Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist: Shout, Shout, Let it All Out

Last time: Zoey tried to navigate the fallout after singing her emotions, especially with Simon. Mo got involved but realized it was far more complicated and messy and would not be solved easily, so Zoey decided to stop waiting for Simon to make a decision and made one for herself. Max got a job offer to work on another floor in SPRQ Point and Zoey encouraged him to take it. She did all this while helping Howie reconnect with his daughter after a fallout when she wanted to go to Africa to help teach children to code and he was afraid that her deafness would put her in greater danger. They ultimately reconciled while Simon and Jessica broke up at the end of the episode.


Things are about to get interesting!

And here I go again on my own/Goin’ down the only road I’ve ever SPOILERS!

Into the Unknown: The Making of Frozen II (Or How the Sausage is Made)

I loved Frozen II. The fact that Disney made it available on Disney+ after most of us went into lockdowns and shut downs helped me get through those early days of this pandemic. It was comforting and something to entertain me.


Disney released a six part documentary that gave viewers a behind-the-scenes look at the last nine months or so of production on Frozen II. And I must say, I was very intrigued by the process and all the decisions that went into making the movie.

I’m going to warn of SPOILERS for both the movie and this documentary, which I encourage everyone who loved the movie or loves movies to watch.

Hamilton: The Room Where It Happened

Broadway will stay dark due to the pandemic until 2021. That leaves a big gap in the theater and for theater-lovers in the United States, though I hope they find a way to bring live theater to us sooner in a socially-distant way. I already know of one drive-in performance here in NY and Six the Musical’s UK production has announced it will start doing drive-in performances across the country as well.


It was a big deal before this pandemic started when Disney announced that it would be releasing Hamilton in theaters. And that it wasn’t just going to be a movie adaptation but an actual performance of the musical with the original cast. Movie adaptations are great but there is just something so special about sharing the actual performances and the full staging that comes with seeing a Broadway show. Then when the pandemic continued and kept theaters closed, Disney decided to put it on Disney+ in time for the 4th of July, giving everyone a chance to experience Broadway while the theaters stay dark.


So at 3 AM EDT on July 3rd, Hamilton went live on Disney+. And since I had the day off, I stayed up and watched it as soon as it was available.


While I do live in New York City and have access to see Broadway on a more regular basis than most people, Hamilton is still very hard to get tickets for and they are very expensive. So for now, this is the best way for me to see it. And I get to see the original cast too, which is always a plus!


While I’m not really going to do a recap and it’s seems strange to put this warning on a story that involves events from over 200 years ago, I’m still going to warn about SPOILERS!

Naya

This is absolutely heartbreaking to have to write.


On July 8th, Glee star Naya Rivera (Santana Lopez) rented a boat to go swimming with her son Josey. Police were later called to the scene when Josey was found by himself in the boat. He said he and his mother did go swimming but she hadn’t returned to the boat. Rescue efforts were then launched to locate Naya before being called off after night fall.

As someone who lives on an island and is surrounded by several beaches, including the Jersey Shore, our news programs unfortunately have at least three reports about searches for missing swimmers every summer. It is very, very common for searches to be called off after dark. So while I understand why everyone was frustrated and felt as if the police weren’t doing enough (especially as the particular department does have social media posts that reveal a very probable bias and Naya does identify as Afro Latina), ending the search for the night does mean anything either away about how dedicated to finding Naya they were. The search resumed in the morning and more resources were brought in to locate her. They continue to search for her. 


However, the operation has turned into a recovery rather than a rescue, meaning it is very likely that Naya drowned.

And it’s horrible to think that we’ve lost another member of the Glee cast.

Naya was very talented and leaves behind a very impressive body of working, starting from when she was a child. She probably would’ve gotten even more projects as time went by and it’s a shame we’ll never see what else she would’ve done.

My heart goes out to her loved ones, especially her mother and her young son. It was clear from Naya’s social media that he was her entire world and that they were very close. This is going to be an unimaginable loss for him but it seems he has a strong family support system around him.
My condolences also go to her friends and former costars. Even if they weren’t close, this still has to be a loss for them.

Though they haven’t yet found her body, I do hope they can find her and provide some closure for her family.

Rest in peace, Naya. You will be missed.

Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist: Learning to Let Go

Last time: Zoey was still reeling from seeing Leif and Joan kissing when she learned that SPRQ Point’s founder was coming in so they could pitch the Chirp to him. Zoey had to try to fit their implementation timeline into six months when she got news that her father only had weeks to live. The stress caused her powers to glitch, forcing her to sing her heart songs rather than hear others’. She sang to Leif and Joan, revealing she knew they had kissed. Then she sang to the founder and Max had to save her, which led to her singing a love song to him. But not long after, she sang a song about how she wanted Simon to want her – which Max heard. It led to a fight, though it was somewhat resolved when Zoey told him about her dad. She and Simon also kissed and she ended the episode an emotional wreck, singing to her dying father.


Whew!


That might be my shortest recap so far!

Hello darkness, my old friend/I’ve come to talk with SPOILERS!

Splash Mountain: From Laughing Place to the Bayou

Big news from Disney! Besides the fact that they are pushing back Disneyland’s scheduled reopening on July 17th (and honestly, they should also push back Walt Disney World’s looking at the numbers coming out of Florida). Splash Mountain is getting reimagined, going from its current Song of the South theme to a Princess and the Frog theme.


You can read about it on the Disney Parks Blog.


Usually, I’m one of those Disney fans who doesn’t like when they change things. I still am not over the fact they took out Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride. And I would love to know who I have to blackmail to get the original Journey into Imagination ride restored.

(Splash Mountain in Walt Disney World)

But this change? I’m good with it.