The New Face of Annie

As I sat in the movie theaters a few days ago awaiting the start of The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1, a trailer for the new production of Annie appeared before my eyes. The preview immediately captivated my attention. This Annie clearly strayed away from the traditional elements of the classic Broadway musical and Oscar-nominated 1982 film. In the new Annie movie, which will be released on December 19th of this year, Annie lives in a foster home (instead of an orphanage like in previous versions of the production) in present-day New York. The trailer makes the hustle and bustle of 2014's Big Apple evident, yet the most surprising and positive change I noticed in the clip was the casting of Annie. In the new movie, Quvenzháne Wallis, an 11-year-old African American actress, portrays the lead role of Annie. Maybe we are finally making strides in Hollywood by including more racial diversity among casts.

Annie over the years:
Aileen Quinn (left), Alicia Morton (center), Quvenzháne Wallis (right)

In the 1982 production of Annie, Aileen Quinn plays a redheaded, freckle-faced Annie, living in an oprhanage during the Great Depression. Quinn is surrounded by almost all other white actors. Geoffrey Holder is listed as the only black actor in the cast. However, he plays Punjab, a bodyguard and butler, who can be described as a servile, supporting character. A new Annie film was released in 1999, with Alicia Morton, another young white actress, portraying the role of Annie. Like the 1982 version, the lead characters in this film are almost all played by white actors and actresses. Yet, Grace Farrell, Warbucks' secretary, is portrayed by a black actress named Audra McDonald. Despite earning more screen time than Geoffrey Holder, Audra McDonald still plays a supporting character.

15 years have passed since the 1999 release of Annie and the cast in the 2014 production looks completely different. Actors and actresses of color have finally been cast as lead roles in the film. African Americans Quvenzháne Wallis and Jamie Foxx play Annie and Will Stacks (Warbucks), the two main characters in the movie. The black actors and actresses are no longer just the helping hands to the leading white characters. Now, they shine in the spotlight. Hopefully, more films follow the example of 2014's Annie and start to include more African Americans in leading roles. The 2014 Annie should represent more than just a new era with modern technology; it should represent changing times in cinema and society.

Got Milk: Got Problems

This morning, my breakfast consisted of a bowl of Frosted Flakes and milk. A few years ago, I probably would've mentioned drinking a glass of milk with breakfast, as well. Yet, I never drink a glass of milk anymore; I only have milk when I occasionally eat a bowl of cereal for breakfast. My mom started to worry about my lack of milk consumption so she encouraged me to take a Vitamin D/Calcium supplement. For babies and infants, milk has been shown to have a very positive impact on the body. However, recent studies have shown that after childhood, drinking milk seems unnecessary and possibly even more harmful than beneficial. Maybe my mom had no need to worry about my milk intake?

According to a study of over 100,000 people, milk was associated with no protection against fractures in men. Women who drank lots of milk actually had an increased risk of fractures. There have been several other studies, similar to this one, of hundreds of thousands of people, all reporting the same results: drinking milk as an adult does not lead to stronger bones or fewer fractures. This news shocked me. I had been told all my life that people should drink 3 cups of milk a day in order to make their bones strong and healthy. Apparently, that advice does not need to be followed.

With this information in mind, I don't feel that drinking 3 cups of milk is necessary at my age, let alone beneficial to making my bones stronger. In fact, there are almost 130 calories in 1 cup of 2% fat milk. Drinking 3 cups a day would mean consuming about 390 extra calories. That would cause me to feel more unhealthy than anything else. Nevertheless, I wonder whether these newly released studies will have an impact on many people who drink milk regularly. Since so many of us have been advised to drink 3 cups of milk per day as a part of a balanced diet, I'm not sure it's possible to convince people to stop drinking so much milk until more studies are conducted and news about milk becomes common knowledge.

Community Grants Dying Boy's Holiday Dreams

Ethan Van Leuven wearing his Halloween costume 

Most children are out and about trick-or-treating in their favorite costumes today. Yet, these children don't understand that trick-or-treating is a privilege, an opportunity many children unfortunately miss out on. Ethan Van Leuven, a 4-year-old who was diagnosed with Leukemia at age 2, feared he wouldn't live to celebrate Halloween this year. Recently, Ethan stopped responding to his cancer treatment. Merrill Van Leuven, Ethan's father, recounted the moment when he heard the horrible news: "The doctors basically said he's got two days to a couple of weeks left to live." Yet, Merrill Van Leuven wanted to make the last few days of Ethan's incredibly short life his best. He gathered support from his entire community in Utah. Together, they provided Ethan with the wonderful joys in life he otherwise wouldn't have been able to experience.

On October 21st, Ethan celebrated Halloween. All across the Van Leuven's neighborhood of West Jordan, children dressed up in their favorite costumes, willing to participate in early trick-or-treating so that 4-year-old Ethan could enjoy the holiday. Unfortunately, Ethan passed away a week later on Tuesday, October 28th. At least he had the chance to celebrate an early Christmas and birthday with his family before his life was cut short. Although it is very difficult to hear about Ethan losing his fight to Leukemia, I admire the Van Leuvens' decision to focus less on the inevitability of Ethan's death and more on enjoying the time they had left with him. The West Jordan community also provided incredible support.

I can't imagine what I would've felt if I had discovered that someone I loved had only a few days to a few weeks left to live. I just hope I would handle the news similarly to the way the Van Leuvens dealt with Ethan's situation. Hopefully, as time goes on, fewer people will be delivered this horrible diagnosis. Yet, at the moment, "cancer remains the second most common cause of death in the US, accounting for nearly 1 of every 4 deaths." We need to find a way to lower this number. No one should have to undergo what 4-year-old Ethan and his family experienced.

Laughter: Motive for Murder

A few days ago, when my mom and I were watching the news, we listened in utter disbelief as the anchors described a horrible incident that had occurred at the home of an Indiana man on Friday. After this Khanji Fairley's home in Gary was burglarized, he made quite a scene. Many people, including 13-year-old Kobe Jones, gathered along the front of lawn of their infuriated neighbor. As the burglarized man vented his anger about the break-in, Jones began to laugh at his neighbor's attitude. However, this pushed Fairley to his breaking point. He snatched up his rifle and immediately aimed it at the 13-year-old. In a few split seconds, Kobe Jones, having been shot 9 times, lay dead upon the lawn.

13-year-old Kobe Jones

This terrible tragedy shouldn't have even taken place. Kobe Jones, only 13 years old, is supposed to have his whole life ahead of him. Instead, his life has been stolen away from him because he laughed. It seems pretty to evident to me that Jones' laughter simply pushed Fairley over the edge, but the man's crime is in no way justifiable. It took four days, but murder charges have just been filed against the Indiana man. Killing a 13-year-old boy for laughing is inexcusable. Unlike murder, laughter is no crime. Fairley shot Kobe Jones nine times; his crime was no accident.

 I think this horrific incident supports reasons for needing more gun control across America. Mentally unstable people, along with people who have trouble controlling their anger (like this Gary man), shouldn't have such easy access to guns. It turns out Khanji Fairley had just been released from Kane County Jail when he discovered his burglarized home. He obviously had trouble with the law in the past and shouldn't have had access to a gun. Unfortunately, criminals like Fairley can be found all across Gary as crimes takes place very frequently throughout the city. In fact, the city has been having so much trouble with crime lately that it has been known as "Scary Gary". It definitely needs more gun control. In the past 50 years, Gary has lost over half its population. Sadly, Kobe Jones has now been added to that list of people lost.

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas...Already

When I walked into Macy's with a few of my friends this weekend, I noticed a very strange sight: about fifteen Christmas trees adorned with ornaments, garlands, and lights filled up the lower level of the department store. Christmas in October? Although I love Christmas, I think people should focus a little more on the holidays that come first, like Halloween and Thanksgiving.

However, Macy's is doing exactly the opposite. This week, Macy's announced that its department stores will open at 6 pm on Thanksgiving day, two hours earlier than the 8 pm opening last year.  6 pm is right around dinnertime for many families. If many people want to get to Macy's as soon as the doors open, they will have to skip their Thanksgiving feast with family, probably the most special part of the Thanksgiving holiday. Macy's is overlooking the Thanksgiving holiday in order to focus on its Christmas sales, instead of simply allowing everyone to enjoy the holiday and wait until Black Friday to shop for gifts. In fact, Black Friday may be "facing extinction" as more and more stores, like Macy's, open on Thanksgiving day.

By opening doors on Thanksgiving, many employees are forced to work instead of enjoying the holiday. TJ Maxx, which will open its stores at 7 am on Black Friday, strongly opposes opening on Thanksgiving day. Doreen Thompson, a spokeswoman for the store, claims, "We consider ourselves an associate-friendly company, and we are pleased to give our associates the time to enjoy the Thanksgiving holiday with family and friends." I completely agree with TJ Maxx's decision to stay closed on Thanksgiving. It should be a time to celebrate the holiday, not focus on the next holiday which will come 28 days later. Sales most likely won't even increase since they will just "displace sales that would otherwise have been rung up on Black Friday or later in the season." People should not skip over Thanksgiving to move straight to Christmas shopping. Stores should leave Black Friday for the sales, not the Thanksgiving holiday itself. 

Facts Replaced by Fiction at Disney's Epcot

Whenever I babysit my six and four-year-old neighbors, they love talking on and on about the new Disney movie, Frozen. I don't blame them; I think that Frozen should be considered one of Disney's best animated movies of the 21st century. In fact, Frozen earned $1.2 billion dollars in theaters worldwide, becoming the highest grossing animated motion picture of all time. I've been waiting for months to hear about the first Frozen themed attractions to appear inside the magical lands of Walt Disney World. This news has finally arrived. A new Frozen-based ride, set in the fictional village of Arendelle, will replace the "Maelstrom" ride in the Norway section of World Showcase in Epcot. However, "Maesltrom" was meant to teach riders about the real country of Norway, something that the new attraction won't be able to truly present. 

Although I feel that it's about time for a Frozen ride to appear in Disney World, I don't think placing the attraction inside the Norway section of Epcot is the best decision. I rode on "Maelstrom" many times in the past, in which I traveled on a viking ship through the lands of Norway while passing by numerous waterfalls, trolls, and polar bears. Disney wonderfully incorporated real aspects of Norway's culture into the visuals and audio throughout the ride. They even included a video at the end of "Maelstrom" focusing on Norwegian history. "Maelstrom" was never my favorite ride, but I thought it served its purpose: to teach others about the country of Norway in a fairly entertaining way. Now this Norwegian ride will be replaced by a new attraction set in a fictional village. The Norway section of Epcot simply isn't the right part of the park for this Frozen ride. Janice Goeppner, a woman from Chicago who has attended Walt Disney World many times, claims that the World Showcase area of Epcot "is a place about real countries." I happen to agree with Janice; the fictional land of Arendelle just doesn't fit into the World Showcase section of the park.

To me, it makes the most sense to set up a Frozen ride inside Magic Kingdom, where most of the attractions targeting younger children are placed. Then, throughout the ride, Disney wouldn't have to focus so much on the similarities between the American-created Arendelle and the real country of Norway. Maybe Disney hopes to attract more people to the World Showcase in Epcot, using a Frozen ride as the solution? After all, Epcot almost never experiences Magic Kingdom's levels of congestion. I just hope Walt Disney World utilizes this space in the Norway section effectively and attempts to teach people at least a little about the Norwegian nation. As for the "Maelstrom" ride, it seems like it's time for people to "let it go".

Racism Is A Reality

Youtube videos rarely cause me to cover my mouth in disbelief, to continuously mutter "What?!", and to feel completely disgusted by the world we live in. Yet, I recently viewed a video that caused me to react in that exact fashion. A dash cam video (watch below or through this link) from a patrol car of a South Carolina trooper, Sean Groubert, was released this past week, and I really struggled to comprehend its content. I couldn't believe my eyes! In the video, the trooper pulls up next to an unarmed black man, Levar Jones, at a gas station. Groubert immediately yells at the man, screaming for him to pull out his license. Jones reaches for his wallet inside the car, but that action seems like a "crime'' to the trooper. Firing shots left and right, Groubert claims Jones was trying to lunge back into his car to headfirst to avoid the trooper. Yet, unarmed Levar Jones only continues to shout "Why did you shoot me?" as he kneels in agony, unable to regain feeling in one of his legs.

I don't regret taking three minutes to watch this dash cam video, despite its slightly graphic nature. This video showed me the truth. It allowed me to fully grasp the idea that racism is still prevalent throughout our nation, even if many people try to argue that it is no longer an issue. In fact, African Americans are "three times more likely to be stopped and searched by the police than whites, more than three times more likely to be handcuffed, [and] almost three times more likely to be arrested." This shooting of Levar Jones, just like the shootings of Michael Brown and Trayvon Martin, didn't need to occur. Somehow, we need to end these shootings. Somehow, we need to end racism.