Kane’s Favorite Things Week of 3/20/15

This week features a classic fight movie you can watch right here, a song that gives me the warm fuzzies, a reminder of courage and one act of kindness that changed the lives of an entire basketball team.

That’s Paco on the left 😉

Movies:
One of my Hooligans has recently taken an interest in Capoeira, a style of Brazilian martial arts that combines music, dance and acrobatics in a series of complex, high speed, rhythmic moves. It just so happens that one of my favorite “not Steven Seagal” fight movies is Only the Strong. Staring Mark Dacascos and my very first Hollywood crush, Paco Christian Prieto, Only the Strong is the story of an Ex-Special Forces soldier who returns to his former high school only to find it overrun with drugs and violence. In an experimental program, Louis Stevens takes 12 of the worst kids under his wing, using Capoeira to teach them discipline and self respect. Silverio, the local drug lord, also an expert in Capoeira, isn’t too thrilled and an all out war ensues. As far as I can tell, Only the Strong is the only feature film ever made showcasing this unique fighting style. Netflix doesn’t stream it, BUT, you don’t even have to leave this page to watch it for yourself. The entire, uncut, full length film is available on Youtube. Here it is! Enjoy 🙂

Music:
Discovered this song recently and fell in love. It has a very special place in my heart.

 

Books:
*le sigh* Still haven’t had a chance to read anything. Still waiting on The C.E.O. and I’m getting pretty antsy for an update from Lora Leigh. I did one-click a few Claire C. Riley books though. She’s a Best Selling British horror writer who comes highly recommended by quite a few of my favorite authors, so I’m anxious to get started! Besides, we share the same affinity for Cadbury Cream Eggs 🙂

Fashion:
This week’s fashion fave is a bracelet that was given to me shortly after the passing of my dearest friend Ruby Knight. It has been almost two years, and I still find myself reaching for the phone to call her. I wear this bracelet any time I need to remind myself of the strength and courage Mrs. Ruby swore she saw in me.

Epic:
I love inspirational stories and this one is hard to beat. Sometimes all it takes is just one act of kindness to change the course of someone’s life. This story does that for an entire basketball team.

“At a Gainesville, Texas, juvenile correction facility for felony offenders, one of the few perks, for very good behavior, is a chance to leave the prison a few times a year to play basketball. Steve Hartman reports on the surprise awaiting the Gainesville Tornadoes, who usually have no cheering fans, when they visited Vanguard College Prep in Waco.”

Kane’s Favorite Things Week of 1/26/15

I know, I’m late. So sorry!! Hectic weekend spilled over, and there was definitely a case of The Mondays at Castle Kane.

This week features new boots, an old movie and some special art work.

Music:
Shattered Dreams was inspired by a Rascal Flatts song, so it was really easy to put together a playlist for the book. Shattered Lies on the other hand, wasn’t so easy. During the first draft of SD, I wasn’t even sure Tori would get a book. But the more I dove into her character, the more I realized the girl had layers. Yeah, she’s a selfish narcissist. But she’s also damaged. So, I was scrolling through the ole Facebook feed, and one of my best friends shared a song. Stacy and I are pretty much cut from the same cloth, so I always watch the videos she posts. The title alone was enough to put me in Tori’s mind, but as the song continued, I realized that Stacy had just done what I could not. She found THE song for Shattered Lies. So here it is 🙂 “She Don’t Love You” by Eric Paslay

Movies:
Today’s movie is a throw back. We’ve all read the classic Romeo and Juliet. Most of us have probably seen two or three versions of it. My personal favorite is the 1996 version directed by Baz Luhrmann. First, I LOVE John Leguizamo, and second- Dagger. 

Who’s John Leguizamo? One of the funniest comedians in the history of ever! He’s the star of my personal favorite, The Pest, and his role in Romeo and Juliet was by far the best portrayal of Tybalt I have ever seen.

When the movie first came out, I was a teenager and too young to truly appreciate the genius and artistry of the symbols that were sort of “hidden in plain sight”. While the language and theme of the story remains faithful to the original, it is the symbols integrated into this modern interpretation that make it so powerful. Mercutio’s Dagger is the embodiment of that.

Romeo and Juliet is currently available on Netflix Streaming. I highly recommend you watch it, and keep an eye out for all the different symbols hidden in this modern portrayal of a classic tragedy. 

Books:
Last week I started looking for a new book to read in my free time. Unfortunately, what I was looking for I just couldn’t find. So I decided to reread one of my favorites- Loving Lies by Lora Leigh. On her Facebook page, Lora revealed the cover for Jazz’s book. I cannot tell you how excited I am about this. Loving Lies has been the single most influential book in my writing career, and I am so excited to hear that both Jazz and Zach will be getting their own books!! Click this link to see the cover and read a blurb for Wicked Lies.

Funny:
Easily one of my favorite songs and who doesn’t love watching cat videos?? Besides, I must pay homage to my favorite cat lover Amanda Afterdark 😉

Fashion:
Today’s fashion fave is brought to you by Closet Kane and an Amazon Goddess.
Love, love, LOVE boots, and this week, I added two more pair to my ever growing collection. It’s impossible to pick a favorite, but this is the pair I put on first.

I’m an Instagram addict, and one of my favorite pages belongs to McKinli Hatch. She is a professional fitness competitor and Amazon Goddess, with an amazing eye for fashion. She runs a blog and online store that are quickly becoming my favorite pages to visit. I love her print leggings and can’t seem to get enough of her cardigans and accessories. Check her out!

Epic:
Last Friday, my son brought home a drawing one of his friends made for me. It was such a sweet and thoughtful gift, I HAD to share it. One of my favorite shirts features that little phrase across the front. Thank you so much Pierce! I LOVE it!!!

Honorable Mention: 
A&E for their daily Criminal Minds marathons.