Love Letters to Old Hollywood

Ever since it was first announced that Emily Blunt would be playing Mary Poppins in a sequel directed by Rob Marshall, I could not wait for the film to hit theaters. With every tidbit and casting decision that was released, my excitement grew. And then there was the first full trailer . As soon as my beloved Dick Van Dyke appeared, I started sobbing, a reaction that surprised even me. But none of that compared to actually seeing the film. From beginning to end, Mary Poppins Returns had me in the palm of its polka-dot-gloved hand. Every frame, every musical note, every little detail was crafted with such love and respect for the original 1964 classic, which some people believe is a strike against it since it makes the film hesitant to stray away from what made its predecessor so iconic. I get that. But I’m not going to lie and say that I didn’t enjoy every single second. Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman’s gorgeous score effortlessly captures the story’s joy, heartache, and playf

So, I'm sure I sound like a broken record by now, but life has been the definition of hectic ever since I started grad school in August. Who knew that going to school full time, having two part-time jobs, and volunteering at my university cinema could take up so much time? (The answer should be me. Not sure how I didn't see this coming.) Because of that, my personal blog has suffered a bit, and I really, really hate it. I haven't been able to participate in nearly as many blogathons as I'd like; I'm really behind on keeping up to date with my favorite blogs; I haven't been commenting on people's posts... That being said, I couldn't neglect to do one of my favorite events: my annual Doris Day blogathon! The idea of not celebrating this woman who is so close to my heart was unthinkable, so I looked over my calendar, made sure I could handle placing the event on Ms. Day's April 3rd birthday, and quickly cobbled together some banners, which I'

Imagine this: after winning gold at the Olympics, an athlete like Michael Phelps or Chloe Kim goes to Hollywood, films a movie for six weeks, and then a few months later that movie is released and they become one of the biggest stars in the world. Seems crazy, right? However, this is precisely what happened to Norwegian figure skater Sonja Henie. In Hollywood's history, there have been plenty of athletes-turned-actors, but few rose to such dazzling heights as ice queen Henie, a woman who carved out her own unique genre and became one of the wealthiest people in the world. Henie's determination and talent knew no bounds. She entered her first Olympics in 1924 at the incredible age of 11. When she was 14, she won her first of ten consecutive World Figure Skating Championships (a record that still stands) and she would soon rack up six European championships in a row. What may be most impressive about Henie's competitive career is that she won the gold medal three co