Clifford The Big Red Dog is getting a live action version! To learn more about the upcoming film, I was invited to Gold Coast Studios for a ...

Clifford The Big Red Dog is getting a live action version! To learn more about the upcoming film, I was invited to Gold Coast Studios for a set tour while the Clifford Movie was actually filming!

Note: This post is in partnership with Paramount Pictures, who invited me to the set tour and interviews. However, views expressed are always 100% my own.

Not only did I get a full tour, I also had the chance to meet and interview producer Jordan Kerner and cast Darby Camp (Emily), Jack Whitehall (Uncle Casey) and Izaac Wang (Owen Yu ). More about the interviews in later post closer to the films release.

In this post I want to tell you more about being on the set of Clifford The Big Red Dog Movie!


To start, the set was huge! There was about three different areas I had to walk through to get to each "location".

Getting that NYC Look

While walking from area to area, I got a peek at some of the backgrounds. Since New York City locations are featured throughout the film, some of the backgrounds were painted and decorated to match.

In one room, the "window" had a skyscraper view. It was so realistic.

Walking Around Emily’s Apartment

Over in the next section, we went onto the set and was able to walk around in Emily’s Apartment. The set had actual rooms which were fully decorated like a real home.

There was a kitchen, living room, bedroom and sorta bathroom. Seems they were still working on that area right?

Actually the room needed to be incomplete like that so the camera crew can get inside while filming.


And as for why Emily's bed is broken and messy....there's a fun scene in the movie that will show you why. Sorry I can't tell.

While it would've been nice to walk around the set all day and watch scenes being filmed, we had to let the cast and crew get back to work so they can finish the film.

We all want to see Clifford The Big Red Dog movie in theaters September 17, 2021!


SYNOPSIS

Based on the beloved Scholastic book character, Clifford will teach the world how to love big!

When middle-schooler Emily Elizabeth (Darby Camp) meets a magical animal rescuer (John Cleese) who gifts her a little, red puppy, she never anticipated waking up to find a giant ten-foot hound in her small New York City apartment.

While her single mom (Sienna Guillory) is away for business, Emily and her fun but impulsive uncle Casey (Jack Whitehall) set out on an adventure that will keep you on the edge-of-your-seat as our heroes take a bite out of the Big Apple.

Starring: Jack Whitehall, Darby Camp, Tony Hale, Sienna Guillory, David Alan Grier, Russell Wong and John Cleese

Clifford the Big Red Dog (2021) - Official Trailer - Paramount Pictures



DIRECTED BY Walt Becker
SCREENPLAY BY Jay Scherick & David Ronn and Blaise Hemingway
SCREEN STORY BY Justin Malen and Ellen Rapoport
BASED ON the Scholastic Book Series “Clifford the Big Red Dog” by Norman Bridwell
PRODUCED BY Jordan Kerner, p.g.a., Iole Lucchese
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS Brian Oliver, Bradley J. Fischer, Valerii An, Brian Bell, Caitlin Friedman, Deborah Forte, Lisa Crnic

To learn more, visit -

Facebook - www.facebook.com/CliffordMovie
Twitter - www.twitter.com/Cliffordmovie
Instagram - www.instagram.com/Cliffordmovie

Like most of you I try to live a health lifestyle, which includes taking my vitamins. But lets be honest, sometimes adult vitamins aren'...

Like most of you I try to live a health lifestyle, which includes taking my vitamins. But lets be honest, sometimes adult vitamins aren't that easy to take. Some of them are big and chalky, while others just taste awful.

Note: I received product samples for review purpose. Any personal views expressed are always 100% my own.

So when I received an offer to review SmartyPants Women’s Multivitamin, I couldn't wait to get them. As soon as they arrived I popped a few. First impression is that they're easy to take.


While I wasn't please to have to take six of them, the fruity flavor and smooth texture made it easy. I spaced it out a few minutes in between. But really that was my only issue with the SmartyPants Women’s Multivitamin.

The long terms benefits of having more energy and knowing I was caring for my body, out weighted that small issue.

Add in SmartyPants social tie partnership with Vitamin Angels, and I'm happy to pop the six multivitamin, especially if it will help another mother.

SmartyPants and Vitamin Angels

SmartyPants partnership with Vitamin Angels extends to 65+ countries across the globe, including here in the United States. SmartyPants® hopes to hit their next goal of 100 million by 2025.

Vitamin Angels is a global public health organization whose mission is to help the world's most vulnerable populations gain access to essential nutrition. Vitamin Angels works with local partners in the U.S. and around the world to provide life-changing vitamins and minerals to pregnant women, mothers and children under 5.

In addition to the partnership with Vitamin Angels, SmartyPants® is also focused on their impact to the planet by using sustainable packaging and responsible ingredient sourcing to ensure they are always doing the right thing.

SmartyPants® Vitamins are scientifically-formulated, made with premium, responsibly-sourced ingredients.

SmartyPants® products are made in North America with globally sourced ingredients, are free of any synthetic colors, artificial flavors, artificial sweeteners, or artificial preservatives, and are third-party lab tested.

SmartyPants® Vitamins can be found in more than 30,000 stores across the country including the world's leading specialty, club and online retailers including: Amazon, Costco, Target, Walmart, Whole Foods Market, Walgreens, and many more.

For more information, please visit - www.smartypantsvitamins.com

Facebook - www.facebook.com/SmartyPants
Twitter - www.twitter.com/smartyhealth
Instagram - www.instagram.com/smartypants

Now available on Disney+, original film Disney*Pixar’s LUCA, is a coming-of-age story about one young boy experiencing an unforgettable summ...

Now available on Disney+, original film Disney*Pixar’s LUCA, is a coming-of-age story about one young boy experiencing an unforgettable summer filled with gelato, pasta and endless scooter rides.

Note: This post is in partnership with Disney+. Views expressed are always 100% my own.

My Review

I had the chance to screen LUCA and enjoyed it. The storyline is simple but relatable with issues of a child's independence, forming friendships and dealing with life's challenges.

Besides the storyline, families will enjoying watching the animation of LUCA. While it does have the brightness and color of other Disney*Pixar films, it's on a different level and an unexpected plus, especially the under water scenes.

Luca is a great film for families to enjoy together.

Fun Facts for Disney and Pixar's LUCA

BEST FRIENDS

The character of Alberto is inspired by director Enrico Casarosa’s own childhood best friend, also named Alberto.

SCALE IT BACK

Sea monster Luca has 3,436 scales on his body.

GETTING IN SHAPE

Artists gave Giulia a distinct look, embracing triangle shape language—particularly in her hair and pants.

CAMEO

Director Enrico Casarosa provides the voice of the winning card player in Portorosso who shouts “Scopa!” He is also the fisherman in the boat who yells to a speeding boat, “What’s wrong with you, Stupido!”

OUT OF CONTROL

There are 221 and 223 individual controls in Luca’s and Alberto’s mouths, respectively, to help animators create the rounded mouth expressions they use throughout the film.

FISHY BUSINESS

One of Luca’s chores on his underwater family farm is herding goatfish. There are several real-life species of goatfish—some found in waters off the coast of Italy.

KEEPING IT LOCAL

All of the background kid voices in the film were recorded by local children in Italy.

HIDDEN GEMS ON THE BALL

The iconic yellow, red and blue Pixar ball can be spotted on a rooftop as the Portorosso Cup bike race gets underway.

PRODUCTION DELIZIOSO!



Filmmakers traveled to Italy to research the local culture, architecture and overall feeling of the film’s setting. Food was a welcome highlight of their research. Director Enrico Casarosa, who’s a native of Italy, even treated team members to dinner at his parents’ house in Genoa.

SYNOPSIS

Luca shares summer adventures with his newfound best friend, but all the fun is threatened by a deeply-held secret: they are sea monsters from another world just below the water’s surface.

The voice cast features Jacob Tremblay as Luca Paguro, Jack Dylan Grazer as Alberto Scorfano, Emma Berman as Giulia Marcovaldo, Saverio Raimondo as town bully Ercole Visconti, Maya Rudolph as Luca’s mom Daniela, Marco Barricelli as Giulia’s dad Massimo, Jim Gaffigan as Luca’s dad Lorenzo, Sandy Martin as Luca’s grandma, and Giacomo Gianniotti as a local fisherman.

Pixar Animation Studios’ 24th feature film is directed by Academy Award® nominee Enrico Casarosa (“La Luna”) and produced by Andrea Warren (“Lava,” “Cars 3”). Award-winning composer Dan Romer (“Beasts of the Southern Wild,” “Maniac”) created the score.

As families prepare for the end of the school year, they are also preparing for summer family travel. To help make it smoother for families ...

As families prepare for the end of the school year, they are also preparing for summer family travel. To help make it smoother for families planning for trips, I'm sharing these techniques by Debbie Ausburn, author of Raising Other People's Children.

Follow Their Interests (But Stretch Their Boundaries)

Of course, you have to pick activities suitable for your kids’ ages and interests. At the same time, children typically don’t have enough life experience to know when they are missing out.

One brilliant technique that I learned from a friend is to give each child responsibility for planning one or more days of the trip. Parents have veto power in regard to safety issues, but no one can complain about anyone else’s choices for the day.

Tap Into the Power of the Pack

We always encourage our older kids to bring friends along. We did not have nearly as much responsibility for entertaining everyone because the friends tended to take over that job. As our kids grew older, we could send them out to the beach or on hiking trails (in groups) and stay inside relaxing.

Of course, you need to watch for differing group dynamics. Like all of these suggestions, adapt the principle to fit your particular situation.

Send Kids On Their Own Vacation

Summer is traditionally a time for kids to go to camp, and that tradition is strong for very good reasons. Camps are an excellent time for kids to learn new skills, test their independence, and make new friends. Find a camp that you can trust that’s within your budget and send all of the kids off. It will be a good opportunity for them to learn to get along without you there to referee, and common experiences create strong bonds.

Opt for Homes/Condos Over Hotels

We always rented homes instead of hotels whenever we could. That layout allowed the children (and us!) to have some privacy in their own rooms. At the same, it did not separate the family in the way that multiple hotel rooms might.

Plan Ahead for Approval

If you are raising someone else’s child, then there is always someone else who has to sign off on your plans. Extended trips with foster kids usually require permission from their case worker. Stepchildren under 14 cannot get a passport without both parents’ signature, and many court orders require both biological parents to agree to out-of-state travel. Get these details pinned down early, before anyone gets their hopes up.

Cheap Can Also Be Entertaining

Not every vacation has to involve Disney World. Some of my strongest childhood memories are roadside picnics. The food was our usual fare, but changing its location to a concrete table in a park was magical. A “staycation” with day trips to nearby public parks or national recreation areas can be just as entertaining for your children as an expensive getaway. You probably have several free parks or reasonably-priced attractions nearby that you haven’t taken the time to visit. Once you start looking, you likely will be surprised at what you can see in a day trip.

Plan Some Down Time

Our final suggestion may be the most important—don’t commit all of your time. Leave plenty of time for rest or spur-of-the-moment visits. Leave plenty of time for afternoon naps or unstructured time.

There are plenty of other techniques that can work for your family; these are simply ones that we've turned to most often. Just remember that the point of a family vacation is for the entire family, including you, to have a break, and for the family to build stronger relationships.

About the Author

Debbie Ausburn is a social worker, foster parent, criminal prosecutor, and civil trial attorney. She blogs about parenting issues at www.otherpeopleschildren.org

Raising Other People's Children ($15.00 paperback)
Written by Debbie Ausburn
Foreword by Natalie Ford, PhD
Published by Hatherleigh Press.
Distributed through Penguin Random House.

To learn more, visit - www.hatherleighpress.com

Brooklyn Bridge Park has released the schedule of events available to families over the summer season, and we can't wait to check some o...

Brooklyn Bridge Park has released the schedule of events available to families over the summer season, and we can't wait to check some of them out.

To get our pre-summer fun started, I signed up for the "Public Seining" session to learn about the sealife and plants living in the Hudson River. The event was nice and simple, which helped get us back outside, with the plus of being an educational activity.


After catching some sealife, we learned more about them from the onsite educator table. It was a good way to start our morning in Brooklyn Bridge Park. We spent the rest of the afternoon, walking around on the different Piers and enjoying the fresh air.

While we only signed up for that one class, there's lots more classes and activities we plan to check out during the summer.

Brooklyn Bridge Park (BBP) and Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy (Conservancy) are excited to offer an enriching season of arts and culture, fitness, recreation, environmental education, and volunteer opportunities from May to October.

Brooklyn Bridge Park 2021 Activities

All events and activities in the Park will strictly adhere to the City’s guidance on COVID-19 safety procedures and protocols. Please note that advanced registration is required for most programs, with a limited number of walk-up spots available. Please see brooklynbridgepark.org for more detailed information.

EDUCATION

The Conservancy hopes to reopen the Environmental Education Center to the public in September — in the meantime, families and students can learn about the history of the Brooklyn waterfront, the plants and animals of the East River estuary, and the ecology and design of Brooklyn Bridge Park through monthly educational themes featuring virtual Open Hours, online learning units, self-led outdoor activities like monthly Scavenger Hunts, virtual nature and wildlife workshops, and field trips (both in-person and virtual).

Journey to the Stars will return on select Fridays June through August. Amateur Astronomers of New York City will set up hi-powered telescopes along the Pier 1 promenade for participants to enjoy the wonders of the universe and have a rare chance to view select stars and planets from NYC.

Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy has also partnered with Trail Blazers to offer a brand new summer day camp in Brooklyn Bridge Park running from July through August. Campers will develop an appreciation for nature and the environment, while making memories to last a lifetime, through hands-on education, waterfront adventures, nature activities, and play. Participants can choose to attend the full program or pick and choose individual weeks.

ARTS & CULTURE

Cultural programming this season will include brand new family-friendly and Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC)-centered events, as well as the return of yearly favorites like the annual Hindu Lamp Ceremony, the Brooklyn Americana Music Festival, and a shortened run of the Movies With A View series.

The Conservancy’s new Open Studios Residency has returned in an expanded format, featuring two artists-in-residence Fogo Azul NYC and Oyo Oro Afro-Cuban Experimental Dance Ensemble. The public is invited to view open-air rehearsals, every other Sunday from 10:00am-2:00pm to get a unique window inside the creative process, while enjoying live performing arts activating Brooklyn Bridge Park.

The Residency culminates on Sunday, July 11 with both companies premiering their original works developed for the Park at Pier 1’s Harbor View Lawn.

Public Art Fund this summer will bring Claudia Wieser’s first outdoor public artwork, a grouping of large scale geometric structures that the public can immerse in and explore. The piece will be on display opening in July at the Main Street entrance to Brooklyn Bridge Park.

FITNESS & RECREATION

From May through October, the Conservancy will host a broad range of free weekly Waterfront Workouts with top-notch instructors from local partners Abhaya Yoga, Chelsea Piers Fitness, and Dodge YMCA.

Participants can choose from morning Vinyasa Yoga, Sunset Yoga, Amp'd Bootcamp, Pilates, Zumba, and a brand new Family Fitness class in Brooklyn Bridge Park's unbeatable outdoor setting. Advanced registration is required and opens every Tuesday at 10:00am for the following week of fitness classes.

In addition to Waterfront Workouts, there is also the popular Walk-Up Kayaking program presented by the Conservancy and Brooklyn Bridge Park Boathouse. Visitors will launch from the Pier 4 beach and glide along the East River starting in June on Wednesdays from 4-8pm through the end of August, and Saturdays from 10am-4pm through the end of September.

The Conservancy’s Adult Summer Soccer League will run from June 9-August 11, with weekly games on Wednesday evenings. Participants can sign up for the Men’s team, Co-ed team, or sign up to be a free agent.

Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy, in partnership with Big City Volleyball, will welcome back Volleyball Leagues this May through October. The league is 6v6, with games on Wednesday and Thursday evenings and tournaments on select Saturdays.

VOLUNTEER

Throughout the season, volunteers can give back to the community on Saturday mornings, May 29 through October 30, at Green Team and Coastal Cleanups. Green Team offers nature enthusiasts an opportunity to learn about gardening and horticulture, while Coastal Cleanups will allow visitors to help keep the Park’s shorelines clean and beautiful.

For teenagers looking to complete community service hours, the Conservancy is excited to offer two additional sessions of the increasingly popular TIDES (Teens Interested in and Dedicated to Environmental Sciences) program this summer and fall. TIDES provides an opportunity for teenagers to learn about ecology, conservation, and environmental sustainability, while completing hands-on activities in the Park.

Waterfront Walks kick off on select Sundays starting on May 9 and run through the end of October. Traverse the Park’s beautiful landscape on an immersive tour with Conservancy docents and learn about the history of the Brooklyn waterfront, how the Park came to life, and BBP’s sustainable design.

More upcoming events will be added on an ongoing basis at www.brooklynbridgepark.org/events

One of the features my family enjoys about LEGO video games is the creative game play. So we're looking forward to their upcoming new vi...

One of the features my family enjoys about LEGO video games is the creative game play. So we're looking forward to their upcoming new video game, LEGO Builder’s Journey, launching on PC and Nintendo Switch.

The first console launch in 15 years, LEGO Builder’s Journey is a beautifully artistic, nonverbal puzzle adventure with meditative music and follows a father and son on a heartwarming journey through a LEGO world, filled with unique puzzles to be solved using LEGO bricks.

The game showcases the endless possibilities of creative play, and highlighting the importance of play in our lives.



The PC version of LEGO Builder’s Journey features significant graphical upgrades, including ray-traced ambient occlusion, global illumination, reflections, and shadows, as players traverse the game world, filled with unique puzzles to be solved using LEGO bricks.

LEGO Builder’s Journey will be available on PC (Steam and the Epic Games Store) and Nintendo Switch on June 22, 2021.

To learn more, visit - www.lightbrick.com/builders-journey