The Lit Writing Lab Headquarters
The Land of Books
December 16th, 2018


Mr. Robert Iger
CEO of The Walt Disney Company
500 S Buena Vista St
Burbank, CA 91521
USA

Dear Mr. Iger:


I’m writing this letter to complain about how the last three Star Wars films have changed my opinion over the entire saga.


I want to thank you, Mr. Iger, for everything Disney has spent, both time and money, to keep alive the Star Wars legacy.


However, my complaint is based on the script analysis, between the Star Wars scripts George Lucas executed vs the ones made while on Disney.


In The Last Jedi, the fanatics have gone disappointed, not just because there were scenes they didn’t like, but because the writers of this particular film killed a legendary movie character, who was the original protagonist in the first three movies.


The depth the Star Wars saga has, makes us realize that George Lucas made Episode IV to VI before the first three films… why? Maybe he thought that there wasn’t enough technology during 1977 to execute the saga correctly, from the beginning.


According to an article at Forbes, Disney could lose a little bit over $20 million, because the audience, thanks to The Last Jedi, has grown disinterested.


I think that fans can also overreact but killing Han Solo in The Force Awakens shattered the hearts of the spectators. Murdering Luke, however, in The Last Jedi, since he was the major protagonist and the essence of the force, crossed the line.


It wouldn’t be bad killing them, but if they had mentored their new successors, and made the transition between them correctly, it would be okay, because they did their job, and they know their legacy is in the right hands.


In The Force Awakens, Rey is capable of controlling The Millennium Falcon, and she gained Chewbacca’s respect, to my eyes. However, it wasn’t shown that Rey was going to be Han Solo’s successor. Perhaps Han could have mentored Rey on how to convince his son to be away from the Dark Side? Would it have enriched the plot?


Since Luke inherited outstanding powers from his father, he could perform the marvelous gift of ubiquity. However, it was not necessary to extinguish him, because he could have trained Rey to become a great Jedi… and sadly, that did not happen.


About Solo… I am not criticizing Han’s actor’s acting, but that the screenwriter did not establish the personality we know thanks to the first Star Wars films. Solo did not define Han’s origins, or why he acted like that from Episode IV to VII. It wouldn’t have happened if there was a structure about how the story is going to be narrated from now on. The screenwriter should have included flashbacks, because for someone that has never watched the Star Wars saga before, they should know some specific facts about Han while watching Solo.


I read that Disney has been planning on making a new generation of Star Wars heroes, but what about the old fanatics, who grew up watching the characters in the original films? Those are the ones that have maintained the saga’s essence for more than 41 years. I was induced by the 1970’s generation… you partially lost me, too.


I think that Disney could lose a great portion of the 2000’s audience. How could I motivate someone to watch a saga that started in the 70’s, if today, the new films give the impression that the story is being more of an improvisation than a structured tale?


The new generation, the one that begins with Episode VII, will not remain the way the old one did 41 years ago. From my point of view, this generation, is not going to be loyal to the saga because it’s not a tale that is connected or well-structured to the first.


Thank you for your consideration in expanding the Star Wars universe. I appreciate all your efforts, but I think that you need to go back to the basics, and make a logical progression on screenwriting, just like George Lucas did.


Sincerely,

©2019

Pink Smoothie!
Pink Smoothie
MindPlay Young Author, Screenwriter & Book Blogger

Until next time!

Rosalía Vila Tobella, known mononymously as Rosalía - a Spanish singer—has officially hit stardom, winning two Latin Grammys in November 15th this year, and being nominated for five awards in said award show.  Yet she has come a long way—from the start, when she first discovered the Camarón de la Isla at thirteen years old, and her spark for Flamenco started to burn.  She has had many years of studying the traditional dance and way of singing, since she studied for twelve years the Spaniard form of expression, dance, singing, and all traditions.

What has surprised the Spaniards (especially the Gypsy people from the south of Spain), is that Rosalia isn’t from Gypsy origins, or even from the south.  She was born in a small town at Barcelona, called Sant Esteve Sesrovire.

Everybody listen to her songs, especially her hit one “Malamente,” and the tunes, beats, and lyrics can get into our minds rapidly and swiftly. What is really interesting, is that the twenty-five-year old’s songs are inspired by a thirteenth century book written by an anonymous writer. The book itself is a prized item of the literature: “Le Roman de Flamenca.”

Rosalia’s lyrics tell the story of a dark romance, and her songs use common words spoken throughout the south of Spain like “killo,” “toma,” “mu mal”, and much more. Her songs has advanced to the United States, where even Pharrell Williams, Halle Berry, and Kourtney Kardashian have praised her.  She has collaborated with J. Balvin and has become friends with our favorite Latin singers.  She even borrowed a tune from Justin Timberlake—and he approved (which is to say something, since he never approves of anything), much to her surprise.

The main point here, is that the gypsies think that she’s committing a case of “Cultural Appropriation,” which, it’s literal definition, is becoming the “owner” of a culture.

Of course, none of that is true.  The Spanish artist has been criticized for creating a genre of her own—even if she has done nothing at all to cause a commotion.  First off, the gypsies think that is “wrong” that someone from Catalonia is singing their songs, from the south… but then creating her own genre, mixed with pop and trap… why does it seem like a crime to them?

There are many celebrities that have been accused of doing “Cultural Appropriation,” though none of them have done it—they just sometimes decide to include an aspect of a certain culture, and critics immediately label it as said case.

Rosalia has both the right to sing Flamenco and create her own genre, not because it is alright, but because she’s creating a whole new generation. This is how she pictures it—how to attract young people to an “old” art—a magnificent one, to say the most.

She has been studying the wonderful art, traditions, and culture the genre has for twelve years, has had multiple teachers, and her songs are inspired by a thirteenth century novel… she has the right to sing it, because she isn’t even being disrespectful.  She’s telling a tale, a story—something a young person might find intriguing, fresh, something they can give it a chance.

Rosalia’s fresh chapter in this world is full of surprises—her videos are visual, and sometimes incorporates things from her personal life and somethings from the Andalusian lifestyle, or the gypsy lives in southern Spain.

There are so many people around the world that practice and live Flamenco… even in Japan. If the gypsies don’t approve of someone that is from Spain, this makes me wonder why they haven’t said anything about other people practicing it around the world.

Cultural Appropriation is a horrible thing to be accusing someone for—there are many artists that have found inspiration gazing at the mountains inside a foreign country, and that isn’t cultural appropriation.

Maybe the gypsies still can’t get over the fact that UNESCO declared the Flamenco art, traditions, and culture an intangible heritage back in 2010, where it was declared that everyone could practice it wherever they are.

Rosalia’s stardom isn’t like other singer’s—who win Grammys and with a brush of their fingers, they end their musical career.  You can easily note that this particular singer will be around for a long time, influencing with her sticky and powerful songs… leaving a mark on this world just like the US did on the moon.

If Rosalia studied Flamenco deeply, then we can easily see the passion she has towards the graceful art.  The way she sings—it’s like telling a story or reading an open book. She’s a fantastic singer who has the opportunity to create a genre and still be successful while at it.

One of her songs tells the tale of a woman trapped inside a room—and it has made me realize that light might overcome darkness. We’re like that, caged, trapped, desperate, but when something or someone saves us, we’re free.

Maybe Rosalia’s lyrics don’t tell just a story—they tell something more… like how we can overcome an obstacle and be free.

However, her lyrics don’t have double-meaning, unlike many other songs. Rosalia’s new genre might be a revolution. It might cause everyone to create a spark—a spark so bright it can outshine the stars and the glimmering rays of the sun.  It can change the course of the way the Earth is—and we know it.

Being a social icon, she knows how to receive good and bad comments daily.  How the negative ones started her career shows us that we should always believe in ourselves, no matter what other people say.

Rosalia hasn’t come down even when her career shoot up at the sky and she became world-recognized. We should always remember where we come from—and this artist has. She hasn’t forgotten her family behind, and always thinks of them.

We should be like that, too.

A country’s culture isn’t theirs only, but it depends. If someone simply wants to start singing a certain genre a country has, is it a case of “Cultural Appropriation?” Not at all. It isn’t, because Flamenco is intangible heritage, which means that it shouldn’t belong to someone only.

The Flamenco is owned by everyone in the world.  If you practice it with respect, then you’re perfectly fine.

This isn’t just another new artist, this is a wonderful young woman that has been preparing all her life to be a legend and a shining star.

Okay, I hope you all enjoyed this Pink Smoothie’s Thoughts! I hope we all appreciate how brave Rosalia is at creating a new genre and causing a spark to ignite. You can watch her official music video for her hit song “Malamente,” and some interviews right here! Have a great day, everyone! 😊

©2018

Pink Smoothie!

Billy Beane never gave up until his retirement.  Nelson Mandela united an entire country.  Herman Boone proved a high school wrong. Erin Brockovich always did her best, so she could keep her family safe and healthy.

These are leaders that have never given up. They’ve looked back at everything they’ve done and have said, “Hey, I did that.”

Billy Beane was a great baseball manager that never imagined he could lead his team (the Oakland Athletics) to the finals.  Nelson Mandela used a game of cricket to unite his country and make everyone get along with each other.  Herman Boone was a football coach who proved that he could win games every single time his team played and didn’t get fired.  And finally, Erin Brockovich did a exhaustive investigation that must’ve been impossible to normal people, and she did it even if she didn’t have any legal experience because she wanted to help the people being affected.  As a result of the largest direct action lawsuit of its kind, PG & E was forced to pay out the largest toxic tort injury settlement in US history.

So, in this post, I’m going to be talking about one of the most important human values: leadership.

We see leadership developing in its early stages. Have you ever seen a school class president? A speaker for the class graduates from last year? Those are the most common examples of leadership, which makes me realize something.

Why do we all follow examples, if half the room doesn’t know how to become one for other generations?

Yup. I’m saying that we should become those examples, not just a simple follower to those that have become leaders.

Being a leader has its ups and downs—having to deal with haters, having pressure in your shoulders at all times, having to deal with bribery, having anxiety, and a lot more.

But why should you consider being a leader?

Well, it’s a huge responsibility, but it also helps inspire other people to become like you—a leader. More leaders in our world mean more people that are ready to guide others in becoming a better person. Those are the people that matter.

Now, the responsibilities might seem huge, and all of that negative energy you might receive a bit frightening.

First off, if you’re receiving negative comments, then brush them off. They’re jealous of you, and how you are. Don’t think “I want to have his/her life” or, “I want to be him/her”. And don’t feel bad, either.

You have to keep in mind the following words: successful people are the ones that always have more haters.

Why, you might ask? Well, because people are jealous of how successful leaders are—of their life, their family, everything they’re hating on, actually.

We also need haters in our life. Yup! You read that right.

We need them because, how are we supposed to know what critics think? In fact, 50% of the critics are haters—because sometimes they consider the product or how you are is just way too bad.

Haters also hate on you because they are either jealous of you and your life, or simply believe you should not be doing what you’re doing.
There’s only one way to stop hate: ignoring them.  If you ignore each and every one of those haters, then they’ll grow tired of you and hate on someone else.  Or, they might just leave because they’re tired you don’t respond to their comments, opinions, or whatever they do to “hate” on you.

You should know that it isn’t your fault you’re being hated on—it’s their fault.  They’re jealous of you—it’s not like you have a problem or something, they have one.  They’re just too jealous on you so they bring their “hate” machine and start throwing things at you.

You also need to remember that they might hate on you, they might fight you, but they’ll never stop you from your goal.

Now, onto the way on how to become a leader.

First of all, you don’t need to be arrogant.  Never be arrogant.  People just won’t be considering you a leader if you’re arrogant.  Put the people first and do what you consider it’s the best for them.

You should never be afraid to take risks—that’s how most young leaders create their ideas and become successful.  If you don’t take a risk, you’ll never know if the idea you wanted to create was good or not.

There are many leaders in real life—and also in movies.

In The American President, Michael Douglas who plays President Andrew Shepherd, gives a fantastic speech explaining how America needs a leader, and that the country is a tough one to manage.

Quoting Aaron Sorkin in The American President: “America isn’t easy. America is advanced citizenship. You gotta want it bad, ‘cause it’s gonna put up a fight. It’s gonna say, You want free speech? Let’s see you acknowledge a man whose words make your blood boil, who’s standing center stage and advocating at the top of his lungs that which you would spend a lifetime opposing at the top of yours. You want to claim this land as the land of the free? Then the symbol of your country can’t just be a flag; the symbol also has to be one of its citizens exercising his right to burn that flag in protest. Show me that, defend that, celebrate that in your classrooms. Then, you can stand up and sing about the ‘land of the free’.... I’m Andrew Shepherd and I am the President.”

Why did he say that? Well, because his opponent (Bob Rumson) always signed off with “I’m Bob Rumson and I am running for president!”

Another great inspirational speech is from Al Pacino in the movie Scent of a Woman. He talks about integrity, about why one must take the hard path. Why? Because that means we’re going to try and try and fail again and again—but know that we chose the right thing.

The purpose of this post is to inspire people to become leaders for future generations—it’s your choice.  We all have the choice becoming a leader—today is not too late to become one… you just need to have the right values, ideas, and integrity.

That’s all it takes to become a great leader.

Now… if you DO become a leader, think about inspiring people daily and affecting their lives somehow. Do you think people will start liking you if you become arrogant and egocentric? No. Do you think people will follow you if you decide to be an inspirational figure for our future generations? Yes.

We’re our future. All young people are.

I hope you consider becoming a leader for our world.

The choice is yours—and you know what to do.

This is my statement about being a leader. You can repeat after me replacing my name with yours.

“I’m Pink Smoothie, and I am proud of being who I am.”
 
​
©2018
Pink Smoothie!

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Here are some inspiring videos from movies that share real-examples of leadership…

Why are people always comparing Michael Jordan and LeBron James?

Why do they always fight about it? This isn’t a feud—we’re definitely not even trying to argue our way to the top of the discussion mountain.  What people do need to know is the following: there aren’t a lot of role models out there for younger children nowadays.

We have to focus on finding a real role model—not just an actor or actress, a celebrity, or even a Youtuber or blogger (like me LOL).

Somebody who has gone from the smallest, to the greatest, someone that rose from the ashes and now is seating on a throne doing whatever he wants to do with his life, someone humble.  Someone that has gone through a lot.

Well, I have a good role model for ya! Just let me take you back to the 1990’s, and you’ll see…

Four writers, called Leo Benvenuti, Steve Rudnick, Timothy Harris, and Herschel Weingrod, decided to team up together and create a story called Space Jam in which, the world’s greatest NBA's all-time player of that time, worked with Bugs Bunny to save the Looney Tune’s world.  Easy, right?

But who was the greatest NBA's all-time player of that time?

You know it.

Michael Jordan! (Or MJ)

He rose from the ashes, from absolutely nothing! NOTHING!

MJ was the greatest NBA's all-time player—and still is.  Just to make things clear, I’m not a basketball fan, my parents are—they watched him and the USA Dream Team, starring Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Charles Barkley, Patrick Ewing, Scottie Pippen, plus many other galactical basketball players, like they were dogs with stacks of meat that could be eaten for eternity.

Just saying.

It all starts when MJ was a little kid.  It was probably about 11 pm or 12 am in the night, so his father heard noise and saw him dunk some basketballs.  He didn’t miss—just one time, but it was really impressive to see a “younger” version of MJ playing basketball on his backyard.

Then, the movie develops, and we enter the Warner Bro’s world.  Bugs Bunny finds some aliens who want the Looney Tunes to be their main attraction, and Bugs challenges them to a play of basketball, resulting into making the aliens wanting to steal (they did it tho) the talents of a few members of the Dream Team.

And that makes Bugs stealing MJ to help them—and he does.  The Looney Tunes and Mr. Jordan win the basketball game, making the aliens fired by their boss and wanting to become part of the Looney Tunes.

He has led his team to six NBA championships and won them (remember, I’m not a basketball fan), and if it doesn't seem like enough, he's in the Basketball Hall of Fame.  I might be boasting about this guy’s accomplishments, but it’s all true. It’s ALL TRUE!

Space Jam was a total success and a boost for MJ’s career—and it’s the basketball movie that has the largest box office quantity of all time--$250,200,000 worldwide. Yup.  Freaking out over here. That means that not only kids saw the movie, but adults and teenagers did.

Daffy the Duck, Bugs Bunny, Porky Pig, Sylvester the Cat, and Tweety, will always be in our hearts, and alive.  They’re eternal.

And Michael Jordan deserves to be eternal, too.  Because he has demonstrated throughout his life and career that he was not only the best basketball player ever, but that he started from zero, and now he's one of the richest people on the earth (according to Forbes), he has an empire full of cash, life-end contracts with Nike, Gatorade, and—hold on.

Have you heard of the Air Jordans?

Thought so.  Of course, you’ve heard of them (even if you didn’t know MJ himself), they’re really famous and old people (aka persons like my parents), collect them.

This is a great opportunity, so you can see if the role model you’re following (athlete, actress, singer, etc.) has a quantity of great traits, like being passionate about what you do and being truthful and honest to their fans.

They also have to have a kind heart, and a voice.

Now, I want you to consider thinking if MJ is a role model.

Does he care about his fans and family? Yup.

Has he done many charity events to collect money? Yup.

​Does he believe in himself when he’s stuck? He was sick once and played with a flu—and I forgot to tell you all about the flu game.

MJ was sick when he was playing the 1997 finals on the NBA, and he was dehydrated and felt like was about to faint. And guess what he did?

He dunked and scored as many basketballs as possible, and The Bulls won the game 5 of the NBA Finals that day.

Why was he feeling sick?

The pizza he ordered the night before was supposedly poisoned, so he woke up wanting to throw up.

Basically, he was like a puppy having eaten 6-weeks old dog food.

HE WENT THROUGH THAT!

And he won that game. A final. Sick.

I want you to consider my very first words in this post. Is LeBron James going to be like Michael Jordan when he’s MJ’s age? To be completely honest, I don’t know. It's something we cannot control...

Why don’t I think Mr. James is going to be MJ? Because MJ inspired him. 

MJ hasn’t gotten into bad things, such as, doing non-sportsmanship-y things right in front of others. MJ loves his family and will do anything to protect them.

Maybe people say LeBron James is the next Michael Jordan, but nobody can ever replace him.

He’s irreplaceable, because he’s himself.

And nobody can tear that piece off you.

So, I hope you enjoyed this post and its brief history on MJ! Who’s your favorite basketball player? MJ or LeBron?

FUN FACT: Did you know the iconic song, I Believe I can Fly, was made for this movie and won a grammy? It’s based off MJ, to be honest.
 
Anyways, please comment your opinions, and tell the Queen of Pink Smoothies what you think!

Until next time!

​©2018
​
Pink Smoothie!  ​

I’m going to be showing you some videos on how MJ played when he was still a player, and why basketball fans think MJ is the “G.O.A.T.”

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Any pictures/gifs do not belong to me, otherwise stated.​ 

I thought that y’all need to tackle an important subject… Let’s Respect People with Disabilities!

I was in a wheelchair for 4 months (almost 5, because my broken leg wasn’t entirely ready for crutches), so I definitely know how people that can’t walk feel.  Persons in the sidewalks looked at me like I was a person carrying some type of disease, and that’s how people that have to be in a wheelchair almost half—or all—their lives feel.

They feel singled out.  They feel like they want to crawl into a hole and never leave it in fear that they’re going to be laughed at or bullied.  They feel like they want to be like everybody, be accepted.

But, since people these days think they’re oh-so-cool and – whenever they see someone that isn’t like them, they single the person out and make fun of him or her.

Apart from people in wheelchairs, there are people that can’t see, can’t hear, don’t have a leg, or their facial features are just deformed.  And many people do that to them too.

I want you to be in that person’s place.  I want you to imagine how your life would be if you were judged everyday.  I want you to imagine that you’re never going to walk again, or had an accident and never be like you were.   I want you to imagine being like this person that you ignore when you see on the street.

How does that image in your head affect you, huh?

Do you feel like you want to crawl into a hole and never come back?

Do you feel like you want to like everyone?

Apart from that, have you noticed that little people are also judged? 

Not as much as before, but they usually do get strange looks if they’re out at the mall or grocery shopping.

Since I was a kid I was taught that people with disabilities are the same as all of us, and I became obsessed with Little People Big World (which is streamed through TLC).  I’ve seen how Amy and Matt Roloff made their family live a life like anybody and have taught to all many important things.

They can do everything.  They can live their lives as anyone, have a family, and do whatever they want to do, because they’re just like us.
Human beings.

I want you to be on their place, once more.

Imagine you walk inside the local grocery store and grab a basket and start your shopping.  Then, you see an “average” people looking at you like you were a plague.

How would you react?

Would you want to cry?

Would you like to stand up for yourself?

Put yourself in that scenario and according to the points below, tell me what you would do:

a.  Ask the people what they’re staring at. If you’re in a wheelchair, then you would wheel towards them and ask what’s their problem.  If you’re a little person, then you would tell them that just because they’re taller doesn’t mean that you cannot do the same things they do.

b.  You would stay silent and tell the store’s manager that the people are judging you, and that because of the country’s laws, it is called discrimination.  You would wheel towards the manager if on a wheelchair and the ask them why people are staring at you.  If you’re a little person, then you would probably tell the manager that just because your height isn’t the same, people are staring at you because you’re small.

c.  You would do nothing.

​d.  None of the above.

And if you are watching from behind, would you protect the person? Would you defend him/her?

Take Auggie Pullman from Wonder. He had a craniofacial disease that made people think that he was a monster—a miracle.  Nobody would even dare to look at him because of the disease – and he was a really nice and cute person to get to know.

Don’t think people who have some type of disability are all horrible.  They can be nice if you get to know them—just like a book.

Don’t judge a book by it’s cover.

When I was baby, my parents took me to a place where babies learn to crawl.  What’s so special about it?  Well, babies with disabilities went there to learn to crawl, and my parents made me accept them as normal people, and we became friends.

​I grew up thinking and believing that every single person with disabilities is just the same as us.

Just because they don’t look like everybody, doesn’t mean that their hearts aren’t or have great intentions.

Please don’t be like other people and want to exclude them out.

If you see someone that carries some type of disability at your school, then talk to them.  I think I forgot to mention this, but I knew a girl that couldn’t see a few years back at school.  I knew that some people stared at her like she was weird, but in reality, she seemed like a nice person.

Luckily, she couldn’t see them pointing at her, but she could hear them.

That made me realize that people in this world do think that appearances are everything, while they actually are not.

How kind they are, how they treat you, how they behave around you, is what matters. Look at how their heart is, and then you’ll see how pure their souls are.

Why are they so pure?

Because they grew up in a way people don’t even imagine.  They’re like people that have no bad intentions with others, because they just want to be good friends with us.

We have to top ignoring people that aren’t “average”.  Because, in reality, we’re all the same.

Just because some of us can’t do things others can, doesn’t mean we have to ignore them and pretend they don’t exist.

We’re ALL the same.

Now, people with disabilities are included in activities with regular people.  The problem is, that people do not have empathy with them. 

We’re the ones that actually have a disability.

It seems that we just don’t want to be friends with them.

I hope that all of you learned something really valuable today.

​Until next time!

​©2018
Pink Smoothie!