who can’t make it out to a Broadway show, the soundtrack is good enough. Lucky for us, PBS will be airing a recorded version with the original cast this fall. There will even be a mix-tape of the musical released. A mix tape! What other musical have you heard of can successfully do that?!

“There’s emotion, heart, and soul throughout every song. “

Another perk of this great cast and ensemble is that a majority of its members are people of color. Yes, imagine the founding of our country being placed in the hands of Latinos, African-Americans, and people of mixed race. It’s glorious. I mean come on, Angelica Schuyler going toe-to-toe with Nicki Minaj? Thomas Jefferson dropping bars like Slim Shady? That alone should make you want to listen, and after, you’re going to want to read up on details of people you may have never even heard of (someone get me an #AndPeggy beanie immediately).

Yes, Les Miserable, Rent, Chicago, The Color Purple, Dream Girls, etc. are some of my favorite soundtracks to listen to. They all tell incredible stories surrounding the lives of impeccable characters who teach us valuable lessons, but not many of them take the facts of our nation’s history, and apply them into terms that our generation uses and understands. Not to mention it applies to everything that is happening in our world today.

If you haven’t yet, listen to this soundtrack and absorb its information. Stream it, download it, YouTube it, whatever you need to do to get this cultural experience. Allow yourself to listen. That would be enough.