The only epic fail that is going to occur at this moment before I turn 30 is all the excess weight that I have been carrying for years. All attempts at dark humour aside, this “Epic Fail” T-shirt was given to me by my sister during Christmas 2011. I was over 17 stone 7 lbs (245 lbs or 111.13 kg) when I was a 19-year-old in actor’s training in IAFT. This shirt serves as a reminder of how far I have come from being a massive fatty in denial to an 11-stone-7.6-lb (161.6-lb or 73.3-kg) man with a lot of determination to live the slim life I consider myself entitled to. Therefore, the fact that my favourite shirt is getting loose on me signifies that I am proud to have lost the excess weight, but there is still a whole lot more excess weight for me to lose. I am fully aware that my lightest weight nine months ago was 11 stone 1 lb (155 lbs or 70.5 kg). I do feel really bad for falling off the wagon, but the good news is I am actually 12.57 lbs lighter than I was last year because I used to be 11 stone 13.57 lbs (167.57 lbs or 79 kg). There are some fringe benefits of maintaining my weight. Nevertheless, I do not want to rest on my laurels. My goal is to be between 9 to 10 stone (126 to 140 lbs or 57.1 to 63.5 kg), for this is still within the healthy weight range for a guy like me who stands at 5 feet 6.5 inches (1.69 metres) tall. I am determined to reach this weight and slim down even further. So what if cortisol screws me over. I am never going to give up on the slimmer me that I have been working towards for 2 years and 8 months. I may have lost a total of 5 stone 10 lbs (80 lbs or 36.3 kg) in those 2 years and 8 months, but my next goal is to lose another 1 stone 6 lbs (20 lbs or 9 kg). This means that I would reach my goal of losing a total of 7 stone 2 lbs (100 lbs or 45.4 kg). Reaching that legendary 100-lb weight loss mark would make me the happiest and healthiest person I should be. Anything more than a total of 100 lbs yet less than a total 115.75 lbs is great with me, as this would let me live the life of the slim gent I want to be. With that said, I have this to say to my excess weight. Fat off and don’t mess with my 30s. Cheers.
Antoni Garcia
Happy Four-Year DeviantArt Anniversary to me, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, and artists of all ages. It’s your old pal Antoni here, and I am very elated, happy, blessed, and joyous to have spent four years on DeviantArt making mostly fan art-related content for all of you. I know I was supposed to have released this on the actual day of my four-year DeviantArt anniversary, which was five days ago, but I had a lot of errands to attend to ranging from starting my new semester in university to pumping out more Inuyasha x Ayame or InuAya month content. Nevertheless, when it comes closing out the chaotic yet exciting decade in my life known as my twenties, I figured that I would compile thirty pieces of the work that I have done which have reflected me as a content creator, an artist, and as a person. I have selected pieces of fan art that revolve around my Inuyasha AU headcanon The Splendid Seven starring Sesshoumaru, Inuyasha, Ayame, Shuran, Hakkaku, Ginta, and Shunran and featuring Ichise, Ran, Kiba, and Cheza respectively from Texhnolyze and Wolf’s Rain as their best friends for life; my animated jungle brother AU headcanon starring George of the Jungle, Basuli, Tarzan, and Maugli and featuring Namontack, Kocoum, and Hercules as their husbands; my comic jungle brother AU headcanon starring the Dell Comics version of Tarzan, Kavandavanda, Malb’yat, and Arok and featuring Conan of Cimmeria, Ka-Zar, and Zula as their best friends for life; and Robin x Raven as well as Zuko x Katara who are my number one OTPs respectively from Teen Titans 2003 and Avatar: The Last Airbender on a double date. Therefore, the theme I have may be more than just having muscular warrior men flaunting their bulging muscles, but also the importance of strong family ties, unconditional love, and boundless allegiance to each other. The Splendid Seven: Seven Powerful Yokai Warriors, One Tightly Knit Family The Splendid Seven is at the forefront of my fan art-related content because I always believed that Sesshoumaru, Inuyasha, Ayame, Shuran, Hakkaku, Ginta, and Shunran deserved more genuine and animosity-free relationships, more formidability and unity as a septet of powerful Yokai warriors, and, most of all, a much better show than the one they had in canon. Besides, the less said about three certain pairings I despise the most which Sesshoumaru might have theoretically found himself in but Inuyasha and Ayame were not as fortunate to have ended up in, Inuyasha’s three fake friends and one abusive life partner who I truly abominate, the wasted potential the likes of Shuran, Hakkaku, Ginta, Ayame, and Shunran had as characters, and the animosity permeating between Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha the better. With every rewatch I have endeavoured myself with Inuyasha, I cannot help but keep reminding myself that Sesshoumaru, Inuyasha, Ayame, Shuran, Hakkaku, Ginta, and Shunran deserve so much better. Hence, having them team up in my AU headcanon was actually the best move I have ever made, and I have not looked back in the slightest. This started with my undying love for Inuyasha x Ayame and Ginta x Shunran as my number one Inuyasha OTPs of all time thanks to InuAya’s magnificent strength and GinShun’s charming lovability, and I have made their families grow, with InuAya receiving the lion’s share, but I hope to do more Ginta x Shunran art as well as have their family grow too. In fact, Inuyasha x Ayame and Ginta x Shunran are my main pairings in my Splendid Seven AU headcanon, with Sesshoumaru x Ayame as my liked pairing on an innocent crush basis as well as Shuran x Shunran and Hakkaku x Shunran also qualifying as innocent crushes. Combining their romantic love life was the fascination I had with Sesshoumaru’s and Inuyasha’s strong brotherly bond; Shuran’s, Hakkaku’s, and Ginta’s durable brotherhood; Sesshoumaru’s, Shuran’s, and Hakkaku’s formidable bond as a brotherly trio; Inuyasha’s and Ginta’s supportive bond as a brotherly duo, and Ayame’s and Shunran’s unconditionally loving sisterhood. Taking it up a notch, I also made Shuran, Hakkaku, and Ginta Sesshoumaru’s and Inuyasha’s adoptive brothers, thus being raised by Toga the Dog General, InuKimi, and Izayoi, and Shunran Ayame’s adoptive younger sister, thus being raised by The Wolf Elder. It is even worth mentioning that Hakkaku and Ginta have a lot more edge to their characterisation, thus gaining in formidability, resilience, and toughness in stark comparison to their canon portrayal in the show and in the manga. Even better is having Inuyasha being raised by Ayame’s grandfather and the Wolf Yokai warriors of the North, South, East, and West as a means to grow into a full-fledged Yokai warrior, grow from rambunctious boy to a muscular warrior of a man, and be the strong husband he is meant to be for Ayame, thus being a strong leader to The Splendid Seven and to the Northern Yoro Tribe alongside Ayame. Extending from this would be The Splendid Seven’s strong and supportive friendship with Kuranosuke Takeda, Hiten, Toran, Ayumi, and Karan which is just as rich and tightly knit as well as the strongest friendship they have with Ichise, Kiba, Ran, and Cheza, in which The Splendid Seven and The Fine Four join forces as The Excellent Eleven, and the former would be just as supportive of Ichise’s and Ran’s as well as Kiba’s and Cheza’s romantic relationships. All of these interpersonal strengths would also hold up when Sesshoumaru, Inuyasha, Ayame, Shuran, Hakkaku, Ginta, Shunran, Ichise, Ran, Kiba, Kiba, and Cheza start their own families, with Sesshoumaru being a single dad to three loving daughters and four courageous sons, Shuran being a single dad to seven fierce sons, Hakkaku being a single dad to seven appreciative daughters, Inuyasha and Ayame being parents to seven strong sons and seven determined daughters, Ginta and Shunran being parents to seven handsome sons and seven charming daughters, Ichise and Ran being parents to seven stealthy sons and seven knowledgable daughters, and Kiba and Cheza being parents to seven stoic…
Hey, everybody. Antoni here. I have just hit a new DeviantArt milestone, as I have reached exactly 600 watchers. I also want to extend my joy and gratitude to ForkDork, SportyArtist, Aurinn-N, pink-hudy, Inumaru101, Jupitrie, Rikakittie, nagellackentferner, niziolek, amethyst-rose, yellowberries, jasric, wtfisabluecornmoon, PourSomeSugarOnMeee, Hillygon, FEN-OSHI, Da-Chiko-Muffin, Meggie94, hyuniinyu, jolabrodnica, BechnoKid, MariusWales, Gothica9, PurfectPrincessGirl, Brzozan, RoperMachi, MushyBee, TheGalacticDragon, X-Vintage–Owl-X, ArtRemaker4000, BluThing67, richardhibbard, MagaMoonkyArt210, SpiritMiserably, selma11, chikisingergrl, TheBenAlpha, DontbeModest, Danigthssj5, propimol, and Beanie122001 who celebrated their birthdays over a week ago all the way up to today, thus making my fan art collage also a birthday gift to all of you wonderful artists. I hope you all had wonderful birthdays, and I wish you a lot of love, joy, prosperity, abundance, happiness, beauty, and strength in your lives as artists and as people. Since this is the month of love, I thought it would be appropriate that my fan art collage shall focus on my beloved OTPs (Namontack x Basuli, Kocoum x Tarzan, Poison Ivy x Harley Quinn, Inuyasha x Ayame, Ginta x Shunran, Ichise x Ran, Kiba x Cheza, Kohaku x Rin, Chase Young x Kimiko Tohomiko, Arnold x Phoebe, Gerald x Rhonda, Robin x Raven, Zuko x Katara, Beast Boy x Terra, and Kevin Levin x Gwen Tennyson), romantic multi-shippings (Basuli x Hercules x Tarzan, George of the Jungle x Hercules x Maugli, Namontack x George of the Jungle, Kocoum x Maugli, and George of the Jungle x Hercules x Maugli), platonically fraternal relationships (Sesshoumaru, Shuran, and Hakkaku; George of the Jungle, Basuli, Tarzan, and Maugli; and Namontack, Kocoum, and Hercules), and families (The Splendid Seven consisting of Sesshoumaru, Shuran, Inuyasha, Hakkaku, Ginta, Ayame, and Shunran; The Super Strong Jungle Septet consisting of Namontack, Kocoum, Hercules, George of the Jungle, Basuli, Tarzan, and Maugli; The Pensive Quartet consisting of Ichise, Kiba, Ran, and Cheza; and The Fabulous Four consisting of Robin, Zuko, Raven, and Katara). Let us all soak in love that comes in both platonic and romantic forms. George of the Jungle, Basuli, Tarzan, and Maugli aka Chief Keewazi’s four most beloved sons are really fortunate to have life partners in Namontack, Kocoum, and Hercules, especially since Basuli and Tarzan are happily married to Namontack and Kocoum, although all of these muscular jungle warriors are in a collectively polyamorous relationship; with Basuli and Tarzan also loving Hercules unconditionally as well as George and Maugli being just as loving towards Namontack, Kocoum and even Hercules. Hercules has also inherited his father Zeus’s virile charisma and charm, as he considers Namontack, Kocoum, George of the Jungle, Basuli, Tarzan, and Maugli to be his happily wedded husbands, thus making a handsome harem for himself that is rife with unconditional love, surprisingly healthy synergy, and gorgeous harmony. Even their progeny love living in a home where there are a whopping seven fathers. Zeus, Chief Powhatan, and Chief Keewazi could not have been any happier with their sons. The Splendid Seven was the result of forming character constellations of my seven most favourite Inuyasha characters; Sesshoumaru, Inuyasha, Ayame, Shuran, Hakkaku, Ginta, and Shunran. I always believed they deserved so much better. So, why not bring them together to be akin to one tight-knit family? And it worked. Take my main BroT3 in Sesshoumaru, Shuran, and Hakkaku as well as my two main OTPs in Inuyasha x Ayame and Ginta x Shunran and you get The Splendid Seven who can kick demons’ butts one moment and be united as one family the next. Adding in their children, including Kohaku and Rin, would make their family even more complete as well as prolong their mighty bloodline. They are also adaptable in various scenarios whether in their native Feudal Era Japan or in the modern twenty-first-century era or as jungle warrior kings and queens. However, my most favourite scenario for The Splendid Seven would be having them as jungle warriors because this gives them the opportunity to let their feral sides loose, especially when Sesshoumaru, Shuran, Inuyasha, Hakkaku, and Ginta give Tarzan’s might a run for his money and Ayame and Shunran can put Sheena’s fierceness to shame. Hopefully, I could make The Splendid Seven adapt to the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers universe by having them be the Inurangers, but that is another story. My love for Texhnolyze and Wolf’s Rain as some of my most favourite anime series of all time has also motivated me to be a loyal Ichise x Ran and Kiba x Cheza partisan. Love these couples or feel indifferent to them, they have always sealed the deal for me as genuine couples with boundless chemistry. Furthermore, the notion of Ichise, Kiba, Ran, and Cheza being best friends, allies, and surrogate family members to Sesshoumaru, Inuyasha, Ayame, Shuran, Hakkaku, Ginta, and Shunran was also really appealing to the point where I felt very compelled to have them this way. I am ecstatic to have kept these two couples and these four individuals close to my heart. Going beyond my usual fare of talking about anything and everything related to Inuyasha, Texhnolyze, and Wolf’s Rain plus my Disney’s Tarzan AU headcanon where I made George, Basuli, Tarzan, and Maugli brothers who are happily married to Namontack, Kocoum, and Hercules, I also have to mention the undeniable love I have for Poison Ivy x Harley Quinn from Batman the Animated Series, Arnold x Phoebe and Gerald x Rhonda from Hey Arnold; Robin x Raven and Beast Boy x Terra from Teen Titans 2003; Zuko x Katara from Avatar the Last Airbender, and Kevin x Gwen from Ben 10: Alien Force. Long story short, I have been pairing these couples ever since I was a little kid of seven years old with the Hey Arnold ones, especially Arnold x Phoebe, until I was a youth between the ages of eleven and sixteen with the rest of the couples. Regardless of the many occasions I would have loved to draw them, they have always found a special place in my heart. I also want to extend my…
Hello, everybody. Since I enjoyed writing about the “It’s a Wonderful Lie”-inspired episode so much, I thought it would be a pleasure to give you all the complete version, “Your Lying Heart” from L.A. Dynasty which would have aired on NBC on May 7, 2001. This episode would be directed by Benny Medina, produced by Karyn Parsons and Tatyana Ali, and the executive producers would Andy Borowitz and Susan Borowitz. Cast Jonathan McDaniel aka Lil J as Jay McDaniel Mark Dacascos as Gregory “Uncle Greg” Perez Candace Kita as Josephine “Aunt Jo” Perez Idris Elba as Michael Wellington David Yost as Howard McDonald Amy Jo Johnson as Kristen Carter Walter Emanuel Jones as Tyler James Thuy Trang as Rose Hyunh Austin St. John as Justin Ramirez Adrienne Bailon as Amanda Louisa Perez Tahj Mowry as Chase Eleazar Perez Antoni Matteo Garcia as Antony Mark Perez Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. aka Lil Wayne as Wayne Charlotte Church as Carla Covington Molly Orr as Amy Ashlie Brillault as Tracy Arjay Smith as Grant Kyle J. Downes as Cole Taylor Negron as Sylvester (Interior. Perez family kitchen. JAY is speaking with CARLA on the telephone.) JAY: Carla, hey, girl. I know I talked to you two minutes ago, but I missed you. (Meanwhile, out on the front porch, CHASE is being chased by the family bulldog, LUCIUS, who attacks CHASE.) CHASE (screaming): Lucius, no! Lucius! (LUCIUS growls.) JAY: Hey, Chase, I’m on the phone, I’ll be out in a sec. CHASE: Lucius, down! (CHASE is tackling LUCIUS but to no avail. LUCIUS overpowers CHASE.) CHASE: No! Lucius, down! JAY: Yeah, Carla, you know I love you, baby. (CHASE is grunting and screaming.) CHASE: Lucius! JAY: Yes, I love you. All right, so, I’ll see you tonight? All right. Bye. (LUCIUS has some pieces of CHASE’S fabric on his mouth. CHASE enters the kitchen with his clothes in tatters.) JAY: Oh, so, Chase, what did you want? (Theme song and opening credits to L.A. Dynasty play.) (Interior. The PEREZ family kitchen. SYLVESTER the painter is angling how the PEREZ family is seated, with sketchbook and paintbrush in hand, while GREGORY, JOSEPHINE, JAY, CHASE, AMANDA, and ANTONY are eating breakfast consisting of fruits, pancakes, cereal, eggs, bacon, a pitcher of orange juice, and a pitcher of mineral water.) SYLVESTER (approaching JAY and leans towards him): Stop. Don’t move. Let me see you caress that sweet maple syrup with your tongue. JAY: Why don’t you let me see you caress a Mentos with your tongue? (Cut to ANTONY eating a piece of pancake, with AMANDA giving ANTONY a small smile as she is eating.) SYLVESTER (to JAY): When you are angry, your entire face, it has such character. JAY: Well, look, why don’t you get up out of my character while I’m eating. (SYLVESTER stands up erect, as he has a brilliant idea.) SYLVESTER: I must rush to the easel while the hostility is still fresh! (SYLVESTER exits the kitchen to the direction of the living room.) ANTONY: Dad, Mom, why do we have to do a family portrait anyway? JOSEPHINE: We’re in transition, sweetheart. GREGORY: And we want a portrait to capture us as we are before we drift apart. (Beat. GREGORY and JOSEPHINE turn their attention towards AMANDA.) GREGORY: By the way, Amanda, what are you doing here? (AMANDA is about to take a sip off her glass of orange juice.) AMANDA: Well, it’s so dark at my house. None of the lights work. JAY: Amanda, you have to have power turned on. Call the electric company. AMANDA: Well, I tried, but the phone doesn’t work. (MICHAEL approaches GREGORY and JOSEPHINE from behind with two fresh glasses of orange juice for them.) MICHAEL: Sir, madam. About this portrait…Am I to be involved? GREGORY (receiving the glass of orange juice.): Well, I don’t know. JOSEPHINE: I suppose, when it’s finished, you’ll dust it. (MICHAEL departs from the kitchen.) ANTONY: Dad, Mom, I hope Sylvester’s not painting it tonight because I’m meeting up with my friends at the video arcade. CHASE: Yes, and I’m going to a Young Entrepreneurs’ Conference. (The PEREZ family continue to eat breakfast.) (Cross-fade to the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts cafeteria where students are passing by, having lunch, and chatting. COLE is passing flyers for an upcoming party.) COLE (approaching JAY and who is managing the cafeteria stall and GRANT who is looking at today’s specials.): Hey, hey. So, you guys know about this party, right? JAY: Oh, yeah, yeah. Dude, you know, everybody knows about that big party. COLE: All right, cool. All right. (COLE exits.) JAY (to GRANT): Yo, man, how come I don’t know about that party? GRANT: You out of the mix, bro. You’re married. JAY: Whoa, wait a minute, just because I got a girl, don’t mean I can’t hang out with my brothas. GRANT: Hey, cool, but be warned, there’s gonna be babes and honeys up in there. Girls be swarming like bees. JAY: Let them swarm on back ‘cuz I got the queen. GRANT: Okay, but once the party starts buzzing, you’re gonna wish your stinger was free. JAY: All right, hold on, hold on, hold on. The honey is always sweeter at the hive. (GRANT rolls his eyes while smiling.) GRANT: Now, you now that bees pollinate from flower to flower. JAY: Oh, yes, sir, but once they start pollinating, then they…Happen…Uh…Hey, can we just talk, please? GRANT: Fine, fine, but if you ask me, bud, I think you need to dump those pair of handcuffs. (As GRANT is saying this, CARLA enters the cafeteria.) GRANT: Hey, Carla! Girl, you…
Hello, ladies, gentlemen, and fellow devotees of anything and everything from the 1990s. Antoni, here. If you remembered the previous post of the “It’s a Wonderful Lie”-inspired scene’s second part, you would have noticed that this scene would have been significant to me if I had grown up as a child actor of the late 1990s to the early 2000s. This scene would not have been important for me in the role of Antony, but also for my supposed co-stars consisting of David Yost, Amy Jo Johnson, Walter Emanuel Jones, Thuy Trang, and Austin St. John who would have played my cousins/legal guardians. It would have worked in these ways. First, it would have sealed my fate as a young actor who could handle serious, tender, and dramatic moments at such a young age, even at 9 years old. Secondly, this would have demonstrated that David Yost, Amy Jo Johnson, Walter Emanuel Jones, Thuy Trang, and Austin St. John were more than just the original five Power Rangers, but had actual talent as actors. Thirdly, this would have also been important for Thuy Trang, considering her tragic and untimely passing back on September 3, 2001, as she would have been the light of the entire show. If I were to have performed this scene akin to Ashley being reprimanded by both Uncle Phil and Aunt Viv, I would have found myself in quite the interesting situation. Consider this. If I were to switch the clock back to 2001, I would have been a 9-year-old child actor gaining acclaim as the intellectual, verbose, and rather impetuous Antony Perez from the Lil J’-headed sitcom L.A. Dynasty which would have been the multiracial, multiethnic late 90s, early 2000s counterpart to The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. While Lil’ J would have been the fresh-faced young teen star to receive his own sitcom, especially since it would have also aired on NBC and also helmed by Quincy Jones, Benny Medina, Andy and Susan Borowitz, Karyn Parsons, Will Smith, Alfonso Ribeiro, and Tatyana Ali taking on behind-the-camera roles, viewers, critics, and fans would have highlighted my performance as Antony as somebody who stole the show from the older cast members’ feet. Most of the acclaim would have been attributed that I would have started the show at only 6 years old and would have wrapped up when I was 10 years old. This would even get to the point where I would have been deemed as a child star following in Macaulay Culkin’s, Christina Ricci’s, Mickey Rooney’s, and Shirley Temple’s footsteps with the potential to have a successful career in the spotlight according to film and television critics thanks to my precocious charm and innocent wit. While my character would have started out as a sweet, caring, loving kid genius of 6 years old, he would metamorphosed into a mouthier and more impetuous boy of 9 years old while maintaining his intellect, although he would use it to try to get his way. Career-wise, I would have also been nominated for Emmys, Kids Choice Awards, and Teen Choice Awards for my performance as Antony, especially in the rising star category. Roles such as this would have sealed my fate as a child star who specialised in portraying wiz kids who are much smarter than their age. This would have eventually changed as I came of age. The chemistry between me and my five co-stars/screen cousins David Yost as Howard, Amy Jo Johnson as Kristen, Walter Emanuel Jones as Tyler, Thuy Trang as Rose, and Austin St. John ass Justin would have been just as integral in terms of making this particular scene worth remembering. Lest I forget about the contribution of what Mark Dacascos as Gregory “Uncle Greg” and Candace Kita as Josephine “Aunt Jo” would have offered as my screen parents. Imagine traveling back to 2001. I would have been a 9-year-old child actor surrounded by a towering martial arts star known for his fierceness playing my father, an actress/model who cut such an impressive physique playing my mother who was also well-known for playing another mother figure on Masked Rider, and the five original Power Rangers playing my cousins. My little 9-year-old mind would have thought that I need to be great for these people, for I have been fans of their works ever since I was a little toddler and would consider acting alongside a dream come true. Well, this is where the dream would have come to fruition. Considering that my character got in trouble for lying to his parents and his cousins/legal guardians, I would have been extremely trepidated by Mark, Candace, David, Amy Jo, Walter, Thuy, and Austin, thus having my knees shake both from fear and just trying to get it together but also wanting their approval. The remorse would have been legitimate considering how Mark and Candace as my screen parents would have vehemently scolded me and David, Amy Jo, Walter, Thuy, and Austin came down on me in a more logical and calm manner as a counterpoint to the former. Just as I was about to walk upstairs and the five of them call my character’s name, I come to them for the hug almost as rehearsed, with Amy Jo coming in first, Thuy coming in second, and then David, Walter, and, finally, Austin. However, the tears would have been just as legitimate both from my end and from their end. This final moment would have been the combination of Uncle Phil hugging Will at the end of “Papa’s Got a Brand New Excuse” and Aunt Viv hugging Ashley near the end of “It’s a Wonderful Lie”. Even as the director, Benny Medina, said cut, I would have still found myself hugging Amy Jo, Thuy, David, Walter, and Austin while weeping profusely, thus having the five of them comfort me and be just as tearful as I would have been. They would have also told me, “You did really well, little buddy. We’re all very proud of…
Ladies, gentlemen, and fellow devotees of anything and everything from the 1990s. This is the moment you have all been waiting for if you were travel back to 2001 and tune into your televisions right now. The final scene where Antony returns home after he ran away for a rather short period of time only for Jay to find him in the pool house. Just like what happened to the family, Amanda (Adrienne Bailon), Jay (Jonathan McDaniel aka Lil J’), and Chase (Tahj Mowry) find themselves in a wild goose chase, with Amanda on the wheel, looking for Antony even to the point when Jay calls Carla (Charlotte Church), asking her if Antony is with her. Even Michael (Idris Elba) makes attempts to call the police regarding Antony’s disappearance. The news that Antony is still missing is enough to put Uncle Greg (Mark Dacascos), Aunt Jo (Candace Kita), Howard (David Yost), Kristen (Amy Jo Johnson), Tyler (Walter Emanuel Jones), Rose (Thuy Trang), and Justin (Austin St. John) in a huge state of worry. Jay even gets blamed by Uncle Greg and Aunt Jo for allowing this to happen to Antony with Chase making Uncle Greg and Aunt Jo listen to Amanda’s and Jay’s statements on the both of them being too strict. At least Amanda and Jay try to wring the tape recorder out from Chase. As stated before, Jay finally finds Antony in the pool house. Antony even states that, although he did run away, the Los Angeles streets were far too crazy a 9-year-old boy like him. Just like his dad and mom, he even blames Jay”telling on his parents and cousins about it”. Uncle Jay, Aunt Jo, Howard, Kristen, Tyler, Rose, and Justin would not have found out about the party if it were not for Jay. Jay even states to Antony that senior high school boys are akin to predators who take advantage of innocent little children if they are not cautious, especially when their targets are 126-pound pre-tween boys. Antony would retort by stating that he weighs 124 pounds and is not as innocent as he looks, although he admits that he is. Jay then leads Antony to the family living room to finally face his parents and his cousins/legal guardians. Uncle Jay, Aunt Jo, Howard, Kristen, Tyler, Rose, Justin, Jay, and Antony wear the same attire as they did in the previous scene. Amanda is in a black silk dress shirt, black dress pants, and black high-heeled shoes while Chase is in a light blue polo shirt, a grey wool vest, dark grey pants, white and black golf shoes. (The Perez Family Living Room. AMANDA is seated on an armchair in the left. HOWARD, KRISTEN, JUSTIN, ROSE, and TYLER are seated on the sofa in the centre. CHASE is seated on another armchair in the right. GREGORY and JOSEPHINE are pacing around. They are all nervously anticipating ANTONY’S return. JAY enters the living room with ANTONY looking down with remorse, unsure if he is going to face his family.) JAY: Hey, everybody, look what I found. (GREGORY, JOSEPHINE, HOWARD, KRISTEN, JUSTIN, ROSE, TYLER, AMANDA, and CHASE glance at JAY and ANTONY. Knowing what is going to occur between GREGORY, JOSEPHINE, HOWARD, KRISTEN, TYLER, ROSE, JUSTIN, and ANTONY, AMANDA and CHASE depart from the living room in a huff.) KRISTEN (at ANTONY): Are you all right? ANTONY (hesitantly): Yeah, I…I’m all right. (GREGORY is sighing with relief while still angry at ANTONY. JOSEPHINE comforts him.) JAY: Now, we got a volatile situation here. A cannonball if you will. A mishandling of this situation could have repercussions that will reverberate forever. GREGORY: Justin, call your brother and tell him that he’s about to lose a close relative. JOSEPHINE: Indeed. Kristen you do the same and call your sister to tell her the same thing. JAY: Imma call them myself. (JAY departs from the living room, as ANTONY steps forward. He looks down in fear of what is going to occur. GREGORY and JOSEPHINE approach ANTONY.) GREGORY: Look. We can ground you forever. We could put bars on your windows. We could put locks on your doors. JOSEPHINE: Furthermore, we can deprive you of your allowance and bar you from any activity you would have participated in. ANTONY: Mom, dad– GREGORY, JOSEPHINE (in unison): Don’t “mom, dad” us! GREGORY: Do you have any idea what you put this family through?! Running around with God knows what with God knows who! ANTONY: If I had asked you, you wouldn’t have let me go. JOSEPHINE: Exactly! You are nine years old! You have no business at a party with junior and senior high school boys! ANTONY: All my friends were there! GREGORY, JOSEPHINE (in unison): Your friends don’t live here! (GREGORY and JOSEPHINE compose and calm themselves down.) GREGORY: We can’t do this. JOSEPHINE (at HOWARD, KRISTEN, JUSTIN, ROSE, and TYLER still sitting on the couch): You five talk to your cousin. We’re done. (GREGORY and JOSEPHINE depart from the living room to the direction of the dining hall. ANTONY paces forward to HOWARD, KRISTEN, JUSTIN, ROSE, and TYLER on the couch.) ANTONY: You all hate me. (HOWARD turns towards ANTONY.) HOWARD: Antony, if that were true, we wouldn’t care when you did something foolish like this. (GREGORY re-enters the living room stamping and raging while HOWARD, KRISTEN, JUSTIN, ROSE, and TYLER look demurely.) GREGORY: What you have to understand is that we know what’s best for you! It may not seem like it now, but one day you’ll understand that! End of discussion! (GREGORY exits the living room and heads to the stairs. ANTONY peers if his father is returning and moves one step forward towards his cousins/legal guardians on the couch.) ANTONY: Guys, don’t you understand? TYLER: Yes, we understand. ROSE: We understand you…
All right, ladies, gentlemen, and fellow devotees of anything and everything from the 1990s. Here is the moment you have all been waiting for. The first scene of the “It’s a Wonderful Lie”-inspired episode I would have loved to find myself in if I were back in the 90s to the early 2000s as a rising child star. Seeing that this episode would have been filmed and aired back in early 2001, I figured this would have been the first moment that I would have enjoyed performing in. As for the show’s and the episode’s names, the show would have been christened as L.A. Dynasty with Lil J’ rapping the theme song while the episode would have been called “Your Lying Heart”. I would also like to bring up L.A. Dynasty’s version of Geoffrey the Butler who would have been played Idris Elba, be christened as Michael Wellington, and be just as sardonic, sassy, brash, and flash as Joseph Marcell if not a whole lot sassier than Marcell. For those of you who remember the scene where Ashley gets dragged home by Will and is confronted by Uncle Phil and Aunt Viv where she actually was, i.e. instead of ice-skating she was kissing a linebacker at a college party, you will remember how the scene ends with Uncle Phil and Aunt Viv demanding that Ashley go up to her room and think about what she has done while Will interjected that the guy Ashley was kissing not a fullback but a linebacker. Even before this scene, Will has even lied to his girlfriend Lisa that he had basketball practice before finding out what was actually going on. Just as Will is about to fetch Lisa’s jacket in the bedroom, he finds out that Ashley was making out with a college linebacker. Where my character Antony is concerned, he states to his parents and cousins/legal guardians that he is going to the arcade with his friends, but is actually going to a party hosted by junior and senior high school students at Aristotle Academy’s common room, which is the same one Jay (Jonathan McDaniel aka Lil’ J) is going to and where his girlfriend Carla (Charlotte Church) ends up confronting him about his lie about partaking in a basketball game. Just as Carla demands that Jay fetch her jacket in the backroom, he finds not one, not two, not three, but four high school jocks leaving the premises. One muscular jock is tan-skinned with brown hair by the name of Hercules. The second is fair-skinned, orange-haired, and more muscular than Hercules by the name of Ares. The third is also tan-skinned, silver-haired, blue-eyed, and muscular by the name of Triton. The fourth and final one is lean and fair-skinned with jet black hair by the name of Hermes. After the four of them scramble out of the backroom, Antony comes out, as Jay screams, “LITTLE BOY, NO!” You can only guess what Antony, a 9-year-old sixth-grader, was doing with four 18-year-old senior high-schoolers. Antony then gets dragged home by Jay and Carla, who are still arguing while he is screaming to Jay that he is not a little boy anymore. Jay sardonically exclaims to Carla that she should explain to him what these high school parties are about. Carla even exclaims to him that, in junior and senior high school parties, there are a bunch of pathetic guys who want to take advantage of anybody naive. The first scene with my character, my cousin/surrogate older brother Jay (Jonathan McDaniel aka Lil’ J), my parents Gregory “Uncle Greg” and Josephine “Aunt Jo” (Mark Dacasos and Candace Kita), and my cousins/legal guardians Howard, Kristen, Tyler, Rose, and Justin (David Yost, Amy Jo Johnson, Walter Emanuel Jones, Thuy Trang, and Austin St. John) ensues after Carla leaves, and it takes place in the Perez mansion, specifically in the family kitchen. My character Antony wears a black sweatshirt with blue jeans and black sneakers. Jay wears a white and blue jacket, khaki pants, and silver sneakers. Gregory wears a purple sweater, beige pants, and brown leather shoes. Josephine is in a magenta dress shirt, white dress pants, and gold high-heeled shoes. Howard is in blue, Kristen is in pink, Tyler is in black with a purple vest, Rose is in yellow with a black and gold vest, and Justin is in a red sleeveless shirt just like the clothes David Yost, Amy Jo Johnson, Walter Emanuel Jones, Thuy Trang, and Austin St John wore in the “Five a Day” commercial. JAY: Antony! Listen! I am not playing with you, boy, now what is your problem? ANTONY: It is none of your business, Jay! JAY: Oh, I find my 9-year-old little brother from another mother locked in the backroom with a linebacker, a weightlifter, a swimmer, and a triathlete and that ain’t none of my business? (GREGORY and JOSEPHINE enter the kitchen, overhearing what JAY exclaimed to ANTONY, and they are not pleased, given their icy glares at JAY and ANTONY. JAY and ANTONY turn to see GREGORY and JOSEPHINE glaring at them.) JAY: Hey, peeps. (GREGORY and JOSEPHINE still do not say a word and are still glaring angrily.) JAY (hesitantly): Um. We was just talking about a movie we had just seen. Um. The movie. It was about four athletes and a high school. You know, and Philip Seymour Hoffman played the coach. GREGORY and JOSEPHINE: Shut up, Jay! JAY: Is that the family room? (JAY departs from the kitchen and goes to the PEREZ family living room. ANTONY is glancing down and shaking nervously, as GREGORY and JOSEPHINE still glare at him. ANTONY knows he is caught red-handed.) JOSEPHINE: All right, young man, out with it. ANTONY: All right. I didn’t go to the arcade. I went to a party. And, yes, I was with four guys, but I was just touching their muscles– GREGORY: You have no…
Hello, everybody. Antoni, here. Ever since I have been watching and rewatching The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, I thought to myself, what if I were a child actor from the mid to late 1990s to the early 2000s who was also more than thirty to fifty pounds lighter than when I was a child? This thought sprung forth as I was watching Fresh Prince of Bel-Air’s “It’s a Wonderful Lie” on repeat as well as the “5 A Day” commercial starring David Yost as Billy, Amy Jo Johnson as Kimberley, Walter Emanuel Jones as Zack, Thuy Trang as Trini, and Austin St. John as Jason. As for the whole child actor of the 90s to 2000s deal, I would have found myself playing the intellectual yet impish youngest child, Antony, of the Perez family with Mark Dacasos as my father Gregory, Candace Kita as my mother Josephine, David; Amy Jo; Walter; Thuy; and Austin as my cousins/legal guardians Howard, Kristen, Tyler, Rose, and Justin, Jason David Frank and Catherine Sutherland as Austin’s older brother Jordan and Amy Jo’s younger sister Caitlin, Adrienne Bailon as my eldest sister Amanda, Jonathan McDaniel aka Lil J’ as my cousin/surrogate elder brother Jay, and Tahj Mowry as my second elder brother Chase. Therefore, I would have been the Ashley Banks to Mark’s and Candace’s Uncle Phil, David’s; Amy Jo’s; Walter’s; Thuy’s; and Austin’s Aunt Viv, Jason’s and Catherine’s Aunt Vy, Adrienne’s Hilary, Jonathan’s Will, and Tahj’s Carlton, thus making Jonathan aka Lil’ J the main star of the show, having it be a multiracial and multiethnic late 90s/early 2000s version of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air still set in Los Angeles, and airing on NBC just like its predecessor from 1998 to 2002. Furthermore, Quincy Jones, Benny Medina, Andy and Susan Borowitz, and even Will Smith and Alfonso Ribeiro would have had a hand at making this show come to fruition. Although Lil J’, character name Jay, would be the show’s main star as a relative who ends up living with a wealthy multiethnic family and becomes integrated in high society while pulling off his set of hijinks, my character, Antony, would begin the show as a dutiful, respectful, prodigious, and intellectual youngest son who is smart beyond his years and is so loving towards his parents, his cousins/legal guardians, and his surrogate elder brother while being peeved yet inwardly loving towards his eldest sister and his elder brother. Out of all his family members, Antony would have the closest relationship with his cousins/legal guardians Howard, Kristen, Tyler, Rose, and Justin, who are also college students training to become teachers, because, whenever Antony’s dad and mom have to deal with Amanda’s materialism, Jay’s shenanigans, and Chase’s high and mighty attitude, he would always flock to them for advice and a lot of unconditional love. Antony might have begun the show as an inquisitive second-grader of 6 years old, but in the “It’s a Wonderful Lie”-inspired episode, which would have aired back in 2001, he would be a mouthier 9-year-old sixth grader with an attitude as well as ambitions of becoming an R&B star. Just because Antony ended up skipping grades because of his prodigious intellect did not mean he was emotionally mature as proven by this episode. I hope you enjoyed this basic picture of how this is going to unfold. Stay tuned for the real thing, everybody.
El Gran Señor Placido Domingo takes on another iconic Verdi baritone role with a cavalcade of great soloists! Enjoy the review and let me know your opinions as well.
Short answer. These young ladies have a bright future ahead of them. Long answer. Tune into this review.