Beyonce is the thinking woman’s celebrity. She appeals on all levels: she’s gorgeous, talented, and not in your face.
Despite their enormous fame, she and well-known husband, rap mogul Jay Z, have fiercely protected their privacy. They’ve refused to speak about their relationship publicly and -– in the age of overexposure– managed to keep their wedding and two pregnancies under the radar.
I like her music, especially its message of women empowerment. I’ve been known to vigorously shout her “who-needs-men” lyrics at top volume in the sanctity of my minivan. Plus she kicked ass at the Super Bowl, and quite possibly blew out the stadium lights with her electricity.
So I was curious about her 90-minute documentary, “Life is But a Dream,” that debuted on HBO this weekend.
Bey Bey did not disappoint.
The film—which follows her over a period of about three years—covers her making an album and performing in several huge venues all over the world. There’s some manufactured backstage drama involving support staff but it’s inconsequential. As soon as Beyonce leaves the screen, you want her back.
She’s amazing eye candy on stage. Inventive costumes, an endless parade of fabulous hairstyles, and impressive dance moves. And so much energy. She must have broken a record for most shimmy and shakes per second.
But it’s the personal stories behind the scenes that will grab you.
She keeps a video diary on her computer and often appears sans makeup, showing raw emotion about her work and life experiences. Part of the reason she wanted to do the film after avoiding discussing her personal life for so long is to let fans know she’s not just a paparazzi photo, and has the same fears, hurt, and insecurities as most people.
The film made news when Beyonce revealed she had a miscarriage before eventually having her daughter Blue Ivy in 2012. She describes hearing her baby’s heartbeat the first time she was pregnant as the most beautiful music she ever heard. When the heartbeat disappeared, she recorded what she calls the saddest song she’d ever written as a form of therapy to get through her pain.
The way she talks about the joy and fragility of her second pregnancy exposes a vulnerability that’s relatable and grounding. She convincingly debunks rumors she used a surrogate, saying she couldn’t wait to experience the excitement of giving birth. She speaks honestly throughout the doc and I found her deeply spiritual, without being preachy or self-absorbed.
Watching her recording songs feels like eavesdropping on an intimate moment. Her video confessionals and the few interactions with Jay Z fascinated me. She obviously adores him. There’s one brief home video of a speech she made to him on his birthday in 2006 that’s cozy and sweet.
While she’s totally out there, Jay Z makes a few very brief appearances and maybe speaks 5 words total. I wanted to see more, but also respect that she’s still preserving boundaries.
It may sound ridiculous to make a documentary about your life and still attempt to set limits, but Beyonce manages to do it. She shows video of her pregnant body, but only in almost animated silhouette. She finally invites the world for a look at her daughter, but only for a few moments at the end of the film. She finds a balance between sharing and keeping some things for herself.
What resonated most with me is when she talked about staying humble while honoring her fans, and staying current while being true to her soul and artistic evolution.
The film is a beacon of light in the slimy world of celebrity culture. Beyonce is a celebrity you can safely admire and a woman with an inspiring story to tell.
carpool candy 
Lance spills to Oprah– did you watch?
This was a big week for famous people telling us things we already knew. First actress Jodie Foster came out in a rambling, indirect speech at the Golden Globes, and tonight I watched former 7-time Tour De France winner Lance Armstrong admit to doping.
The evidence has been out there for a while and despite many public denials, Lance finally came clean in an exclusive interview with Oprah on her OWN network.
The stories I’ve read about the systematic bullying, threats, and intimidation he used against his inner circle when they betrayed him, make him sound like a monster.
Some view his fall from grace as especially shameful because he’s also a testicular cancer survivor who formed the Livestrong foundation that has raised millions of dollars for research, and inspired many touched by cancer.
In a great article previewing the interview, Dan Wetzel of Yahoo sports wrote:
“Armstrong isn’t necessarily a bad guy for doping. He is a bad guy for the way he used his immense power, fame and fortune to attempt to ruin anyone who dared to speak the truth to his avalanche of lies.“
He goes on to list all the questions he would ask if he ever got a shot at Armstrong. Oprah addressed many of them in the interview.
Armstrong admitted right off the top that he used performance enhancing drugs, and said he was doing the interview to acknowledge his mistakes and apologize. He seemed tense and shifty, often clenching his teeth and avoiding looking Oprah in the eye as he answered the toughest questions. He probably would rather have been almost anywhere but that chair. But he did talk for two and a half hours. Here are some of the highlights that stood out:
–Why now: “I don’t have a good answer. This is too late. It was one big lie I repeated a lot of times.”
–Why he kept up the charade for so long : “This story was so perfect for so long. A mythic perfect story. I lost myself in all that. I couldn’t handle it, I had always controlled every outcome of my life.”
–On his rough tactics against teammates and others who came clean: “I was a bully. I tried to control the narrative by calling them liars.”
–Why he thinks he bullied people: “My mother had me very young and we always had our back against the wall… so we were fighters, my entire life. I took that ruthless, relentless attitude into cycling. Surviving cancer changed me… and that instinct morphed into the bullying.”
–On a video of him denying drug use to anti-doping officials: “I think, look at that arrogant prick. It’s not good.”
–Oprah: “Did you feel the doping was wrong at the time?” Lance: “No. ” Oprah: “Did you feel bad about it?” Lance: “No, scary, right?” Oprah: “You didn’t think you were cheating at the time?” Lance: “No, even scarier.”
–On the day his doping case was reopened: ” I’d do anything to go back to that day. I wouldn’t fight it. I wouldn’t sue them. I’d listen….I wish I could have told the truth then.”
–On how he expects people to react: “I see the anger in people who supported and believed in me. They have every right to feel betrayed. I’ll spend the rest of my life trying to earn back trust.”
–On suing Irish cycling masseuse Emma O’Reilly and others who outed his doping: “That was a major flaw. It was a guy who expected to get whatever he wanted and control every outcome. Some people won’t forgive me. I understand that.”
Critics said Armstrong chose Oprah because she would go easy on him. But anyone who knows her interview style knows she’s anything but soft. She came prepared, armed with facts, quotes and video that wasn’t just handed to her by producers. She brang it. She was composed and clear. There were many questions she planned to ask but she wasn’t afraid to react to his answers and delve deeper. She has a way of getting people to “speak their truths,” as she would say. There’s still another hour to air tomorrow, but so far, I’d give her an A.
It was compelling TV.
Oprah went on “CBS This Morning” this week and had some interesting things to say about the interview. You can see that here.
My thoughts? Armstrong was a bad, selfish guy who lied. Now he’s still a bad guy who happens to be telling the truth, for reasons still unclear. I didn’t believe he was sincere and am not sure if he’s sorry he did it or sorry he got caught.
Did you watch it? OWN is repeating the interview Friday and throughout the weekend if you want to catch it. What did you think? Tell me in the comments.
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