Unorthodox Parental Advice from the Father in Underworld

Viktor, the father in Underworld played by actor Bill NighyViktor, a Vampire Elder in the action fantasy film series Underworld, isn’t exactly the ideal image of parental excellence. He values legacy, domination and the preservation of age old traditions over all else – including family ties. However, there are a few practices he follows that you may want to consider when raising your own children.

Replace the Child You Regret with a the Kid of Your Dreams

Viktor took Selene in as a surrogate daughter, after her entire family was murdered. While this may seem noble of him, it was basically an attempt at a do-over since he treated his own daughter Sonja like she was a major disappointment. Sonja was rebellious while Selene looked up to Viktor for guidance, so it’s no surprise that he gave care and attention to the one who hung around enough to play by his rules. In some sad twisted way, a lot of parents already behave just like Viktor – it’s just called favoritism and their in denial about it.

So if you have children, why not just go all the way and literally devote all of your time to the one that shows more promise in becoming the person you’d be proud to call your own?! Even if you are a parent to just one child, that doesn’t mean you can’t benefit from Viktor’s ways. Just modify it to fit into your situation by adopting another kid and doting on him or her. Don’t want to adopt? That’s fine. Show more interest in the neighbor’s child or someone at your son or daughter’s school who appears to be lacking in quality, or even basic, parental care.

Viktor, the father in Underworld with his biological daughter Sonja, played by actress Rhona Mitra.I once had a conversation with a man who told me he has eight children (hats off to the mother! Wowza!). When my response was something like “that must be overwhelming,” he said something along the lines of “Not all of them will be winners; somebody’s gotta make it.”

Now, I’m not telling you this as a suggestion that you go off on some kind of baby-making spree, building your lineage so large people start mistaking you as the Duggar family. The bottom line is to spend your parenting efforts on kids that are a joy to have under your wing.

Don’t Believe Anything Your Kid Tells You

Selene showed Viktor images of a conspiracy between the Lycans and Vampire leader while also explaining her case. However, Viktor still wasn’t buying any of her claims – especially when he realizes that she has the hots for a member of an opposing species. Make them show you proof. That will teach them researching skills while also improving their ability to back up their words with action. It will also show you how much something means to them, given that their willingness to put in the work necessary, or not, indicates whether a topic of interest really matters.

Reprimand Your Child for Waking You up Earlier than Expected

Viktor informs Selene that she’s in deep trouble for awakening him an entire century ahead of schedule. In an angry rage due to Selene’s disrespect of the coven’s hierarchy, Viktor assures her that these reckless acts will be judged by the vampire council. Although Kraven, a vampire regent, warns Selene that her life is at stake, you need not go this far. Just make sure that whatever the consequences are for waking you up are harsh enough that your son or daughter thinks twice before doing it again (regarding non-emergencies, of course!).

U is for UnorthodoxOf course any sane person knows to take these practices by the father in Underworld with a grain of salt. I mean let’s be real; we’re talking about a guy who is in favor of honor killings. Plus anyone who seeks their parenting advice from vampires has bigger issues to address than how to control his or her children. Ha!

Which of the movie characters in Underworld would YOU hire to babysit YOUR kid(s) for a weekend?

Do YOU know of any unorthodox parenting practices that are effective in the real world?

How to Bounce Back in Life, Like a Boss! The Superwoman Edition

Lilly Singh aka Superwoman on set where she plays a spy named Lana Steele for the #ilovemakeup channel.Lilly Singh is a hero who always puts me in a good mood with her outlook on changing the world. As YouTube’s Superwoman, she uses humor to tackle situations and issues that the average person can relate to such as awkward moments with parents, friendships, having confidence, illness, dating, traveling, racism, goal setting, homophobia, depression and living your dreams.

There are times when I think I’ve lost all hope for humanity and then someone like her shows up.

Watching her work reminds me how we all have the power to make our todays better than our yesterdays, and inspire those around us to be all we can be and treat each other kindly.

So I dedicate today’s blog post to the person who finds themselves at the end of his or her rope and is trying to figure out a way to hang on. Canadian actress Lilly Singh is more than a comic who loves buttery popcorn, Chipotle, “surround sound and the colossal feel of the Cineplex” but thinks 3D glasses are horrendous inventions that were “designed to prevent couples from making out at the movie theater.” She carries with her the message that no experience is too much to handle when you believe in yourself enough to battle this gigantic monster called life with all your might.

Superwoman says no matter how many people watched her videos, all the work that went into making them would be worth it if she could make just one person smile. A lesson that can be gleaned from this is that focusing on others makes it possible for you to literally swoop in and save their day. Another way to look at this can be found in the likelihood that you’ll have a lot less time to be in a funk, because you’re too busy putting out positive energy into the world.

Superwoman says producing sketch comedy videos helped her get out of depression. So it should come as no surprise to anyone else how much laughter can really be the best medicine, especially when you are going through hard times. Listening to a funny joke or watching comedy movies are a quick way to lift your spirits when you’re feeling down in the dumps. If we can find it in ourselves to laugh, then that means some circumstances don’t suck as bad as we think they do.

B is for Bouncing Back and Being a BossSuperwoman says a lack of representation of women in her Punjabi culture, within the new media landscape, is what influenced the themes in her videos. If anything, this tells of the possibilities available when you become a leader rather than a follower. It’s one thing to consume entertainment but it’s a whole other ballgame when you decide to create the images that are being placed in front of the rest of the world.

That takes some balls and can be life changing when other people start coming out of the woodworks because they finally see something, or someone with whom they share similar experiences or viewpoints. The short of this lesson is that if you work to improve the things you don’t like about the media (or the world, for that matter) or introduce things you notice are missing from the space, you’ll make life a little better for other people while also doing the same for yourself.

It takes a willingness to get back up for another around in the boxing ring when life knocks you down, that builds your super powers. This young lady named Lilly Singh aka Superwoman doesn’t hesitate to let everyone know that we can be our own superheroes too.

Can YOU describe a situation, big or small, (illness, road rage, grief, breakup, injury/accident, work/job challenges, lawsuit, etc.) where you had to show those circumstances who’s BOSS?

Comedy 'Breakthrough Weekend' Offers a Guide to Happiness #IndieFilm

(l-r): Damien Bosco as Sal and Sean Bempong as Yevgeny filming a scene in BREAKTHROUGH WEEKEND.A private investigator named Sal takes an apprentice named Yevgeny under his wing while helping clients resolve their issues in the comedy “Breakthrough Weekend” directed by Brooklyn filmmaker Sujewa Ekanayake. Sal’s personalized approach is somewhat like a caretaker and much different from how I generally perceive private investigators to behave when working with clients. It is a method that seems to work for him and might even be recession-proof, given his ability to command a seven figure income for these services.

While watching the movie, I started wondering if this guy Sal is actually private investigator -- or is he a therapist or a gangster? It's like "Iyanla Fix My Life," except the characters and discoveries in “Breakthrough Weekend” are interesting enough – and in some cases bizarre enough -- that I wanted to know how the story was going to play out. Between cheating, dream manifestations, incest and wizardry, Yevgeny searches for the keys to improving his life, in pursuit of becoming happier and less depressed. This protege seems to find some insight on how to be happy while working on cases with Sal; perhaps it's the realization that there are way more messed up people in the world than we would think.

The overall vibe I get from this movie is a message that no matter how much you think you suck at life, there are many other people living in more undesirable circumstances. Although we’re not the only ones who are fucked up, the good news is that at least we know we have a problem, whereas many other folks don't even realize that they are screwed up themselves. Now, THAT’S depressing! The fortunate thing is the power is in each person’s hands to change his or her own situation, no matter how low one’s happiness level falls or how high it rises.

So tell me…

What's YOUR happiness level?

COMING JUNE 2014:

The U.S. Theatrical Premiere of Breakthrough Weekend is playing June 12^th during the inaugural Breakthrough Festival NYC at Anthology Archives (32 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10003), launching this movie’s 1-week run that concludes on June 18^th! Contact Wild Diner Media for showtimes and more details.