American author Judy Blume poses with actresses Abby Ryder Fortson and Rachel McAdams at the premiere of the motion picture film adaptation of her novel Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret on April 15, 2023.
Credit: © Tinseltown/Shutterstock

Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret is finally a movie! American author Judy Blume long hesitated to license the novel for a motion picture adaptation because she was afraid it would not make a good movie. She changed her mind! On April 28, 2023, the motion picture adaptation of Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret was released. The film stars American actress Abby Ryder Fortson as Margaret, Canadian actress Rachel McAdams as Margaret’s mother, and American actress Kathy Bates as Margaret’s grandmother, among other talented actors.

Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret is a coming-of-age novel. Bradbury Press published Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret in 1970. Many people considered the book controversial for its light and comedic approach to serious subjects such as puberty and organized religion. Judy Blume is known for writing humorous, realistic books for children and adults. She is best known for her novels about middle-class children, like Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret. These novels discuss problems of young people from their point of view and in their own language.

The story follows 11-year-old Margaret Simon as she navigates her parents’ mixed-faith marriage and her own maturing body. Margaret’s mother grew up Christian, while her father is Jewish. In the beginning, Margaret and her family move from New York City to the suburbs in New Jersey. For a school project, Margaret studies religious beliefs as a child raised without a religious affiliation. She attends Jewish services with her father’s mother but prefers to address God directly through prayer, often starting with, “Are you there, God?” Margaret and her friends form a secret club called the Pre-Teen Sensations. The girls obsess over the mysteries of puberty.

Judy Blume has many other books! The antics of a younger brother nicknamed Fudge in Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing (1972), Superfudge (1980), Fudge-A-Mania (1990), and Double Fudge (2002) are popular with younger children. In Then Again, Maybe I Won’t (1971), a boy faces similar problems of young people. Tiger Eyes (1981) focuses on the pain of losing a parent through death. As Long As We’re Together (1987) tells about three girls and how one of them deals with her parents’ divorce. Blume wrote about the same three girls in Here’s to You, Rachel Robinson (1993).

American author Judy Blume has written many successful books for children, young adults, and adults.
Credit: AP Photo/Suzanne Plunkett

Blume’s books are often criticized for their subject matter and frank language. Defenders of Blume’s books praise her ability to write openly and sympathetically about the concerns of young people in an enjoyable and easy-to-read style.

Blume has written a series of books for young readers about an 8-year-old girl named Abigail (the Great One) and her 6-year-old brother Jake (the Pain). The series includes The Pain and the Great One (1985), Soupy Saturdays with the Pain and the Great One (2007), and Cool Zone with the Pain and the Great One and Going, Going, Gone with the Pain and the Great One (both 2008). Letters from young readers and Blume’s comments on them were collected in Letters to Judy (1986). Blume has written four novels for adults. They are Wifey (1978), Smart Women (1983), Summer Sisters (1998), and In the Unlikely Event (2015). Judy Sussman was born on Feb. 12, 1938, in Elizabeth, New Jersey. She married John M. Blume, an attorney, in 1959.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens had the biggest opening weekend in motion-picture box-office history. It opened on Dec. 18,205.
Credit: © Lucasfilm, Ltd.

May 4th has become a day to celebrate Star Wars. Star Wars is one of the most popular and profitable motion pictures in history. Why do we think of Star Wars on the fourth of May? It is because Obi-Wan Kenobi, played by English actor Alec Guinness and later by Scottish actor Ewan McGregor, says, “May the Force be with you” throughout the galaxy. He says it as a wish of goodwill, wishing the positive vibe of the Force onto the people he meets. In the movies, the Force is a positive energy field that binds the universe together. May the Fourth sounds pretty similar to “May the Force!” Sending the force to all of you, readers!

The heroes of Star Wars—Luke Skywalker (played by Mark Hamill), Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher), and Han Solo (Harrison Ford)—first appeared in American cinemas 40 years ago today on May 25, 1977.
Credit: © Lucasfilm Ltd

The first film was released as Star Wars, but the title later was expanded to Star Wars: A New Hope. This science-fiction fantasy, released in 1977, set standards for special effects that revolutionized filmmaking. Directed and written by George Lucas, it was the first in a series of enormously popular movies. It also was the first installment in a trilogy (set of three) that included The Empire Strikes Back (1980) and Return of the Jedi (1983). Lucas supervised all three movies and wrote or helped write the screenplays for them. But he did not direct the two later films.

Star Wars is basically an adventure story about the battle between good and evil. The film is filled with colorful and bizarre characters and breathtaking action sequences. The young hero is Luke Skywalker (played by Mark Hamill). He attempts to defeat the evil Galactic Empire with the aid of a mysterious inner power known as “the Force.”

Many of the characters in the film became world famous. The best known were the robots R2-D2 (Kenny Baker) and C-3PO (Anthony Daniels), the daredevil pilot Han Solo (Harrison Ford), the rebel Princess Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher), the evil Darth Vader (the voice of James Earl Jones), and the mysterious knight Obi-Wan Kenobi (Alec Guinness). Other popular characters included the giant furry warrior Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew), the adventurer Lando Calrissian (Billy Dee Williams), and the wise ancient Jedi master Yoda (the voice of Frank Oz). Music for the films composed by John Williams won international popularity.

The popularity of the original “Star Wars” trilogy launched a huge merchandising program that included toys and books. Many people started hobbies devoted to collecting material related to the three movies.

A prequel (predating) trilogy portrays the early years of key characters in the original trilogy. It consists of the films Star Wars: Episode I—The Phantom Menace (1999), Star Wars: Episode II—Attack of the Clones (2002), and Star Wars: Episode III—Revenge of the Sith (2005). Lucas directed all three films. A sequel (postdating) trilogy includes the films Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015), Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017), and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019). It is set after the events of the original trilogy. Other “Star Wars” movies include Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016) and Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018).

American actress Anna May Wong on November 17, 1937. Photo to promote her upcoming film Daughter of Shanghai.
Credit: © Paramount Pictures

May is Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month. All month long, Behind the Headlines will celebrate the accomplishments and heritage of Asians and Pacific Islanders.

Anna May Wong was a Chinese American actress. She became famous during the early years of the American motion-picture industry. During her lifetime, Wong was one of few Asian American performers who achieved widespread success. She eventually grew disappointed with the limited roles offered to her. She also became an outspoken critic of the casting of white performers as Asian characters.

Wong Liu Tsong was born on Jan. 3, 1905, in Los Angeles, California. Her parents operated a laundry. Wong made her first motion-picture appearance as an extra in The Red Lantern (1919). She then continued acting in small roles. For years, she hid her work as an extra from her family. Wong’s first credited role was in Bits of Life (1921). After her father learned of her acting career, he insisted on being present when she was on set.

Wong starred in the 1923 film Toll of the Sea, the first widely released feature film made in Technicolor. Before Technicolor, films were either black and white, or colored by hand. In Toll of the Sea, Wong played the romantic lead, a role that brought her new fame. However, her stardom began to strain her family life, as photographers and fans showed up at the family laundry to see her. Wong’s family was further upset by her role as an untrustworthy “Mongol slave” in The Thief of Bagdad (1924).

By the late 1920’s, Wong had grown disappointed with Hollywood. She was consistently offered roles as enslaved people, temptresses, and villains. In contrast, sympathetic leading roles were often reserved for white performers. Even leading Asian characters were often played by better-known white actors made up to look Asian. In The Crimson City (1928), for example, Wong played a supporting role to lead actress Myrna Loy, a white woman made up to look Asian. Wong moved to Europe in hopes of finding more realistic roles. There, she learned to speak French, German, and Italian. In 1929, Wong starred alongside the British actor Laurence Olivier in the play A Circle of Chalk in London.

In 1931, Wong starred as the lead in the Broadway play On the Spot. The role led to Wong’s return to Hollywood, with Daughter of the Dragon (1931) and Shanghai Express (1932). Both films offered the type of Asian villain role that Wong had sought to escape. However, Shanghai Express allowed for a more nuanced performance. In it, Wong plays Hui Fei, a prostitute (sex worker) and an ally of a Chinese warlord who later betrays him.

Despite the acclaim she received for Shanghai Express, Wong continued to be offered disappointing roles. For example, producers wanted Wong to play a dancer called Lotus in the film The Good Earth (1937). But Wong wanted to play O-Lan, a leading Chinese character. The German actress Luise Rainer went on to win an Academy Award for portraying O-Lan.

In 1936, Wong left Hollywood again, this time for China. In China, she was criticized for her early film roles and for being too western for Chinese audiences. After Wong returned to the United States, filmmakers were more interested in hiring her to coach white actors playing Asian characters. In 1942, Wong retired from acting in movies.

During the 1950’s, Wong acted in television shows. In the TV series “The Gallery of Madame Liu Tsong” (1951), she played an art gallery owner who solved crimes. In 1960, she returned to motion pictures, playing a housekeeper in Portrait in Black. The same year, she was given a star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame, a series of bronze stars set in the sidewalk and named for celebrities. Wong died on Feb. 3, 1961, from a heart attack.

Disney and Pixar’s animated movie Turning Red (2022)
Credit: © Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

What’s red, fluffy, and loves boy bands? Pixar’s newest movie Turning Red is a big hit shining a spotlight on red pandas. Turning Red is an animated motion picture released by Pixar Animation Studios and the Walt Disney Company in 2022. It tells the story of a young Chinese-Canadian girl who discovers she can shapeshift into a red panda. The movie is set in Toronto. It was the first Pixar movie created by an all-woman leadership team.

Turning Red tells the story of the Chinese-Canadian 13-year-old Meilin “Mei” Lee, who lives in Toronto. Mei’s family includes her mother, Ming, and father, Jin. They maintain a Chinese temple dedicated to their ancestor Sun Yee. Mei works to balance pleasing her mother and being herself with her friends Abby Park, Miriam Mendelsohn, and Priya Mangal. Mei and her friends obsess over a boy band called 4*TOWN. After Ming embarrasses her daughter, Mei has a nightmare about red pandas and wakes up transformed into a giant red panda. Mei hides her transformation from her parents. But, she cannot keep her newfound ability hidden for long, and its discovery leads her to secrets in her family’s past.

The Lee family is voiced by Rosalie Chiang (Mei); Sandra Oh (Ming); Orion Lee (Jin); and Wai Ching Ho (Mei’s grandmother Wu). Mei’s friends are voiced by Hyein Park (Abby); Ava Morse (Miriam); and Maitreyi Ramakrishnan (Priya).

The film was directed by the Chinese-Canadian animator and screenwriter Domee Shi and the American playwright and television writer Julia Cho. The American actor and producer Lindsey Collins produced the film.

The film’s soundtrack, also released in 2022, features original songs written and composed by the Swedish composer Ludwig Göransson. The American singer-songwriter siblings Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell wrote three original songs performed by 4*TOWN in the film.

In real life, red pandas are adorable and unique creatures. A red panda is a medium-sized mammal with a red coat and a long, ringed tail. The red panda is also called the lesser panda, in reference to the much larger giant panda. Red pandas are not closely related to giant pandas or any other living animal. Red pandas live in bamboo forests on upper mountain slopes. Red pandas are arboreal—that is, they live in trees. A red panda has adaptations that allow it to climb trees easily including its tail for balancing and flexible ankles which allow it to climb headfirst down trees. They are found in parts of Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, and Nepal.

Human population growth in the Himalayan region threatens the habitat of the red panda. Deforestation has reduced the area where red pandas live in the wild. Red pandas are in danger of dying out completely. They are protected by national and international laws. Scientists and wildlife officials have worked to help ensure the pandas’ survival by protecting their habitat and breeding them in zoos.