Musicals were thought to be a dead film genre for decades, until the movie version of the Broadway classic “Chicago” came along to save the day as a smash success in 2002. Yet even as that film’s smash-hit $170 million gross and Best Picture win brought song and dance numbers back to the big screen, […]
I have received many letters asking about how to talk to a date, or how to have better communication in relationships. There are some basic techniques to being a better communicator. First, be sure to listen fully to your partner and then give validation – that means repeating back what you understand he or she […]
Dear Michele, I was woefully emotionally dependent in my first marriage. My ex-husband recently got engaged, and I was devastated as I had a ray of hope of reconciliation. Now, I recognize my need for affirmation from others, and how my abuse history contributed to my tendency to become dependent. I believe that I am […]
Dear Michele, My boyfriend left me a week ago and has already moved on to another girl. His reasons were that I was too dramatic, despite the fact that he created most of the drama. I do have a very busy life and am constantly traveling across the state bouncing between home and college and […]
Plenty of movies can be entertaining, and some are blatantly designed to have a message. But it’s truly a rare occasion when a movie manages to be both truly funny and downright important. I’m as surprised as anyone reading this to say that statement fits the latest movie in the “Barbershop” series of movies, “Barbershop: […]
Back in 1967, Disney’s release of “The Jungle Book” as a cartoon took the world by storm, not only sparking massive box-office success but also inspiring screen legend Gregory Peck to lobby unsuccessfully for the Motion Picture Academy to change its rules to allow animated films to compete for Best Picture honors. It also was […]
Some time ago I wrote a blog Catholics Don’t Date. In the blog I made an observation on the lack of dating happening in Catholic communities. It was simply an observation and did not arrive to an explanation of why. Recently, the thematic has been a recurring thematic both Catholic blogging and locally in my […]
Very few movie stars these days have managed to craft their image as well as Melissa McCarthy. Having come out of nowhere like a human tornado to steal Kristin Wiig’s 2011 smash “Bridesmaids” and earn a Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination, she has managed to find one role after another that has enabled her to […]
The words, “Daddy, that doesn’t sound very good.” jolted me back into reality. My four-year-old daughter had slipped up behind me without my noticing. Quickly wiping the tears from my cheek, I turned around to see her sleepy eyes and her curly hair tossed into a bird’s nest — clearly, I had woken her up. […]
Dear Michele, What can a person do, male or female, once they pass the big 5-0 and are still very energetic and still in shape, when one is approached mostly by the older crowd who have pretty much let themselves go? The reason for my position on fitness is quite simple…because fitness is my profession. […]
