Brooklyn Gilmore Journal

  I only know of Kathie Lee Gifford, like most of you do, as co-host on Live with Regis and Kathie Lee and the Today show with Hoda. As far as knowing her personally, nope, I have never had the privilege of meeting her face-to-face or even at a distance like I did Katie Holmes in Union Square in New York many moons ago. There is a 30 year age difference between Kathie and I. It’s not like we fall in the same generation or even a reason for me care who she is.This woman has been a household name for years, and as a preteen I always looked forward to watching her shenanigans with Reeg on Live with Regis and Kathie Lee when I was home for a holiday, parent/teacher conference, half day, whatever.     I’ve always known that Kathie Lee had a relationship with Jesus. She professed it on TV all the time. She’d talked about her Christian faith and she sewed those seeds of encouragement whenever she was in the spotlight. But, the thing that stuck out to me most is that she didn’t s...

Like Streams to the Ocean written by Jedidiah Jenkins  is philosophical, authentic, real, vulnerable, and interesting. It is written with wisdom and clarity that only comes with life experience. Like Streams to the Ocean is a book of notes on Ego, Love, and The Things That Make Us Who We Are. It’s divided into seven sections: Ego, Family, Home, Friendship, Love, Work, Death, and The Soul. We get to know Jedidiah and the depth in which he lives his life.   If you don’t follow Jed on instagram, you should. He is an artist. You can tell he exudes extrovert. He thrives in group settings and being the center of attention. He is talented in photography, drawing, and writing. He has friends. Lots of them. Some are famous actors while others are social media influencers who stem from a similar community of thought while questioning  the human existence. What’s my calling? What’s my purpose? How did I get here at this age? Why haven’t I started my career yet, gotten marr...

  If you know me well, you know that I’ve talked about publishing The Demons In My Lunchbox for quite sometime. It took a decade to write it, edit it, and publish it. TEN YEARS. Why did it take you so long, you ask? It took me that long to dig deep into inner most being to break down walls, barriers, and strong holds. It took me that long to get real with myself and with God. It took me that long to allow myself to be vulnerable enough to confess the messiness in my life.  Last March, at the very beginning of the global pandemic, The Demons In My Lunchbox, finally dropped on Amazon and Barnes & Noble Online.  I was elated and scared. to. death. of the unknown and the perception of this memoir. I was blown away from the out pouring of love and encouragement from friends and fans who’ve read it.  Then there’s my mother. Let’s just say that the book has drummed up a lot of emotions on both sides and it sent me straight into counseling. Forgiveness is not for the fai...

  Brooklyn James not only challenges herself as a storyteller in her newest release,  Just Shelb y   (2020), but she challenges her readers with a writing style that reveals a mysterious plot of  whodunnit  at the end.    Just Shelby  may not be everyone’s flavor of a read in 2020 while we’re pausing in the quarantine life as it is a slower read told with dual perspectives; however, slow doesn’t equate to poor art; it’s a matter of taste and delight. The  hurry-up-and-get-there type  may be  looking for a  whodunnit  murder mystery to be upfront in your face with a character reveal like  Game of Thrones  (2011-2019) with relentless jousting and jolting with no hesitation to kill the main character in Act 1 Scene 1 of an Emmy Award-Winning television series.    Just Shelby  is more like the Emmy Award-Winning television series,  Breaking Bad  (2008-2013), taking a slower pace to really nai...

As a film reviewer I sometimes have difficulty understanding the perception of others especially when it comes to pop-culture, memoirs, and art in contemporary society. The New York Times published a review by Mike Hale called, "In Netflix 'Girlboss,' a Heroine Who's a Tough Sell." About two paragraphs into the review I cry out, "Oh for Pete's sake, did you watch the series?" Hale writes, "If you don't know a woman whom you'll love despite her characteristic anger, obsessiveness, insensitivity and refusal to listen to others, you may dismiss Sophia as a caricature. If you do, one moment after another in "Girlboss" will ring surprisingly true." Hold it. Did Hale actually watch the Netflix 2017 TV series Girlboss because I am having difficulty understanding his critique of Britt Robertson's character Sophia Marlowe. Girlboss is sarcastic, clever, and laugh-out-loud-hilarious minus the imaginative girl fight via...

Imagine screening Fatso with Lorelai and Rory Gilmore along with a smorgasbord of coffee- drinking-teeth-decaying-artery-clogging-food. At every scene the girls' have some kind of smart-alec-two-sense-added-commentary-wise-crack-something-or-other-to-say. And, the audience gobbles this up. So, why not bring live commentary to B-Lister film, Phantom of Space (1953), at the Screening Room during Tucson's 2nd Saturday Downtown. What does a manager, cartoonist, and filmmaker all have in common? A smart-alec-two-sense-added-commentary-wise-crack-something-or-other-to-say. It's taking the "D" out of Dull. It's more or less taking Kathy Griffin off the D-List and putting her on the A-List. The smart-alac-two-sense-added-commentary-wise-crack-something-or-other provides a laugh-out-loud-belly-roar-funny for the entire family. And, the plot takes a turn... Flatulence is apparently a form of methane gas that contributes to radiation, the smoking gun of...

The second book in  The Boots My Mother Gave Me  series,  Sole Sister  picks up several years later, continuing the story of Harley LeBeau and her rebellious sister Katrina ‘Kat’ LeBeau. Relocating to Nashville to be closer to Harley and Miah, Kat aspires to launch her  Sole Sister  fashion line. A gutsy and impromptu plan suddenly lands her on the cover of  The Ville Spill —the local celebrity gossip rag—alongside country music’s latest heartthrob, giving  Sole Sister  the push it needs. But Kat quickly learns that not all press is good press. Years removed from an abusive childhood and teenage pregnancy, the past that Kat never talks about continues to seep into her life and relationships. Still struggling with the images of finding her father after his suicide, Kat forges ahead, vowing to avoid past mistakes. To focus on her career and responsibilities as a single mother, she swears off the disappointments of love. The first man...