History’s greatest goodbye ballad at the half-century mark: Elvis Presley and Linda Ronstadt’s hidden roles in the story — The most loving goodbye song? Fifty years ago, Dolly Parton gave birth to a song. Twenty years later, Whitney Houston transformed it into a power ballad. “When I heard her sing it, my heart just stopped,” Parton recalled. “I just couldn’t believe my little song, my little simple song that…

The story of your life: You are what you read — and watch? If your life was a show which show would it be? — Your life story is greatly influenced by where you expect the story to go. That’s why we “dress for the job you want, not the job you have.” Are you a drama queen, a comedian, or living in a love story? Imagine this scenario for a story Consider a writing premise: Your great love disappears. Where…

Divided No More? Why are Americans reunited in their love for the return of a real heroic, feel-good film? — Top Gun: Maverick smashed box office records — $300 million in its first weekend, now likely to hit $600 million. Ninety-nine percent love the film — but why? You’ve probably read the seven most common arguments: Tom Cruise is the last true movie star. “It couldn’t have been anyone else,” The New York Times reported.

He inspired lover Meryl Streep: ‘He wasn’t like anybody I’d ever met…’ Five Best Pictures in 7 years? The amazing John Cazale — You know Academy Award champion Meryl Streep — but do you recall the actor who changed her life? Every John Cazale film was nominated for Best Picture and rated among the greatest films ever. Streep won three Academy Awards (a record of 21 nominations). Cazale taught Meryl Streep how to…

From the Bible to modern culture: Why is humility so necessary and sought after? Even Jesus humbled himself? — The trouble with being a beloved child of God? We try to “play god,” like a 2-year-old wearing Daddy’s shoes — or trying to drive his car. Humility is the cure for this deadliest sin of pride. Humility is nothing but the truth, and pride is nothing but lying, St…

Meet the most powerful woman in history: Why they call her the Mother of God — the parable of the snakes in our yard — Look closely at the feet of Mary, and her strength and power are apparent: she’s standing on a snake, pinning down the serpent — barefooted. A Gallup poll found that more people feared snakes more than any other suggested possibility. A more recent 2022 poll shows fear of snakes is…

The new Elvis film is №1, but there’s one side effect a week after seeing it: He’s racing up the Billboard charts again — Nearly 45 years after his death, Elvis Presley's music is racing up the Billboard and iTunes singles charts. In addition, the new Elvis film soundtrack is now fourth among albums. “The largest revenue year in Elvis Presley Enterprises history is 2022,” said Joel Weinshanker, managing partner of the company managing…

The three ways to teach lessons people never forget: All can be seen in a family, education, work — Every parent, teacher, or supervisor eventually learns three ways to teach someone lessons they retain for a lifetime. As Muppets creator Jim Henson stressed, young people “don’t remember what you try to teach them. They remember what you are.” You’ve probably taught — and learned — in each of these…

You were born for this: Can a six-pound baby change the world? — PONTIAC, Mich. — The custodian chuckled at us standing there, lost on the elevator (we hadn’t pushed any buttons). “You’re here to see your new grandbaby?” he smiled knowingly. The custodian sees this daily: entire families are transformed because a new baby was born. Of course, the shell-shocked relatives know…