Academy Award Winner Jonathan Sanger talks about new movie, Hollywood and what it takes to make it big

I had the great pleasure to speak with writer and producer Jonathan Sanger who is currently working on a new movie production "Stentorians." It follows the remarkable story of six African American firefighters working in the Los Angeles Fire Department as they embark on a one-year odyssey to win basic labor protections from a racist system that had been the culture of the Los Angeles Fire Department since its inception. Currently Sanger has produced "Chapter and Verse," which is in the theaters now and the highly anticipated "Marshall" movie starring Chadwick Boseman, Josh Gad, and Kate Hudson to be released in Fall of 2017. Among his other endeavors, his new book entitled "Making The Elephant Man: A Producer’s  Memoir" was recently published and is  available on Amazon in paperback and Kindle and the author’s website www.JonathanSangerProductions.com.

In this interview Sanger talks a bit more about the new production, his book and what it took for him to make it big in Hollywood as an independent movie producer and writer. Enjoy!

Listen to Part 1, 2, 3 and 4 of the interview in this article.

In search of your Ruby Slippers straight from a therapist’s couch

Life is definitely not easy and we can’t do it alone. Life can throw some pretty harsh lessons at us and we must take it as we go. But if we had some sort of a guide to help us ease life’s lessons we would be better prepared to handle it. Even though therapy is great and has a lot of benefits it can be pretty expensive and not for everyone. What if you had a therapist book/journal that you carried with you every step of the way that helps you understand yourself and those around you better? One such book I found is “Finding Your Ruby Slippers: Transformative Life Lessons From the Therapist’s Couch” by psychotherapist Lisa Ferentz.

Some of the issues that these self-help book deals with are abuse, eating disorders, self-worth, self-esteem, negative thoughts and poor choices. Having over 30 years of private practice and as the founder of The Ferentz Institute, Ferentz empowers those struggling with personal and professional obstacles with the strategies they need to grow and thrive, and provides compassion and guidance to overcome the issues, struggles and symptoms she’s been addressing in traditional therapy throughout her career. What she found out through her work is that while most people expend tremendous amounts of energy wondering and worrying about what others think or say about them, the most powerful messages are the ones that come from yourself about yourself.

Some of the important points that the therapists points out in the book are the practice of journaling for self-growth, positive self-talk and more. A lot of people struggle with addiction and it’s easy to reach for the alcohol, drugs, food, relationships, anything to make you forget the real problems you have to deal with. But addiction creates more problems rather than solves them. That’s why having a friend like this book is a great way for self-support in these difficult times.

“It is important to know that it is not your fault,” says Ferentz. “You have to fill in the blanks with an important information. Everyone deserves a long term therapy to heal the harm and wounds.”

Ferentz emphasizes the importance of self-talk in the relationship with yourself. She says you have to pay attention to how often you criticize yourself, self-blame and shame yourself and turn it around into a positive self-talk. Negative talk is “pervasive.”

“When you have a negative thought, stop and take a breath and say something kind to yourself. Can I say that in a kinder way, with less criticism. Think about someone who really cared about you and loved you. They gave you this loving inner wisdom inside of you. Access that loving positive voice. You have the answers - creativity, resilience and strength,” encourages Ferentz.

Dealing with abusive family, friends or partners is challenging and causes a lot of harm, self-harm because we tend to trust the words of those we love and are closest to us. The therapists suggest that in situations like that you can still love the person who causes the abuse but you have to create boundaries and choose not to accept the harm they cause with their words and actions. “You have to keep in mind that the person who does the abuse is limited and might has his own agenda. Limit your time spent with them. It’s part of being a grown up.”

Ferentz says that when self esteem is harmed we are more vulnerable in choosing toxic relationships and unsupportive work environments. We simply make poor choices. “You are not alone. Stay away from being isolated and connect with people who can relate to you. Connect with social groups. You need the right kind of help. There is nothing more powerful than the way you talk to yourself. In your own head you are beating yourself up and that voice can crump up the positive around you,” she says.

At the end we are our own best friends. We make the choice to accept or deny the negative that comes in. If you are in a toxic and abusive relationship you must get out because no one should say anything negative about your body or yourself. Stop sabotaging your own self as others are already doing that for you. Be safe. Stay safe. Go get your own Ruby Slippers as you might find that “you have been wearing them all along.”

Blend of country and Spanish with Danny Shain’s original music

If you thought that country and Latino can’t mix together, thing again! Danny Shain is a US born singer/songwriter from Oregon who currently lives between the States and the Peruvian Amazon. Danny is white American but he loves the Latino heritage and music and spreads the love through his country music in Spanish!  “As far as I know there are no other non-Latino, country boys doing what I am doing,” said Danny.

Danny came in touch with the Latino world through childhood friendships and his career, which has given him a much better understanding of the Latino culture and lifestyle. It is because of his long time history and appreciation of life ¨south of the border¨ that he decided to write country music with a Latin touch. ¨I dream to play a part in improving the mutual understanding and appreciation between Spanish speakers and non-Spanish speakers through our unique musical and lyrical style that blends both cultural flavors, highlighting the best of all of the Americas,” said Danny.

In his music he uses a poetic blend of English and Spanish in order to allow Spanish speakers to connect deeper with the meaning of his songs and the country musical expressions. Since very young Danny loved music and at the age of 13 he started his first band. Over the past 30 years he has played with various groups developing his skills as a singer/songwriter, guitar and bass player in the California, Oregon, Central and South America.

Danny was named Nashville Universe Nominee Best Singer of the Year in 2014 and Best Composer of the Year 2015, with his music playing at over 40 radio stations in six countries. He is making an impact worldwide with his unique style of country music in English and Spanish. Three of his songs continue to be counted among various Indie charts and his new album title song, “Two Good Friends” spent a record 52 consecutive weeks on the Top 40 Chart of VRadio Nashville.

You can get in touch with Danny and hear his music through social media:

Facebook: www.facebook.com/danny.shain.1

Website: www.dannyshainmusic.com

You Tube: ¨Danny Shain¨ channel

Twitter: DannyShain1

"Before I Fall" shines in Sundance Film Festival, hits theaters with positive messages

It is rare to see a movie on the big screen that moves you so much and provokes your thinking that you are left thinking about it over and over again until the messages that come with it become deeply embedded in you. That’s the reaction I had watching “Before I Fall”, which was released in theaters March 3, based on the best selling novel by Lauren Oliver. What each one of us takes from this movie can be different and very personal but what I took away was the message to live each day as it is your last and to make every relationship in your life count as you never know when one day it can all be taken away from you.

“Before I Fall” stars Zoey Deutch, Halston Sage, Logan Miller, Kian Lawley, Elena Kampouris, Cynthy Wu, Medalion Rahimi, Diego Boneta and Jennifer Beals. Samantha Kingston (Zoey Deutch) has everything: the perfect friends, the perfect guy, and a seemingly perfect future. Then, everything changes. After one fateful night, Sam wakes up with no future at all. Trapped reliving the same day over and over, she begins to question just how perfect her life really was. As she begins to untangle the mystery of a life suddenly derailed, she must also unwind the secrets of the people closest to her, and discover the power of a single day to make a difference, not just in her own life, but in the lives of those around her--before she runs out of time for good.

“This is a story with so many beautiful messages. I feel like there are so many fantastic themes. It felt like a love letter to my sister and not to take someone for granted. What you say does have a meaning and does matter to people,” said Deutch.

The movie created a big buzz in this year’s Sundance Film Festival and it rightfully earned his high acclaim and rating among critics. “The script and the book are incredibly emotional and unexpected. I found myself incredibly moved,” said Halston Sage who plays Lindsey, Sam’s best friend in the movie.

I definitely recommend you go see this movie for yourself as it is by far one of the best movies I have seen come out this year!

Legend Jimmy Smits shines in new role as president in “24: Legacy”

Jimmy Smits continues to move effortlessly between film, TV and stage. His versatile acting has garnered him critical acclaim and 41 award nominations, including wins for both Emmy and Golden Globe Awards.  Smits can be seen in the music-driven drama series “The Get Down,” from creator Shawn Ryan (“The Shield”) and director Baz Luhrmann (“Moulin Rouge”) and the new hit FOX show “24: Legacy.”

The clock ticks again with “24: Legacy” the next evolution of the Emmy Award-winning “24.” The series chronicles an adrenaline-fueled race against the clock to stop a devastating terrorist attack on United States soil – in the same real-time format that has propelled this genre-defining series.

“ The bottom line is that we have to do things that are for the good of the country, that’s what the characters are going through, and again that’s the parallel of what’s happening now as well, I guess,” said Smits in a phone interview with CelebrityXO.

“I have to frame it with regards not just to my character but the pairing of Miranda’s character and what I do because we are joined at the hip in that regard, so what we talked about is that we wanted to explore this whole thing about a power couple. The reality that we deal with on the show has to do with politics, but just in our conversations not only with the director and between us as actors and the writers have been how do people when they are in the same industry at high levels negotiate their work and the kind of contracts that they have to have that sometimes you have to make sacrifices for the other person so that they can take two steps forward.  During the course of the 12 episodes that we are doing that’s going to become very, very evident and it plays in terms of their relationship. Having now shot the final couple of episodes, there was a real emotional rollercoaster that both of our characters, well that all of the characters in the show really have to go through.  But I didn’t realize that we were going to go through it from A through Z, to ZZ with my guy, not this season, but that’s where we’re headed,” added Smits.

Six months ago in Yemen, an elite squad of U.S. Army Rangers, led by Sergeant ERIC CARTER (Corey Hawkins, “Straight Outta Compton”), killed terrorist leader Sheik Ibrahim Bin-Khalid. In the aftermath, Bin-Khalid’s followers declared a fatwah against Carter, his squad and their families, forcing them into federal witness protection. But a recent attempt on Carter’s own life makes it clear to him that his team has been exposed.

To thwart further attacks, Carter enlists REBECCA INGRAM (Miranda Otto, “Homeland”), who quarterbacked the raid that killed Bin-Khalid. She’s a brilliant and ambitious intelligence officer who has stepped down from her post as National Director of CTU to support her husband, SENATOR JOHN DONOVAN (Emmy and Golden Globe Award winner Jimmy Smits, “NYPD Blue,” “The West Wing”), in his campaign for President of the United States. Decades of sleepless nights and missed anniversaries landed her at the top.

24: LEGACY is a production of 20th Century Fox Television in association with Imagine Television, Teakwood Lane, Rego Park Film and Television and Borderland Entertainment. The pilot was written by Coto and Katz and was directed by Stephen Hopkins. “Like” 24: LEGACY on Facebook at facebook.com/24fox.  Follow the series on Twitter @24fox and join the discussion at #24Legacy. See photos and videos on Instagram by following @24onFOX.