The sitcom "Will and Grace" has recently returned to network television 11 years after its original 8-year-run ended. The show had, and now continues to have, a "cult-like" following and I am a card-carrying member. Many a great quote has come from the hilarious and well-written scripts about Will, Grace, Karen and Jack, four best friends together facing the highs and lows of life in New York City. One such line was uttered by Will Truman, played by Eric McCormack, when he said "Look! TiVo saved all the 'American Idols' for me. I love Paula Abdul. And I love that we live in a world that would give Paula Abdul a second chance." Paula had risen to prominence in the 1980's as a highly sought after music video choreographer and later was at the top of the music charts with back-to-back hit pop songs in the late 80's, early 90's. She then suffered a series of setbacks in both her professional and personal life and the former hitmaker fell off the charts and out of the limelight. Paula was able to find renewed fame and success when she was made one of the original judges on American Idol in the 2000's, which she went on to do for eight seasons. The Will Truman joke was funny because it was said during a time when second chances weren't as popular as they are now in the Mel Gibson, Floyd Mayweather, Adrian Peterson, Michael Vick, Anthony Weiner world that we live in.
Were you able to stay awake until midnight on New Year's Eve? If you were, then you may have seen a notorious celebrity second chance when Mariah Carey was once again handed a microphone and a worldwide platform to serenade us all into the year-end countdown. All eyes were on Mariah as she once again, for the second year in a row, performed live from Times Square during "Dick Clark's Rockin' New Year's Eve" hosted by Ryan Seacrest.
Do you remember what happened last year? Just when you thought the hardest thing Mariah would ever have to overcome was the video of her throwing out the first pitch prior to a Japanese Baseball League game in Tokyo ten years ago, last New Year's Eve Mariah seemingly forgot and fumbled the lyrics of several of her hit songs and it became a trending national topic of discussion. Mariah was unable to sing the song "Emotions" and it started a "she-said/they-said" blame game. Mariah claimed that it was a problem with the feed into her earpiece and that she was unable to hear the music, therefore she could not possibly sing the song. Her manager even accused Dick Clark Productions of intentionally sabotaging her performance. DCP denied the sabotage charges and said that if Mariah had actually shown up for the sound check then the problem could have been avoided. It doesn't really matter at this point what the cause was for the 2017 New Year's Eve mishap (a "disaster" according to Mariah). What matters is that she was given a chance at redemption and she took it. It is such poetic justice, isn't it, since New Year's is all about second chances and starting anew with a clean slate.
So what do you think? Did Mariah redeem herself? I think the fact that she was brave enough to take the stage for a second time is redemption enough. It takes a lot of courage to do something when you know the world is watching and that there may be people out there rooting for you to fail. It is a triumph in itself to brave the subzero frigid temperatures and try again not knowing whether technical difficulties will once again sink your battleship. Whether you watched or not, you have probably heard by now that Mariah's performance of two songs this past New Year's Eve was far superior to last year's. Mariah belted out the notes and proved that she not only can still hit the high notes, she was obviously singing live without the benefit of studio enhancements and technical backing tracks.
I think it was so perfect that "Hero" was the second song that Mariah sang. She graciously dedicated the song to the people who are fighting for justice and striving to unify our planet. That was a lovely gesture. What I loved about that song choice is that the lyrics so perfectly capture what it means for all of us who are courageous enough to go for a second chance. "It's a long road when you face the world alone and no one reaches out a hand for you to hold...and then a hero comes along with the strength to carry on and you cast your fears aside...when you feel that hope is gone, look inside you and be strong and then you will finally see the truth, that a hero lies in you." Wow! What a powerful message! It had been awhile since I listened, truly listened, to that song and its lyrics.
The beginning of a new year is all about second chances. The calendar is clean, making resolutions is as contagious as a virus, our memories of last year's disasters become faint...just like our memories of Mariah's previous New Year's performance. You may not feel like you have something to prove like Mariah did. Perhaps you just want a fresh start, a reboot, a chance to have a do-over...you can do all of that and you don't have to worry about doing it live with the world watching. Are there things you wanted to accomplish in 2017 that you never got around to? Was there something that you worked on that did not meet your expectations and you wish you could do it over? Now is your chance! Like the song says, "look inside you and be strong". If you need someone to remind you that inside you lies the heart and soul of a hero, call me...I will be your biggest cheerleader. In between Mariah's two songs this year, she asked for tea. She said she was promised tea. She called it a disaster that there was no hot tea. People are calling it this year's "Diva moment". I say that we should all reach for a cup of hot tea to keep us going during challenging times. So if you decide to meet with me to help you jump-start your reboot, motivate your second chance and bring out your inner hero, we will do so over a cup of hot tea. My treat.