The Voice’s Emily Ann Roberts on her Someday Dream
The Voice's Emily Ann Roberts on her Someday Dream In 2015, Emily Ann Roberts quickly became a fan favourite on Team Blake on The Voice. Her classic country sound resonated with the judges and audiences, alike, landing her runner-up of the coveted competition. Today, her debut album, “Someday Dream” has already landed on two Billboard charts and is quickly making its mark on the music scene as Roberts herself is carving her own niche as one of Nashville’s rising stars. INBETWEEN sat down with Roberts to talk about her experience on The Voice and what advice she has for other teens about chasing their dreams. What was your inspiration for your new album? The majority of inspiration for my Someday Dream EP came from this crazy journey I’ve been on since my time on NBC’s The Voice. The songs I wrote for this project have little pieces of the things and people that get me through, the thrill of chasing big dreams, and celebrating love. I named the EP after the song that I feel is the message of this EP and chapter of my life. My “Someday Dream” was always to be a country music artist and the fact that I’m able to do what I love and live my dream makes me believe that no dream is impossible or too big. I want my music to be an encouragement to everyone chasing down big someday dreams. How would you sum up your experience on The Voice? I had the most incredible time on The Voice. I learned SO much from all the coaches and mentors and made lifetime friends in all the other contestants on my season. Blake Shelton was my coach and I’ll never be able to thank him enough for all the support he showed me and for his encouragement to stay true to myself. What was your biggest takeaway from the experience? Besides all the things I learned for my career, I learned how important it is to have a community of other artists and friends to encourage and challenge you when you’re chasing after big dreams. Do you keep in touch with any of the coaches? Blake does such an amazing job of helping out the artists off of his team. It truly is more than just a TV show to him. He genuinely cares and tries to help open doors and give opportunities to his artists. He has been so supportive throughout
Outnumbered Overtime Anchor, Harris Faulkner on Raising Confident Young Women
Outnumbered Overtime Anchor, Harris Faulkner on Raising Confident Young Women Harris Faulkner may be Outnumbered but she’s succeeding. The first black woman at Fox to host her own weekday daytime show, the journalist and mom has some strong words about being confident, being heard in the world and what she tells her daughters when it comes to both. You are the first black woman at Fox anchoring her own daytime news program. What does that mean to you and to others who want to be you? I am in fact, the first at Fox black woman with her own weekday daytime show and I was the first woman in prime time for our network, too. Just in terms of Fox’s progress in the area of diversity but also a mom and wife, it is gratifying to see a lot of hard work and barrier busting come true. My rise is more though than just a statistic and it's not just about me and my own ambitions. Having a black woman sit alone on a set designed for her show is necessary, powerful and emblematic of real change. And I would not be in that anchor seat at Fox News if I didn't feel celebrated. Diversity is not just about what you will tolerate but, rather what you celebrate. For others who want to be in my shoes: Your work ethic, your dedication, your courage your determination, your vision for yourself and for what you want to impart on viewers and how you want to do that and the kind of platform you'll need… are all up to you. There is no one who's going to sit and hold your hand and say, “Well you know if you do these 25 things it's going to be perfect.” It is never going to be perfect, but it can be really amazing, which is what my journey has been. I've got a No.1 show at 1 p.m. Eastern on all of cable. I'm doing primetime specials like my franchise, “Town Hall America with Harris Faulkner” for which I travel all over from Arizona to Iowa on all sorts of issues Just this season alone, I was in Iowa with an audience of people from both sides of the political aisle. That's a big thing with me. I get really bored when everybody says the same thing, and I figure if I'm bored everybody else must be bored too. Being
Anthony Alabi: From Football to “Family Reunion”
Anthony Alabi: From Football to "Family Reunion" From football fields to production sets, former football player, Anthony Alabi can be found tackling the new Netflix series, “Family Reunion” staring Tia Mowry-Hardrict. As we know, family reunions can be funny, hectic and entertaining. Portraying the fun yet disciplined dad, Moz, Alabi claims he is similar to the character he plays in many ways. We sat down with the father of two daughters to talk about being a dad, on screen and off screen. Congrats on your role as the character, Moz in the new show, Family Reunion. Can you tell us a little about the show? Thank you! Yes. Family Reunion is a new Netflix multi-cam comedy centered around the McKellen family. After playing 15 years in the NFL, my wife Coco and I decide to retire and move the family from Seattle to Georgia, in order to be closer to extended family and get back in touch with our roots. Seattle being Seattle and Georgia being Georgia, we were destined to have a lot of comedic conflict. You’ve acted in many TV series, what makes this series special? Well, for me personally, this is my first series as a lead. Because of that, it is and always will be special to me. As a show, it is the first all-black writer’s room, which is something special in and of itself. I think the fans will find that nostalgia of family comedies from the 90s. We lean into themes and references that are relatable and on the pulse of black culture. Why do you think having an all-black writer’s room is important for the authenticity of the show? I think an all-black writer’s room allows the show to be written in a way that is authentic to us. Meaning the show comes from a place where we are portraying black culture the way we see it and not a filtered version of it. Do you feel like you can relate to the character that you play? If so, in which ways? Haha! Moz and I are pretty similar in a lot of ways. Both played professional football. Both are fathers and we are both big kids at heart. I think we approach life in the same way with a lot of fun, discipline, and being exactly what we need to be when the situation calls for it. How old are your children? My daughter is two-and-a-half. My son will be one this
No Good Nick’s Sean Astin
No Good Nick's Sean Astin We first fell in love with Sean Astin, watching him play Mikey in The Goonies. We then cheered him on in the critically acclaimed movie, Rudy, and we laughed through the Lord of the Rings trilogy watching him play the trusty sidekick to Frodo Baggins as Samwise Gamgee. Today, Astin is playing a character closer to home – and his heart – on the new Netflix show, No Good Nick. Portraying the loveable dad, Ed, Astin says is the closest character he’s ever played to himself. We sat down with the actor and father of three daughters to talk about being Dad, on and off-screen. Congrats on the new show, No Good Nick! It’s very unique compared to other family shows on Netflix. How would you say this show stands out? No Good Nick takes a more dramatic, intriguing turn. It’s more of a thriller. The lead character is a 14-year-old criminal, breaking the law. It’s entertaining but a little disturbing. It’s made for binge-watching and it’s very plot-driven. What drew you to the character, Ed? I’d like to believe I AM Ed. I like that in this strangely unique show of intrigue, Ed gets to be typical. He’s dependable. Reliable. Upbeat. Happy. According to the synopsis of No Good Nick, “The series will be highly serialized and show how each character is flawed in their own way. People make mistakes and can sometimes do the wrong thing for the right reasons.” How would you say this pertains to your character? For all the reasons I describe Ed as being reliable and typical, as the show goes on, there are other aspects of his character that are revealed that are less than appealing or morally certain. It’s unsettling when these moments come about. I hate it when I see what Ed does and he’s not the perfect family dad — Ed and the “Edness” that I know. But, of course, the writers are correct in wanting to make it more specific. At one point in the show, all the stuff in our garage goes missing and Ed calls the police and insurance and his attitude is cavalier. You think he would be a rule follower. You have three kids, as a parent how do you relate to sometimes making mistakes and/or being flawed? Frequently. You know, I’m so disappointed in myself a lot for not being better. My life philosophy and sense of myself
5 Truths About Fame Every Teen Should Know
Carlos Bustamante's 5 Truths About Hollywood As a reporter on ET Canada, Carlos Bustamante is used to life in the spotlight. He’s had a front row seat to the glam life of Hollywood and has witnessed first-hand the making of stardom. That’s why he knows all too well that fame is not as simple as it seems. Behind every success story is not only years of struggle, but a team of people to manage everything from hair, makeup and publicity to being responsible for what comes next. What else he sees? Hollywood life is not all it’s cracked up to be, which is something he thinks every star-struck teen needs to understand. We sat down with Bustamante to chat about the realities of Hollywood and fame, and the messages he wants every teen to know. By Rachel Naud Your kids are still young but if they become interested in Hollywood glam, what will you tell them? They’ll understand how unreal a lot of what they see is. I have friends that are makeup artists and publicists that work with actors. There is a community of people that make a famous person famous. They will understand that. If they become obsessed with fame or want people to know who they are, they will understand that there is work that goes into becoming a top-rated movie star. You don’t just wake up one day and have someone discover you. More often than not, it comes from years of hard work, whether you want to be an actor or a musician. Behind every success story is one about a person working for decades before a big break finally came along and 100 more people that never got their big break. The main lesson I want them to learn is that if they choose a career that might end up in fame, their main focus should be their love for their craft. Because if they don’t have that, they’ll never be happy trying to make it. How do you think Instagram and other social media feeds have influenced the desire to be famous? I think social media has made fame accessible. Anyone can pick up a phone and record themselves. The possibility becomes so much closer to home. You don’t have to live in L.A. to make it big. But they still have to understand that the YouTubers who have the highest followers or have endorsement deals work every single day,
5 Reasons Why Young Girls Should Pursue Careers in STEM fields
5 Reasons Why Young Girls Should Pursue Careers in STEM fields Have you ever wanted to pursue a career in a STEM field, but thought you weren’t good enough? Sahana Srinivasan would most likely tell you to squash those fears and encourage you to pursue your passions. Born in Houston, Texas and with a thirst for the performing arts, Sahana has many talents like singing, acting, playing piano as well as drawing and writing. She’s been in a couple of hit movies and shorts like Space Warriors, Tied and Spin Cycle and is now the host of a Netflix show called Brainchild. The show explores the science behind different phenomena like social media, germs, space, dreams and even superheroes. Each episode features multiple experiments and lots of facts about each subject so you’re not only learning a lot, but also developing an interest to learn more about it. Even though Srinivasan is a performer, she realizes how young girls often hold themselves back from pursuing careers that are male-dominated, particularly STEM fields. She sat down with INBETWEEN to share five reasons why she thinks young girls should pursue careers in STEM fields. Getting Rid of the Stereotype It’s not uncommon for women to feel as though they shouldn’t be in STEM fields because they don’t belong there. In fact, women not only strive in these fields but also make breakthroughs. “Now it’s less obvious than it used to be. Instead of outright stating that women can’t become scientists —you'll hear mathematicians or scientists in hypothetical scenarios referred to as he instead of she” says Srinivasan. “Images you see in the media of scientists, doctors, and engineers are often represented by male figures. We need to change the misconception and show that women are just as capable, passionate, and intelligent when it comes to math, science and engineering.” Busting the myth There’s also a misconception that people who are more creative can’t enter STEM fields or that being creative hinders the ability to understand science, engineering or math. “There’s also the myth that possessing creativity and artfulness won’t help you get into STEM fields,” says Srinivasan. “Fields like computer science and coding rely heavily on your creative talents. The recent branch of STEM, STEAM, in which the A stands for “art,” emphasizes the importance of art and creativity in involvement with math and science. STEAM-related careers include an architect, graphic designer, sound engineer, and much more.” Closing the Gap Through hard work
Kandi Burruss Always Means Business!
Kandi Burruss Always Means Business! How the reality star juggles motherhood, marriage and managing more than a few businesses Kandi Burruss’ social media profile seems to grow every single week. At the time of writing, she had gained 100,000 followers on Instagram in just one week, bringing her follower count to 5.8 million. She also has 1.8 million followers on Twitter and 100,000 subscribers on YouTube, all of which clearly point to Kandi’s incredible work ethic and determination to make her dreams a reality. It was during the ‘90s that her career kicked off, when she started a girl group called XSCAPE. Since then, she’s had albums that have gone platinum, has written the songs “No Scrubs” for TLC, and “Bills, Bills, Bills” for Destiny’s Child, and in 2009, Kandi joined The Real Housewives of Atlanta, which launched her into a new level of stardom and has made her a household name. She runs her own businesses, is a full-time reality TV star, and is raising her 22-year-old stepdaughter, Kaela Tucker, 16-year-old daughter, Riley, and her two-year-old son, Ace. At only 42 years old, Burruss has established an empire for herself, is in a loving relationship with her husband, Todd and has also done everything in her power to be as involved in her kids’ lives as much as possible. She sat down with INBETWEEN to talk about the 11th season of The Real Housewives, regulating social media for her teen, and how she keeps her newest business venture, Kandi Koated Beauty, hustling. THE REAL HOUSEWIVES OF ATLANTA It’s not unusual for a Real Housewives series to continue for more than 10 seasons – especially when you factor in the plethora of life-changing events that are too large or drama-filled to cover within just one show. Burruss has seen great success with The Kandi Factory and Kandi’s Wedding spinoffs, with the latter bringing in huge ratings for Bravo. The 11th season is currently airing and brings with it the same flair from previous seasons, but with a little more emotion. “It’s more focused on real-life stories and situations that people are going through,” says Burruss. “We’re trying to support each other a bit more and pay attention to what’s happening in each other’s lives.” It’s no secret that Kandi has had to butt heads with other stars on the show, like NeNe Leakes and Kim Zolciak, but more recently, she’s also had to handle comments that have been
Would You Pull a Freaky Friday With Your Teen?
Fans of Freaky Friday get ready to experience déjà vu! The popular comedy about a mom and daughter who swap bodies is seeing its fifth iteration with the latest version appearing on The Disney Channel. The movie, which demonstrates the very real push-pull relationship of parents and their teens, stars Broadway veteran Heidi Blickenstaff as Katherine Blake and Cozi Zuehlsdorff (Dolphin Tale and Dolphin Tale 2) as Ellie Blake. In real life, Blickenstaff is a step-mom to two teenage boys and we sat down with both actors to ask: If you could switch places with the parent and teen in your life, what would you want them to know? Heidi Blickenstaff 80s music is the best. Eat your greens. Spend less time on your phone and more time interacting, person-to-person. Wear sunscreen. Always be kind to people. Cozi Zuehlsdorff Sometimes with teenagers, "I hate you" actually means, "help me" Take extra time to tell your kids they're beautiful. It means everything coming from a parent. My room may look messy but I know where everything is. Vegetables aren't really that important. If I'm on my phone, maybe I'm using it to achieve world peace so give me the benefit of the doubt. Freaky Friday premieres Friday, August 10 (8:00 p.m., ET/PT) on Disney Channel and DisneyNOW.
