Private Parties, Purple Rain Style! #atozchallenge #atoz #superbowl #halftime #movies

“I never meant to cause you any sorrow. I never meant to cause you any pain. I only wanted to see you laughing. I only wanted to see you laughing in that purple rain”

“Purple Rain” by Prince is always welcome whenever and wherever I’m listening to music -- that could be in the bathroom, while working on the computer and during bedtime. Although I haven’t seen Prince in concert, I did enjoy watching his Superbowl XLI Halftime Show, in 2007. Those who remember this particular football game featuring the Indianapolis Colts vs. Chicaco Bears may also recall the rainy weather everyone endured at Dolphin Stadium in Miami, Florida.

Prince closed out his Superbowl performance that day with none other than “Purple Rain” -- singing and playing his guitar in the Miami downpour, amidst an enthusiastic crowd. Mother nature, the NFL nor Prince could not have timed this event any better -- well, maybe Mother nature knew what she was doing. Prince quickly turned what could have been a downer, into a very memorable show for football audiences in attendance and watching on television. The song is on the soundtrack for his movie of the same name -- “Purple Rain,” a drama also starring musician Morris Day.

So in honor of Prince, the “Purple Rain” movie and Tina at Life is Good’s halftime locker room talk for the A to Z Challenge, here are some group party and private party ideas -- complete with a Purple Rain Cocktail recipe, that you can enjoy regardless of whether a rainy day is in the forecast for your town.

The Purple Rain Group Party - Rated PG-13

Host an 80s theme Sweet 16 party where you all play karaoke games and then have a costume contest based on the "Purple Rain" movie. Turn the party location into a nightclub setting that resembles First Avenue nightclub in Minneapolis. You could also "book" guests as a fun method your RSVP method, which also doubles as a guarantee that those in attendance will participate in the karaoke performances.

-and-

The Purple Rain Private Party - Rated R (for Adults)

Learn the choreography from the scene where Apollonia 6 performs their song titled "Sex Shooter" at First Avenue nightclub and then treat your boyfriend or husband (...or girlfriend, if you swing that way) to a "Purple Rain" flashback for Valentine's Day or a surprise evening alone together.

Serve up a Purple Rain cocktail before your bedroom (or living room or wherever!) surprise for your honey. This drink does not appear to be associated with the "Purple Rain" movie but you can still enjoy it nonetheless, since it shares the same name:

1 ½ oz. Gin
Cranberry Juice
1 splash of Blue Curacao
1 splash of sweet and sour mix
1 splash of soda water* 

Fill a tall glass with ice and then pour in the gin. Fill the glass with cranberry juice and then add blue curacao, sweet/sour mix and soda. Shake glass gently (or maybe stir, if you’re prone to making a mess) and then add more blue curacao until the drink has a royal-purple tint to it, and serve.

*I suppose, 7up could be used as an alternative for soda water if you don't have the latter. Purple Rain cocktail recipe courtesy of Drinks Mixer.

Now, everybody together, put up your lighters and wave them in the air....

(Although I couldn't find a clip of Prince's "Purple Rain" performance at the time of this writing, here is another portion of his halftime show, where he covers songs by Jimi Hendrix and The Foo Fighters)

Which one of the Purple Rain parties listed here would YOU be likely to attend?

Would YOU drink the Purple Rain cocktail?

What is YOUR favorite Prince song?

Love according to Hollywood #friday #atozchallenge #atoz #lovebomb

 

“I wanna love you, I wanna love and treat you right. I wanna love you every day and every night. We’ll be together, with a roof over our heads, to share the shelter in a single bed. Is this love, is this love, is this love, is this love that I’m feeling?”

“Is This Love” by Corinne Bailey Rae is one my favorite songs to listen to -- many of you might be surprised to learn that I didn’t like Rae’s music when she first came out. Now, I can’t get enough of her. Excuse me as my letter alignment gets a little funky as the A to Z Challenge progresses. I also chose “Lovegame” by Lady Gaga as an honorable mention and while Gaga fits the L letter of the day appropriately, I don’t listen to that particular tune as much as Rae’s track, so the slow song wins over the frisky one.

It’s interesting how we find ourselves asking if we’re in love or wondering whether we know what it is -- what it looks like, what it feels like. Maybe it’s a gesture such as writing a whole bunch of letters to one’s significant other to help him or her cope with loss or serve as a reminder to smile, such as what makes up the storyline in “P.S. I Love You” starring Hilary Swank and Gerard Butler. This movie has been sitting in my Netflix queue for some time and I tried to watch it at the last minute before writing this post -- until I found out that it’s not available for streaming.

So, I’ve compiled some quotes on love from film actresses, as I wait for this DVD to arrive. Here they are for your reading pleasure if you want to share them with fellow guests at a bridal shower, bachelorette party, afternoon tea or even Thanksgiving. These quotes on love could make for some great conversation starters -- especially since everyone tends to have clashing views on the subject.

"I don't need someone to make me whole" - Hayden Panettiere (Remember the Titans; Scream 4) on the best relationship advice she’s ever received. (Cosmopolitan Magazine, 2008)

"I was never one of those girls who dreamt of my wedding and Prince Charming....To piss my mom off, I used to say ‘I’m never having kids I'm going to be be a fabulously rich old maid with cute butlers and dogs’ " - Jessica Biel (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, The A-Team) on having kids and her relationship with Justin Timberlake. (Elle Magazine, December 2011)

"You have to give love your all, and if it doesn’t work out, he wasn’t your man...Now that I’m actually in a healthy relationship, I know that what came before wasn’t real" - Ali Larter (Resident Evil: Extinction; Legally Blonde) on romance. (Cosmopolitan Magazine, 2007)

Also, since March, I’ve been participating in a group called Love Bomb, which sends out weekly missions for members to spend 5 minutes each week sending words of encouragement, hope or simple kindness to people who may need an extra ray of sunshine during a hardship. These Love Bombs are done in the form of comments on the person’s blog or a blog operating on his or her behalf.

The Love Bomb recipients are everyday people like you and I such as a woman named Susan, whose stroke affected 2 arteries in her brain and there were many loving messages sent to her -- I sent one to her, myself. Unfortunately, she passed away within days but those messages are still there and can hopefully comfort her family.

Another memorable Love Bomb that I participated in was sending support to a budding California based photographer named Kim who lost her best friend Jenn to suicide in mid-February. After some dark days filled with sadness, Kim wrote a new blog post expressing her gratitude for all of the love and support, as well as providing an update on her efforts to get back into the swing of things -- enjoying the outdoors and soaking up the sunshine, trying to live her best life!

While I never thought that I could squeeze out any extra time in my day for something that may seem so trivial on the surface, participating in the Love Bomb missions reminded me of how powerful genuine love or caring can be -- even when it comes from strangers, but ESPECIALLY when it comes from a close friend or family member. Therefore, it’s five minutes well spent, in my book!

If you haven’t already, check out the Love Lessons from Leonardo DiCaprio!

Did YOU see “P.S. I Love You” in theaters or on DVD? If so, how would you rate it on a scale of 1 to 10?

Do YOU agree or disagree with what these actresses had to say regarding love and/or romance?

How do YOU know when you’re in love?

Karma isn’t so Black and White, like ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ #thursday #atozchallenge #atoz

 

“What goes around comes around, what goes up must come down”

“Karma” by Alicia Keys is one of the more upbeat tunes on my playlist that I enjoy listening to often. In the song, she talks about an ex-boyfriend who ended their relationship and now wants her back. Although this tune focuses on matters of the heart, the subject of karma has a funny way of playing out in various aspects of our everyday existence.

I’ve come to realize that the whole "nice guys finish last" saying can apply to anyone, regardless of age or gender. Sometimes, I feel like those who engage in questionable behavior such as theft, lying, fraud, murder or even living recklessly still get over while those who are relatively upstanding citizens get the short end of the stick. Take social assistance programs for example, welfare, child care subsidies, health care -- many (not all) people manipulate these programs for their own greedy interests while others who could really use the help get nothing more than a cold shoulder from society -- such as military veterans, the disabled or the elderly.

Who knows if everyone will see how karma comes into play in their lifetime. Sometimes it doesn’t balance things out and other times, it arrives just in the nick of time. It reminds me of the movie "It's a Wonderful Life" because the main character George spent a lot of his life giving his time, money, compassion, support and energy to others, despite rarely getting anything in return.

Just when George is at the point of no return in his worst of moments due to the potential loss of his business and ever-mounting legal troubles, his friends provide enough resources and support that that inspires him to get a new lease on life.

You have the power to create some positive karma in the spirit of giving to others while also getting some reciprocity by conducting a Secret Santa themed DVD gift exchange that can include both new and used items, at your next holiday party.

The gift exchange doesn't even have to be exclusive to the holiday season. You can hold a "Christmas in July," “Summer Santa” or a "Kwanzaa in July," etc. exchange for birthday parties, graduation parties, dinner parties, anniversary parties or whatever you are celebrating. Add any other movie memorabilia or merchandise such assoundtracks, etc. if you want to mix things up. 

Add an extra dose of generosity by collecting $1 or so from each guest at your party, to donate a piece of movie merchandise to a charity that you choose or one that guests vote on. If I attended a party where a Secret gift exchange was being held, I would probably give away my “The Box” DVD since it’s in like-new condition. I’ve only watched it once, just like I probably played my Lord of the Rings stratego board game once or twice, so I could give that to someone else who would make better use of it. If I were hosting a secret gift exchange party, I would use the money collected from donations to purchase gifts for child hospital patients, through the Childs Play charity.

I’m no video game fiend but learned about Child’s Play charity last year and it’s among one of the coolest organizations that I’d be proud to support. This organization partners with retailers such as Amazon and provides entertainment for young children undergoing medical treatment.

Supporters purchase gifts from the wish lists of dozens of hospitals around the country where a DVD or movie related video game that is donated through Childs Play is then given to one or more children who are patients at a particular facility of your choosing. As of this writing, I see that the Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh has an Xbox360 LEGO “Pirates of the Caribbean” game on their wish list. Since I’m in Pennsylvania, that particular hospital and item would likely be my donations picks.

Do YOU believe in Karma?

If The Madlab Post was sponsoring a donation of one DVD movie to any hospital around the country, which hospital would YOU want it to be sent to? Why that one?

If The Madlab Post was sponsoring a donation to any one charity around the country, which one would YOU want this blog to support?