My characters go to school; UWF results

I haven't posted in exactly two weeks, so appropriately I have combined two posts into one.

The first part is that I have integrated my characters as part of classroom assignments at ABC Adult School in both classes I attend. In the Photoshop I class (10 a.m.-11:50 a.m.), I am creating a "concert poster" with Buddy, Blondie, Brittany Spears, and Bubba Brister performing at Brian Warner Park on a fall day with the colorful leaves as a backdrop. (I chose Brian Warner's name because it is the given name of punk rock star Marilyn Manson.) The Photoshop assignment is due at the end of class on April 1. In the Illustrator class (12:20 p.m.-2:10 p.m.), I am creating an artwork in which Barefoot has a bluebird on his shoulder, symbolic of the title of his hit song. That task has already been completed, and I am thinking of a second project which could have a similar theme.


The other subject is the Ultimate Wrestling Federation card I wrote about in Chapter 3. Strangely, I was inspired by the infomercial that pitched both Santo Gold jewelry and a B-grade picture called Blood Circus. (This page has all the details.) That got me to thinking that I haven't given away all the results yet. So, as Jim Lange said decades ago, herrrrre they are:

• The Hillbilly Kid pinned Bobby James. Kid was played by all-league tight end Ricky Biffle, who was making his wrestling debut
  
• Chill Town (C.J. Brookshire and Bryan McFalls, dressed as reality TV stars Will Kirby and Mike Malin, respectively) defeated jobbers R.D. Reynolds and Bryan Alvarez in tag-team action
• "The Real" Biggie Smalls took the UWF Television Title away from the Dead Men Wrestling clique by pinning Danny Boy (based on Davey Boy Smith, but with an Irish accent)
  
• Barbie Blank (WWE's Kelly Kelly) beat Big Rhonda of DMW to win the women's championship
• DMW member Badd Boy Brady Boone, Jr. pinned Super Black Ninja to defend the hardcore title. The final blow came when Boone attacked Ninja with the handle of the scythe provided by the ringleader The Ripper.)
  
• DMW member Squashing Leamy beats Crusher Bennett. After the match, Bennett threatened former manager Ashley Mae Basher until "The Real" Biggie Smalls entered the ring to save her.
• The New Blade Runners, Brick and Flash, won the four-way international table ladders and chairs match as representatives of the U.S. They beat "Owen Hart" and "Brian Pillman" (Canada), Tanaka and Ito (Japan), and El Rana and El Vaquero (Mexico).
• Big defended his UWF heavyweight championship when he pinned One Man Gang. The pin move came from a head scissor move after Big had plunged from the top of the video lighting stand 45 feet above the ring.
  

Melanie MacMelville "interview"

My series of "interviews" with Idealian characters continues with its resident bubble-gum pop singer, Melanie Elaine MacMelville. She has a lyrical name and a girl-next-door look. Her music is a blend of pop, rock, and Christian music that all ages can enjoy. Once again, Magdalena Babblejack asks the questions.

MB: Mel, unlike most of the other music artists here, you are not from the Southeast United States. Rather, you hail from Long Island, New York. Does that make you feel awkward?
MM: Not at all. What is important to me is that my music matches the values and beliefs of all of the other singers, and that matter all the other entertainers. I stand for breezy, catchy tunes with an underlying message.

MB: When did you first dream of a musical career?
MM: I first sang when I was five years old. From that point on, I listened intently to every song on the radio and hoped to be one of them someday.

MB: When were your first performances?
MM: When I was in high school, I sang at shopping malls and coffeehouses on Long Island. Then at age 16, I jumped on the Long Island Expressway, stopped at the Grand Central Terminal [in New York City] and walked all the way to Times Square. That's how much I wanted so badly to have a career in music. I sang on the sidewalk. And yes, I had my parents' blessing.(LOL)

MB: How did Little Boy Records discover you?
MM: Brandon McLamb [Buddy Wayne Barefoot's publicist] attended a Mets baseball game and heard me sing "The Star Spangled Banner." He absolutely loved it! He went to the press box and arranged for a meeting face-to-face. Buddy heard that song and some demos and he signed me. That was before I "died" and entered Idealia. Once that happened, the contracts were transferred over.

MB: Talk about some of your songs.
MM: "I'm Breezin'" sounds like a standard-issue pop song, but in the end it is about how to stay grounded and stable in a world that is full of temptation. "I Will Not Yield" is similar, but it has a slower pace and a more overt Christian message. "Good-Natured Barb" is about a day I spent with my mother, who is also my best friend. Her name is Barbara.

MB: Like so many other singers, you have also dabbled in acting. Tell me about that.
MM: On OurNetwork on Thursday nights, I have a show, a sitcom, called The New Black. On it, I play Jennifer Black, a fashion executive who dreams of a better and less busy life and will do anything to get it. My father William is a retired executive at a tea company, so this is a role that I can identify with.

MB: What does your future hold?
MM: I have a movie and album out called Hollaback Girl. I heard Gwen Stefani say that she "ain't no hollaback girl," so this is my response. I love to be someone who talks to people and "holler back" at them.

MB: Thank you, Melanie, for your time.
MM: You're welcome as always.