Parang, Parang!!!!

(destinationtnt.com)

         

Season's Greetings everyone!  Five more days til Christmas.  Hopefully, you all are finished with Christmas shopping and relaxing.  I have to admit, I do get homesick this time of year,  I thought I would enjoy a white Christmas since moving to Brooklyn but sadly, that was not the case anymore.  Still, it doesn't hurt to reminisce about a warm, Trini Christmas.  And speaking of Trini Christmas, there is one musical tradition that occurs every Christmas and that's parang.  Parang usually played around Christmas time, is a musical genre with Spanish influence.  Parang comes from the Spanish word, parranda, meaning "spree" or "fete."  Depending on the sources, the origins of the genre occurred when the Spanish colonists brought their music to Trinidad while ruling the island from 1498-1797 when it became a British colony.  In another theory, the cocoapanyols, a people of Spanish, Amerindian and African origin, brought parang to Trinidad in the 19th century from Venezuela while working on the cocoa plantations.  Nonetheless, parang became an important part of Trinbago's culture.  Normally, the parang season starts in October to early January but sometimes it can start as early as September these days.

Traditionally, musicians called "parranderos," go to various houses, entertaining, dancing and food is shared.  There is even a parang competition which is held in Lopinot, located in East Trinidad.  However, if you want the real deal, go to Paramin, located in the valleys of north Trinidad if you want to hear some authentic parang (destinationtnt.com).  

Paramin, Trinidad (pinterest)

Lopinot, Trinidad (destinationtnt.com)

Now parang would not be complete without the Parang Queen, Daisy Voisin.  Ms. Voisin was born in Erin, Trinidad in 1927 and began her career in parang in 1973.  With her band, La Divina Pastora Serenaders, Voisin took parang to new heights.  Unfortunately, she died in 1991 but her music still lives on.  You can still listen to her famous songs today, including, "Alegria, Alegria," and "Hooray, Hoorah," (wikipedia.com).  

 

Normally, parang is sung in Spanish but nowadays some parang songs are sung in English much to the chagrin of die-hards who believed that Parang should only be sung in Spanish.  Well, we Trinis love calypso and soca so we decided to add these elements to parang and soca parang was born.  Scrunter, Baron and Crazy among others, are calypsonians in their own right but they added their own spin to parang which became classic till this day.  No Trini Christmas would be complete without Scrunter's "I want a piece ah pork," Crazy's, "Yvonne," The late Lord Kitchener's "Drink ah Rum," and Machel Montano's, "Soca Santa." Parang is definitely unique to Trinidad and Tobago but thanks to the diaspora and technology, parang can be heard everywhere.  Hopefully next year, I can visit Trinidad to experience Trini Christmas and experience parang again.  You can't beat a warm Trini Christmas!  Merry Christmas everyone!!!

He-man and She-ra Christmas Special!

(syfy.com)

Hello, my lovelies! It's that time of the year again!!  Christmas season is upon us and you know all those Christmas songs will be playing non-stop, much to everyone's happiness or chagrin.  Cartoons, especially retro cartoons are no exceptions.  You can count on them to churn out a Christmas episode or two.  Well, Filmation did just that with the He-man and She-Ra Christmas Special which came out in December 1985.  

(Basementrejects.com)

*Spoilers ahead!! The show begins in the castle of Eternia, where the twins Adam and Adora are celebrating their birthday.  Do they have a Julian calendar in Eternia or a seven day week or something?  Well, it's a cartoon so anything goes!  Friends from Eternia and Etheria came to celebrate.  That dimensional gate must be really be working overtime!! Suddenly, Queen Marlena starts to reminisce about Christmas on Earth, in which her husband, King Randor asks, "What's that? An Earth holiday?" Of the queen replies, "a very special Earth holiday!"  Suddenly, everyone is in a Christmas mood, I'm telling you, they're using the Julian calendar or maybe the Eternian equivalent.  While everyone is celebrating, Man-at-Arms and Adam are working on some sort of ship. As usual, Orko, up to some mischief, slips into the machine.  Somehow, it ended up on Earth and transports Orko and his new friends Miguel and Alicia back to Eternia.  Add in the usual evil crew consisting of Skeletor and Hordak and their minions causing havoc on Eternia and Etheria, while the heroes try to get the children back to Earth. Growing up, I was very excited to see the show and finally got to see Eternians and Etherians together for a potluck and Christmas party!!!  Adora finally had a chance to come back to Eternia on such a rare occasion.  Adam also got to play Santa.  I also liked the fact that Skeletor actually had some good in him, after he saved the children from the Horde.  Much to his relief, it's only once a year!  He even smiled, which melted my heart!!  

(Pinterest)

I had to admit though that it was a cheesy show and some might call it stupid, especially this generation.  But who cares, it's a cheesy feel-good show, promoting the spirit of Christmas, not everything has to be about SJWs or other serious issues shows and cartoons today tend to promote.  So sit back, relax and watch the show in all its Christmas goodness!! Season's Greetings!!

The New She-ra from Netflix pt. 2.

(imdb.com)

(gizmodo.com)

Hello, my lovely friends.  So I decided against my better judgment to watch the new series on Netflix.  Well, I've watched a few episodes and I have to admit, it was pretty good.  However, I have my complaints.  I'm from the old school and younger people watching the show might disagree, well bite me.  You can never replace the original.  WARNING; Spoiler alerts!!  Let's start with the characters.

(he-man.wikia.com)

(Polygon.com)

Adora/She-Ra like in the original series was kidnapped and brainwashed by the Horde.  In the original series, there was a complete background story, Adora was actually a daughter of King Randor and Queen Marlena, therefore making her a princess.  She also has a twin brother, Adam/He-man who helped her break Shadow Weaver's brainwashing spell.  In the new series, however, it was not so clear-cut.  There were bits and pieces in the show, where Adora tries to remember her past but it was rather blurry.  Maybe in the second season, we'll see more of her background.  Plus you have to remember, in the old days, time is money and Filmation was always on a budget, and they have to rapidly-produce stories for 22-minute shows.  Adora in the new series is a rather complex character, who struggles with her role as She-Ra.  After all, she has big shoes to fill and she also has to earn the trust of the rebels including Glimmer and Bow. Adora in the original series quickly accepted her new destiny while her counterpart in the new series has her doubts and make mistakes which is actually relatable.

(polygon.com)

(youtube.com)

Speaking of Glimmer and Bow,  in both series, Glimmer comes from Castle Brightmoon and the royal daughter of Queen Angella and King Micah, who disappeared. Bow is an archer and part of the rebellion.  In both series, Glimmer is a teenager is trying to find her place in the world, especially as the head of the Great Rebellion.  In the original series, Glimmer has taken a serious role as a leader before Adora's arrival.  With her mother absent in the beginning, Glimmer with Bow's support, maintain a small but troublesome rebellion where the Horde is concerned.  Once her mother has been found, thanks to She-ra and He-man's rescue, Glimmer has taken a back seat but with her mother's guidance, Glimmer still plays an important role in the rebellion and in the kingdom.  Can't say the same in the new series.  Glimmer has struggled to maintain the Princesses' Alliance after their defeat from the Horde and she is rather impetuous and headstrong much to her mother's chagrin.  Queen Angella and Glimmer are often at loggerheads with each other that sometimes I wished that the queen would just chill a bit and give her daughter more support.  Also, why are there so many sparkles in her hair?  I can understand that she's Glimmer but do you have to make it that obvious?  I even noticed that her hair is shaped into a crescent.


I'm confused about Bow.  Is he black, Latino or racially ambiguous?  I have no clue.  Well, he's definitely besties with Adora and Glimmer that's for sure.  What's surprising is his crush on Captain Sea Hawk while in the original he has a crush on She-Ra.  And speaking of Sea Hawk, this new character is really quite annoying, with that hipster mustache which reminds me of those hipsters invading Brooklyn.  Sea Hawk in the original series is much more manly, sorry.  Shadow Weaver in both series was a motherly figure (I used that term loosely) to Adora but in the new series, she was a mother figure to both Adora and Catra, although she favors Adora.  In the new series, Shadow Weaver is obsessed with getting Adora back to the Horde after she defected.  I think Shadow Weaver is more of an afterthought, I don't think that she contributed much in the series but again it's still early in the season.

(youtube.com)

(princessessofpower.wikia.com)

Adora and Catra are enemies in both series but the outcome was different.  In the original series, Adora and Catra were bumping heads so to speak.  Also, Hordak's favoritism to Adora has made Catra insanely jealous.   In the new series, however, Adora and Catra were BFFs although you can sense Catra's resentment particularly in Shadow Weaver's preferential treatment to Adora.  Nonetheless, Adora and Catra were often training together and even slept in the same bed, that's how close they were.  When Adora defected, it broke Catra's heart and she felt alone for the first time.  Well, at least she got promoted to Force Captain by Hordak, much to Shadow Weaver's dismay.  Hordak didn't play a major role in the show I noticed but maybe it's an anticipation of what's to come.  

Overall it was an alright series, but much too PC for my taste.  The background was stunning but the artistry overall was crappy. The theme song was rather corny and Adora's transformation to She-ra reminds me too much of Sailor Moon. So much so that I skipped that part.  Not everything is for everyone. Some people (millennials) might not like the original series while the older generation, mostly Gen X hated the new series, influenced by nostalgia.  Everyone has different tastes I guess.  I wouldn't watch shows like Bob's Burgers or Rick and Morty, I really don't find them funny (don't judge me).  Hell, some male fans even complained that She-ra looked boyish instead of sexy.  Keep in mind, this is a children's show and I'm sure some of these men never even bothered to watch the original series, to begin with.  Nonetheless, it's a so-so series, even if some of the characters are questionable or annoying.  So my fellow Gen Xers check it out.  If you like it, fine and if you don't, that's fine too.  Me, I'm on the fence but for some reason I like punishment and I'm going to watch the rest of the series to make any more judgments.  

Stan Lee RIP!

Today, we lost a comic book legend Stan Lee who died at the age of 95.  He has been ill for some time and it wasn't surprising that he passed away.  Still, his death left a huge dent in the comic book industry.  I would even say that he is the essence in Marvel Comics and other comic companies as well.  Stanley Martin Lieber was born in New York City on December 28, 1922, to Romanian-Jewish parents, Jack and Celia Lieber.  As a young man, his voracious reading of Shakespeare, Mark Twain, and pulp magazines among others, inspired Stan Lee to become a writer which eventually led to his rise in Timely Comics, which eventually became Marvel Comics we know and loved (NYTimes).  He even served in the United States Army in 1942, serving in the Signal Corps and eventually moving to the Training Film Division where he developed his writing skills. Stan Lee along with artist Jack Kirby and writer Joe Simon created the first and famous comic character, Captain America.   Unlike other superheroes of the day, Captain America was a flawed yet moral character which perhaps helped increased his popularity with the readers. Even Marvel characters such as Spiderman and Wolverine, for example, have vast superpowers yet they are still relatable to the audience as they sometimes question their place in the world. 


Even villains such as Magneto and the Mad Titan, Thanos are not as clearcut as villains were supposed to be. As evil as they are, they believed in their cause as in the case of Magneto, where mutants were mistreated by society and as a result, he believed granting mutants dominance over the human population after such treatment.  Thanos, with his crazy love for Lady Death, believed that wiping out half the universe will restore balance to life which is understandable, too many people and not enough resources (sounds familiar) but wiping half the universe? Nah.  I would definitely say that Stan Lee was ahead of his time in this regard.  Speaking of ahead of his time, Lee also introduced characters of color notably Storm and the Black Panther in order to reach black readers and even tackled racism and discrimination in his comics along with Kirby and Simon, among other writers.  Under his leadership, Marvel became famous worldwide, creating a wide range of superheroes and villains and movies such as Iron Man, Thor, The Avengers series and even Black Panther were an international success, garnering billions of dollars worldwide.  He even made cameos in various movies and with Avengers 4 coming up, I wonder how it's going to be without him.  Mr. Lee, you will be missed.  With your prolific writing and your comic book genius, there is none other like you and thank you for making such wonderful characters that we can relate to.  May you rest in peace.

P.S These are not my photos.

https://madamenoire.com/1047582/5-black-female-comic-characters-that-wouldnt-exist-without-stan-lee/

The New She-ra from Netflix

I'm back!! How long I can't tell you but it's good to be back though, I need to take a break from reality sometimes.  If you don't know by now, Netflix is releasing a new She-Ra series on the 13th of November.  I saw the review of the show and to be honest, I'm not really feeling it. Perhaps I'm being biased, thinking that the original is better than remade shows.  By today's standards, animation from She-Ra and even He-man are really not that great but what made both shows memorable were the many adventures with the siblings and their friends and the morals at the end of each show.  There were even adult themes such as death as in one episode where He-man accidentally killed a man and the reality of the war between the rebels and the Horde in one of She-ra's episodes, "Price of Freedom."  One thing I got from both shows was female empowerment but the difference with the new series is the diversity of many characters especially various skin color and sizes, whereas in the original series, many characters are white with a few characters of color and they're either muscular as in the case of the men and curvy, yet slim for women.  Maybe it just me, but I thought that She-Ra was the adult manifestation of teenage Adora, similar to her twin brother Adam with his alter ego He-man.  What I've got from the new show was simply a young teenager trying to figure out her destiny without any backstory compared to the original series. 

Also, I think they're trying to infantilize the series to appeal to younger audiences, similar to the new Thundercats series which quite frankly cannot be compared to the original, especially with the badass intro.   This was also not the first time that She-Ra was making a comeback.  In 2002, She-was to appear in the new He-man and The Masters of The Universe but sadly the show was canceled after the second season.  The new He-man series itself was groundbreaking and a bit dark with its more in-depth characters and we also got a chance to look at Eternia's past including the introduction of He-man's and She-ra's ancestor, King Grayskull.  Had they continue the show,  it would just be as interesting as the He-man series. I might take a look at the show but my gut tells me that I wouldn't like it.  Maybe it'll appeal to the younger audiences but I think it lacks originality and depth just like other cartoons today.  I also wished that cartoonists, writers, etc stop remaking original shows and be more creative.  That's why I missed the 80's and 90's; the shows and cartoons were groundbreaking and fun to watch.  Now, I think they're trying too hard and miss the mark.  Check out the intro for the new and the original She-Ra series and enjoy.

*Photos courtesy ew.com, youtube, and twitter.