Anyone who knew Lexi Garcia of DeBary, Florida would have probably described her as practically perfect in every way. But Lexi had a secret, and no one knew. No one. Her happiness cast out like a film projector on a blank wall, larger than life, seeming almost real, until it got blocked by a shadow.
Read MoreI walk up to an unassuming brick building on a crisp, sunny, Santa Monica day; I pause in front of the glass double doors before opening them. I see myself reflected: high-waisted jeans, a striped shirt, platform Teva’s, and a large black backpack holding my laptop and clipboard, both carrying notes for the b-roll we need to shoot later today; after this, I’ll be walking a few blocks to a nearby painter’s studio where I’m producing an episode of a docuseries.
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Actor Zach Knighton on the ups and downs of the creative life, and what to do on the “down” days.
Think about your favorite TV show of all time. You know the one. It’s that one you watch over and over again - on airplanes, in hotel rooms; you devour it like your favorite food after a rough day or a big life transition. Something about it feels like home.
It’s also the show you and your partner (or best friend) quote so much that at some point you realize almost half of everything you say to each other is quotes from this show (and in that exact moment you realize you and this person have the perfect relationship).
Now think of your favorite character on that show, the one who brings you the most joy.
Today I saw the movie CoCo for the first time (spoiler alert: I cried 17 times).
Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Bobby Lopez wrote the Golden-Globe and Oscar-nominated title song, “Remember Me,” for the Disney Pixar film, and I couldn’t help but smile as I watched the Golden Globes recently and caught a glimpse of them sitting in their finest at a round table with other artists I love (like the director and writer of Frozen, Jennifer Lee). A few months ago I sat at a square table on my porch in San Diego, California, phone in hand, about to call Kristen and Bobby.
Morgan Marcell is a force.
You might know that from hearing her on the Hamilton cast album, seeing her on Broadway, or maybe you saw her on TV that time she performed at The Grammys.
(If you’re a super Hamilton fan you definitely saw her perform “My Shot” as Alexander Hamilton for a few minutes outside The Richard Rogers theater, or caught a glimpse of her at The White House performance.)
I know it because I met her backstage at Hamilton once where her smile literally changed the electricity in a room already lit up with stars (and cake).
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Original Hamilton cast member Seth Stewart on taking risks even when you’re terrified, and the surprising ways those risks can pay off.
In my favorite episode of the TV show How I Met Your Mother - "Lucky Penny" - protagonist Ted tells his kids how finding a penny on the ground created a seemingly random series of events that caused him to lose out on his dream job.
We meet outside the Richard Rogers Theater, where Hamilton: An American Musical, a project Will worked on not too long ago, is currently playing to sold out crowds (and a few months later wins 11 Tony's). Will just finished saying hello to his old friends backstage; he is based in LA. We were originally supposed to do this interview on the phone, but somehow, we both ended up in New York City in the same week.
After a whirlwind backstage at the Richard Rogers we set off to the recording studio.
Read MoreI’m crying on an airplane, face pressed against the glass of the window after 24 hours in New York City for my 29th birthday.
I’m half hoping the guy next to me can’t see me crying, and half feeling like “It’s my birthday and I’ll cry if I want to!”
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Broadway performer Ashley Brown on what it means to really choose your craft and your dream.
My coat is linty. It’s January and it’s one of the first cold nights we’ve had in Florida in years. This coat – my favorite – goes down to my calves, with a long lapel that makes me feel like Robert Crawley, Earl of Grantham in Downton Abbey, all dressed up for an ordinary dinner.
I try to get as much lint off as possible while I hustle from the parking garage across the street to Orlando’s new performing arts center. I want to look nice, sophisticated; I’m about to meet and interview a Broadway star, someone who originated Mary Poppins in New York and who’s played Belle on the stage, my childhood dream.
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