Happy Birthday Kerry Washington!

 Kerry Washington, lead actress of the hit show Scandal, celebrates her 37th birthday today. An actress, activist, philanthropist, fashionista and soon-to-be mother, Washington is everything that most women aspire to be. In every role, she has embodied her character to the fullest extent. As Olivia Pope in Scandal she has 'fixed' every situation and captured the hearts of many, despite being 'the other woman'. Oh and  her red carpet looks are to die for, even with her new baby bump! In interviews, she's been seen as a humble person who loves to smile but isn't afraid to fight for what she believes in. Personally, I can't wait to see her on my television every Thursday night once again! Until then, Happy Birthday Kerry Washington!


To learn more about Washington's life, check out this awesome Buzzfeed post!

Mid-Winter Premiers 2014

A new year has also brought in a new season for television shows. For most series, this season is the connecting piece to the nail biting cliff hangers that left us wanting more during the holidays—for others, it is just the beginning.

I've chosen to focus on five shows that have a mid-season premiere date. There's one newbie and many returners from various networks and genres. Here's a brief overview of their storylines:

Twisted: An ABC Family original series that follows Danny Desai (Avan Jogia) as he returns to high school in the small town that he grew up in after being incarcerated for the murder of his aunt. He gains the nickname "Socio" and is constantly outcasted because of his past. He looks to his childhood best friends Jo Masterson (Maddie Hasserson) and Lacey Porter (Kylie Bunbury) for support. Jo stays on his side no matter what, even after he is accused of murdering a student at their school. Lacey believes associating with Danny in public will ruin her "popular girl" reputation — at least until Danny and Lacey fall for each other. But while Jo is helping him to clear his name, she falls for him too. Can someone say love triangle?! Catch up on past episodes before season one resumes at 9 p.m. (EST) on Feb. 11.

Glee: A wildly popular Fox musical-drama that follows members of McKinley High School's glee club, the New Directions and their advisor William Schuester (Matthew Morrison). As the New Directions work their way to nationals, they face plenty of opposition from their peers and the new principal (and former Cheerios coach) Sue Sylvester (Jane Lynch). The club gives jock Jake Puckerman (Jacob Artist_, the cheerleader Kitty Wilde (Becca Tobin), the wheelchair bound Artie Abrams (Kevin McHale), the 'girl next door' with a fear of getting fat Marley Rose (Melissa Benoist), the formerly homeless stripper Sam Evans (Chord Overstreet), the cross-dressing Wade "Unique" Adams (Alex Newell), the gay heartthrob Blaine Anderson (Darren Criss) and the asian Tina Cohen-Chang (Jenna Ushkowitz) a place to put aside their differences and come together through music and dance. Now in it's 5th season, the show also follows New Directions' alumni Rachel Berry (Lea Michele), Kurt Hummel (Chris Colfer), and Santana Lopez (Naya Rivera) as they live out their dreams of "making it" in the Big Apple. Catch up on the beginning of season five before the mid-season premiere at 8 p.m. (EST) on Feb. 25.

Mixology: An all new ABC comedy  produced by Ryan Seacrest (yea, the guy that hosts American Idol!) follows 10 singles in an upscale bar over the course of one night. According to abc.com, the cast is made up of Tom (Blake Lee), who was recently dumped by his fiance and his best friends confident Cal (Craig Frank) and fast-talking Bruce (Andrew Santino) who are trying to get Tom back into the dating scene. At the bar, they meet Maya (Ginger Gonzaga), a beautiful attorney and her friends Liv (Kate Simses) and single mom Jessica (Alexis Carra). Jessica's chic frenemy, Fabienne (Frankie Shaw), cocktail waitress Kacey (Vanessa Lengies), bar tender Dominic (Adan Canto) and failed internet entrepreneur Ron (Adam Campbell) round out the cast. Tune in at 9:30 p.m. (EST) on Feb. 26 to join the mix.

Scandal: ABC's hit drama that follows Washington D.C. fixer Olivia Pope (Kerry Washington) as she solves the problems of D.C.'s elite and tries to get her own life under control. She even fixed the lives of her associates who have gained the nickname 'gladiators in suits'. Olivia saves Abby Whelan (Darby Stanchfield) from an abusive marriage, Harrison Wright (Columbus Short) from being unfairly incarcerated for fraud, Huck (Guillermo Diaz) from homelessness after being booted out of B6-13 (a secret government assassin agency), and the newest member of the group Quinn Perkins (Katie Lowes) from being accused of murdering her boyfriend. Olivia started her career as the manager of Fitzgerald Grant's (Tony Goldwyn) presidential campaign . Now that he's in the White House, she's trying to separate herself from the on-and-off affair they've had over the years. That's right, I said affair! Fitz's wife, Mellie Grant (Bellamy Young), isn't willing to let some this 'distraction' put her place in the White House at stake until she realizes that Olivia is the only thing that keeps Fitz sane.Then there's Cyrus Beene (Jeff Perry), the gay White House chief of staff, David Rosen (Joshua Malina) the Assistant US Attorney who is now dating Abby, Sally Langston (Kate Burton) the right-winged vice president and Rowan Pope (Joe Morton) Olivia's dad and head of B6-13. Watch the beginning of season three before the drama continues at 10 p.m. (EST) on Feb. 27.

Suits: A USA network original show about Mike Ross' (Patrick J. Adams) journey from immature pot smoker who was hired by many to take the bar exam for them to a suit-wearing lawyer at Pearson Hardman (which changes to Pearson Darby Specter by season three), New York City's top law firm. There's one catch, Mike doesn't have a law degree — just a photographic memory and a knack for thinking out-of-the-box to solve cases. Hired by Harvey Specter, (Gabriel Macht) an egotistical, slightly narcissistic partner (and later managing partner) at Pearson Hardman who is known for going against the rules and doing whatever it takes to win a case, Mike starts his law career with a huge secret that no one can know. Well, until senior partner  and Hervey's mentor Jessica Pearson (Gina Torres) finds out and tries to use Mike's secret to make him go against Harvey. Oh, and he tells Rachel Zane (Meagan Markle), the firms best paralegal and daughter of their rival Robert Zane, after he falls in love with her.While trying not to get discovered by anyone else, Mike helps Harvey and Jessica to solve some of the firms toughest cases and waging several wars with the other senior partners (hence the firm's name change). Some other important characters include Louis Litt (Rick Hoffman), a partner at the firm who is in charge of training the associates and Donna Paulsen (Sarah Rafferty), Harvey's all-knowing secretary who always knows just what to do and say in every situation. Catch up on season three before season four begins at 9 p.m. (EST) on March 6.

Look out for my posts about each episode when these shows return!

My Favorite Writer

Walter Dean Myers

As a Journalist, I tend to draw inspiration from many different authors and styles of writing. My first inspiration come from Walter Dean Myers, an author and poet whose stories are told through relatable characters, most of whom are African American. To date, he's written over 90 books, including picture books, poetry, fiction and nonfiction works. He wrote his first book as early as 1968 and his latest book was released in April of 2013.

When I was young, his writing spoke to me because his characters looked like me and there was much more substance to his stories than the typical urban literature. As I've grown older and looked more analytically at his work, I've admired how easily he can connect you to his characters and place you anywhere in history through his vivid descriptions. Some of my favorite works by him include: Monster, The Glory Field, Shooter, Autobiography of my Dead Brother, Sunrise Over Fallujah and Here In Harlem: Poems In Many Voices.

From reading many books by Myers, I have learned three main lessons about writing techniques that I have tried to include in my writing, especially feature style stories.

Connect Readers To The Characters
Myers has a way of bringing his readers to life through intriguing back stories that unfold throughout the entirety of the book and through expressive descriptions of their physical appearance and personalities. Not only does he give you a character to follow while reading his book but he gives you a character to love, empathize with, cry for, have sympathy for and even delight in their triumphs as if they were your own. This connection to the characters of any story - whether it is fiction or journalistic - is extremely important. When I write a feature story, my characters are the individuals I interiew but many times I am writing for an audience that has never met them. It is my goal to bring my sources to life on the page so that my readers can  relate and connect to them.

 Use History As A Tool 
Many of Myers books are classified as historical fiction. That basically means that the characters and maybe even the setting are made up but the time period and details about how life was lived are taken from some point in history. Myers has this way of being able to transport you to that time period; making you imagine that you are with the characters positioning your gun over a mound of dirt during the Vietnam War in Fallen Angels or that you are picking cotton alongside those who were taken as slaves from Africa in The Glory Field. Myers writing taught me that history is important no matter what style of writing you are doing, Researching the time period something happened  and conveying what you've learned to your readers can help them to understand the context much better.

Be Versatile 
Myers has authored picture books, novels, series, non-fiction books and poetry books. Through all of that, he has taught me how to be a versatile writer. Being able to write whimsically, informatively, humorously, and conversationally is beneficial to any kind of writer. For journalistic writers, especially those who write in feature style, their articles will be more interesting if they are able to be more creative in their writings and this starts by reading works by versatile authors.

My Favorite Sites

THE NEW YORK TIMES

Created in 1851 as the New-York Daily Times, The New York Times has evolved into the largest local metropolitan newspaper in the United States. The paper has won the most Pulitzer Prizes out of an other newspapers; 112 to be exact. It is a trusted source for truthful and insightful journalism throughout the country.

As a born and bred New Yorker, I've seen The New York Times in my home for as long as I can remember.  The New York Times has become my go-to newspaper because it gives me so much information about NY politics, arts, business and fashion. Additionally, I enjoy the technology and opinion sections as well. Although I began reading it because of the NY news, I am also able to learn about major news stories in other countries in the World section.

Link: The New York Times 


HULU

Created in 2007 by the joint efforts of NBCUniversal Television Group, Fox Broadcasting Company and Disney-ABC Television Group, Hulu offers on-demand streaming of television shows, movies, behind-the-scenes clips and extended trailers. Since 2011, the company has even featured series created by and only available on Hulu.

As a busy college student, I don't always have time to sit down and watch my favorite shows when they air.Hulu allows me to watch my favorite shows in my own time without having to pay for it (although there is a paid component that I do not utilize). I'm able to add shows to my favorites list so that their new episodes will enter my Queue whenever they become available on Hulu.

Link: Hulu


THE GRIO

Created in 2009 as a division of NBC News, The Grio is an online newspaper specifically geared towards African Americans. The Grio's name was derived from griot, which is a term for a West African historian and storyteller.

As an African American, I enjoy the fact that this publication is geared directly towards me and the issues I find important. This website also has a lot of opinion pieces that deal with national issues from the African American perspective. The photos and videos are also a great component. Because The Grio has only been an online publication, they know how to make a story as visual as possible.

Link: The Grio


NATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO

Created in 1970 as National Public Radio, NPR is a private and publically funded national syndicator of over 900 public radio stations. It produces All Things Considered and  Morning Edition, two of the most popular radio programs in the country. NPR content has been expanded from just radio to on-demand web, mobile and podcast content.

As I grew up,I remember my mom always playing NPR during car rides. It sparked most of my early love for the news. As I've grown older, I've found that NPR tends to go much more in depth on national stories so I can just go to their website to get all the details as opposed to going to many different sites. I also enjoy the many interesting feature stories that they are known for. Mostly, I use the website to listen to my favorite programs like All Things Considered, Weekend Edition, A Prairie Home Companion and Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me.

Link: NPR


THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

Created in 1930, The Hollywood Reporter (THR) was the first daily entertainment trade newspaper. The Hollywood Reporter features the most riveting reviews, profiles, and previews of television shows, movies and their celebrity cast members. The paper has evolved with the introduction of the internet into a weekly paper with constant updates to their webpage. Originally focusing mainly on Hollywood's movie, television and entertainment industries, THR  has expanded to include the intersection of fashion, finance, law, technology and politics with the entire entertainment industry.

As an avid movie and television watcher, I like to go to THR for reviews and updates about my favorite celebrities. During award season, their website is a go-to for overviews of who won what and behind the scenes photos. Whenever I hear something about a celebrity, I like to go to THR and see if it's true because THR is not a tabloid and prides itself in sound journalism.

Link: The Hollywood Reporter