THIS IS NOT SPONSORED/COMPENSATED!
I hope the holidays have been treating you well and that you were surrounded by good food, good friends and family and that very same spirit of good will carries you all into a prosperity filled New Year! I want the best for you all butterflies.
I have been wanting to get to back to Ascending Butterfly's early roots - you know that blissful year we spent together in 2008 that was PR free/Brand Free and Sponsored Post free.
I need a bit more of that in my life to fuel my writing. But when I stare at my computer and those calendar pop ups, sticky notes and notifications remind me just how many sponsored posts (those do keep the lights on), event recaps and overdue Social Media Consulting Deadlines are looming, I put my Op Ed Drafts away and plug away at what I am "supposed" to be doing and "supposed" to be writing about.
But last night I checked out the Kennedy Center Honors on CBS and it filled me with all kinds of feels, and I actually let myself watch it in its entirety without my phone or laptop and really take it in. Again I stress this is NOT a sponsored post, this is just me staying woke. It really was an amazing show to watch and it made history in so many different ways.
After the show I got on Twitter and read what people were posting about the show by following the hashtag, and this was the first tweet I saw:
This was one of the top tweets on the trending hashtag for the show and I pressed on the
article and read it through, re-tweeted it and then went back to Twitter to read more tweets on the hashtag. There were some in support of this Op Ed and others against it.
And it brought to mind a very early memory of an elementary school substitute teacher who asked us if we were familiar with the phrase "America is a Melting Pot", and those that did raised their hands.
She waited until all hands went down and immediately exclaimed "WRONG!".
We were all puzzled and all looked at her quizzically. She said America is NOT a Melting Pot, it's a Salad Bowl.
She exclaimed that in a Melting Pot ingredients 'lose themselves' and become something else entirely as it blends. She said again America was a Salad Bowl because the ingredients do not become something else entirely, they retain their original shape, color and texture.
I honestly was never really sure why she felt the need to teach this lesson, it was not what our teacher was working on with us at that time.
Caroline Kennedy opened the show and there was a not dull moment from beginning to end, here are some of the tweets that stood out for me, if you look carefully at my screen grabs you will see the hearts are red, as these are tweets that I chose to "like" and some I also Re-Tweeted. (Press on each picture to make them bigger so they are easier to read).
Above: Such a nice photo of all the honorees: Top Left: LL Cool J, Top Right: Lionel Richie, Bottom Left Seated: Carmen De Lavallade, Center Seated: Norman Lear and Right Seated: Gloria Estefan
All such noteworthy nominees!
Above: LL Cool J salutes his fellow Kennedy Center Honorees in this tweet
About the Honorees:
James Todd Smith, also known as LL Cool J is actually one of the youngest honorees and is an Actor, Author, Rapper, and Entrepreneur.
Above: This tweet included a great gif, but to screen grab it, it stops the GIF. Since the next honoree is up Lionel, it works.
Lionel Brockman Richie, is a singer, songwriter and record producer, member of funk and soul band the Commodores, has sold over 90 million records world wide and is a five-time Grammy Award Winner. In 2016 he received the Songwriters Hall of Fame's highest honor, the Johnny Mercer Award.
Carmen De Lavallade is an Actress, Dancer and Choreographer who was raised by her Aunt Adele who owned one of the first African-American history bookshops and her cousin Janet Collins was the first African-American prima ballerina at the Metropolitan Opera.
Norman Lear is a Television writer and producer who produced notable 1970's sitcoms including: All in the Family, Sanford and Son, One Day at a Time, The Jeffersons, Good Times and Maude. He also founded the advocacy organization People for the American Way in 1981 and supports first amendment rights and progressive causes.
Gloria Estefan is a Singer, Songwriter, Actress and businesswoman who started off her career as the lead singer in the group "Miami Latin Boys" which was eventually called "Miami Sound Machine"
The tributes that were made during Kennedy Center Honors were all quite moving and many of the presenters and performers who were part of each tribute segment are also noteworthy in their own right.
There were so many performers on stage but there was one performance that I think raised the most eyebrows and it was Luke Bryan who performed two of Lionel Richie's hit songs including Penny Lover. He was an un-expected choice for certain, but it was so fun watching everyone in the audience singing along to that song, and many waiting for Lionel's reaction, which was positive.
Dave Chappelle also introduced Norman Lear and thanked him for his shows being pretty much his baby sitter growing up as a latch key kid.
Norman Lear was never afraid to tackle the tough issues and quite frankly his progressive thinking is something we really need more of.
The cast of
On Your Feet performed during Gloria Estefan's tribute as well as
Becky G. I am linking you to my review of the Broadway Musical On Your Feet because I LOVED it so much, if you haven't seen it or Kinky Boots please get on that like ASAP, and I am also linking you to a post I wrote recapping the Cosmo For Latinas #CFLFunFearless 2014 Awards where I met and nabbed a photo with singer Becky G who performed at the Kennedy Center Honors last night in tribute to Gloria Estefan. (And props to her very Selena inspired top! I see you Becky!)
Above: I am not sure how readable this one is, so just in case you don't feel like pressing it to make it bigger it reads:
"Watching #KCHONORS reminds me that intellectualism, the arts, empathy, honor, education, activism, and just plain doing the right thing cannot be dumbed down, unless we let it, its being ignorant, prejudiced, and noninclusive, greedy that is harmful" ~ @mikab98/Doc Brown via Twitter
Above: My blog template is making some of these way too small, so I am typing this out too:
"Watching the #KCHonors & realizing how excruciating it would have been for this POTUS to celebrate the talents of a Cuban singer, a pioneering dancer, and a philanthropic rapper, & a mulitalented musician who are all people of color & a liberal producer who changed TV forever." ~ @ChangeofHabits/SKeveryday via Twitter
Above: This tweet reads:
"In the absence of @POTUS, @realDonaldTrump seeing the #KennedyCenterHonors recognize four tremendous #PoC performers and white ally @NormanLearFilm - whose shows placed black and brown actors front and center on TV screens - makes a powerful statement. This is #America. #KCHonors" ~ @pauljschutz/Paul Schutz
Above: This Tweet Reads:
"Take a minute and realize this historic time in history. For the first time since the @KCHonors started, the current @POTUS isn't there. The honorees refused to attend if he was there (so I've read). So tonight, we have the same seat as @realDonaldTrump for the #KCHonors" ~ @estateplanjax/Mark F. Moss, Esq. via Twitter
My Take:
I am saddened and very disappointed that this is the first time in the show's history that our President wasn't there - for so many reasons and on so many levels.
I will say that the last time something got me this heated was reading about
The Poor Door, and I link you to my reaction post on that topic as well, as I can say about many topics, the comments are Gold.
I do understand that the honorees themselves really didn't want him there, and I can't say I blame them quite frankly, but a leader has got to lead, we may be a salad bowl and not a melting pot but this country simply cannot afford to regress. We cannot afford to lose hard fought rights, we cannot afford to be divided by gender and race again. Will history really always be doomed to repeat itself?
Butterflies What Do YOU Think?: Do you think our President should have continued the long standing tradition of attending the Kennedy Center Honors? Why or Why Not? (Please be respectful of each other in your comments, all comments will be moderated before going live!)
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FTC Disclosure: This is NOT a sponsored post, all opinions are 100% my own! I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission 16 CFR, Part 255 - Guides Concerning the use of endorsements and testimonials in advertising, you may check our Giveaway & Disclosure Page for additional information regarding Ascending Butterfly Disclosure. Things that lure this butterfly out of her cocoon: Technology, Travel, Fashion, Beauty, Spirits (Sparkling, Champagne, Prosecco, Sake, Bourbon, Craft Brews), Foodie Fun - really I'm such a *simple girl*.