Shante Hernandez
Stories (29)
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Bruce Lee
This man right here would fight you and kill you in a heartbeat. He can break your neck and hit you so fast that you didn't see his hand or foot coming towards you. Before Bruce Lee was one of the top martial arts fighters in the world, he was born Lee Jun Fan on November 27, 1940 in San Francisco, California. His father was Hong Kong opera singer Lee Hoi Chuen and his mother was Grace Ho. Bruce Lee received the name "Bruce" from a nurse from the hospital. While he was in school, his parents never used the name.
By Shante Hernandez8 years ago in Geeks
My Autism
Autism is something special to my heart. My younger brother who is 22 years old has autism and has epilepsy. He has dealt with struggles up and down the road. I remember the years that my mom would struggle with taking care of my brother and I and our two little sisters. I would always help my mom as much as I can with my brother, because with me being the oldest child, I helped with whatever I could. But then things changed this one day me for in high school. Some of my teachers and I had a meeting to go to about me. So they called my mom and put her on speaker. My counselor was present in the meeting also. I was a little nervous about the meeting. I didn't know if I was in trouble, or if I was failing a class, or something happened that involved me. Then my counselor asked me, "Do you know why you're here?"
By Shante Hernandez8 years ago in Longevity
Judy Garland
The beautiful Judy Garland was a legend that we all remember as Dorothy from the famous movie The Wizard of Oz. But before she became Dorothy and got lost in the land of Oz, she was born Francis Ethel Gumm on June 10, 1922 in Grand Rapids, Minnesota. Judy Garland's parents were vaudeville professionals, so she started show business at a very young age. Judy was 2 years old. Her first public performance was singing "Jingle Bells." Then Judy Garland started singing with her two older sisters Susie and Jimmie. They formed a group together called "Gumm Sisters." Then in 1926, Judy Garland and her family moved to California where the Gumm Sisters studied singing and dancing. Their mother as being both the sister's manager and agent made them gigs after gigs. The Gumm Sisters had appeared in some films here and there. The sisters later changed their name to "The Garland Sisters." They changed their name after performing with comedian George Jessel in 1934. Also that is when little Francis changed her name to Judy Garland. The following year was when she would be a solo act and sign a movie contract with MGM when she was 13. Judy Garland debuted one special song called "Zing! Went the Strings of My Heart." Shortly after debuting the song, her father passed away. But despite what happened, young Judy Garland started getting movie roles after movie roles. She starred along side her best friend Mickey Rooney in a few movies together. Love Finds Andy Hardy really helped the pair with stardom. The stress of working non-stop really got to Judy Garland. The studio gave her some medications to help with her weight and image. Then the time came in Judy Garland's life. In 1939, she starred in the movie that really made her a BIG star. The Wizard of Oz won Judy Garland an Academy Award. She went to star in more musicals like Strike Up the Band and Babes of Broadway with Mickey Rooney. And For Me and My Gal with Gene Kelly. Even though she was a big star, she did have a family. Judy Garland did get married more than twice. And she had three wonderful children named Liza Minnelli (American actress) and Lorna and Joey Luft. Then Judy Garland had a breakdown from all the working days and nights. In 1950 Judy Garland was dropped from MGM, because of all the problems she was having in her life. Then Judy Garland decided to get back to work and do more movies. A Star Is Born got her nominated for an Academy Award. As the 1960s approached, Judy Garland worked more on her singing than her acting. She won a Grammy and did her very own TV show with her and her two daughters. When her TV show ended, she did one last attempt to fame for acting. She did a Broadway show called At Home at a Palace. When she fell into some financial and personal trouble, she went to a London nightclub and perform. But she was in such bad shape. On June 22, 1969, the beautiful and talented Judy Garland passed away of an accidental overdose while she was in London. Judy Garland was a phenomenal singer and actress. Her daughters Liza and Lorna live their mother's legacy on and on. There have been books and movies made about Judy Garland and her life. The biopic Me and My Shadows: A Family Memoir really told the story about her life to fame and everything. One of the best biopics I seen. Judy Garland will always be Dorothy. She is finally able to fly and be over the rainbow.
By Shante Hernandez8 years ago in Viva
Being A First Time Mother
Being a first time mother is hard. I never thought I would ever become a mom. My doctor told me that I couldn't have any children. Well look at me now doc. This is how it all began. It all started a week after my honeymoon. I was working at the register with a customer, then all of a sudden, I fainted. Next thing I knew, I woke up with my husband sitting next to me. He told, "You fainted while you were at work." Then the doctor came in and told me that I was pregnant. I was excited, but I was very nervous that I was expecting. I think I cried for like a week straight. All these thoughts were running through my head. What if I'm not a good mother? Why did God choose me to be a mother? Am I good enough to be the mother of this baby? Then my husband sat me down and calmed me down. "You are going to be the best mother in the world" my husband whispered in my ear. Then we fast forward a few months later. It was time to find out the sex of the baby. I said, "I think it's a girl." "My guess is a baby boy" my husband replied. The doctor looked at the sonogram and told us, "IT'S A BOY!" I have never seen my husband smile so hard. We were happy to finally find out the sex. And then we chose a name for our son. The thing that I was scared about was changing a boy's diaper. Because when I would baby sit or work with babies, they were mostly girls. I have never changed a boy's diaper.
By Shante Hernandez8 years ago in Families
Guatemala
GUATEMALA!!! I heard so many things about Guatemala. My father in law was born and raised there. He told me so many things about where he was born, where he lived, his school days, and his favorite childhood memories. All the places to eat, all the beautiful sights, and the warm beaches. My husband told me some things also. He went to Guatemala when he was about 3 or 4 years old. And the last time he went was about 4 years ago. He told me about some things when he went there. Just hearing stories about it makes me imagine what does Guatemala look like. I see Guatemala as a very colorful and relaxing place. A place to go to the beach and lie in the sun. Put your feet in the sand as it gets in between your toes. I heard that there is a beach there that has black sand. I better wear the right shoes there. I don't want to burn my feet. As the music rings in the air, people start to dance and sing. All the wonderful and delicious food to eat. The smell of the food in the air smells so good, that it makes you want to drool. The restaurants there are like 5 star hotels. I heard that McDonald's, KFC, and Pizza Hut are amazing.
By Shante Hernandez8 years ago in Wander
Bruno Mars
Bruno Mars is one the top selling pop artists in the world. Before all the fame and becoming Bruno Mars, he was born into this world as Peter Gene Hernandez on October 8, 1985 in Honolulu, Hawaii. His parents are Latin percussionist Peter and his mother was singer and dancer Bernadette. Bruno's parents gave him the nickname Bruno after Sammartino. He has five siblings. Bruno Mars was born into a very musical family. He started taking music seriously when he was about three years old. He would perform with his family on stage. And he would be an impersonator of Elvis Presley. All of Hawaii would come and see little Bruno perform. Later on down the road he would also impersonate the king of pop, Michael Jackson. As the years went by when Bruno Mars was in high school, him and some of his friends formed a group called "The School Boys." They would perform in front of the Ilikai Hotel in Hawaii. Then, after graduating high school, he moves to Los Angeles. The first few years were a little hard for Bruno Mars. He struggled to try and make it in the music industry. Then one day Bruno Mars was introduced to songwriter Phillip Lawrence to help him write music for other artist. Bruno Mars had finally scored his writing songs for Brandy and Flo Rida. When he wrote the song "Billionaire" by Travie McCoy, he decided to join him on the track and it became a major hit. After several years in the music industry, Bruno Mars finally became a broke out artist after singing with B.O.B on the song called "Nothin' On You." It went straight to the number 1 spot immediately. Then the time finally came, Bruno Mars released his first solo single "Just The Way You Are" from his debut album "Doo-Wops & Hooligans" in 2010. The song and the album made it to the top 10 charts. Then he made follow up songs like "Grenade" and "The Lazy Song," which also cracked the top 10 charts. Then he wrote a song called "It Will Rain" for the movie Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1 in 2011. In 2012, he released his second album "Unorthodox Jukebox." On that album were a few hits like "Locked Out of Heaven," which went to the top. And it won Best Music Video. "Treasure" was another song from the album and won Best Choreography. Then there was "When I Was Your Man," that reached number 1 also. Bruno became popular that he collaborates with Mark Ronson on "Uptown Funk." In 2013, Bruno Mars gets the opportunity to perform at the song at the Super Bowl. Bruno Mars has come a long way. What is Bruno Mars doing now? He has collaborated with other artists like Damian Marley, Lil Wayne, Snoop Dogg and others you can name. He starred in the movie Rio 2 as Roberto. And he has released a few more hits like "Versace on The Floor," "24k Magic," and "That's What I Like." He is dating model Jessica Caban since 2012. I hoping there will be wedding bells or maybe Bruno Jr. He has really helped by donating money to Flint, Michigan for the water crisis. That really makes me a bigger fan of his, because he helped my hometown. One funny thing I see when I look at Bruno Mars as a kid, my son Joseph looks just like him. People always ask me if Bruno Mars is his father. Nope! But anyways, Bruno Mars is a very hard working man. Bruno Mars is also very VERY handsome. I love you Bruno Mars!
By Shante Hernandez8 years ago in Beat
Interracial Love
My husband and I never thought we would marry each other ever. I grew up in a black Christian family. And he grew up in mostly a Salvation Army church with a white mother and a Hispanic father. People ask us both these questions all the time. Why did you not marry a black man? Why did you marry a black woman? Why marry someone that is white and Hispanic? WHY?
By Shante Hernandez8 years ago in Families
Bob Marley
Before he became the Rasta man of the world, he was born Robert Nesta Marley on February 6th, 1945 in Nine Mile, Jamaica. His parents were Cedella Booker and Norval Marley. He lived with his mother, and only saw his father a handful of times when he was a young boy. Bob Marley had passion for music as a young one, so while at school, Bob Marley and his friend Neville "Bunny" Livingston shared the same love of music. Bunny started teaching Bob Marley how to play the guitar. Then, in the 50s, Bob and Bunny moved to Kingston in a little town called Trench Town. It was there that they met Peter Tosh.
By Shante Hernandez8 years ago in Beat
Anne Frank
The Diary of Anne Frank is a very popular, number-1 selling book in the whole wide world. Before the diary became popular, the beautiful young writer Anne Frank was born Annelies Marie Frank on June 12, 1929 in Frankfurt, Germany. She lived with her parents Otto Frank and Edith Frank-Holländer and older sister Margot Frank. Anne was born in a time where there was a lot of political chaos in Germany. Her family decided to move to Amsterdam when Adolf Hitler won the election. It was there where she attended school at Montessori. She was a very friendly, talkative, and outstanding young girl. She loved to read and do a lot of writing and journalism a lot. Even though she was very talkative, she was also secretive. She wouldn't even share with her best friends at school.
By Shante Hernandez8 years ago in Viva
Nicki Minaj
Nicki, Nicki, Nicki!! Nicki Minaj was born Onika Maraj on December 8, 1982 in Saint James, Trinidad and Tobago. She moved to the USA when she was younger. Nicki hadn't always had the luxury life. Her father had problems with drugs and being abusive towards Nicki's mother. He even went as far as burning their house down. Nicki and her mother survived the house fire, but she always had a passion for music at a young age. When she was in middle school, she played the clarinet, which gained her an admission to a school of arts. Her dream was to do acting, but after so many attempts she decided to get a job. After working so many jobs, she was fired for poor customer service. Then one day she decided to pull a group together called "The Hoodstars." They released a few mixtapes, but Nicki left the group and started working on her solo mixtapes. She caught the attention of the CEO of "Dirty Money Entertainment," who signed her a contract. Some of her popular mixtapes like Playtime is Over, and a follow-up that really got her career started on the way to fame as a rapper. Then in 2009, she released her third mixtape and got her hits on the Top 20 Billboard's Hot Rap Song. This caught the attention of rapper Lil Wayne, who signed her a contract with "Young Money Entertainment." She started by making cameos in videos with people like Robin Thicke and Mariah Carey. The day finally came, her debut album Massive Attack, which changed to Pink Friday was released in 2010. That was when her career as an artist started and took off. She had hits off the album that made the Top Billboard Top 20 Rap Songs. Her song "Your Love" was one of her number one hits. "Super Bass" was another top hit that went platinum. There were a lot more hit songs on the album that you can name. In 2012, she collaborated with one of top 80s queens, Madonna and fellow artist MIA on a song called "Give Me All Your Luvin." Later on that year, she debuted her studio album Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded. Popular songs like "Stupid Hoe" and "Roman in Moscow" were on the album. And they became very popular songs on the chart.
By Shante Hernandez8 years ago in Beat
Adrienne Houghton (Bailon)
We all remember Adrienne Bailon from the girl groups 3LW and Cheetah Girls. But how it all started was on October 24, 1983, Adrienne Bailon was born to a Puerto Rican mom named Nilda and an Ecuadorian father named Freddie in Lower East Side, New York City, New York. Adrienne always loved music. She actually started singing when she was five years old. Her and her sister would sing for their family a lot. So Adrienne knew that she was going to be a famous singer one day. That day came true one day while she was singing with church in Madison Square Garden, Ricky Martin approached her and asked if she and four other singers if they could sing backup for him at his concert that night.
By Shante Hernandez8 years ago in Beat
