My Essay on CNN Opinion: “Bell Bottoms and a Blended Family: ‘The Brady Bunch’ at 50”

Brady Bunch Brady BunchHere’s the story…of that time I got to write about my favorite TV family!! The 50th anniversary of “The Brady Bunch” was last month and I’ve been wanting to write about it for months!! I had such a groovy time reminiscing about how the show has aged and its lasting cultural legacy!! And, I’m so glad that I got to write about the show for CNN Opinion, which, as you know, is my absolute favorite op-ed outlet…

I spent my formative years watching reruns of “The Brady Bunch” on TBS and I quickly fell in love with the show! It was a look back at a different time and, come on, those songs were so catchy, right?? And their dance moves? Flawless!!

Here’s an excerpt of the piece, in which I (finally!) publicly reveal my childhood crush on Greg Brady, who was my Casanova of Clinton Avenue…

For half a century, it’s been hard to escape the show’s influence. We’ve all found ourselves wrapped up in the Brady bubble at some point, even if we didn’t watch during the original run. I was born a full seven years after the show ended, long after the gang hung up their bell bottoms and stopped singing about sunshine days. And still, the show (and most importantly, the Bradys themselves) were such an integral part of my childhood.

In the end, I’m not sure the sort of charm and innocence we see on “The Brady Bunch” can ever be replicated. But maybe that’s a good thing. After all, it’s that very uniqueness that has helped the show remain such a cultural classic for so many years. We can enjoy and appreciate it as a sort of time capsule of the era, revisiting its lessons any time we want.

Yes, the Bradys have given us the ride of a lifetime. Bell bottoms and all.

Brady BunchYou can read the full piece here and I’d love to hear your thoughts. Feel free to email me anytime at mellow1422@aol.com and let’s chat! And of course, feel free to share my essay on Facebook, Twitter or even your local refrigerator. If you share on Twitter, be sure to tag me @melissablake so I see your tweet and we can connect! I can’t wait to hear from you! Love you all… xoxo

Have There Always Been So Many Entitled Dude Bros on The Bachelorette?

BacheloretteDear Lord: Please give me the confidence of an entitled dude bro contestant on The Bachelorette who is so sure on the first night that they’re going to walk away with the final rose…

That was my first thought as I binged Hannah Brown’s season of The Bachelorette. My very first thought, actually. As you may remember, I’m one of those rare species that had never tuned in to see the wonders of Bachelor Nation in action. For more than a decade, I was able to resist the siren song of soapy-sudsy TV dating on steroids. And then earlier this year, I watched The Bachelor for the first time because I wanted to see how they handled Colton Underwood’s virginity because, uh, hi, I can relate! And, well, wow! Was I sure in for a lot!

Surprisingly, I find myself more angry and disgusted at The Bachelorette contestants so much more than I ever was at The Bachelor contests. Not Hannah, mind you, because she’s a downright national treasure in her awesomeness. Throughout the whole season, my rage was aimed directly at the 20+ males vying for her affections. Like, all the rage. We’re talking yelling-at-my-television-like-it-was-a-football-game rage.

BacheloretteFor example, I spent one Friday afternoon eating barbecue chips and talking back to the television during one of Luke P’s many mantrums. When he asked if he could interrupt Hannah during one of their pivotal dinners, I screamed, mid-chip chomping, “No, you can’t, Luke!”

It was all just too much. And all the while, I wondered: Would I have this much anger if I’d watched the series from the beginning? Am I watching all this through the lens of our current cultural climate, where men behave very badly? What was my deal?

Maybe our current national climate is impacting my ability to enjoy reality television. Maybe our reality is so bad that even a mindless reality show like The Bachelorette is rage-inducing. Why can’t I escape these entitled dude bros, I ask you? Is nothing, especially reality TV, not even sacred anymore?

And then, when I watched the finale, I thought I might have a heart attack from all the rage! Wow. Jed is that guy who refuses to define the relationship with someone while out there doing very couple-y things like going to the Bahamas. I. Can’t. Even.

Hannah deserved so much better!! She’s definitely my new hero, as are all women the world over who have to deal with these sorts of shenanigans on the regular; maybe that’s the one upside for me of never having any experience with this love stuff.

BacheloretteI’ll tell you this: If, in some far-off future, I ever did find myself as the next Bachelorette, sitting there, watching all those men pile out of the limo a la clowns in a clown car, just know that I won’t stand for any of that nonsense — well, metaphorically stand because, you know, I’d actually be sitting in my wheelchair. Here are three reasons why I’d make a good Bachelorette, in case you’re wondering.

I say it’s time to change things up in Bachelor Nation, wouldn’t you, friends??? Please tell me you watch this show because I’ve only seen two seasons and although it makes me rage at times, I have no shame in admitting that I’m completely, utterly HOOKED… xoxo

Why Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello Are the Couple We Need Right Now

Camila Cabello Camila Cabello Camila CabelloIt’s been a summer full of not-so-happy news (hi, Trump), which has left so many of us feeling like the world is about to crumble. But there’s been one shining glimmer of hope getting me through and their names are Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello.

Yes, this is the couple the world needs now!! And, yes, I’m such a giddy teenager at the possibility that these two crazy kids might actually be a couple!! I ship these two so hard, as the young people say!

First, we need to talk about their Señorita music video for a hot minute. Emphasis on the hot, obviously, because my glasses kept fogging up from all that steam!!! The passion! The fire! The intensity! I dare you to watch that video and not almost have a heart attack.

It was all too much to handle.

If I wasn’t convinced by their passionate on-screen chemistry, then their steamy duet of the tune during the MTV Video Music Awards certainly put me over the edge!! It was that same passion and fire and intensity come to life on the stage, in real time, only magnified and amped up one million billion degrees! Honestly, it was love on steroids and I’m so here for that, obviously! Am I the only one who thinks that Shawn and Camila just told the world “Yes, we’re dating” on the VMAs stage??

Trust me, I’m as shocked as you are about my unexpected fascination with pop’s new It couple. I came of age in the late ‘90s when two doe-eyed teens named Britney and Justin were pop’s reigning power couple; the world followed their every move, even down to those classic matching denim outfits! We were all transfixed watching young love blossom right before our very eyes and I’m pretty sure I wasn’t the only one who shed a tear when they called it quits.

So maybe there’s a hint of nostalgia here when it comes to Shawn and Camila? I may be 38, but these two are still #RelationshipGoals!! They give me hope that love is possible — that it can be fun and exciting and real. Yes, I said real because unlike the cynical people of the world, I refuse to believe that theirs is some manufactured PR relationship just to boost record sales. You will never be able to convince me that their love is anything but pure and sweet and REAL.

And speaking of real, there’s one thing that’s bothered me as I’ve followed their relationship: I’m seeing so many people saying “Shawn Mendes can’t possibly be in a relationship with Camila Cabello because he’s gay.” As if you can’t be both. FYI, it’s 2019…why are we still saying things like this?? It doesn’t have to be one or the other! Sexuality can be fluid. Relationships aren’t black or white and they can exist in every color of the rainbow. You love who you love.

Camila Cabello Indeed, I’m rooting for Shawn and Camila to be the next great love story for the ages and I will sit here and firmly wave my Team Shawmila flag until the end of time! Maybe the love gods are listening and will hear my plea: The world is a mess and we could really use some happiness in the form of Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello together.

What’s your verdict, friends? Are you a fan of these two? I mean, you can’t deny how deliciously catchy their songs are, can you? Plus, even the iconic Vogue is weighing in on the are-they-or-aren’t-they debate, asking the very important question: “Are Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello the Couple of Summer?” We may never know, but at the very least, watching their relationship unfold has made this old Millennial very, very, very happy! xoxo

My Essay on CNN Opinion: “Why Seinfeld Is Superior To Friends”

Seinfeld Seinfeld SeinfeldI’m beyond giddy that I got to write this ode to Seinfeld for CNN Opinion!! In honor of the show’s 30th anniversary, I shared how it was such a huge part of my teen years, the impact on pop culture…yada, yada, yada. This was a super fun one to write!! Turns out, the show about nothing was really about everything!!

My obsession with Jerry and his friends goes way, way back — we’re talking all the way back to the ’90s during the show’s heyday!! You see, for me, Seinfeld was never just a show. My family and I bonded over watching episodes together every night, over my mom’s classic dinner of chicken and white rice; to this day, those sense memories are still incredibly powerful.

Here’s an excerpt of the piece, in which I firmly assert that Seinfeld is far better than Friends could have ever hoped to be…

Where “Friends” is that show about a specific time in your life (your late 20s and early 30s), “Seinfeld’s” eccentric characters speak to all phases of life — and, as such, is the show I can always go back to, no matter how many years have passed. Once I aged out of that “Friends” demographic, I began to see the characters and their lives differently. In fact, I tried re-watching the series a couple years ago, and I couldn’t get beyond the first episode. They all seemed to spend so much time complaining about romantic relationships that would never amount to anything — and I just didn’t have patience for this kind of kvetching.

Indeed, the older I get, the more relatable “Seinfeld” becomes. Jerry and company were talking about the banalities of life that we all struggle with, like regifting and double dipping, ridiculous haircuts and close talkers.

While we may have wanted to be as cool and chic as Rachel Green in Friends, in reality, we were all much more similar to awkward Elaine from Seinfeld. If Rachel were a real person living in 2019, she would be an Instagram influencer posting her #OOTD full of #sponsored clothing from hip places like Madewell or J. Crew. If Elaine were a real person living in 2019, she would probably swear off social media.

SeinfeldAnd, yessss!!!! I’m watching the entire series again…not that there’s anything wrong with that!! I just started re-watching over the weekend and I’m almost done with season two, so that should give you a little idea about just how much I’m still obsessed with this show!!!

You can read the full piece here and I’d love to hear your thoughts. Feel free to email me anytime at mellow1422@aol.com and let’s chat! And of course, feel free to share my essay on Facebook, Twitter or even your local refrigerator. If you share on Twitter, be sure to tag me @melissablake so we can connect! I can’t wait to hear from you! Love you all… xoxo

My Essay on Family Minded: “The Best Moments to Expect From Netflix’s Baby-Sitters Club Reboot”

Baby-Sitters ClubSay hello to your friends (Baby-Sitters Club)
Say hello to the people who care
Nothing’s better than friends (Baby-Sitters Club)
‘Cause you know that your friends are always there

At long last, my ode to The Baby-Sitters Club is out in the world. This piece had quite the journey from pitch to publication! In March, it was accepted and then rejected by The Washington Post, so I retooled it a bit and then it found a home on Family Minded!! I’m so glad I didn’t give up on this one and it was such an honor to write about a series that was such a huge part of my childhood. So, fellow writers, NEVER GIVE UP on those stories you believe in!

Here’s an excerpt of the piece, in which I thoroughly analyze the world that Kristy and her friends live in and their rightful, prominent place in pop culture history…

No one in the group is the same, and there was a character for every personality type: There’s Kristy, whose bossy leadership skills helped The Baby-Sitters Club become the go-to sitting service in fictional Stoneybrook, Connecticut. There’s artistic Claudia and fashion-loving Stacey. Mary Anne is shy and reserved, while cool, California-bred Dawn is outgoing. And while Mallory prefers to spend the day reading, Jessi loves practicing her ballet routines.

Growing up, the series was such a defining part of my childhood, and it was the first series I remember that got my whole family involved, even before we started the first chapter. I’d bond with my father as he’d spend time with me at the library, helping me reach the BSC books and listening as I carefully debated the merits of each one to decide which one to check out.

I’d also bond with my mom every night, as I’d huddle under the covers and listen in wonder as she read each book aloud, usually asking her if we could read “just one more chapter” night after night.

Baby-Sitters Club
You can read the full piece here and I’d love to hear your thoughts. Feel free to email me anytime at mellow1422@aol.com and let’s chat! And of course, feel free to share my essay on Facebook, Twitter or even your local refrigerator. If you share on Twitter, be sure to tag me @melissablake so we can connect! I can’t wait to hear from you! Love you all… xoxo