1.) “Frozen” is Headed to Broadway
Disney’s recent hit animated film, “Frozen,” has been so well-received that it’s now headed to Broadway! The film, which explores the relationship between sister princesses Anna and Elsa, was Disney’s biggest box office hit in nearly 20 years. It will soon surpass The Lion King in overall box office numbers. The soundtrack catapulted to #1 on both Amazon and iTunes, bringing commercial and critical success for Disney films and music that has not been rivaled since classics such as The Little Mermaid and Beauty and The Beast.
The film had another distinctive honor as well: it was the first time a female had directed a Disney animated film. Director Jennifer Lee noted that having women collaborate on the project made for “richer stories.” She added that veteran animator Chris suggested the act of true love should be between the sisters, not between romantic suitors. “In the original (fairytale by Hans Christian Andersen), it was more about love conquering negativity. When I came on, I wanted to push toward Elsa being more complex, to be ruled by fear. Once we made them sisters, Elsa represented fear and Anna represented love. We combined the power of both of those,” she explained.
TIME magazine reported that Disney CEO Bob Iger declined to set a date for the musical’s debut, but assured they are “expecting excellence.”
2.) “Pretty Little Liars” Breaks Twitter Record
The season 4 return of “Pretty Little Liars” generated more tweets than any other season premiere in TV history. It also held the distinction of being the most-tweeted-about series of 2013. Over 700,000 users tweeted over 1.3 million times during the course of the premiere. “Pretty Little Liars,” which is a favorite among women 12-30, revolves around four best friends who deal with an increasingly complicated web of secrets after their friend’s death.
3.) Jack is Back
Kiefer Sutherland will reprise his role as counter-terrorist in “24: Live Another Day,” which debuts on May 5 on Fox. “There’s a great impetus for all of us to create something new with the show,” Sutherland said. The new series, which will be filmed in London, will follow the split-screen, real-time format of the original series. The storyline revolves around Sutherland’s character, Jack Bauer, being hunted by the CIA. There’s also talk of a “24” movie. “If this ends up rebooting the show or causing a film to be made, so be it,” Sutherland said. However, he added that a movie script would be much different than the television format.
4.) Beyonce Writes Article on Gender Inequality
Queen Bey wrote an essay for The Shriver Report, a media initiative which seeks to analyze and discuss cultural trends affecting women. “We need to stop buying into the myth about gender equality. It isn’t a reality yet,” she writes in “Gender Equality Is a Myth!” from the 2014 special report entitled, “A Woman’s Nation Pushes Back From The Brink,” which can be downloaded for free until Jan. 15 through the group’s website. After noting that women make up half of the U.S. workforce, she points out that women make only 77% of what men do. Unfortunately, she adds, “Unless women and men both say this is unacceptable, things will not change.”
Ivy McDowell writes about fashion and entertainment.
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