During my trip to L.A. I was able to attend a screening of STUCK IN THE MIDDLE series plus join a Q&A with the cast. Note: Disney ...

During my trip to L.A. I was able to attend a screening of STUCK IN THE MIDDLE series plus join a Q&A with the cast.

Note: Disney and ABC TV invited me on this all expense paid trip to Los Angeles for the Moana Event and ABC TV Event. While I will share different events and activities during the trip, any personal views expressed are always 100% my own.


The cast Q&A included: Jenna Ortega (“Harley Diaz”), Ronni Hawk (“Rachel Diaz”), Isaak Presley (“Ethan Diaz”), Ariana Greenblatt (“Daphne Diaz”), Kayla Maisonet (“Georgie Diaz”), Malachi Barton (“Beast Diaz”), Nicholas Bechtel (“Lewie Diaz”), Cerina Vincent (“Suzy Diaz”) and Joe Nieves (“Tom Diaz”)


The whole cast was so fun to interview and shared lots about being a "family" on set.

When asked what's the chemistry like onset, the cast shared

Ariana Greenblatt: Family, just straight up family. Off the set we hang out at dinners. And we really love each other.

Nicholas Bechtel: Siblings.

Jenna Ortega: We see each other Monday through Fridays so it’s like we’re always together. It’s like they’re my second family.

Joe Nieves: And that happened right from day one. It was immediate and fantastic.

Isaak Presley: I know for Malachi and I, we’re only children. So walking into this as only children, we’re walking into this big family. It was actually like adopting a family.

Malachi Barton: Just like Isaak and I, what he was saying is that like in real life, we don’t have any siblings. So it’s like interesting but it’s really, really fun to have siblings onset, so.

Cerina Vincent: I will say that, I’m not a mother in real life. I always wanted seven kids. And it was a weird childhood thing, like you know a fantasy sequence like all of us. And I have them all but in a different form. It’s really cool. We’re bonded.

Isaak Presley: What’s great is that because we’re like a real family we have everything which really helps brings the onset chemistry. I mean we have the bickering, the jokes and the emotional moments together that really helps bring that to the screen. You know if everything was happy and joyful 24/7, I feel like it’d be very phony. But because we experience all the emotions that kids do it really helps onscreen.

When asked what kind of influence they have on storylines, the cast shared

Cerina Vincent: I think the writers are really good.

Nicholas Bechtel: They’re really spot on. But when you really think that there needs to be something to make it more believable, they’re really open to your ideas. And if they think about it and it’s good and they liked it, then they’ll put it in. Then it makes it more believable than it already was. So they’re really open and they actually care about our opinions when it comes to that kind of stuff.

Jenna Ortega: For me, it’s like there’s nothing that I guess add on really. I have told him some stuff and they’ve been incorporating it, which is good.

Malachi Barton: The writers, they’re just like, what Nick said, they’re open to anything. And they’re just amazing how they know if someone walks up and is, hey, I have an idea for this kind of line. And then they’ll be like, oh yeah, that’s a great idea. And I honestly feel like they will. I love when they give me stunts and stuff because I play baseball and basketball so I love doing crazy stuff like swinging on ropes, swimming, doing all that kind of stuff.

Kayla Maisonet: They make it very hip which is good you know for like an older audience too.

When asked what stuck in the middle means to them in one word, each replied

Joe Nieves: It’s simple, it’s special.

Cerina Vincent: Gratitude.

Ronni Hawk: It’s joy.

Kayla Maisonet: A gift.

Isaak Presley: Indescribable.

Jenna Ortega: Relatable.

Nicholas Bechtel: Mine’s exciting.

Ariana Greenblatt: Everything.

Malachi Barton: I think amazing.

And that's a great word to describe both the STUCK IN THE MIDDLE series and the cast. They have an amazing series that so many families enjoy!

"Stuck in the Middle" short-form series debuted on the Disney Channel App and aired on The Disney Channel.

Jenna Ortega stars as inventive tween Harley Diaz, the middle child in a bustling household of nine, in the engaging, single-camera comedy series “Stuck in the Middle.”

Told from Harley’s point of view, the slice of life stories find humor in everyday life as this middle child devises creative ways to cope with – and stand out – in her family’s busy suburban Massachusetts household. The Diaz parents, Suzy and Tom, also have six other kids: Rachel the self-involved eldest; Georgie, a basketball-playing teen; Ethan, Harley’s closest ally; invincible and indestructible twins Lewie and “Beast”; and the strong-willed youngest sibling, Daphne.

To learn more, visit - www.disneychannel.ca/stuck-middle

Looking for a family friendly Fall activity as we head into October? Then plan to visit Coney Island's Luna Park to experience the Hallo...

Looking for a family friendly Fall activity as we head into October? Then plan to visit Coney Island's Luna Park to experience the Halloween Harvest. But if your family isn't into the scary stuff, don't worry. To be honest it's more Fall Harvest then Scary Halloween.

Note: I was invited as media to this event and received Luna Park wristband/tickets. However any personal views expressed are always 100% my own.

We attended a media preview during the first opening weekend and enjoyed so many activities, along with Luna Park rides and games.


To start we met the not scary scarecrow in the front of the park. While there you can try guessing the weight of the pumpkin to win prizes up to $1,000.


You can also see the Luna Park makeover. It really helped set the "Fall" tone with all the Hay stacks and Halloween decorations around the park.


We made sure to check the schedule and plan all our stops to enjoy the activities.


As we walked through Luna Park, we met costume characters who carried bags filled with treats from sponsors Welch's Fruit Snacks, Cow Tales and Campfire Marshmallow, that the kids could pick their treats from.


After getting our treats we headed over the Pumpkin Patch, where we were greeted by Dorthy and the Tin Man.


Then my son walked through the hay maze (it's nice and short) into the Pumpkin Patch where he picked out his Pumpkin. He also stop for the photo with the friendly Lion.


Then we headed over to decorate and paint our Pumpkin. For some reason my son decided to paint his Pumpkin orange! Like really? I insisted that he add more "color" to it. So he added some blue. HA!

After leaving the Pumpkin Patch, we ran around the park....


.....dancing on stage


.....trying to get into Kooky Spooky Karaoke. It was a very popular activity.


.....getting a balloon hat. My son wanted a sword but I felt a hat was safer.


.....enjoy the Luna Park rides. Sometime more then three times


.....playing games and winning prizes (I did help a little)


.....visiting the Petting Zoo and getting a Pony Ride.


We could have stayed and enjoyed all the fun into the evening but it was time to say goodbye and head home. But the Luna Park's Halloween Harvest is a great event to enjoy one day (or weekend).

Experience all the thrills, chills and Halloween frills during Halloween Harvest at Luna Park running through October 30th. The park will be abuzz with festive and seasonal activities along with special events.

This year’s Halloween Harvest will also feature a petting zoo and pony rides, compliments of Pony Express Entertainment. Magicians King Henry and Gary the Great will awe visitors, who can also enjoy face painting, arts and crafts, kooky spooky karaoke and more

In addition, mark your calendars for these special events:

• Sunday, October 9: More than 100 of our four-legged friends will participate in Luna Park’s annual Dog Parade and Costume Contest. A distinguished panel of judges will evaluate the winners based on Audience Choice, Cutest, Mister/Miss Congeniality, Most Original and Best of Show.

• Sunday, October 23: Marc and the Maniac Carvers, Brooklyn-based pumpkin carvers, are back for their fourth year in a row to transform a giant gourd into a Halloween masterpiece.

Luna Park is open on Saturdays from 12 noon to 11 p.m. and on Sundays from 12 noon to 8 p.m. For a complete schedule of Halloween Harvest events and activities, visit www.lunaparknyc.com

On Facebook - www.facebook.com/LunaParkNYC
On Twitter - www.twitter.com/LunaParkNYC
On Instagram - www.instagram.com/lunaparknyc

This week my son returns to school and I'm making sure he has all he needs his third year, including a few items from Lands’ End Kids ...

This week my son returns to school and I'm making sure he has all he needs his third year, including a few items from Lands’ End Kids "2016 Back-to-School Collection".

Note: I received product sample for review purpose, however any personal views expressed are always 100% my own


The first item we needed was a backpack large enough to carry all his books, his lunch and any action figures he want to take for a walk to school. Because of course.....boys.

The Lands’ End Kids: Classmate Backpacks ($39.00) were a great fit for him. I've always been a fan that Lands’ End Kids backpacks because they have the front closure. This really helps my son carry his backpack in a more comfortable way.

The Classmate Backpacks also have double-touch bottoms, comfort-foam padded shoulder straps and numerous pockets for organizing made easy.

Backpacks come in five sizes made for every kid in school – preschool to high school. You can personalize your kids backpack by adding a monogram, embroidery or both.


The next item we needed was a jacket. I wanted one that kept my son warm, as well as stylish, during the cooler Fall days.

The Lands’ End Kids: Packable Primaloft Jacket ($69.00) was a good choice. The jacket was light but offer great coverage during weather changes.

The polyester shell can handle the wet weather, while the 100-gram Primaloft® insulation keeps my son cozy without adding bulk. It also packs into its own right-side pocket for easy storage.

As you can see Lands’ End Kids: 2016 Back-to-School Collection has great items kids need that parents will appreciate.

Here's a few more items to shop for

• Girls Aline Pattern Knit Tee; $19.50
• Girls Solid Knit Skirt; $19.50
• Girls Aline Sherpa Hoodie, $45.00

• Boys Graphic Hooded Active Tee; $32.00
• Boys Iron Knee Tricot Pant; $29.00
• School Uniform Boys Packable Primaloft Jacket, $69.00

To learn more about Lands’ End Kids visit - www.landsend.com

Just before SummerSlam 2016, I headed to a Cricket Wireless store in Brooklyn to meet WWE Superstar Dolph Ziggler, who was there to meet fan...

Just before SummerSlam 2016, I headed to a Cricket Wireless store in Brooklyn to meet WWE Superstar Dolph Ziggler, who was there to meet fans and join in a Facebook Live Chat!

Note: I was invited as media to this event. I'm part of the WWE #WWEMoms Ambassador Program and will share information about their activities and products. However any personal views expressed are always 100% my own.


Wondering about the connection between WWE and Cricket Wireless?

Cricket is an official sponsor of WWE and co-presenting sponsor of SummerSlam®. Also earlier this year Cricket announced a multi-year agreement with WWE where they will be highly visible at WWE’s biggest events such as SummerSlam® , WrestleMania®, Royal Rumble® and Payback®.


And that connection is what brought me to Brooklyn and Dolph Ziggler, who is a Cricket Wireless brand ambassador (along with John Cena). I confess I also wanted to see the man famous for "showing off" live and in person.


So what is Dolph like in person? He's sorta like his WWE persona. He's quick witted and very funny. During the Dolph Ziggler Live Facebook Chat , he answered questions about his "man bun", his outfit selections and what special moves he'll use against Dean Ambrose at Summer Slam.

Some of Dolph answers were real and touching, but most of them were hilarious! You can watch more of the video chat on the Cricket Wireless facebook page.


After meeting and watching Dolph, I learned more about Cricket Wireless as a brand and their partnership between WWE.

The relationship with WWE provides Cricket an important platform to educate WWE’s passionate fan base about a better choice in prepaid wireless. Retail promotions, celebrity store appearances, and special incentives, such as free trials to experience WWE Network, will give consumers an opportunity to engage deeply with the entertainment they love and a brand that will make their wireless experience better.

That's something that both WWE and Cricket Wireless customers will be excited about!


Learn more, visit - www.cricketwireless.com

On Facebook - www.facebook.com/cricketnation
On Twitter - www.twitter.com/cricketnation

To learn about Disney's Elena of Avalor series and the first official Disney Latina Princess, I interviewed Aimee Carrero (voice of Prin...

To learn about Disney's Elena of Avalor series and the first official Disney Latina Princess, I interviewed Aimee Carrero (voice of Princess Elena) Craig Gerber (Creator/Executive Producer) and Silvia Cardenas Olivas (Story Editor).

Note: I was invited as media to the movie screening and press junket interviews. Any personal views expressed are always 100% my own.

With a one hour premiere on Disney Channel, Princess Elena of Avalor made her royal debut in the animated series "Elena of Avalor".

How did you first hear about Disney's Elena of Valor?

Aimee Carrero: It was all a bit secretive to start. I received an email from my agent about an audition. No mention of princess or anything. After a few call backs. I booked the job but I still had no idea. So when the press release came out I was very shocked and excited obviously.

Princess Elena is very head strong. Is that similar to you in real life?

Aimee Carrero: Yes. Definitely. I grew up surrounded by various strong women. So because of that, I don't shy away from saying what I think. Which sometimes gets me in trouble, the same as Elena.

But I think what's she learning, which I'm also learning, is to be more tactful. Because as a person in a position of power, I think you have to be a bit more careful. But yeah I didn't have to dig too deep.

Elena is a "Latina" princess, which is a very big deal for the Latina community. As a person with Hispanic background (Dominican/Puerto Rican) how do you feel about this?

Aimee Carrero: First of all, it's an incredible honor to be part of this History. But not only for Latina culture. Absolutely this is the first and it's so important. But also for women it's huge. Because to see a woman of color in a position of power. She's doing a great job and she's autonomous.

I think that's an important image for people to see. It's not one we see that often, especially in a positive context. So I feel very proud of that.

Aimee Carrero: Elena deals with things that anybody has dealt with, or will deal with in their adolescence into adulthood. Because it's about trying to find your place in the world.

Elena is just trying to find her place in the world. How she fits in. How she going to eave the world a little better then how she found it. all the while being a leader, being a daughter, being a grand daughter, being a sister, being a friend etc

Is there anything you want to change or have added to Princess Elena?

Aimee Carrero: What I didn't know they were going to add, but that I was really excited about, was the instrument. That she plays guitar, I thought that was really cool. I picked up learning guitar not too long ago and it's really great to see her doing it also.

It was awesome chatting with Aimee about voicing Elena of Avalor. She was so sweet, funny and excited about being part of the animated series.


To learn more about how of Disney's Elena of Avalor was developed my next interview was with Craig Gerber (Creator/Executive Producer) and Silvia Cardenas Olivas (Story Editor).

How did you come up with the idea for Elena of Avalor?

Craig Gerber: I was working on another show for Disney (Sophia the First), which involved a lot of Disney Princess. While immersed in that world, I discovered a great need and demand for a Latina princess. Rather then do it in that show, I felt it really deserved it's own series.

But it needed a really great idea, in order to get everyone to say yes to a new series. So I thought, what would a new fresh, exciting and empowering idea?

Craig Gerber: Then one it just hit me. What if there was a princess who had to be in charge of her kingdom? She wasn't old enough to be queen, but was still a Princess who ruled. Had to do the nitty griddy of taking care of this kingdom and her family.

I thought this was a compelling story idea for a series and worthy of Disney's first Latina princess. And everyone else at the company agreed.

The Latina culture is very diverse. What research did you do to help form the story?

Craig Gerber: Many of the classic Disney Princess hailed from Fairy tale kingdoms. There's a great tradition of Disney with Fairytale kingdoms that are inspired by actual fairy tales, myths or history.

If you want a Latina Disney Princess, part of that is having a fairy tale kingdom. That allows us to separate ourselves from history and create a kingdom that is inspired by various elements of different Latin cultures.

Craig Gerber: So it feels more inclusive. It's not just about one country or one group of folks. It's about a heritage that is represented.

So that was our goal. To do a lot of research and create our own kingdom to have the freedom to have our own fantasy world.

When did Silvia Cardenas Olivas come into the story-line process?

Silvia Cardenas Olivas: I came in pretty early in the process. Craig wrote a series overview. When I read it, I got excited. I started to see the characters and the world pop off the page.

Personally I hadn't read anything where there was Latinos royals, wizards, etc. I said I have to be part of this. I know there's so much I can bring. It got me excited in a way, I felt it was going to change culture.

Silvia Cardenas Olivas: It was going to change the ways Latinos viewed each other and how other people viewed Latinos.

And to see this empowered Latina ruling this kingdom, with the help of the grand counsel, also empowering other women and promoting them into her grand counsel was something that is relevant today.

How did you weave mystical elements into the show's story telling?

Craig Gerber: Rather then relay on the same European folk tales and magic, we did a lot of research into Latin American and Mesto American myths and legends to come up with the magic of our world. We started with the research and then came up with our own spin on it.

For example. Mateo, who's the royal wizard of Avalor has a drum wand. Rather then just a normal wizards wand. That was inspired by these medicine woman in Chile. They played these drums to do their magic so we were inspired by that.

Craig Gerber: Elena has a spirit animal, who's inspired by the Mayan myth, that says everyone has their own animal spirit companion. So we use him as guardian angel/life coach. So we did a lot of research and used a lot of it to inspire us.

What do you want families to know about Elena and how she fits into with the other Disney Princess?

Silvia Cardenas Olivas: I think Elena embodies all the values and principals that we all aspire to. I really do think of her as a Princess for everyone. And if they like adventure and fun, then your readers will like our show. And parents will like it also because there's a theme usually about leadership, family or friendship. So you can talk to your kids about it after the episode.

Craig Gerber: Yes, it was really important for us to not just create a character that Latino children and families can watch and feel represented by. But also to create a character that would have universal appeal. So that was baked right into our storytelling.

The heritage makes the Princess unique but their character and their story makes them compelling. I'm hoping that anyone who gives Elena a chance will see that she is, as Silvia said, a princess for everyone!

SYNOPSIS

Set in the enchanted fairytale land of Avalor, the series tells the story of Elena, a brave and adventurous teenager who has saved her kingdom from an evil sorceress and must now learn to rule as crown princess until she is old enough to be queen.

Elena’s journey will lead her to understand that her new role requires thoughtfulness, resilience and compassion, the traits of all truly great leaders.

"Elena of Avalor" stars Aimee Carrero as the voice of Elena; Jenna Ortega as Princess Isabel; Chris Parnell, Yvette Nicole Brown and Carlos Alazraqui as the jaquins Migs, Luna and Skylar respectively; Emiliano Díez as Francisco; Julia Vera as Luisa; Christian Lanz as Chancellor Esteban; Jillian Rose Reed as Naomi; Joseph Haro as Mateo; Jorge Diaz as Gabe; Keith Ferguson as Zuzo; and Joe Nunez as Armando.

To learn more about Elena of Avalor, visit - www.disney.com/elena-of-avalor