CP Awareness Month;Zach Anner follow-up

Welcome Back Readers~

Because it is CP Awareness month, I thought I'd highlight one of the most popular comedians with CP on YouTube, Zach Anner. Some of you may remember me highlighting him from Oprah Winfrey's Create Your Own Show on OWN. He completed against other contestants in an effort to pitch his own traveling show. In the end, Oprah couldn't choose between the top two finalists-Zach and his traveling show as well as Kristina Kuzmic-Crocco's cooking show (if I remember correctly.) He recently added the title of author to his resume, penned his own memoir entitled If at Birth You Don't Succeed: My Adventures with Disaster and Destiny. Unlike the inspirational approach, Anner chooses to make light of his disability never letting it stop him.

Also, this month, the CPF is having a fundraiser in order to raise money for their organization. It starts on March 25 and involves downloading a app on your phone and exercising.



For more information  on raising awareness of CP, please go to:

https://www.facebook.com/cerebralpalsyfoundation/?hc_ref=PAGES_TIMELINE&fref=nf

For more  information  on Zach Anner or his book, please go to:



https://www.facebook.com/zachannerfanpage/

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPTVYxUoYWhNa8J7GzIGnyQ

http://www.lovethatmax.com/2016/03/a-book-from-zach-anner-guy-with-sexiest.html

Your Own Show: Series Finale

Okay...

So things didn't work out exactly like I expected. Going into the last few weeks, I had every intention of updating readers on my life and current disability shows like Your Own show. But I have felt a little distracted and spacey lately. I don't know exactly why, I've just had trouble giving a voice to my thoughts going on inside my head. I seem to have lost focus in what's important.

Anyway, enough about me and onto the real reason for this post. I am thrilled to announce that Kristina and Zach got their own show as a result of being winners for Oprah 's Your Own Show. The decision was an easy one, since both contestants brought their A Game despite being nervous and overcoming sickness while producing their pilot.

The pilot was a three minute snapshot of what each contestant felt their show would be like. For Zach, he entitled his pilot "Rollin Around The World with Zach Anner" and took viewers around some of the highlights of Hollywood, including Hollywood Boulevard and the Kodak Theater as well as many others. In his usual comedic style, he pointed out that not all weather is going to be good for sightseeing, pointing out the smog that sometimes exists in the city. By the end of of shooting, it was clear that Zach was exhausted and some of the teammates that rejoined in order for Zach and Kristina to complete the task didn't think he would be able to do this on a consistent basis.

On the other hand, Kristina had a cooking show in her sights after completing this process. Her goal: getting people out of restaurants and back into the kitchen. With a little help from a friend, Daniel, she was able to overcome her nerves and make the kitchen easily accessible to her viewers

Both Zach and Kristina's shows will be produced by award-winner Mark Burnett. He has produced such reality shows as Survivor etc.

http://www.oprah.com/own-your-own-show/Your-OWN-Show-Episode-108

Even though I don't get the network, I am kind of looking forward to seeing whether they post recent episodes of the shows online for each of the contestants or whether you have to get the network to receive the show..

I'll keep you posted!

Your OWN Show: Week 7

So~

Only three contestants are left on Oprah's Your Own Show-Terrey, Zach and Kristina. Unlike most weeks, the contestants were asked to work as individuals in a press junket. The goal was not only to give them a chance to hone their idea for their very own show, but to see how they dealt with the pressure of being in the spotlight.Who was this week's guest host.. None other than Oprah Winfrey's best friend and fellow radio show host Gail King. She offere them some well thought out advice when dealing the press including to be open but know where their boundaries were in things they did not want to discuss. In a surprise twist, Oprah turned out for a few questions..Zach made the best out of the situation by turning the tables and asking Oprah some questions. As always, his humor put her at ease immediately and he was able to really learn from her experience being a veteran host for her show. Although Kristina stumbled, she was able to get back up when Oprah asked her how a cooking show impacted her life.

On the other hand, Terrey was unable to clearly describe her vision for her own show and was eliminated.

http://www.oprah.com/own-your-own-show/Your-OWN-Show-Episode-7

Your Own Show: Week Six Recap

Welcome Back~
I hope everybody enjoyed their weekend. For my regular followers, I know I haven't been writing much lately. I'm sorry. It's not that I don't have anything to say, it's just that I don't know how to say it or whether I should say it at all. Being a blogger, you're always reminded, "Be careful what you write because once it's out there and published, you can't take it back" or "Don't get to personal" . For me, it's more personal than that though. I want to be authentic with you-a no holds bar type of reader/writer relationship where I can be completely honest in regard to the struggles I encounter on a daily basis in the areas of my faith, disability or independence.

Long story short, I don't want to be fake and want to a positive twist on the information on my blog. But it's not always easy be to do that, so sometimes it's easier to keep to myself and reflect. Anyway, that's what I've been doing lately to try and get myself out of this "disconnected" slump. I spent a number of my days reading Karen Kingsbury's last book of the Above the Line Series, Take Four. Most days, I was able to either find myself in the words of a character or a simple reminder of God and His Existence.

I'm still struggling in certain areas of my life, but that doesn't mean I should stop writing. After all, I'm way behind on certain subjects such as Zach on Your Own Show etc.

That being said, drumroll please..

When we last left our teams, Elizabeth was sent home as a result of not being able to bring it. That left Team VISION to fend for themselves with only two contestants Kristina and Terey while Team FOCUS had three remaining contestants including Zach, Alicia and Ryan. At first glance, it seems like an easy week is ahead when the group realizes that that guest star is none other than financial analyst, Suzie Orman. Not so. As the two teams struggle to find the balance between financial advice and inspirational segment, they are caught in a crossroads. How did they make their dreams of their special guests in this segment, come true without sacrificing the reality of financial constraint among one's means?

In the end, both teams do great in fulfilling the dreams of their guests-thanks to a little help from Oprah. But both Alicia and Ryan are eliminated due to their lack of commitment to the story and time management.

That leaves Zach, Kristina, and Terey still in the running for their own show. In the next post, which I will probably write tomorrow, the three attend a press junket. Now, I know you find out the winner if you really want to, but please stick with me. I will be back. You can see the full episode here: http://www.oprah.com/own-your-own-show/your-own-show.html

Your Own Show Episode 5 Recap

Okay~

As previously reported, Elizabeth was eliminated on episode five of Your Own Show-not without some drama though. In last week's episode, guest star Daisy Fuentes helped the teams create a commercial for Kohl's as well as featuring her clothing line . Fresh off of Tony's exit, team Focus struggled to find their groove. Ryan not only lacked his usual comedic confidence and ease. That became even more apparent when he resisted being Executive Producer of the commercial. Of course, no one could blame him; it is after all a woman's clothing line they were selling. Even still, they pulled it together thanks to a very insightful on air interview with Zach helping them to win the challenge.

On the other hand, things got even more difficult for team Vision. After an ongoing disagreement about not standing up for herself on the last show, Terey had enough. She insisted on being the on-air talent for the commercial portion while Kristina ended up with the role of Executive Producer. That left Elizabeth to do the reporting. Sounds easy, right? Wrong. In my opinion, Elizabeth wasn't prepared and left Kristina with the difficult task of trying to pick up the slack.

You can view the episode online here:

http://www.oprah.com/own-your-own-show/Your-OWN-Show-Episode-5

Next Week, financial guru Suzy Orman puts the groups through their paces!

Your OWN Show: Week Five-"Doin' it with Style"

-Welcome Back Everyone~


As previously stated, this post will be a sneak peak of Your OWN Show because of inability to receive the program on my cable lineup. By the end of the week, I should have a more in-depth review episode. But for now, here is what I was able to surmise. First of, guest star
Daisy Fendiaz (sp?) joins gang to teach them the ins and outs of creating and editing a commercial. The focus: fashion.


For Team Vision's commercial, comedian and contested Terrey pretends to have a fashion emergency; on the other hand, Team Focus's commercial features a woman looking through a magazine and daydreaming about the fashion show she could have with the clothes.

Stay tuned for more later on in the week..

Your OWN show: recap

OK~
So as predicted, Zach survived week 4 on your OWN show. But that wasn't the most surprising turn of events-Dr. Roach actually left the program after a disagreement with another contestant. Why? Because he was upset about being called out for his uncomfortable demeanor on the camera. When the other contestant apologizes in a private letter, Dr. Roach insists that it be read aloud. To view the episode, follow the following link:
http://www.oprah.com/own-your-own-show/Your-OWN-Show-Episode-104

Your OWN show: Week Four

Welcome back~

Since my parents changed their cable lineup, I have been unable to watch Zach on Your Own Show. That being said, it's going to take me a little longer to update you on the contestants left on the show. The Oprah Winfrey network website does provide the full episode online; but it seems a week after it airs. From what I gather, week four features guest cooking star Chris Stone helping team FOCUS and VISION in producing a cooking segment. This segment seems to feature Zach as executive producer and Tony as the on camera talent. I'm sorry but that all of the information I could gather from the small web episode provided. Hopefully, the full episode is posted soon so I can give you a more detailed synopsis.

On the bright side, I think Zach is still in the running for his own show. Keep representing, Zach. I am rooting for you! Thanks for showing what people with disabilities can do despite the obstacles they face on a daily basis.

http://www.oprah.com/own-your-own-show/Your-OWN-Show-Webisode-Team-Focus-in-The-Kitchen-Video

Your OWN Show: Week Three

Okay,

So this week teams FOCUS and VISION tickle our funny bone with the help of guest star Arsenio Hall. For the first part of the assignment, teams were asked to assign the role of Executive Producer to a member. In a stunning twist, team VISION decided to have comedian Terey behind the camera instead of on stage. In the same way, team FOCUS also took a risk by letting Dr. Roach be Executive Producer.

Each segment consisted of two essentials found in the typical late-night talk show-the monologue and a one-on-one interview. First up, team FOCUS begins their show with a hilarious monologue by Zach. The contestant comes on stage with the desk attached to his wheel chair. At which point, he goes into this long dialogue comparing himself to Lady Gaga. "Your move," he says, smiling. Alicia continues the segment with a in-depth interview with Arsenio Hall. Some of her questions included ones like "What's next?" and "How does growing up in the church influence your comedy today?"

Team VISION wasn't so lucky. Although Kristina gave a funny monologue about being new to America, Aunt Flora's interview fell flat in my eyes. In the end, team FOCUS won the challenge, leaving Terrey and Aunt Flora fighting for their life. They gave Terrey another chance.

Your OWN show: Zach survives again!

Welcome back-
This last week, teams DRIVEN and FOCUS had their fashion sense tested. The mentor and expert witness for the segment was fashion designer Vera Wang. Although I didn't watch the show in its entirety, the two groups were supposed to find someone deserving of a makeover and use their segment to tell a story. (Before I go on, I apologize if I have the teams confused).Team Focus was inspired by the touching story of a how a mother daughter bond helps a breast cancer survive treatment: while Team Driven focused more on the transformation itself . That left the executive producer of Driven and another contestant fighting for a second chance. Long story, Zach made it through another round. I do find it quite puzzling however that Zach is often hard to make out in the commercial for the show.

Your OWN Show: Zach made it!

Hello everyone;
Last year, I introduced you to a young man named Zach who had cerebral palsy. Known for his witty YouTube clips, he has a unique ability to disarm contestants and shed light on current issues and opinions. He's taken his talent to new heights as a contestant on your OWN show. Zach is just one of nine contestants from a wide range of backgrounds and all walks of life
New Episodes air every Friday it nine o'clock.

http://blog.zap2it.com/frominsidethebox/2011/01/oprah-winfreys-your-own-show-mark-burnett-and-zach-anner-address-voting-controversy.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+zap2it%2Ftelevision+(Zap2It+-+Television)