The Bad Filipino

In Season 3, episode 1 of the Bad Filipino podcast, I talk with my dear friend Jennifer C. about the Disney animated feature Encanto, focusing primarily on the women who bring this film to life and the incredible representation of Colombian culture throughout the movie. Jennifer C. is a Colombian American blogger, content creator, speaker and creative. As one-half of the sister duo @CurlyCurvyPassion on social media and the web since 2016, Jennifer advocates for empowerment through real talk about natural hair, body love, community & culture. You can read her blog and follow her social media at: CURLY CURVY PASSION. 

Encanto is Disney's first film that truly encapsulates the culture and nuances of Colombia. From the storyline and historical references to the symbolism of the costumes and music soundtrack. Encanto is the 60th film by Disney with all original songs written by multi-award-winning playwright/producer/director Lin-Manuel Miranda. Every effort was made in being as true and authentic to the creation of this animated feature. The Co-director and Co-writer Charise Castro Smith is from Miami, Florida and raised in a Cuban family. Germaine Franco composed the film and has shattered the glass ceiling for Latina composers. She is the first female composer for a Disney animated feature, the first Latina composer invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences music branch and to receive the Annie Award for Outstanding Achievement for Music in an Animated Feature (COCO). Plus, Franco is the first female composer to be hired by DreamWorks Animation and Pixar.  

The soundtrack for Encanto hit the ground running upon its release in November 2021. Within two weeks, it reached number 1 on Billboard 200, dethroning Adele's 30. It is the first Disney film since Frozen II to top the chart. Up for several award nominations, it has won seven so far. An impressive seven songs from the album appeared on the US Billboard Hot 100, led by "We Don't Talk About Bruno" - which was the soundtrack's most popular song. it reached number one on the Spotify Top 50 US chart on January 10, 2022. The single "Surface Pressure" reached number 10, making Encanto the first Disney animated film to have generated multiple top-10 songs on the Hot 100. "We Don't Talk About Bruno" is the first-ever original Disney song to top the chart. On the UK Singles Chart, "We Don't Talk About Bruno", "Surface Pressure" and "The Family Madrigal" have peaked at numbers one, five and fifteen, respectively.  

Nearly all the female voice roles were cast by Latina artists who act and sing on the soundtrack, and all of Colombian or Cuban descent.  Actress Angélica María Cepeda Jiménez who voices Julieta (Maribel’s mom), is born in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia. Carolina del Pilar Gaitán Lozano who voices Pepa Madrigal (Aunt) is born in Villavicencio, Meta, Colombia. The main character Maribel Madrigal is voiced by Stephanie Beatriz (Brooklyn Nine-Nine), who was born in Neuquén, Argentina. Maribel's sisters are voiced by Jessica Darrow (Luisa, a Cuban American born in Miami) and Diane Guerrero (Isabela, Colombian born in New Jersey). The only character with a separate voice actress and singer is 'Abuela' Alma Madrigal. She is voiced by actress Maria Cecilia Botero Cadavid (Colombian), with actress Olga Merediz (Cuban) providing the vocals.  

I came away from our conversation completely inspired and mesmerized with Colombian culture, learning how much Disney got it right with Encanto. It is a beautiful and powerful story that opens the doors for conversations on healing from trauma, embracing one's culture... even finding the strength to be true to one's identity.

Myki Angeline is thrilled to talk with Franco Stevens, Jen Rainin, and Rivkah Beth Medow from 'AHEAD OF THE CURVE' documentary! Franco is the founder/creator of the legendary lesbian circulation Curve Magazine. Jen is the Director and Co-Producer of the documentary, and Rivkah is the Producer and Co-Director. You can learn more here at https://curvemagmovie.com/

With a fist full of credit cards, a lucky run at the horse track, and chutzpah for days, Franco Stevens launched Curve, the longest running, best-selling lesbian magazine ever published. AHEAD OF THE CURVE tracks the power of lesbian visibility and community from the early ‘90s to the present day through the story of Franco’s founding of Curve magazine. Decades later, in the wake of a disabling injury, Franco learns that Curve will fold within the year and questions the relevance of the magazine in the face of accelerating threats to LGBTQ+ community. To forge a path forward, Franco reaches out to women working in today’s queer spaces to understand what queer women need today and how Curve can continue to serve the community.

Jen Rainin founded 'Frankly Speaking Films' with Rivkah Beth Medow in 2020 to produce media that centers strong LGBTQ+ women and non-binary people to increase visibility and spark change. Jen focuses her filmmaking on building community, deepening understanding of social justice issues, and telling great stories. https://franklyspeakingfilms.com/

BEATIE BIO:

“Musical weirdo and visionary” (Vice) Beatie Wolfe is an artist who has beamed her music into space, been appointed a UN role model for innovation and held an acclaimed solo exhibition of her ‘world first’ album designs at the V&A Museum.

Named by WIRED as one of "22 people changing the world,” Beatie Wolfe is at the forefront of pioneering new formats for music that bridge the physical and digital, which include: a 3D theatre for the palm of your hand; a wearable record jacket - cut by Bowie and Hendrix’s tailor out of fabric woven with Wolfe’s music - and most recently an ‘anti-stream’ from the quietest room on earth. Wolfe is also the co-founder of a “profound” (The Times) research project looking at the power of music for people living with dementia.

The Barbican recently commissioned a documentary about Beatie Wolfe's pioneering work titled, Orange Juice for the Ears: From Space Beams to Anti-Streams.

https://beatiewolfe.com/

On this episode of The Bad Filipino, Myki talks with good friend and ridiculously talented Sacramento musician/producer/videographer/gamer Mike King! Mike touches on  his latest video review of the high profile mashup band, 'Beatallica', we get a sample of this cover of REM's "End of The World" in the style of Slip Knot, and spend a good portion of this show discussing what the heck is up with Facebook's decision to ban live stream music on it's platform as of October 1st.

Born and raised in the Sacramento area, Mike King has had an active history in the Sacramento music scene since 2004. Following his time as lead vocalist/guitarist in Prylosis (2004-2013) he has opened up his career as a live sound engineer, studio musician and producer, songwriter and composer. His current musical project, Digital Havoc, released their first full-length album 'Welcome to the End' in 2017 and is currently developing their next album.  https://www.facebook.com/digitalhavoc/

Mike's most recent projects include his music education/entertainment channel Ruling Note Music on YouTube,  his gaming entertainment channel Chronosode Games, and his podcast The Xennial Chronicles.  https://www.facebook.com/rulingnotemusic/videos/322666542486893/

In this episode, Myki talks with Jillian Elizabeth,  A&R at Die Laughing Records. Originally established in 1988 in the San Francisco Bay Area localized in the East Bay, Jillian joined the team in 2017 and takes part in representing over 30 unsigned bands. She is also the co-founder of Chicanery Chick Records. Chicanery Chick Records is all about girl power driven Pop, Punk and Garage. We like to provide a platform for unsigned bands and special projects as an offshoot to our founding label, Die Laughing Records.
http://www.dielaughingrecords.com/

Myki chats with good friend, and local musician Carly DuHain of Drop Dead Red! Join us in the chat room as we get raw, real, and tell us why we must support the upcoming Sacramento ShelterFest online benefit concert on October 10, 2020.  #saveourstages is an important cause all across the nation. Here in Sacramento, the local musicians, fans, and businesses are working together to prevent longtime music venues from having to close their doors forever.
https://www.shelterfest2020.com/

LIVE VIDEO PODCAST ON FACEBOOK, YOUTUBE, AND TWITCH. Find the links here: https://linktr.ee/mykiangeline

The Bad Filipino is a podcast hosted by Myki Angeline that dips just the tip into satire, cradles your feelings with a tad bit of empathy, and dives intensively into reality. She's half Filipino who is 100% bad at being authentic to her culture, but is always authentic in her life. Spend whichever day of the week she decides to post content as Myki exposes her guests to the parts of each topic that most folks choose to ignore - like why pineapple is bad on pizza or why it's so hard for people to look themselves in the mirror. Video Livestreams on FB, YT, Twitter.

April is a singer, actor, vocal coach who sings in a variety of languages: Japanese, Bulgarian, Spanish, Italian, French, German, mostly English. Growing up in the marshlands of South Florida, April appreciated the natural beauty of the tropics, but knew there was a much bigger world for her to explore. Singing as a little girl, she had watched her parents perform from the wings of the Grand Ole Opry. April was hooked ever since. Visit her website at: http://www.aprilhenrymusic.com/