Dragon!

 by Kristal McKerrington and Joe E Legend

Dragon's being hunted by the dark magic shifters. 

She's got one hope. Knox's school

of shape shifting, only she's setup to be far more. 

She might have lost everything, 

but she has the chance to set everything right. 

Can she?...…

Celebrity Power!  Joe E Legend and Kristal McKerrington are once again teamed up and creating a soon to be bestseller Dragon!  Let’s get the early scoop on this up and coming book series and the prolific writers behind the words.

Interview

Kristal McKerrington Newest Release!

Kristal McKerrington magazine & screen writer, best selling author, and has been featured on TMZ!

Alex Graham:  Please tell me a bit about yourself and how you got into writing.

Kristal McKerrington:  I'm Scottish. 24 years old and I'm an advert reader. I wrote my first short story when my Auntie came to see me and I didn't have anything to give her so I wrote her a story. Been writing ever since. 

Alex:  You and Joe E. Legend have been working on a fantasy, action adventure called  “Dragon”. Can you give the Celebrity English readership an early scoop on this soon to be bestseller?

Kristal:  Dragon is set to be published with Media Aria. It's as Joe my co-author refers to it as the martial arts version to Harry Potter. It's a lot darker though. It's good a lot of pressure resting on the heroine's shoulders. Especially when she suspects there to be evil in the school. Some of it is with the teachers. 

Alex:  Kristal, you have a lot of experience in the writing field, and you have been a best selling author before.  In your opinion, what is the hardest part about getting published?

Kristal:  The sending the submissions. It twists your guts up into a little ball. It's the worse feeling because you enter into limbo from that moment on.

Alex:  Thank you for the insight!  What books have most influenced you in your life?

Kristal:  Catherine Cookson is my huge influence and Rachel Caine's work with Morganville Vampires is the other. 

Alex:  Excellent and thank you Kristal!  Now we are going to turn the interview over to Joe E Legend. 

 

Joe E Legend world famous wrestler,

TV & film star, and author!

Alex:  You have quite a diverse and fascinating background, can you tell Celebrity English about yourself.

Joe E Legend:  I'm a 23 year veteran of pro wrestling and before that I achieved 4 black belts in Karate and Kung fu in my home town of Toronto, Canada (I now live in Hannover, Germany with my wife, twin 5 year old son's and rabbit).

I've wrestled in 43 countries around the world, had 2 TV series in the UK, been the lead villain in a graphic novel in the USA, appeared in films in Canada, France and the UK and now I've signed off to co-author several series of books as well as star in 6 films in various countries (Italy, France, Canada, USA, England, Scotland, Caribbean) all before the end of 2013.  

I've also signed a deal for a 3 book series for my autobiography.

Alex:  Fantastic!  We already heard from Kristal about “Dragon”, latest novel you coauthored, how did you two or why did you two decide to start working together?

Joe:  I was sending out my resume everywhere and it wound up in Kristal's E-mails and she got in touch. She was talking about a possible movie or TV series (we're in the planning stages for those as well) and the subject turned to her being an author. Since wrestling is such a "story telling" form of entertainment, I wanted to have a crack at it and she was kind enough to bring me along.

Alex:  I think it is fantastic that 2 very prolific writers have coauthored this new thriller.  What are the benefits of working with another writer or author on a project?

Joe:  Sometimes things seem REALLY cool in your head but once you try to explain them to others, you find it really doesn't make a lot of overall sense. Having someone invested in the same constructed reality you're invested in can ensure your ideas will land on others in the way you intended.

Alex:   Great point!  Do you have any advice for writers just starting out?

Joe:  Find someone already doing it and learn, learn, learn.

Success leaves a trail and all you really need to do is follow it. Find 3 people very successful in your chosen field (or genre) and find out what they all did in common.

Do those things as well and you're almost certain to achieve a certain degree of success.

Also... write. Everyday. Take the time to write your ideas down and see where they take you. A blank page will get you nowhere but a few ideas written down can inspire a great story.

Alex:   Absolutely!  Excellent advice from Joe E Legend!

Alex:   These questions are for Kristal or Joe.  What else do you two have on the way?

Kristal and Joe:

For novels:

Marie's World -  1st book, June 27th (a series, following books periodically)

Charlie's Journal - 1st book, September 2013 (a series, following books periodically)

My autobiography (title still pending) -  1st book August 2013, 2nd and 3rd book dates still pending.

Vamp and the Wrestler - December 2013

Layla's World - January 2014 (a series, following books periodically)

Edward - 1st book March 2014 (a series, following books periodically)

Dragon - 2015 (a series, following books periodically)

For films:

1)The Second Chance - Shooting summer/autumn 2013 (Italy/France)

2)Vampire Soul - Shooting autumn 2013 (USA)

3) Broken Nation - Shooting Autumn 2013 (England/Scotland)

4) Pandemonium - Shooting Autumn/winter 2013-2014 (Caribbean)

5) Untitled Zombie Film - Shooting Autumn/winter 2013-2014 (Germany)

6) Untitled Slasher Film - Shooting Autumn/winter 2013/2014 (Canada)

I also have many international wrestling tours in places such as India, South Africa, Hong Kong, Nepal and more.

Alex:  Wow! You 2 are keeping busy!  Where can we buy your novels?

Kristal:  I believe Barnes and Noble will be having them available. Also WH Smith, Waterstones, and Amazon worldwide. Apparently libraries all over the UK are meant to be stocking it as well. There will be announcements closer to release dates on all the stores to buy and sites to order from.

Alex:   Kristal McKerrington and Joe E Legend, thank you very much for your time this week!  I look forward to seeing Dragon on the bestsellers list!  And you can quote me on that!

Kristal and Joe: Thank you Alex and thank you very much to the reader’s of Celebrity English.  Have a great weekend everyone!

Alex:  You too! All the best! And until Dragon is released, check out this other fantastic book Marie's World by Joe E Legend and Kristal McKerrington!  You won't be able to put it down!  Awesome!

An Unwanted Triangle
A Simple Job
Love, Dance, Wrestling

Marie's World

Marie's World Joe E Legend and Kristal McKerrington!

And I hope everyone had a great Canada Day and a fantastic US Independence Day!    

 

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Language Learning Section 
Natural Language - Vocabulary Boost!

Vocabulary Theme: Writing and Publishing

Instructions: Write down the meaning to all of the words and expressions below.  For the words you don’t know, try to guess the meaning from the context.  Next week I will post the answers but if you can’t wait until then, there is always the Internet.  Enjoy! Write down the meaning to all of the words and expressions below.  For the words you don’t know, try to guess the meaning from the context.  Answers below.

Vocabulary from the Dragon Interview

Dragon =

bestseller =

scoop =

book series =

author =

co-author =

published =

heroine =

submissions =

enter into limbo =

huge =

influence =

lead villain =

graphic novel =

I've signed off to co-author several series of books =

I've also signed a deal for a 3 book series =

autobiography =

resume =

she got in touch =

entertainment =

to have a crack at it =

prolific writers =

just starting out =

genre =

achieve =

novels =

Amazon = 

 Vocabulary Definitions from the Dragon Interview

Dragon = a mythical animal usually represented as a monstrous winged and scaly serpent or saurian with a crested head and enormous claws (see book cover picture above).

bestseller = an article (as a book) whose sales are among the highest of its class

scoop = information especially of immediate interest.A news story that is reported before other
           news reporters know about it. 

book series = A book series is a sequence of books having certain characteristics in common that are formally identified together as a group. Book series can be organized in different ways, such as written by the same author, or marketed as a group by their publisher.

author = a person who has written something.  The writer of a literary work (as a book).

co-author = A collaborating or joint author.

published = to prepare and produce (a book, magazine, etc.) for sale.

heroine = the main female character in a story, play, movie, etc.

submissions = an act or instance of submitting. An act of giving a document, proposal, piece of writing, etc., to someone so that it can be considered or approved : an act of submitting something [noncount].

enter into limbo = go into a state of uncertainty. On hold;not moving or neglected.

huge = very large.

influence = : the power to change or affect someone or something : the power to cause changes without directly forcing them to happen [noncount].

lead villain = A character in a story, movie, etc., who does bad things; main bad person.

graphic novel = A graphic novel is a book made up of comics content. Although the word "novel" normally refers to long fictional works, the term "graphic novel" is applied broadly, and includes fiction, non-fiction, and anthologized work. It is distinguished from the term "comic book", which is used for comics periodicals.

I've signed off to co-author several series of books = to sign off on something = to sign a paper, indicating that one has finished with something or agrees with the state of something.

I've also signed a deal for a 3 book series = signed a deal Having a signature affixed: a signed document that creates a legal contract for a 3 book series.

autobiography = a biography written by the person it is about.

resume = a short document describing your education, work history, etc., that you give an employer when you are applying for a job.

she got in touch = to connect or contact someone.

entertainment = amusement or pleasure that comes from watching a performer, playing a game, etc. [noncount].

to have a crack at it = to try to do something although you are not certain that you will succeed.

prolific writers = authors producing a large amount of writing.

just starting out = just beginning; now starting or recently started.

genre = is the term for any category of literature or other forms of art or entertainment, e.g. music, whether written or spoken, audial or visual, based on some set of stylistic criteria. Genres are formed by conventions that change over time as new genres are invented and the use of old ones are discontinued. Often, works fit into multiple genres by way of borrowing and recombining these conventions.

achieve = to get or reach (something) by working hard.

novels = an invented prose narrative that is usually long and complex and deals especially with human experience through a usually connected sequence of events.

Amazon =  company Link http://www.amazon.com/

See the week of July 15^th with more great stuff! 

Always happy to meet new people!

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A Magical Christmas with Tom Cruise

                                            

Tom Cruise

 Christmas is a time to share with family and friends.  Also people will be talking about Christmas memories from the past.  Let’s take a look at Tom Cruise’s favorite Christmas as a child... 


Interviewer: When I was a kid the time of year that I loved was Christmas because it was the only magic time.  Didn’t you one year, I read that there was a gift of poems.

Tom Cruise: Yeah

Interviewer: Tell me.

Tom Cruise:  As I said, a beautiful mother, and it was actually the first Christmas when my parents were divorced and we didn’t have any money. And really not enough to buy each other a present.  And all of the money kind of went to…well didn’t kind of, it went into paying for food on the table.  And so my mother said listen: “What we are going to do is we are not going to buy each other gifts.  We are going to pick names out of hat.  And for a month you are going to do something for that person and on Christmas day we are going to reveal who you are and we are going to write poems for each other.


Tom Cruise: It was actually the best Christmas I had as a kid! It was a great Christmas!

Interviewer: It sounds like a great Christmas.

 
The story is direct.  Tom starts by setting the ‘scene’ for the listener.  His parents had just divorced.  There was no money to spend on Christmas gifts.  Food was the most important item.  Tom uses past verb tenses to create the scene for the listener. 

Next, Tom tells the story from his mother’s words.  She is using ‘going to’ to express a future within the story time period.  This gives the story a change of pace.  It feels like we are there with Tom, listening to his mother’s Christmas plan.  It is a nice style and more interesting than telling a whole story with past tense verbs only.  Also, changing the pace of a story helps keeps the listener interested.  In the final two sentences Tom reverts back to the use of past tense verbs and finishes telling the story.  Tom reveals the importance of this memory to the listener with great enthusiasm and excitement in his voice:  this was the best Christmas he had as a kid with excitement in his voice.  The excitement in his voice also creates interest from the listener. 

If you want to try out Tom’s Christmas Memory/Story Style, here it is:

Tom’s Story Telling Template:

1.Set the scene in the past in your own ‘voice’ or perspective.
2.Have one of the main characters in the scene/memory tell the story.
3.Return to your own ‘voice’ and why it was important to you (enthusiastically).

 

Full and original interview with Tom Cruise 'Christmas Memory" 

(Counter: 6:05 - 7:01 – ‘Christmas Memory’ portion of interview)

 

 

Tom’s latest movie Trailer

 

   

 Celebrity English

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PSY ‘s Natural English Gangnam Style!

South Korean rapper 'PSY’ (Park Jae-sang) is sweeping the globe with his musical video creation known as ‘Gangnam Style’.  Gangam Style has gone viral on the Internet!  Not only that, PSY has been teaching celebrities from all over how to do Gangnam style dance moves. Even Britney Spears tried out the Gangnam horse ridding inspired dance on the Ellen DeGeneres Show.

Even though the majority of North American listeners don't understand the lyrics, the video has garnered enormous attention in the media. Music and visuals can be such an expressive medium without international boundaries.

So, as I was listening to PSY and trying out a few of his moves, I noticed he used some excellent, natural, and casual English to teach his famous dance moves.

 PSY said:

“You ‘gotta’ use your upper body also not just your legs.”(to do the horse dance) ABC News

The key word in the sentence is ‘gotta’.  Maybe you already have some experience with ‘gotta’ but let’s just break it down, just in case.

Pronunciation Style

got to = gotta

Meaning

got to = have to/need to

“You ‘got to’ use your upper body also not just your legs.”

=

“You ‘have to/need to’ use your upper body also not just your legs.”

Grammar form

gotta + use

gotta + infinitive verb

Speaking Context or Usage

This is only one of the many ways ‘gotta’ can be used in casual conversation.  I would go into more detail but it would take a few pages of writing.  So, I just want to focus on the use of gotta for teaching someone.  Although ‘gotta is considered bad grammar, we can hear this expression in real life situations such as parents teaching their kids, or friends teaching friends, on You tube, etc.  Also, in a casual teaching context people tend to use the subject marker ‘You’. I recommend using ‘You gotta’ as PSY did. ‘Gotta’ seems like an easy word but, as you know, some of the simplest words have some complex grammar ideas attached to them. 

Try it out!

How to:  Make Instant Cup Noodles or Kraft Dinner or Tea/Coffee or your idea!

_________________________________________

_________________________________________

_________________________________________

_________________________________________

_________________________________________

_________________________________________

Try it out with a friend, or send me (blogalexg@gmail.com) a sound file, or post a video link. 

Next week, I will post an example answer at Celebrity English.

Answer Idea- Using 'gotta' in a 'How to' teaching context.
Background

Halloween will soon be celebrated in North America (every year on Oct. 31).

So to help get ready for a Halloween party here is an easy idea for creating a Healthier Halloween Treat for kids!  The idea below should be used in a talking style because of the use of ‘gotta’.  You can change it to a writing style by simply substituting ‘gotta’ with 'have to' or 'need to'.

How to make Scary Sippers – Mummy Style

• First, you gotta buy some juice boxes.  You can get darker colored juices like grape or cherry to get more of a Halloween look or feel. Remove the attached straws from the outside of the box.

• Next, wrap the juice boxes with white electrical tape.  Any white tape is 'ok' but electrical tape has a better mummy texture to it. Make sure not to cover the juice box straw hole with the tape. 

• After that, glue on googly eyes.  You can buy these quite cheaply at any craft or dollar store. 

• Then chill the Mummy juice boxes in the fridge until the Halloween party is ready to begin.

• Finally, you gotta put the straws in the Mummy juice boxes. 

Now you are ready to serve these Scary Sippers – Mummy Style to your thirsty little Halloween guests!

Happy Halloween!

(Adapted from the October 2011 issue of Parents magazine)

POSITIVE POWER TO PSY!

An International musical success story,

 ALEX - By the way, I think I will leave the dancing to PSY!

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Taylor Swift’s Childhood Memories

Taylor Swift is an American singer songwriter who has won 116 music and writing awards. Let’s take a look at how this talented, 'down to earth' lady creates a story in conversation. 

TAYLOR SWIFT:  “When you say, ‘I spent my summers at the Jersey Shore,’ people always say, ‘Oh, really?’ They think of the TV show. So I just say, ‘A cute little harbor town in New Jersey.’ “We lived on this basin where all this magical stuff would happen. One time a dolphin swam into our basin. We had this family of otters that would live on our dock at night. We’d turn the light on and you’d see them, you know, hanging out, just being otters. And then one summer, there was a shark that washed up on our dock. I ended up writing a novel that summer because I wouldn’t go in the water. I locked myself in the den and wrote a book. When I was fourteen. She laughs. “Because of a shark!”

Taylor Swift's Speaking Style

Taylor’s story is warm, loveable, and memorable.  Taylor Swift shares a magical moment from her childhood by the ocean.  Immediately, Taylor Swift sets the tone by creating a PG13 version of New Jersey that is in contrast to the TV show.   Taylor takes control! Taylor segways into ‘her’ Jersey shore by re-framing the language to engage a magical childhood memory:

“A cute little harbor town in New Jersey” 

Moreover, Taylor shares with the listener a glimpse of a 14 year old burgeoning songwriter practicing her craft passionately: 

 “I ended up writing a novel that summer because I wouldn’t go in the water. I locked myself in the den and wrote a book.” 

Next, she finishes her childhood memories by making a wonderful joke about her younger self:   

...She laughs. “Because of a shark!” 

This ocean setting is a place of enjoyment that anyone would love to experience. It is such an easy story to be involved in as a listener! 

 

The language of the story is exceptional!  Swift has just shared an intimate and fun time with the listener.  This is great 'language & style' to create a past and casual 'story telling feel' to your conversation.  Follow Taylor’s Swift's style but make it your own!

Try it out and remember to have fun!

Key Phrases

We lived on this basin where all this magical stuff would happen.

We’d ______________.

One time ____________________.

And then one summer, __________________________.

Create a definition in the words below within the context of  Taylor's conversation.  

ended up =

hanging out = 

Next week- I will post an example idea/answer. 

Idea/Answer for Key Phrases

We lived near the mountains where lots of stuffwould happen.

We’d spend our weekends with friends playing and exploring the area.

One time we saw a dear and her babies hanging out.  They were so beautiful.

And then one summer, we ended up face to face with a black bear.  That was scary!

Create a definition in the words below within the context of Taylor's conversation. 

ended up = became, just happened, not planned

hanging out = socializing

Video Time!

 Have a good one!

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The Language of Miss World

Miss World 2012

Recently Ms. Wenxia Yu from The Peoples Republic of China was crowned Miss World 2012 out of 116 contestants.  The top 2 runners up were Sophie Moulds of Wales and Jessica Kahawaty of Australia. The top contestants of the 62^nd Miss World Pageant put on a stunning display in all areas. 

Background & Style

The Miss World Pageant is one of the oldest and most publicized international beauty pageants in the world.  "Beauty with a Purpose" is the Miss World Pageant’s motto and banner program. Along with creating an international beauty contest, the pageant supports charities around the world. 

Speaking Styles

The Miss World beauty contestants use a formalized speaking style when creating statements or answering questions.  Let’s take a look at a few ‘moments in time’ from two of these extraordinary winners of 2012.

Winner of The Miss World Pageant

– The Peoples Republic of China – Wenxia Yu

"When I was young I felt very lucky because so many people helped me, and I hope in the future I can help more children to feel lucky," Yu, a 23-year-old aspiring music teacher said when asked why she should be crowned.

Although this is an answer to a question, Miss World Wenxia Yu creates a formalized statement.  It is powerful yet subtle.  The new Miss World is essentially saying, “I was lucky and now I hope to create luck for others” or “I was given help and now I hope to give back”.  Instead of just an answer, Wenxia Yu has created her own personal media label in one short positive message. 

2nd Runner-up for The Miss World Crown

– Australia – Jessica Kahawaty

Here is an answer from Jessica Kahawaty when she was competing in Australia to become Miss World Australia. 

Question:  Are pageants still relevant in this day and age?

Jessica Kahawaty’s Answer: They definitely are.  Pageants are an opportunity for women to be ambassadors for their countries and use their title for beneficial social and charitable purposes. Pageants also yield self-confidence for women. Miss World in particular does so, as it allows contestants to demonstrate their talents and fitness abilities.

Jessica Kahawaty’s answer is succinct and logical.  First, Jessica answers that pageants are definitely relevant in this day age.  Next, she supports her idea with 4 reasons: (1) opportunity for women to be ambassadors, (2) use their title for beneficial social and charitable purposes, (3) yield self-confidence for women, (4) contestants can demonstrate their talents and fitness abilities.  Also, because Miss World is her goal, she highlights the singularity of the Miss World organization as being a self-confidence booster and a demonstration of talent and fitness ability.  Moreover, these ideas speak in a positive way to the negative nuance of the question, which infers that beauty contests are relics from a crass, male dominated society.  Jessica Kahawaty finessed the question like a pro speaker.

 A final key element that can be seen in both of the ladies speaking styles is 'formality'.  Unlike a speaker using a more casual style to communicate, they implement a

formalized presentation style that might also be found in high school, university, science, or business.   You won’t hear the contestants using speaking fillers/pauses such as aaahhh, ummh, well, let me think, or let’s see.  These are considered errors in this style of speech.  The answers need to be strong, logical, and without pause. Casual speaking fillers and pausing don’t convey these speaking/presentation ideals. 

Congratulations to all of the Miss World participants!

See you next week,

 

ALEX!

Celebrity English

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Glamour & Beauty & Talking Style with Jennifer Lopez!

Beauty & Glamour are constantly talked about on TV, in magazines, and with friends from the block.  Jennifer Lopez, recording artist, actress, businesswoman, and mother, exudes Glamour and Beauty.  She has been a trendsetter for many years and is considered by some to have redefined beauty in Hollywood.  Jenny from the block has become a Glamour & Beauty Icon for the ages!

“The 40+-year-old says she loves to get glammed up but looking good is hard work.  I don't want anybody thinking it's easy. It does take time and it's hard work. HDTV wide-screen is nobody's friend!”  ~ Jennifer Lopez - Glamour & Beauty Statement ~

Interview

Interviewer:  What is your beauty routine?

J-Lo (Jennifer Lopez): My routine is really basic. I don't have any crazy secrets, like sleeping upside down or whatever! I just try to take care of myself, because it's so easy to get lazy, and not cleanse your skin and not put moisturizer on before you go to bed, or not use conditioner on your hair when you can.

Interviewer:  What is the first thing you do when you get up in the morning?

J-Lo: I have a shower to get that fresh, clean feeling I love, and then I put on my moisturizer. I always use lots of moisturizer.

Interviewer:  How do you get that wonderful glow to your skin?

J-Lo: I've always taken good care of my skin. I protect it from the sun and, because it is normal to dry, I try to keep it moisturized, especially when I'm flying. To get a natural, radiant look I choose neutral shades of make-up for my lips and eyes - the more nude, the better.

Interviewer:  What products are always in your beauty bag?

J-Lo: I usually have lip gloss in there, and perfume, mascara and moisturizer. That's about it. Oh, and I love bronzer too.

Talking Style

Jennifer Lopez has a reputation as being a Diva but in an interview she comes across as very down to earth, friendly, and approachable.  J-Lo is enthusiastic and happy to share information about the topic of Glamour & Beauty.  She gives lots of detailed information about her techniques.  Jennifer’s speaking style is as smooth as her skin and glows with a natural beauty that the listener can relate to even if we aren’t glamour and beauty icons. 

For example:

“The 41-year-old says she loves to get glammed up but looking good is hard work.”

~ In other words, no untouchable Celeb magic just hard work.  You know the feeling. ~

“My routine is really basic. I don't have any crazy secrets, like sleeping upside down or whatever!” 

~ In other words, anyone can follow my routine.  I am not hiding any beauty secrets from you. ~

“J-Lo: I usually have lip gloss in there, and perfume, mascara and moisturizer. That's about it. Oh, and I love bronzer too”  ~ In other words, nothing exotic.  Any lady can have these beauty tools in their beauty bag. ~

Relating to the listener or your audience is an important point in presenting yourself in conversation or to the public.  When the listener feels they are relating to your ideas, then they listen more, want more, and ask more questions.  It also creates a sense of empowerment, for those listening, that you can do it too! It’s not magic or out of reach.  It is just good old fashioned, down to earth, hard work.  But at the same J-Lo gives the listener a boost by sharing her thoughts on Glamour & Beauty.  It is nice to hear this advice from a pro because, for most of us, we struggle on a daily bases about how look good!  Jennifer Lopez is reassuring and empowering at the same time. 

Strategy

The above ideas can be transferred -super effectively- into conversational situations if you are the speaker.  It will make people want to listen to you while feeling good about themselves.  This strategy is creates a type of magnetism around the speaker.  The listener feels they can trust the speaker or relate to you because you are like them.  However, consciously or subconsciously, the listener feels you (the speaker) are in some way ahead of them or doing better than them in some aspect of life.  Listeners will be drawn to you.  With this feeling developed in the listener, the speaker can then create a sense of empowerment: ‘You can do it to!’ or ‘You can be like me! It’s not impossible!’ With these emotions established within the listener, the listener will listen more, want more, and ask more questions.  And if they try and use your ideas successfully, they will come back for more.  As adult relationship research has revealed, people tend to respond positively to people they feel are similar to themselves even if they are not in reality.  J-Lo is a master! The listener feels like J-Lo and is empowered to become like J-Lo without even knowing it.  And of course, in reality, not many people in the world are  even close to having similar lives as J-Lo.  J-Lo is a superstar celebrity that is off the charts in music, acting, beauty, glamour, and a thousand other things!  However, we will happily come back for more!

Give it a Try! Let your J-Lo loose!

Try it out with a friend!  It can be a lot of fun!  To come across smooth, confident, and enthusiastic, a speaker’s answers must be practiced and detailed.  Over time you will refine them to suite your style! 

Here some fill in the blanks with your own Glamour & Beauty Style.  Fill in the blanks might feel a bit weird or phony but, in reality, celebrities also script their answers for the media. 

Question 1: What is your beauty routine?

Your Glamorous Answer 1: My routine is really basic. I don't have any crazy secrets, like __________ or whatever! I just try to take care of myself, because it's so easy to get lazy, and not ___________________________________________________.

Question 2: What is the first thing you do when you get up in the morning?

Answer 2: I ___________________________________________________.

Question 3: How do you get that wonderful glow to your skin?

Answer 3: I've always taken good care of my skin. I ___________________________________________________.

Question 4: What products are always in your beauty bag?

Answer 4: J-Lo: I usually have lip gloss in there, and ________, ________ and ________. That's about it. Oh, and I love ________ too.

If you are finding it a bit difficult try what J-Lo does, make a Glamour & Beauty statement.  Don’t worry about spelling or grammar! Just write an idea or two.  Don’t stress out about it!  Leave it for a day and then look at it again.  It will help you to rough out your own personal ideas of Glamour & Beauty!

Take care Glamour & Beauty Icons and I will see you next week! 

Feel free to comment here or connect with me on

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J-Lo in Action!

Alex

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Katy Perry’s Musical Influences

Katy Perry

Interviewer’s Question:  I’m sure people ask you all the time if you were influenced by Madonna, but what kind of music did you listen to when you were younger?

Katy Perry”s Answer: My mom would let me listen to, like, Billie Holiday and Etta James and really classic stuff like that. My mom speaks fluent French, so she was also really into Édith Piaf, which she turned me on to—although, I guess she didn’t really look into the lyrics. [laughs].  But as I started to hear different kinds of music, my world got bigger. I got a record by Queen, which was so influential for me. I got all the Beatles’ records, like the “white” album [1968], which was really important to me along with Pet Sounds [1966] by the Beach Boys. Those two records were the only things I listened to for probably two years straight. Then I discovered Patty Griffin, Joni Mitchell, Carole King, Jonatha Brooke—a little bit of the Lilith Fair–esque stuff. And then I got into more electronic music. But I’m just open to everything these days.

Katy Perry’s Speaking Style

As you can see from above, like many of the celebrity interviews, Katy uses casual, natural English to connect with the Listener.  Katy gives the listener a glimpse from her early years to present day.  Her speaking style is ‘rich’ with examples and very clear.  There are examples of musicians, albums, and styles throughout her answer.  Moreover, at first, she describes her mother’s influence on her music ‘tastes’.  Next as the young woman named Katy Perry develops into young adulthood, her musical world expands. 

And like the musical juggernaut she is, her musical influences expanded exponentially.  

Present day, we see a professional woman of music that is well versed in various musical styles and genres. 

Key Phrases for Talking about Music

• My mom would let me listen to, like (like = for example), Billie Holiday and Etta James and really classic stuff like that.  I started to hear different kinds of music, my world got bigger.

• I got a record by Queen, which was so influential for me. I got all the Beatles’ records, like the “white” album [1968], which was really important to me along with Pet Sounds [1966] by the Beach Boys.

• Then I discovered Patty Griffin, Joni Mitchell, Carole King, Jonatha Brooke—a little bit of the Lilith Fair–'esque' stuff. And then I got into more electronic music. But I’m just open to everything these days.

Vocabulary note 

'esque' =
suffix forming adjectives, meaning: indicating a specified character, manner, style, or resemblance, like, similar to.

Example Style 1

My dad would let me listen to, like (like = for example), Al Jolson and Perry Como and really classic stuff like that.  I started to hear different kinds of music, my world got bigger.

I got a record by Aerosmith, which was so influential for me. I got all the Supertramp  records, like the “Breakfast in America” album [1979], which was really important to me along with Close to You [1970] by the Carpenters.

Then I discovered Nora Jones, Elton John, Stevie Wonder, Lionel Richie—a little bit of the Latin–esque stuff. And then I got into more electronic music. But I’m just open to everything these days.

Next Week! Natural and Popular English Expressions from Katy Perry’s Musical Hit “ The One That Got Away!”

Until then, Check out the video "The One That Got Away" and try to answer the following question:

Why did the guy get away?

BONUS!  CHECK OUT some of Katy Perry’s early musical influences.  This LADY knows her MUSIC!

ALEX

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