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Tag: Maya Angelou

  • Sara Bareilles: ‘Smile’ Precedes Billy Crystal’s Robin Williams Tribute

    Sara Bareilles set the tone for a somber few moments at the Emmy Awards on Monday evening. Singing ‘Smile’ as tribute was paid to those in and surrounding the industry who passed away this year, including Paul Walker, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Don Pardo, James Garner, Maya Angelou, Lauren Bacall, and more, Sara Bareilles wasn’t introduced. She simply appeared on stage, simply but elegantly dressed in black, and sang. Nothing touched hearts the way Billy Crystal did when he honored his dear friend Robin Williams at the end of her performance, however.

    The Robin Williams tribute was expected, as it had been advertised throughout the past few days on news programs and talk shows. Once Sara Bareilles set the stage for Billy Crystal, viewers and members of the audience were beyond prepared to shed a few tears. And shed they did.

    Billy Crystal did his best to keep it light–clearly struggling and choking back tears during his first few seconds speaking. Getting himself in check, he then shared stories about Robin Williams that many likely never heard before.

    Some of the more poignant excerpts from the tribute included the following:

    “He made us laugh. Hard. Every time you saw him. On television, movies, night clubs, arenas, hospitals, homeless shelters, for our troops overseas, and even in a dying girl’s living room for her last wish.”

    “The brilliance was astounding. The relentless energy was kind of thrilling. I used to think if I could put a saddle on him and stay on for 8 seconds I was going to do OK.”

    “He was the greatest friend you could ever imagine – supportive, protective, loving. It’s very hard to talk about him in the past because he was so present in all of our lives. For almost 40 years, he was the brightest star in the comedy galaxy.”

    In closing, Billy Crystal said, “But while some of the brightest of our celestial bodies actually are extinct now, their energy long since cooled, but miraculously because they float in the heavens so far away from us now, their beautiful light will continue to shine on us forever and the glow will be so bright it’ll warm your heart, make your eyes glisten and you’ll think to yourselves, Robin Williams, what a concept.”

    At the end of the Emmy Awards Monday night, two things remained abundantly clear. One: Billy Crystal loved his dear friend and paid homage to him using humor. And two: Sara Bareilles played a much bigger role in the evening than anyone expected. Her rendition of ‘Smile’ is no doubt drifting through the minds of viewers today, and they will forever remember her voice leading up to Billy Crystal’s tribute to Robin Williams.

  • Maya Angelou Remembered With Beautiful Words

    Maya Angelou touched the lives of many who spoke at her memorial service on Saturday at Wake Forest University. The university is where she taught for 32 years as Dr. Angelou, though she never graduated from college.

    During her lifetime she lived larger than most even dream of. She changed the way the world as a whole was looked at by some of the biggest names is showbusiness, politics, and those of her friends that spoke anonymously on Saturday of her resonant voice and life force.

    First Lady Michelle Obama said of her first encounters with Maya Angelou’s work, “Her voice lifted me right out of my own little head. She told us that our worth has nothing to do with what the world might say. Instead, she said, each of us comes from the Creator trailing wisps of glory. She reminded us that we must each find our own voice, decide our own value, and then announce it to the world with all the pride and joy that is our birthright as members of the human race.”

    Obama was among many famous faces that came to speak of the impact that Maya Angelou had on their lives. Another was Bill Clinton, who enjoyed the privilege of having her read her poem On the Pulse of Morning at his 1993 inauguration. He recalled how she found her voice again after refusing to speak for five years when her mother’s boyfriend raped her as a child.

    “She was without a voice for five years and then she developed the greatest voice on the planet. God loaned her His voice,” Clinton said. “She had the voice of God. And he decided he wanted it back.”

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dqEaPBS-fug

    And of course long time friend and supporter Oprah Winfrey was on hand to say goodbye to the most influential woman in her life. She said, “Maya Angelou is the greatest woman I have ever known.” Then almost sobbing, she added, “She was my anchor. So it’s hard to describe to you what it means when your anchor shifts.”

    Some beautiful words for a beautiful woman and an incredibly influential icon of our times.

    Image Via Wikimedia Commons

  • Maya Angelou: Remembrances of America’s Wise Woman

    Maya Angelou was often called America’s wise woman, and since her passing on Wednesday at the age of 86, many notable people have shared their remembrances of the poet, civil rights leader and storyteller extraordinaire. In addition to those in the video clip above, a few people in high places also shared their words about their friend. mentor, and favorite writer.

    “Above all, she was a storyteller – and her greatest stories were true,” President Barack Obama said.

    “Her gifts were born out of pain,” Patricia Rosier, president of the National Bar Association, said. “This allowed those who came before us and those after us to rise. She was not afraid to fiercely explore her self-identity so that we, too, could fully be who we are.”

    I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings is the autobiography of Maya Angelou’s earliest years, and that story alone makes one wonder how she became the woman the country–and the world–will long remember. In it she encompasses difficult topics like racism, rape, literacy, and women living in a male dominated society. After reading the book and then listening to some of Angelou’s brilliant poetry, it is clear she evolved. But what an evolution, and how difficult that evolution must have been.

    Marc Morial is president of the National Urban League. He recalls sitting with Maya Angelou in her kitchen and talking with her for hours. He called the conversation an “incredibly powerful experience.”

    “With equal parts majesty and humility, she held court — and I listened intently, absorbing every word and meaning that she had to impart,” he said.

    Hillary Clinton shared one of her memories via a Twitter post.

    Even country superstar Toby Keith weighed in on Maya Angelou–not so much with a personal memory but with a fond remembrance.

    Rev. Jesse Jackson said of his dear friend that “she has much to teach this generation and generations unborn about what it means to be an authentic person, and the power of the genuine.”

    His words certainly ring true. Maya Angelou has indeed left her earthly life but has left behind a legacy in her mastery of the English language. Everyone can read her works and then walk away from her words a bit richer and with a bit more wisdom.

    Hopefully everyone who remembers her will do exactly that–and perhaps they will all take it one step further, too. If every person who treasured Maya Angelou would simply perform one act of selflessness in her name, perhaps even more of her legacy will live on.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Oprah Winfrey Remembers Maya Angelou

    Oprah Winfrey is one of millions mourning the loss of prolific author and poet, Maya Angelou.

    When news outlets began reporting Angelou’s death on Wednesday, May 28, many celebrities, public figures, dignitaries and fans took to social media with dedicatory posts about the I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings author.

    The 60-year-old media proprietor also opted to share her thoughts. Winfrey released a heartfelt statement via Instagram about the woman she has often referred to as her hero. Now, she says Angelou is her “rainbow in my clouds.”

    “I’ve been blessed to have Maya Angelou as my mentor, mother/sister, and friend since my twenties,” Winfrey said. “She was there for me always, guiding  me through some of the most important years of my life. The world knows her as a poet but at the heart of her, she was a teacher. ‘When you learn, teach. When  you get, give,’ is one of my best lessons from her.”

    “What stands out to me most about Maya Angelou is not what she has done or  written or spoken, it’s how she lived her life. She moved through the world with unshakeable calm, confidence and a fierce grace. I loved her and I know she  loved me. I will profoundly miss her. She will always be the rainbow in my clouds,” Winfrey said.

    Winfrey and Angelou met for the first time more than 30 years ago back in the early 1970s. Over the years, the two have forged a remarkable friendship. On several occasions Winfrey, who has admired Angelou since she was a child, praised her as “one of the greatest influences of my entire life.”

    Back in 2011, Winfrey shared one of the most powerful lessons she’d ever learned with the world. She credited Angelou as the teacher. “She is like a mother to me, a sister to me, a friend to me,” Winfrey said of her childhood hero.

    Image via Oprah Winfrey, Facebook

  • Nikki Giovanni Remembers the Incredible Maya Angelou

    Poet, author and professor Nikki Giovanni remembered the renowned poet and activist Maya Angelou — who died Wednesday at her home — during an NPR broadcast Thursday.

    “I don’t know anybody, and I really don’t, who has gotten as much out of life as Maya Angelou,” Giovanni told NPR’s Michel Martin.

    Giovanni said Angelou never shared much about her past, but opened up in 1969 with the release of her famous I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. It was the first in a series of memoirs that depicted her difficult childhood, which included the trauma of sexual abuse. Angelou spent much of her childhood in silence, refusing to speak.

    “I think [Angelou] had a difficult childhood at the beginning and I think that the silence allowed her to absorb good stories,” said Giovanni. “You know, she was tough. I mean, her writing was very tough. And it is interesting how uplifting many people experience it because if you think about it, she was writing about some things that a lot of people didn’t talk about – like being molested, for example, and also the struggle to get an education, and also some of the dynamics within her family that a lot of people would not necessarily want to talk about, at a time when a lot of people did not write about those things.”

    Giovanni said Angelou loved being alive, even as her aging body began to let her down.

    “Maya had an embrace of life and it is rare, you know,” said Giovanni. “Even I – I like being alive – but even I don’t come anywhere near just that joy that she brought. There is an old Negro spiritual – he woke me up this morning and started me on my way. The Lord is blessing me. And I don’t know anybody who thinks that but Maya. I mean, of all of the people that I know, I don’t know anybody who has just that verve, that I am alive, and as long as I’m alive – she used to say that all the time. Say you know, and then your back hurts, and well, she says you know, as long as I am here it feels good. That is the way she is going to look at it.”

    Angelou always gave the perception that she had little awareness of her fame and impact, and Giovanni confirmed that perception.

    “She did not want people feeling sorry for her. This is what I’m saying. And so a lot of the discomfort of her illness she did not share. She was not one of those people that is going to whine. As she said, if I am alive I am well and if I’m not alive then, you know. The one thing that I know Maya … would want is to know what’s being said now about her in her death … She would get the biggest kick.”

    You can listen to the full NPR interview here.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Maya Angelou’s Death: Celebs React On Twitter

    Maya Angelou’s Death: Celebs React On Twitter

    Maya Angelou lived a happy and successful life. She published seven autobiographies, three books of essays, and several books of poetry, and is credited with a list of plays, movies, and television shows spanning more than fifty years.

    Angelou touched the lives of many with her presence and words, but sadly she passed away on Wednesday, May 28. Angelou had been in poor health for several months and was found by her caregiver early Wednesday morning.

    The death of Maya Angelou has shocked the world. While her family grieves in silence, fans and friends of the actress and poet expressed their sadness on social networks like Twitter and Facebook.

    While some fans reacted in disbelief and sadness others shared photos of Angelou, posted her best quotes and described what an amazing person she was, and talked about the many things she had accomplished during her life.

    What is your favorite Maya Angelou quote and were you shocked to hear of her death?

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Maya Angelou Talks About Her Childhood on Mother’s Day

    It can be hard to accurately express feelings on Mother’s Day, and who better to take up the task than a poet?

    Maya Angelou has just released her seventh autobiography, titled Mom & Me & Mom. The book chronicles the author‘s memories of her mother and grandmother, who each helped to raise her at different points in her childhood.

    Angelou appeared this Sunday (Mother’s Day) on Face the Nation to speak about her mother, saying, “She and my father fell in love, or maybe in lust with each other. They were both really beautiful human beings and it was after World War I and my father was pompous and pretentious and had learned some French in France. And my mother was very beautiful and he was very handsome, and they fell in something together.”

    Angelou’s recollections, which can be heard in the video below, go on to become darker before she turns to the story of how she got her first job:

    (Image courtesy Adria Richards/Wikimedia Commons)