Why People Are Upset With "Me Before You"

Hey Everyone!

I am here to talk about the controversial movie "Me Before You," adapted from novel with the same name written by Jojo Moyes (who also co-wrote the screenplay), starring Emilia Clarke and Sam Claflin, and why people are upset about the movie (and novel). 

Now I don't know if you heard but there's been a lot of controversy with the movie and novel as it goes in discussion of disability and assisted suicide. There's also the controversy over the fact that the main character whose played by Sam Claflin isn't portrayed by a person with a real disability. 

You're probably thinking - oh here we go again, she's complaining about disability in Hollywood again. Well of course I am - it's a big problem that is going on. But for more on that, again please go read my other posts under the Disability Advocacy tab. 

Now back to "Me Before You." After you read the plot for the film and novel, you may question why there is such a controversy with the thought of it: 

"Young and quirky Louisa 'Lou' Clark (Emilia Clarke) moves from one job to the next to help her family make ends meet. Her cheerful attitude is put to the test when she becomes a caregiver for Will Traynor (Sam Claflin), a wealthy young young banker left paralyzed from an accident two years earlier. Will's cynical outlook starts to change when Louisa shows him that life is worth living. As their bond deepens, their lives and hearts change in ways neither one could have imagined." 

It sounds great, doesn't it? Believe me at first I was on board with the whole thing because "oh it's such a change and with a happy ending," well I was wrong after a few times watching the commercials. I was over it after the second commercial seen. It also doesn't help that the actor isn't someone who is disabled (yes I mentioned again). 

There's a lot I can say about this movie and situation BUT there are other writers who wrote up better articles about their thoughts than I probably could so I recommend you to read them: 

Why Are You Complaining? Some People Actually Feel That Way: A Critique of Me Befo...
Hollywood Promotes The Idea It Is Better To Be Dead Than Disabled
'I'm Not A Thing To Be Pitied': The Disability Backlash Against Me Before You

For this post I want to talk to those who question the backlash and make comments on those articles about us complaining. There's many who don't see what's wrong with the story or what's wrong with the movie and of course to them, there isn't.

But the main problem that we have with this is not necessarily just the movie but it's the idea that it's going to put in to its viewers and readers' minds: people with disabilities don't have a reason to live or the fact that we may actually feel that way (some may do but I know a lot don't, I don't). 

For your information, I love being in a wheelchair and there are many who feel the same way whether it's being in a wheelchair, being amputee, being blind, or so on. We see the world in a different way than others do but we don't see that on TV or in the movie theaters. 

We see the disappointments. We see the "bad" things about being disabled. We don't see the real story of the person in the chair. There's so much more that needs to be seen than the "bad" stuff. Yes it's good to see what they go through but how about showing the whole picture instead of just one?

Life goes on. It doesn't stop because we're injured. We want to tell me that but movies like "Me Before You" doesn't let us. I know you're thinking - it's just one movie. But it's not. It's what's in the news. It's what you see trending on social media. It's everywhere. There's so much more negativity towards people with disabilities than there is of positivity and that needs to change. 

You may think we're "picking" on this movie but it's what needs to be done because we  need to get our point across. One. Stop casting non-disabled actors. Two. Do more research when you're writing about real people and a disability. Three. Listen to the complaints.

Now I have to say there have definitely been movies that have shown positive thoughts about living with a disability (and how to keep on living with one). 

Support those movies:

Miracle in Lane 2
Soul Surfer
Tru Confessions

Yes, these movies' actors aren't disabled but they do the movies the right way. There's also another movie about living with a disability that should be getting more recognition and that's The Fundamentals of Caring and ABC has red lit a new sitcom called Speechless (who in fact does have a disabled person playing a disabled character). 

I'm hoping that this is a sign that it's moving towards the way it should be. But there still needs a lot to be done. Also I have a question - how come it's ok for groups of people to complain when they are being misrepresented in movies and television but when it's the disabled group, we're seen as complainers (and should be lucky that they're even covering a story like that)?? 

I don't think that's right. Do you? Think of it that way. Remember read those articles that I recommend above. I hope they make you see the side we're coming from. Because again - enough is enough. We should be treated the same as everyone and get the same opportunities. 

Let me know what you think!

Until Next Time

CGoerlich <3 

Vanessa Hudgens in Grease: Live

Hey Everyone!

So who watched Grease: Live this past Sunday (January 31)?? I did! I, however, did miss the first 15 minutes but was all caught up once I started watching.

For this post, I am not going to write about the whole performance overall (which I thought was great) but I'm going to focus on one actress's performance: Vanessa Hudgens. I may come back and write about the whole production.

Now, if you don't know who Vanessa Hudgens is: she played the role of Rizzo in the Grease: Live production and prior to this role, she was well-known as Gabriella Montez in the High School Musical franchise. She was also in Spring Breakers, Gimme Shelter, Beastly, and more (not listed: Gigi on the Broadway show 'Gigi').

Now, back in 2015 when Grease: Live was announced, there were many discussions on who can play each characters of the beloved movie (it was a play first) so when it was announced that Vanessa would take on the Rizzo role, there were many critiques as many didn't believe she had "it" for the role. Honestly, I knew she would. But then again I support the High School Musical is everything they do so I believed in her.

I was happy that she had a role in this. She's always loved musicals and High School Musical was always called the modern day "Grease" but to me, HSM had a better story (don't hurt me, Grease lovers!) - but honestly why would you change yourself to make the person like you? Don't you want to person to love you for who you are?

ANYWAYS, I still like Grease and everything. Back to Vanessa. I knew she would prove her critics wrong because that's just who she is. Critics make people want to push harder to prove them wrong which she did.

Before I talk about her performance. I have to mention that she was incredible for the timing of everything and rough weekend she had.

Saturday (January 30) night, her Dad Greg Hudgens passed away of Stage 4 cancer. She made the announcement on her Twitter account the following day and also announced that she was still going along with the performance and will do it in her Dad's honor.

I am so sad to say that last night my daddy, Greg passed away from stage 4 cancer. Thank you to everyone who kept him in your prayers.

— Vanessa Hudgens (@VanessaHudgens) January 31, 2016

Tonight, I do the show in his honor.

— Vanessa Hudgens (@VanessaHudgens) January 31, 2016

This made everyone keep their eyes on Vanessa and amazed at how she was able to go on with the show after dealing with the tough loss of her Dad. But it was said that she talked to her family, the producer talked to her and the family, and they all agreed that she would do it for her Dad.

Many have said she stole the show. She showed emotion in her character. More emotion that some thought couldn't possibly be possible. There were those who thought maybe the loss would take her away from the performance but once again she proved them wrong.

Rizzo, the character she played, is the "mean girl" of Grease (the Sharpay in High School Musical for those HSM lovers). Vanessa isn't known to be the "mean girl" so there were thoughts that she couldn't put it off because she has that "good girl" face/image and tone of voice.

But, the moment she came on our televisions - she went right in the "mean girl" act and took the role to heart. She was a believable Rizzo. She had the emotions for the character.

"Look at me, I'm Sandra Dee" was great but I think what made everyone amazed at just how good Vanessa is (acting and singing) was when she sang "There Are Worse Things I Could Do." We saw the raw emotion from her previous night of loss.

Credit: FOX, Grease: Live, Vanessa Hudgens,

and anyone who is connected to production.

Also to YouTube user: Dustin Ginsberg

Many have said that she has definitely matured with her singing since her High School Musical days. I thought she had a great voice then but wow, she definitely nailed this role and song.

Celebrities, critics, friends, and fans all agreed that she was amazing in the role, the song, and being able to go on with the show after the loss of her Dad. She was just a strong superstar. 

There were many tweets and articles in support of her and her family. 

To me, after watching Grease: Live and taking the Vanessa Hudgens fan inside of me out for a moment, I believe that this role and the way people have reacted, she should receive an Emmy nomination as well be getting more movie/theater roles. This may have been the Big Break that she's needed. 

Look out world, Vanessa Hudgens is coming. 

She stole the show and many are in agreement with that statement. It's also not only because of her Dad's death but it's also because of how she handled it like a pro (after she had the conversations with her family and producer). 

Another great thing that Grease: Live did for Vanessa was when the executive producer, Marc Platt asked the family if they could add a special something at the end of the production: 

Dedication at end of production for Vanessa Hudgens'
Dad, Greg Hudgens who passed away the night before.
Credit: FOX, Grease: Live, Marc Platt, and more.

For more of what he said about Vanessa and the rest of the production, you can go to the Variety website.

I hope you had a chance to watch the Grease: Live production and if you did, feel free to leave a comment below on what you thought about the overall production and Vanessa Hudgens. 

To Vanessa and family - 

My (and the readers) deepest sympathies

go out to you and your family. 

He will be missed and I'm sure he's

looking over each one of you.

Rest in Peace Greg Hudgens

Until Next Time

CGoerlich <3 

Updates!

Hey Everyone!

As you can see, I have only posted three posts for my weekly plan so it hasn't worked out as I planned. BUT if you have been following me on my public Facebook page, you will notice that I have decided to come up with another plan that might work. That plan is doing song of the week every week (might not be the same day each week) and also I will try to do a TV show/movie a week but alternate each week. Not sure how that will work out as, for me, doing a TV show and movie seems to be harder for me to write about but we'll see how things work out.

Now for this post, I wanted to update you on what has been going on. The first part was to update you on my original weekly plan which the previous paragraph is about. Other updates include my education and writing careers.

Education:
I am currently on winter break. For the fall semester, I took six classes (Writing about Writing; Script Writing; Business & Professional Writing; Poetry; Worlds of History; and Infant and Toddlers in Diverse Settings). So far, I have received three grades (A in script writing, B in worlds of history, B- in Poetry) which I'm proud of as this was one of my toughest semesters. As of now, I will only have two semesters left which will leave me to be finished with my Undergraduate studies in the fall!

Writing:
Currently, I am working on my first novel. I am 1 1/2 chapters away from completely finishing it. I have previously thought I finished it but throughout editing it, I decided to add two more chapters to bring more out of the novel. My goal is to finish the novel completely by this upcoming weekend then work on a query letter to send out to agents. We'll see how things go from there.

Well for now that is all I have to update for you. I mean, there is some more that I can update with you all but I'll let you know about more, later on. My next post on here would be possibly be a song of the week song but I won't know until I figure it out. Remember if you want to follow my writing career or anything of the sorts, you can follow me on any of the social networks on the right.

I hope you all had a great holiday and have a great New Year's!!

Until Next Time

CGoerlich <3

New Weekly Plan!

Hey Everyone!

I have been trying to figure out a way to update my blog more often! I tweeted out yesterday asking my followers, other tweeters, and bloggers if they had any ideas for what I can post but unfortunately, I received no feedback...HOWEVER, once I tweeted that tweet - ideas just started coming to my mind. I thought about writing about music, movies, and shows. but I realized that one post would not be enough for either of those subjects so I have thought about a way how I can write a lot without writing a lot.

This brings me to the title of this blog post - New Weekly Plan! - and I will explain exactly what that is or what it could be. I was thinking about doing a weekly thing where I write a post about a particular song, movie, or show. The title of these posts would be - Song of the Week; Movie of the Week; Show of the week. These will be of my favorite music, movies, and shows. Now, I'm not sure if I'll do all three every week but that is an option that I am thinking about doing.

I, of course, will still be writing other posts if and when anything else comes up in my life but I thought this would be something exciting to try and a great way for you, my readers, to be involved! You can share your input on what I choose at the song/show/movie of the week.

I am still figuring out the exact details of with me doing this but I am excited for this plan of mine and I'm hoping that you will be too! I am also hoping that I will stick with this because I'm not sure if I'll have as many shows/movies as I do with songs, but we will see what happens as the time goes on.

Please let me know what you think in the comments below. (I am going to try and get started this weekend with my first weekly posts) Have a great day and week!

Until Next Time

CGoerlich <3

Bring Back Believe

Hey everyone! 

So this blog post is going to be about one of my new favorite shows, Believe getting cancelled. Now usually when one of the shows that I watch gets cancelled, I'm sad but then I just let it go but for some reason, I just can't let the fact go that Believe was cancelled.  It is a great show with great acting, great characters and it deserves to get another season (another chance at least).  If you don't know what Believe is - here is the synopsis: 

"Levitation, telekinesis, the ability to control nature, see the future... since she was born, Bo (Johnny Sequoyah) has had gifts she could neither fully understand nor control. But now that she is 10 years old, her powers have become stronger and the threat from malevolent forces that would use her abilities to control the world has grown more dangerous. With her life and future in jeopardy, Bo's protector, Milton Winter (Deltroy Lindo, "The Chicago Code"), turns to an unlikely source to keep her safe - Tate (Jake McLaughlin, "Crash"), a wrongfully imprisoned death row inmate who's lost his will.

Tate and Bo begin an extraordinary journey, one in which trust must be earned. One the run and traveling from city to city, every place they stop and everyone they meet will be changed forever. But they'll have to keep going to stay one step ahead of the sinister forces after Bo's power... because it will take a miracle to keep them safe forever. 

Also starring are Jamie Chung ("Once Upon a Time"), Arian Moayed and Kyle MacLachlan ("Portlandia," "Desperate Housewifes.")" - From the NBC's Believe website

What really stands out from this show is the chemestry between Bo and Tate who are portrayed by Johnny Sequoyah and Jake McLaughlin.  Both are stubborn, but Bo changes Tate from being a tough, stubborn, all-about-me type of a guy to a protective, caring individual.  All you have to do is watch one scene of the two together and you will fall in love with each character separately and then the pair of them together will make you wish that you had some type of relationship like they do.

To me and many other fans of the show, it didn't get the chance it should've. The first episode premiered right after an episode of The Voice and received about 10 million viewers but then NBC changed the time-slot and night of the show to Sundays at 9 pm which brought down the 10 million number to 6 million and then to 4 million.  What I ask to NBC is - what did they think was going to happen?  Of course, if you premiere a show after one of the most popular shows on television, there is going to be a larger amount of viewers to turn in to the show.  Then you change it to a night where you are putting a new show up against other high ranking, popular shows like Game of Thrones, Duck Dynasty, The Good Wife, etc. and then expect the show to get the same type of ratings as they did the first episode?

Another thing is, sometimes it takes these type of shows time to gain a loyal following.  One Tree Hill (OTH) was getting ready to be cancelled after their first season but you know what happened? They went on for another eight years. OTH isn't the only show that this happened to. Give new shows a chance and if you're not going to then what was the point of putting them on in the first place?

Believers (fan base for Believe) aren't the only ones upset with NBC but also Revolution, Crisis, Community, and other fans are upset as well.  All the reasons they are upset are some of why we, Believers, are upset but as well is that they not only cut new shows but they also cut really popular shows (Community, Revolution). 

What are we planning to do about this?

• On Sunday night at 9 pm ET, fans of Believe are going to trend using the hashtag #BringBackBelieve for the whole hour (normal time slot of Believe but won't be on because of a new miniseries).  Anyone is welcome to join us at that time, on twitter.  
• Sign as many petitions there are on the web (currently there are four): Petition 1, Petition 2, Petition 3, Petition 4.  There could be other that I haven't seen yet but if you are a fan (or just someone who would like to support), please sign each one and share them so that we can grow the numbers of signatures. 
• LIKE and SHARE this Facebook page that I have actually created.
• And then when Believe returns to the schedule on May 25th to finish up the season, we are going to watch those episodes and hope the ratings go up!

If you have not watched any of the episodes yet, you should really tune in (On Demand, Websites, etc.) because it is an amazing show that deserves to get another chance to create a bigger following towards it. We love the characters, actors, and the plot in general and we, Believers, really believe that this show can become one of the top shows on television and hope even if NBC doesn't bring it back, another network would pick it up.

Thank you for listening and hopefully I will post a following post to this with great news!

Until Next Time

CGoerlich <3 

Updates!

Hey all!

So it's been a few months since I have written a post. I am sorry! I really did mean to write more but life has gotten in the way but I am hoping to write more as the time goes on now, especially now that the new season has begun and I have a feeling all great things are to come this year! But that's for another time. Right now, for this post, I thought why not catch you up with what I have been up to since December (my last post). What do you all think about that? Great? Good. And so we're off!

• January marked the beginning of my second semester of my third year in college. Can't believe it's been three years already since I graduated high school in 2011! This semester, I am taking interesting classes that will help me further my writing skills, computer skills, and knowledge. I am taking the following classes this semester:

1. Disabled Person in American Society
2. Media Journalism
3. Writing Fiction
4. History of Rhetoric in Writing
5. Writing for Cyberspace
   
• So far, this semester is going great and I have already learned so much! There is still about a month and couple of weeks left of this semester and I am looking forward to what else I will learn. For my Writing for Cyberspace class, I am working on a group blog with two of my friends in that class called Bark. and it is all about dogs (how to take care of, treats, food, parks & beaches, etc.) so I was wondering if you all could go check that out! You can click here - Bark. and also for this class, I am working on a Paralympic Movement website so I hope you check that out when I have it done!

• February marked the beginning of a new sports season! I have been going to the gym with my team since around October but now all the sports have started up again! February 27th was our team's opening dinner which brought most of the members of Children's Lightning Wheels back together, as well meeting new teammates/friends. Then March 6th was our first indoor practice = we're off! Some of the members of the team had a swim meet on the Saturday after our opening dinner and did very well. Archery is plan to start this upcoming Monday, and as planned this Thursday will be our first outdoor practice if the weather agrees with us!  I have a feeling this season is going to be another great one and I am looking forward to meeting new people, enjoy the sports that I have, help new members learn new things, and reach my goals that I have set out for myself for this season!
  
• Oh also, I have started a newsletter for my team which helps all the members and non-members keep up with what we are are doing and if you would like one, please let me know through twitter, instagram, Facebook message (if we're friends), or even on YouTube. All links to my social media sites are on the right  side bar -------->

• Raise your hand if you watched the Paralympics, last month, on television! (How many of you actually raised their hands? lol) How awesome were the Paralympians and sports? Awesome right! I know a lot of it was in the middle of the night, that's what happens when the country is about 11 hours ahead of us, but anyways it was still awesome that they were LIVE on television. United States won two gold (one of them being the US men's sled hockey team beating Russia), seven silver medals, and nine bronze medals. This was a great step towards the Paralympic Movement especially when I saw many comments from people who want even more television cover for the Games and also the great support the sled hockey teams got from Olympians and NHL teams, here in the U.S. This was a great experience, getting able to watch these sports on the television and hopefully there will be more hours to come. Remember to keep a lookout for 2016 for the Rio Summer Paralympics for some more amazing athletes and sports in the summer! :) 

So that's basically what I have been up to lately, also working on some side things with my writing that I hope you all will be seeing soon and I have a good feeling that you will. What stuff am I working on? Well, time will tell because I don't like ruining surprises. So, I hope you all have a great start to the Spring, especially after that crazy Winter we had, and have enjoyed this updated blog post. I promise my next one will not months and months away. Thank you!

Until Next Time

CGoerlich <3 

Finally. The Paralympics to be Aired Live in U.S.

I originally wrote this post for my Journalism class and decided to place it on my personal blog :) Hope you enjoy! 

London 2012′s Opening Ceremonies
Courtesy of Google images.

For the first time in 53 years since they started, the Paralympics (Olympics for the physically disabled) will be seen live on television in the United States.

For the 2012 London Paralympics, NBC aired only about 5.5 hours of the Paralympic Games, which were mostly of highlights, and not of live events. The only places you could have seen the Games live were to tune in on the Team USA website and/or their YouTube channel under ParalympicSportTV. After receiving many views on the website and YouTube channel, there were many complaints because they weren’t on television.

HISTORY of Paralympics

1948	First organized athletic day for disabled athletes. Dr. Ludwig Guttmann hosted the competition for British World War II veteran patients with spinal cord injuries.
1960	First official Paralympic Games, held in Rome, and was no longer open entirely to war veterans. 400 athletes from 23 countries competed at the Games.
1964	First organization, International Sports Organization for the Disabled (ISOD) was founded.  It was dedicated to focus on advancement of athletic opportunities.
1976	Athletes with different disabilities were included to take part in the Games. Also, in Sweden, the first Winter Paralympic Games were held.
1988	First time the term “Paralympic” came into an official use.
1989	ISOD reorganized to International Paralympic Committee (IPC) and is the global governing body of the Paralympic Movement.
2001	International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the IPC agreed that host cities would have to manage both the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
2012	London 2012 held the largest Paralympics ever with 4,302 athletes which have shown a major growth between 1960 and now.
2013	Was announced that NBC will show television coverage of both the 2014 Winter Games and 2016 Summer Games.

NBC Olympics and the U.S. Olympic Committee have come together and agreed on coverage of the 2014 Winter Paralympics and the 2016 Summer Olympics.

The Winter Paralympics will be held in Sochi, Russia during the week of March 7-16. It will receive 50 hours of television coverage.

2016 Summer Paralympics will be held in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil during the week of September 7-18. It will receive 66 hours of television coverage.

Sports to be seen at the Winter Paralympics:

- Alpine Skiing
- Biathlon
- Cross-Country Skiing
- Ice Sledge Hockey
- Wheelchair curling

Interested in watching the Paralympics? Tune in at NBC and NBCSN (NBC Sports Network) and again the Team USA website and YouTube Channel.