Haunting Voice, Amazing Writer: My Tribute to Stevie Nicks

Source credited: atrl.net

When I was a little girl, I remember hearing the song, “Rhiannon” many times during the afternoons when my mom would have the radio on. Her voice, her mystical-looking presence, the glittering shawls she wore, her magical twirling on the album covers drew me in, but it has always been Stevie Nicks’ words which have kept me captivated over the years. Her ability to write relatable, heartfelt, bittersweet lessons within her lyrics is unprecedented.

Although Nicks is most known for being a musician, an artist, and a dancer, she is a writer at her very core. Of her writing history, Nicks says,
“I was never trained. Nobody ever sat down and taught me how to play the guitar or write a song or play the piano. I love to do it to this day, it’s the greatest love of my life. That doesn’t take any discipline for me, that’s what I like to do. Where other people would rather go out and party, I would rather stay at home with my grand piano and candles and incense and a glass of wine and an idea” (In Her Own Words).
Her passion for writing comes through strongly in her words and it’s a large reason her fans love her work. Nicks can weave a story like no other.

Source credited: In Her Own Words

 

It all begins for her with the typewriter. For Nicks, it is as if her typewriter becomes an extension of her fingers as she taps away at the keyboard when inspiration hits. In an interview with Jim Ladd in 1983, she explained, “…..And I want to go on the beach with my silent typewriter and I don’t want anybody to bother me… because I want to enhance this planet. I came here for a reason. I didn’t come here to be a mother. I didn’t come here to be a nun. And I did not come here to be a cleaning lady. I came here to be a poet” (In Her Own Words). Fortunately for fans like me, her poetry at some point is joined with a melody, which then turns into a song that inspires and touches the heart.

There are many songs written by Nicks that deeply resonate for fans, but one in particular is her song, “Has Anyone Ever Written Anything For You.” Not only are the words breathtaking and meaningful to anyone who listens, but they are accompanied by the most beautiful piano melodies your ears could ever hope to hear. Just listening to the notes softly playing out before she sings gives me goosebumps from head to toe.

Source credited: sabrina-writingcorner@blogspot.com

The story behind her inspiration for writing the song is amazing and not one I had known about until I started to do research on her for this project. It brought tears to my eyes. If I ever had a doubt about how much this woman’s words inspire me, it disappeared that very moment. She shared in an interview in 1983 with Jim Ladd, “It was written for one person and it was written as a song for somebody that had written a song for somebody else. And it was like, ‘Okay, you wrote this for that person. Now I’m gonna write this for you’” (In Her Own Words). The person she is speaking of is Joe Walsh, from The Eagles.

Nicks was struggling while on tour with Fleetwood Mac and had found a friend in Walsh. She had been complaining about being on the road, complaining about all kinds of little “first world problems” that many people tend to confide to their friends. Walsh decided to take Nicks on a long drive one day in Denver, Colorado when they were taking a break from touring. During the drive, Walsh shared a story with Nicks about losing his three year old daughter. It was his gentle way of showing her that although the smaller problems in life can seems so large, they really aren’t so terrible when compared with something like the sorrow of the loss of a child. The lesson changed her viewpoint about how to look at life and the dark parts of it that she may encounter along the way. Walsh wrote a song for his daughter, and Nicks decided he should have a song too. Inside the cover of her album, Timespace, she writes, “Thank you, Joe, for the most committed song I ever wrote. But more than that, thank you for inspiring me in so many ways. Nothing in my life ever seems as dark anymore, since we took that drive.” Writers often write about what they know and the lesson Nicks shares within this particular song is valuable to anyone who would choose to listen.

Source: gaygamer.net

 

If a person hears Stevie Nicks mentioned, the song, “Rhiannon” is usually referred to in some way, shape, or form. It is her signature song. It is a song that has created a mythical presence inside of Nicks while she performs it onstage. She wrote it two months before she and Lindsey Buckingham became a part of the band, Fleetwood Mac. Fleetwood Mac recorded the song and it took on a life of its own. Nicks articulates the experience of writing the lyrics for “Rhiannon” in an interview in the 1970’s, “I read the name (Rhiannon) of it in a….in a….just a novel and really liked it and thought, ‘that’s really a beautiful name.’ Sat down, tap, tap, tap…about 10 minutes later wrote ‘Rhiannon.’ We think that she was, in fact, Queen and that her memory became the myth. I definitely feel that there’s a presence…” (In Her Own Words). It is my feeling that it adds to the magic of the song that there is a mysterious, unknown Welsh witch out there that Nicks believes in. She gives credence to an “otherworldly” aura without pushing her personal views on a person. Instead, the music washes over the listener and it creates a world in the mind that doesn’t have to be one certain way.

Source: Houston Music Review

One of the things that cemented my feelings of connection with Nicks’ “Rhiannon” was that it was recorded the year I was born. That fact speaks to me and makes the song even more special. In a 1976 interview with Jim Ladd she explained,
“So it is….it’s just about, it’s just about a very mystical woman that is finds it very, very hard to be tied down in any kind of way, and she’s uplifting all through the song. That’s… that’s what I wanted to get and that’s what the band got really well was that uplifting of wings kind of a feel, you know, when you feel like you see a seagull and she’s, she’s like lifting up. Well, that’s, that’s Rhiannon. Rhiannon….yeah…..she’s moving up” (In Her Own Words).

When one reads the words of “Rhiannon,” it’s as if Nicks is creating a legend similar to those like King Arthur or Beowulf in the reader’s mind. It takes a special talent in a writer to create that kind of story, one which endures for decades. The words of “Rhiannon” weave a spell that speaks to the free spirit within us all.

Source: fanpop.com

Another personal favorite of mine is Nicks’ song “Gypsy.” It speaks to the adventuress in me, it helps to give me strength when I have failed at something and have to begin again. It centers me in a way that not many other songs can. If a person could have a theme song, “Gypsy” would be mine. When discovering the inspiration behind the song, the words made even more sense to me and it left me with a feeling that I understand Nicks’ writing much more than I had originally believed. Nicks shares her experience of writing the song in a 1988 interview, “And Gypsy was written when my best friend (Robin) died of Leukemia and uh …about the fact that she wasn’t going to see the rest of this: ‘I still see your bright eyes,’ it was like she wasn’t …going to make it. And uh, I was like the lone gypsy….this was my best friend from when I was 15 and so I was a solo gypsy all of a sudden and it was very sad for me and that’s sometimes when I write my very best songs. Robin had been on the road with Fleetwood Mac for five years. As my speech therapist and also management, an incredibly efficient helper. ‘I still miss your bright eyes’….that’s why we don’t do it on stage…..it’s because it’s really too hard for me to sing. ‘Lightning strikes maybe once, maybe twice…’ that means one time in your life you find a very good friend, and maybe if you’re incredibly lucky, you might find a second. ‘It all comes down to you,’ means but you have to look very hard” (In Her Own Words).

For me, it’s as simple as the lyrics, “To the gypsy that remains… faces freedom with a little fear….I have no fear, I have only love…” Sometimes, when a person has hit a wall or a crossroads in his or her life, it is essential to get back to the basics, recognize the person that they are inside. This song tells the story of going back to something familiar in order to gain strength to move on to the next phase life has to offer.

Source: Billboard.com

Stevie Nicks is known around the world for her beautiful, haunting voice and her magical presence on stage, but she is a writer first and foremost. It is at the very core of who she is. In a recent Rolling Stone interview, she said, “I’m lucky that my favorite evening is still going to a grand piano in a beautiful room with incense and candles and sitting down to write a song for the world” (Sheffield). When she writes, she does think of the fans, but her words come across on such a genuine level because she puts a piece of herself into every song. She explained to The Island Ear in 1994, “What a writer wants to do is put stuff out there and make people mull it over in their minds until suddenly it’s something that’s way more important than turning on the stereo” (In Her Own Words). It is fortunate for fans like myself that she still has many more songs within her waiting to come out onto paper and into our hearts.

Sources Cited
In Her Own Words. Inherownwords.com, 2004. Web. 16 Nov. 2014. <http://www.inherownwords.com/index.htm&gt;.
Sheffield, Rob. “Stevie Nicks on Twirling, Kicking Drugs and a Lifetime with Lindsey.” Rolling Stone 2 Oct. 2014: n. pag. Print.

Monday Biography Feature: Katey Sagal

(Image from daemonstv.com)

When most people think of Katey Sagal, they associate her most popularly with three characters she has played.  First and foremost, Peg Bundy, from the popular TV sitcom,  Married With Children.  Who could forget Al Bundy’s oversexed, cigarette smoking, bouffant wearing, bon bon eating, crazy wife?  Some people also think of her character, Leela, on the animated series by Matt Groening, Futurama. Most recently, she is associated with her newest and I think her most controversial character so far, Gemma Teller, on the FX series, Sons of Anarchy. No matter which character you think of first, she has captivated the music, television and film industries for years, and I really enjoyed doing my research on her!  She is a person who has so many wonderful and deep facets to her personality and her life, and it was really great to learn more about her.

(Image found via random Google Search)

Her Early Years

Katey Sagal was born Catherine Louise Sagal, on January 19th, 1954 to Boris Sagal, a noted TV and film director, and Sarah Zwilling, a director and singer, in Los Angeles, California.  Katey grew up in a large family, being one of five children.  Three of her siblings also became actors.  She was bitten by the “showbiz bug” at the early age of five, studying voice and acting at the California Institute of Arts in Valencia, California.

(Image from bundyology.com)

Early Adulthood and Career

Katey’s early adulthood was such a mix of heartbreak and win.  While she met with success as a singer, she lost both of her parents far too soon.  Her mother, Sarah, died of heart disease (date unknown), and her father, Boris died on the set while filming the television movie, World War III in 1981.

While working as a waitress, Katey started performing with the band, The Group With No Name, and caught a break when she met Gene Simmons of Kiss in 1978. He asked her to sing background vocals on his self-titled solo album.  She was then hired in 1979 by Bette Midler for a tour to sing back up vocals as one of “The Harlettes.”

Katey quickly gained valuable experience as well as a name for herself as a backup recording singer, working with established musicians such as Tanya Tucker, Olivia Newton-John and the great Etta James.  It is very clear that music was and is a first love and a passion for her.

During the time of 1978-1981, Katey was married to bass player Freddie Beckmeyer.  This would be the first of three marriages.

Sagal was discovered in 1985 while performing in an onstage musical and was cast opposite Mary Tyler Moore in a TV series called Mary. It was not long before she was spotted and cast as the colorful character, “Peg Bundy,” in Married With Children. Katey showed up for her audition wearing the big bouffant wig as a way to convey how she saw Peg.  It worked fantastically and the producers loved the look and transitioned it into the show.  It quickly became one of Peg… and Katey’s signature trademarks.  Everyone who knew who Peg Bundy was thought first of the big red hair.  Although the character was essentially very shallow, and selfish, there was always something about Sagal that made you root for Peg.  She was my favorite character on the show, so maybe I’m a bit biased, lol!

(Image from makethelist.net)

In 1991, Katey discovered that she was pregnant.  This was an unexpected development, so the producers decided to write her pregnancy into the show.  Unfortunately, she had to have an emergency C-section in her seventh month of pregnancy, resulting in the stillbirth of her daughter, Ruby Alexandra.  It was devastating to Katey, and the producers once again did some quick thinking and wrote it out of the show, regarding it as a “dream.”  In 1993, Sagal married her second husband, Jack White, an actor and hockey technical advisor.  They had a daughter, Sarah Grace in 1994, and a son, Jackson James in 1996.  Their marriage ended in 2000.

In 1994, Katey, never to stay away from music for long, released her first solo album, Well…..

In 1997, Married With Children had run its course and the show ended its eleven year run.

(Image from spaciousplanet.com)

After Married With Children, Katey contributed to the children’s cartoon, Recess, and worked on several television films.  In 1999, she guest starred in That 70’s Show as “Steven Hyde’s” mother, and was offered the role of “Turanga Leela” in Matt Groening’s science fiction animated TV series, Futurama. Although it only aired for a brief time, Futurama gained quite a cult type following and the few episodes are still broadcasting on such channels as Comedy Central and Adult Swim. The increasing popularity of the show led Comedy Central to commission a series of direct-to-DVD films, and Katey reprised her role as “Leela.”  The episodes were released in June 2010.

(Image from imbd.com)

(Image from connect.in.com)

In 2002, Katey was cast as John Ritter’s wife in the TV sitcom 8 Simple Rules For Dating My Teenage Daughter. In this television show, she was essentially playing the opposite of “Peg Bundy,” which showed us the sort of acting range she has.  She could have very well ended up typecast in roles like “Peg” for the majority of her career, however Sagal has shown us that is NOT going to happen, which is fantastic!  Tragedy struck the show in 2003 when Ritter died suddenly.  Katey, always a trooper, bravely moved forward as the single head of the household in the show, carrying on despite the loss of a treasured friend and co-worker.  She garnered rave reviews  and the show lasted until 2005.

(Image found via random Google Search)

(Image from aceshowbiz.com)

In 2004, Katey married writer/producer, Kurt Sutter in a private ceremony at their home in Los Feliz, California.  She also released her second solo album, Room.

From 2005-2007, Sagal had several guest appearance roles on TV shows such as Lost, The Ghost Whisperer, and The Shield.

In 2007, Kurt and Katey had a daughter, Esme Louise, who was carried by a surrogate for health and safety reasons.

(Image from zimbio.com)

(Image from collider.com)

(Image from buzzfocus.com)

Later Life and Career, Present Day

The year 2008 marked the beginning of something special for both Katey and her husband, Kurt.  Kurt created the hit FX  TV series, Sons of Anarchy, writing the role of “Gemma Teller,” especially for Sagal.  The series is based on the lifestyle of the outlaw motorcycle clubs in California.  While the show centers around the motorcycle club’s Vice President, “Jax Teller,” Katey once again captures the audience with her wide range of acting abilities.  “Gemma” would not be anything without Sagal playing her… that’s just my humble opinion.  I know, it’s easy to say since the role was written especially FOR her, however, I truly can’t see anyone playing this Machiavellian, scheming, hard core “Mama Bear” other than her.  She gives a vulnerability to “Gemma” that you really can’t believe you are seeing.  On the one hand, she’s bashing young girls in the face with a skateboard, on the other, she is a fiercely loving and devoted mother and grandmother.

It appears I am not the only one who feels Katey Sagal has done amazing work in her role in SoA. This year, she won her very first Golden Globe award for Best Actress in a Television Series – Drama.  I was rooting for her and was so excited when she won…. not to mention she looked DAZZLING in her burnt orange gown.  I don’t think she really expected to win… I follow Mr. Sutter on his Twitter, and I KNOW he didn’t expect her to be recognized for her immense talent.  I’m so glad we were all pleasantly surprised!

At present, Katey is going into her fourth season of SoA, and still working on her music.  The producers of SoA have included quite a few songs that are sung by Sagal in the episodes and I LOVE it.  It’s a really fantastic touch to an already phenomenal show.

Sagal is one of my most favorite actresses and she is someone I truly admire and am in awe of.  She is one hell of a strong woman, has an incredible acting and singing range, has an unfailing work ethic and from what I can find in all of my research, she is an all around amazing person to know.  Would that I could be so lucky!

My Favorite Katey Sagal Quotes:

“And I like to interpret music. So I think it’s all interpretive.”

“Each time I seem to go through one of life’s huge things, I want to play music.”

“I think we respond well when we do something well.”

(Image from justjared.buzznet.com)

Monday Biography Feature: Dr. Maya Angelou

(Image from newsinfo.iu.edu)

In eleventh grade, I had my very first experience with Maya Angelou’s work.  Our teacher, Mr. Martin, assigned to us “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.”  We were to read it and do a book report on it.  English was my favorite subject in school, so this assignment was something I actually wanted to do!  I had no previous knowledge about the book, but had heard many wonderful things about it’s author.  After arriving home from school that day, I immediately started reading it.  ( Did I mention that I LOVE to read?)  I didn’t get very far.  There is a specific point in the book where she tells of an experience of sexual abuse.  At first, I couldn’t get any farther, the part in the book just having this enormous effect on me.  I didn’t want to pick it up and read it.  The book had hit home with some of my own personal experiences, and I just couldn’t do it.  So.. the next day, I went to the English teacher and spoke with him privately about my wish not to read the book.  I asked to be assigned something else.  He did try to explain to me that if I could get past that particular part, it’s truly a wonderful read.  I told him I would take his word for it.

After a couple of months passed and I had completed my English assignment and had read a different book… something in the back of my mind started to wonder if I hadn’t been wrong about Maya Angelou’s book after all.  A lot of my other classmates had read it and loved it.  So, I checked it out from the local library.  Once I started reading it again, and got past the part I had previously had trouble with, I really just devoured the book.  It was and IS a FANTASTIC book!  I am so glad that I had changed my mind about reading it!   Since then, I have become a huge fan of Maya Angelou’s work and I am excited to share with you all what I have learned about her during my research!

(Image from Harlem World Blog)

Her Early Years

Dr. Maya Angelou, originally named Marguerite Ann Johnson, was born on April 4th, 1928 in Saint Louis, Missouri.  She was born to Bailey Johnson, a doorman and Navy dietician, and Vivian (Baxter) Johnson, a real estate agent, trained surgical nurse, and later, Merchant Marine.

At a young age, her parents’ rocky marriage ended.  Maya and her brother where sent alone by train to live with their father’s mother, Annie Henderson in Stamps, Arkansas.  They lived with their grandmother for four years until, their father appeared unexpectedly and uprooted Maya and her brother Bailey Jr. again, this time returning them to their mother’s care in Saint Louis.

At the age of eight, while living with her mother, Maya was sexually abused and raped by her mother’s boyfriend, Mr. Freeman.  She confessed what had happened to her brother, who then told the rest of the family.  According to what I found on Wikipedia, Freeman was found guilty, but was only jailed for one day!  I can’t even fathom how Maya must of felt at him being released from jail so quickly.  It had to have been frightening to say the very least.

Four days after Freeman was released, he was found murdered.  The whole experience was so traumatic to the young Maya, that she became mute, thinking her voice, naming him, had killed him.  She felt her voice could kill others too.  She remained mute for nearly 5 years.  Shortly after Freeman’s murder, Maya and her brother were sent back to Stamps to live with their grandmother.

With guidance from a teacher and family friend, Mrs. Bertha Flowers, Maya began speaking again.  Flowers introduced her to authors such as Shakespeare, Dickens, Poe, and Douglas, as well as introducing her to African American female artists like Frances Harper, Jessie Fauset, and Anne Spencer.

When Angelou turned 13, she and her brother returned to live with their mother, who was residing in San Fransisco at the time.  She went on to study dance and drama, on a scholarship at San Fransisco’s Labor School.  At 14, she dropped out to become the very first African American female cable car conductor.  Maya later finished school and gave birth to a son at 17, naming him Guy.  Now the young, artistic, and intelligent woman had another road ahead of her… that of a young single mother.

(Image from anthurium.miami.edu)

(Image from achievement.org)

Early Adulthood and Career

As a young, single mother, Angelou supported herself and child by working as a cook and waitress.  However, she had a strong passion for poetry, music, dance and performance and it would soon take center stage in her life.

During 1954 and 1955, Dr. Angelou toured Europe with a production of the opera, Porgy and Bess. She studied modern dance with Martha Graham, danced with Al Ailey on television variety shows, and also recorded her first album, which she named “Callypso Lady.”

In 1958, she moved to New York and joined the Harlem Writer’s Guild and delved very deeply into her writing.  Although her writing was her main concentration, Maya had also managed to find time to act in the historic Off-Broadway production of Jean Genet’s The Blacks and wrote and performed Cabaret for Freedom.  Quite a busy woman!!!!   And what an amazing life so far!

In 1960, Dr. Angelou and her son Guy, moved to Cairo, Egypt, where she worked as the editor of the English language weekly newspaper, The Arab Observer. By 1962, she was on the move again, this time to Ghana, where she taught at the University of Ghana’s School of Music and Drama.  She was also a feature editor for the The African Review and wrote for The Ghanaian Times.

Throughout her years of extensive traveling, Dr. Angelou read and studied insatiably, mastering French, Spanish, Italian, Arabic, and the West African language, Fanti.  While living in Ghana, she met Malcolm X, and in 1964, she returned to the United States to help him form his new Organization of African American Unity.  Unfortunately, soon after Angelou’s arrival, Malcolm X was assassinated, and the organization dissolved.

After Malcolm X’s assassination, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. approached Dr. Angelou, asking her to serve as the Northern Coordinator for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.  King was assassinated before their plans for a peace march could reach fruition, and Maya was devastated.  Dr. King was killed on her birthday, and for that reason, she did not celebrate for many years.  Instead of celebrating, she sent flowers to Dr. King’s widow every year until Mrs. King’s death in 2006.  At the encouragement of a friend, novelist James Baldwin, Dr. Angelou dealt with her grief and then went on to channel her energy into her first autobiography, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, which brought with it her first international recognition and acclaim.

(Image from famouspeople.com)

(Image from Boston College Chronicle)

Later Career and Life, Present Day

A groundbreaker in both television and film, Dr. Angelou wrote the screenplay and composed the score for the 1972 film, Georgia, Georgia. Her script, the first by an African American woman ever to be filmed, was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize.

Dr. Angelou has continued throughout the years appear on films, such as Roots, and Poetic Justice, and has been a guest on television shows such as Sesame Street and The Oprah Winfrey Show. The list of her public writing, both fiction and non-fiction now includes more than 30 best selling titles.  In 1996, she directed her first feature film, Down in the Delta.  In 2008, she composed poetry for and narrated the award-winning documentary The Black Candle, directed by M.K. Asante.

My choice to write about Dr. Maya Angelou for my first biography feature was a very personal one for me, because her work truly touches me in many ways.  Her struggles in her life and in her books have always resonated with me and inspired and encouraged me to strive for better in my own life.  If you have never read a book written by Dr. Maya Angelou, I would highly recommend picking one up at your local library.  You won’t be sorry you did.

My Favorite Maya Angelou Quotes:

“A bird doesn’t sing because it has an answer, it sings because it has a song.”

“Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.”

“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

“I can be changed by what happens to me.  But I refuse to be reduced by it.”

“My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style.”

(Image found via random Google Image Search)

Biography Monday starts next week!

Photo courtesy of newsinfo.iu.edu

A week from today (Monday), I will be posting my very first bio of the week!  For the very first one, I have chosen to feature Maya Angelou.  She is an inspiration to me and others in so many ways!  I am looking forward to sharing more about her with all of you soon!  Keep an eye out for it!

Decisions, decisions!

Okay, dear readers, I have finally made some decisions about some upcoming topics for this page!

First, Mondays will now feature a biography of the week…. it’s just going to be random how I choose the person, unless I get some requests.  A friend of mine requested Mark Dayton, so I will be researching and featuring him at some point in the near future.  Extra snaps to the reader who can help me come up with a catchy “name” for my Monday Bio Feature of the Week!  🙂

Second thing I have decided…. I have chosen a series to write about from beginning to end.. it was also at the mention of a friend (SEE?  I take requests seriously, LOL!).  I will be doing a weekly feature on the Showtime series, “Weeds”.  I have decided that Nancy and her crew would be a hell of a lot of fun to write about, episode by episode.  I still plan on doing other series as well, but I think “Weeds” will be a great start!

Third thing I have decided is that I will be doing one other sort of feature and it’s going to be called, “Random Minnesota”.  I came up with this idea because although this state is horribly frigid a few months out of the year, I do truly love it here and could never think of anywhere else as home.  My mom raised us on a lot of knowledge out our very changeable state, and I want to share some things I learned and grew to love as a kid.  Having a sister that works for the DNR helps when I have a shortage of ideas, LOL!  Who knows?  Maybe I will have her as a guest on my blog sometime!  The basic purpose of this particular feature is going to be to show others who have never been here before what it’s really like to live here.  Maybe some are not interested and that’s fair.. but I do know that some people are incredibly curious about how in the world we even manage to go outside with all the cold and snow!  🙂

So there you have it, my friends, readers, passersby and curious onlookers.  Some decisions made and changes coming and I’m super excited to start my research!  Happy Wednesday!!!!

Time to Participate! Input PLEASE!!!!

I’ve been recently thinking about what sorts of new things I want to do with my blog to keep my readers engaged…. I’ve posted my ideas that I’ve been tossing around  before, but have had little response as to what YOU, my readers, may want to read the most!  Come on, give a gal a break and let me know what intrigues you!  Enquiring minds want to know!

One thing I have made a definite decision about is this; and I now “decree” (I almost want to laugh at myself a little at saying “decree”) that on Mondays, I will be featuring a biography of the week, of someone I find intriguing, dead or alive.  As I have said before, if anyone has any special requests, I am most certainly happy to oblige and do a feature on someone of their choice.  🙂

Second thing I have made a decision about is that I want to do an episode by episode sort of synopsis of a television series or two.  I have one in mind already… I was thinking about starting back from the very beginning of “Sex and the City” and working my way through the entire series, one post at a time.  To get an idea of what I’m envisioning, you can see an example here:  https://leogirl1975.wordpress.com/2010/07/01/the-tudors-season-4-final-episode/.  I plan to go episode by episode, including pictures, of course.

What I really want to know about the above impending project is this:  WHAT SERIES do YOU want to read about?  I will throw some options out there to get the ball rolling, but your vote will help!!!!!!!

1. Sex and the City

2. Weeds

3. Burn Notice

4. Sons of Anarchy

5. Mad Men

6. Nip/Tuck

7. Friends

Some of these are shows that are no longer on the air, but that’s the BEAUTY of it!  You can revisit some of your faves!  I know some of you will notice that I did not include “The Tudors” but that is because I am doing a feature on that series on my Tudors based blog, “A Lion’s Share“.

So, my readers or passersby… please give me your input, ideas, suggestions, whatever!  I am excited to have wonderful and educational experiences in 2011 with regard to my writing, and I plan to start NOW!

Fun With Biographies!!!!!

I have been giving a great deal of thought lately as to the kinds of things I want to write about in my blog, and I have found that I very much love to read about people, Googling information, or reading biographies and then writing down my thoughts or my take on certain things that intrigued or interested me, along with offering points of view that maybe have not yet been presented.  I like to sort of try to get inside the head of my subject and try to put missing historical pieces together.

That being said, I also want to know what intrigues YOU, my readers… what you most want to read about, what you would most like to know…. ever been curious about what is fact or fiction?

Here is what I propose…..if there is something specific that you would like to read about, but can seldom find what you are looking for, comment here!  I am more than happy to look into things for others….it gives me some research practice!  It also gives me a chance to maybe write about something from a very unbiased point of view.

So, my readers, all two or three of you out there, lol…. fire away, and let’s have some fun with this!

***Picture found via Google Image search.  If you know who to credit for this picture, feel free to let me know and I will add it to the post.  🙂